Posted: 10/17/03

EDITORIAL:
Unlike Elvis, O'Hair & Bigfoot, RM 2493 just lives on and on

Do you suppose Elvis and Madalyn Murray O'Hair are married and raising Bigfoot in a castle beside a lake in Scotland, where they go swimming with the Loch Ness Monster every afternoon?

This is just as likely to happen as Federal Communications Commission Petition No. 2493 is to become law and “stop the reading of the gospel of our Lord and Savior on the airwaves of America.”

The petition, often called RM 2493 in e-mails, faxes and photocopied missives, died Aug. 1, 1975, a couple of years before Elvis expired and 20 years before O'Hair suddenly discovered she was wrong about atheism.

Unfortunately, the rumor of RM 2493's impending threat won't die.

The latest version circles the globe faster than either Santa or the Easter Bunny, zapping through e-mails at warp speed and growing faster than The Blob.

This version usually begins with a header that says something like “Help Dr. Dobson” or “Dr. James Dobson pleads for action.” It goes on to warn that “an organization” has been granted a “federal hearing” before the FCC to support Petition 2493. “They got 287,000 signatures to back their stand!” the message pants. “If this attempt is successful, all Sunday worship services being broadcast on the radio or by television will be stopped. This group is also campaigning to remove all Christmas programs and Christmas carols from public schools! You as a Christian can help!”

It asks recipients to “sign” a petition at the bottom of the e-mail and then forward it “to everyone you think should read this.”

A previous version warned CBS television would discontinue broadcasting the “Touched By an Angel” show “for using the word 'God' in every program.”

Both rumors are hoaxes.

O'Hair never filed Petition 2493. In 1974, Jeremy Lansman and Lorenzo Milam asked the FCC to withhold licenses from religious TV and radio stations until it completed a study of their operating practices. The FCC denied their petition in the summer of 1975–more than 28 years ago.

But rumor of RM 2493 lives on–worrying Christians of goodwill, goading them to sign a meaningless protest–wasting time, energy and Christian credibility.

So, clip this editorial. Or copy the online version and save it in your computer. And when people pass on the rumor, set them straight.

Posted: 10/17/03

EDITORIAL:
Sky won't fall, however court rules

Sometime next year, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether public schools can lead children to say the words “under God” when they recite the Pledge of Allegiance. While this case will further define the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion …”), it will herald neither the dawn of a new era nor the end of the world as we know it.

The case has been brought by Michael Newdow, a California atheist and father of a child who attends public school. Newdow claims his daughter's constitutional rights are violated when a teacher leads her class in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance because it includes “under God.” The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined the words themselves are not unconstitutional but recitation of the pledge in public schools violates the Constitution. Following torrents of protest, the Supreme Court voted to hear the case.

A couple of approaches cast light on how this case might turn out.

An accommodationist approach would affirm inclusion of “under God” in the pledge, no matter when or where it is said. This theory holds that the First Amendment forbids Congress from establishing or supporting a specific religion. Short of that, government at any level can accommodate the religious beliefs of citizens and their religious practices. Reciting “under God” in the pledge would not constitute establishment of religion and consequently would be acceptable.

A strict separationist approach, however, would demand removal of the words, at least when the Pledge of Allegiance is said in public schools. According to this theory, the government violates the Establishment Clause any time it promotes religion or coerces citizens to participate in religion, both generically and specifically. So, a public schoolteacher, as an employee of the government, would violate the First Amendment by leading students to recite the pledge if it includes “under God.”

“Under God” supporters face a unique challenge in this case. Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the court's most conservative justices who normally could be counted as a vote for the accommodationist approach, has recused himself. He did not cite his reason, but it's presumably because his impartiality has been questioned, since he publicly criticized the 9th Circuit Court's decision. Since a 4-4 tie would affirm the lower court, at least five justices, not counting Scalia, must agree “under God” should stay.

Even before the case is heard, we can expect a victory for “under God” very well may be hollow. Searching for a way to counter the charge that overt religious acts or statements violate the rights of religious minorities, advocates often claim the words and deeds do not have significant religious meaning. Whether it's stamping “In God We Trust” on money, placing a nativity scene in a city park or delivering a “To Whom it May Concern” prayer at a public function, defenders often fall back on the notion the action does not serve a specifically religious function and therefore does not violate the Constitution.

This raises an obvious question: If a religious act doesn't serve a religious purpose, why bother? Of course, many faithful Americans worry about the erosion of culture. The very idea of dropping “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance seems like one more victory for God-haters. However, one can argue that the pervasiveness of half-hearted, watered-down religion provides most Americans an inoculation of “god” sufficient to prevent them from experiencing the real God Almighty.

