Posted: 10/3/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 12

The Holy Spirit: Invisible source of eternal life

John 3:1-8; Romans 8:1-11

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Even for those who have experienced the new birth, the miracle of regeneration is a mystery. We can only accept by faith what God, through his Spirit, has brought to pass within us. The mystery is compounded by the fact that an all-righteous God who cannot look upon sin condescended to love mankind enough to provide redemption and everlasting life for those who will accept his free gift.

In this second study session dealing with the role of the Holy Spirit in God's plan of salvation, we will review the winsome way Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to a dignified, astute theologian and teacher of the law in John 3. Then we will observe the Apostle Paul's magnificent explanation of the part the Spirit plays in setting us free from the curse of sin and death in Romans 8.

The holy wind of God

Most likely, Nicodemus had been among the “many” who witnessed the miracles Jesus had performed in Jerusalem and “believed in his name” because of these signs (John 2:23-24). Jesus knew their hearts and was aware their reaction was more related to sensationalism than to a genuine heart belief. Though Jesus began a relationship with Nicodemus that progressed all the way to the cross (see 7:50 and 19:39), the important thing here is the summary of Jesus' gospel that appears in and following this conversation.

In his brief introduction, John reported Nicodemus belonged to the sect of the Pharisees and was a ruler of the Jews. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus placed great importance on the strictest outward observance of the law. The Pharisees were meticulous in observing ceremonies, fasting, almsgiving, long prayers and tithing. As a ruler of the Jews, he also was a member of the Sanhedrin (see 7:50).

Nicodemus, courteous in his approach to Jesus, showed no hostility. Probably he had anticipated a long, involved discussion with Jesus about his interpretation of the law. Obviously, he was taken aback by Jesus' abrupt statement about being born from above. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to understand that the new birth involved a transformation in which one received a new nature and the gift of everlasting life.

The Jews, particularly the Pharisees, anticipated a Messianic kingdom, for they felt they were entitled to a place in it. Against this background, Jesus made his straightforward statement to Nicodemus. Jesus' insistence that one must be born “of water and the Spirit” has been interpreted in different ways. Some say the water refers to natural birth, accompanied by watery fluid. Others see “water” as a symbol of the Spirit (7:37-39). Still others think Jesus referred to John the Baptist's emphasis on baptism as a symbol of repentance.

Jesus' message, however, was clear that the new birth comes in response to one's repentance of sin and confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus then told Nicodemus this miracle was the result of the movement of the Holy Spirit, which is as mysterious as the blowing of the wind. Jesus used a play on words, since the same word translated “spirit” in Hebrew and in Greek is also rendered “wind.” The Holy Spirit, Jesus was saying, is both the source and the implementer of the new-birth experience.

Freedom from sin's bondage

Paul clearly saw the relationship between a life of bondage to sin and a life lived for Christ. He also knew, from experience, that living for Christ can only be done as we live in the strength provided by the Spirit who indwells all believers.

In Romans 7, Paul gave a dismal picture of life lived on the level of the “flesh,” or the self. He saw the impossibility of keeping God's law because of his natural tendency to sin, to disobey God. In that setting, he was indeed a wretched man. Deliberately, he painted that stark backdrop against which he would begin to show how God's Spirit brings freedom from sin's slavery. Romans 8 deals entirely with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul drew a clear distinction between those who live according to the dictates of their sinful nature and those who surrender to the Spirit and are thus controlled by him. The law demands righteous living and condemns those who do not meet its conditions. Yet the law, said Paul, could not overcome sin. He thus saw himself as a wretched person, constantly bearing the load of his sin. He could not keep the law and satisfy the demands of a holy and righteous God. God knew this and sent his Son, the only one to whom this mission could be entrusted. Jesus, who came in the likeness of sinful man, lived a sinless life and thus qualified as the only sin offering that would satisfy God's law.

In Christ, God condemned sin, destroyed its power. Through his Son, he blotted out our sin guilt and brought us to himself. The Holy Spirit, then, is the extension of God's presence that brings about the miracle of the new birth within those who respond to his invitation.

Question for discussion

At what point in one's life does the transforming work of the Holy Spirit come into play?

Posted: 10/3/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 19

Strength to fend off temptation is available

Romans 8:12-16, 26-30, 35-39

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Every Christian is “a walking civil war.” When we received Christ as Savior, we became new creations in him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Still, the old nature of Adam remains with us. The tendency of this old nature is to resist God's will and to influence us to follow our own selfish desires.

Thus a major function of the Holy Spirit within a believer is to provide the spiritual strength necessary to follow Christ and deny self. These two natures within us are locked in mortal combat, although we are confident that he (Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit) that is in us is greater than he (Satan) that is in the world (1 John 4:4). In this third of the four sessions dealing with the many-faceted ministry of the Holy Spirit, we shall examine some of the ways he strengthens us to be effective servants.

