Posted: 3/30/07

At 40 years, no break
for Texas Baptist Men

By Barbara Bedrick

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—Forty years of labor ought to entitle a worker to a break. In the Old Testament, even Noah got one. But don’t tell that to Texas Baptist Men volunteers. They are nailing a church back together again in Sabine Pass.

Texas Baptist Men, a missions organization affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, takes no spring break. Instead, its volunteers work to help people who lost their church building to Hurricane Rita.

TBM volunteers are rebuilding the Sabine Pass Christian Fellowship facility—split in half by Hurricane Rita—from its foundation.

Running the drill press at the Texas Baptist Men Builders furniture shop in Lubbock is 93-year-old Ed Smith of Faith Chapel Baptist Church in Brownfield.

Constructing buildings and rebuilding lives is only one TBM ministry. Others include chainsaw teams, chefs on wheels, pilots who airlift supplies, lay evangelists who share the gospel, men who teach boys Christian principles in Royal Ambassadors and disaster relief teams who comfort in critical times.

“These volunteers are not just workers who do (ministry), but men who have a real walk with Christ,” said TBM Executive Director Leo Smith.

Smith, who has served as the organization’s executive director the past four years, has been involved in TBM’s ministries since it began in 1967.

Since then, volunteers have provided millions of hot meals to disaster victims, delivered warm blankets to more than 15,000 people, built new homes and churches for hundreds of people and congregations, offered spiritual counsel to thousands of victims, delivered hundreds of gallons of safe drinking water and comforted nearly 1 million victims.

Watch Bob Dixon’s remarks on TBM’s 40th anniversary.

They have coordinated airlifts internationally, delivering medical supplies, diapers, antibiotics and more than 100,000 doses of medicine.

When Delta Flight 191 crashed in Dallas in 1988, TBM’s disaster relief unit was one of the first to respond. When terrorists attacked New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, the group’s disaster relief workers and chaplains arrived on the scene quickly.

As the organization commemorates it 40th anniversary this year, Smith reminisces about the journey, but he also envisions the future.

With three 18-wheel mobile disaster relief units, including one that can allow workers to prepare more than 40,000 meals a day, Smith believes TBM is better positioned today than ever to reach people in crisis.

TBM’s move from the Baptist Building to its own facility in 2000 marked a milestone, he noted. Today, the group sponsors 17 ministries that work together at the Robert E. Dixon Mission Equipping Center. The disaster relief units, feeding units, childcare unit and water purification units, along with other equipment, staff, volunteers, supplies and a logistical command post, are now in one centralized location.

“For 38 years, we patched old trucks and old equipment,” Smith said. “But in the past year, God has allowed us to replace every piece with brand-new equipment. God has blessed TBM with half a million dollars worth of equipment to feed in excess of 40,000 meals a day.”

Another key event in recent years has been the expansion of the TBM staff by adding a Hispanic consultant and a resource development person who directs raising funds for the organization’s ministries.

This year, Smith is calling for a renewed focus on helping churches minister to men, grow them and mentor them. He believes ministries to men in churches are falling by the wayside.

“We’ve got to find ways to help men feel significant—to be spiritual fathers, husbands and church members,” Smith said.

By reaching out to men who may be hurting, TBM leaders and volunteers can help lead them into a heartfelt relationship with God, he added.

“We want to help them walk hand-in-hand with God,” Smith stressed. “That loving relationship with him will, in turn, thrust men into a lifestyle of missions and ministry.”

Hurricane Beulah’s arrival in 1967 in the Rio Grande Valley prompted the “birth of Texas Baptist Siamese twins— disaster relief and River Ministry,” said Bob Dixon, TBM executive director from 1970 to 1998. Dixon recalled he was teaching boys the basics of camping and Christian values when the BGCT state missions director called him to go to the Valley.

Beulah, a powerful Category 5 hurricane, spawned 115 twisters across Texas, caused more than $1 billion in damages and killed 58 people. TBM volunteers delivered hope, encouragement, food and the gospel.

The response to Beulah was the first Baptist disaster relief effort of its kind in the country. It blazed a trail for future states as Baptists from across the country soon patterned programs after Texas Baptists. When 7,000 people lost their lives in a Mexico City earthquake 22 years ago, TBM volunteers led the multi-state Southern Baptist response. They served 150,000 meals.

Since 1967, TBM volunteers have responded to the call of victims left devastated from disasters throughout Texas, across the United States and—increasingly—around the world.

“If you are faithful over the small things, God gives you greater ministries,” Dixon noted. “That’s what happened with disaster relief.”

TBM’s first international disaster relief mission came in 1973, after an earthquake rocked Nicaragua. A year later, volunteers took the mobile disaster relief unit to Central America when Hurricane Fifi hit. The group’s leaders recall leading several young men to faith in Christ. Volunteers served more than 500,000 meals after an earthquake rocked Los Angeles in 1994.

One of TBM’s largest international missions came in 2004 and 2005 after a series of tsunamis hit Sri Lanka. The disaster affected more than 1 million lives.

Rebuilding lives has not always stemmed from tragedy. Through the Retiree Builders ministry, volunteers built the 18,000-square-foot, $1 million Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary. They also constructed a Hospitality House for families of inmates in 24 hours and then came back later to build a conference center and apartments in Huntsville.

After a tornado ripped through the tiny West Texas town of Saragosa, killing more than 30 people and destroying most of the homes, retiree builders stepped in.

“We built the whole town of Saragosa back over Labor Day weekend,” Dixon remembered. “Twenty-three houses were destroyed. Ten people came to know Christ.”

Prayers permeate all the group’s missions but particularly were important when the Pentagon called in 1991 and asked for blankets for Kurds in Iraq, Dixon recalled. The same year, Texas Baptists became the first evangelical Christians to participate in a disaster relief mission in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Pointing to the significance of 40 years in the Bible, Smith noted in “every 40-year block of time, there was a preparation for something greater to come… an opportunity. I believe that God has positioned Texas Baptist Men for greater things to come.”