For example, poll after poll shows the majority of Americans claim to be Christians and affirm the value of prayer, Bible reading and church attendance in their lives. But you'd be hard-pressed to prove it by attendance at church on Sunday, not to mention the way they live their lives and make moral decisions.

No one knows how the Supreme Court will rule on “under God.” But however the case turns out, the challenge will not arise when children rise and say the pledge, but when Christians try to convince a lost and dying world the only hope is to live under submission to God.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 10/17/03

After 300 years, Jonathan Edwards'
influence still muddled

By Jeffrey MacDonald

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–America's most notorious Puritan is back in the public eye. This time, however, it's not just hellfire-and-brimstone preachers who are walking in his footprints.

October marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Edwards, the bigger-than-life theologian, philosopher and pastor who quarterbacked the First Great Awakening in the American colonies. Events at sites from the Library of Congress to the Minneapolis Civic Center celebrate his life and vast legacy, the extent of which is still being discovered and debated.

Scholars say most Americans know just one thing about Edwards–he once preached the terrifyingly famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Yet at this tercentennial, many are discovering the instrumental role he played in shaping the institutions and culture they take for granted.

Jonathan Edwards

“Edwards is a person who is largely forgotten about or caricatured,” said George Marsden, professor of history at Notre Dame University and author of “Jonathan Edwards: A Life.”

“But Americans need to pay attention to their spiritual founding fathers because the culture is very secular and spiritual at the same time. A lot of people will find things in him that are really fascinating.”

Marsden points out, for instance, that Edwards figured prominently in America's endurance over the centuries as a nation of believers while Europe became increasingly secular. By launching a tradition of revivalism to stir up a love for God, Marsden argues, Edwards passed on a passion for saving souls that has re-emerged somewhere in every succeeding generation.

But it's not just evangelists, or even evangelicals, who can today trace the roots of their beliefs and practices to a man often pilloried for being dated, even in his own time. Protestants mobilizing today to improve society, or striving to connect with God in nature, are recognizing that their 19th century heroes were themselves deeply influenced by Edwards' writings on the purpose of life, according to Kenneth Minkema, editor of “The Works of Jonathan Edwards,” a 26-volume collection.

“He's always there in the background somewhere,” Minkema said. “For better or worse, Edwards is part of our makeup. He's part of the American character.”

Born Oct. 3, 1703, Edwards came of age in New England as a Puritan theocracy was giving way to a revolutionary democracy. Through this titanic shift, Edwards' writing and preaching bridged two worlds of thought: one of Calvinist trust in a sovereign God, the other of burgeoning Enlightenment trust in the powers of science and sheer reason.

With help from itinerant preacher George Whitefield and others, Edwards revived a waning Calvinism with a vengeance by rigorously defending orthodox doctrines and leading his sometimes resistant flock to tearful conversions in the 1730s. But it was Edwards' ability to understand and incorporate the cutting-edge of science and philosophy that made him a formidable intellect on the international stage and ensured him a spot in Christian history.

“In his letters to Europe, he was always asking: 'What do you see as the latest scientific book just published? Will you send it to me?'” said Elise Bernier-Feeley, archivist for the Edwards Collection at the Forbes Library in Northampton, Mass., where Edwards served as pastor for more than two decades.

“He was always thriving on new knowledge. … He felt compelled to tell his congregation the truth. I love him for that.”

Today, Edwards fascinates scholars and evangelical Christians alike. In universities, the number of graduate dissertations written on him doubles every 10 years, Minkema said, with recent interest primarily in his writings on ethics and moral virtue. Meanwhile, movements such as the Charismatic Toronto Blessing in the late 1990s have used Edwards' writings on “Religious Affections” to legitimize and advance their own projects.

Even the great spiritual question caused by Sept. 11–why would God allow this to happen?–makes Edwards especially relevant to today's culture, according to Alan Johnson, organizer of “Awakening Hearts and Minds to God,” a two-day Edwards conference Oct. 25 and 26 at First Church of Christ, Congregational at Wethersfield, Conn.

“He faced turbulent times. There was terrorism all around him with hostile Indians in the Connecticut River Valley,” Johnson said, noting that Edwards often feared for the safety of his wife and 11 children. “But he had such confidence in God's overall plan for the destiny of man that he brings a certain perspective of solidarity, of calm, of faith to everything.”

Such reassurance might seem surprising from the preacher of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in which Edwards tells a quivering crowd, “'tis nothing but God's mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction.” But Marsden and others contend that “Sinners” is not typical Edwards.