A basis for assurance

Many Christians live defeated lives because they are convinced they do not have the spiritual stamina to withstand the demands of the old, sinful nature with which they must contend. Continually giving in to its pressures will ultimately result in the destruction of one's testimony for Christ. When we try to overcome our misdeeds by sheer determination, we are doomed to failure. Yet when we surrender to the Spirit's guidance, we have laid the foundation for an assured victory.

This is a special ministry of the Holy Spirit within the life of a believer. It is the “mortification,” or putting to death, of the misdeeds of the body. Paul said he had to “die every day” to the temptations of the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:31).

We experience this daily dying to self as we commit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we do this, we prove we are indeed the children of God. The Spirit within us gives a death blow to fear and an assurance that our relationship to God through Christ qualifies us to pray to him in the intimate terms of children addressing their father. Those who submit to the Holy Spirit within them never have reason to doubt they are the children of God.

The ultimate prayer partner

When we truly seek God's will in what we should pray for, we often encounter inner conflict. Because we cannot see beyond today, we cannot know truly what is best for ourselves, or for those for whom we are interceding in prayer.

Because God knew this would happen, he made provision for the Holy Spirit to become our constant “prayer partner.” The comforting fact is the Holy Spirit speaks to God in our behalf. He is the Paraclete, the one called to our side to help us. As a true advocate, he comes to us in our weakness, takes our part and prays for us in a way we could not pray for ourselves. He knows our inner needs and is continually concerned about us.

Our inability to express the deep longings of our souls often results in wordless, agonizing groans. The Holy Spirit who is ever searching our hearts knows what these groanings mean. The Holy Spirit is our perfect prayer partner because his praying for us is always done within the boundaries of God's will.

A promise of victory

Believing God loves us with an everlasting love is not difficult when life is good. On the other hand, when we run headlong into the storms of life, we often find ourselves wondering where God's love could possibly be. We pray, and it seems our prayers bounce right back. So the question looms before us: “How can we reconcile Christ's love for us with the suffering he allows to come into our lives? Could he not intervene and remove the pain?

Paul might well have had these same thoughts when he and Silas were beaten and thrown in the Philippian prison (Acts 16:22-24) or when he was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). Yet Paul was convinced Christ could no more cease to love him than the Father could have failed to love his Son when he allowed him to endure the suffering of the cross.

Christ told his followers they could expect trouble in the world (John 16:33). Paul quoted Psalm 44:22 to remind believers that God's people have always suffered. Ideally, Christians who suffer must realize that, in the midst of their troubles, they are identifying with Christ and should rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer for his sake (Acts 5:41).

Verses 37-39 contain a veritable explosion of joy as Paul overflowed with praise to God because of the victory God has promised his people. Because of Christ's supreme act of love–his death on the cross–we are promised victory over whatever adversity comes upon us. Paul brought to a thrilling climax the results of our justification. Nowhere in holy Scripture can we find such a profound recital of specific ways in which Christ's love has been showered upon us.

Question for discussion

How can Christians caught in difficult trials remain assured of God's love for them?

Posted: 10/3/03

SBC warns of funding crisis coming

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) –The Southern Baptist Convention and its entities will face a financial crisis in the near future unless giving to the denomination increases, according to a report adopted unanimously by the SBC Executive Committee Sept. 23.

Echoing a recent report in the Baptist Standard, the SBC Funding Study Committee noted that percentage giving by church members has decreased gradually over the past 30 years. Additionally, churches are forwarding a smaller percentage of their offerings to the Cooperative Program than they did two decades ago.

Those two factors, combined with a sluggish economy, already have impacted the number of missionaries on the field and the tuition rates at SBC-funded seminaries. But the report says that, barring an increase in giving, the situation will continue deteriorating.

While giving to the SBC's Cooperative Program unified budget has increased, gains barely have kept pace with inflation.

“The Southern Baptist Convention and its entities are facing serious financial challenges as they engage the ministry and mission opportunities in this 21st century,” the report states. “It is the opinion of the committee none of the entities are in a financial crisis at present. However, all of them are experiencing trends in their fiscal health that could degenerate into a crisis in very few years.”

The report lists seven recommendations intended to reverse the trend. However, it discourages additional special offerings, saying the denomination “will be better served by an aggressive stewardship education emphasis.”

Posted: 10/3/03

VISUAL BIBLE:
The Gospel of John movie

By Ted Parks

Associated Baptist Press

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (ABP) –Jesus in the movies is nothing new. But allowing an entire New Testament Gospel to speak word-for-word in the glossy idiom of the big-screen is unique, say the producers of “The Gospel of John.”

A production of Toronto-based Visual Bible International, the new film “follows the gospel precisely, neither adding to the story from other gospels, nor omitting complex passages,” explain the movie's makers. Unlike other movies about the life of Jesus, the filmmakers insist, “The Gospel of John” sticks to one New Testament account rather than borrowing episodes elsewhere in Scripture or from extra-biblical sources.

