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Archives For November 30, 1999

When you leave God out of the picture…

Meredith Flynn —  September 30, 2013

pull quote_Kinder13HEARTLAND | Justin Kinder

On January 29, 2007, at about 10:30 at night, our daughter, Melody Anne Kinder, was born into this world. She is truly a miracle and a precious gift from God. Melody changed our lives completely and from the very start, as her parents, we wanted to raise her right. We wanted her to know right from wrong and to be equipped to handle all of the moral and ethical situations she will eventually face as she grows up in this world.

It didn’t take long for these teachable moments to arrive on the scene. Melody is now six years old and we have taught her why it is wrong to lie, cheat, steal, covet, and to throw temper tantrums, just to name a few. We have taught her to tell the truth always, to be loving to all people, and most of all to love God and to put Him first. We have modeled our faith in God in front of her all of her life.

Everything that we have taught her about right and wrong and about God has come straight from the Bible. It is our moral compass in this dark and sinful world that we live in.

When you boil things down and really look at life closely, you will see that there are essentially two opposing worldviews that exist in our culture – one sees God as creator, sustainer, and as the sovereign ruler of everything and the other leaves God entirely out of the picture. The first view is obviously the Christian worldview that we as Christians embrace and the second is what this sinful world embraces.

When you leave God out of the picture, life loses its meaning. Morals are defined by what feels right, feels good, and by what the majority says is okay to do.  But just because it feels good and the majority of people say that a particular sin is okay, doesn’t make it okay. We can’t trust ourselves to know what is right and wrong because our sinful hearts will only lead us astray.

I guess it should come as no surprise then the moral decline and failure that we see in our culture. When you leave God out of the picture, the downward spiral of sin and the pushing of the envelope in what is viewed as acceptable in our society only gets worse.  A prime example of this happened very recently. Miley Cyrus, who for the longest time was known as the good girl, Hannah Montana, recently performed a provocative dance routine on MTV. Our culture responded in two ways: You either were appalled by her dance or you thought it was a great performance.

There is clearly a moral dichotomy at work here.

As a parent of a young girl, my heart goes out to Miley Cyrus and also to all the girls who look up to her. I want them to understand that what she did on that stage was wrong, and not because I said so, but because God and His Word said so. Miley Cyrus is missing that moral compass in her life – Jesus Christ – and I pray that someday she will find Him.  As for my own daughter, I will continue to pray for her and continue to teach her God’s values and precepts that are found in His Word.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:11, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (ESV)  And in Psalm 119:105 it says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” I want my daughter to hide God’s Word in her heart so that when she is older and sees the world pushing the envelope of sin even further, she will know how to stand for God and for what is right.

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It could have been me

Meredith Flynn —  September 9, 2013

Jonathan_HayashiHEARTLAND | Jonathan Hayashi

Editor’s note: The following column is adapted from a response Jonathan Hayashi wrote after a gang-related shooting outside Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago August 19.

August 19 was a normal Monday here at Uptown Baptist Church.

We started our second service that evening with “Amazing Grace,” while around 100 people in the pews waiting to hear the sermon. Then, “Bang, bang, bang!” About 20 loud noises that sounded like fireworks. In fact, that’s what our speaker said from the podium. But it was too loud to be fireworks.

Pastor Michael Allen rushed to the east side door that opens onto Sheridan Avenue. We opened the doors to chaos. It looked like a war had taken place. People running in every direction, hundreds of people on the streets, people screaming and crying. Shattered glass, bullet shells on the ground; two men I remember coming through the building, one was shot in his thighs and another in his wrist.

I knew I could have been one of them.

If I had stayed in the gang, it could have easily been me. I still remember like it was yesterday, when I found out a friend had died at age 18 because of gang activity. I knew God loved me and had a plan for my life. But what about them?

God is not willing that any should perish. The problem is us.

We would rather stay safe, while neglecting our call to evangelism and discipleship. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The Great Commission itself is about people being with the people and living there with the people!

Evangelist Dwight L. Moody recognized this important principle. “Moody was one of the few who had the audacity and courage to go into the worst district of Chicago, the Sands,” writes Lyle Dorsett in his biography of the missionary. “Sometimes called ‘Little Hell,’ this is where Moody went to rescue souls.”