“His primary emphasis in preaching was the love of God,” said Bob Davis, pastor of First Congregational Church of Millers Falls, Mass., and lecturer on Edwards. “The goal of his preaching was to move the soul of the individual hearer to change. It's (logical) thought that then moves the heart to change you. I follow Edwards, and that's what I try to do in my preaching.”

Followers of Edwards, both pastors and laity, are flocking this month to his old stomping grounds at Yale, northern Connecticut and Northampton. A 55-seat bus tour of significant sites for Edwards sold out before dozens of additional inquiries came in.

When Bernier-Feeley considers why Edwards draws so many admirers 300 years after his birth, she says: “He was authentic and unwavering. That's what they are looking for these days. If you're looking for someone worthy of being emulated, he is.”

Posted: 10/17/03

EEOC files against Missouri convention

By Vicki Brown

Missouri Word & Way

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)–Officials of the Missouri Baptist Convention have received a formal complaint from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a former employee.

Former controller Carol Kaylor notified the EEOC of her intent to file a complaint after the convention's executive director, David Clippard, fired her in April. An EEOC representative conducted a telephone interview with Kaylor June 10.

Michael Berry, Kaylor's attorney, said in June the complaint likely would charge the convention with demeaning Kaylor on the job. “Our basic contention is that she was forced out of her position because she opposed practices that were demeaning to her and to other employees of the Missouri Baptist Convention,” he explained at that time.

Clippard claims Kaylor was terminated with just cause.

Neither Kaylor nor her attorney will reveal the specific charges outlined in the formal complaint, which is directed against the convention as Kaylor's employer rather than against an individual. The EEOC handles a wide range of employment issues.

Clippard said the complaint has been turned over to the convention's attorneys. According to Kaylor, the EEOC's next step will be to seek information from the convention.

In June, Berry explained that the federal commission usually tries to mediate disagreements and proceeds with a limited investigation while trying to get the parties to negotiate a settlement. Kaylor said the EEOC has not yet contacted her about that possibility.

Posted: 10/17/03

ETBU nursing students plan Caddo Lake project

MARSHALL–Senior nursing students at East Texas Baptist University have joined forces with the Caddo Lake Institute to promote better health in the region.

Beginning this week, the students will survey residents of Uncertain, Karnack, Leigh and Smithland to determine their knowledge of a health advisory issued in 1995 by the Texas Department of Health. That advisory warned people not to eat more than two 8-ounce servings per month of certain fish from Caddo Lake because elevated levels of mercury were found in largemouth bass and freshwater drum.

On Oct. 21 and 22, ETBU students will go door to door in the four communities to assess a baseline knowledge of health and community concerns, explained Carolyn Harvey, dean of the School of Nursing at ETBU.

Residents will be asked questions about the Texas Department of Health warnings, and students will seek information about how often residents eat the fish at Caddo Lake and if they are experiencing any health problems.

Then on Nov. 1, a health fair will be held at the Karnack Community Center. Available services will include flu shots, cholesterol tests and diabetes test, and new research information on breast cancer and prostate cancer will be disseminated. Hair samples may be voluntarily donated for further testing of mercury levels in the area.

On Nov. 3-4, ETBU nursing students will follow-up with at-risk residents who were not able to attend the health fair. Follow-up visits also will be made to individuals whose screening results indicate possible health concerns. Referrals will be made to appropriate agencies as needed for any abnormal health screenings, Harvey said.

“All graduates of the nursing program are expected to be lifelong learners and servants to their community,” she explained. “This project is the best way to demonstrate that expectation to our students. The faculty is planning this event to teach our students how to provide health care for all.”

Posted: 10/17/03

HOME AT LAST:
Texans return to Ethiopia

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

More than 20 years after they were pressured out of Ethiopia by a communist government, a pair of former Southern Baptist Convention missionaries returned to the nation that has held their hearts for so long.

Ray and Lauralee Lindholm served as Foreign Mission Board missionaries from 1965 to 1983 in various countries but strongly connected with Ethiopia.

Their work in the nation was cut short in 1976 due to pressure from the communist government. They returned in 1980 but were unable to resume their previous ministry and ultimately could not get a work permit.

Ray Lindholm hugs a man in the countryside of Ethiopia. Lindholm and his wife, Lauralee, alternate spending two months in the country and two months in the United States through the Baptist General Convention of Texas Envoy program.

Although they returned to the United States in 1983, their hearts remained in the countryside of Ethiopia. They thought often of the friends, disciples and converts they had made.

