Posted: 7/23/04

DOWN HOME:
Dad has to scrub his fashion sense

Our youngest daughter, Molly, is too iconoclastic to be a slave to designer-label fashion.

For example, no matter how “cool” Abercrombie & Fitch clothes may be with the “popular” crowd, she'd wear my worn-out khakis and baggy sweatshirts before she'd shop in their stores. She deplores the exploitive, pornographic slant of their marketing.

Once, when I bought some underwear produced by a designer on her black list, I thought she was going to boycott me. And she probably would have, except I convinced her they were on sale and less expensive than my generic traditional boxers.

Nevertheless, the kid's got an eye for what looks good. At least according to her tastes. You probably won't be surprised that we don't always agree.

Take her newest pair of jeans. Please.

She came home with new bell-bottoms. She hates it when I call them “bell-bottoms,” because that's what we called them when I was her age, not to mention what the Navy's called them for generations. She adored them, probably because (a) she looks terrific in them and (b) they're “stretch,” which means they're comfortable. (Just wait. Someday, she'll like clothes because they're comfortable, whatever they look like.)

“Molly, something's wrong with your jeans,” I told her.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, they're dirty.”

“No, Daddy, that's what they're supposed to look like.”

“Let me get this straight: You bought brand-new clean jeans that already look like they're stained–dirty?”

“Yeah. That's the style.”

Hmmm. I should've seen this coming. For several years, boys have spent hours primping to make their hair look like they just got out of bed. But since I'm a dirt-scrubbing, clean-clothes neatnik from way back, this new-dirty fashion phase doesn't quite make sense.

Still, I can see how similar applications might be quite practical.

Like cars that are supposed to look dirty, so you never have to wash them. (But if we stopped washing our cars, it never would rain. And where would birds, well, you-know-what?)

Or lawns that look like they need to be mowed, so you never have to tend them.

Maybe dishes that look like … . OK, that's gross and pushing things a bit too far.

You get the idea. Sort of reverse-psychology for the hygienically challenged.

Thinking about clean-but-dirty-looking jeans brought to mind Jesus' warning: “Woe to you. … On the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Fashion jeans are one thing. But Jesus expects our lives to be clean from the inside out.

Posted: 7/23/04

EDITORIAL:
Texas Baptists haven't had a (real) shootout in 100 years

Texas Baptists got a bang out of the Baptist Standard 100 years ago. Literally.

In 1904, the Texas Supreme Court closed the legal books on a 12-year feud between James Britton Cranfill, editor of the Standard, and S.A. Hayden, rival editor of the Texas Baptist and Herald.

Personal animosity between the editors fueled the feud. But denominational discord stoked the flames. Cranfill's Baptist Standard resonated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Hayden and his paper affiliated with the Baptist Missionary Association, which sought to undermine the BGCT, particularly in East Texas.

So, when the BGCT refused to seat Hayden at its annual meeting in 1897 (an action repeated in 1898, 1899 and 1900) for what historians have called his “persistent vitriolic sniping,” he sued for $100,000. And he put Cranfill at the top of the list of defendants.

The Texas high court ruled in Cranfill and the BGCT's favor. Unfortunately, the feud spilled out of the courtroom and onto the public square.

The Wild West still cast its long shadow over Texas in 1904. And Cranfill, a former cowboy on the Chisholm Trail, walked in that sometimes-violent shade. He once wrote, “The fact was that I put my revolver in my pocket every morning when I put on my trousers. Indeed, I would have felt more comfortable going up the street without trousers than I would without a gun. It would have been somewhat more conspicuous and far more dangerous.”

So, we should not be surprised to learn that Cranfill packed more than his Bible as he boarded a train bound for the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in 1904. The Sword of the Lord might be useful for converting sinners, but when he confronted scalawags, the cowboy editor also carried his revolver.

Cranfill wasn't the only Baptist editor aboard that train. Although Hayden no longer participated in the BGCT, he was a Southern Baptist, and he journeyed to the Nashville meeting.

True to their contentious character, Cranfill and Hayden got into an argument. True to their western heritage, they drew their guns and fired. Fortunately, nobody got hurt, much less killed.

But the shootout did inflict a mortal wound on Cranfill's editorial career. When he got back home, he “retired” from the Standard, apologizing for the “deplorably unfortunate occurrence” that “brought sorrow to God's people everywhere and which inevitably tends to bring reproach upon the Christian ministry in particular and the cause of religion in general.”

This story always makes me feel better for several reasons.