Church, we are to rise up! Let’s get out of our seats and go into the streets. We wonder why revival doesn’t break forth in our community. But where are all the Christians? We are to be salt and light, seasoned by God’s grace and holding to the teaching of Scripture. Surely, then, there will be change in our communities.

We must learn how to view both the city and the Gospel with new eyes. We must see every person as more than a number, each made in the image of God. Every number has a name, and every name has a story. We must recognize the Gospel more like an every day process than a one-time event.

Moody himself said, “Water runs down hill, and the highest hills are the great cities. If we can stir them, we shall stir the whole country.” It’s time for a fresh wind in the Windy City. We must win souls for Christ and have victory for Jesus, but there will be no victory without a battle.

Jonathan Hayashi is minister of music at Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago and a student at Moody Theological Seminary.

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Your ‘moronic 2 minutes’

Meredith Flynn —  August 5, 2013

HEARTLAND | By Joe McKeever, on Baptist Press

Pastor, have you ever had a meltdown in the pulpit?

pull quote_MCKEEVERIn the news recently, two Atlanta radio jocks were fired for the on-air mocking they did of a New Orleans icon, former Saints football player Steve Gleason who has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) and lives in a wheelchair and speaks through a computer.

They made fun of him, parodied his situation, and someone role-played Steve speaking of his coming death and such.

It was the ultimate in offensive.

In the article which ran here in New Orleans, one of the terminated men said, “What were we thinking?” The jocks apologized, and in a subsequent story, Gleason said he accepted their apology.

One of the men called it “a moronic two minutes.”

No argument.

I have had a few moronic two minutes in my long lifetime, and expect some of our readers have also.

I know a pastor who was so exasperated with his small congregation that in a Sunday morning sermon, he berated them for their laziness and unresponsiveness and, working himself up into a lather, stalked out of the service, leaving his people sitting there.

The deacons — I think the church had three — went to him that afternoon to try to bring him to his senses.

Later that day, in the evening service, the pastor apologized to the church and kept on talking. Big mistake. The more he tried to explain why he did what he had done, he slipped into that same rant and once again, walked out of church, leaving the members stunned.

You will not be surprised to learn he was fired that week.

An uncontrolled display of the flesh by an undisciplined minister has aborted many a ministry.

Impulsive humor is often repulsive humor.

Impulsive anger has caused a zillion problems. (Just the other day, I heard of a man who owned racehorses growing exasperated because a prize stallion kept fading in the stretch and failing to win. In a burst of anger, the owner took a shotgun and killed the horse on the spot.)

Impulsive buying by a husband or wife has ruined many a marriage.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is … self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

When Margaret and I were young marrieds, we moved 350 miles with our 1-year-old son to enroll in seminary. This was the first time Margaret had ever lived away from her hometown and I was trying to learn subjects like Hebrew and Greek while holding down a part-time job. The stress on our marriage was considerable.

On one occasion during one of our frequent arguments, I was so angry, I put my fist through the wall. Granted, it was only sheetrock and that’s not hard to do, but the sight of that — and the humiliation of having to go to the campus housing office and report it so it could be repaired — got my attention.

More and more, as I prayed about my temper, Galatians 5:22-23 kept returning to my mind. The solution to my anger, I realized, was not working on anger issues. It was to be filled with the Spirit and let Him bear His fruit through me.

As I grew in Christ, the temper — and everything else — came more and more under His control.

What to do after your moronic two minutes

I apologized to Margaret for the display of the flesh. She forgave me, then said, “I was goading you into it.” Her taking part of the responsibility helped me deal with it.

When any of us have such a meltdown, there is no substitute to the basic Christian steps all of God’s people are asked to do when they sin:

1) Repent.

2) Confess.

3) Apologize to our victims and the spectators.

4) Restore or repay, to the extent you can.

5) Learn from it.

6) Now, get up and try again. Do not park by your failures, do not grovel in your failings and do not camp out on your weaknesses. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, including overcoming this failing.