Garth Drabinsky, producer of “The Gospel of John,” believes the fourth Gospel provides an ideal text for translation from page to screen. A film and theater veteran, Drabinsky called John “a magnificently … structured story on a dramatic basis.”

“The Gospel of John” is not Visual Bible's first attempt to translate the words of Scripture into images. Earlier projects by the company include video versions of the New Testament books of Matthew and Acts. But the earlier productions were made under previous owners, explained Alex Panousis, Visual Bible vice president of consumer marketing.

The latest film, produced under new ownership, is a step up from the made-for-video Matthew and Acts, said Panousis, who emphasized the extensive research behind every aspect of the latest production.

“We went to incredible lengths to meticulously recreate that period,” Drabinsky said. With filming in Israel difficult because of Middle East unrest, the creators shot the movie in southern Spain, in the same area where famed British director David Lean shot portions of his 1962 epic, “Lawrence of Arabia.”

Although well-known Christopher Plummer narrates the movie, other cast members are less familiar to moviegoers, reflecting the producers' focus on talent from stage rather than screen. Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Jesus, performs with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Actors Stuart Bruce (John) and Daniel Kash (Peter) also have done Shakespeare.

Drabinsky also said the filmmakers sought stage performers free of the “baggage” likely to be carried by big-name Hollywood personalities.

“The Gospel of John” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September to sell-out crowds, prompting Canadian columnist Jay Stone to dub the movie the event's “toughest ticket” because of the demand. Stone said the movie sold out both its opening 1,500-seat showing and a 650-seat screening the next day.

Jesus, played by Henry Ian Cusick, appears before Pilate under the watchful eye of Roman guards in the new motion picture “The Gospel of John,” currently playing nationwide.

Posted: 10/3/03

When families close the lid on faith
at funerals, what's a preacher to do?

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–In a society where half the people claim no religious affiliation, a growing number don't want a minister conducting their funeral. In fact, many are forgoing any memorial service.

When they do, it leaves “a gap” in the grieving process for loved ones left behind, according to Perry Kite, a Baptist layman who served more than 40 years with the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, first as dean and later as president.

See related articles: • Grief: When families close the lid on faith at funeral, what's a preacher to do? • Grief: Like peeling and onion • Grief: What makes a funeral meaningful?

“People end up feeling a loss in not getting to say goodbye and having the opportunity to communicate about the person who is deceased,” said Kite, a deacon at South Garland Baptist Church in suburban Dallas. “When they play like it didn't really happen, it ends up being hard on people.”

Author Doug Manning put it in even starker terms. When there is no funeral, he said, the deceased person remains “missing and presumed dead” to loved ones.

To fill that void, the former Texas Baptist pastor is leading a movement to provide a meaningful secular alternative to religious funerals. Funerals have healing power, and they don't lose that power just because they are not overtly religious, he said.

When non-religious people die, their families and friends need a significant service that reflects the values and life of the deceased, said Manning, writer and publisher of widely distributed resources on grief, including the book “Don't Take My Grief Away from Me.”

“They deserve funerals. They hurt just like we do. But for the most part, all we have offered have been religious funerals,” said the former pastor of First Baptist Church in Hereford.

He didn't call for the church to abandon religious funeral services, just to create an alternative for those who will not have a religious ceremony.

An alternative that emerged more than 10 years ago in Australia and New Zealand is the civil celebrant, a layperson trained to conduct non-religious funerals and weddings, Manning explained. Currently, in parts of New Zealand, civil celebrants perform six out of 10 funerals.

About five years ago, Manning started writing about the “celebrant” concept in funeral home trade publications. In response to the interest expressed, he developed the curriculum for a training program, and about 300 certified celebrants have completed the 16-hour course.

Celebrants offer personalized services focusing on the life of the deceased individual in a way that reflects that person's beliefs and lifestyle, he explained. The services include recollections about the person who died, as well as meaningful readings or songs consistent with that person's values.

One reason some people choose a celebrant is that he or she holds a meeting with the bereaved loved ones, where they are able to tell stories about the deceased and recount fond memories, Manning explained.

“Communication about the deceased and about each other is so important,” Kite affirmed. “It can be a part of the funeral service, or it can be around thebreakfast table, but there needs to be some opportunity for people to communicate their feelings.”

Instead of granting those opportunities, too many ministers minimize them, Manning maintained. They have one or two prepared funeral sermons they use in every instance, without making the effort to spend time with family members and learn about the person who died, he said.

“A funeral can be such a healing thing if it is personalized,” Manning said. “If you don't make it personal, you've missed them.”

Veteran pastor and denominational leader James Semple agreed.

“Something ought to be said about the significance of the life that has been lived,” he said. “It shouldn't be a non-event when any person passes on.”

Semple said he often conducted more than 50 funerals a year during his quarter-century as pastor of First Baptist Church in Paris. He lost track of how many funerals he participated in but said he remembered sometimes leading three a day.