“We longed for Ethiopia during the whole 20 years we were away from it,” Mrs. Lindholm said. “We tried to keep in touch, but it was almost impossible, as countryside people have no mail service. Eventually we lost track of them.”

The Lindholms settled in Texas, where they joined Windsor Park Baptist Church in De Soto and started a housing company, Kingdom Homes. The couple aims to spread the gospel by building relationships with people to whom they sell remodeled homes.

Now, the couple earns enough money through the business to return to Ethiopia for three stints a year as Texas envoys, a program of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Partnerships Resource Center. The couple provides all the financial support for their efforts, while the convention facilitates other logistical issues.

The Lindholms alternate two months ministering in Ethiopia with two months managing their company in Texas.

“While we can afford to pay for our own mission travel and expenses, we did not want to go on our own as missionaries,” Mrs. Lindholm said. “We wanted to be accountable to a body of God's people and to be assured of prayer support.”

The Lindholms spend much of their time trying to bring spiritual renewal to people tied by tradition to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the primary religion of the Amhara culture. The religion is steeped in tradition, and few people have or know the Bible, Mrs. Lindholm said.

“A good Christian is one who meticulously keeps all the laws,” she reported. “There is no thought of sins of the heart such as jealousy, envy or greed. Even lying, stealing and adultery are considered a normal part of life. The emphasis is on Virgin Mary rather than on Jesus. Many Orthodox Christians in the city are more enlightened, but few have access to a Bible or its teachings.”

The Lindholms attend an Orthodox church, where their digital camera has strengthened their outreach. They have become unofficial photographers for the congregation and have used the camera to meet more people.

The Lindholms pose with an Ethiopian family.

“We take pictures everywhere we go,” Mrs. Lindholm said. “We can show them to the people immediately in the window of our digital camera, and if we will see the people again, we print them and give them to them. Everyone is always delighted, as very few every have a picture of themselves.”

Tapping their talent, they are hoping to develop Ethiopia. They are teaching job and marketing skills, planning a food court and craft sales projects they hope will strengthen the economy.

“We are convinced community development goes hand-in-glove with showing Christian love and concern for what is most important to people,” Mrs. Lindholm explained.

However, the highlight of their trips has been reuniting with the first person they witnessed become a born-again Christian through their original work in the country. The man was a priest in the church who also served as the head wizard in the area.

After interacting with the Lindholms, the man publicly burned his magic books and began preaching the gospel, the couple said. Several people who were training to be wizards became believers as well.

The Lindholms learned that when the communists took over Ethiopia, this man was named a spokesman for the government and gained wealth.

He fell away from the faith and the people. The community turned on him when the government fell, and he became destitute.

He relocated, remarried and recommitted himself to Christ, Mrs. Lindolm said. And now the Lindholms are working to disciple him further.

This reunion is confirmation that God worked to bring the couple back and will continue blessing their work, Mrs. Lindholm said.

“When we returned to Ethiopia, God blessed us by helping us recall our Amharic and led us to discover virtually all our old friends,” she added. “Every day, it is exciting to see how God works. We feel very strongly that God has great plans for his kingdom in Ethiopia.”

Posted: 10/17/03

Evangelists say they'll keep on, despite changes

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

As fewer churches schedule traditional revival meetings, evangelists must faithfully believe God will provide, veteran evangelists said.

In 25 years as an evangelist, Rob Randall has witnessed a steady decline in the number of churches wanting to hold revivals. Randall, former president of the Conference of Texas Baptist Evangelists, reported that while churches commonly held two revivals a year in decades past, it is not uncommon now for a congregation to have one every five years at best. Countywide revivals are rare.

The number of Southern Baptist evangelists also is down. The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists has about 500 evangelists on its mailing list, down from 700 to 800 in decades past, noted President Benny Jackson.

Consistent work is sometimes difficult to come by, and some evangelists have picked up part-time jobs or found other full-time positions to support their families, Randall said. Even when an opportunity presents itself, the vocational evangelist is at the mercy of a congregation's love offering for support.

“The evangelist … has to live by faith,” Randall said. “He doesn't have a regular check. He doesn't have a large support base usually. He is out there to sink or swim based on his own ability to raise money.”

Evangelists hear the whispers–and more often shouts–that the day of the revival meeting is over, but they remain unconvinced.

Jackson reminds critics that churches still hold revivals and people still make professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Those who claim the revival is dead have “their head in the sand,” he declared.

“Practically speaking, the revival meeting is the only thing I've seen that puts all the energies of the church to win the community for Christ,” Randall said. “Here's the dilemma: If someone will tell me the substitute, I'm for it. I've not heard it.”