First, it lends perspective to current events. People complain that today's Standard contains too much controversy. They say the editorials are too cranky. By Cranfill's standards, I am a “tenderfoot.” At least, I can say I have not shot anybody. Yet. And the tone of current disagreement–reported on the Standard's news pages and evaluated in its editorials–has been milder than the fights of yesteryear.

Second, the Cranfill-Hayden and BGCT-BMA disputes provide a scale for measuring convention conflict. Yes, recent Baptist battles have been bruising. The division of the BGCT–culminating with a new convention splitting off from the older group–has been grievous. But the animosity of the past few years has been less personal than was the fight a century ago. Fortunately, the conflicted parties have not taken each other to court or brandished six-shooters.

Third, the failures of our predecessors illustrate the reach of grace. God intervened in both human life and convention activity to bring about wonderful results.

Although Cranfill later attempted to return to the Standard as editor and was rebuffed, he continued to enjoy a distinguished career. He had repented of his sin, and Baptists and the Lord forgave him. They also benefitted from his enormous talents during the remaining 38 years of his life. He served as a trustee of both Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Annuity Board. Shortly after his death, Texas Baptists dedicated the 1943 BGCT Annual to him.

Beyond that, the BGCT survived those dark days of conflict, not just between Cranfill and Hayden, but also between the BGCT and its rival convention. God blessed Texas Baptists in the following decades. They baptized new believers, started and strengthened churches and established missions and benevolence enterprises that carried the saving and sustaining good news of the gospel into every corner of Texas and around the globe. The BGCT went on to become the largest and strongest Baptist state convention, with almost 6,000 affiliated churches and more than 20 institutions. It pioneered a range of ministries and missions endeavors and raised up hundreds of Christians who served God on six continents.

Several factors lifted Texas Baptists beyond the battles and enabled them to advance the kingdom of God to unprecedented heights:

God is the God of Romans 8:28. God never abandons faithful followers, and God can deliver goodness out of the worst circumstances. God's greatness is stronger than people's sinfulness, and God provides a way to redeem even the most broken situations.

BGCT leaders presented a big vision of God's possibilities. As soon as they could and as often as they could, they shifted their attention away from the distractions of controversy. They focused on overwhelming spiritual, physical and emotional needs, first in Texas but also around the world. They lifted these challenges, raising them as a divine banner to guide Texas Baptists as they marched through a century of unparalleled progress.

Texas Baptists responded with faith, courage and optimism. A prominent pastor, newly arrived in our state, once said of Texas Baptists, “These people would take on hell with a water pistol.” Texas Baptists believed in the goodness and faithfulness of God. They believed God had a divine plan for their lives, individually and together, and that plan was to spread the gospel and meet people's needs in Jesus' name. And, to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, they believed, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

In many ways, 2004 is quite a bit like 1904: No, the editor hasn't been in a shoot-out. But we are emerging from years of denominational discord. We are facing a new era. Texas is changing at a pace that is so rapid it could not have been imagined just a decade ago. We can hardly comprehend the needs of people all around us. Improvements in communication and transportation are shrinking the scale of our world, expanding the possibilities for involvement in missions and ministry. And fear of the future is a tangible enemy.

Right now, a special BGCT reorganization committee is at work, drafting a roadmap for progress. It will lead us to make significant changes in the way we function as a convention. It will challenge us to journey on new roads–traveling to new places in new ways so we can experience new opportunities for God's glory. We need to pray for the committee as it finishes its work, pray that we will have the courage and commitment to move forward and take up the challenge of tomorrow.

But by all means, let's leave the six-shooters at home.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 7/23/04

Posted: 7/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 1

Conforming to the world's values will cost dearly

2 Kings 16-17

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

People are seeking meaning in life. They pursue life's purpose in various ways. Many of the values and priorities which determine their actions are inconsistent with being committed to God. Folks mistakenly assume that power, popularity, possessions or pleasure are the keys that open the door to joy in living. They turn down dead-end paths. False gods reach out and snare them.

The one true God gives life–meaningful life to those who worship and serve him. Israel's history shows that worshipping false gods while rejecting the one true God leads to destruction.

Folks may not intentionally set out to reject God, but worldly values so entice them they gradually accept society's standards. Resisting those values becomes more difficult with each compromise. Reject sin when first tempted, or become entrapped by it.

The downfall: Bondage (17:5-6)

I suspect the kings of Judah and Israel had the best of intentions. I feel certain they were seeking to rule effectively and provide security for their kingdoms. The wide range of alternatives and options available to them certainly included Yahweh, the God who had delivered them from Egypt. Another option to unite the people was the pagan worship found among the people living in the land when the Israelites conquered Canaan.

