LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Oct. 10: Jesus’ teachings extend far beyond morality_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Oct. 10

Jesus' teachings extend far beyond morality

Luke 6:1-49

By Pakon Chan

Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington

What makes Christian faith superior? It not only is that it has a sound moral teaching. It is the life- changing power of God's word.

This chapter has the most-admired moral teachings ever given in human history. Many great thinkers were inspired by these teachings, even though they were not Christians. Even so, moral teaching itself cannot change life. We have hundreds and thousands of moral theories written by great thinkers in the past 3,000 years. The moral situations of human beings basically have not shown great improvement.

What is lacking in our moral life? This is what Jesus wants to address after giving the moral teachings in his discourse.

Two principles (vv. 20-26)

After selecting 12 disciples, Jesus went down from the hill. People surrounded him for his word and healing. Jesus took this opportunity to preach a very important sermon on morality. There are two golden rules in this sermon–the kingdom principle and the principle of reciprocity.

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Verses 20 to 23 promise those who suffer for God's kingdom will be blessed. Paul encourages us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). We, as Christians, are willing to suffer for Jesus because we know God will turn sufferings into blessings to bless us, and also through us to others.

There are also warnings to people who think they are self-content and ignore the gospel. When the days come, those who are self-content will no longer be contented. They will mourn and weep for their ignorance and selfishness.

Christians should be aware of whom we serve and what we seek. If we serve only people's desires and our own selfish needs, we will be in trouble. People will turn against us some day when they need us no more. Our selfishness will condemn us and leave us only vanities.

To others (vv. 27-42)

Verses 27 to 42 give us the principle of reciprocity. We can sum up this paragraph with this verse: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (v. 31). Jesus asks us to go beyond legalism. These are difficult teachings for Christians to hear, so they are very selective in what they use or they will find ways to explain them to fit their understanding and desires. But Jesus our Master set the example, for he did what he preached. He said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (v. 40).

Two parables (vv. 43-49)

Jesus used the images of a good tree and a bad tree and their fruits to illustrate the relationship between behavior and inner self. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit” (v. 43).

Morality goes beyond behavior. Just as good fruit comes from good trees, good behavior comes from good character. Jesus is more than a moral teacher. He knows very well the problem of our moral life. Our behavioral and social problems have deeper roots. They are the problems of the heart (v. 45).

Sometimes people may manage to display an acceptable behavior in public life, but their hearts still are evil. The first moral discipline for us is to reflect on our inner life. Jesus wants us to be transformed first in him so we will be renewed as a new being (2 Corinthians 5:17). Even good behavior of a hypocrite will not sustain and will not truly benefit anybody, for no good fruit will come from a bad tree.

In the second parable, Jesus used wise and foolish builders to illustrate the foundation of life. We all are builders of our lives. Every act in every moment is a brick we lay on our lives. God is our final inspector who will inspect our buildings (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

From this parable, we first learn that Jesus is our only foundation of life. He is the rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). There is no other foundation that will give us eternal security–only in Jesus Christ will we be saved and have eternal life (Hebrews 9:11-15).

Second, we learn we must build our lives on this foundation, which means we should rely on Jesus in our daily lives.

How can we rely on Jesus? We love him and obey his word (John 14:15). Christians today are very weak and cannot face challenges from the world. Our lives are not transformed by Christ, but rather conform to the world (Romans 12:2). Even if we want to obey God's word, we do not obey completely or wholeheartedly. We listen to Jesus very selectively.

A lot of times, we think God's word will not work in this world and our life situations. We choose part of Jesus' teachings that fit into our lives or our understandings of our life situations. When we approach God and his word, we act like a customer shopping in God's warehouse to select what fits our needs. That is the reason our foundation is so shaky, and it will be shattered if confronted by any pressure or challenge.

Discussion question

bluebull What is your life foundation?

bluebull Are you a wise builder when you build your life?

bluebull How fully will you listen and obey God's word?

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.




LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Oct. 17: Christ is worthy of loving, sacrificial service_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Oct. 17

Christ is worthy of loving, sacrificial service

Luke 7:36-50

By Pakon Chan

Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington

The Pharisees were a highly respected and influential group among the people. They also were religious leaders who emphasized their own version of purity rules.

A Pharisee invited Jesus to a banquet that took place after Jesus taught in a synagogue. It was considered a virtuous act to invite a teacher for dinner. It also was customary in the east for people to come and listen to the wise sayings from the guest teacher without an invitation to the banquet. This would explain the presence of the woman.

A sensitive heart and a noble action (vv. 36-38)

Luke told us this woman was a sinner (v. 37). She might have been a prostitute or lived a morally loose life. Her bad reputation was known throughout the town. She may have heard Jesus' message before, and this message may have convicted her to repent from her sinful life.

On this particular occasion, she knew Jesus was eating at Simon's house and brought an alabaster jar of perfume. She used that fragrant balm on Jesus to show the extent of her gratitude.

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There is no record of this woman in other gospels (Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8 have similar narratives but should not be considered the same as Luke), and we do not know what Jesus had done for her. Most likely, she heard his message in one of the discourses, and the message of forgiveness convicted her.

Her conviction was so deep, she was willing to express her repentance publicly in a Pharisee's house during the banquet given in honor of Jesus. She was very humble and “stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping. She began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them” (v. 38).

Even though this woman was a sinner, she had a sensitive heart. She heard Jesus' message and responded to it. Her response motivated her to do a very noble act to Jesus to show her love and appreciation.

Who has more reason to love Jesus? (vv. 39-43)

This Pharisee, Simon, should have known more about Jesus than the woman, and probably had heard Jesus speak on many subjects many times. He almost certainly would have heard someone say Jesus was a prophet. Or he might have seen some miracles Jesus had performed, but he was very suspicious of him (v. 39). He invited Jesus for dinner, but he might have had other motivations–it definitely was not out of love and respect.

When he saw what the woman did to Jesus, he was grumbling (v. 39). Jesus responded to his criticism by telling him a parable and asking him a rhetorical question: “Which of them will love him more?” (v. 42). Simon answered, “I supposed the one who had the bigger debt cancelled” (v. 43). Since Simon was a very self-righteous man, he did not need Jesus' forgiveness; and he, of course, did not have any love and gratitude to Jesus.

Some Christians do not love Jesus very much, because they do not think they were forgiven very much. They may think they were not very bad, even though they had some sins. It was nice to be forgiven by Jesus so they could be better people than they were before. Jesus and the Christian faith are just the decorations in their lives. They love Jesus, but will not be as passionate as that woman.

The beauty of a grateful heart (v. 44-50)

Our love and gratitude to Jesus determine our service to him. The service rendered by this woman to Jesus was so genuine and deep that it became an act of beauty. What that woman did for Jesus, Simon should have done when he first entered his house as an honored guest. Simon called Jesus teacher (7:40), but he did not treat him as someone worthy of respect.

We call Jesus our Lord, but do we treat him as our Lord in our daily lives? What kind of service should we render to Jesus? Will the service we do in church show our gratitude and love to Jesus? Will it be as public and sacrificial as that woman's? Will we be as willing to take on the role of a servant, without thought for our own importance?

“Christian” is the most beautiful name on earth, for it reflects lives that have deep gratitude and love for Jesus. A grateful heart is like perfume that will fill the house with aroma. We will never completely understand why our Lord Jesus died for sinners like us. When we worship him with deep gratitude and thanksgiving, we will once again experience his awesome love.

Discussion questions

bluebull Who do you identify with, the Pharisee or the woman?

bluebull Do the services you render to the church reflect your gratitude to Jesus?

bluebull How can we make worship more of a priority during the week and not just something we try to do for an hour on Sunday?

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.




Family Care helps teens, adults wrestle with their problems_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Family Care helps teens, adults wrestle with their problems

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services

ROUND ROCK–Every Monday night, First Baptist Church of Round Rock becomes a battleground where adults and teenagers meet to wrestle with problems that torment them.

