Posted: 1/21/05

Agency develops foster care program for hurting Sri Lanka

By Craig Bird

Baptist Child & Family Services

SAN ANTONIO–Success in Moldova led to Baptist Child & Family Services to become the lead agency in developing a foster care and kinship care program in Sri Lanka.

“One of our staff members noted that because we had been faithful to the ministry opportunity God gave in Moldova a few years back, he has trusted us with the chance to help provide long-term care for the most vulnerable of all the tsunami victims–the children,” said Baptist Child & Family Services President Kevin Dinnin. “I do know we all feel God's hand in this and intend to be faithful to that call. But it sure is happening fast.”

On New Year's Eve, David Beckett, a missionary in Sri Lanka and member of Currey Creek Baptist Church in Boerne, called Baptist Child & Family Services to ask the agency to set up emergency shelters and help implement a foster care program in Sri Lanka. One week later, a six-member team of childcare specialists from the children's home flew to South Asia.

Children's Emergency Relief International, an arm of the child care agency, named Beckett its Sri Lanka director.

At the invitation of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La), Baptist Child & Family Services was scheduled to be included in a Jan. 21 conference call about the plight of Sri Lankan children, along with the Red Cross, UNICEF, Save the Children and CARE.

Landrieu, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Foreign Operations Subcommittee, has promised to “work to provide as much U.S. aid as possible to these countries and to create a better framework for caring for the thousands of children orphaned by the disaster.”

It all happened because Beckett went to Moldova on a Children's Emergency Relief International mission trip, and when needs arose in Sri Lanka, he remembered what he saw there.

“In partnership with Gospel For Asia (an organization with more than 12,000 churches throughout Asia headed by Indian Baptist K. P. Yohannan), we will develop and support two child assistance centers in the hardest hit areas of Sri Lanka,” Dinnin said.

“The foster care program will partially mirror our Moldova operation by linking American sponsors to Sri Lankan families who assume the care of children. Often that will be relatives and even single parents who lost their spouse to the tsunami. Before the disaster, the government reported an average monthly income of less than $75. No one knows what it is now, but obviously it's so low that taking on even one more mouth to feed is beyond most Sri Lankans.

“We think for $20 to $30 a month, we can make it possible for these children to have a safe, secure life and a hope for a bright future. Gospel For Asia church families will be a key resource in providing suitable homes.”

Texas Baptists who want to contribute financially to the foster care and kinship care program in Sri Lanka can send gifts to Baptist Child & Family Services, 909 NE Loop 410, Ste. 800, San Antonio 78209 or call (210) 832-5000.

Posted: 1/21/05

Texas Baptists give to tsunami relief

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Texas Baptists are pouring their hearts and pocketbooks into disaster relief efforts in South Asia.

Texas Baptists donated more than $320,000 to tsunami relief through the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Some of that money is designated to be funneled to other entities, but a large portion will assist BGCT ministries such as Texas Baptist Men.

Donations made to the tsunami relief aid by Jan. 31 are tax-deductible for 2004.

Baylor University student government is attempting to raise $50,000 for Samaritan's Purse to use in the relief effort.

Houston Baptist University is donating admission and concession receipts from selected basketball games to UNICEF. Dallas Baptist University has raised enough money to pay for two Texas Baptist Men water purifiers. Several Baptist Student Ministries are raising funds.

East Texas Baptist University is collecting money for Texas Baptist Men, as well. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is collecting funds that will be disbursed by WorldconneX.

Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville donated gloves, dressings and other medical supplies to South Asia. Baptist Health System in San Antonio provided a small supply of medical items for Baptist Child & Family Services' initial trip to South Asia.

Even the youngest Texas Baptists are giving. Children from Cook Springs Baptist Church in Huntsville gave $36.50 in change they had collected. A boy from First Baptist Church in Plano donated $100 of the money he received for Christmas.

Mark Kemp, pastor of First Baptist Church in Copperas Cove, said he encouraged his congregation to give to Texas Baptist Men because the men's ministry would seek to meet the spiritual needs of the people as well as provide physical necessities. This relief effort is an opportunity to witness in a largely non-Christian region, he added.

“Seeing the devastation and praying for the people, we felt we should respond in some way,” he said.

Southwest Chinese Baptist Church in Stafford has given more than $11,000 to the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board through the BGCT. Members were touched by the devastation they saw on television and in newspapers, Pastor Peter Leong said. They want to help in order to present a strong Christian witness. South Asians need Christ, he insisted.

“We need to show the kindness of God,” he said. “They need to know Christians care for them.”

Members of the congregation served in Thailand last year and plan to return this March. But that's not important in a situation like this, Leong said. "It's not whether you have been there or not. It's that God gave you kindness."

Posted: 1/21/05

Damage 'horrific' in Indonesia, pastor says

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia–Images do not adequately depict the “horrific” devastation in Indonesia, reported a Keller pastor who is exploring ways to minister in South Asia.

Bob Roberts, pastor of Northwood Church for the Communities in Keller, writes in an online journal that the destruction in areas struck by tsunamis is difficult to stomach. Before visiting Banda Aceh, Indonesia, he was advised to buy clothes he could burn later because “the stench and smell gets in your clothes, and there's no way to get it out.”

"All I can say is, the pictures do not show how horrific it really is," he writes in his journal, which is linked to his church's website, www.northwoodchurch.org. "When you arrive at the airport, you are struck by the pictures of people on the wall that are missing. You drive through mud to get where you are going. Bodies most of the time, not all (of) the time, in body bags line the roads.

“It's leveled. Between a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami, everything is flattened. Concrete and everything is piled with cars, people and boats mixed in like this kind of landscape stew. Soldiers and people are constantly pulling dead bodies from buildings. This will go on for months. A car is in the middle of a decimated concrete structure upside down.” Roberts reports he felt the pain of the people before arriving in Indonesia.

“Many people on this plane know people affected by the tsunami,” he wrote of his trip to Jakarta. “There's some sadness in people I've talked to. Even if they don't know anyone, it's like America after 9/11. We don't get the full scope of this. Yes, 155,000 dead and others missing, but over 1 million people homeless, and for them life is really bad.”

The pain is deep, but Roberts said the trip has value if God shows him ways his church can impact the nation. Ministering in this situation may seem treacherous to some, but sometimes God calls people to act boldly.

“Letting go of the knowledge of what the future will be or say about us. Most of us would like to live to know our legacy–not die without having seen it. That's very human. Faith is dying in obedience, not ever knowing the outcome except that you honored God.”