The kings of Israel appear particularly susceptible to the temptation to water down worship of Yahweh by mixing it with worship of local deities. God's prophets repeatedly warned against worship of other gods, but it continued. During this time, the nation faced numerous foreign enemies. Each attack further weakened the bonds that held the nation together. 2 Kings never lets the reader forget this decline resulted more from disobedience to Yahweh than from military strength of the enemies. The nation forgot that God had promised to bless the people in their new land when they obeyed and worshipped the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

Some of Judah's kings were godly, but the majority were only marginally better than those of Israel. Ahaz reigned 16 years, during which he failed to follow King David's example. Instead of relying upon God to deliver Judah, Ahaz pilfered the gold and silver from the temple to pay tribute money to Assyria. Ahaz actually commanded the priest to build an altar in the temple, modeled after one he saw while visiting Damascus. While the southern kingdom would survive longer than Israel, kings such as Ahaz were leading it toward destruction.

Israel fell in 722 B.C., about a century and a half before Jerusalem was captured. A series of wicked and ineffective kings ruled during the last decades of Israel's existence. None could stem the descent in sin toward destruction. The nation had rejected Yahweh for so long that the kings no longer sought the Lord's deliverance.

Assyria invaded the land and sacked the city of Samaria after a three-year siege. They exiled 27,000 survivors and resettled them in foreign lands. Forced deportation would have been especially harsh on a people who felt God had given them their land.

The reason: Disobedience (17:7-12; 16-20)

The narrator constantly reminded the reader the nation would fall “because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God.” They failed to honor the Lord God who had delivered them from Egypt. They worshipped the idols of Canaan. They followed the religious practices of the nations among whom they settled and with whom they had contact.

They knew what they were doing was wrong and “secretly” disobeyed by worshiping idols. They pretended to worship Yahweh publicly while offering real loyalty to other gods. They constructed altars to pagan gods and fashioned Asherah poles to whom they burned incense. And, among other things, they continued to worship the golden calves set up by their first king, Jeroboam. Without pure worship, the people could not resist the inroads of paganism and idolatry.

Their moral conduct mirrored their worship. The words “against the Lord their God” (v. 7) imply a covenant relationship between the people and God. This covenant included the responsibility of the nation to care for others. One prophet, Amos, railed against the rich and wealthy who exploited the poor. Israel failed to heed the message. Failing to care for the oppressed certainly contributed to the nation's fall. Obeying God in ethical concern for others and pure worship are necessary to experience moral and spiritual freedom.

The writer continued to catalog reasons for Israel's destruction. God had continued to reach out to them, but they rejected God's ways and crafted idols. Some sacrificed their children. Because they were not devoted exclusively to God and worshipped the Lord alone, Yahweh removed them from his presence. They had rejected the Lord who removed them from the land which they had been promised. They lost everything because of sinful disobedience to God. May we learn the lesson well–sin brings destruction. Worship God exclusively.

Question for discussion

What price do you see being paid for disobedience by individuals and nations?

Posted: 7/23/04

Baylor regents don't vote
on Sloan, reaffirm 2012 plan

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO—In spite of boasts by his opponents that they had the votes to unseat him, Baylor University regents took no vote on embattled President Robert Sloan, other than affirming the long-range plan that has become the centerpiece of his presidency.

Sloan apparently survived another milepost in his tumultuous nine-year tenure as Baylor University’s president when the school’s regents met July 21-23 for a three-day retreat to discuss Baylor 2012—the school’s 10-year vision.

They emerged from the meeting with Chairman Will Davis of Austin announcing the regents unanimously had reaffirmed their commitment to Baylor 2012. He also told reporters the board had taken no vote regarding Sloan’s presidency.

Baylor 2012 is a plan championed by Sloan to make Baylor a top-tier university by expanding the school’s facilities, reducing class sizes and recruiting professors committed to academic excellence, scholarly research and Christian values.

Critics claim the plan has increased debt to a quarter-billion dollars, pushed tuition to levels unaffordable by students from middle-income families and forced instructors to meet narrow and rigid religious tests.

Twice in the last year, the university’s Faculty Senate passed votes of no confidence in Sloan as president.

Regents responded last September by affirming Sloan by a 31-4 vote. But at the board’s May meeting, he came within one vote of losing his job. During a closed-door session, a motion to ask for Sloan’s resignation failed by an 18-17 secret ballot.

At that same meeting, John Baugh, a major Baylor benefactor from Houston, warned he would ask the university to repay loans and return financial gifts he made if the board failed to rescue Baylor from “the paralyzing quagmire in which it currently is ensnared.”