And workers with Texas Baptist Children's Home Family Care program stand willing to help them fight the good fight.

Four teens congregate upstairs, where they make sand tray dioramas. But hidden meanings lie behind the toys and dolls used to create them.

Susan Lee (left) listens to teenagers describe their everyday struggles during a weekly counseling session for Texas Baptist Children's Home Family Care clients at First Baptist Church of Round Rock.

“What's going on in your scene?” Susan Lee, Family Care program supervisor, asks one teenaged girl.

“Well, this family is on a picnic, and this snake is about to come out of the sand and bite them,” she replies.

As the young teens describe their creations, Lee notices three of the four sand trays depict some type of battle.

“What battles are you all fighting on a daily basis?” she asks.

Then it begins. Soon, the youngsters are talking about everyday struggles that plague them–particularly the temptation of giving in to peer pressure.

Downstairs, single mothers who are involved in the Family Care program or recently graduated from it share their pain.

In “Making Peace with Your Past,” a group of women describe the struggles of raising children with no support, finding and paying for childcare and, mostly, trying to understand the choices they have made.

“When I met (my ex-husband), I knew he was bad,” one participant says. “I wanted to fix him. That was my upbringing. People always cared for us, so I wanted to care for somebody.”

Another woman talks about her painful relationship with her abusive ex-husband.

“I didn't see it until it was too late,” she tells the group. “I wanted to speak my mind, and I got slapped around for it.”

Now, she, like most of the women in Family Care, is learning how to raise her child in a new reality.

The groups act as a healing balm on the wounds of both adult and child. Krista Payne, who has guided at least four Family Care groups, said it is very therapeutic.

“I think the most important thing is group feedback,” she said. “They are in the same situation, so they can give an honest opinion.”

Lee is just thankful they have a place to fight these battles. A year ago, they were trying to make do in a building not suited for their childcare needs.

“We were bursting at the seams,” she said. “We had babies who needed cribs, and we didn't have any in the facility we had been using.”

Because the mothers work, and classes are Monday nights, childcare is necessary. Family Care needed help, and they got it.

First Baptist Church Administrator Ralph Lee learned about the needs of the program and gave the green light for the use of the church's buildings.

Soon, Family Care was using many of the childcare rooms and various meeting areas in the church facility.

“We're here to serve whatever needs are out there in the community,” he said.

“And this program matched our vision and purpose as a church–to help the single mothers.”

First Baptist Church has been partnering with Texas Baptist Children's Home since the Round Rock home was built in 1950. Louis Henna, who donated the property where the children's home sits, was a member of the church, and the relationship has continued to blossom.

As tissues are passed around the table in the Bridal Room, the women of Family Care begin to dress their battle wounds.

To them, there's no better place for a war to be fought than on such sacred ground.

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.




LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 10: Our hope is strong because God is its foundation_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 10

Our hope is strong because God is its foundation

Matthew 8:1-13

By Angela Hamm

First Baptist Church, Lewisville

Webster's New World Dictionary states that “hope” is “a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation and expectation.” Author Nicole Johnson describes hope in the following manner: “Hope is a little bit of a mystery because when you think about it, hope has no strength on its own. Hope is only as strong as what it hopes in. Hope is like a hitch that connects your heart to whatever is strong enough to pull it along–faith.” In Matthew 8:1-13, we see hope personified.

Jesus and the man with leprosy

As Jesus came down the mountainside, a huge crowd followed him. From somewhere within this crowd, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. Leprosy was a dreaded skin disease that ranged from white patches on the skin to running sores to the loss of fingers and toes. Josephus tells us lepers were treated “as if they were, in effect, dead men.” People with leprosy were declared ceremonially unclean–meaning they were unable to go to the temple to worship God. Anyone who came in contact with a leper also was considered unclean; therefore, lepers were confined outside of the city, usually the dumps.

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Imagine how life must have been for this man. He was forced to leave his family. He was forced to stay away from the temple. He had lost his dignity. He had lost his self-respect. Yet he had heard about this man called Jesus and had hope Jesus could help him.