Posted: 1/21/05

TBM volunteers offer relief in Sri Lanka

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

BATTICOLOA, Sri Lanka–God's Spirit is washing over areas of Sri Lanka that were worst hit by the tsunamis, revealing a changed topographical and spiritual terrain, a missionary in Sri Lanka ob-served.

God has arranged “divine appointments” that enabled the Christian disaster relief efforts to move more swiftly, said David Beckett, a Gospel for Asia missionary working in Sri Lanka and member of Currey Creek Baptist Church in Boerne.

A Canadian helped connect Texas Baptist Men to the water board of Batticoloa in eastern Sri Lanka. The parties then swiftly devised a way to clean wells contaminated by saltwater.

Texas Baptist Men volunteers and a team from Baptist Child & Family Services worship with a group of Christians in Sri Lanka. (Photo by Rex Campbell)

“We are exhausted and weary, both mentally and physically, though our spirits are high and our spirit rejoices with praise and wonder at seeing God's mighty and compassionate hand at work,” Beckett wrote. “He is doing so much to love the Sri Lankan people who are suffering from the tsunamis' destruction.”

Each TBM water purification team is cleaning 25 to 30 wells each day. Texas Baptist Men volunteers also are repairing the city water pumps and chlorination systems for Batticoloa and a more southern city, Kalmunai. This equipment supplies water for as many as 150,000 people along the country's eastern coast.

While cleaning the wells, Texas Baptist Men volunteers are showing Sri Lankans how to do the work themselves, thereby speeding up the recovery process. People cannot return to their towns until they get clean water.

TBM volunteers are feeding several thousand people a day in Batticoloa. TBM workers were constructing kitchens closer to Kalmunai, where more than 10,000 people live in refugee camps, but were asked to stop by the government.

Victim Relief Ministries chaplains are meeting the emotional and spiritual needs of many of those who lost loved ones. Kevin Dinnin, president of Baptist Child & Family Services, expressed amazement at how God's people are acting faithfully in the midst of disaster. His organization has committed to build two shelters for Sri Lanka orphans.

“How do you pick up the pieces when everything you have is gone and many of the people you loved best are dead?” he said. “There are faces and voices none of us will ever forget. There were examples of Sri Lankans living their faith that will inspire us as long as we live.”

The efforts already are making an impact in the largely Hindu and Muslim areas. One Sri Lankan pastor is getting a chance to minister to those who persecuted him.

Through Texas Baptist efforts, the pastor was able to provide a medical clinic for his village. He prayed with a man who once beat him because of his faith. The pastor serves those who repeatedly burned down his home.

“They're having a huge impact in so many different ways in Muslim and Hindu communities,” Beckett said. “You're hearing story after story of people breaking down and crying.”

Posted: 1/21/05

Theologian offers key to understanding U2's 'Atomic Bomb'

By Steven Harmon

I recently did something many folks might not expect a minister and theologian to do. I drove to the nearest music store and bought the latest CD by the world's most popular rock group–U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb–on its release day.

In the early 1980s, I–along with many other Christian young people–started listening to the music of this up-and-coming band from Dublin, Ireland. We were attracted to the overtones of Christian spirituality and the prophetic passion for social justice around the world that pervaded their music.

Steven Harmon

During the 1990s, some wondered whether lead singer Bono and the other two self-identified Christians in the band (guitarist “The Edge” and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.) were de-emphasizing in their art the convictions that had resonated with us. Faith was not absent from their music in those years, however, and their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, was more explicitly rooted in such biblical themes as grace and the economic justice of the Year of Jubilee. Eager to find out what their next project held in store, I looked forward to the release of Atomic Bomb almost as if I were a child awaiting Christmas.

My first listen through Atomic Bomb left me with two initial impressions. First, this album is going to be a hit. Musically, it's their best overall album ever, and four or five of the tracks are naturals for release as singles that should get good airplay. Second, the majority of the people who buy and listen to this music may not fully grasp its deepest significance. Of all the albums U2 has recorded over the past 25 years, this one is the most overtly Christian in its rendering of the world. But this is obvious only to those who already are being formed by the biblical story and thus look at the world through the same set of lenses worn by the creators of this music.

“Vertigo,” the album's lead track featured in the ubiquitous iPod/iTunes commercials during the last few weeks, is rich in allusions to Jesus' wilderness temptations. The video now playing on MTV underscores these connections through its desert-like setting and the band's descent into a dark abyss as Bono intones, “All of this, all of this can be yours/Just give me what I want, and no one gets hurt.” The song concludes with the lyric, “Your love is teaching me how to kneel” (kneeling imagery appears in several songs). The referent of “your” might be unclear, but at the end of a performance of “Vertigo” on NBC's “Saturday Night Live,” Bono called out, “Yeah, he loves you!”

The next track, “Miracle Drug,” simultaneously reflects Bono's participation in the DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade and Africa) campaign and more generally the world of broken human relationships, both in need of God's help. The recipients of this help respond: “I was a stranger/You took me in.” The post-9/11 tribute to New York, “City of Blinding Lights,” closes with a reminder that “blessings are not just for those who kneel.” In other words, God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Disaster does not strike only those who are evil, and recovery from disaster is not only for those who are good.

Like the Song of Solomon in early Christian interpretation, several songs may be heard as explorations of either human or divine love. “Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own” and “All Because of You,” for example, are most meaningful when heard in light of a relational theology centered in the Christian understandings of God as Trinity and humans as the image of the relational God. “A Man and a Woman” challenges romanticized understandings of love and points the listener toward a deeper sort of relational commitment. Love deeper than romance is a repeated theme in the album.

U2's prophetic streak is not missing on Atomic Bomb. The hard-edged blues number “Love and Peace or Else” addresses the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and violence in general, exhorting the “daughters of Zion” and “Abraham's sons” to “Lay down your guns,” with “a brand new heart” as a prerequisite. The biblically allusive “Crumbs from Your Table” indicts Christians who turn a blind eye to need and injustice.

The concluding song, “Yahweh”, would come across as oddly disconnected from the rest of the album to anyone who missed the biblical motifs in the preceding 10 tracks. It could easily function as “praise and worship” music, yet it avoids the egocentricity and overly realized eschatology to which many songs of that genre fall prey.

After stanzas that plead for divine transformation of sinful human life, the chorus praises Yahweh (no generic deity here) while acknowledging the pain and darkness that belong to the already/not yet tension of life between the two advents.

In a voice breaking with raw emotion, Bono begs, “Yahweh, tell me now/Why the dark before the dawn?” before praying: “Take this city/A city should be shining on a hill/Take this city/If it be your will …. Take this heart/And make it break.”