Even though no vote had been on the agenda of the July 23 regents meeting regarding Sloan’s continued employment, prior to the meeting some regents had expressed their clear expectation that someone would introduce a motion to dismiss the president. And the Committee to Restore Integrity to Baylor—a group opposed to Sloan’s leadership— claimed there were enough votes to oust Slaon.

No motion was introduced during the business session, and questions about Sloan continuing as president were not even discussed, Davis told reporters following the closed-door regents business session.

“Divisive issues did not arise,” Davis said

The night before the regents’ vote, a Waco television station reported that Sloan rejected a $2 million buy-out. Davis said no severance package had been discussed to his knowledge.

Sloan said he was “very encouraged” by the meeting and especially by the regents’ strong affirming of Baylor 2012.

“I am committed to Baylor University, and I plan to remain as Baylor’s president,” he said.

Ken Hall, president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, addressed the board at the beginning of the retreat—“rather candidly,” according to one regent. Hall told the regent the turmoil revolving around Baylor was detrimental to Baptist work in Texas, and they needed to resolve matters.

Richard Scott, vice president for development at Baylor, also spoke to the regents offering a similar plea for a different reason. Fund-raising had become increasingly difficult due to the continuing controversy, and he urged them to settle their differences, a regent recounted.

Sloan, 55, is a native of Coleman and a 1970 graduate of Baylor University. He earned a master’s degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Before assuming the university presidency, Sloan was dean of Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary and holder of the George W. Truett chair of evangelism.

He served on the Baylor religion faculty from 1983 to 1995, and he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1980 to 1983.

Sloan has been pastor or interim pastor of close to two dozen churches in Texas, Oklahoma, New Jersey and Germany.

He and his wife, Sue, have seven children.

Posted: 7/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 8

God can bring deliverance in times of crisis

2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:23

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

When it comes to facing crises, the question is not “if” but “when.” You either have faced or will encounter challenging times in life. People tend to grit their teeth and resolve to overcome. Responding in that manner may suffice, but at other times the only means of deliverance is for God to intervene. Christians need to learn to trust God in threatening situations. King Hezekiah of Judah provides one example.

Announce trust (18:30)

Hezekiah, one of Judah's most godly kings, succeeded his father Ahaz, one of its most wicked. Ahaz had chosen to pay tribute to Assyria rather than trust God's promise for security. Hezekiah demonstrated that his character resembled King David's by purging the nation of idols. He further displayed his loyalty to God by rebelling against Assyrian domination. Hezekiah publicly shared his confidence in God.

Assyria reacted by seizing some of Judah's cities. Hezekiah then relented and stripped the temple's and king's treasuries to pay tribute. His actions failed to satisfy the Assyrian king who sent high-ranking officials to Jerusalem. They publicly ridiculed Hezekiah's trust in God. They declared that no god had protected its people from Assyria. They challenged Hezekiah's word that trusting God was the best course of action. Neither God nor the king could withstand the attacks of the Assyrians.

Admit weakness (19:1-3)

Hezekiah responded quickly. He showed grief and despair by tearing off his clothes and putting on sackcloth. He understood that God alone could save the people and went to the temple to pray. He refused to abandon God.

The king sent officials to Isaiah to report the Assyrian threats. Hezekiah wanted Isaiah to intercede for the nation. He sought the prophet's help while Ahaz had rejected Isaiah's advice (2 Kings 16:5-10). Hezekiah may have wondered how Isaiah would respond. The prophet had been critical of Hezekiah's earlier rebellion against Assyria. Isaiah opposed the alliance the king had made with Egypt as an act which indicated a lack of trust in God (Isaiah 30:1-5; 31:1-3). At that time, the prophet considered the Assyrians' attack as God's act of judgment on the people. In addition to reporting the words of the Assyrians, they informed the prophet of Hezekiah's great distress.

The foreigners had maintained that God was powerless to deliver Jerusalem. The king likened the situation to the physical exhaustion a woman experiences giving birth. Hezekiah had no ready answer for his predicament. He, however, possessed the spiritual discernment to seek God's intervention through the prophet. He knew God alone could deliver.

Ask for God's help (19:5-7, 14-19)

Isaiah had God's answer when Hezekiah's aides reached him. Isaiah assured the king God would honor his confidence. God would intervene with power sufficient to protect the nation. To contend that God was powerless to protect his people was blasphemous. The words which threatened Jerusalem directly mocked God. The Lord God would respond.

God promised to rescue Judah without the nation being forced to fight. God would cause the Assyrian king to hear a rumor from home which would lead him to abandon his siege. Opponents would assassinate Sennacherib after his return to Nineveh.