 

 

 

 

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/30/07

Texas Tidbits

Scholarship fund benefits HPU student workers. The Landon Carter and Edna Fay Johnson Work Scholarship Fund has been established at Howard Payne University to pay students for their on-campus work. The fund honors the memories of the Johnsons, members of First Baptist Church in Ponca City, Okla. Mrs. Johnson graduated from Howard Payne and taught math at the school nine years.

The Ancient Trasures of the Holy Land exhibit features an ossuary (casket) that many archaeologists think contained the bones of Simon of Cyrenia.

Holy Land relics come to Texas. An exhibit of Holy Land relics—believed to be the largest ever to tour the United States—is on display at Dallas Fair Park through July 28. The 27,000-square-foot exhibits includes more than 350 relics and rare sacred texts, including many never before seen outside of Jerusalem.The display include portions of the Leviticus and Deuteronomy Dead Sea Scrolls; the ossuary (bone box) archeologists believe held the remains of Simon the Cyrene, who carried the cross for Jesus; a 2,000-year-old sandal found at Masada; Egyptian artifacts, some over 5,000 years old; ancient weapons, including bronze spear heads, battle axes and a sword dating as early as 2200 B.C.

Maston lectures slated at Logsdon. Allen Verhey of Duke University is the featured speaker for the T.B. Maston Christian ethics lectures April 2 and 3 at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology. Topics include “Reading Scripture and Caring at the End of Life” and “Praying and Caring at the End of Life.” The lectures are free and open to the public.

Horner Scholarship to benefit DBU international students. Andy and Joan Horner, founders of Irving-based Premier Designs and members of First Baptist Church in Dallas, donated over $200,000 to establish an endowed scholarship benefiting international students at Dallas Baptist University. The Joan Horner International Scholarship fund will partner with churches to provide matching scholarships for international students. Since 1988, the DBU international student population has grown from 12 to 404 students in the fall 2006 semester, representing 53 countries.

Foundation sets grant schedule. Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio is accepting letters of inquiry for 2007 responsive grants from $25,000 to $250,000 and grant applications for mini-grants of less than $5,000 from not-for-profit organizations helping meet community health needs in the foundation’s eight-county service area—Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson. Since the foundation began making grants in 2005, more than $7.6 million have been awarded, including more than $3.88 million last year. Responsive grant letters of inquiry should provide information about the organization, its mission and the nature of the request. The deadline for submitting responsive grant letters of inquiry is May 25. Mini-grants are designed to support and encourage grassroots health activities primarily through local churches and community organizations with small operating budgets. The deadline for mini-grant proposals is June 15. For more information, call Eusebio Diaz at (210) 735-9009 or visit www.bhfsa.org.

Correction: A photo cutline on page 10 of the March 19 Standard incorrectly identified one individual as Carolyn McEntyre. The person pictured is Susan Bush from First Baptist Church in Athens.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/30/07

TOGETHER:
Jesus is the way, the truth & the life

A speech by Charles Kimball at this year’s Christian Life Conference has generated a lot of discussion. Kimball, a professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, said Christians and Muslims “are talking about the same God.”

“There is really not much ambiguity about this. Allah is simply the Arabic word for God,” Kimball said. “The name for God in Islam, in Arabic, is Allah. This is not another god. This is the same God that Jews and Christians are talking about.”

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

This language is a bit jarring. It’s not how we Baptists normally talk. Kimball was referring to the fact Christians and Muslims, as well as Jews, trace their theological heritage to the God of Abraham. He also was stating the linguistic fact that Middle Eastern Christians who speak Arabic use the word “Allah” (God) in prayers, Scripture reading and worship.

To say that the God of Christians, Jews and Muslims is the same God is a literary and historical understanding of the common origins we have in the story of Abraham. But the reality of Jesus Christ as God incarnate means that any view of God that does not look through the eyes of Jesus is going to be flawed and inadequate to provide salvation.

The 1963 Baptist Faith & Message statement, which is the theological statement of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, is very clear about our understanding of the nature of God and about his Son, Jesus. The statement is too lengthy to quote here in its entirety, but I want to pull out a few key statements. First, from the general statement about God:

“There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To him we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.”

The Baptist Faith & Message then says this about our Lord Jesus:

“Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. … He honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and in his death on the cross, he made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to his disciples as the person who was with them before his crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where he is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. …”

The full statement is available on the BGCT website.

We Texas Baptists affirm that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6).

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The call for all people to know the love of God in and through Jesus Christ is the good news we share.

Jesus loves us all.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/30/07

More than a day at the beach

By Jennifer Sicking

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

BELTON—Spring break was more than just a day or two at the beach for 40 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor students this year.

They and three university staff members journeyed to South Padre Island to make an impact in lives of fellow students as part of Beach Reach, an annual evangelistic outreach.

“I mainly go to show Christ’s love,” said Robert Copeland, a senior from Huffman. He believes students caught up in the “party scene” are “hurt and crying out in a different way.”

Students Minister at Spring Break • Beach Reach volunteers immersed in missions service • Baylor fraternity brothers serve God in the Ozarks • DBU students build homes in South Carolina & South Dakota • HBU students take local & global missions plunge • ETBU nursing students put training into practice in Mexico • Students find missions calling through BSM • More than a day at the beach

His message to them is simple. “I tell them that no matter what they do, Christ still loves them,” he said.

Ashley Ashmore, a senior from Thrall, said a calling to “love on people” compelled her to return to South Padre for a third year of ministry.

“So many times non-Christians feel like the church tries to shove Jesus down their throat. This is not just to tell them about Jesus but to show them Jesus,” she said.

Showing them Jesus includes giving them van rides, serving pancakes or passing out packets of sunblock.

During van rides, Ashmore said girls often would speak of coming to the island to meet a guy to marry.

“They get emotional and say, ‘Why won’t anybody love me?’” she said.

To one girl who spoke about men always leaving her, Ashmore told her about why she followed Jesus.

“His promises will never be broken,” she said.

Such conversations and actions are the reason Baptist Student Mission Director Shawn Shannon has taken the university’s students to the Beach Reach the past four years.

“They have a chance to give their lives away at a time and place where such intervention makes quite a difference,” she said.

Sometimes that difference can be physical, as well as spiritual.

As Copeland and another UMHB Campus Missionary Bear Garza were patrolling in the van to pickup students, they encountered a driver passed out at the wheel of his car at a busy intersection’s stop sign.