Many church leaders, especially younger ones, do not understand the role of evangelists and hold preconceived notions about evangelists, said Jon Moore, president of the Conference of Texas Baptist Evangelists. Stereotypical images and well-publicized indiscretions of televangelists have hurt evangelists.

Fewer small churches are planning revivals because they are trying to copy the programs of mega-churches, Jackson suggested, and most mega-churches don't have revivals.

“They say the big church doesn't have revivals; they must not work anymore,” he explained. “But what happens is they don't do anything.”

Randall believes churches don't take issue with the effectiveness and purpose of evangelists but with the straightforward presentation of the gospel message.

“The bottom line is we are in a time of convenience. We go to church when we want to. We don't go to church when we don't want to. The seeker-sensitive church is designed to be non-confrontational. We don't want to call people to repentance. We don't want to hurt people's feelings,” he explained. “Paul says the preaching of the gospel is an offense. If you are not offending people, I would wonder what you are preaching.”

Because of this culture of convenience, putting on a revival meeting takes more energy than many congregations are willing to give, Randall said. A successful effort must be bathed in prayer, publicized and allowed to work, he added.

He believes the two- and three-day revivals used more often today are not as effective as the weeklong revivals of the past. Two or three days is not enough time for the evangelist to connect with the people or to allow God to work, he said.

But the work of the evangelist is urgently needed today, he stressed.”Our pews are full of people not willing to share their faith.

“There's a newness and a freshness to the evangelists' message. And the church needs to hear that.”

Posted: 10/17/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Oct. 26

Paul stays close to the cross in Colossians

Colossians 1:1-14

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

The city of Colossae was a Roman province, a city of Phrygia on the Lycus River near Mount Cadmus. The city served as a center of commerce where the locals produced a purple wool known as collosinus. The Apostle Paul most likely did not travel to Collosae (Colossians 2:1). The epistle has similarities in content and style to Ephesians. The church grew and Paul knew of the work of the church through Epaphras and Archippus (Colossians 4:12, 17).

Paul writes to emphasize the central message of Christ, his divinity and humanity. A.W. Tozier once said, “The whole course of life is upset by the failure to put God where he belongs.” Paul places Christ where he belongs in Colossians–the Savior and the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Paul's theme

Paul's theme focuses upon Colossians 1:14, where he speaks of the redeeming blood of Jesus and forgiveness. Paul never strays far from the cross in Colossians. Paul gives his standard introduction in verses 1:1-2. He knows of their faith service and that they were “set apart” by God as saints. Paul gives thanks (v. 3). When grace abounds, gratitude overflows (vv. 2-3). Paul's prayer reached for heaven to impact the work of the church on earth. Paul's prayer reflected his Christian love and his excitement about God's work in Colossae.

Still, the cross expresses his heart as he writes. Paul speaks of the trilogy of Christian virtue–faith, hope and love. Paul hears of their active faith, a faith translated into a sacrificial spirit of service and unity (v. 4). A healthy faith inspires genuine brotherly love (D. A. Carson). Their faith produced faithfulness to the purposes of God that expressed itself in everyday life as Christians ministered (v. 2). Christ's hope anticipated heaven, but also encouraged their hearts in service through the strength of God's word of truth (v. 5). The cross of faith and hope finds meaning in three words– word, truth and gospel.

Faith and hope generated in their hearts combined to cause spiritual growth and fruitfulness of life (v. 6). The order of the words indicates an inner working of God's Spirit on the one hand and an outer extension of the gospel on the other (Abbott). Paul combated false teaching by emphasizing the truth. The cross reminds Paul of love, both Christ's through forgiveness and the Colossians in ministry. Christ's nature in a heart by the Spirit of God produces servants of Christ actively and visibly demonstrating love (v. 8). Love is, literally, “made clear or visible” when the cross of Jesus is central and when the Spirit of God motivates Christian action.

The cross anchors the church in truth and combats the false teachers in the Roman culture.

Paul's prayer

Paul understands the culture, challenges of faith, opposition to God's truth, struggles of the church and hope that inspires confidence in the joy of evangelism. Therefore, Paul prays specifically. Paul does not stop praying for God to fill the Christians with the knowledge necessary for daily living (wisdom) and making right choices (spiritual understanding) (v. 9). Paul's prayer is that the Christians will conduct themselves in a fruitful manner that pleases Christ (v. 10). He prays for God's grace to increase their knowledge and for strength to keep them strong in the spiritual battles.