The man knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus did the most amazing thing–he reached out and touched this man, this outcast, this untouchable person. Jesus said to the man: “I am willing. Be clean.” Jesus responded to this man because he wanted to. Jesus reached out and touched this man, the same man who people avoided touching because of his dreadful disease.

Jesus and the Roman officer

Matthew relates another incident of a man who needed healing. When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, he was met by a centurion, a Roman officer. The Roman officer had a servant who was paralyzed and in great pain. The officer asked Jesus to heal his servant.

It is interesting the Roman officer would come to Jesus. He was an outsider to the Jewish faith because he was a Gentile. He did not believe in the Jewish law Jesus had come to fulfill. Why did the Roman officer come to Jesus?

Jesus' response was, “I will go and heal him.” But the officer did not want Jesus to come to his home because he did not feel worthy for Jesus to be under his roof. The officer knew Jesus could just say the word, and his servant would be healed. He told Jesus he, too, was a man of authority. All the officer had to do was to say go here or go there or do this or do that, and it would be taken care of. The Roman officer's word was law to his soldiers. If he told his men to do something, he knew it would be done. His faith and hope in Jesus' healing his servant was illustrated with the influence he had with his soldiers.

Jesus was amazed with the Roman officer's great faith in him. The officer did not have a Jewish history, no Scriptures to read, no rabbi to teach him and no theological training, but he had a simple knowledge of Jesus. Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

The parallel

The man with leprosy and the Roman officer knew Jesus was the very person who could help them. They laid aside their cultural stigmas. They laid aside their pride. They laid aside the rules that others imposed upon them. They approached Jesus with hope because they knew he could help them.

Conclusion

How do we find meaning in these stories? Certainly the man with leprosy and the Roman officer were changed from their encounter with Jesus. How do we experience the same transformation in our own lives? What speaks to us from these stories? What needs healing in our own lives–marriage, home situations, addictions, finances, friendships, family relationships?

When all things seem impossible and there is no hope, remember Jesus can help when no one else can; Jesus will help when no one else will. Our hope is in Jesus, because nothing is too hard or impossible for him.

Discussion questions

bluebull How do you define hope?

bluebull Why are we so often filled with doubt?

bluebull What keeps you from having the hope that God can do anything?

bluebull How can we have greater faith in God?

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.




LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 17: Allow Jesus to illuminate your life’s purpose_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Oct. 17

Allow Jesus to illuminate your life's purpose

Luke 4:42-5:11

By Angela Hamm

First Baptist Church, Lewisville

Living a life with purpose means living with intentionality and determination. From the beginning of time, Jesus Christ knew his purpose. When Jesus came to earth as man, he stated his purpose again and again. In Luke 4:42, Jesus said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Jesus' purpose was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. Jesus knew his purpose, and he was not going to let anyone or anything distract him.

Do you ever feel God is asking you to move to a deeper level of commitment? A new level of involvement? A new purpose? This week's lesson addresses these questions through the lives of Peter, James and John.

The story

The setting is on the Lake of Gennesaret, which also is called the Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. Jesus' teaching was attracting great crowds, and on this particular day, the crowds were especially large.

Jesus decided to get in Simon Peter's boat and teach the crowd from the shoreline. Peter, along with John and James, the sons of Zebedee, was a commercial fisherman.

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On this particular occasion, the text tells us they were pretty discouraged. They had fished all night and had not caught anything. By the time Jesus comes to them, they are washing their nets and getting things ready to be put away.

When Jesus finished teaching the crowd, he challenged Simon Peter to let down his nets into the deep water for a catch. Jesus seems to be asking a great deal of Simon Peter. After all, Peter is the professional fisherman. Peter follows Jesus' request and lets down the nets into the deep water.

The results were amazing. There were so many fish the nets were breaking. Peter, along with James and John, was so overwhelmed with the power and glory of Jesus, he realizes his own sinfulness. Jesus told to Peter not to be afraid, because his future business would not be catching fish, but catching men.

Peter, James and John immediately left their boats and began to follow Jesus. Peter, James and John were taken away from their professional fishing occupation and given a new purpose–preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.