When they finally were able to wake him, they loaded him into the van to take him to his house.

“When you pass out your body goes limp,” Copeland said. “But his leg did not, it stayed pushing on the brake so he didn’t go into the intersection and his car get T-boned. This man had just graduated from college, and God gave him a second chance. It was just a complete miracle to me.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/30/07

WMU adopts $5.2 million
Texas missions giving goal

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—The Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas board of directors adopted a $5.2 million goal for this year’s Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

Texas WMU promotes the offering—most commonly emphasized in the fall but collected throughout the year—and distributes the funds for specific projects proposed by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Texas Baptist Men, Texas WMU and Texas Baptist institutions.

The offering is collected one year and distributed the next. For example, funds collected this year will be given to ministry partners in 2008.

Texas WMU Executive Director Carolyn Porterfield said the offering supports ministries seeking to expand God’s kingdom.

“The theme for the 2007 Mary Hill Davis Offering, ‘What Really Matters,’ should speak to every Texas Baptist,” she said. “Jesus says that where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Texas is a great mission field, but Texas Baptists are a great mission force. We have a challenging goal of $5.2 million, and it will support almost 70 different ministries. Each ministry, although unique in how it reaches people, is aimed toward one thing—bringing people to Jesus. That’s what really matters to God.” 

For the ministries to receive the funding they requested through the offering, more Texas Baptists are going to have to give than last year, Porterfield said. In 2006, fewer than half of churches affiliated with the BGCT gave to the Texas mission offering, she noted.

“In 2007 we want to see a great increase in the number of churches giving,” she said. “Giving is a reflection of what matters to us and dollars are only a tool that God will use to bring men, women, boys and girls to himself.”

The offering provides the entire operating budget for Texas WMU, slated to be more than $1.25 million in 2008.

Ministries of the BGCT are the largest recipients of funds from the offering. If the goal is met, the offering will give $1.1 million to help support Baptist General Convention of Texas church-starting efforts. The convention facilitates strategic church starting across the state.

BGCT Border/Mexico Missions will receive $403,300 for mission group coordination, leadership development, health care, and community outreach.

LifeCall Missions, the convention’s volunteer missions effort, will receive a total of $150,000 in Mary Hill Davis funds.

More than $300,000 in offering funds is allocated for the BGCT’s partnership missions efforts, and more than $400,000 will flow through Baptist associations to fund local ministries.

Among the new projects set to receive offering funds are Texas Baptist camps, support for ethnic pastors ministering in their home countries, a Wayland Baptist University student ministry trip, an effort to encourage churches to start ministries that foster healthy families and the installation of a TBM water purification unit in Mexico.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Storylist for week of 4/02/07

TAKE ME TO: Top Story |  Texas |  Opinion |  Baptists |  Faith & Culture |  Book Reviews |  Classifieds  |  Departments  |  Bible Study





Students Minister at Spring Break
• TAKING THE PLUNGE: Beach Reach volunteers immersed in missions service

• Baylor fraternity brothers serve God in the Ozarks

• DBU students build homes in South Carolina & South Dakota

• HBU students take local & global missions plunge

• ETBU nursing students put training into practice in Mexico

• Students find missions calling through BSM

• More than a day at the beach


• At 40 years, no break for Texas Baptist Men

• WMU adopts $5.2 million Texas missions giving goal

• BGCT fills four strategist positions

• Two generations of Wiesers serve as student missionaries

• Texas Tidbits

• Keep ‘dream stealers' at bay, keynote speaker urges lay leaders & ministers

• On the Move

• Around the State


• Too many trips to the wedding altar may trip up presidential contenders

• Baptist Briefs


• Evangelical support for Iraq war apparently wavering

• More Americans exercise choice in religion

• Faith Digest


• Books reviewed in this issue: 10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know by Ronnie Floyd, The Eleven Commandments by Preston Taylor and A Mind for God by James Emery White.


• Around the State

• On the Move

• Cartoon

• Classified Ads


• EDITORIAL: Worse than crashing a $1.5M Ferrari

• DOWN HOME: Pucker up for some really good news

• TOGETHER: Jesus is the way, the truth & the life

• 2nd Opinion: Program changes Texas, life by life

• RIGHT or WRONG? Commercialism in church

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn by John Duncan: Where would we be without Easter?




Previously Posted
• Mohler's ‘gay baby' blog stirs bio-ethics debate

• Dismissed professor files lawsuit against Southwestern seminary

• Powell to retire; Garland named dean at Truett Seminary

• Christians join war protest in Washington

• Hammond elected NAMB president, plans closer relationship with IMB

• Baylor engineering team to bring electricity to Honduran village

• Generous Arkansas family receives generosity from TV makeover

• Teens look to parents, clergy for guidance on sex

• Author wrote a book he can no longer read


• See a complete list of articles from our previous 3/19/ 2007 issue here.

Posted: 3/30/07

CYBER COLUMN:
Where would we be without Easter?

By John Duncan

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, watching the clouds pour the rain on mother earth. Drip, drip, drip. The poet Percy Shelley wrote about them in his poem, The Cloud: “I bring fresh showers for thirsting flowers, From the seas and the streams… .” Today as I think of dreary clouds, I think of the sun behind the clouds. Forecasters say the sun will shine tomorrow.

John Duncan

I dedicate this column to pastors awaiting the sunlight of Easter in the clouds of ministry. 

Every pastor lives between the cloud and the sunshine, between the dark blackness of Good Friday, as we call it, and the glorious light of resurrection on Easter Sunday. Every pastor lives between the sheer pain of Good Friday and the joyous excitement of Easter Sunday, between the depression of bad days and the good report of Easter Sunday to be sure.

I think of these my years as a pastor, and I think of the darkness—families breaking up, horrible deaths like teenagers in car wrecks, the tragedy of the loss of a baby, the gossip, the sickness in people’s lives, the loss of jobs, the harsh words people spit out of their mouths, and the sin that stains all of us because all have sinned. I think of black Friday when Jesus died—the clouds, the thunder and lightning, the “darkness all over the land” as Matthew’s gospel so clearly states it (Matthew 27: 45).

