Posted: 1/23/04

Language of love needs no interpreter, Hispanic leader says

By Marv Knox

Editor

RICHARDSON–Only one language really matters up and down the Texas-Mexico border, Hispanic Baptist leader Alcides Guajardo insists.

It's neither Spanish nor English; it's the language of love, Guajardo told participants in a seminar for River Ministry volunteers held during the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference.

Sometimes, fear of being unable to communicate scares Anglo Baptists from participating in River Ministry, the Baptist General Convention of Texas' program for spreading the gospel along the Rio Grande, he said.

But love translates into any language, said Guajardo, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and a River Ministry consultant.

“The most foundational language in the world isn't English, although it is spoken all over the world,” he acknowledged.

“It isn't Spanish, although Spanish is the language of heaven. …

“It's the language of love. If you can communicate love, you are communicating a lot more than if you communicated specific information.”

River Ministry projects that help churches along both sides of the Rio Grande meet human needs are effective because they reveal God's love–and Baptists' love–directly to people, he said.

The Mexico-Texas borderland is full of “hardened sinners” who have heard the gospel and been put off by it, Guajardo reported.

The chief culprits are hundreds, if not thousands, of radio stations along the border, each beaming the gospel in Spanish into Mexico, he said.

The stations are so numerous that they overwhelm radio dials throughout the region, he said. “The people can't get the radio stations they want because of all the gospel stations. They're tired of it.”

However, Christians who speak the “language of love” through loving actions transcend both language barriers–the challenge of verbal communication and the annoying glut of gospel stations, he noted.

“God has been using people who speak the language of love,” he said. “Nobody's paying them to (minister along the border), so people want to know why they're there.”

And with a little translation help, Spanish-speaking people along the Rio Grande learn of God's love through Christians' love, he said.

Guajardo called on upstate Texas Baptist churches to help reveal God's love through Baptist churches along the border.

“You need to help them be the church for these people,” he pleaded.

For example, an upstate church may gather Christmas presents to distribute to families in a poor border community, he said.

The upstate Christians may look forward to the joy they will experience in seeing how happily their gifts are received.

But instead, the upstate church should allow the local Baptist church to distribute the gifts, he urged.

This will enable the local Christians to receive credit from their neighbors, and it will build relationships and strengthen the impact of their ministry.

“Empower the churches,” he exhorted. “Help them. Teach them so they can do things. … If we teach them, they can become established churches that can do missions.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Understand Hispanic culture before
evangelizing, pastor advises Anglos

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

RICHARDSON­Texas Baptists must understand Hispanics before they effectively can reach them, according to Rolando Rodriguez, pastor of Hampton Place Baptist Church in Dallas.

Hispanics are flooding communities, but Anglo churches are not reaching them, Rodriguez noted.

This leaves Anglo congregations that do not match increasingly Hispanic neighborhoods. To prevent this from occurring, church leaders need to alter their ministries to meet Hispanic needs as quickly as possible.

“Somehow you have to make a transition when you can,” he said during the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference at First Baptist Church in Richardson. “Otherwise it will be too late.”

But to know the needs, Texas Baptists need to know the culture, he continued. Evangelism methods that effectively reach Anglos will not necessarily convert Hispanics.

Immigrants often do not speak English, and some do not want to learn, Rodriguez noted. They will not come to English services because they do not understand the language. Churches need to create Spanish ministries to cater to these Hispanics' needs.

However, creating a Spanish entry point is not enough to bring them to church, Rodriguez said. Church leaders must visit them consistently, spending considerable time talking about the prospective member's extended family.

The extended family is important to Latinos, Rodriguez said. They want to keep uncles, siblings, parents and grandparents together as much as possible.

“I want my family together for worship, Bible study, college, career,” he said.

Even visitation is different with Hispanics than Anglos, the Mexico native said. Latinos respect titles and formality, so pastors should introduce themselves as pastor. They also should wear suits and ties.

Do not expect Hispanics to address a church leader by his first name, Rodriguez said. They are accustomed to using titles as a form of respect.

Anglos should call adult Latinos hermano (brother) and hermana (sister) and children as mijo (boy) or mija (girl), Rodriguez suggested.

When an invitation to church or another activity is given, Anglos need to judge whether an answer is an individual's true desire, Rodriguez said. Hispanics are humble and will refuse an offer several times despite wanting to accept.