It's not every day that Christians steeped in Scripture innately possess the key that unlocks the meaning of top-selling rock albums.

We may have an opportunity to explain this aspect of popular culture to some of its unchurched consumers. Let's not miss it.

The uninitiated may be interested in a couple of resources: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman, a Presbyterian minister in Ireland and chaplain at Queen's University in Belfast (Relevant Books, 2001), and Get Up off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog, a collection of sermons edited by Episcopal priests Raewynne J. Whitely and Beth Maynard (Cowley Publications, 2003). As Stockman acknowledges, Bono's unfortunate occasional public lapses into the language of the streets of Dublin do not provide the best model for Christian speech. Nevertheless, we should welcome the seriousness with which U2's music takes the language of Zion and its relation to our world.

Steven Harmon is associate professor of Christian theology at Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, N.C.

Posted: 1/21/05

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Jan. 30

Jesus Christ is the capstone of his church

Luke 20:8-19

By Pakon Chan

Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington

The authority of Jesus (Luke 20:1-8)

The chief priests, scribes and elders were the component parts of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Council and governing body of the Jews. They were the religious aristocracy who ran the temple and exercised their own authority over it.

When they saw Jesus entering Jerusalem, cleansing the temple and then teaching in the temple courts, they asked him a series of questions. The Jewish authorities wanted to trap Jesus with those questions so they could charge him with some sort of wrongdoing.

When they confronted Jesus about his authority to teach in the temple, they expected an answer from Jesus would lead to a charge of blasphemy. But instead of giving them a direct answer, Jesus asked them to answer a question, “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

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Jesus knew their motivation was not to seek understanding, so he did not give them an answer. He used their own tactics to silence them, for Jesus knew they could not give any answer to his question (vv. 5-7).

People still approach Jesus with the same attitude. They do not want to know who Jesus is. All they want is to prove Jesus is not God or the Savior. They cannot accept any higher authority that will overpower them.

The rebellious tenants (Luke 20:9-16)

After his conversation with the religious leaders, Jesus told the people the parable of the tenants. In this parable, the beloved son represents Jesus (v. 13). God sent many prophets (servants) to Israel (vineyard) but they were martyred by her leaders (tenants).

In this parable, the landowner was depicted as very kind and patient. The rebellion of the tenants already was proven by their reaction to the servants who had been sent, but the landowner still wanted to give them one more chance. So he sent his beloved son and hoped they would respect him. It ended tragically in violence, and the son of the landowner was murdered by them.

When the religious leaders heard of this parable, they knew Jesus was speaking against them. Even though they understood the meaning of the parable, they did not accept it. Instead, they were even more eager to find a way to arrest Jesus (v. 19).

The parable points out very clearly that those who rebel against God will be punished. God has given people many chances to repent and accept Jesus, but if they keep ignoring this invitation, they will perish in eternity.

This parable was not only a warning to the Jewish religious leaders of those days; it is a warning for us too. We, as Christians, have the responsibility to tell our non-Christian friends to grasp the chance while it still is there to accept Jesus as their Savior. It is going to be very horrifying to see friends and family members one day perishing in eternity.

If we realize the seriousness of this parable, shouldn’t we take action now to lead people to Christ? We can make plans for this year to lead at least one person to Christ. When we do as we are commanded by the great commission, Jesus has promised to be with us. He will empower us and give us wisdom to share the gospel message with our friends. We can share our plan with our church leaders and ministers, and they will help us to accomplish it. The Apostle Paul has encouraged us that “by all possible means we might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Jesus is the capstone (Luke 20:17-19)

Man cannot change God’s plan. The religious leaders thought that by killing Jesus, his message and influence would be eliminated. But things did not happen as they wished. Jesus cited Psalm 118:22-23 to refer to a new temple he was going to build. He was the capstone of this new temple. The temple built by the Jewish people grew old and would be destroyed. The Messiah they were going to kill would become the capstone of the new temple not built by men. We are the new temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus is the living stone and the capstone of his church (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Discussion questions

What is your response after hearing this parable of the rebellious tenants?

Do you want to make a plan to lead one person to Christ for this year? Share your plan with your Sunday school class members.

Posted: 1/21/05

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Jan. 30

Addiction is the beginning of destruction

Proverbs 20:1; 23:20-21, 29-33; Romans 14:19-20; Ephesians 5:15-18

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

A familiar adage says, “One bad habit leads to another.” A habit is an acquired repetition of a behavior pattern that can become involuntary. Addiction is to surrender one’s self to a physical or emotional habit of obsession, in this application, to drugs (alcohol is a drug). No substance abuser ever started out to be an addict, yet everyone is susceptible. Drug addiction is a slow suicide, a slow ride to perdition. There are no old junkies.

Ordinarily, addiction is a process that begins with experimentation with alcohol or drugs, with occasional use increasing to full-blown addiction. Many cocaine addicts admit addiction came almost immediately with first use of cocaine. An alcohol user may take years to reach alcoholism. Adolescents, with less will power and coping skill, move through the cycle to addiction much faster than adults.

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There are many reasons addicts start to use drugs, such as peer approval, curiosity, experimentation, depression, lack of self-esteem, easy accessibility, a dysfunctional family, parental drug abuse, cultural influences such as television and movies, or a lack of moral values. Substance abuse often is an attempt to escape from an unpleasant, burdensome and intolerable situation. Drugs are a quick way to temporarily “get away from it all,” and to find relief from troubles and pain through self-anesthetization.

The problem is that there is no escape from reality. Many people rise above all of these situations and avoid addiction; others give in to the temptation until the obsession is uncontrollable. Addiction usually is a social experience where a person wants to be accepted and have a sense of belonging. A drug addict most likely will come from a home where there is no father figure, or a home where discipline is either too harsh or too lenient.

However, a healthy home environment does not guarantee a child will be free of addiction. The adolescent years can take their toll on a teenager’s self-esteem and emotional development. If a youth has a sense of personal inferiority, real or imagined, he or she is more easily tempted to try drugs.

Recovery from addiction requires a spiritual experience to get rid of the controlling beast inside. Scripture gives some powerful spiritual principles that insightfully assist in avoiding addiction. Four have been chosen for this lesson.

Exercise wisdom (Proverbs 20:1)

The writer of Proverbs encourages the reader to use the mind and warns against excessive use of alcohol, in this case “wine” and “beer” (“strong drink” in KJV). “Mocker” can be translated as “scorner,” which is a very emotional word of anger and disgust. The statement, “Wine is a mocker” is an angry warning of rejection and disaster and an expression of extreme contempt. “Brawler” means one who fights loudly or quarrels in loud confusion. The imagery is not becoming of the drunk who rages out of control, stumbles in his steps, mumbles with slurred speech and is dull, hostile and dim-witted. A drunk is the very opposite of wisdom. Response to the drunkard is usually pity, amusement, disdain, anger and rejection. No one is wise to place himself in such an inebriated state.

