JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) – Our nation once rode the wave of expansive optimism and blessed economic prosperity. Now we appear to be trying to find our place in line with the long list of mediocre economies that were corrupted by greed, injustice and violations of biblical conscience. Yet, in the scheme of things we are still immensely blessed in comparison to the rest of the world. According to GlobalRichList.com, U.S. income of just $2,000 per month places you in the top 2.24 percent of the wealthiest people in the world. That is $12.50 per hour compared to the average laborer in Zimbabwe who makes only 53 cents per hour. In a year an American worker might make $24,000. It would take the average laborer in Zimbabwe 23 years to make the same amount. Historically, our nation’s birth and prosperity demonstrated to the world the importance of freedom of conscience and personal responsibility. These are two high values in the Word of God that are worthy of acceptance by every citizen. To echo the words of the Lord Jesus when He spoke the parable of the talents to His followers, “Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48 ESV). The Lord Jesus didn’t make this statement to simply fill the room with … [Read more...]
All we really need is to stand on Christ the Solid Rock
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) – Perhaps you know the hymn, “The Solid Rock,” which begins with these words of testimony: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” The Solid Rock emphasizes one of the foundational truths of the Christian faith: Our salvation is based on Christ alone. The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). This is the great legacy of the New Testament theologians. When the Gospel of Christ leaped over the boundaries of Israel and Judaism, key questions arose. Is salvation for the Gentiles too? And, if so, do these Gentiles need to become Jewish proselytes? Do they need to conform to Jewish law? Do they need to be circumcised? Do they need to adopt the Jewish calendar of Feast Days? Must they acquiesce to Jewish dietary requirements? Acts 15 recounts that a great counsel was convened to discuss these matters. The central question was: “What must a person do to be saved?” The apostles and church leaders defied efforts to impose legalism and ritualism on new believers, affirming for all time that salvation is totally by grace through faith in … [Read more...]
Let God use you to spread the Gospel to all we meet
ATLANTA (BP) – The story of Philip and the Ethiopian is the story of a man with a hole in his soul. The Ethiopian had an emptiness that would not leave him, no matter what he tried to pack in his life. The brief narrative in Acts 8 unfolds his story around three themes. A reading man The Ethiopian had traveled from his home to Jerusalem to participate in celebratory worship. On his return home, he was reading from Isaiah’s prophecy, seeking to understand its underlying message. This was a man of great power and prestige. He had charge of the Queen’s treasury. He was likely dressed in finery and traveling in the “Rolls Royce” chariot of his time. From outward appearances, this man seemed to have everything. But the Lord, who has placed eternity in the heart of every person, was at work in his life. A running man The Lord prompted Philip to leave the revival taking place in Samaria and go on a wilderness journey. When Philip saw the chariot, the Lord instructed him to “overtake” the chariot. As Philip ran toward the chariot, he had no idea what he would find. He was not intimidated by the obvious finery of the chariot, the adornment of the horses, the attire of the attendants. He did not know what the Ethiopian was thinking … [Read more...]
Floyd: Sharing from the heart of the mission field
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) – Jeana and I have just returned from 12 days away, with much of that time in the heart of the mission field. As we conversed one-on-one and in several meetings with our missionaries in challenging fields all over the Middle East, we were able to hear their hearts loud and clear. As I have thought about this upon my return home, I feel it is incumbent upon me to share what I am able to within the boundaries of security. In each meeting, I asked our missionaries: What do you want me to share with our churches back home? The missionaries and their leaders were not timid at all. I want to highlight the things they shared with me: 1. Pray for us Without any question, the need for prayer rang loud and clear! They are fully aware they are called to forward the Gospel message in territories of the world where this message has never been heard before. They know their giftedness in and of itself cannot penetrate the lostness of the ethnicities of people they are trying to reach. They know they need what only God Himself can do. In fact, one of the biggest challenges for which they pleaded for prayer is the ability to learn the language of Arabic. This is an ongoing challenge for them, and for a segment of their … [Read more...]
Praying for the Millennial
Editorial & Theological Thought By Chris Martin, Social Media Facilitator, LifeWay Christian NASHVILLE (BP) – It’s true. Millennials aren’t streaming into churches like their parents and grandparents did years before. Evangelicalism has lost its cultural chic and the cost of discipleship has increased, even if only slightly. Amid these cultural changes and other tendencies among Millennials, 86 percent of this generation claim some level of faith in “God” but only 36 percent self-identify as “religious,” according to Pew Research Center data. Numerous methodologies, strategies, evangelism initiatives and other sorts of structures can be fashioned to reel young people into the church, that is for sure. Whether it’s smoke machines and plaid-clad guitar players or Starbucks coffee, churches have plenty of ideas when it comes to reaching Millennials. My hope is to help with some of those strategies and encourage local churches to look for ways to leverage Millennial values in order to minister the Gospel. But first, I think we need to pray. Before a church can hope to introduce people to Jesus, it must itself intimately know Him and submit to Him all matters of ministry, especially when it comes to … [Read more...]