Once Hispanics are in the church, the same rules apply, Rodriguez said. Latinos will not approach a pastor because that is viewed as a powerful position. The pastor must come to them.

Church leaders also must remember to avoid publicly chiding Hispanics, Rodriguez added. The ethnic group tries hard to save face when possible. Anglos need to be sensitive to that need.

One of the more difficult aspects of Hispanic culture for many Anglos is the way Hispanics view time, Rodriguez said. While Anglos tend to be punctual, Hispanics value relationships more than time.

Latinos consider showing up at 3:30 for a 3 p.m. meeting as being on time. This will have to be an accepted part of church life with Hispanics in it.

“I've been at Hampton Place for 10 years. We still don't start on time,” he joked.

If Anglos are willing to be flexible and committed in reaching Hispanics, they can be successful, Rodriguez encouraged the breakout session audience. Knowing about the culture helps others be sensitive in sharing the gospel.

“We want to learn this to reach people for Christ,” he said.

Posted: 1/23/04

Relationships rule now, Miller tells Texas Baptists

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

RICHARDSON — Developing relationships with non-believers is the crucial beginning point in evangelizing people in today's postmodern culture, said author and teacher Calvin Miller.

Miller, a professor at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., spoke in two settings at the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference at First Baptist Church of Richardson. First he spoke to a gathering of about 100 Texas Baptists and then preached during a worship service. In both settings, he dealt with the importance of relationships in reaching people in a postmodern environment.

Evangelism “is sometimes not as hard as we make it,” Miller said during the worship service. The key is for the Christian to find similarities in his life and the life of another person.

Miller said he plays “the little game of like” in relating to other people. He asks, “How am I like this person? How are they like me?”

Today's relationships take place in a “plastic world” geared to entertainment but in which few people seem to be happy, the professor said

But “the happiest business in all the world is the joy that comes to the soul winner” when someone comes to Jesus Christ in faith, he added.

The joy of evangelism is caught up in the possibility that “when I've related to you enough, you may know Jesus,” Miller said.

In the smaller gathering, Miller elaborated on the importance of relational evangelism in a new “sensory apologetic” that rises out of the need to reach postmodern people who do not have an agreed-upon heritage, ethical code, standard of truth and religious priority.

In his sensory apologetic, “relational” is the first step. “You have to make friends with people in order to win them to Jesus.”

The second step is “experiential.” This refers to what people have experienced, not just factual data.

“The most powerful witness has always been testimony,” Miller said to illustrate the point.

Third is the artistic. Miller spoke of the importance of story, which enables an audience to move together toward understanding.

All of this together prepares the non-believer for dogma, the unchanging requirements of God.

In building his case for a sensory apologetic, Miller told of “the disjuncture of postmodernism” as competing worldviews have moved culture from a dominant theism toward other belief systems.

Theism had been the ruling idea in the West for centuries. It had three core values–conversion, exclusivity and doctrine, Miller said.

But Western culture has been changing. First, it has seen the growth of naturalism, in which people are seen merely as part of nature, not as God-created beings above nature.

Second, there is monism, a mystical preoccupation with the self.

Monism and naturalism have combined to produce “new age” thinking, while naturalism and theism have come together in theological liberalism.

Those viewpoints represent much of where the postmodern culture is today, but changes in the church also have negatively impacted evangelism, Miller said.

Many churches “have fallen prey to the loss of transcendence,” he said. “We have no vista points any more. Heaven is ill defined. Hell has come to not hardly exist” in many people's minds.

An anti-intellectual bent also has taken hold in evangelical Christianity. Miller noted how this notion conflicts with his own makeup.

“I have a tremendous desire to know and to learn. I have a tremendous desire to see people come to Christ,” the professor said. “I want to out-think the world … (and) out-love the world,” he said.

Posted: 1/23/04

No excuses for failing to witness, Hill says

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

RICHARDSON­God is calling all Texas Baptists to evangelize non-Christians around the world, according to vocational evangelist Ronnie Hill of Fort Worth.

There are no excuses for not sharing the gospel with non-believers because God uses Christians to advance his will, Hill told the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference.

God uses individuals who are poor, weak or have little social status, Hill added. Likewise, he uses smaller churches with limited resources.