The moral philosophy, “If it feels good, do it,” is a natural expression of the carnal nature. Feelings often become the key operative of life. Feelings are the way drugs take over while diminishing the rational, thinking part of personality. Feelings become like a disease. The feeling of pleasure received from using drugs is the subtle, destructive and damning deceiver.

God gave us reason, will and emotion. Emotion, or feeling, was never intended to be an adequate guide for decision-making. Feelings are fickle and change with every circumstance like a reed in the wind. When feeling is the focus of life, the tail is wagging the dog. Acting out of emotion or feelings without the benefit of fact is the harbinger of poor choices and critical failure.

Experimentation with a drug brings some feelings of pleasure and euphoria but when repeated enough becomes insidiously destructive to the addict, his family and society. If drugs and alcohol are tried and the feeling is liked, then the stage is set for possible addiction.

Frequently, the experienced user will coach the inexperienced user on how to make drugs even more enjoyable. Each step to more frequent use, along with the use of different kinds of drugs, increases the probability of emotional or physical dependency. Dependency brings a feeling of worthlessness, self-loathing, failure, insecurity, doubt, arrogance, paranoia, belligerence, denial and suicide.

In order to overcome the powerful feelings just described, the addict uses more and more drugs. The cycle is now complete and happens over and over and over again like a whirlwind, pushing the user into a spiraling downward swirl to devastation and ruin. Nothing else matters. Sleepless nights and waking hours are used to determine how to connect with the next fix.

This merry-go-round is relentless. Belongings are hocked, theft and forgery are practiced, lying and cheating become behavioral norms. Paranoia, guilt and denial dominate the personality. The only prospect for life is more drugs. What started out as a dream for a little fun has turned into the worst possible nightmare.

Wisdom’s discipline and will power’s force are much more serving of our needs and should guide our emotions to the best things in life rather than addictions which destroy.

Watch out! (Proverbs 23:20-21, 29-33)

Be wise and watch out “for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (v. 21). This proverb describes the troubles and losses of the substance abuser very vividly. The writer paints such a picture to encourage the bibber to leave alcohol (and drugs) alone.

The seriousness of the addiction is substantiated by the losses incurred—loss of focus, fortune, family and friends. Once the drug takes control, it becomes the addict’s god, father, mother, sister, lover, friend and the all-consuming reason to exist. The substance abuser eventually loses everything. Poverty (v. 21), woe, sorrow, strife and physical stress (v. 29) are the eventual reward.

People who never experiment or try drugs never become addictive. One never knows who will become the addict. If you were to board an airplane and the stewardess were to say, “You are welcome to fly with us, but on the journey one of ever 12 seats will fall out on the way,” the airplane would leave empty. Yet, one of every 12 individuals who drink socially will become an alcoholic, and hundreds of thousands get on board every day.

The pleasure gained at the beginning will not be a blessing in the end. If you play with fire, you will get burned. Drugs “sparkle” and go “down smoothly,” but “in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (v. 32). Yet, the drunkard’s strange visions, fights, physical pain and emotional loss do not keep him from seeking another drink (vv. 33-35). We should keep a close physical, emotional and spiritual lookout for the things of pleasure that ultimately turn us into addicts.

Consider others (Romans 14:19-21)

Addiction is a very selfish thing. Addicts do not think like normal people. To the addict, the need for drugs dominates any relationship. To lose a loved one to substance abuse can be worse than death because the addict lives and is a constant reminder of personal failure. Everyone around the addict feels a sense of guilt and responsibility for the addiction. The grief is intense because of the interjection of anger, abandonment, emptiness, resentment, rejection, helplessness, hostility, disappointment, doubt, depression and denial.

The impact upon family and friends is enormous. Once addicted, the substance abuser’s concern for others is limited by the obsession for drugs and a “me-first” attitude.

Paul gave us one of the great principles of decision-making here in this passage, the principle of placing others before one’s own wants or desires. Concern for others puts moral limits upon our behavior. We should “make every effort to edify others (v. 19).

Paul gets high on freedom and voluntary submission, choosing to be responsible for another’s sake (his ultimate example is Christ who “did not please himself,” Romans 15:3). All foods are clean for eating, but if to eat them causes someone else to stumble or experience pain, then the food (drugs) should not be consumed. An action may not violate your conscience, but if it violates another whom you are seeking to nurture in the Lord, then that action should not be taken. Freedom in Christ allows some things to be done, but if that freedom is objectionable to someone else then, in the same freedom, refrain from doing it.

Personal sacrifice is little to give up in order to show love in behalf of others. That is the very nature of love. Don’t forfeit your witness by grieving the other party for “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking” (v. 17). Consideration of others should provide some incentive for never getting on drugs.

Submit to the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-18)

Contrasting foolish drunkenness with being filled with the Holy Spirit (see similar comparison in Acts 2:1-13), Paul calls us to wisdom (v. 15) and obedience to the will of God (v. 17). God’s will and Spirit would never lead down the path of substance abuse. The feeling of pleasure and euphoria from the Holy Spirit within us is a complement Christ, through his salvation, has given to all who believe. Rather than being deceived by the pleasure of strong drink that destroys, be filled with the Holy Spirit that guides in righteousness, convicts of sin, builds up the church and blesses the individual.

Discussion question

Is a spiritual compenent necessary to overcome addiction?

Are other addictions as damaging as drugs and alcohol?

Those who are addicted in large measure “chose their poison.” Why not just write them off?

Posted: 1/21/05

Survey: Half of Americans
willing to curtail rights of Muslims

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Nearly half of all Americans would curtail the civil rights of Muslim-Americans in some way, a new survey reveals.

In the name of combating potential terrorism, 44 percent of respondents to a Cornell University survey said they agreed with one or more potential curtailments of Muslims' civil liberties. Conversely, 48 percent of respondents did not agree with any of those curtailments.

The survey also found:

29 percent of respondents believe "Muslim civic and volunteer organizations should be infiltrated by undercover law enforcement agents to keep watch on their activities and fundraising."

27 percent believe "all Muslim-Americans should be required to register their whereabouts with the federal government."

26 percent believe mosques should be "closely monitored" by federal law-enforcement agencies.

22 percent believe the government "should profile citizens as potential threats based on being Muslim or having Middle Eastern heritage."