7) Put it behind you now and be proactive for the future. Anticipate moments and situations that could be stressful, and prepare. Pray!

You are not perfect and never will be in this life. But the Lord deserves servants who strive to please Him in all we do.

“Set a guard upon my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

Uncontrolled and undisciplined anything is always unworthy of Christ-followers.

Joe McKeever, on the Web at http://www.joemckeever.com, is a Baptist Press cartoonist and columnist, a former longtime pastor and former director of missions for the New Orleans Baptist Association.

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The music of marriage

Meredith Flynn —  July 8, 2013

pull quote_ADAMS_julyHEARTLAND | Nate Adams

One of the ways my wife, Beth, and I celebrated our anniversary this year was to watch the video of our wedding ceremony and reception. It’s been a few years since we’ve done that, and I found myself a little surprised by some of the things I saw and heard, and how they made me feel.

I was ready to see a bride and groom that looked very young, but I was taken back a little at the site of our parents. For example my dad, on my wedding day, was exactly the age I am now after 28 years of marriage.

Having recently performed my own son’s wedding ceremony, there was something about seeing my dad perform my wedding ceremony when he was my age that was a little unnerving. Has a generation passed already? Will the next generation pass that quickly?

During that nostalgic viewing, however, I found great encouragement in the music we chose for our wedding ceremony. Some of it was just fun, such as the piano recessional that was the Charlie Brown theme song from the Peanuts cartoon series. Some of it was serious and prayerful, such as the hymn that truly expressed the desire of our hearts, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”

But there were two more contemporary duets that spoke freshly to me as we watched ourselves getting married a generation later, and wondered at how quickly time passes. Just after our vows to one another, we heard this musical encouragement for lasting fidelity from the Farrell and Farrell song, “After All Those Years.”

“After all those years, when our children have said goodbye, after all those years I’ll love you even more.”*

I first heard Farrell and Farrell sing that song at an IBSA-sponsored Youth Encounter in Springfield, Illinois. Its message stuck with me, as I knew even then that I wanted to marry someone who I would adore, even after the kids were grown and gone. We’re almost there now. And I do.

But there was another duet, “The Wedding Day” by Harvest, that also reassured me, and helped me reset my perspective on weddings, and generations, and how quickly time passes. It pointed to the Wedding Day that is much more important than any here on earth.

“We will fly away, when He hears His Father say, ‘Jesus, go and get your bride. Today’s your wedding day.’”**

I think I understand more fully now why music is so important in our worship. We the Church are indeed the bride of Christ, waiting with longing for our Bridegroom to come and make our relationship complete. On one hand, it seems we’ve been waiting a long time. But when we live by faith with the one we’ve chosen to adore, the years and the generations fly by quickly. And that’s okay.

The music of a Christian marriage can give us a wonderful picture and promise of love and fidelity that lasts, both in a marriage and in a relationship with God. Many of us are fortunate to have been blessed by that kind of marriage for years, even generations.  And all of us in the Bride of Christ, His church, are blessed by it from now through eternity.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

* “After All Those Years,” by Tim Sheppard, ©1982, Tim Sheppard Music Company
** “The Wedding Day,” by Brent Lamb, ©1981, Straightway Music

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Looking at where you’ve been

Meredith Flynn —  June 17, 2013

pull quote_ADAMSjuneHEARLTAND | Nate Adams

I would love to have the privilege of worshiping in every Illinois Baptist church. When I began with IBSA, I remember calculating that if I visited two churches a week, it would take about 10 years to get to all 1,000 churches. Visiting one new church per week is probably more realistic, but that would require 20 years, longer than any IBSA executive director has served.

But after seven years, I’ve learned it is more than time that limits the number of churches I can visit in a year. For one thing, I need to be in my home church at least occasionally, even if it’s only once a month. And then there are weeks when I must be out of the state, such as at the recent Southern Baptist Convention.

What would help me most of all to get acquainted with more churches, however, is simply an invitation. Sometimes people assume IBSA staff members are too busy to come to their church, or that their church is too small or too far away. That’s simply not true!