The Apostle Paul noted he was not an eloquent speaker, but God used him to spread the gospel beyond Israel, Hill said. God calls those whom society discounts because their work clearly can glorify him.

Christians simply need to offer non-believers the gospel, Hill preached. Too often pastors speak about topics without referencing the Bible or Christ's message of hope.

In some cases, they offer no invitations to make a commitment to Christ.

“You are not called to be a pop psychologist,” he said. “You are not called to be Dr. Phil or Oprah. You are called to be proclaimers of the gospel. So start proclaiming.”

The church's work should stretch far beyond its facilities, Hill said. Ministers should serve in positions that interact with the community, such as football chaplains and substitute teachers. Members should visit houses in their neighborhoods and share the gospel. Overseas mission trips should be strongly urged.

Inside the church, Hill encouraged leaders to use “God-anointed” evangelists for crusades and revivals.

Youth programs need more emphasis, Hill continued. Most conversions are made before people turn 18, so efforts to reach them should be bolstered financially. Youth ministers also need freedom to eat lunch with students and spend time with them.

He also pushed ministers to move baptisms toward the end of the worship service, because many non-Christians come to see their friends baptized.

However, they tend to leave immediately after the ordinance.

If the baptism happens after the sermon, those non-believers will hear the gospel and have a chance to respond.

“Put the baptism at the end,” he said. “Let people hear the gospel.”

God will bless and work through these kinds of efforts, Hill insisted.

“Don't tell me it doesn't work. I've seen it work,” he said.

He has seen vocational evangelists lead hundreds of people to God in one evening. Cowboy church Bible studies have brought some of the toughest men to faith. The Lord worked to transform Hill's father from an alcoholic to a minister.

Posted: 1/23/04

Prayer lays foundation for sharing
the gospel, workshop leader says

RICHARDSON­Sharing the gospel begins long before meeting non-Christians, according to Debra Hochgraber, consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas Center for Strategic Evangelism.

Prayer lays the groundwork for non-Christians to be receptive to the gospel, she said during a breakout session at the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference.

Petitioning God can help Christians know who are the unbelievers around them, Hochgraber said.

The action also helps eliminate spiritual blindness that prevents non-Christians from seeing or understanding the Christian message, she said.

The gospel can be presented to non-believers, but the efforts will not be received unless they have been empowered to recognize the truth. Prayer prepares a person to hear the word of God, she said.

God begins knocking down satanic strongholds in people's lives and opens them to Jesus' message, she added.

Christians still must share the gospel with unbelievers, Hochgraber said. The message of hope is the light that begins to overtake the spiritual darkness in the lives of non-Christians.

“We've got to be ready to share at any time, because you don't know when the Holy Spirit will be working.”

Witnessing can take different forms, Hochgraber noted. In some cases it is a person giving a personal testimony. Other believers prefer to lead non-Christians through tracts or interactive web sites. Others yet prefer to lead people to faith by having spiritual discussions following movies or events.

Another way to share the gospel is asking questions such as, “Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?” and “To you, who is Jesus?”

Approaches such as these emerge naturally as people become friends, Hochgraber said. Friends want to get to know their friends better, including spiritual beliefs. Despite a casual flow, Satan causes Christians to be nervous about witnessing.

But whether or not someone comes to faith is between the non-Christian and God, Hockgraber said. Successful witnessing lies in the act, not the result.

“Success is being obedient,” she said.

Posted: 1/23/04

Small churches build on their strength when
they build relationships with lost, Ray says

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

RICHARDSON–Small churches become motivated for evangelism when leaders help members shift the focus from visiting prospects to building relationships, according to a Bob Ray, director of bivocational and small church development with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“Relationships are key,” said Ray, who also serves as bivocational pastor of Fairy Baptist Church near Hico.

“A small church acts as a committee of the whole because of relationships.”

Small churches tend to be driven by a passion for relationships and compassion for other people, rather than by vision or challenges, Ray noted.

Pastors of small churches can build on this strength by guiding members intentionally to develop relationships with non-Christians, he observed.

“Everybody develops relationships differently. Give people permission to do it their own way,” Ray said.

Community events such as athletic booster club fund-raisers and local parades provide opportunities for church members to build relationships.

“If there's nothing going on in your community, maybe you need to start something as a church,” Ray added.

“At our church, if we can't find a holiday to celebrate, we make one up.”

