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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

Personal belief, salvation, spiritual disciplines, formation

Prayer for wisdom for public officials

Meredith Flynn —  October 29, 2012

Editor’s note: Southern Baptists have been called to pray for 40 days or 40 hours prior to this fall’s election through the 40/40 Vigil. Today’s Heartland post is from Day (or Hour) 34. Go to 4040prayer.com to read more prayer prompts and to find out how to join the vigil.

Scripture for reflection and preparation

“It is by me that kings reign and rulers enact just law; by me, princes lead. as do nobles and all righteous judges.” (Proverbs 8:15-16)

“But the one who did not know, and did things deserving of blows, will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48)

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

PREPARATION

  • Praise God for who He is
  • Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
  • Allow His Spirit to draw you near
  • Listen as He speaks to you

ASK GOD TO…

  • Burden Christians to run for public office
  • Help the church understand the imperative of civic involvement
  • Help churches equip men and women for the spiritual demands of public office
  • Burden churches to pray for God to call men and women to public office
  • Give Christians who run for public office favor in the eyes of the electorate
  • Help you know if He wants you to become more involved in the civic life of your community or nation
  • Protect future Christian leaders from errors and sin that will prevent them from fulfilling God’s intention for their lives of public service

THANKSGIVING

  • Thank God for hearing you
  • Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will
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God still restores

Meredith Flynn —  October 22, 2012

HEARTLAND | From Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor,

He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

To grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, who God promised to restore after years of captivity. Our situation isn’t the same, but His character is. The same God who promised to restore them, promises to restore us, too, to trade our heart of stone for a heart of flesh and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).

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Mission Illinois: More than a meeting theme

Meredith Flynn —  October 18, 2012

COMMENTARY | Nate Adams

When hundreds of churches convene next month for the IBSA Annual Meeting in Decatur, we will assemble under the theme “Mission Illinois.” For me, however, it’s more than a meeting theme. In the days ahead, I hope the mantra of Mission Illinois will begin to represent a fresh new vision of why we as churches choose to cooperate, and how we measure our effectiveness as a state association.

For several years now, we as the churches and leaders of IBSA have focused our energies on four key priorities: strengthening churches, starting churches, sending Christians into their Acts 1:8 mission fields, and stimulating stewardship among churches so we can do our part with other Southern Baptists to fund the larger missions efforts of the SBC.

Our goals within those key priorities have been aggressive, and we haven’t always attained them. But for the most part we are training more leaders with fewer staff, starting a steady number of new churches with lower national funding, and directly assisting more churches in their evangelism and missions efforts in spite of higher travel costs and a challenging economy.

But we as an association of churches still long to see increases in indicators such as baptisms, worship and Bible study participation, and the net number of IBSA churches – all of which have remained relatively flat over the past few years. We don’t care about numbers for numbers’ sake, but because they are indicators of missional advance, church health, and Kingdom expansion. We want to see lostness decrease and the accessibility of Bible-believing churches increase.

So I’ve been asking myself, and would invite you to ask with me, what might need to change? How might we adjust our efforts in this mission we call Illinois?

I don’t claim to have it figured out yet, or that I can do it alone. More often than not, I feel like our blind dog Willy that I described in the last issue. In fact, our mission here in Illinois is partly what I had in mind when I wrote, “There are times when it seems that I just can’t see things, or can’t see where things are going, with the clarity or certainty I would like. Things in my family, my work, my church, things in Baptist life, things in our nation, things on the world scene – all seem to be less predictable, less comfortable than in the past.”

That certainly is an environment where faith and dependence on God for vision are desperately needed, as Willy’s situation illustrates. And so I have not been hasty to propose a new mission statement or declare a new direction. I’m praying and thinking, listening and observing, drafting and revising, waiting and praying. And I invite you to join me, and to e-mail, write or call with your thoughts or ideas.

In the next couple of issues, I’m going to share a little more of what I think “Mission Illinois” might mean as a vision for our future as IBSA churches. On one hand, it’s hard for me to imagine that strengthening churches and starting churches and sending Christians on mission, and stimulating faithful stewardship among churches will not still be primary priorities. On the other hand, I can’t help but believe that God wants to do more through our cooperation than we are currently experiencing.