In the ministry, I have had darkness. One day almost 20 years ago, I sat in the church parking lot and cried. I had arrived at the church fresh and young and enthusiastic and now ready to win the world for Christ. I did not plan on taking the church from 140 people to 100 in six weeks, but it happened. Neither did I plan on incurring a half-million-dollar debt with 60 giving families and praying like mad for God to help us deliver the mortgage payment on time. Neither did I plan on the advice of “Boy we’re going to teach you a few things.” Boy, did I learn a few things in those tearful moments.

The darkest moments of a pastor’s life pierce the soul with words that stick. One guy told me I would never make it in the ministry, and another lady remarked one day, “Preacher, we think you need to find another church.” She did not put it to me that nicely, but that was the gist of her words.

Then there were the dark moments every preacher and minister experiences, the grind of ministry, the low-attendance Sundays, the dry baptistery, the drain, the weary Mondays, the hardscrabble world where pain shouts and tragedy in its darkness strikes with the speed of a lightning bolt at an inconvenient hour. So, really, the pain in people’s lives often enters into a kind of darkness, and you join it. Eugene Peterson says, “When a pastor encounters a person in trouble, the first order of ministry is to enter into the pain and share the suffering.” In the words of the African-American spiritual, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen!” Or in the poetic words of Langston Hughes, “Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been so crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it. And splinters, And boards torn up… .” Or add Shakespeare’s words of “take arms against a sea of troubles.” He may well have been writing about the darkness of pastors.

Oh, but the light pulsates with a kind of rhythm and in waves and in moments of shear ecstasy that flood like seas and streams riding waves in rivers of  joy. I think of that same church where I cried in the parking lot and shed tears after I had been there 10 years (and now 20) and the time the church sent my family of five to Europe for 16 days. American Airlines called the trip the European Experience, but I called it sprinting through Europe on a breakfast of early wakeup calls and throw your clothes in the suitcase and breakfasts of hard rolls and “what great city are we in today?” It was shear pandemonium and shear delight!

I remember well saying, “Ten years and we’ve gone from almost being run out of town to a trip to Europe.” My wife then noted, “”There’s no proof that the airfare is a round trip. It might be a one way ticket!” We laughed, and I cried and gave thanks for darkness and the light, because Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and he knew it all too well, said something like “we in the ministry should learn to be thankful for the grace of all things, both good and bad.” I am thankful to the Lord for his light.

I think of the fellowships, the laughter like the time the church presented me with a Wal-Mart greeter vest for my 40th birthday and the baptisms when people shake their wet-haired heads like a dog coming out of the bathtub and smiles and the good report of Sundays when folks joined the church and the response to sermons (one lady said one Sunday, “You preached like Billy Graham!”) and the building campaigns and the joys of stewardship lessons and the numerous appreciation cards and staff and people with wide range of emotion, enjoyment and wonder, a river of seas and streams crashing in the euphoria of a ride in raft on roaring rapids. Jesus caused his face to shine on more than one occasion. William Wordsworth once remarked, “My heart leaps when I behold a rainbow in the sky.” My heart leaps when I think of the light, the joy and the relationship with God and people in the ministry.

In the ministry, Easter keeps me grounded, Easter anchors hope in the darkness of a storm. Easter overpowers darkness with the light of joy and bursts through the hard stone of impossibility. Where would we be without Easter? Where would we be without Easter resurrection? Behind every cloud, the Son shines and radiates his glorious light!

I remember an old wise owl who once quipped, “When you feel like skinnin’ ’em, love ’em; and when you feel like lovin’ ’em, skin ’em,” which was his way of saying in the darkness of ministry show people the light of Christ’s love, and in the light of good times do not forget to remind them of the darkness (of sin) and how Jesus can take care of it all in the light of his glory.

Of this light, Eugene Peterson again says, “The gospel message says, ‘You don’t live in a mechanistic world ruled by necessity; you don’t live in a random world ruled by chance; you live in world ruled by the God of the exodus and Easter. He will do things that neither you nor your friends would have supposed possible.’” My experience in the shadows of darkness and in the bright light of God’s blessing is exactly that: The wonder and joy and excitement of seeing God work.

Easter, I live and die and live again by it! But still I cannot help but think of Easter and without thinking of my grandmother Ruth Duncan from Spruce Pine, N.C. Her middle name was Easter, and she prayed with a hush and a whisper as the cool mountain wind strolled through the window. She prayed sweet prayers in hushed tones of God’s glory in light zapping the darkness and the care of the soul in the hands of God. Lightning bugs blinked near the window, but I always felt the rush of God’s light when she prayed.

Today, I think of pastors, who live on the axis of Good Friday darkness and Easter Sunday resurrection-light. I stand with pastors and applaud them for their faithful service in churches large and small for the glory of Christ. I praise God’s work through them in darkness and light.

I sit here under this old oak tree and watch the rain in clouds of dark, but I always have the hope of knowing that the sun shines and the Son will shine in the light of hope. It’s called Easter, and it encourages the called of Christ, and it calls the ones Christ calls. I must go. A dark cloud moves closer. I think I hear my grandmother praying. Ah, but in the distance I see light. It’s called Easter!

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines. You can respond to his column by e-mailing him at jduncan@lakesidebc.org.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 3/30/07

RIGHT or WRONG?
Commercialism at church

“Is it ethical for church leaders, such as Sunday school teachers and church staff, to sell products to other members of their congregation?”

Each passing day brings news of both ethical and unethical business practices, and churches certainly are not immune from the impact of commercialism. Often, congregations attempt to stimulate growth, improve fellowship and modify worship services through bigger and better means. Consider the modern gadgetry in some of our church buildings that would have been absent five or 10 years ago. Think about the fund-raising ideas for this year’s mission trip. Take into account the countless advertisements that scoot across pastors’ desks weekly from companies specifically geared for the Christian consumer. Some of us have even heard sales pitches being made in church hallways.

However, churches are wise to envision a bold witness in the world of commerce. In fact, lay leaders, teachers and church staff have much to relate to their church families concerning the functionality of a rightly lived Christian witness within the marketplace. Ironically, some congregations remain strangely silent with regard to economic ethics. As both sellers and consumers, more Christians need to be aware of proper modes of handling things. Perhaps the Christian and her or his money is one of the least-addressed matters these days. As citizens of God’s kingdom, then, we have an obligation to redeem our focus on consumerism and the use of material goods. Such an obligation implies that we use our relationships to educate one another about buying and selling.