“My main objective has always been to bring comfort to the family,” said Semple, who went on to serve the Baptist General Convention of Texas as director of the State Missions Commission.

“I have rarely preached sermons at funerals. The local funeral directors knew that if I were conducting the service, they could pretty well set their watch by it. Everything would be over in 25 minutes. People at funerals are not interested–or often capable of hearing–a long treatise or discourse.”

Semple customarily met with family members before he prepared his funeral message. He encouraged them to tell stories about the deceased, and he asked if any of those remembrances might be included in the service as a tribute to their lives.

“Nearly everyone has something good that can be said about them,” Semple said.

But not every minister takes the time to show that level of personal interest, particularly in non-church members, Manning said. Instead, they sometimes impose their beliefs on people who are not receptive, or they offer the hope of life after death to those who don't even believe in it.

“If all we do is talk about heaven, we've missed them,” he said.

Some people feel emotionally abused by ministers, Manning noted. “Most people aren't anti-God. But many of them are anti-religion or anti-clergy.”

One reason some people choose celebrants is fear that clergy will turn funerals into inappropriate evangelistic appeals, he said.

“I cringe when a preacher motions toward the deceased and says, 'If he were here today, this is what he would say to you.' And then he ignores the life of that person by trying to make converts,” Manning said. “There is nothing on earth more inappropriate than giving an invitation at a funeral. I've never met anybody who was converted at a funeral.”

Semple differed with Manning, up to a point. Nearly every funeral he has conducted included a simple presentation of the Christian gospel in the service, he said. To dwell only on the positive contributions of the deceased could give listeners the impression that salvation is earned by good works, he noted.

“I would end the service with the promise of Jesus never to leave us alone. I would tell the family the Lord loved them, that he cared for them, and that he would never leave them alone,” he said.

And if a Christian specifically asked that the plan of salvation be presented as part of his or her funeral service so that non-Christian relatives and friends could hear the gospel, Semple granted the request, making a specific evangelistic appeal.

But Semple and Kite agreed with Manning that a public altar call at a funeral would not be appropriate. Rather than calling on sinners to “walk the aisle” and repent, they suggested asking people to raise their hands during a prayer to indicate their desire to make a faith commitment to Christ.

In all his years of ministry, Semple said, he never had anyone request that he do a strictly secular service with no prayer or Scripture. But if a family specifically requested a memorial service with no religious elements in it, he said, “in order to have a relationship with them, I might go along with it. … It is their service.”

Establishing a relationship that can lead to ministry later is one thing that draws some ministers to celebrant training events, Manning said.

“They see it as outreach,” he explained. If a Christian celebrant provides a meaningful memorial service for a non-religious person that honors the life of a deceased and the wishes of survivors, then the believer has earned the right to offer a gospel witness to the bereaved family later in the grieving process.

“For a lot of celebrants who are deeply religious, I can see that it would be hard for them to do a secular service. I'm sure it would be for me,” Kite noted. “But I can think of no greater open door you could have for ministry to a non-Christian. … Honor the person they loved, and they'll welcome you with open arms.

“Minister to them at their time of loss. Then when you go back to see them later, that's when some may be ready to say: 'I see that you have something better than what I've got. Tell me about it.'”

Posted: 10/3/03

Grief: 'Like peeling onion'

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–Grief is like peeling an onion, according to author Doug Manning: “It comes off one layer at a time, and you cry a lot.”

Manning, who runs an Oklahoma City-based publishing house specializing in resources regarding grief and aging issues, spoke recently at a senior adult ministry meeting sponsored by the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.

See related articles: • Grief: When families close the lid on faith at funeral, what's a preacher to do? • Grief: Like peeling and onion • Grief: What makes a funeral meaningful?

The former pastor of First Baptist Church in Hereford said Christians can help grieving family members and friends by understanding their pain. The first thing to recognize is that grief is a messy process, not a clear-cut series of stages each person passes through in a prescribed time period, he said.

“Grief is as unique as a fingerprint. Each experience is unique unto itself. There's no schedule, no right way to think, and no right way to peel away the layers.”

The days between a death and a funeral are like the paper-thin outer skin of an onion that comes off easily and blows away, he explained. Those are the days when the bereaved person is in shock and is surrounded by people carrying casserole dishes.

“We give people the most help when they can receive it the least, when they are all awhirl,” he said. “But the funeral is often the climactic event in the care and comfort offered by friends.”

Once that superficial outer skin is removed, he said, then the real grieving process begins in three identifiable layers:

Reality. A few weeks after the funeral, the shock wears off and the reality of loss sets in.

“That's when you crash,” he noted, explaining that Christians can help at this point by doing three things–“hang around, hug them and hush.”

Reaction. At some point, anger emerges. “Anger is a natural reaction to being hurt. When the anger comes out, it means the grieving person has hit bottom and is starting to fight back,” Manning said. “The problem with anger is that it doesn't float well. It needs a place to focus.”