Another Assyrian challenge interrupted Isaiah's message and Hezekiah's response to it. This time the taunting was directed more against Yahweh than Hezekiah. The enemy then sent Hezekiah a written letter detailing their demands. The king spread it before God in the temple. He prayed for God's deliverance. He began praying by proclaiming God's glory. The mention of cherubim reminds us of the innermost room of the temple where God would meet his people with mercy.

Hezekiah implored God to hear his prayer. He asked God to respond to Sennacherib's taunts of the living God. He had declared their gods superior to Yahweh. Hezekiah worshipped a living God who alone was “over all the kingdoms of the earth.”

Judah's king acknowledged the Assyrians' military might. They had conquered at will. They had burned and destroyed the gods of their vanquished foes. But Hezekiah knew these gods were merely idols fashioned from wood and stone. They had been created by human effort and possessed no power or strength.

Inanimate objects could not deliver, but Judah's God was alive and powerful. Hezekiah's prayer encompassed more than simply saving a people who were besieged. Saving Jerusalem was certainly important. But “now” (v. 19), Hezekiah asked God to deliver for God's sake as well as the nation's. God could demonstrate his power and reveal himself as the God of all nations and peoples by delivering Jerusalem. All nations could see Yahweh alone was God.

God's majesty, power and faithfulness were witnessed as the Lord saved the city by sending the angel who put to death 185,000 Assyrian troops. Sennacherib withdrew, returned home and was assassinated as Isaiah had foretold.

God promised deliverance. God delivered. True deliverance comes when Christians rely on God in times of crisis.

Question for discussion

Where do you first turn in times of crisis?

Posted: 7/23/04

Falwell faces IRS scrutiny after urging support for Bush

By Kevin Eckstrom

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–A church-state watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service after Jerry Falwell told supporters to “get serious about re-electing President Bush” and solicited funds for a political action committee that supports Bush.

Falwell, in a July 1 “Falwell Confidential” e-mail, said: “For conservative people of faith, voting for principle this year means voting for the re-election of George W. Bush. The alternative, in my mind, is simply unthinkable.

“To the pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-America voters in this nation, we must determine that President Bush is the man with our interests at heart. It is that simple.”

The Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which has tussled with Falwell before, told the IRS that Falwell's letter violated rules that prohibit churches or nonprofit groups from endorsing candidates. It also asked for an investigation.

“Falwell is thumbing his nose at the IRS,” said Barry Lynn, the group's director.

“He must not be permitted to use a tax-exempt ministry to engage in partisan politics. The vast majority of America's religious institutions play by the rules. He should too.”

Earlier this year, Lynn's office filed a similar complaint against the Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs, Colo., who said Catholics could not vote for candidates who support abortion and gay marriage.

Lynn charged Bishop Michael Sheridan with trying to steer votes toward Republicans.

Falwell's e-mail was posted on his Web site, www.falwell.com.

It also encouraged supporters to donate to the Campaign for Working Families, a political action committee founded by former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

“I believe it is the responsibility of every political conservative, every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew, every Reagan Democrat, and everyone in between to get serious about re-electing President Bush,” said Falwell, who 25 years ago rallied Christian conservatives by founding the Moral Majority.

Falwell told The New York Times the e-mail was paid for by his tax-exempt lobbying group, Liberty Alliance, which falls under the larger Jerry Falwell Ministries.

The website makes several references to the tax-exempt Jerry Falwell Ministries but not Liberty Alliance.

The letter contained his personal views and did not constitute an endorsement, he said, noting he routinely supports Bush in public when preaching at his home congregation, Thomas Road Baptist Church, in Lynchburg, Va.

“I support President Bush,” he told The Times.

“I support him on Sunday mornings from the pulpit where it doesn't cost the church or anybody anything.

“I make it very clear, just like at most African-American churches and many liberal churches, that as a tax-paying citizen I vote. And I tell people who I vote for.”

Posted: 7/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 1

Peter's principles for helping others succeed

Matthew 4:18-20; 14:25-33; John 1:40-42

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

One of the most fascinating characters of the Bible is Simon Peter. I refer to him as the “foot-in-mouth” apostle. Maybe that is why I like him so much. He is like me, maybe like you too. He speaks first and thinks later. He believes with all his heart and then acts like he never heard of Jesus. His “believer” and his “actor” never quite seem to stay in sync. He preaches and he stumbles. He confesses and he denies. In short, he is real. There is nothing phony or pretentious about him.