I absolutely love it when I receive an invitation to a church where I have never been before. The reality is that some churches tend to invite our staff to come over and over again, and of course we’re glad to do that too. But what really gets me pumped to drive on a Sunday morning is to know I’m going to meet some new people in a new place, even if I have to look up the town on a map to figure out where it is!

When I look at where I’ve been the past few years, I realize I could have been in a much higher percentage of IBSA churches. In fact, I would like to devote the next several months to worshiping in churches where I’ve never attended. If you pastor or attend one of those churches, please just invite me to come!

It doesn’t matter to me whether you need me to preach that day or not. I would enjoy worshiping with you and hearing a good sermon from an IBSA pastor just as much, if not more. Just invite me to church like I hope you do your neighbors every week!

That’s what I’ve been thinking recently as I’ve been “looking where I’ve been.” But let me also challenge you as a church to look where you’ve been as well.

When I get ready to visit a church for the first time, my assistant Sandy prints out for me the statistical history for that church, as well as the association it is in and directions, etc. These help me know a little about the setting into which I’m going.

Recently our director of information and support services, Drew Heironimus, has completed 20-year statistical summaries for every IBSA church. In other words, we can send you a brief report that shows your church’s worship and Sunday School attendance, baptisms, church program enrollments, missions giving, and more for the past 20 years. Recently my son Noah joined one of our church’s staff, and it’s the first thing he requested from IBSA. I guess he knew it’s easier to figure out where you need to go once you understand a little about where you’ve been.

Looking at where I’ve been these past few years makes me want to come to your church, especially if I’ve never been there before. Maybe looking at where you’ve been as a church over the past 20 years will give you some new insights, and new desires as well.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

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What fatherhood teaches me about the Gospel

Meredith Flynn —  May 27, 2013
Jonas, Charlotte and Simon Abner

Jonas, Charlotte and Simon Abner Photo by Alisha Abner

HEARTLAND | Chase Abner

Just over five years ago, my firstborn came into the world. My wife, Alisha, and I thought we were doing something noble by naming him Simon, hoping that would set a Godward course for his life since it originates from a Hebrew phrase for “he has heard.” Ironically, Simon strives to understand every conversation going on around him and asks me, “What’d you say?” about a hundred times each day.

Just 15 months later, our second came along. “Name him Jonas,” we said. “It’s from the Hebrew for dove. He’ll be a peaceful child.” Little did we know that in some contexts Jonas also means “destroyer,” making it more appropriate than ever. The same child who can give the sweetest, voluntary snuggles, is also the most prone to fits of anger that leave broken toys and scarred furniture in his wake.

Finally, there is 2-year-old Charlotte whose name we chose simply because we thought it was extremely cute. So far, she’s lived up to that expectation. The only problem is she has already learned to use it to her advantage.

I share all this to demonstrate that I’m a father to real, live kids. And though I’m enamored with them, they still suffer from the effects of the fall and, like me, are in need of the grace of God. As a matter of fact, that is my charge as their dad – to teach them how we are all utterly dependent upon the grace of God.

I wish there was a Bible verse that told me exactly how to respond when Simon asks me the same question 20 times in a row. I wish Jesus had preached a sermon on how to discipline Jonas when he throws toys. I wish God gave us step-by-step instructions on how to teach Charlotte not to be manipulative. But He didn’t.

He gave us something better…the Gospel.

Fatherhood is teaching me just how much better the Gospel is than the law, especially a parenting law. Rather than loving us based on how well we love our children, God loves us exactly as He loves Jesus. Rather than condemning us for the promises we break to our children, God keeps His promise to make us new. Rather than judging us by how healthy we keep our children, God gave His only son on our behalf.

I’m really glad that no one but God could see what was in my heart during the sleepless nights while Simon was an infant. We had prayed for this gift from God and welcomed him with tears in our hospital room. Yet in my sinful, selfish moments, I viewed Simon like a curse just because he was on a different sleep schedule than me. I found that the best way to soothe him was to pace through our Carbondale apartment singing hymns as lullabies. That was God’s design. He knew I’d need reminders in those moments of how He has loved me through the cross, so that the Gospel would again equip me to love my children at cost to myself.