So please join me in prayer and creative thinking as we approach this year’s IBSA Annual Meeting. For us as Illinois Baptists, Mission Illinois must be more than an annual meeting theme. It must become a rallying cry for reinvigorated, purposeful cooperation that actually impacts the lostness of our Illinois mission field.

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Adoniram Judson and an unlikely missionary

Meredith Flynn —  October 15, 2012

Editor’s note: This year marks the 200th anniversary of Adoniram Judson’s historic missionary journey. This column, which first appeared on Baptist Press, is adapted from the introduction of a new book about Judson’s life.

HEARTLAND | Paige Patterson

My appreciation for the life of Adoniram Judson began in 1957 when my dad, a missionary-hearted pastor, placed a book in my hands and urged that I read it carefully.

Courtney Anderson’s biography of Judson, “To the Golden Shore,” wrapped its tentacles around this red-haired young teen’s heart, mind and soul. And to this day, I read it often, unable to shirk the adventure, the love, the risk, the suffering, the faith and the courage that leap from every page.

I was an unlikely missions candidate. A puckish prankster almost from the womb, not much in the world seemed very serious to me. I roamed the woods without my parents’ knowledge or permission by the time I was 10, caught sunning cottonmouths with my bare hands and hunted with a contraband .22 pump rifle which no one knew I had.

Because I had a better than average awareness of my capacity for sin, my conversion to Christ at age 9 was vivid. With it came a commitment to the ministry which I grasped fully. Conversion healed immediately the more gross of my sinful impulses, but I fear that the prankishness and love for exploration and adventure were only exacerbated.

The sometimes stodgy Adoniram had another side to him, I learned. He loved to laugh and could evidently spin a yarn or two himself. And, as I read the pages of “To the Golden Shore,” two different but not at all contradictory notions were stoked into a raging fire.

First, the desire to see the world, to embark on a great adventure gripped my soul. And to attempt this journey bearing the Gospel as the sole solution to the agonies of life only made such an enterprise seem more essential.

More important, if the Judsons could sacrifice akin to the sufferings of Christ (Colossians 1:24), then it dawned on me that lost people must really matter. Clearly for all the tragedy that engulfed them, the Judsons believed the lost of Burma and the saving message of Christ were more important than all else in life.

Though I envy those called of God to permanent mission assignments, the Lord never led me to those. Rather, for the last 37 years I have followed what I believe to be the leadership of the Spirit of God to train missionaries and mission-hearted pastors so that no one is left without an opportunity to know of the Savior who could save even a freckled-faced, red-headed, hot-blooded prankster. At every juncture, the impact of Adoniram Judson has played a major role in my life’s work.

Paige Patterson is president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Read his full column at BPNews.net.

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If Protestants aren’t the majority, should we worry?

Meredith Flynn —  October 11, 2012

COMMENTARY | Immediately after the Pew Forum released new findings about the current state of American Protestantism, writers and thinkers took to their blogs to warn us not to put too much stock in the so-called shift, at least not for the reasons we might think.

“…Many will likely trumpet this as a huge shift. It’s not. This is simply the natural progression of what is taking place in our context,” said LifeWay’s Ed Stetzer of the research, which states that for the first time in history, Protestants are not a majority in the United States. Rather, the 48% that claim to be Protestants are a plurality at the top of a list of choices that also includes Catholic (22%), Mormon (2%), Orthodox (2%) and “Other Faith” (6%). That means nearly 20% of Americans aren’t affiliated with any faith, the highest percentage ever in Pew Center polling.

“A big part of what is happening is that the ‘Nominals’…are shifting and becoming the ‘Nones,'” Stetzer wrote. “This makes sense, as the cultural currency (in other words, the value a society places on identifying as a Christian) is decreasing. And thus, we see a movement away from Christian identity as a cultural value.”

Stetzer identifies these three main points from the research:

1. “On a growing basis, identifying oneself as a Christian is not a means to societal advancement but can actually be a means to societal rejection.”

2. What he calls the “squishy middle,” or nominalism, is going away. Southern Seminary’s Russell Moore also blogged about this following the Pew Center’s research. “Most of the old-line Protestant denominations are captive to every theological fad that has blown through their divinity schools in the past thirty years-from crypto-Marxist liberation ideologies to sexual identity politics to a neo-pagan vision of God—complete with gender neutralized liturgies.