For the next five weeks, we will study the life of Simon Peter. The writers of the Family Bible Study materials have called this study, “Peter's Principles for Successful Living.” I think I know what they mean by that, but something about the theme bothers me. It makes the Bible and Simon Peter sound like the self-help gurus on the info-mercials that want to sell me some product that will make me thinner, happier, wealthier, richer and more successful. Surely that would make me more likeable. Do you think God gives us grace so we can spend it on our success?

I thought I might like the theme “Peter's Principles for Helping Others Succeed.” That would get closer to the intent of the gospel of a Savior who taught us to care more about others than ourselves. But this theme does not match the facts of the biblical account of Peter's life either. The fact is Peter never seemed to think ahead enough to come up with any principles for living, let alone successful living. He seems to have been guided more by passions than principles.

The Apostle Paul tells of an experience with Peter at the church in Galatia. It seems the two of them were ministering in the church and participating in the pot luck dinners with the Gentiles. Then some Jews from Jerusalem showed up. Peter suddenly lost his appetite for ham sandwiches and withdrew from the Gentiles at dinner time. Paul did not recommend to the Galations that they undertake a five-week study of “Peter's Principles for Successful Living.” He corrected him. He pointed out his hypocrisy. Even in his supposed mature years, the apostle was still learning.

You may be thinking at this point, “I don't think this guy likes Peter.” On the contrary! I love this man. We can learn boat loads from him. You just can't boil it down to five principles, seven keys, six habits, four laws or three life-changing characteristics.

Peter could hardly be called purpose driven. He was passion driven. Israel was full of folks who legalistically followed all kinds of principles. Jesus was looking for some folks who could be passionate about his kingdom. Two events at the Sea of Galilee illustrate this.

Peter was a fisherman when Jesus found him. He and his brother Andrew carried on the family business. Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). He followed. And he stayed for the long haul. It was not principles he followed. It was a person. Jesus would teach him many things, even some principles. But mostly, he would teach him how to be his disciple and how to love his people. It required passion.

Following Jesus is a process. He said, “I will make you fishers of men.” Peter and Andrew were not men-fishers when they left the nets, any more than David was a king the moment Samuel poured the anointing oil on his head. It would take some time, but it would happen. They would become exactly what Jesus said. It would take a lifetime. Are you still becoming what Jesus called you to be?

On another occasion, Peter and the other disciples were rowing across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus came walking to them on the water. When Peter saw him he said, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). As passionate as ever, Peter hopped out of the boat after Jesus told him to come. He walked right on top of the water. For awhile! Then he began to sink, and he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” Has he ever had to rescue you?

I have always wondered if the other disciples teased Peter about that experience. I have played a little golf in my life, and one of the certainties about golfing with men is that you will receive all sorts of unsolicited advice. And never let a golfer tell you they are laughing with you. They are laughing at you and your bad shot. Surely they teased him often about it. I don't think he cared. Peter would rather be wave-walking with Jesus than playing it safe in the boat.

Peter was not a man who understood it all. He just believed in Jesus. If Jesus wanted him to follow, he would go. If he wanted him to walk on the water, he would put on his jogging shoes and leave his swim flippers at home. That is passion. And that is what it takes to follow Jesus. What are you passionate about?

Questions for discussion

When you think of Peter, which of his characteristics springs to mind first? When people think of you, what do you believe comes to mind most quickly for them?

Posted: 7/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 8

Everyone needs the hope Christ supplies

1 Peter 1:1-12

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

We like new things. You can feel the crispness of a new world in Genesis as God speaks it into being, fresh with newness. You can sense it in the call of Abraham as God begins something new in calling his people back to himself. We read of new covenants and new wine in Scripture.

At the end of Revelation, we do not get a word of doom or world destruction. God's final word is one of newness: “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). Even the end is a beginning again with new heavens and a new earth. We need newness. We like new things.

If it was not built into our DNA from the start, it has certainly been programmed into our subconscious by Madison Avenue. We are bombarded with advertising designed to convince us that last year's fashions will doom us to life as social outcasts if we do not replace them immediately. We like new things.

Some things were not new at all to Peter's readers. It seemed like the same old story. “To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout …” (1 Peter 1:1). It was the story of God's people throughout history. They were elect, but at times it seemed they were only elected to suffering. As Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” once said, “Lord, I know we are your chosen people. But just once, couldn't you choose somebody else?”

The Jews knew what it meant to be “scattered throughout.” They had been scattered or dispersed on numerous occasions. Like seed sown in a whirlwind they had landed all over the place, blown by the winds of a fickle politic.

Now, as followers of Jesus, persecution had again come to the “elect” and “chosen” of God. There was nothing new about that. They were in good historical company.