The heart of the matter extends beyond the typical buyer-seller relationship. Trouble arises when church leaders abuse their position of leadership to peddle goods to church members. The “us versus them” mentality results in a divisive power structure and may lead to intimidation. For instance, when church leaders use their position to sell products, they emphasize consumerism over worship. Jesus’ righteous anger in the temple court should remind us of how important the house of prayer is to the Lord (Mark 11:15-19). Indeed, any sort of exploitation of church members would draw us away from a kingdom ethic: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).

Accordingly, the priesthood of all believers suffers when manipulation of trust disrupts the equal footing of church members and leaders on the bedrock of healthy relationships. Manipulative business practices between church leaders and members steer congregations away from serving God and toward serving money. Richard Foster wrote about this issue in The Challenge of the Disciplined Life: “If money determines what we do or do not do, then money is our boss.” Indeed, a deal-gone-bad brings out hurt feelings, guilt and the temptation toward revenge. Healthy stewardship thrives when church members find an equal, united voice through relationships.

Church leaders and staff would do well to affirm the ethical treatment of material goods. When framed in the context of healthy relationships, the nature of consumerism elicits an ethical Christian perspective. Churches may appear to be a tempting target audience for selling a product. However, refraining from manipulation and from the pitfalls of broken trust is an honorable way of maintaining church unity. Serving together for the kingdom enhances the presence of Christ over the bolstering of our bottom line.

James Hassell, pastor

First Baptist Church

Tulia

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/20/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for April 1

Jesus died that his people might have life

• John 12:12-13:30; 18:1-19:42

By David Harp

First Baptist Church, Stanton

Nearly 20 years have passed since I served as pastor to Campbell and Jean. Jean, the wife, went in for routine gall bladder surgery. If you’ve had surgery lately, you know doctors reel off a lengthy list of “things that could go wrong but never do.”

In Jean’s case, surgery was anything but routine. After four hours of intense surgery, the surgeon met with my good friend Campbell and acknowledged a mistake had been made. Jean would need further surgery, which involved being transported immediately to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

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Soon Jean underwent further surgery to repair damage done in the first surgery. The surgeons at Baylor shared with my friends that Jean would need to be placed on a list for a liver transplant. They would be able to leave the hospital soon but would be sent home with a beeper; when that beeper went off, they needed to be back at the hospital within three hours.

The realization began to set in with Jean; someone would have to lose his life in order for her to gain the life she so desperately wanted to keep.

Few people experience the shock of having someone else die in their place. Perhaps soldiers experience it on the battlefield in a situation where they give their lives for other comrades. Our Bible study teaches us someone died for us. Jesus loved us so much, he died for us. Our life question as we study this week is this: What is the meaning of Jesus’ death?

A triumphant entry (John 12:12-15)

On the Sunday before his crucifixion, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. A large crowd heard about it and came out to greet him. With palm branches and shouts, they acknowledged Jesus was the one who came in the name of the Lord and that he was king of Israel, fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament.

It is significant that Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem took place on the back of a donkey. A donkey symbolized peace. Jesus was not mounted proudly on a warhorse. The large crowds shouted the word again and again, “hosanna,” which means “save us now.”

Then as now, the world was looking for national redemption instead of personal redemption.

A shocking betrayal (John 13:21, 26-27)

Our lesson moves us to the upper room, where the disciples of Jesus shared a final meal together. In this setting, Jesus indicated one from among them soon would betray him. Next, Jesus signified Judas as the betrayer and told him to do quickly what he would do.

Judas was one of the original 12 followers of Jesus. Judas saw Jesus work miracles and heard Jesus teach the truth. Outwardly, Judas looked like one of Jesus’ closest friends and followers. Inwardly, Judas never really was touched by the truth he heard. Judas never received the Christ he outwardly followed. Judas earned a spot of high regard among his peers.

We might wonder—did they ever suspect he was the one who would betray Jesus? Make up your own mind after some study of this passage and the other Gospel accounts of his life. I think they were stunned to learn the betrayer was Judas because Judas talked the talk so well for so long.

Jesus leaves the choice with all of us. We can renounce the evil we are involved in and ask Jesus for forgiveness, or we can plunge further and further into living a life of sin.

An unmistakable death (John 19:16-19; 33-37)

After being condemned to death, Jesus was taken to the place of execution and crucified. In order to make sure Jesus was dead, a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. Blood and water flowed from the wound. Then death came to Jesus at roughly age 33.

Jesus suffered much, especially that last week of his life. Compared to other religious founders, Jesus died young. Confucius died at 69 while putting together ancient writings for the Chinese people. Buddah died at 80. Muhammad died at 62 in the arms of his favorite wife as he ruled the Arabian world.

Jesus was not afforded the luxury of long life. His death seems so cold, so intrusive, and it was. Jesus’ death was God invading all of our lives with this truth—we must deal with him in one way or another. We must choose. We must decide for ourselves whether Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for our sins. To those who believe, Jesus’ death brings us the life that we have been looking for all along. In a class I take in Lubbock, I recently came across a quote attributed to Myron Madden: “We either accept Jesus’ work for us on the cross, or we tend to repeat it.”

It is springtime in Stanton. This means the sand is blowing, and as I write these words, the farmers are preparing the soil for another year’s cotton crop. Springtime for sophomores at Stanton High School means reading Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God in Mrs. Harp’s English class.

Hurston’s novel centers on a young woman named Janie who has finally realized her search for love and meaning to life. Near the end of the story, Janie is talking to her friend Phoeby and says, “It’s a known fact, Phoeby; you got to go there to know there … two things everybody’s got to do for theyselves. They got to go to God, and they got to find out about livin’ for theyselves.”

Springtime means life is everywhere. Rain falls and moistens the soil. Grass needs mowing. Wherever there is life, we also can be reminded a death happened, too.

The death of Jesus brings life to any and all who will accept him, receive him and be changed by him. As always, Jesus leaves the choice with you. What will you do with Jesus?