The object of anger may be the deceased person, a physician, a minister, a surviving family member or even God. Anger only becomes unhealthy when it becomes internalized and self-directed, Manning said.

At this point, the main thing the grieving person needs is a companion who will “get in their bucket with them” and walk with them through the process, he said.

Reconstruction. Eventually, the grieving person will move on with life, but Christians can help them realize that life will never be like it was before the loss.

“A chunk has been bitten out of your heart, and it will never grow back,” Manning said. “But we can offer assurance that the sharp pain will eventually become a dull ache.”

Posted: 10/3/03

What makes a funeral meaningful?

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–A meaningful funeral helps bereaved family and friends begin healing, according to Doug Manning, former Baptist pastor and author of several widely distributed books about grief.

But what makes a funeral meaningful? Manning offered several observations.

See related articles: • Grief: When families close the lid on faith at funeral, what's a preacher to do? • Grief: Like peeling and onion • Grief: What makes a funeral meaningful?

It provides a safe place to grieve. “People need permission to grieve. A funeral is the last place on earth where it's OK to grieve publicly. And too often, we try to hide it, to sanitize it, to get through it without anybody crying,” he said.

It underscores the reality of the loss. “I believe it is best for the family to view the body, whether anybody else does or not,” he said. “It's not real until you see it. That which we leave to the imagination comes back to haunt us.”

It establishes significance, both of the life that has ended and of the loss to those who survive. Funerals provide the bereaved a chance to “inventory their loss,” Manning explained. By talking about the deceased and hearing others talk about that person's contributions, family and friends can establish the significance of the loss and begin to “move on.”

It offers bereaved survivors a specific time and place to recall where a deceased family member or friend was honored. It provides “roots” and “connection” to the one whose life has ended, he said. “There needs to be a place where the loved one is remembered.”

It provides a place where the ministry of presence is practiced. Bereaved people need companionship, Manning emphasized. “It's not what we say. It's where we are. Folks just need somebody to be there with them.”

Posted: 10/3/03

High school student puts on shield of faith

By George Henson

Staff Writer

PORT NECHES–Aron Arceneaux is giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “shield of faith.”

Arceneaux is this year's Indian Spirit for the Port Neches High School football team. A male senior is selected each year to serve as the Indian Spirit, a mascot representing a Native American shaman in complete regalia.

Aron Arceneaux in full regalia, and a closeup of the Scripture-laden shield.

The outfit does allow for one piece unique to each person, a shield. For his shield, Arceneaux chose a scene of a Native American on horseback looking across a chasm at a Christian cross. On the outer edge of the shield, he inscribed a passage from Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

David Mahfouz, Arceneaux's pastor at First Baptist Church in Port Neches, believes the high schooler presents a bold witness.

“It's a strong testimony when you come in to a ballgame with 15,000 to 16,000 people and see him lift high that shield bearing the cross of Christ,” Mahfouz said. “It becomes a visible testimony to the community of Port Neches, both to the Christians and the lost as to the depth of his commitment.”

The teen's role is highly visible in a strong football program steeped in tradition, the pastor explained.

The church helped fund creation of Arceneaux's shield by a local artist.

The 18-inch circular shield has given Arceneaux opportunities to share his faith after others have asked him about it, he said.

So far, he hasn't had any complaints about the composition of his shield. His friends know of his commitment to Christ, he said, and probably would have been shocked if the shield hadn't in some way communicated his faith.

Posted: 10/3/03

Jakes' novel targets spiritual secrets

By Greg Garrison

Birmingham Post Herald

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) –Although he's an old-fashioned, pulpit-pounding preacher who frequently has to wipe the sweat from his brow, evangelist T.D. Jakes brings the biblical message into a modern context.

In his books and sermons, Jakes tackles issues such as child abuse, domestic violence, unhealthy sexual relationships and changing gender roles.

He knows how to reach an audience in a church, a civic center, on TV–or in a book store.

On a recent trip to Birmingham, Jakes signed books for fans at a local book store and talked about the success of his ministry.

He's pastor of the Potter's House, a church in Dallas that draws 8,000 worshippers to each of its two Sunday services. The services are featured in Jakes' weekly TV shows on Black Entertainment TV and Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Jakes was in Birmingham to promote his latest book, “Cover Girls,” about working women with spiritual issues.

“It's my first novel,” Jakes said. “It depicts the life of four women in a workplace. All of them are hiding something. They have problems in their lives they haven't faced. Until they do, they don't find the peace they're looking for.”

It's yet another way Jakes has found to guide Christians–especially women–on their spiritual journey. Most of his 16 books have been self-help guides.

“Woman, Thou Art Loosed!” sold 1.25 million copies and tied into his nationally touring women's conferences of the same name.

Now called “God's Leading Ladies,” Jakes continues his enormously popular road-show conferences for women.