Living out a new purpose

Living out a new purpose involves at least three things.

First, we must be willing to listen and follow.

Jesus asked Peter to do something contrary to his knowledge about fishing. Jesus was asking Peter to trust him. Jesus desires to lead us. Jesus desires us to follow his leading.

God tells us: “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8). God wants to show us the best pathway for our lives. We would be wise to listen and follow.

Second, we must be willing to be risk-takers. Jesus encouraged Peter to go out into the deeper waters. We must be willing to leave our comfort zones.

A few weeks ago, a friend told me her comfort zone was anywhere God took her. I think that is a profound statement. Jesus may ask us to go out into the deep, riskier waters.

We may need to call someone and invite them to come to church. We may need to share the gospel with someone and help them cross the bridge of faith.

We may need to volunteer in some ministry of the church. We may need to heed the call of God and enter full- time vocational ministry. We may need to go to a foreign country and help with missions.

As one author so aptly states, “The real key is that only in those deep, riskier waters are there fish, and yet in those deep waters, there is always a solid rock on which you can stand.”

Are you willing to take the risk of going into the deep waters, or do you want to stay in the shallow, familiar, fishless waters?

Finally, we must be willing to be guided by our faith and not allow our fear to dictate our actions.

Jesus told Peter not to be afraid. That admonition hasn't changed. The greatest obstacle we face in life is our own fear. We are afraid of failure. We are afraid of being inadequate. We are afraid of what people will think about us.

Yet the truth of the matter is this: “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

We would be wise in not allowing fear to keep us from following God's purpose for our lives.

Discussion questions

bluebull Do you feel God is leading you to a new purpose? What is it?

bluebull What fear is keeping you from a new purpose?

bluebull What can you do this week in launching out into the riskier deep waters?

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.




Retirees retreat to Glorieta_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Retirees retreat to Glorieta

During a recent Retired Ministers' Retreat, Efrain Diaz(in photo at left) from Theo Avenue Baptist Church in San Antonio leads in a morning prayer at the Glorieta Conference Center prayer garden. In the photo at right, Jimmy Tak (left), retired director of international ministry at First Baptist Church in Amarillo, meets retired missionaries Stan and Norma Foskett of Kerrville and Mary Nell Giles of Dallas. More than 400 retired Baptist ministers, missionaries and spouses from across the nation enjoyed fellowship and times of inspiration at the Retired Ministers' Retreat. Bill Pinson, executive director emeritus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, led a series of Bible studies. Jess Moody, retired pastor and founding president of Palm Beach Atlantic University, was the featured preacher. The retreat was sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center. Next year's retreat will be Sept. 19-23 at Glorieta.

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.




Texans bring hope to hurricane-ravaged Grenada_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Texans bring hope to hurricane-ravaged Grenada

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

For the devastated island nation of Grenada, relief will arrive in the form of Texas Baptists with fryers.

Victim Relief Ministries is working with Texas Baptist Men and the International Salvation Army to start disaster relief camps as soon as possible with a shipload of donated supplies and groups of cookers normally used to fry turkeys.

A team of 34 volunteers, including doctors, Victim Relief Ministries chaplains and Texas Baptist Men cooks is scheduled to leave for Grenada Oct. 4. Victim Relief Ministries is an interdenominational group launched by Texas Baptist Men.

A depiction of Jesus on the cross looks over the rubble of what used to be a Grenadine church. The facility was damaged by a string of hurricanes that blew across Grenada. Texas Baptist volunteers are scheduled to arrive in Granada this week to provide disaster relief. (Dick Talley Photo)

The men are hoping people in Grenada will be drawn to the collections of cookers because they will be one of the few sources of fresh food, said Dick Talley of Dallas, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer who recently returned from a scouting trip to the island.

The Texans then can show residents how to use the cookers effectively for themselves.

From there, Talley said, the plan is for those cooking areas to become distribution sites that eventually will be turned over to the Grenadines as well.