“What we should pay attention to instead may be the fresh wind of orthodox Christianity whistling through the leaves-especially throughout the third world, and in some unlikely places in North America, as well. Sometimes animists, Buddhists, and body-pierced Starbucks employees are more fertile ground for the gospel than the confirmed Episcopalian at the helm of the Rotary Club.”

3. “It is still a vast overstatement to see this as a collapse of the Christian faith in North America,” Stetzer wrote. “The reality is that evangelicals have been relatively steady as a percent of the population over the last few years, however there is still great cause for concern here – and for action.”

That action must take shape as a willingness to seize opportunities explain exactly what a Christian is, Stetzer said. “…As society moves away from Christian identification, let’s meet them on the road and say, ‘We did not believe in that expression of Christianity anyway. Let me tell you about Jesus and how he changes everything.'”

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Why God doesn’t tell us everything

Meredith Flynn —  October 4, 2012

Editor’s note: Trevin Wax is managing editor for LifeWay’s “The Gospel Project.” This column is excerpted from Baptist Press.

COMMENTARY | Trevin Wax

It’s Wednesday night, and I’m helping our kids get their shoes on, jackets on, and Bibles ready as we’re about to rush to church. I hustle them out the door, tell my wife we’re waiting for her in the car, and then load them into the van.

Along the way, I tell Timothy (our 7-year-old): “Watch out for the puddle in the driveway. Zip up your jacket. Open the door for your sister.” He gives me the exasperated look that smacks of a bad attitude, and I ask him what his problem is.

He lets me know: “People tell me what to do all day long. Before school. During school. At lunch. During class. When I get home. I just get tired of everyone else being in charge.”

“So you want to be in charge?” I ask him.

“Yes. I want to be in charge and make my own decisions,” he tells me.

Thinking this might be a good time to wax philosophical, I say, “Well, son, that day is coming. But right now, other people are in charge, and the reason we’re in charge is because God has told us to be. God wants us to do our best to help shape you into the kind of person who can make wise, God-honoring choices on your own.”

He nods. He knows.

But I keep going.

“One day, you’ll leave home. You’ll go off to college, and no one is going to be telling you what to do every day. You’ll be on your own, making decisions. And I want you to be ready for that day.”

At this, the weariness of the day overcomes Timothy, and the vision of such independence overwhelms him. He wails. Big tears coming down.

“That makes me so sad! I don’t want to leave home!” He is hysterical. “Why do you say that? I don’t want to think about that.”

I sigh, put my hand to my head, and try not to smile. So much for waxing philosophical. Now, it’s time to reassure him.

“Timothy, that day is far away, and by the time you get there – trust me – you’ll want to be on your own, making those kinds of choices.” He is comforted. Crisis averted. I make a mental note: “Don’t bring up college again.”

Afterward, my wife and I were talking about that conversation, laughing about how the thought of independence overwhelmed our son. As adults, we can look ahead to his future and can envision him as an independent young man, mature in his faith, making wise choices.

As a child, our son wants to get there, but he can’t imagine what that would be like. The very thought of being an adult scares him. There are too many unknown variables.

And then, I realize why God doesn’t tell us everything about our future. He lays out the vision of who we will be – people walking in a manner worthy of Christ, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. But He doesn’t tell us everything this journey will entail. He doesn’t tell us everything we will accomplish along the way.

Sometimes I’ve wondered why God doesn’t reveal the specific plan He has for all of our lives. Now, I realize it’s a good thing He doesn’t.  We’d wonder how in the world He will manage to make us resemble Christ in so many surprising ways.

And the thought of the suffering, pain and responsibility it will take to get us there – to form us into that kind of person … well, if college is enough to overwhelm a 7-year-old, then maybe the specifics of how we will become more like Christ over a lifetime would be too much to handle.

Better instead to listen to the loving voice of our Father, who seals us with His Spirit and promises to renew our humanity day by day as He remakes us into the image of His Son.

Better instead to take our baby steps as we wobble down the journey of life, basking in our Father’s good pleasure, trusting in His Son’s sacrifice when we fall, and leaning on the power of the Spirit to pick us back up again and to help us continue the walk.

God gives us the big picture of our future. And it’s glorious!

But He chooses not to fill in all the details for us. And that’s a good thing.