“It teaches women how to grow spiritually, how to manage their finances and careers,” he said.

Jakes also has held men's conferences, such as the 1998 Manpower crusade featuring Dallas Cowboys football players Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith, both of whom he had baptized the year before.

But his conferences and books targeted at women have been his most successful. Most of those waiting in line at his book signing were women.

It's not about dealing with gender issues so much as reaching people where they are hurting, Jakes said. His ministry has focused on motivational messages for people who have survived traumas, helping them turn their pain into spiritual power.

“The gender roles are being redefined,” Jakes said. “The day of women being limited to housewives whose only concern is getting biscuits made and kids off to school is not the reality anymore. Women are balancing careers and family and the pursuit of a spiritual life.”

Jakes talks about women having “soul scars and broken hearts” that no man–only God–can fill.

“Only God can reach into a woman's heart and stitch up the scars,” he said. “He is the foundation from which all other relationships emerge.”

Posted: 10/3/03

KEY CHURCHES:
Missions growth unlocked

By Toby Druin

Editor Emeritus

Since 1980, churches affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas have averaged more than 200 church starts a year–a total of 4,624 congregations in a convention that today has only slightly more than 4,300 churches (not counting the 1,400 missions).

While some of the new congregations have not succeeded, many others have, and some are sponsoring new churches of their own.

The impetus for new churches in 1980 and today is the burgeoning growth that has propelled the Lone Star State to second among the 50 states in total population. More than 10 million of the 21 million people who now call Texas home are unchurched.

Bill Pinson, BGCT executive director from 1982 to 2000, pushed the convention to start churches to reach the unchurched and to ensure that Texas remained a strong base for missions outreach.

But the idea that more than anything helped Texas Baptists begin thousands of congregations was the Key Church concept, born in the missions-starting mind of J.V. Thomas, who headed church starting efforts for the BGCT from 1969 to 1992.

To become a Key Church in Texas, a church had to elevate missions starting to the same priority as its music and education programs, hiring a full-time minister of missions if it had full-time ministers of music and education. The BGCT partnered with the churches in paying the salary of the minister of missions on a declining basis for three years. In return, the Key Church agreed to start at least six missions a year, develop an evangelism strategy and start new ministry activities.

By most observers' calculations, more than half the missions or churches started in Texas during the last 20 years have been the result of the Key Church movement, and Texas has far outdistanced other states in church starts during the period.

The Key Church movement spread from Texas to other states through the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board, which hired Thomas in 1992. He retired from the HMB in 1996.

In 1995, there were 263 Key Churches in the SBC, most of them in Texas, and the 212 that filed reports started 262 congregations and were sponsoring 887 missions. Total attendance in Bible study in the missions and new churches was 33,807 (an average of 38) and 127,474 in the sponsoring churches. In addition to the new missions and churches, 396 new ministries were started, and Key Churches baptized 6,617 people–more than were baptized in any single state convention except Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

Tim Ahlen, pastor of Forest Meadow Baptist Church in Dallas, collaborated with Thomas in a book about the strategy, “One Church: Many Congregations.” He quoted church growth expert Lyle Shaller who said Southern Baptists had done a number of things for God's kingdom, but the most important had been developing the Key Church strategy.

In Baptist polity, churches start churches. State and national conventions traditionally have worked through associations in relating to local congregations. The Key Church strategy departed from that tradition.

“For the convention, Key Church is a strategy that allows the denomination to work directly with churches that will make a high commitment to starting new churches,” Thomas explained. “It is the only strategy where the convention works directly with a local church and gives the convention an opportunity to train and equip a church to start other churches.

“For the church, it is a way to reach people outside the church walls on the same basis they do evangelism and Bible study. It turns a church loose to double their attendance in three years, moving to a more indigenous leadership basis and not limited to a particular kind of space in starting new units.”

The concept evolved out of several strategies. Thomas said little was being accomplished in the way of starting churches for several years when in the early 1970s he tried to get every church that started a church to start another one.

“I had looked at many church budgets,” he said, “and saw that most often after a church had started a mission and it had constituted as a church that the sponsoring church put the money that had been going to the mission back into its budget. I wanted them to use the money to start another church.”

About the same time, cell churches were beginning to catch on in other denominations, so he promoted a Southern Baptist version of it that became known as the “indigenous satellite unit” or ISU.

“The idea, again, was to get churches to start several others,” Thomas said.

The best way to get Baptists to do anything, he said, is to show them a successful model. He approached Joel Gregory, then pastor at Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth, about using Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students to start house churches in the areas near the seminary. Soon, a half-dozen house churches were under way with assistance from funds provided by the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions.

“The work done by Gambrell Street Baptist Church was the hub of it,” Thomas said. “The Key Church movement began with that.”

The term “Key Church” was born in discussions in 1983 regarding Mission Texas, one of Pinson's early efforts to boost the number of churches in the state, Thomas recalled.