This effort will provide some of the earliest on-the-ground disaster relief work in a nation where more than 90 percent of the buildings were damaged or destroyed. Grenada's electricity flow is spotty at best, Talley said.

Grenada has not received as much news coverage as other regions like Florida and Haiti, but the situation remains serious, and the people there need help, Talley insisted.

“The world does not know Grenada was hit,” he said. “The others made the headlines.”

Victim Relief Ministries needs to raise $90,000 to finance the trip. The group has to fund the volunteers' flight to Grenada. It also must pay for fuel to ship supplies–including 400 tons of tarp–to the island.

Once the volunteers arrive in Grenada, Talley believes, they will bring hope to an island that badly needs it.

Residents are walking around “in a daze,” he said. They are in shock. Communication lines are minimal, and Grenadines do not know where to find help, he added.

This trip will be the beginning of an extended relief effort that later will include agricultural and oceanic engineers who will assess and begin to correct issues with the trees and beneath the ocean, Talley said.

If trees are not planted, the island will remain ripe for the kind of mudslides that killed hundreds in Haiti, he explained.

Service like this leads to opportunities for Christians to share their faith, Talley added.

“Once you've given them hope, they're going to ask you why you do what you do,” he said. “Then you can share the gospel.”

To support this effort, send checks designated “Help Grenada” to Victim Relief Ministries-Grenada, 5351 Catron, Dallas 75227.

To support the overall Texas Baptist disaster relief effort, send designated checks to Texas Baptist Men, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246.

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.




Health care needs in Texas demand innovative response, ministry leaders say_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Health care needs in Texas demand
innovative response, ministry leaders say

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–Medical needs in Texas are vast, as 8 million uninsured residents struggle to receive adequate and timely healthcare, health ministry leaders maintain.

Jim Walton, senior vice president for the office of community health in the Baylor Health Care System, noted uninsured children are 1.6 times more likely to die during birth and 1.5 times more likely to die within their first year of life.

Uninsured individuals also are twice as likely to die because of an accident, Walton said during a conference for medical ministers sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missions Equipping Center.

The Baptist Child and Family Services mobile clinic delivers health care to poor people.

These statistics largely are due to the fact uninsured and impoverished people often do not receive medical attention regularly or quickly, Walton said.

In response to these needs, Texas Baptists must respond to God's creative and diverse calling in their lives, said Kevin Dinnin, president and chief executive officer of Baptist Child & Family Services.

Christians need to find ways to provide medical care for people who cannot afford it, he said. That may be a medical clinic supported by a church. It may mean medical mission trips or supporting a medical missionary.

Baptist Child & Family Services has a mobile clinic that visits pockets of people in need of healthcare. Leaders found poor people in colonias did not have transportation to come to church clinics, so Baptist Child & Family Services took the clinic to them.

“The prescription this morning is diverse, and you are the author of how it is worked out in your congregation,” Dinnin said.

No matter the approach Texas Baptists take, Dinnin encourages them to utilize all their passion in doing it.

“Do all you can with all you have,” he said. “And never give up. Never give up.”

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.




Medical ministry focuses on patients as people, not problems to diagnose_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Medical ministry focuses on patients
as people, not problems to diagnose

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–It may sound like a cliché, but people are not patients; patients are people. And that is the heart of medical ministry, a leader in the Baylor Health Care System insists.

It is easy for doctors–even those who view their occupation as a ministry–to fall into the rut of viewing each patient as a diagnosis, said Jim Walton, senior vice president of community health in the Baylor Health Care System. Physicians want to correct physical ailments or prevent future breakdowns.

But when doctors move beyond that to uncover the life stories of their clients, ministry begins taking place, Walton said during a healthcare conference sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missions Equipping Center.

When the patient and the doctor begin to connect as people, each has something to contribute to the relationship, Walton continued. Physicians are giving medical treatment, but patients also are giving of themselves.

“When you are sitting in their house, you're close,” he said. “When you're sitting in the kitchen, you're closer.”

Walton described his ministry with a paraplegic man who came to Dallas from El Salvador. He was working in this country and sending money back to his wife and three children who remained in El Salvador. When he was injured, his wife traveled to be with him.