Paul's prayer is for the Christians to gain power from heaven and because of Christ (v. 11). This power will supply the Christian servants with two necessary qualities for service: (1) patience–the ability to stay under the pressures and load of life by faith; and, (2) longsuffering–the ability to be slow to pay back a wrong when people oppose the gospel and even the church or Christians themselves. Christ's servants need these two qualities because living as a Christian in the darkness is never easy. Paul reminds them they are sharers of light (v. 12).

Paul's light

Paul knows the light is none other than Jesus Christ. He delivered the Christians as a rescuer from the darkness of sin, death, hell and the grave (v. 13). Christ transferred Christians from a world where darkness dominated the life and thoughts to one where we enjoy the love of God's Son, Jesus (v. 13). Two ideas flow from the Scripture passage: God rescues from darkness and removes the darkness by placing a person in the light and love of his Son. How might God's love in the Son be summarized?

Christ's love is best summarized as a ransom paid to release and free a slave (Christ redeems, v. 14). He also forgives by setting free from sin. Christ benefits the Christian with freedom and forgiveness. “Forgiveness is a most unnatural act,” writer Philip Yancey remarked. When Christ sets his people free, forgiveness transforms the heart and makes human forgiveness possible. Forgiveness through the cross and in daily relationships, therefore, by the cross, is a supernatural act supplied by the Spirit of God. For the Apostle Paul, the cross of redemption and forgiveness was both a theology of belief and a practical means by which to live in faith, hope and love.

Question for discussion

How can a Christian keep the cross of Christ as a focal point?

Posted: 10/17/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Nov. 2

Christ is God's image before all creation

Colossians 1:15-23

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

“The permanence of the universe rests … in Christ more than on gravity,” says A.T. Robertson. Colossians 1:15 communicates the truth that Christ is the image of God before all creatures. God is over all things (v. 16), before all things (v. 17) and by him all things hold together (v. 17). The universe rests on Christ's creative work and sustaining power.

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins says, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” God's grandeur fills the world. God's grandeur also reflects his glory in the church. Christ created the church and rules over the church by his power and love.

Christ: The head of the church

Christ dwells as the head of the body, the church (Col. 1:18). The head controls the nerve centers, the functions, the mind and the vision of the body. Christ controls the church. The Lord of creation also becomes Lord of the church. A.T. Robertson says, “Christ is first in time and power.” Is there any greater power deserving of your time? Is there any power more powerful than God's?

As the head, Christ is the beginning, the resurrected Christ, the one who desires first place in all things. Christ's place in the church is the one who sets the church in motion, the one who keeps the work of the church alive, as the one who leads the church, and as the one who holds first place in the hearts of his people (v. 18).

Christ: Reconciles by his grace

For the church to minister effectively, Christ must remain the church's head. When Christ is the head, two key things follow in life and in the life of the church: (1) reconciliation, the act of making enemies friends, thus supplying shared hospitality; (2) peace, an inner calm that rests in today and joyfully places certain confidence in the future because of Christ (v. 20). Reconciliation brings peace. Reconciliation “renounces God's wrath and is gracious again” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament). God's grace reconciles. Reconciliation graces. Reconciliation supplies grace for an inner peace and for peace between individuals. Reconciliation and peace anchor themselves in the cross of Jesus (vv. 19-20).

Paul knows reconciliation flows from Christ's fullness (v. 19) and because of the cross. The cross draws people to Christ and brings people together. Christ reconciles people to himself, changing the Christian's status. What was that status in the past? Before Christ, the Colossians were strangers to Christ and enemies who hated the Gospel (v. 21). In such a state the mind worked overtime to purpose evil works (v. 21).

Christ: The one who draws people to himself

Christ transformed the Colossian Christians' hearts. Christ draws people to himself (salvation) and draws people together (church and community). Christ presents the Christian before God as holy (set apart), blameless (pure) and without fault before God (free from accusation or legal charges) (v. 22). Simply, Christ's death and shed blood offer purity to those who trust and believe in him. Christ washes sin as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

Christ: Builder of foundations

Paul knows Christians will remain or dwell in the faith of Christ. Two activities occur for a life and in the church when Christians remain faithful to Christ: (1) God establishes an unshakeable foundation; (2) the Christian does not move away or become dislodged from the inspirational hope of the gospel (v. 23). The foundation anchors life in the temporal and in storms. The hope inspires a certainty for living today and a certain anticipation of God's future work, including the hope of heaven.

Hope is heard. Hope is preached. Hope comes from heaven and from Christ and showers on the earth. Hope finds a home in the hearts that remain or “tabernacle” in the faith of Jesus. Christ's hope radiates in the life of the believer in Jesus.