Many churches began to pick up on the idea, including First Baptist Church of Dallas, which had more than 30 missions; First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff; Cliff Temple Baptist Church in Dallas; First Baptist Church of Houston; Lakeland Baptist Church of Lewisville and others. Many already were involved in missions, but the Key Church concept provided new support.

Charles Wade, who succeeded Pinson as executive director of the BGCT in 2000, said he heard the Key Church concept explained at a meeting where Ben Smith, pastor at Lakeland, detailed how his church was using it.

Wade, then pastor of First Baptist Church of Arlington, liked what he heard and recommended the church use funds that had been going to a radio broadcast of worship services to get it started. Tillie Burgin became director of Mission Arlington, which has spawned hundreds of other missions in Arlington and has been emulated across the state and nation.

“Without a doubt, the Key Church strategy has been the most significant church-starting idea Baptists have ever implemented,” Wade said.

“A Baptist church prioritizes something by putting money into it, staffing it and putting it on the church calendar,” Thomas said. “We worked hard at getting churches to put on a missions staff member.”

However, many dropped the salaried position when the BGCT funds ceased. In many cases, a volunteer stepped in and kept up the excitement of starting churches.

Lakeside Baptist Church in Dallas has been involved in the Key Church program since 1986 and has had three ministers of missions. Jim Burgin, who later headed the Key Church program for the BGCT and now works with Mission Arlington, was the first. Gary Wagener has headed the missions effort the last eight years.

“We started it with the BGCT funding part of the salary and then used funds from the (SBC) North American Mission Board for insurance,” said Pastor James McGlothlin. “But we have been responsible for it since then. It has enabled us to do many things. We now are working with about 24 churches in nine different languages.

“The Key Church strategy has given a traditional church a way to be non-traditional without interrupting the fellowship of the traditional church,” he explained. “We are reaching more people with the gospel than at any time in our history.”

Herb Pedersen, pastor at First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff in Dallas and later director of the BGCT's missions division, is now pastor of Longbranch Baptist Church near Midlothian, the last of the missions started by the Oak Cliff church during his pastorate. He has seen the Key Church strategy from several angles.

A pivotal thing about the strategy, he said, was it elevated church starting to the same level of other church programs and thus received greater significance and financial support.

“But the absolute key,” he said, “was in having the right minister of missions. We brought on Aubrey Patterson to direct our missions program, and it was a great experience. We began to look at unchurched people groups in the community and targeted those nobody else was reaching. At one time, we had 22 mission sites. Eleven were church-type missions that became churches, and some of them now are sponsoring new churches. The others were indigenous satellite units that functioned like a church but we never expected them to become self-supporting.

"I think the Key Church strategy was the prime mover as far as starting churches," Pedersen said. "We are carrying it on at Longbranch and are in the process of starting a new church on land just south of Midlothian. It will be a satellite of our church at first with services on Sunday night in Mountain Peak Elementary School. I will preach, and we will use our church staff, but we have assigned a recent seminary graduate to work in the area.”

Charles Lee Williamson, director of the BGCT missions division from 1968 to 1992, said one of the principal benefits of the Key Church strategy was in raising the awareness of the importance of starting missions, especially in many mid-sized churches that never had seen church starting as a possibility before.

“Even where a church didn't go into the whole Key Church program,” he said, “the fact of them hearing about it and reading the promotional materials that made the case for missions being on the same level as other church programs kicked up the level of awareness and participation. Missions became something other than a periodic offering promotion.”

James Semple, director of the BGCT State Missions Commission from 1989 to 2001, said the strategy helped churches have a new vision.

“Too often, we get set in our ways, and the Key Church strategy opened our eyes to the possibility of starting new congregations, of having a person on the church staff who could help us do it,” he said. “It was a fabulous concept.”

Jim Burgin, who led the Key Church strategy for the BGCT for three years and now works at Mission Arlington, said the strategy “is still the engine that drives mission starting around the country, although I am concerned that I don't hear as much about it these days.”

Under his leadership at the BGCT, Key Church was changed from more than a church starting strategy aimed at larger churches to involve the minister of missions in administering a missions program for the church at all levels–international and national missions involvement, missions ministries and missions organizations.

“We went from the idea that was ingrained that a Key Church was just for large churches to it being for every church, that a layperson could be the minister of missions and that every church could be a Key Church. The current concept that every church should be a 'missional church' is really positive in that it is trying to capture the idea that every church is a church on mission.”

Mildred Minatrea, associate coordinator of missional church strategy, currently directs the Key Church program for the BGCT.

Starting new churches is still a major focus of the program, he said, with 132 of the 264 church starts in the state in 2002 begun by Key Churches.

The program, however, now also includes age level mission education, a focus on penetrating a community through ministry and involving people in missions globally. Key Churches were involved in mission efforts in 29 countries last year, he said.