The survey also found that highly religious people were more likely than people of little or no faith commitment to support restrictions on Muslims' civil rights, as were Republicans versus Democrats and independents.

In addition, the results suggested the more television news a respondent watches, the more likely he or she is to favor such restrictions.

"Our results highlight the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties in time of war," said James Shanahan, a communications professor at Cornell and one of the authors of the study, in a statement.

"Most Americans understand that balancing political freedoms with security can sometimes be difficult," Shanahan continued. "Nevertheless, while a majority of Americans support civil liberties even in these difficult times, and while more discussion about civil liberties is always warranted, our findings highlight that personal religiosity as well as exposure to news media are two important correlates of support for restrictions. We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding."

The telephone survey involved 715 respondents from a nationwide sample. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Posted: 1/07/05

Around the State

The Pastoral Care and Counseling office of Baylor Health Care System and the Baptist General Convention of Texas is offering a 14-week course for laypeople preparing them to provide effective, compassionate spiritual care for others. The “Hands on Ministry” course will begin Jan. 20 and continue through April 28. Each session will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the East Room on the basement level of Baylor's Truett Hospital in Dallas. For more information, call (214) 820-4893 or (888) 311-3900. The training fee is $25.

Thirty-four Hardin-Simmons University December graduates were announced as honor graduates. Achieving summa cum laude status were Shaunda Kaye Eady, Danielle Clemens, Justin Tollison, Valeta Tollison, Erin Feldman, Daniel Graves, Deborah McFarland, Amanda Pullen and Lauren Ross. Magna cum laude graduates were Michelle Bailey, Crissandra Cotham, Michelle Covington, Faith Feaster, Rachael Heard, Tava Peralta, Danielle Schell, Susan Summers and Tino Velasquez. Cum laude honors went to D'Anna Brannon, Landon Day, Christina Hannin, Martin Lovvorn, Sarah Biggs, Jessica Conner, Amber Dawes, Nicolette Deveneau, Hilary Gibson, Jocelyn Lewis, Monica Lowe, Stephanie Lowe, Kimberley Mather, Brian McBride, Nathan Muramoto, and William Roberson.

Katrina Esco of Houston, a junior at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, placed first in informative speaking at the Louisana State University-Shreveport Red River Swing Tournament. Twenty-nine schools from throughout the nation competed in the tournament.

Houston Baptist University celebrated its 41st anniversary during a Founder's Day Convocation Dec. 2. Faculty and staff recognized for years of service included Don Looser, 40 years, and Don Byrnes, 35. Celebrating 20 years were Saleim Kahleh and Jon Suter. Debra Berry, Debora Burnett and Rhonda Furr celebrated 15 years with the university. Honored for 10 years of service were Patti Bailey, Eloise Hughes, Steven Key, Melanie Leslie, Anthony Martin, Hugh McClung, Richard Parker, Harold Raley, Dean Riley and Roger Wilhite.

Winners of the Era Miller Writing Contest held at East Texas Baptist University include Daniel Amy, first for prose; Aaron Kelly, second for prose, first for poetry; Benjamin Bryan, third for prose; Michael Shewmaker, second for poetry; and Daniel Spence, third in poetry.

Cassie Hoyer, a junior at Howard Payne University, recently served in Washington, D.C., as an intern for the Alliance for Marriage, a nonprofit organization supporting a proposed constitutional amendment regarding the definition of marriage.

John Brooks, founder and president of FOCUS Inter-national, which sends students to different countries for missions work, will be the guest speaker at Houston Baptist University Jan. 18 and 20. He will speak in Mabee Theater Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. and in Glasscock Center at 10:10 a.m Jan. 20. For more information, call (281) 649-3117.

Appointments

Twelve missionaries with Texas ties have been appointed by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Ben and Christi McGraw will continue to serve in Greenville, where he is a Nehemiah Project church starter. They have three children: Evyn, 7; Luke, 5; and Daniel, 1. Shelley Weaver of Fort Worth serves in New York City as US/C-2 missionary with NAMB's Strategic Focus Cities initiative called New Hope-New York. Weaver works with Metropolitan Association in recruiting and mobilizing Southern Baptist volunteers to help reach the 21 million people in the metro area for Christ through church starts and other ministries. Before beginning her assignment, she was involved with the youth ministry at Travis Avenue Church in Fort Worth. Jack and Janet Allen serve in New Orleans, where he is Nehemiah Project director at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a Texas native. They have two children: Boone, 19; and Amanda, 15. Tim and Elise Bissell serve in Syracuse, N.Y., where he is a church starter. The Texas natives formerly served with the International Mission Board in Russia. They have three children: Caleb, 17; Benjamin, 15; and Bethany, 12. Pamela Cline is a church planter in Southbridge, Mass. A Garland native, she is minister of administration at Newsong Community Church. Paul and Teresa Gomez serve in New York City, where he is a church-planting strategist with the Baptist Convention of New York. An Abilene native, he served First churches in Farmers Branch, Dallas and Colleyville and Crossroads Church in Fort Worth. Phil and Judy Langley serve in Monte Vista, Colo., where he is director of missions and church-starting strategist for Continental Divide Association. He is a Texas native, and both are graduates of Wayland Baptist University.

Anniversary

First Church in Lexington, 150th, Jan. 23. Special recognitions and presentations will be part of the 10:30 a.m. worship service, which will be followed by a catered lunch. Exhibits depicting the church's history will be displayed. Michael Luce is pastor.

Events

First Church in Devers will hold its annual chili cookoff and gospel music showcase Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m. Groups to perform include The Rileys, The Master's, Jarrod Manning and Destiny. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

“Celebrate Life with a Show of Hands” is the theme of First Baptist Church in Belton's Sanctity of Human Life Fair to be held Jan. 23 from noon to 3 p.m. The fair will host booths from area programs and organizations that provide family services including crisis pregnancy, maternity homes, adoption, abuse recovery, disabilities, assistive technologies and services, and free legal help for living wills. Craft activities and puppet shows will be available for children. Andy Davis is pastor.

Deaths

Charles Myers, 91, Dec. 2 in Abilene. He was a longtime chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and pastor the last 44 years at Wingate Church in Abilene. He was a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Seminary and one of the first certified hospital chaplains in Texas. He established the chaplaincy program at Hendrick in 1957. At his retirement, he was named chaplain emeritus. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; son, Ed; and sister, Virginia Argenbright.

Frances Drake, 85, Dec. 27 in Lubbock. Her husband, Weldon, was pastor of churches in Whitewright, McKinney, Fort Worth, Corsicana and Hurlwood. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1993. She is survived by daughters, Karen Holt, Susie Barnett, Nancy Stargel; and sons, Jim and Jon.