Discussion questions

• Is my sin too big for God to forgive?

• How does God deal with betrayers today?

• How can we give witness to the cross of Jesus?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/20/07

Explore the Bible Series for April 1

Exercise the power of submission

• 1 Peter 3:1-12

By Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

Let’s face it—none of us likes to talk about submission. We’re afraid we will be told to do something we don’t want to do. Or worse yet, we will be forced to give up our will to someone else. Sadly, even between husband and wife, submission is a topic we’d rather not discuss.

Submission defined

Let’s take a look for a moment at that little word “submission.” What exactly does it mean? Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word as “the condition of being submissive, humble or compliant; an act of submitting to the authority or control of another.” Is it any wonder we are afraid of the word? Being under someone else’s control is a frightening prospect.

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The word “submission” is derived from the Latin word submissio, which means an act of lowering. I am reminded of a description of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8: “Who, being the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.”

Submission is the reality of imitating Christ. Although we like the idea of doing things Jesus’ way, we draw the line at humility, servanthood and especially at death. Ironically, though we talk about the need to show the world our faith, we fail in the one area that would illustrate what Jesus was all about.

Submission is love acted out

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” We are commanded to take care of others’ needs before we think about our own. Jesus says it plainly, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” And what is his commandment? To love. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

If we have any ideas about ignoring this command, Jesus reminds us a student is not above his teacher (Matthew 10:24). Obviously, submission is an important issue. Jesus demonstrated this over and over again. He taught that if we want to be great, we must be a servant. He even took the position of the lowest servant in the household and washed the feet of his disciples. When Jesus does this, we call it power and greatness. When we are asked to do it, we cringe and call it weakness.

Our discomfort causes us to dance around the issue. We don’t really want to deal with it, so we impersonalize it. We discuss it, analyze it and tell everyone what a good thing it is. We even talk about Jesus’ submissiveness, but all this talk is mere posturing. We’re really just trying to keep it “out there.” We’re keeping our distance so we don’t really have to do anything about it. Sadly, in all this talk, we fail to bring it home. Even worse, we fail to bring it into the home.

Bringing submission home

Submission is not something we should be afraid of. It is a beautiful plan by God for everyone to be treated well and to feel his love.

Picture this: In your home, every member of the family is more concerned about everyone else’s needs than their own. They are urging one another to take the biggest piece of dessert, refusing to accept the best seat in front of the television, and helping one another with their chores. As you drive through town, no one is cutting one another off. People wait their turn at the four-way stop. At work, there is no backbiting, no jealousy. When someone gets a promotion, everyone rejoices with him or her. When someone is overloaded with work, everyone chips in to help. It’s a pretty picture, isn’t it?

Now take that picture home once again. God calls husbands and wives to mutual submission. We resist this idea because we fear it means we will never get our way. And we’re right. If we are truly compromising, we won’t get our way. And at the same time, we will.

Let me explain. We already know that when two people must share all their space and property, conflicts will arise. Each spouse comes into the relationship with set ideas about how to manage this space and property. So the battle begins. We each seek to get our way. The idea of compromise simply means we convince the other person to see things our way.

But this isn’t compromise at all. Compromise, or mutual submission, means both people get some of their way. Neither person gets all of their way. Two separate ideas are dissolved, and one unified idea is created. Like the marriage union, the two become one. This boils down to neither person getting their way while, at the same time, both are getting their way.

We like to talk about living out our faith. We like the idea of being a testimony to the world. Perhaps the best testimony we could give is a unified, peaceful home. We need to take our faith home with us. We need to realize it applies to us, not just others, and as we live out our faith at home, our families will be strengthened.

Unfortunately, we tend to get lazy at home. We’ll return insult with insult and rejection with an even bigger rejection. Peter calls us to a higher standard. Let’s bring Christ’s love into the home. “Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (vv. 8-9).

We want God’s blessings, but we want them for free. God asks us to obey him and offers blessings as a reward. If we really want our own needs to be met, we must learn to do the uncomfortable thing and take care of others’ needs first. God’s plan seems contrary and wrong, but it is the only way we’ll really find peace in the home. It’s the only way we’ll enjoy his blessings. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (v. 12).

Discussion questions

• How does the idea of mutual submission make you feel?

• Do you trust your family enough to stop trying to meet your own needs and to focus on their needs?

• Paint a picture of how people treat one another in your home.

• What could be done to make that picture line up with God’s picture of submission in the home?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/28/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for April 8

God’s plans have room for even the least likely

• Acts 9:10-28

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Some churches can have the reputation of being self-regarding, even smug, snooty and cold. Guests have opinions within a few minutes of arrival about friendliness. When it comes to acceptance, perception is everything.

A stranger’s need for acceptance may play second-fiddle to church member’s preoccupation with more familiar relationships. It is personally difficult for individuals to enter strange surroundings seeking new relationships with people and with God, especially if they are not familiar with the church culture or protocol.

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Being ignored or rejected may be psychologically and spiritually destructive. The most shy and timid, the less talented or attractive, the most self-conscious and introverted struggle for significance and sometimes do not find it in God’s house.

Hundreds of thousands of people will experience eternal death because some church fellowships show little hospitality to strangers who enter their hallowed halls. Millions of talented people are lost to the work of God because of hurt feelings, snobbishness and arrogant pride. Leaving someone out hurts the heart of God who shows no partiality or preference. A church should be close knit with friendship, attentive to all who enter, humble in attitude, caring in spirit, unified in purpose and holding all things in common.

Every person wants to be loved, to be accepted and to be significant. These are psychological and sociological issues but they, also, are ecclesiastical issues. People will go anywhere, and conversely stay away from everywhere they are not accepted and appreciated. Admittedly, self-worth issues of the individual come into play, but ideally, that should make no difference. Every person, regardless of sex, color, race, position, education or income, should feel at home in God’s church.

In recent years, missiologists have taught that there are socio-economic barriers that attract or repel people from church, and churches should target their market area and build the church based on age, interest, commonality, musical taste, educational level and other such factors. I have come to agree with the strategy that a church must be culturally relevant.

However, every church must go out of its way to do everything possible to include all individuals into their fellowship out of love, empathy, friendship and spiritual instruction. A person’s salvation or service effectiveness usually depends upon congregational acceptance.