The 207 Key Churches in Texas last year had 130 full-time ministers of missions and registered 941 professions of faith in churches and more than 3,000 in community ministries. The goal, Minatrea said, is to increase the number of Key Churches from one for 77,000 people in the state to one for 50,000.

For more information about becoming a Key Church, contact Minatrea at (888) 747-7700 or minatrea@bgct.org.

Posted: 10/3/03

Key Churches in Texas

Posted: 10/3/03

Christian men urged to beware of falling into sexual sins

By Terri Lackey

LifeWay Christian Resources

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)–It should come as no surprise that Catholic priests aren't the only church leaders succumbing to sexual sins.

A former pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Avon, N.Y., was charged in May with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male in his home. In Milwaukee, an Assemblies of God pastor was sentenced in July to five years in prison for extortion and sexually abusing a church member.

It's an ages-old problem. King David's glance at Bathsheba led first to adultery, then to murder.

Clergy are as vulnerable to sexual sins as those not in the ministry, said Danny Singleton, minister of pastoral care and men's ministry at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.

“Christian men are being defeated by sexual sins because we overestimate ourselves, we underestimate Satan, we under-evaluate sin and we are unaware of snares,” Singleton told a group attending the men's ministry track during a discipleship and ministry conference at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina.

“What we watch on TV today, we would have run screaming in the streets in the '50s,” Singleton said. “I dare you to find anywhere in the Bible where God lowered the standards.”

Adding to the prevalence of sex on TV and movies is the glut of pornography sites on the Internet, he said.

“Do you know what pornography and spirituality have in common?” he asked. “They are the two most common attractions on the Internet. But spirituality is a distant second to pornography.”

A survey of 1,000 pastors and 1,000 subscribers to Christian magazines found that 12 percent of pastors had been involved in adultery while in the ministry, and 23 percent had acted in sexually inappropriate ways, Singleton said.

Of those who were not pastors, the survey found 23 percent had extramarital affairs, and 45 percent had acted in sexually inappropriate ways.

A separate nationwide survey of Christian men found that 53 percent acknowledged fantasizing about other women, 54 percent felt shame about past sexual experiences and 75 percent have secrets they won't share with anyone, he said.

“Christian men are just as vulnerable as any other men,” Singleton said. “We are just one step away from sin. We live in a sex-saturated society, and we have to be careful what we expose ourselves to.”

About 11 percent of the calls to LifeWay's LeaderCare helpline are related to inappropriate sexual behavior, reported Barney Self, a LeaderCare counselor. The counseling helpline is available for ministers and their families. The number is (888) 789-1911.

Singleton related a story about how he and his wife were on an elevator in Chicago when a beautiful woman stepped in wearing the same style of dress he had bought his wife the year before. He complimented her on her dress and a Christmas brooch she was wearing, telling her his wife would love it.

When the woman left the elevator, Singleton's wife asked him what he would have done if she hadn't been there with him and the woman warmed to his compliments.

“Guys, I wasn't thinking anything like that. But what if that woman had been lonely and my marriage wasn't as strong as it is?” he said. “These are just things you have to watch out for. If you think you are standing firm, be careful you don't fall.”

The first step of adultery is the notion of “exceptionism,” he said. “It's the notion I don't have to follow the rules like everybody else.”

As with David and Bathsheba, one small sin can lead to other larger ones.

“First David looked at Bathsheba and said: 'Dude, she's hot. Who is she?'” he said. “David gave in to his natural inclinations, and the sin of impulsiveness turned into the sin of callousness with the murder of (Bathsheba's husband) Uriah.”

But consequences existed, he said. The baby Bathsheba and David conceived out of wedlock died, Uriah died at the battle front where David sent him and many of David's servants died.

“Every time we sin, the Holy Ghost brings conviction in your life to get you to repent,” Singleton said. “If you don't, if you rebel, then God will chastise and confront you. You are going to get caught, and God is going to make it public. A secret sin on earth is an open scandal in heaven.”

Singleton suggested Christian men who want to avoid sexual impurity find an accountability group of like-minded guys. For those who have already strayed, find someone to confess to.

“Be honest and tell the truth to somebody who can help you walk free,” he said. “Sexual sinners hold the false belief that if people really knew them, they would reject them. But, Bubba, we need to love the guys right where they are and help them get to the blood of the cross.”

Among Singleton's suggestions to men who want to maintain a pure life:

Run away from temptation.

Be on guard.

Accept responsibility.

Be accountable. “Listen to your wife. God made her to nag, whine and complain for a purpose. She can see things you can't.”

Choose your friends carefully.

Determine to live a pure life.

“And if you are confronted with temptation, speak Scripture against it,” he urged. “How many verses do you know by heart? You better learn some.”

Among books Singleton recommends on the topic of sexual sins: “Breaking Free” by Russell Willingham, “Men's Secret War” by Patrick Means, “Every Man's Battle” by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker and “Faithful and True” by Mark Laaser.