Glenn McCollum, 75, Dec. 27 in Mexia. A resident of Teague, he had formerly lived in Gregory, Aransas Pass, Bishop, Bremond, Mission, Daisetta, Kyle, Lockhart and Freeport–serving as pastor in many of the communities. He surrendered to ministry at age 18. At the time of his death, he had been minister of visitation and encouragement at First Church in Teague 10 years. He also served numerous area churches as interim pastor. He considered world missions his life purpose and had gone to Jamaica, Australia, Japan and Africa to spread the gospel. He was an avid woodworker and collected barbed wire. He is survived by his wife, Nellie; daughter, Tammie Hall; son, Michael; daughters, Eva Price, Dawna Hyden and Tricia DuBois; sister, Wilma Cast; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Howard Bramlette, 81, Dec. 30 in Tyler. He had been living in an Alzheimer's center since 2001, and he died after being hospitalized for several days with complications from diabetes. He was a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary, Indiana University and did further graduate work at Vanderbilt University's Graduate School of Management. During World War II, he served in the South Pacific, the Philippines, where he was decorated for meritorious service and in Japan. He was ordained by Central Church in Jacksonville in 1951. His entire career was devoted to work with college students, beginning as Bible teacher and Baptist Student Secretary at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He left there to serve in the student department of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. In 1956, Bramlette was employed by the Baptist Sunday School Board's student department as a consultant with Baptist colleges. In 1966, he became director of placement and promotion for the Education Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1976, he returned to the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay) as editor of the award-winning collegiate magazine, The Student. After retirement, he performed special assignments for several SBC agencies, and was a founding member of the Development Council for the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. Throughout his career, Bramlette was a popular speaker on college and university campuses and at student convocations nationwide. He was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Ann Lasseter.

Roberta Tullock, 81, Dec. 30 in Vernon. She was a member of First Church in Vernon. She and her husband served churches from Missouri to Texas. She was preceded in dath by her sisters, Mildred Krems and Patricia Sisk. She is survived by her husband, Sam; daughter, Kim Jones; son, Samuel; twin sister, Rhodella; and six grandchildren.

Ollie Lena Olsen, Jan. 3 in Abilene. She was executive director of the Taylor County chapter of the American Red Cross 20 years until her retirement in 1977. She was a 1935 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University. She was an instructor in English at HSU in 1937-38 prior to teaching in Cincinnati, New York City, Abilene High School and in India. She was a member of First Church in Abilene since 1927. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Claudine Olsen and Regina Lewis; and brother, Julius. She is survived by her brother, Julian Olsen.

Posted: 1/10/05
LifeWay Family Bible Series for Jan. 16

All life is to be valued as a creation of God

Exodus 1:8-21; Jeremiah 19:1-15; 33:1-26; Romans 8:1

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Being a Christian is about valuing human life, in the womb to the tomb. Jesus gave his highest goal, contrasted with thieves: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The sanctity and protection of life are ultimate and precious Christian values.

In real life situations in an immoral and sinful world, individuals often are forced to contend with circumstances of a greater or lesser evil.

The protection of life raises some complex questions for biblical ethics. Does God, presiding over this world with wisdom and grace, place a value on life humans do not comprehend or understand? Is the life of a Billy Graham worth more to God than the life of Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein (for example, could God be punishing America through these pagan leaders, see Jeremiah 27:1-7)? Is George Bush morally right to unleash the world’s greatest army upon a tyrant and his cohorts responsible for millions of deaths, and to offer American sons and daughters in order to save the lives of many in Iraq? Is a cause, even a holy cause, reason enough to destroy life (like the Crusades)? Does war by a so-called Christian nation diminish the true meaning of the biblical gospel of love?

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Can taking a life be considered just because of extenuating circumstances and if so, what circumstances? Who decides if freedom and democracy for the world is worth the cost of American or Iraqi lives? What about capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia? How should one value one’s own life in relationship to the value of another? Should one defy courts and laws in order to protect life?

The serious challenge of moral dilemmas can be mentally and emotionally exhausting but can find resolution in abiding Christian principles.

Devaluing life usually means replacing it with something else of more personal value. What is a justifiable reason for devaluing life: a just cause (war), a sexual accident (premarital sex), the emotional pain of life (suicide) or the physical pain of the body (euthanasia), greed for possessions (murder), convenience (the aged), schedule (road rage), anger (assault), fear (prisoners of war), racial prejudice (holocaust), politics (genocide), poverty (injustice), ignorance (homeless), deformity (mongoloid), over population (Israel in Egypt, see Exodus 1:8-21), religion (persecution), children (abortion)? The character of a Christian is demonstrated by the moral value we place on others. Life is valuable as a unique gift of God. Each human being is one for whom Christ died, made in his image and precious in his sight.

The crucifixion is about the value of life. Even God, the Father, qualified the value of life by his willingness to watch his one and only Son voluntarily lay down his life for the good of many. Christ laid down his life for the world and characterized the value placed on love and sacrifice, saying to his disciples: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12).
Note the contrast of taking another’s life and voluntarily giving up one’s life. Some give of their life in order to take life, as in the case of the terrorist martyr who sees martyrdom as a beautiful thing while Christ glorifies the giving up of life in order to protect and save life. Is this a reasonable principle to justify war or abort a child to save the life of a mother? The Scripture in this study provides some valuable insight.

Be warned about God’s judgment (Jeremiah 19:3-6)

Jeremiah 19:1-15 (see the same account in Jeremiah 7) involves a prophesy of God’s impending judgment because of Israel’s idol worship, employing child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom (from which our word “Hell” is derived), just south of the Jerusalem city wall. “Topheth,” meaning a hearth or fireplace, was and open-air altar located near the junction of the Hinnom Valley with the Kidron where children were shamefully sacrificed to the cult god Baal. Jeremiah, as the spokesman for God, accused the kings of Judah of having “forsaken me and made this place a place of foreign gods, … burned sacrifices in it unto other gods, … filled this place with the blood of innocent” (v. 4).

In chapter 18, Jeremiah had learned a great spiritual lesson at the potter’s house and, most likely, could look out the gate beyond the fragments of broken pottery (potsherds) into the Hinnom Valley toward the abominable place of sacrifice (Topheth). God judged this place as the “Valley of Slaughter” (v. 6) and forecast his judgment by smashing Jerusalem like “this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired” (v. 11; also see vv. 7-9).

The prophetic warnings of Jeremiah had failed to turn the heads of the people of Israel from their pagan worship rituals and their pagan practice of child sacrifice. God would then “bring a disaster on this place” (v. 3).