During the two years Walton has treated the man, he has become acquainted with how the man felt so far from his children. Walton saw a family, not a patient.

The doctor uncovered his own tendency to see himself as the minister and the patient as someone in need. While that is true, Walton said, he now recognizes each patient is ministering to him as well.

Citing the biblical story of the Good Samaritan, Walton noted each person is made in the image of God and has something to give.

“Your neighbor has gifts and assets,” he said. “It isn't all about you and your sacrifice.”

Walton now is looking for a missionary in El Salvador who can care for this man. That will allow him to return to be with his children while continuing to get the help he needs.

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.




Mainstream pop music Hip-hop spirituality_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

The success of Kanye West's hit single "Jesus Walks" highlights the noticeable increase of religious or spiritual lyrics in mainstream music. Here the rapper is shown headlining the Hip-Hop Summit at Ohio State University in June. (Ron Schwane Photo)

Mainstream pop music:
Hip-hop spirituality

By Aymar Jean

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Both pious and theatrical, rapper Kanye West's new video is not typical of MTV.

A prison inmate, arms extended and back rigid, stands resolute on a barren field. His guard blindsides him with a gun. A Ku Klux Klansman drags a burning cross up a hill and is himself consumed by the flames. And, sitting in a back seat during a car chase, a drug mule utters with her crimson lips, “I want Jesus.”

All the scenes are set to an intoxicating, militant beat from West's hit single “Jesus Walks.”

West's success highlights the noticeable increase of religious or spiritual lyrics in mainstream music.

Many songs, artists and albums have embraced spirituality in recent years. Some advocate religion, often Christianity, while others couch their lyrics in more universal themes. Some artists are crossovers, and a few have made mainstream hits without ever crossing over.

What binds them together are their spiritual messages and their incredible success.

Today, alongside "Jesus Walks," which has spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, are the Los Lonely Boys' hit single "Heaven" and Switchfoot's even bigger hit "Meant to Live." Alter Bridge, comprised of three former Creed members, has some spiritually oriented songs on "One Day Remains," which debuted at fifth on the charts in August.

Other notables include R. Kelly's “U Saved Me,” Lenny Kravitz's “Baptism” and the House of God-influenced Robert Randolph & the Family Band.

Creed split up in July. But both remnants of the band are continuing its reputation for veiled religiosity.

Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall make up Alter Bridge along with Myles Kennedy, once of the Mayfield Four. Meanwhile, former lead singer Scott Stapp is pursuing a solo career. His first single, “Relearn Love,” is featured on “The Passion of the Christ” soundtrack.

Stapp said he wrote “Relearn Love” to express that he had become both emotionally and spiritually healthy.

“I basically had gotten to a point in my life where I was kind of dried up emotionally,” he said. “I was asking God in my relationship with him if I could have a heart.”

Alter Bridge's new album, a melodic throwback to 1970s rock, also has spiritual references. Lead singer Kennedy calls it “uplifting.”

“To truly see well, you must have faith. Oh, the righteous they can't wait. A saving grace that we all know. Let us pray. Let us hold on,” Kennedy sings on “Watch Your Words.”

“We definitely don't have any sort of agenda religiously. We're not trying to push that on anybody,” Kennedy said. “Watch Your Words,” he added, is somewhat sarcastic.

Switchfoot's “Mean to Live” does not mention the words “Jesus” or “Lord,” but it does contain Christian themes, said Russ Breimeier, an associate editor for Christianity Today's online section and director of the publication's music page.

The band's recent album, “Beautiful Letdown,” which has been on the Billboard 200 more than 70 weeks, reached No. 1 on the contemporary Christian charts.

Breimeier lists Switchfoot with Amy Grant, Stacie Orrico and Evanescence as artists who have crossed over from Christian music to the mainstream with faith intact.

“They've been very cerebral with their lyrics,” he said. “Now they've found a way to do it that's meant for a broader audience, to make people think.”

The distinction is subtle but significant. There are “Christian artists” and then there are “artists who are Christian.” The latter may or may not write religious songs while the former write worship or praise music for the contemporary Christian audience.