Fellowship is not a passive thing, but an aggressive responsibility. Fellowship has to be intentional, sincere, honest, heartfelt and inclusive. The most important person who attends the worship service is that person who sits alone, the stranger in our midst. One never knows how much a smile, handshake, conversation or offer of fellowship can mean to a person, either guest or member.

How does your church measure up? A missional church will value every relationship and seek involvement for Christ’s sake, even of the least likely. God’s grace comes to anyone and everyone, for Christ died to save us all.

Saul’s experience with the church in Damascus and Jerusalem gives insight into the struggle of acceptance. Saul, later to become the Apostle Paul, was a pure-blood, orthodox Jew, and he was proud of it.

A native of Tarsus, Saul, though Jewish, was a Roman by birth. Bilingual, speaking Hebrew and Greek, Paul says of himself: “I was a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel, I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today” (Acts 22:3).

He did graduate studies in Jerusalem in the school of the rabbis where he was taught a strict legalism and declared himself “… a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6). His linguistic ability and his background fitted him perfectly for his new role as a born-again Christian who would see the resurrected Christ as the true Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy and the Christ for all men, including the Gentile world.

After Stephen’s martyrdom, Saul, eager and passionate, continued to persecute the new Christian church with “murderous threats” and a desire, as he went to Damascus, to make prisoners of male or female practitioners of this renegade faith. He was a man to be feared, vitriolic in attitude and action, determined to destroy the movement and expose the miracle of Pentecost. His antagonism to Christianity was legend.

Unconvinced by Pentecost, his defense of Judaism was encouraged by the high priest and the Sanhedrin. The preaching of Peter and Stephen was not sufficient to turn his heart.

A personal encounter with the risen Christ on his journey to Damascus (9:1-9) would command his attention, melt his heart, bring repentance and change his life. Saul saw with his heart what he could not see with his eyes. He made no distinction between what the apostles saw physically and what he saw spiritually as a “light from heaven” flashing around him (Acts 9:3, 1 Corinthians 9:1, Galatians 1:15).

The dramatic moment of his life took place, while those around him “heard the sound but did not see anyone” (v. 7). Blind from the encounter, Saul was led to Damascus to await the risen Christ to tell him what he must do (v. 6).

As Alexander Maclaren would say, “A wolf turned to a lamb.” Paul was the least likely to become a convert and the least likely to be accepted into the “koinonia,” the fellowship of believers. Any attempt to be assimilated would bring consequences of suspicion, fear and rejection.

Hesitation because of reputation (Acts 9:10-14)

God continued his guidance of the young church, directing Saul to a specific location (v. 6) and directing a special disciple to him, who was praying (v. 11), a disciple he had seen in a vision (v. 12). Ananias was instructed to find him and “place his hands on him to restore his sight (v. 12). Ananias was skeptical, cautious and careful, for he had heard the many and various reports about this man and the havoc he had created in Jerusalem.

Now, he came to Damascus with authority from the chief priests “to arrest all who call on your name” (v. 14). Every church person has had the experience of reluctantly accepting people who walk the aisle in decision, reluctant because of reputation, looks, demeanor or mental state. Such hesitation is human nature, but can be overcome when a person proves worthy. Failure in spiritual growth will occur if the individual does not find acceptance, love and significance.

In Saul’s case, Ananias was correct in being suspicion of a ruse, a trick. On a recent mission trip to China, an American business man, familiar with the underground Christian church, refused our interest in attending because of the danger such would pose for the faithful body of Christ. Nothing could be done that might give away the meeting place or identify the congregants for fear of their lives, punishment or incarceration. The reputation of the police was notorious for persecuting the Christian movement.

Confirmation through a commission (Acts 9:15-16)

Ananias was totally aware of the change to one’s heart that Christ made at conversion, but he had to be sure the conversion of Saul was real, not contrived, and that Saul was genuine. God spoke again to Ananias saying: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel” (v. 16). God had a plan, a commission for Saul, and had hand-picked him for the awesome responsibility of the missional task of the church that was propelled with the death and resurrection of Christ, restated at the ascension, confirmed by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and continuing with the preaching of those scattered from Jerusalem under the persecution of the Jewish leaders.

Saul would understand that his calling was essential and would incur much suffering (v. 16). Saul, by his conversion, was to be added to the church to carry out a specific task for which he was uniquely gifted and prepared. It always has been amazing to me who God uses in his work. Saul, however, was much more qualified than most or all of the other apostles.

Authentication through the Spirit (Acts 9:17-19)

Ananias is obedient and strikes out for Saul’s temporary living quarters to check out the spiritual status of this rumored mean-spirited Pharisee. How powerful it is to see Ananias begin the greeting with “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus … .” There are many ways he could have greeted Saul, but this one spells out the acceptance of Saul and the spirit of Ananias.

Approaching Saul with a positive relationship, he directs his attention to “the Lord,” the one “who appeared to you on the road….” (v. 17). Saul had a remarkable experience, and a spokesman from the Lord Jesus would be immediately identified and accepted. Blind Saul felt the hands of Ananias on him, and the blindness went away (vv. 12, 17) and the Holy Spirit filled his empty life. Discipleship without the filling of the Holy Spirit and without baptism is provisional at best.

Ananias was convinced that Saul’s conversion was genuine and Saul was baptized. God’s Spirit was upon him, filling him, just like at Pentecost. The Spirit in Saul was enough to certify the brotherhood with Ananias. The mysterious Spirit of God had done his work well and dramatically changed the life of Saul.

Verification through action (Acts 9:20-22)

With the infilling of the Spirit, “At once” Saul “began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God” (v. 20). How interesting. When the Spirit controlled his life, he preached with ease and with power; again the first proof of the Spirit-filled life is intelligent proclamation, not speaking in tongues.

Though completely bewildered that the man who “raised havoc in Jerusalem” and who was thought to come to Damascus to do the same, Saul continued to “baffle” them “by proving that Jesus” of Nazareth was the Messiah, the Christ. Accepted into the fellowship of the disciples of Damascus, Saul astonished them with his passion for preaching.