Though the biblical context is very different, the circumstances are similar to today’s culture when life is devalued, the elderly and children are abused, terrorists kill innocents with reckless abandon, gangs conduct drive-by shootings and millions of innocent unborn children are offered on the altar of sexual license and selfish pleasure.

Regardless of the reasons, God weeps and is dishonored by how we dehumanize humanity. Christians often have contributed to the assault on human life through personal involvement in destructive behavior or lack of involvement in protecting life.

Receive and proclaim God’s forgiveness (Jeremiah 33:6-9, Romans 8:1)

God, in order to preserve the nation of Israel for his holy purpose, intended to place Judah in exile under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to punish their disobedience, unfaithfulness and ritualistic pagan disregard for life. Jeremiah 33 describes the prophecy and promise of God given to Jeremiah, that God will restore Israel back to “health … healing … abundant peace and security … bring Judah and Israel back from captivity … rebuild them as they were before … cleanse them from all the sin they have committed … forgive all their sins of rebellion against me” (33:6-9).

Sin brings judgment and death but “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1). God always is ready to forgive when repentance is genuine.

Work to protect human life (Exodus 1:15-20)

Exodus chapter 1 provides an illustration of working to protect human life guided by divine revelation and in defiance of national authority.

The Hebrew people in bondage in Egypt “multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them” (v. 7). The midwives of the expectant Hebrew mothers were asked by the Pharaoh to kill the boy babies and let the girl babies live (vv. 15-16) to slow down their population growth. The midwives, Hebrew women, refused because they “feared God” (v. 17). When confronted with their disobedience, they gave an untruthful answer that the women “are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive” (v. 19).

Without debating the ethics of their response, apparently their values allowed them to lie in order to save a life, resulting in God’s kindness to these midwives (v. 20). Morality issues were dominant over the circumstances of political judgment and presidential decree. Life was more precious than national concerns or a population explosion. The context and decisions of the midwives suggest their understanding of the value of life flows from their knowledge of God’s character, their fear of God, compassion for human beings and sense of life’s sacredness. The midwives aggressively worked to preserve and protect life, defied those in authority, were willing to suffer the consequences of their decision and ignored the moral code of truth telling in order to stand up for the right to life for the innocent babies.

No longer just an issue of sexual liberation or a woman’s right to choose, abortion is about life, life in the womb. There are some 1.5 to 2 million abortions each year in America, even though the fetus has a heart beat usually by the 25th day and a brain wave near the 40th day after conception. Abortion issues are caught in the angry political dialogue between pro-choice or pro-life and America’s devaluing of life.

Loving the lives of the innocent and less fortunate is a powerful experience. This kind of love is called compassion.

A young couple, having their first child, learned at 26 weeks of gestation the growth and development of the brain of their fetus child was severely impaired. The doctors were absolutely sure there was no hope of meaningful life and advised abortion. The couple refused to abort because of a respectful fear of God and their sense of the sacredness of life.

The baby was born with very little or no cognitive abilities but became the object of love for the couple and their family members. Her life was a struggle with every family member needed to attend to her 24/7. The precious life of this physically and mentally challenged child improved the quality of life for those around her. I had the privilege of cradling little Emily and acknowledge she impacted my life.

Eleven months into life, Emily died. The journey to the grave was devastating, but courageously they thanked God for her life. Their respect for life and love of God turned tragedy into triumph. The family’s faith, strength and testimony led to an adult man becoming a Christian because of the example of love set by this Christian couple. Because of this needy child, their lives will forever be changed for the better.

Discussion question

What questions about valuing life most trouble you?

Posted: 1/10/05
BaptistWay Bible Series for Jan. 16

Disciples of Christ should expect opposition

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

This week’s lesson is a continuation of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples prior to their departure for ministry among “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6). Specifically, the lesson before us covers verses 16-42 of Jesus’ “missionary discourse” recorded in Matthew 10.

At the conclusion of our study last week, we noted the Twelve were alerted to the fact that their proclamation might well be met with opposition (vv. 14-15). In the verses that follow, Jesus warns his disciples of the hardships they will encounter in conducting their mission. In fact, Jesus declares he is sending them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves” (v. 16; Acts 20:28-29). Although they are to seek lost sheep, they will be as vulnerable to danger as those they seek and should therefore be as wary as they are pure (v. 16).

Jesus instructs his disciples to beware of those people who will hand them over to local Jewish councils, who will in turn try them and scourge them in their synagogues (v. 17; 2 Corinthians 11:24). The Twelve also are forewarned that they will be taken to testify before gentile rulers because of their commitment to Jesus (v. 18). Nonetheless, they are told not to worry about what they might say, for the “Spirit of the Father” will speak through them (vv. 19-20; John 14:26).

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Contemporary misconceptions to the contrary, Jesus does not promise his disciples a bridge over troubled waters. Rather, he promises his followers they will face familial discord and societal disdain for the sake of his name (vv. 21-22). In the throes of affliction and in the face of opposition, however, they are to remain steadfast and are to flee persecution (vv. 22-23).

In due course and perhaps sooner than later, worldly tribulation will give way to divine salvation at the coming of the Son of Man (v. 23). Whereas beleaguered Christian believers in every generation have yearned for Christ’s return, those who are at ease in Zion tend to be far less vigilant about and far more complacent toward Jesus’ Second Advent.

Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for the hostility they will encounter in the course of their ministry through the use of analogy. Even though disciples are not above their teachers or slaves above their masters, they might well mirror and model their teachers and masters (vv. 24-25). Similarly, although the Twelve clearly are subordinate to Jesus, they can expect to be treated like him by unbelievers. If the Master himself is maligned and slandered to the extent he is even called “Beelzebul,” literally the “prince of demons” otherwise known as Satan, then his followers have every reason to suspect they will be subject to speech every bit as scurrilous (v. 25).

Despite the fact that Jesus has warned his disciples they will be beaten, interrogated, executed and maligned, he instructs them in verse 26 not to fear their oppressors. Although his followers are to be wary of their enemies and cautious toward those who would persecute them, they are not to cower at their power. On the contrary, they can live transparently and speak freely knowing nothing can or will escape the holy gaze of God (vv. 26-27). That is to say, Jesus’ disciples need not fear what mere mortals can do to them. At the most, those who oppose them can kill them. While sobering and serious enough, mortal death pales in comparison to eternal death, and only God can ascertain and seal a person’s eternal destiny (v. 28).