Three things healthy churches emphasize
Editorial & Theological Thought By Waylon Bailey, Pastor First Baptist Church Covington Over the last few years, churches and church leaders have learned that health is a key metric for churches. Find a healthy church and you will normally find a growing church with positive influence in its community. Healthy churches grow healthy followers of Christ, and they make a difference in the world. What is it that healthy churches emphasize? First, healthy churches emphasize the past. They do this in two ways. Healthy churches remember their foundation both in the church and in Christian history. They emphasize their biblical roots. As the church magnifies the gospel – the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ–it builds on an enduring foundation. The healthy church also remembers those who established the foundation of their local congregation. Remembering the former leaders helps the church recognize its past and encourage its future. A look back to other leaders also helps the church’s humility. Second, the healthy church emphasizes its present. We have to live in the present. We can’t relive the past, and we are not yet in the future. The healthy church makes the most of every opportunity to do good and to proclaim the … [Read more...]
Sometimes all any of us can do is to just pray ‘Help!’
Editorial & Theological Thought By Erica Wright, Staff Member 121 Community Church, Grapevine, Texas GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) – I read a tweet the other day that said, “Sometimes the only prayer you can muster is, ‘Help!’” Amen to that. I’m rarely one to nap. Normally my brain doesn’t shut off long enough for me to sleep amidst a day; when the sun is shining, the pressure of productivity and task completion are all too real. I can’t live with time that feels wasted, so naps have just never been for me. But on this particular day, a nap quickly became a necessity. The exhaustion coupled with the cold weather persuaded me with little resistance. As I laid there, I began talking to Jesus. My confessions were real, my frustrations were real and my tears were real. I prayed for something I’ve prayed for every day for a year and seven months. It’s a bold prayer, a specific prayer and an impossible prayer. One that only Jesus can answer. As I prayed, I realized in great humiliation that I didn’t believe for a second that God would answer it. Could He hear me? Yes, absolutely. Was He able to act on my request? Without a doubt. But I didn’t believe He would. Honestly, I still don’t. I confessed my unbelief in that moment, but that didn’t … [Read more...]
Fear not, trust God – One promise beats four global threats
Editorial & Theological Thought By Erich Bridges, IMB Global Correspondent RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Will a new Cold War begin over the hot war in Ukraine? Will the European Union crumble, sparking another global recession? Will Iran go nuclear? Will the tottering Arab world collapse? Tyranny is cruel, but anarchy may be worse. Ask anyone living in one of the increasing number of failed or failing states around the world as 2015 stumbles toward ... what? “Our age is insistently, at times almost desperately, in pursuit of a concept of world order,” writes Henry Kissinger, chief architect of U.S. foreign policy for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, in his recent book “World Order.” During tumultuous times, Kissinger engineered Nixon’s historic 1972 opening to China. He also helped craft the détente that eased decades of nuclear-armed tensions with the Soviet Union. Today, however, order and agreement are becoming hard to find. “Chaos threatens side by side with ... the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the disintegration of states, the impact of environmental depredation, the persistence of genocidal practices, and the spread of new technologies threatening to drive conflict beyond human control or comprehension,” … [Read more...]
Letter to The Editor
Editorial & Theological Thought To the Editor While reading the recent Baptist Message with its informative and inspiring articles, I was appalled to learn of the Henna project being discussed with such enthusiasm on college campuses UNO and ULM and endorsed by our Baptist Collegiate Ministry. The idea of tattooing as described- even lasting only a few months -rather than permanently, astonished and saddened me. The notion that this is an ideal way of engaging girls in faith based conversations and even “afternoon sessions that lasted for hours to tattoo and discuss very familiar Bible stories and ways Jesus encountered people” is incomprehensible to me. In today’s culture this tragic practice of inking entire arms and bodies, has gained epic momentum as we witness our student athletes and young men and women going about their daily activities. Reading, “on the campus rarely a day goes by that the associate director of BCM on the ULM campus, doesn’t put a henna tattoo on a student, and as a result, allows for conversations to be shared about life,” makes me want to say WHAT??!! This project originated with “international students” for this henna tattoo originated thousands of yrs ago with the … [Read more...]
Kelley: Small has become the ‘new big’
Editorial & Theological Thought By Chuck Kelley, President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary NEW ORLEANS (BP) – This may seem like a silly question, but do you know who Southern Baptists are? When asked that question, many people will think in terms of our theology and doctrine. We believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. We are a people of the Book and, therefore, we read it, preach it and seek to follow its teaching as we live our lives. We are theologically conservative and hold to a distinctive Baptist theology. Another way to address the question is to look at our mission. Who are we in terms of what we do? We answered that question at the first meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845. After voting to create the SBC, messengers also voted to create a Foreign Mission Board and a Board for Domestic Missions. The glue that has always held us together is a common passion to call all the peoples of the world to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. The Great Commission is our DNA, literally. The glue that has always held us together and formed the basis of unprecedented levels of cooperation between completely autonomous churches is a common passion to call all the … [Read more...]