There had been a complete about face so that rather than Saul trying to murder and arrest Christians, the Jews sought to kill Saul for preaching Christ (vv. 23-25). The hunter became the hunted. In every way, Saul proved himself to be one of them, a disciple of the living Christ.

Affirmation through an encourager (Acts 9:26-28)

Saul set out from Jerusalem for Damascus to arrest and destroy Christians but came from Damascus back to Jerusalem serving Christ and seeking to “join the disciples” (v. 26). Fear and skepticism ruled, causing disbelief that he had changed. Barnabas, Mr. Encourager, took it upon himself to stand up for Saul, affirming Saul’s conversion, giving testimony of his fearless preaching in Damascus and seeing him for what he could be. Barnabas turned the tide, bringing credibility so Saul could move “about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord” (v. 28).

Years ago, I received the statement that Christians are not judges but fruit inspectors. The young church in Jerusalem and Damascus had observed the fruit of Saul’s life and could not ignore his change of heart and his new direction. Saul had much to overcome, much to regret and a rebellious life to change, but it all happened in the twinkling of an eye. Saul gradually worked his way into the fellowship of the church and ultimately became the church’s greatest theologian and interpreter of Christ.

I have always been grateful the Damascus church did not ask him to come forward, fill out a card and sit on the front pew. Had it done so, Saul may have sat there for the remainder of his life. For most Christians, this is the essence of their Christian service—join a church, sit down and then come again next Sunday to sit some more.

Missional churches must welcome everyone into their fellowship, examine the fruit of their lives, give them opportunity to express their spiritual gifts in ministry and expect them to be missionaries on the go, helping them to make a decided impact upon their world.

Discussion question

• How effective—really—is your church in including “outsiders” in your fellowship?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 3/28/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for April 8

Jesus lives for us

• John 20:1-18

By David Harp

First Baptist Church, Stanton

Easter comes at a time of rebirth. The life-cycle begins over again. Blossoms fill the flowers as the rain falls and the sun shines. New life is all around. The dead and the cold of winter give way to the warm and the life of spring. Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the resurrection—the day Jesus took up his new life; the day he rose from the dead.

This is a truth worth telling to our family and our friends and everyone we know. This is the good news—really the best news ever. Someone finally has conquered our old enemy death. Jesus lives today. He’s with us. He is in our hearts and continues to change us and remind us there’s a better way to live and an eternal place where we’ll soon be with him forever.

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The resurrection marks Jesus as special—it sets him apart from all those great leaders of world religions. You can visit the tomb of Muhammad, and you’ll find his remains. You can visit the grave of Buddha, and it will be closely guarded and house his remains. The same is true with Confucius and all other “great” world religious figures. But a visit to the tomb of Jesus will reveal that it is an empty tomb. Jesus broke the final barrier for us—death.

The life question as we study this week’s lesson then is, “What is Jesus doing for us now?”

Because Jesus rose from the dead, his followers have life and are to tell others Jesus lives for them and that he ascended to God the Father for them.

Searching, but not finding (John 20:1-2)

When Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb, she discovered the large stone at the entrance had been moved and Jesus’ body no longer was there. She ran and told Peter and John that Jesus’ body was gone, adding she did not know where.

The empty tomb did not in itself convince everyone the Lord was risen, but it did raise some important questions:

• Had someone stolen the body of Jesus?

• Had they gone to the wrong tomb? (Remember, it was still dark.)

• Who could have moved that large stone away?

Likely, Mary’s assumption is that the enemies of Jesus had been at it again—they had stolen his body … one final act of crime to rob the grave.

Faith often leaves us with question marks. We often face our challenges and lives with unanswered questions. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living!”

Believing, but not understanding (John 20:3-10)

Hearing Mary’s report, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. John outran Peter, but Peter rushed right into the empty tomb to see for himself. John joined him, and together they observed the grave clothes and they believed, even though they did not understand the Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead.

Our first response to the resurrection is not always hope. Often it is confusion, like Mary. At times it is doubt, like Thomas. At other times it is fear, like so many of the other upper room disciples. But the hope of the resurrection is right there, if we can just get a glimpse and take a longer look for our own understanding.

Seeing, but not recognizing (John 20:11-15)

Mary Magdalene stayed near the empty tomb. She kept looking into the tomb and saw two angels, then turned, and saw Jesus. Mary did not recognize Jesus as he is in a new resurrected body—she mistook him for the gardener. Jesus spoke to Mary, tenderly and relationally. These are the first recorded words after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus spoke to a woman and tenderly Jesus called her name and asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for. Mary asked him to tell her where Jesus’ body had been moved.

Jesus asks great questions! He asked Mary: Why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?

Why did Mary not recognize Jesus?

• Her tears—she was weeping; the word used here is “constant crying.”

• Her focus—she came looking for a body in a tomb not a resurrected body.

Have you thought that Jesus’ very first word after the resurrection was a name? How did it sound? I think it was filled with compassion and potential. Jesus always saw what people could become.

We don’t worship an empty tomb. We worship a risen Lord!

Seeing, and telling (John 20:16-18)

Jesus spoke to Mary, called her name, and then she knew and she recognized him. Mary grabbed hold of Jesus and clung to him. Jesus told Mary not to cling to him, but rather go to work—go tell the others, the disciples, that he would soon be ascending to be with the Father. Mary immediately went and told the others she had seen the risen Lord and told them what he said.

All the anguish and sorrow for Mary and the other disciples gave way to extreme joy. Jesus is alive. Jesus is risen from the dead.

The great theologian Martin Luther fell into a dark depression that lasted several days. He stayed in the dark room of his basement, and after the third day of this depression, Luther’s wife came downstairs all dressed up in her “mourning” clothes.

Luther asked his wife, “Who’s dead?” His wife said, “God. God is dead!”

Luther, ever the theologian said: “What do you mean God is dead. … God cannot die!”

She said, “Well, I just thought that God died considering the way you’ve been acting the past three days!”

We have good news to share Easter Sunday—God has not died. God is very much alive. Jesus arose from the dead. Jesus brings us life and peace with God. Jesus gives us our marching orders to tell others he is very much alive in our hearts, in our classes, in our churches.

Discussion questions

• What keeps us from recognizing Jesus?

• What are some ways we can give witness to the risen Lord?

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