Furthermore, Jesus tells the Twelve not to fear their future plight, because they are never out of their Father’s sight. Jesus assures his disciples that even comparatively worthless sparrows do not go unnoticed by God. And if this be true of birds, it is all the more true of believers. Jesus assures his followers God is so intimately acquainted with and concerned about his own children, he even knows the number of hairs on their heads. Far from being dispensable, they are special to God and integral to his work in the world (vv. 29-31).

How can a person hope to be confident before the One “who can destroy soul and body in Gehenna”? Jesus instructs that one’s confidence before God is contingent upon acknowledgment of him as Master and Messiah before others. Those who confess him as the Christ before others will be claimed by him before the Father. On the other hand, those who deny him as the Christ before others will be denied by him before the Father (v. 32).

Realistically, one’s confession of and commitment to Christ may well lead to discordant relations, even among family members. When one family member regards God as Father and Christ as Brother and another does not, peace can give way to strife. The sword Jesus wields is not one of warfare, but it is a sword of decision that will invariably lead to division (vv. 34-36). Jesus teaches that a willingness to forfeit familial and material security for the sake of the gospel enables true life (vv. 37-39).

And if even those people who extend hospitality to Jesus and his messengers can anticipate an eternal reward (vv. 40-42), then one can only imagine the treasures being amassed by those who are willing to take up Jesus’ cross and follow him (vv. 19-20).

The following statement by Jim Elliott is spiritually astute and captures the thrust of today’s lesson: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Many of Jesus’ earliest followers believed this to be true. Do we?

Discussion questions

What hardships have you encountered as a disciple of Christ?

If someone has not encountered difficulty, should they question whether they have truly acted as disciples?

What sacrifice have you made to be a disciple?

Posted: 1/18/05

BaptistWay Bible Series for Jan. 23

Understand the parable to get most from seed

Matthew 13:1-23

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

Thus far in our study of Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, we have considered the Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29) and the missionary discourse (10:1-11:1) respectively. In our overview of the five protracted sections of instruction given by Jesus in Matthew, we now turn to chapter 13. Here we find a collection of Jesus' parables on the kingdom of heaven.

Chapter 13 commences with a brief introduction (vv. 1-3), which is immediately followed by the parable of the sower and the seed (vv. 3-9). Before offering the disciples an allegorical interpretation of the parable (vv. 18-23; note also vv. 34-35), Jesus explains to them why he speaks to the crowds in this way (vv. 10-17). The parable of the weeds among the wheat (vv. 24-30), the only other parable in chapter 13 developed in any degree of detail, is interpreted in verses 36-43.

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On either side of verses 36-43 are five shorter parables for which no explicit or extensive explanation is given (the parable of the mustard seed, vv. 31-32; the parable of the leaven, v. 33; the parable of the hidden treasure, v. 44; the parable of the pearl of great price, v. 45; and the parable of the fishing net, vv. 47-50). The disciples' affirmation that they ascertain the meaning of Jesus' parabolic instruction serves as the conclusion, if not the climax, of the chapter (vv. 51-52).

It might be noticed in passing that no less than seven parables are recorded in Matthew 13. In biblical literature, the number seven can connote completion or perfection. One wonders if Matthew was mindful of such meaning when he composed this portion of his Gospel.

Before looking at 13:1-23 in greater detail, a word or two about parables in general is in order. The English “parable” derives from the Greek “parabolï,” which in turn translates the Hebrew “mÇshÇl.” Broadly conceived, a parable is an analogy or comparison. Literally, “parabolï” means “to throw or cast alongside,” to which we might add, “for illustrative purposes.”

With special reference to Jesus' parables, the working definition offered by Arland Hultgren in his recent, comprehensive study on the subject will suffice: “A parable is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between God's kingdom, actions or expectations and something in this world, real or imagined.”

Regarding how Jesus' parables are best read, interpreters are divided. While some would regard the parables of Jesus as (limited) allegories, others have insisted they are meant to convey a single point or principle. A principal point may well be discernable in a number of Jesus' parables.

Be that as it may, I regard it as unduly restrictive to place the parables in too tight an interpretive jacket. This is not to suggest the parables can mean anything that we willy-nilly well please; there are, to be sure, grammatical, contextual and theological constraints. Nevertheless, those who are determined to reduce the provocative, multilayered parables of Jesus to one point appear to be missing (some of) the power of parabolic discourse.

Returning to Matthew 13, one discovers at the outset of the chapter the setting and the audience for Jesus' instruction in parables. Matthew informs that Jesus teaches the crowds standing on the shore while seated in a nearby boat on the Sea of Galilee (vv. 1-2).

The initial parable Matthew records is the sower and the seed (vv. 3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:5-8). In this narrative parable, a certain sower, employing the broadcast method of sowing seed, slings seed every which way so that some of it falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some on fertile soil. While the seed that landed on the path was eaten by birds, the seed that fell on the rocky soil was rootless and withered away, and the seed that settled among thorns was choked out by them, the seed that happened upon good soil produced various degrees of grain.

Jesus offers an interpretation of the parable of the sower and the seed in 13:18-23. The seed sown is the word of the kingdom (v. 19). Accordingly, Jesus himself would be the (primary) sower. For a variety of reasons (the activity of Satan, trouble or persecution, and cares of the world and the lure of wealth) the seed that falls on the path, on rocky ground and among thorns does not take root and bears no fruit (vv. 19-22). The plight of such seed depicts the spiritual peril of those people who do not persevere in the gospel.

On the contrary, the seed sown on fertile soil–the person who readily receives and increasingly perceives Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom–yields crops for the kingdom (v. 23).

In presenting and interpreting this parable, Jesus repeatedly enjoins his audience to listen (vv. 3, 9, 18). As verses 10-17 indicate, however, apprehension of Jesus' parabolic instruction is not a given. On the contrary, insight into the kingdom is a divine gift (v. 11).

Far from being accessible to all people, the parables remain unintelligible to those who do not respond positively to Jesus' words. They cannot hear him because they will not listen (Isaiah 6:9-10). If they would open their ears and hearts and eyes, they would realize the importance of the one speaking in their midst and the significance of what he is saying.

Although Jesus' parables may promote and perpetuate confoundedness on the part of the crowds, those who are willing to become Jesus' disciples not only will understand more fully the meaning of his teaching, they also will discover more fully the delight and the duty that constitutes and characterizes the kingdom of heaven. A blessing falls upon those who hear the words and follow the way of the parabler from Nazareth; spiritual dullness, darkness and deafness come to those who will not (vv. 14-16, 54-58). “Let the one who has ears (to hear) listen!” (v. 9)

Discussion questions

What is the hardest part of this lesson for you to understand?

If you do understand, how does it change your strategy for reaching the world with the gospel?