What's new with you? If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have a new hope. “He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

A letter that begins with a word to the “scattered,” continues its message with a word of hope. Who needs hope? Look at the context of verses 1-9. People without a home need hope. People with no inheritance need hope. People with no protection in a world bent on their destruction need hope. People in the midst of great trials need hope. People who grieve need hope.

Because of this rebirth of hope, God's chosen people now have “an inheritance in heaven,” they are “shielded by God's power” and they have “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” They also are the recipients of God's character generating sovereignty, so their “faith might be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

As a result of this overwhelming hope, Peter tells his persecuted and scattered readers that they can experience “inexpressible and glorious joy.” Who needs that kind of hope? I do! Don't you?

Who needs hope? People who are in danger of losing touch with their past need hope.

I already have mentioned Tevye in this study. Tevye laments the loss of his tradition. And yet, when you watch “Fiddler on the Roof,” it becomes clear that Tevye is held together by his faith, not his tradition. His traditions (and his circumstances) are changing all around him. The strength of this man is found in his prayers to God. He continues to return to God for strength and guidance. Not tradition.

In the changing world of today, we would do well to remember this lesson. Traditions change. Everything changes, with the possible exception of our resistance to it. There is a sign on Interstate 35 just north of Gruene that says: “Gruene, Texas. Gently resisting change since 1872.” I bet it has not always been so gently.

Peter says the persecuted folks of his day are the recipients of blessings that come from the past. He says the search of the prophets was to “find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:11).

Our hope is rooted in God's past and finds its flower in his future. Peter wanted his readers to know that every promise and prophecy of the Old Testament was for them. They were all fulfilled in Jesus. The Christian church did not begin in 33 A.D. It began in eternity past. God determined to be a Redeemer before he ever became the Creator. It is a part of our tradition. We have a past and a glorious future.

Questions for discussion

Can you recall an instance where you needed the hope only Christ can supply?

Have you ever felt hope was in short supply? How did you tap back into it once again?

Does focusing on the hope of Christ encourage you to take any new action, strike out on any new spiritual venture?

Who do you know that really needs to know the hope of Christ?

Posted: 7/23/04

Fire truck siren in border town means answered prayer

By Sarah Farris

BGCT Summer Intern

SANTA MARIA–Bobby Culpepper got a surprise when he asked a Texas border-town pastor about his community's needs.

Billy Schartz, pastor of La Primera Iglesia Bautista de Santa Maria, told him to pray for a fire truck.

Santa Maria is located near the Texas/Mexico border, not far from Weslaco.

Three homes in Santa Maria recently sustained small fires. But because the nearest fire truck was 15 minutes away, each home was lost.

The men met when Culpepper, minister of missions at Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster, Ala., traveled to the region assessing needs of border-town churches where his group could minister during an upcoming mission trip to Mexico.

Neither man knew how God would use that meeting.

Upon arriving home, Culpepper mentioned the town's need for a fire truck. Westwood's maintenance man told the people at his church–the same church attended by Pelham (Ala.) Fire Chief Gary Waters.

Waters had an unused 1979 500-gallon pump fire truck in his arsenal. He felt compelled to give the truck to Santa Maria.

“I could have sold the truck for $12,000. (But) you can't place a value on it in Santa Maria,” he said.

The cooperation Waters got from the Pelham city council was “virtually unheard of,” he said.

He cut through the red tape by declaring the truck as surplus and received approval to donate it without any problems. “All it would have taken is one (city council member) to say no,” he noted.

Six weeks after Waters learned about Santa Maria's need, Fire Engine 93 was Texas bound.

The fire chief and two of his men donated their time and even paid for the diesel fuel to take the engine on the 1,100-mile trek to its new home.

Word spread quickly through Santa Maria that a fire engine was coming. Before the vehicle arrived, four men already had signed up to volunteer at the fire department. As Engine 93's sirens announced its entrance into Santa Maria, five more men immediately signed up as volunteer firemen.

The department will be trained by Texas Baptist Men from Creath-Brazos Baptist Association.

Because Santa Maria is not incorporated–it is not officially a town–the fire truck was donated to the church.

“I feel like God had a hand in this from the very beginning,” Culpepper said. “The truck has been used to meet the basic needs of the community, to show the community that God cares, and to draw men into the church.”

The fire truck started a new chapter in the history of the town.

La Primera Iglesia Bautista de Santa Maria has changed its name to First Baptist Church of Santa Maria and hopes the change will connect better with young people who predominantly speak English.

Church members also told Waters that getting the truck was a catalyst for becoming incorporated, and the process since has been initiated.