Christ: The suffering servant

Paul preaches the cross of Jesus (v. 23). He also ministers, or voluntarily serves Christ, in the shadow of the cross. Paul, therefore, understands the physical pain/suffering in the cross and the daily pressures of living according to the cross of Jesus. Life produces pain and suffering. Christ endured pain and suffering. Paul encountered pain and suffering. All in all, rejoicing is the proper Christian response for Paul and the church. “Joy in suffering is a familiar Pauline idea,” says A.T. Robertson. Joy comes to Christ's servant and Christ's church when through suffering, they understand the meaning of Jesus on the cross. Christ is both a friend and a giver of strength in suffering. Joy in the heart is the result.

Was Paul an optimist? Was Paul a positive mental thinker? Was Paul's hope rooted in something deeper than optimism or wishful thinking? Paul's hope found meaning in Jesus, his suffering, his shed blood and his promise for a certain future. Paul considered it a privilege to serve Christ. He voluntarily surrendered to Christ as a minister (v. 23). The joy of Christ renewed him in service and sustained him in suffering. Paul rejoiced in Christ (v. 24).

Question for discussion

What is the secret to finding joy in suffering?

Posted: 10/17/03

Posted: 10/17/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 26

The Holy Spirit is the source of true wisdom

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

The church at Corinth existed in the midst of a culture focused on wealth and pleasure. It was a cosmopolitan city made up of people from a variety of backgrounds. Many of the Greek gods were worshipped. Immorality was rife, and the new believers in the Corinthian church struggled with the pagan influences of their past. Consequently, a variety of problems began to surface in the church after Paul left.

While Paul was in Ephesus, he received disturbing news concerning these upheavals in the church. His first letter to them dealt with problems in the church as a whole as well as among individuals. In a church fellowship fractured by divisions, Paul saw a need for spiritual wisdom that comes only as one yields to the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Paul's assessment of his ministry

Paul came to Corinth from Athens, where he had one of the most distressing experiences of his ministry. There he had encountered the worship of Greek gods and the seemingly endless presence of temples and shrines dedicated to them. He had met with the philosophers on Mars Hill and saw how they prided themselves on their knowledge and oratorical skills. Paul reminded the Corinthians that when he came to them he did not resort to human eloquence and wisdom but determined to preach the simple message of the cross. He emphasized that he came not only in simplicity, but also in fear. The kind of fear Paul had was that trembling anxiety to serve his master with unquestioning devotion and faithfulness, the same way in which a slave is to serve and obey his master (Ephesians 6:5).

Paul also reminded his readers that his ministry among them was with results and not with mere words. When Paul preached, things happened. The word Paul used for “demonstration” meant the kind of proof against which no one could argue effectively. That proof was the changed lives of those who received Christ as a result of Paul's preaching. All of this happened because of the power of God and not because of man's wisdom.

Paul's description of true wisdom

Paul also wanted his Corinthian readers to understand that his presentation of God's eternal plan of salvation came only through the Holy Spirit, who revealed to Paul and others a wisdom only God's people can understand. When Paul stated his wisdom was for the “mature,” he did not refer only to older saints who were advanced in their spiritual growth, but those who had been born again, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, in contrast to the unsaved.

Paul had said earlier it was the unsaved who considered the gospel foolish and could not receive divine truth (1:21-23). God's wisdom does not come from those in this age of time and space, nor from the exalted rulers of this world who crucified the Lord of glory (v. 8). Paul said plainly that such enemies of God “would come to nothing” (v. 6).

The “hidden” wisdom that Paul mentioned (v. 7) actually was the wisdom of God referred to in the Old Testament. God had plans he had promised and laid up for his people, for “those who love him.” The very thought of what God has prepared for his people could not be contained in the minds of those who are not a part of his family.

Paul acknowledges the source of true wisdom

All of these things so clouded in mystery to the unbeliever are revealed to God's people by the Holy Spirit. The word Paul used for “revealed” is a word normally used in the New Testament to suggest the divine revelation of certain supernatural secrets (Matthew 16:17; Luke 10:22). It also was used to indicate certain events yet to come to pass. Paul was saying only the Holy Spirit helps God's people understand and interpret Scripture. The “deep things of God” certainly would include the essence, the attributes, the purposes and the plans of God he would choose to reveal to his people by the Holy Spirit.

It was important to Paul that the Corinthians understand his preaching was not the result of human wisdom but through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Because of that, those outside God's family could not understand the truth of the gospel because it is revealed only through the Holy Spirit.