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At church’s ‘Great Debate,’ speakers tackle one-issue voting

Meredith Flynn —  October 2, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Posted by Meredith Flynn

It wasn’t a typical Sunday night at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur. While Tabernacle Pastor Wes Feltner did occupy the worship center platform, he was joined by four panelists to whom he served as moderator.

Billed as the “Great Debate: Faith and Politics 2012,” the panelist were there to discuss, “How high the wall? Faith, Politics and the Public Square.”

One-issue voting proved to be a hot topic among the panelists, who came from a variety of perspectives.

“It’s not wrong, but I do have concerns with it,” said Shaun Lewis, who ministers to Illinois lawmakers through the Capitol Commission. “The problem being one issue voting tends to define the church by that one issue and it does a lot of damage to the image of the church. It shifts the identity of the church to elevating one issue more than it should be.”

Chad Brand, a professor of theology at Southern Seminary, added, “There are many issues we ought to be concerned about. We cannot help ourselves from reacting to certain issues. The church is gifted with diverse people. We can’t let ourselves be driven by gay rights and abortion. We must recognize there are other issues.”

James Estep, a dean at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary in Lincoln, Ill., said one solution is to train young thinkers to look critically at the issues. “It is essential to have a strong education system so you have intelligent voters to make informed decisions,” he said. “That one issue, 10, 20 years later might not be an important issue anymore.”

Reported by Lisa Sergent, contributing editor of the Illinois Baptist. Look for the full story in the October 8 issue, or read it online here.

In other news:

Gender-specific events banned by school district
A school district in Cranston, Rhode Island, has banned father-daughter dances and mother-son baseball outings, which are gender-specific and could be interpreted as going against state law. The decision came in response to a complaint from the ACLU on behalf of a single mother whose daughter could not attend a father-daughter dance because she did not have a father in her life. According to the Providence Journal, the Cranston School Committee soon will consider a resolution asking lawmakers to modify state law to preserve the father-daughter dances. Read more at BPNews.net.

Mohler on ‘Jesus’ wife’ claim
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said a small fragment of papyrus said to mention Jesus’ “wife” is “sensationalism masquerading as scholarship.” After Harvard professor Karen King announced in mid-September the discovery of the tiny (smaller than a business card) document, Mohler blogged about the real meaning of the supposed discovery. “…Do not miss what all this really represents – an effort to replace biblical Christianity with an entirely new faith.” Read Mohler’s full blog post here.

Pakistani Christians victimized
As many as 600 families were forced to evacuate their neighborhood after a 14-year-old girl in Pakistan was accused of blasphemy. Rimsha Masih has since been released on bail and Khalid Chisti, the Muslim cleric who accused her, was arrested when witnesses alleged he framed the girl. Chisti reportedly had earlier called for the massacre of Christians in the neighborhood. The displaced families were assisted by Baptist Global Response partners, who helped by providing meals and praying with them. Read the full story at BPNews.net.

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10 reasons we haven’t reached the unchurched

Meredith Flynn —  September 27, 2012

COMMENTARY | Thom Rainer

Editor’s note: In a column posted on Baptist Press, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer listed 10 factors that threaten the church’s effectiveness. See his list below, and add your own in the comments section. And go to BPnews.net to read the full column.

1. Spiritual lethargy.
2. Growing inclusivism.
3. Growing disbelief in hell.
4. Busyness.
5. Fear of rejection.
6. A desire to be tolerant.
7. Losing the habit of witnessing.
8. Lack of accountability.
9. Failure to invite.
10. We go to churches that do not reach the unchurched.

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‘Runnin’ the devil off’

Meredith Flynn —  September 24, 2012

HEARTLAND | Meredith Flynn

My dad is a big fan of Southern Gospel music. We grew up listening to quartets like The Cathedrals on the way to school, and every single Christmas was highlighted by a viewing of the Gaithers’ Christmas Homecoming Celebration. (Just try to listen to “Come and see what’s happenin’ in the barn” without getting into the Christmas spirit. Dare ya.)

Gospel music tells great stories, and often lends itself to real-life stories of redemption. My dad’s favorite example of this has to do with a Gospel music queen, a fallen country superstar, and the song “Angel Band.” Here’s what happened, according to country music broadcaster Ralph Emery:

Singer George Jones had a serious, alcohol-related car accident in 1999. A long-time drinker, Jones was severely depressed in the days following his accident. As he struggled to recuperate from his injuries, no one could make him feel any better about anything, and he became more and more isolated. But he said he’d be willing to visit with his friend Vestal Goodman, the centerpiece of a group called The Happy Goodman Family, and owner of the most ground-shaking alto voice you’ve ever heard.