One of the most comforting implications of God’s sovereignty is that all circumstances in the lives of His children, even the bad ones, are means of grace by which He is revealing His goodness to us. After all, as Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (ESV). So then, whatever God gives or withholds in our lives is meant to draw us closer to Him.

One of those gifts in my life is fatherhood. No experience has taught me more about my sinfulness and God’s goodness. I have seen how prone I am to selfish pride when I get something right. I have seen how judgmental I am when I see another parent’s failures. And yet, I’m secretly insecure because I often just don’t know if I’m getting one bit of fatherhood right.

In those wee hours of the night in my early fatherhood, Simon’s favorite hymn seemed to be “Down at the Cross.” It’s fitting because few things drive me to Jesus like my failures as a father. Because of His perfection, my Father accepts me as though I had never once been selfish or lost my temper. So to those who are right there with me, the hymn has this to say: “Come to the fountain so rich and sweet, Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet; Plunge in today and be made complete.”

Chase Abner is IBSA’s collegiate evangelism strategist.

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Why cancer doesn’t scare me

Meredith Flynn —  May 20, 2013

pull quote_DAVENPORTHEARTLAND | Dale Davenport

You know it’s not a great prognosis when your doctor schedules an oncology appointment for the very next day.

My move to Chicago had necessitated a new doctor, who had seen me once, determined I was anemic, and said she wanted to run more tests. After those tests came her initial diagnosis – multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The oncologist confirmed it and told me I probably had two years to live, but that we were going to fight this aggressively. Then, he did a bone marrow biopsy right there in his office.

And I decided I’d probably rather die from the cancer than experience that again.

I don’t like pain. Up to the moment of my diagnosis, I hadn’t really been fearful about my death, except that it might happen painfully.

As a pastor, I’ve spent hours in hospitals with sick people and their families, reminding them to trust the Scripture, trust the Lord. After my doctor’s announcement, I quickly realized that if that advice had been good enough for them, it had better be good enough for me.

New heart, new eyes

I really wasn’t ever scared of dying. We’re all going to go some time, and I know where I’m going next. I thought, if I get better, that’s great. But if I don’t get better, it really gets better. My wife, Sharon, was on the same page as me, but telling our sons and my mother was harder.

My boys eventually got on board and helped me make a “bucket list” of things to do before I, well, kicked it. And life went on. I started 20 weeks of chemotherapy, with few side effects. My doctor’s aggressive treatment plan included a bone marrow transplant using my own stem cells, which was successful, with a few more side effects. Now, 55 pounds lighter and with my hair growing back, I look back on my cancer journey as one I probably wouldn’t have chosen, but I’m grateful for it.

Because my heart and my eyes are open in a way they haven’t been before.

Over the last year, the Lord put all of these people right in front of me who were struggling spiritually, or who didn’t have faith in Him. And they would ask me questions. “Why are you so cheerful? How can you stay so upbeat?” Their wondering gave me an opportunity to say, “It’s only the Lord Jesus in my life.”

Throughout the past year, I’ve realized that if my faith doesn’t separate me – in visible, obvious ways – from people who don’t know Jesus, then why would they need to know Him? If I can’t see His goodness and His care and His trustworthiness through cancer, how am I any different from anyone else? So many of us know about God’s providence in our heads, but it’s not rooted in our hearts. My illness showed me how strong God is when I don’t have any strength on my own.

I’m compelled to share that with other people.

New resolve

I’ve had more opportunities to share my faith in the past year that at any other time in my life. Not just that God is good in difficult circumstances, which He is, but the whole Gospel. My cancer made me a better evangelist, mostly because I started seeing opportunities everywhere, and knew I had nothing to lose by seizing every opportunity.

One Sunday morning on the way to church, I stopped at a McDonald’s across the street. The lady behind the register noticed I had my Bible with me, and she asked me if I really read it, and if it really helped me. I told her I couldn’t live a day without it. We finished our conversation, I went on to church, and it wasn’t until I was sitting in the service that I realized what I needed to do. After the service, I walked back across the street and gave her my Bible. She hesitated at first, saying that it was mine and she couldn’t take it, but I assured her that the Bible was hers now.