Paul reiterated his contention, as in 1:21, that the unbeliever conceives the things of God “foolish” for the simple reason they can only be “spiritually discerned” (v. 14). The word “discerned” Paul used is the same word translated “judgments” in v. 15, which means to make intelligent spiritual decisions. Then, to confirm his statement, Paul quoted Isaiah 40:13 (v. 16). Paul makes the reference even stronger when he suggested that, as New Testament believers, “we have the mind of Christ.” The enemies of the gospel cannot judge Paul's message because without the Spirit of God, they cannot comprehend spiritual truths.

Question for discussion

How am I assured of my maturity as a member of the family of God?

Posted: 10/17/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Nov. 2

Along with the relationship comes responsibility

Acts 3:1-26

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Until we are born from above, we have no relationship with God at all. His first concern is that we acknowledge our lostness and receive his Son as Savior and Lord.

Beyond that established relationship, however, God also cares about our physical, emotional and social needs. While Jesus was on earth, he proved this divine concern in the way he ministered to the total person. The incident Luke recorded in the lesson text for this study session demonstrates how God's power flowing through Peter and John not only met a physical need but led to an even greater miracle involving a spiritual transformation.

A point of beginning

Apparently Luke singled out this miracle from among many others being performed through the apostles (Acts 2:43) because it involved not only a miraculous healing, but also a spiritual transformation and an opportunity for Peter to preach the gospel to those who stood in awe of what had happened. Peter and John's encounter with the lame man was not a planned event. They were on their way to the temple to participate in one of the three daily periods of prayer observed by the Jews. The "beautiful gate" at which this crippled beggar sat is believed to have been the Gate of Nicanor, which was made of fine Corinthian brass. Josephus described it as being 50 cubits high, its doors 40 cubits wide, covered with gold and silver plates. Perhaps this is what prompted Peter to say to the man he had neither silver nor gold to give him.

God had opened a window of opportunity for the lame man. Note also that Peter and John were willing instruments through whom God worked. Their response to the Holy Spirit's moving and the beggar's willingness to cooperate with them triggered the miracle. For the crippled man to obey Peter's command was a physical impossibility, but the Holy Spirit worked through the authority in Peter's voice and his extended hand, and divine healing surged through the beggar's twisted, deformed body. The undeniable proof of the healing lay in the man's walking, jumping and praising God.

A spiritual transformation

The new birth not only brings about an inner change, it also bears an external witness to the power of God in one's life. The people knew this lame man. He had not kept this miracle a secret, for his overflowing joy expressed itself in physical demonstration. We are not told what he said when he praised God, but we can imagine he gave God the glory for what had happened to him. Showing his gratitude to Peter and John for being the channels through which God's power had changed him, he remained near to them. The people gathered to see the healed man at close range. This gave opportunity for Peter to preach a powerful sermon.

This second recorded sermon Peter preached reminds us of the sermon he preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22-40). Both sermons followed a divine miracle–the gift of languages and the healing of a cripple. Peter was careful to disclaim any power on his part and to give all the glory to God. He took advantage of the opportunity to place before the people their guilt in the rejection, condemnation and execution of God's Son. He followed this charge by declaring God's vindication through Christ's resurrection. He emphasized the miracle they had just witnessed came through faith in the name of this one whom they had crucified.

A fervent exhortation

Almost every element of first-century preaching was included in Peter's sermon. He began by combining both mercy and warning. Because of their spiritual ignorance, they had rejected and crucified God's Son, refusing to receive him as their messiah. Such ignorance could no longer be used as an excuse, for they had seen evidence of divine power manifested in the name of Jesus. This knowledge, in turn, faced them with the obligation to repent and turn from their sin, for those who know to do good and do not do it it is sin (James 4:17). To receive the full light of God's salvation is the greatest privilege, but to reject it is the most terrible tragedy.

The repentance of which Peter spoke would “wipe out” sin. Ancient writing was on papyrus using ink that contained no acid. Thus the ink did not cause the writing to bite into the papyrus as modern ink does. To erase the writing, one only had to take a wet sponge and wipe it away. That is how God wipes away our sin without leaving any hint that it was ever there before. This forgiveness will bring times of “refreshing” or a joyful sense of renewal.

Peter then proclaimed Christ would come at God's appointed time. He reminded the people that what he was telling them was nothing new. From Samuel to that day, God's prophets had foretold these things. He closed his sermon by declaring that with the special privilege God gave the descendants of Abraham to be his chosen people went an awesome responsibility to declare God's plan of the ages.

Questions for discussion

What was the purpose of the miracles performed by Jesus and the apostles?

How does God show his concern for the total person?