“God compels us to use the skills, gifts and influence in our expertise,” Waters said.

A baker or a banker would not be expected to donate a fire truck to a South Texas town, but God would expect it of a Christian fire chief, he said.

“It would be a tragedy if I did not answer that call,” he maintained.

The Santa Maria volunteer fire department is now answering calls, too. They even recently crossed the border to assist with an explosion in Mexico.

Posted: 7/23/04

Children's home cooks up a different
kind of classroom to teach life skills

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home

ROUND ROCK–Eleven-year-old Armando spends a summer afternoon grating cheese in the Texas Baptist Children's Home activity center, helping prepare lunch.

It's not his first time to venture into the culinary world. He often helps his mother make dinner. But today he and his friends participate in a cooking class sponsored by HOPE–Healthy Opportunities that Protect and Empower.

“I really like it when I get to boil stuff,” he said.

While he is used to helping make tamales, rice and mole, during his weekly cooking class he learns to make various kinds of food.

“The goal is to help teach life skills,” HOPE Supervisor Melanie Martinez explained. “We want them to not only have interaction with other children but to also learn that you can make inexpensive, nutritional meals.”

HOPE is a Texas Baptist Children's Home program that reaches out to the Round Rock community, offering classes and programs to local apartment communities.

One primary area of outreach involves the Chisholm Trail and Henna apartments, where HOPE has created youth groups.

In the past year, involvement in the groups has increased, providing an outlet for youth to grow and socialize in a positive environment. In an effort to expand the children's network of peers, HOPE combined both groups to make up the summer cooking classes.

But the classes aren't just about boiling water. HOPE staffers teach etiquette, proper table-setting techniques and, most importantly, the message of serving one another.

“They are able to make the meal, but then they have to help each other with their plates,” Martinez said. “They also have to set up the tables and clean up when they are through.”

Learning to sit down to dinner and “pass the peas, please” is becoming a novel concept for families, according to a recent study by the University of Minnesota. The study showed the number of families who eat dinner together declined by 33 percent in six years.

That lack of interaction can often lead to dwindling communication, Martinez said. “Interaction is very important. They learn about each other and how to cooperate when they are sharing responsibilities.”

Lessons about food often spill over, not only into personal lessons, but into spiritual ones as well, she added. For example, they often relate the food pyramid to how God is involved in daily lives.

“By showing how the food pyramid is set up, we show that it is important to balance their meals,” Martinez said. “Jesus Christ is that balance in our spiritual lives. He is the center.”

Cooking classes have been taught at TBCH for the past three years, offering a variety of life lessons.–the most paramount being how God can show up anywhere.

“We are teaching children that we can feed the stomach and the soul,” Martinez said. “It's all in how you share the gospel.”

Posted: 7/23/04

Hunger Hounds track down donations
to alleviate suffering, fight hunger

By Janelle Bagci

Texas Baptist Communications

KILGORE–A man and woman living in a shack in the poorest area of town know what it's like to go to sleep hungry. But the mentally disabled epileptic couple still set aside $60 from their meager earnings for world hunger.

Their gift went to Hunger Hounds, an informal organization committed to alleviating hunger.

Hunger Hounds was founded in 2003 as the brainchild of businessman Charlie Whiteside. The loose network of laypeople began as a grassroots effort after Whiteside received a “calling in the night.”

Whiteside, a member of First Baptist Church in Kilgore, said, “the calling was almost audible” to raise money for world hunger throughout Texas.

Christians have the opportunity to “save a lot of kids,” he explained. “There's just too many starving to death out there.”

After receiving money from speaking engagements and donations, Whiteside donates all proceeds to the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger, administered by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Christian Life Commission.

Giving to the offering “was up 25 percent in the earlier part of the year as opposed to last year,” Whiteside said. “I don't know how much of that is due to us,” but it is encouraging.

“If we had 20 more people like Charlie, it would make a huge difference in the offering,” said Joe Haag of the CLC.

Whiteside covers essential expenses out of his own pocket and speaks to groups in Texas, requesting money to support the BGCT hunger offering. He hopes to garner more support through churches around the state.

Although he hasn't been able to collect as much money as he expected, he remains hopeful.

When first promoting the idea, Whiteside received close to $4,000 from his home church, and money still is coming in, he said. One woman found the Hunger Hounds web site and donated $5.

“If these people can do it, why can't we?” Whiteside asked.

The potential for the hunger offering would increase if each Sunday school class in each church would pool its money, he observed.

Whiteside “feels committed to doing this for the long haul, not just a couple of months.”