There are people everywhere that need the hope we have. I knew it before I was diagnosed with cancer, but I see it in even sharper focus now. I gave away four or five Bibles in the space of two weeks.

Now, I’m a few months into remission, something my doctor has admitted he thought we’d never see. My sons have told me I can’t play the “cancer card” anymore. But I do go in for monthly blood work and chemo, and I still see the doctors and nurses who were so helpful to me. I tell them they were like angels in my life. And I use the time I have to tell them again why I’m so hopeful.

Dale Davenport is IBSA’s education director and zone consultant in Chicagoland.

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Praying for relationships

Meredith Flynn —  April 29, 2013

pull quote_TOALSTONHEARTLAND | Art Toalston, Baptist Press

Because relationships are where we spend so much of our lives – where great joys abound, but also, where hurt and heartbreak often fester – it’s good to regularly pray for an ongoing transformation of our hearts toward greater love for one another.

It seems only logical – in our homes, in our places of work and in our churches – to pray for graciousness, kindness and patience in interacting with each individual who, ultimately, has been created by a loving God.

Countless times I have repeated Ephesians 4:29-32 to the Lord, after memorizing it years ago over the course of six or more months: “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ” (HCSB).

I remain painfully aware of various instances when I have wounded family members, friends or strangers through insensitive or judgmental words and/or actions. I have asked for and received God’s forgiveness and sought to heed His instructions for healing strained or broken relationships.

And, in yearning not to repeat misguided attitudes and behaviors, it has become a personal imperative to memorize/re-memorize/internalize a number of Scripture passages about relationships, each conveying additional nuances about God’s heart for how we should interact with one another.

One such passage is 1 Peter 3:8-12: “Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic, should love believers, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you can inherit a blessing. For the one who wants to love life and to see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, and he must turn away from evil and do what is good. He must seek peace and pursue it, because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil” (HCSB).

Optimize your relationships by spending time in prayer permeated by Scripture — the optimal source through which God’s Holy Spirit stirs us to the highest levels of Christ’s love.

Art Toalston is editor of Baptist Press.

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Turtle on a fence post

Meredith Flynn —  April 15, 2013

Turtle on Fence Post[3]HEARTLAND | Nate Adams

There is an old saying that if you ever see a turtle sitting on a fence post, you can be sure of one thing: It didn’t get there by itself.

As I begin my eighth year with IBSA, I identify very much with that turtle. On one hand, seven years is a long time, long enough for me to write more than 170 columns for The Illinois Baptist. On the other hand, my father Tom Adams wrote at least 850 columns here, over the course of 34 years. Like many of you, I read his insights on church life, Baptist life, and life in general for decades. So I still feel indebted to my dad for whatever perspective and service I have to offer IBSA churches.

It’s hard for me to think about my early days at IBSA without thinking about my dad. My mom tells me he was so excited about my coming back to Illinois, and to IBSA in particular, that he would fall asleep in his recliner with the Illinois Baptist in his lap, open to the article about my selection to serve here. And yet a month to the day after I started at IBSA, Dad passed away.

During these years since then, I have often thought how nice it would have been to have my dad around. He loved IBSA, and the Illinois Baptist, and the pastors and members of IBSA churches. Though he was basically quiet and introverted, he knew many, many people through his writing and ministry roles. He understood a lot about people and churches, how they work together, and why they sometimes don’t. Many times I have wished I could pick up the phone and ask him a question.

But it’s not like I’ve been without his help. Though my dad’s been gone for seven years now, I still rarely go into a church for the first time without someone telling me how much he or she appreciated his wisdom and his writing. Often they have a favorite column or two clipped and in their Bible. One dear lady told me she still has one framed and hanging over her desk at work. As often as not, these folks say they never met dad personally. But frequently they will say they felt as if they knew him.

Of course, if my dad ever heard anyone praising his writing, he would quickly point to Dr. Robert Hastings, who edited the Illinois Baptist for many years, and who was a wonderful writer as well. Dad frequently said that if Dr. Hastings hadn’t “taken a chance” on him as a young writer, he would never have had the opportunities or influence that he did.