Church-sponsored events such as Super Bowl parties offer church members a chance to invite unreached acquaintances to a place where relationships can develop.

“We have a New Year's Eve party every year, and we don't do anything religious there except pray,” Ray said.

But through that event, non-Christians have developed strong friendships with church members, and eventually they have become open to the gospel message.

“Every time you win somebody to Christ, they have a whole new set of people they know,” Ray said.

Those constantly expanding networks of relationships provide new opportunities for evangelism.

Small churches grow when they redefine their field in terms of relationships instead of geography, Ray added.

“Change your radius. It's not five miles from the church building, but the field within the radius of all your relationships,” he said.

Posted: 1/23/04

Speaker calls conference crowd to
start churches, commit to evangelize lost

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

RICHARDSON­Texas Baptists must revert to first century methods to reach 21st century people, said Ray Still, pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels.

Preaching from Acts 20:22-24, Still urged church leaders at the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference to start new churches, find innovative ways to reach non-Christians and commit their lives completely to Christ as the Apostle Paul did during the first century.

Despite commercially packaged church- growth products and models, many churches across the nation are plateaued or declining, Still pointed out.

“For the most part as Texas Baptists, as Southern Baptists, we are not seeing the radical transformation. … Yet we seem to be so proud of ourselves,” he said.

Christians need to commit themselves fully to reaching non-Christians, making evangelism the driving force of their lives, Still said.

Many congregations spend a lot of time diagnosing spiritual problems around them and reasons people are not coming to faith, but they never take action, he noted.

Texas Baptists need to start new churches, Still said. His church in New Braunfels began four new congregations during the past two years. Two of them now are self-sufficient. Three have average attendances of more than 100 people.

The new churches re reaching non-believers, he said. Oakwood Baptist Church's new congregations are baptizing people where older churches were not.

“These churches baptized more people than some of the well-established county seat churches in our association,” Still said.

Baptists have a particular duty to start new churches because it is one of the denomination's strengths, he asserted. Texas Baptists have the funds and the models to start effective congregations, whereas other faith groups do not.

“We've got to start churches,” he said. “No one's going to do it but us.”

Texas Baptists also must look for new approaches to sharing the gospel with different cultures around them, Still said.

Like Paul, Christians must use culturally tailored techniques for evangelizing the various people groups around them, he added.

Above all, believers must keep their focus on bringing people to faith in Jesus, he noted.

Whether a person believes Christ is God remains the difference between heaven and hell, he said.

“That's what it's all about,” Still said. “That's what it was about for Paul. That's what it should be about for you.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Churches in transition face choice:
Embrace change or die

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

RICHARDSON­Many churches in transitional communities become open to transformation only when the fear of death becomes greater than the fear of change, according to Jim Young, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missions Equipping Center.

When a congregation no longer resembles its surrounding neighborhood, leaders must become willing to ask hard questions, Young told participants at a community ministries workshop during the recent Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference.

Leaders need to inventory their experiences–“the good, the bad and the ugly”–to determine what God has done to prepare them to guide a church through a period of change, he said.

At the same time, congregations should ask the same question and explore events in their church history that shaped their collective character, values and personality.

“That means being willing to risk some honesty,” Young said, acknowledging it may mean the church has to “open some old wounds … so that healing can take place from the inside out.”

In addition to this self-examination, the church also needs to look carefully at its community.

That process can be as formal and structured as a comprehensive community needs assessment, but it can begin simply by driving a different route to church through a less attractive neighborhood.

“We tend to drive to church on the same streets, turning the same direction every time. For a fresh look, take a different route. Take the long way around and look at the areas you tend to avoid,” he suggested.

“We all tend to avoid those areas that are not comfortable, that make us uneasy. We literally take the path of least resistance.”

Another important step church leaders should take is recognizing churches and communities tend to go through predictable life cycles, Young observed, outlining the process.

Birth. For a church, this is a time of great excitement and risk, as well as a period of dependency on a sponsoring church, association or convention. “And it's a time when members are keenly aware of the reality that God is at work,” Young said.

Likewise, a community goes through a period of growth and expansion, and those who are a part of the experience share a sense of what they hope their community eventually will become.

Development. At this point, a church gains a sense of autonomy and independence as it develops programs to sustain the ministries it values, such as Bible study, discipleship and worship. A community develops infrastructures for transportation, education, recreation and business.