Emery helped connect Jones and Goodman, and sure enough, Jones started to take a turn for the better. In an interview about the meeting, Emery said, “As Vestal said, ‘I went out to George’s and ran the devil off.'” They later had a hit duet with the song “Angel Band” (Here’s a link to their performance of the song, but you have to promise me that you won’t make fun of anything when you watch it. Remember, country and Gospel music have their own rules when it comes to sound and fashion, and we need to let them have that.)

Here’s the lesson: Vestal didn’t have much to gain from a visit with George. He was down and out, and probably a pariah in the relatively straight-laced world of country music. And I’m certain he wasn’t any fun to talk to. But she went anyway, to “run the devil off” and remind him of God’s goodness, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and to bring him some hope. The fog of his depression lifted, and Jones was able to sing again. And I know you can’t read too much into the songs a singer sings, but check out these lyrics from “Angel Band”:

My latest sun is sinking fast,
My race is nearly won.
My strongest trails now have are passed,
And my triumph is begun

Oh come, angel band.
Come and around me stand.
Bear me away on your snow white wings,
To my immortal home.

It appears, at least in the song, that Vestal’s words hit their mark. Who has shared that kind of hope with you? And who in your life needs to hear of the lasting hope only Jesus can provide?

 

 

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Survey: Only 19% of churchgoers read Bible every day

Meredith Flynn —  September 18, 2012

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

Survey shines light on Scripture habits
A recent LifeWay Research study found few churchgoers are daily engaging in personal reading and study of Scripture. When asked how often they personally (not as part of a worship service) read the Bible, 19% of those surveyed said every day; 26% said a few times a week, 14% said once a week, 22% said once a month or a few times a month, and 18% said rarely/never.

“Bible engagement has an impact in just about every area of spiritual growth,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research. “You can follow Christ and see Christianity as your source of truth, but if that truth does not permeate your thoughts, aspirations and actions, you are not fully engaging the truth.

“God’s Word is truth, so it should come as no surprise that reading and studying the Bible are still the activities that have the most impact on growth in this attribute of spiritual maturity,” Stetzer said. “As basic as that is, there are still numerous churchgoers who are not reading the Bible regularly. You simply won’t grow if you don’t know God and spend time in God’s Word.”

Read more survey findings at LifeWayResearch.com.

Texas Baptists affirm marriage
The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) is promoting a petition that affirms the biblical definition of marriage and asks President Barack Obama to reconsider his support of gay marriage. In a recent chapel service at Southwestern Seminary, SBTC President Terry Turner urged professors and students to sign the petition, online at sbtexas.com/marriagepetition. Turner, an African American pastor, also rejected the notion that homosexuality is a civil rights issue.

“I saw what my ancestors went through, how they fought against the Jim Crow laws because of the color of their skin,” Turner said. “I saw how they fought to become citizens as black Americans through the civil rights movement. And it was about the color of the skin. It was about the way a person was really born. But I have got news for you today. God made us all male or female, regardless of the color of our skin. And when homosexuals try to jump on the civil rights movement, they are missing it. And it just burns me up, because sexual preference has never been a civil rights issue.” Read the Baptist Press story here.

Retailer files suit against mandate
Evangelical-owned Hobby Lobby has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration’s contraceptive/abortion mandate, becoming the largest business yet to take action against the rule. Although Hobby Lobby’s insurance plans cover contraceptives that are preventative in nature, the company won’t cover anything that causes a chemical abortion, said founder and CEO David Green. “… We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.” Read the full story at Baptist Press.

Athletes share faith at iamsecond.com
NFL quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy speak candidly about their faith in Jesus Christ at iamsecond.com, a website that gives athletes, actors, musicians and non-celebrities a chance to say why they’re “second” in their lives (and why Christ is first). “The minute that you start to think that you’re first, and He’s second, and that what you think, and what you have planned in your mind, is more important than what He has planned for your life, that’s the minute your life starts to go the wrong way.” Watch more videos at iamsecond.com.

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