And dad wouldn’t want to stop there. He would want me to point out that every column he scribbled by hand on a yellow pad of paper was typed up for publication by my mom, who added her own skilled editing and insight to the final product.

Of course my mom would want to point to her parents, and how they sacrificed for her education, and how their support of her made it possible for her to support my dad with her skills. And if my grandparents were here, well, I trust you get the point.

We are all turtles on our own fence posts, aren’t we? Whether it’s our parents, or the pastor or leader that served before us, or the faithful families that founded or sustained our church or that brought the Gospel to our area, none of us arrived at our places of service and opportunity without the help of others. We would do well to thank them when we have a chance, and to pledge to them that we will do the same for others. From my fence post today, thanks Dad.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

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50-day Prayer Plan: From Easter to Pentecost

Meredith Flynn —  April 1, 2013

pull quote_KINGHEARTLAND | Claude King (From Baptist Press)

In 1995 a Texas pastor called and asked me to pray for his church and give some counsel. From the evidence of love and unity in the congregation, the pastor believed the church had experienced a revival – not a series of services but a return to right relationships with God and one another. The church had two concerns: first, they wanted to become more of a people of prayer; and second, they wanted tPraying Up To Pentecost_Final o be part of a spiritual harvest.

This Texas congregation began 50 days of prayer starting Easter Sunday and continuing through Pentecost Sunday. Families were given a 50-day calendar with a Scripture for each day. They were asked to gather as a family to read and discuss a Scripture each day, decide what they needed to do to apply the truths to their lives, and pray. With a focus on reaching lost people, they began making a list of people in their circles of relationships who were not Christians. Families (some praying together for the first time) faithfully lifted these names to the Lord in prayer.

The church also held a six-week study of prayer in all their Sunday School classes from sixth grade through senior adults. They used a workbook now titled “Growing Disciples: Pray in Faith.” Participants were learning to pray during the week, and then they conducted prayer meetings in their classes to practice what they were learning. One lesson each week helped them learn how to pray together more effectively. During the worship services, they collected prayer request cards. A team of intercessors prayed during the services for the spiritual needs of the people present.

Following the model for “Pentecostal Prayer Meetings” described by Andrew Murray of South Africa (in “The Prayer Life”), the church conducted 10 days of corporate prayer meetings on the days leading up to Pentecost. One night they commissioned a mission team that left for Russia. Another night they invited the other Baptists in their small county to join them for prayer. They invited other denominations to join them one night in praying for their town. Other corporate prayer experiences included cottage prayer meetings, prayerwalking around town, prayer-driving in the county, and other kinds of corporate prayer.

For a free reproducible guide for “Praying Up To Pentecost” click here.

I had the privilege of joining this church for their celebration of Pentecost, including wonderful testimonies and a Baptist feast (dinner on the grounds). They even received a special “first fruits” offering to provide ministry to needy people outside of the church membership. I was amazed at the quality of corporate prayer I observed.

People were expecting a huge response at invitation time, but only one young boy made a public profession of faith. Their enthusiasm for a spiritual harvest seemed to burst. Only one other “first fruit” of spiritual harvest happened that afternoon as a woman from the community came to seek counsel from the pastor. She had seen the service on the local cable channel. She wanted to know God the way people described their experiences in their testimonies that morning. I returned home a bit discouraged.

But three months later, I received a follow-up report from the pastor that reignited my heart. Their mission team to Russia had led more than 400 people to the Lord. Additionally, although the church had been involved in prison ministry for many years, that summer they saw nearly 300 prisoners accept Christ. And in their small community, 25 of the lost people for whom they had prayed between Easter and Pentecost professed their faith in Jesus Christ! Many members said, “Pastor, we can’t go back to the old way of doing things.”

Jesus instructed his disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest” (John 4:35). The early church experienced a great spiritual harvest on the Day of Pentecost described in Acts 2. But, like the church in Texas, the Jerusalem harvest was preceded by a period of intense personal and corporate prayer.

Claude King is discipleship and church health specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources. He is coauthor of “Experiencing God, Fresh Encounter, The Mind of Christ, Pray in Faith,” and other resources.

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