Maturity. Whether in a church or community, this is a time of stability and comfort that can lead to complacency, Young noted.

For a church, this may be a time when leaders are in place, and the congregation fails to develop a new generation of leaders.

Decline. Young characterized this as a period of pre-transition.

“Things begin to change in the community. The problem is the church sees change 15 years too late,” he said.

Key leaders in the church move away, and they eventually join churches closer to their new homes. This stage leads to one of two possible futures.

Death or redevelopment. At this point, a church must face the changing reality of its community, or it will cease to exist.

“When the fear of death becomes greater than the fear of change, that's when there is an opportunity for redevelopment,” Young said.

“The task is to continue to equip, train and empower people for service, and interpret for folks what has happened.”

Redevelopment requires long-term commitment on the part of leaders and church members.

Pastors who see churches in transition as “stepping-stones” to bigger churches do those congregations a disservice, Young said.

“It's long-term stability that makes a difference. There are no short-term quick fixes,” he said.

Sometimes a church is unable–either due to unwillingness or lack of resources–to make the changes necessary for redevelopment.

But even then God can bless, he added, pointing to the example of dying Anglo churches that have deeded their property over to their associations and enabled new ethnic churches to be born.

“Even in death, our Lord can bring life,” he said.

Posted: 1/23/04

EDITORIAL:
Election year provides time to talk religion & politics

“Conventional wisdom” suggests people aren't supposed to discuss religion and politics in polite company. Of course, Baptists regularly break the first half of that admonition. Talking about religion–or, more precisely, faith–comes as naturally as discussing the weather, the latest ball game or the price of cattle for most Texas Baptists. But when the topics of religion and politics come up at the same time, the task of talking turns touchy. Taken together, religion and politics comprise a combustible mix.

So, strap on your earmuffs of righteousness, sisters and brothers; 2004 looks like an explosive year.

To begin with, the incumbent president has not been shy about discussing his faith since Jesus saved and sobered him years ago. One of the Democratic candidates has been comfortable talking about his beliefs since he was a boy growing up in a Jewish home. And another recently renounced his Yankee reticence in pursuit of the Bubba vote, figuring God-talk could unleash the Dixie electorate.

Pundits have pounced on religion-as-politics like moths flogging a brush-arbor lightbulb. Mostly, they look for the inconsistent or incorrect as signs of insincerity. For example, on “Meet the Press,” host Tim Russert traced Howard Dean's path from Catholic to Episcopal to Congregationalist churches as a symbol of proselytizing votes. On the other side of the aisle, Al Franken lashed Bush friend and Commerce Secretary Don Evans for forgetting significant Bible stories after stating he had studied Scripture seriously for two years. Most infamously, almost everyone with even rudimentary Bible knowledge chortled and/or snorted at Dean's claim that Job is his favorite book–in the New Testament.

Religion is not foreign to presidential politics. In 1960, Baptist Standard Editor E.S. James conducted a private interview with John Kennedy, seeking to ascertain if the Roman Catholic candidate's ultimate loyalty would rest with the pope. In 1976, the secular world learned the phrase “born again” from Baptist candidate Jimmy Carter. Four years later, Ronald Reagan told a gathering of religious conservatives, “I know you can't endorse me, but I endorse you.”

Religious rhetoric has prompted columnists and commentators to argue whether candidates' religious views should be aired. Some advocate a “naked public square”–turning the public spaces of society into religion-free zones, where matters of faith are out of bounds. Of course, they don't comprehend that issues of faith are crucial to millions of Americans. Other political insiders fear manipulation, worrying that candidates will misuse faith and mislead voters. While their concerns are well-founded, they need to trust the American public to weigh phoniness against sincerity.

Many voters want to hear how prospective presidents express their faith. Steven Waldman, editor of Beliefnet, a website that provides news and commentary on religious issues, states this case. “I viewed it favorably when the candidates started talking about their spiritual lives,” he told the Washington Post. “We can learn a lot about them by listening to them discuss their faith–where they draw their strength from, whether they are fatalistic or believe people can control world events, how they make sense of injustice in the world and what they value most.”

Well said. And while some commentators are willing to indulge the candidates' mistakes and meanderings–“They're politicians, not theologians”–voters should examine their theology and public religious practice as rigorously as we examine their economic theories and records of public service. Faith should not be exploited, and every American deserves some privacy. But a person who wants to be president and who claims faith is an important part of life should be held accountable for the stewardship and expression of that faith.

That accountability should be encompassing, not narrow. Since the embarrassing Clinton-Lewinski affair, Americans have tended to evaluate presidential morality in primarily one category–sex. That's part of it, but only a small part.

Voters whose faith shapes their decisions should think about the religious and moral implications of all the candidates' positions, regardless of party or office. Candidates love photo opportunities that demonstrate their compassion. But how about their policy positions? Do they alleviate suffering and promote justice? Do they champion the vulnerable and powerless? Are they willing to buck the trends within their own parties that will inflict harm or unfairly serve special interests?

If they claim to be people of faith, hold them to the highest standards of that faith. That's proper, even if it's not necessarily polite.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 1

The Bible outlines the qualities of a good friend

Selected Proverbs

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

Poet Elizabeth Jennings called humility the essential ability in a relationship and “pure sharing” the essential quality of friendship. The Romans in antiquity called friendship “amicus,” a circular bond cemented in ties of mutual interest and relationship. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14).

The writer of Proverbs says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (17:17). Friendship requires a love that inspires humility and the sacrificial bending of the knee to serve another person. Friendship shares in the anxiety-ridden crises that attack.

Communication

Scholar J.A. Motyer says, “A true friend is always friendly, not only when the sun is shining, just as a brother is still a brother when things are going badly.” Friendship creates a deep bond of relationship whose ties are strong in the throes of challenges and difficulties. Such a friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Friendship requires trust, truthfulness and a spirit of refreshment whereby friendship refreshes the relationship (Proverbs 14:25; 11:25). Friendship communicates love as well as a spirit of encouragement.

Friendship and love are communicated through words. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Paul writes to the church at Ephesus announcing that no corrupt communication should come out of a mouth, but only words which build up others (Ephesians 4:29).

The wisdom of James in the New Testament says a friendship can be ruined when the tongue acts like a fire out of control (James 3:6) and can dispense deadly poison (James 3:8). The writer of Proverbs says the tongue can be wielded like a weapon that pierces like a sword (Proverbs 12:18).

In contrast, the tongue that speaks wise words produces health both to the hearers and to the one speaking. Words communicated in love inspire a healthy relationship and produce peace beneficial to both parties.

Communication takes place between two people over dinner, at home, at work, in schools and even in dating and marriage. Communication may well serve as the key ingredient for a healthy relationship, but reality dictates the human touch in relationships where words deliver pain or create a break in friendship. Anger sparks. Fury rages. Venomous words seldom able to be retrieved fly like arrows in a war of words.

The writer of Proverbs pushes for health: “A soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). The writer warns against words that disturb both the speaker and the hearer: “But grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Words wrongfully and angrily chosen create a fierce storm resulting in anger only released through forgiveness. Forgiveness is the answer that turns away wrath. Friendship blossoms through forgiveness.

Self-control

James says, “The wrath of man works not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). The goal of wisdom is a God-kind of righteousness. The goal of friendship is a bond anchored in two relationships–one with God, the other with another person. Righteousness arises through the spiritual discipline of knowing God and through the fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The writer of Proverbs emphasizes two things in a healthy friendship: (1) Fools display anger that in turn stirs strife (Proverbs 14:17; 15:18); and (2) the wise display words and acts of patience that end strife (Proverbs 15:18). Self-control connected to the righteousness of God inspires confidence in the bond of friendship. A lack of control relegates the friendship to a constant swirl of emotion.

Friendships grow in the sunshine of patience, the ability to be slow to pay back a wrong and quick to patience with the people involved (Proverbs 16:32). Friendship radiates only when self is under the control of God, thus developing a tongue where Spirit and peace consider words fitly spoken for appropriate occasions. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Angry words do not work God's righteousness, and neither do they fabricate a right relationship. What is necessary, then?

Devising good

The writer of proverbs speaks to the aim of friendship, “to devise good” (Proverbs 14:22). Genuine friendship is good in God's eyes and good for the parties of friendship. Good results through mercy and truth (Proverbs 14:22). A healthy, Christ-centered friendship will act in caring ways and deliver words of mercy.

A healthy, Christ-centered relationship will honor truth and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Friendship always cares for the other person's needs (mercy) and yearns for God's best in the friend's life (truth). Truth may be painful, but beneficial when Christ, ultimately, is both the model and spiritual bond of genuine friendship.

Question for discussion

What characteristics do you need to develop further to be a better friend?

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 8

Alcohol steals the abundant life God proffers

Proverb 23

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

The kingdom of God produces righteousness, peace and joy because of the Holy Spirit. Paul accounts for two areas of consideration with regard to a Christian's conscience: (1) The Christian's personal conscience in relation to himself or herself in living and making choices; (2) the consequences of personal choices and how they affect the conscience of another person. A Christian should never violate his or her conscience guided by Christ. A Christian always should consider the impact of his or her actions on another (Romans 14:1-23). Christianity is not practiced in an isolated bubble.

This week's lesson discusses conscience not for conscience's sake, but for the building up of Christ's body, the church, in spiritual qualities of righteousness, peace and joy. Godly wisdom through these spiritual qualities inspires right choices. The Spirit of God leads a Christian's conscience to make right choices. Proverbs addresses those choices.

As Proverbs addresses these choices, it speaks to the pressures of addictions, alcoholism, drunkenness and the pain associated with such choices.

Addictions

The writer of Proverbs warns against addictions and destructive life-choices–alcohol consumption, gluttony and a combination of such that leads to a lazy drowsiness (23:19-21). Addictions destroy. Alcohol consumption decays the mind. Gluttony destroys the body. Drowsiness in combination with the two leads to a life of poverty. It clothes a person with rags both inside and out (v. 21).

Specifically, the writer of Proverbs has much to say about alcohol consumption and drunkenness. The person who pursues alcohol should know that it rages and deceives (20:1). Alcohol cries out continually, “More!” It generates an internal war. It produces moaning. It rages within like a storm building, yet never resting. Alcohol is personified as an angry person that never lets go of its victim.

Alcohol also deceives. It offers more than it can deliver. It tricks the senses. It creates an uncertainty surrounding the people in its circle of influence. Proverbial wisdom invites those tempted to such addictions to be wise. Ask God to help guard the heart and to guide the heart in its path. Flee temptation. Ask God for a way to escape the influences of such addictions. It might even be wise to seek assistance or professional help for such an addiction.

A relationship with God molds the conscience which, in turn, expects choices fitting for both God's kingdom and Christian witness.

Destroy

Drunkenness was a problem in Solomon's day, in Jesus' day and in the Apostle Paul's day. Paul warned against drunkenness, anticipating instead a clear conscience toward God both in action and witness that the Holy Spirit generated daily (Ephesians 5:18-20). Paul pleaded for Christians who would use time wisely, seek God's will and joyfully serve God and others (5:15-33). Drunkenness detours from God's plan for building up the spiritual life of yourself and others, not to mention the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, drunkenness tears down or destroys the person, relationships and families.

Drunkenness produces both physical woes and daily sorrows (Proverbs 23:29). Drunkenness spins life out of control. Contentious and strained relationships result from drunkenness (v. 29). Drunkenness produces wild and warring words, even empty words that amount to vain babbling about absolutely nothing (v. 29).

The contention and warring words act like a soldier who shoots arrows that wound. Deep are the wounds of a person or family who have been scarred by the painful effects of drunkenness. It even destroys the body, creating bloodshot eyes seldom alert to the daily responsibilities and tasks of life (vv. 19-21). Again, poverty often stalks the drowsy drunkard (v. 21).

Wounds

Alcohol consumption wounds others, but it also wounds the one who consumes it (v. 32). The writer of Proverbs likens alcohol consumption to the sudden, shocking, painful, sharp sting of a poisonous snake (v. 32). Drunkenness has the ability to strike quickly and destroy the individual.

The wounds affect others. Drunkenness is rarely done in isolation. It seeks to gather a host of friends and subtly works silently to destroy one and all. The destruction could lead to a disregard for law and distortion of the truth that could land the drunkard in jail. Drunkenness often causes deceit. The person addicted to alcohol often lives in a world of trouble and untruth and spends life running from himself, herself and others.

While drunkenness and the drunkard may seek to isolate himself or herself, addictive alcohol deadens the senses to God, to the inner self, to others and to the common realities and responsibilities of life. A drunk cannot remember his or her financial condition, wallows in constant misery and speaks loose words of personal destruction (30:7-9).

Drunkenness distorts, confuses, casts darkness and diminishes Christ's abundant life. Wise is the person who rejects alcohol and addiction and departs from the destructive forces of drunkenness.

God's plan is a life of peace, joy and healthy relationships. He offers abundance for which good choices must be made. Wise is the person who embraces God's abundance.

Question for discussion

Is alcoholism a disease or a symptom?

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 1

Genuine worship is crucial for spiritual growth

Psalm 95:1-7; Hebrews 10:19-25

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

The lesson themes during February will deal with the matter of discipline in five vital areas of a Christian's life–worship, prayer, Bible study, giving and service. While these are “givens” in the spiritual growth pattern of a believer's walk with God, they require a consistent and determined personal discipline to be effective.

“Discipline” is one of the richest words in our vocabulary. One of several meanings the dictionary gives is training that develops self-control, character, orderliness and efficiency. Too often, however, we give the word a negative connotation, seeing it only as punishment for wrongdoing. As a result of these five studies, we will come to see discipline as a vital tool for helping us grow both in the knowledge and the application of our faith.

A call to worship

The opening verses of Psalm 95 are a clear call to believers to come together to celebrate the power and presence of God. The object of this worship obviously is the Lord. The phrase, “the rock of our salvation,” describes the Lord as the divine warrior who defends and delivers his people. The reference to God as a “rock” occurs several times in the Old Testament (Psalms 18:31,46; 19:14; 28:1; Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:30; Isaiah 32:2). In each of these instances, the protective and defensive care of God is emphasized.

Because we love, admire and reverence God, we should be eager to express our feelings to him in singing. Singing always has been an integral part of Christian worship. According to the psalmist, this singing is to be “unto the Lord” and not performed for the ears of those in the congregation.

True unaffected praise to God communicates genuine expressions of worship. However “unmusical” or unsophisticated it may appear to others, it is “joyful noise” and thus beautiful to our Lord. Furthermore, when we lift our hearts and voices in joyful worship, we always must do so with thanksgiving. Expressing genuine gratitude to God for his countless blessings showered upon us creates the ideal atmosphere for worship.

A recognition of God's greatness

In these verses, the psalmist explains why God is worthy of our praise and worship. The nations surrounding Israel had their own gods whose sovereignty was limited to their respective areas of rule. But the true God, “the great king above all gods,” rules over the whole world. There are no areas where his divine sovereignty is not supreme. Actually, the creative acts of God establish his undisputed kingship. Because God made all things, everything is under his dominion.

On the basis of this description of God's absolute greatness, the psalmist insists we kneel in worship before him. The bowing down and kneeling suggests our worship must always be with humility and submission. Bowing or kneeling indicates our sense of worthlessness within ourselves in the presence of God. We are to worship him with joy, but not with presumption. We are to approach him as children approach a loving father, yet with the reverence of those who realize they are the creatures and he is the Creator.

The primary reason for our worship is that “he is our God.” Through his Son, he has entered into covenant with us, making us his people. As “the people of his pasture,” we can be assured he will feed and protect us daily. Because the pastures are his and not ours, we receive our blessings from his storehouse. As his sheep, he not only owns us, but has the right to guide us in paths of his choosing. What more compelling reason to “worship and bow down” than to know that this great God is our shepherd and we are the sheep of his pasture and all that implies!

The believer's access to God

Because of the atoning work of Christ on the cross, Christians possess permission to approach God's presence without fear and to exercise a freedom of speech in communicating with him through prayer. Because Christ cleanses our consciences, we need harbor no guilt concerning past sin. Instead, we are filled with a joyful freedom and confidence to come into the presence of God as a child runs without fear to his earthly father. We always must remember the basis of this “boldness” or freedom to approach God is the blood of Christ.

Because we are yet imprisoned in this human flesh, we are sometimes victims of disobedience toward God. The Holy Spirit indwelling us convicts us of our sins and prompts us to repent and regain fellowship with our Lord. But the Father always sees us through the blood of his sinless Son, who became our sacrifice for sin. On this basis, we are to “draw near” to God in worship and supplication. We are not to waver in our profession of faith, always realizing that God is faithful to keep his promises. Furthermore, we are to exhort one another lest we neglect the worship assemblies where we join together to exalt our Lord.

Question for discussion

How does a dutiful, “going-through-the-motions” worship contrast with the kind of worship the psalmist described?