“Artists who are Christian,” Breimeier said, are more likely to produce “uplifting” songs that embody Christian ideals.

These musicians have to balance the demands of the secular market with their Christianity. For example, Evanescence ran into some trouble last year when the members announced that they were not a “Christian band,” even though they had sold countless albums in Christian bookstores.

Singer R. Kelly presents other issues for the religious community. He recently released a double album and, according to many critics, a double message. The record, titled "Happy People/U Saved Me," is at once a sanguine party album and a penitent spiritual album.

Kelly's lifestyle also has come into question. Child pornography charges against him were recently dropped in Florida after a judge ruled that allegedly illicit photographs were illegally seized by detectives. He still faces similar charges in Illinois.

There is a long history of religion making inroads into popular culture.

“Religion and American culture almost dance with each other,” said Philip Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University.

Culturally, Americans are very comfortable having their pop culture served with a side of religion, Goff said.

He noted that blues songs often contained prayers and Elvis Presley's first Grammy was for gospel.

After Elvis, the country saw a string of its rock icons wax spiritual from time to time. Bob Dylan released a Christian album in the late 1970s, and Bruce Springsteen, of the Dylan tradition, consistently has heeded a higher call.

Bono, both in U2 and Bono and the Edge, has also developed a reputation for musical spirituality. In fact, Creed's Stapp counts Bono as his biggest influence. As a child, Stapp successfully convinced his parents that Bono and the Edge was a Christian band so that he could listen to them.

And although the Beatles sometimes had wanton tastes, George Harrison in the late 1980s covered an old Rudy Clark gospel number called “Got My Mind Set on You.”

Still, some in the Christian music industry theorize that this music is influenced in part by the rise of the contemporary Christian music industry.

According to the annual report of the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry doubled its market share from 1994 to 2002, even though that has since dropped slightly. Nielsen SoundScan reported that gospel album sales increased by 10 percent from 1998 to 2003, while overall album sales declined by 10 percent.

As the mainstream continues its dance with spirituality, artists like Kanye West will continue to push the proverbial envelope.

“They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus–that means guns, sex, lies, videotapes,” he raps in “Jesus Walks.”

“But if I talk about God, my record won't get played, huh?”

Lyrics carry a soulful message

A sample of lyrics with a spiritual message from mainstream and crossover musical artists:

Los Lonely Boys, “Heaven” (Epic)

Save me from this prison.

Lord, help me get away.

'Cause only you can save me now from this misery. …

How far is heaven?

Switchfoot, “Meant to Live” (Columbia)

We were meant to live for so much more.

Have we lost ourselves?

We want more than this world's got to offer.

MercyMe, “Here With Me” (INO)

You are holy, and I fall down on my knees.

I can feel your presence here with me.

Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty,

Caught up in the wonder of your touch.

Kanye West, “Jesus Walks” (Roc-a-fella)

I'm just trying to say

The way school need teachers,

The way Kathie Lee needed Regis,

That's the way y'all need Jesus.

Scott Stapp, “Relearn Love” (Wind-Up)

I was selfish

But you still loved me.

You gave the greatest gift of all

And it set me free.

Alter Bridge, “Watch Your Words” (Wind-Up)

To truly see well, you must have faith.

Oh, the righteous they can't wait.

A saving grace that we all know.

Let us pray. Let us hold on.

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.




Baptist volunteers continue clean-up, recovery after ‘Ivan the Terrible’ hits_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Baptist volunteers continue clean-up,
recovery after 'Ivan the Terrible' hits

ORANGE BEACH, Ala.– “Ivan the Terrible” is gone, but Baptist volunteers will be hard at work quite awhile cleaning up the mess he left from the Caribbean to the Alleghenies.

The storm first made landfall in the United States Sept. 15 near Pensacola, Fla. But its lingering effects–tornadoes, straight-line wind damage and flooding from torrential rains– spread destruction along the East Coast as far north as West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

It also caused significant damage on several Caribbean islands, such as Jamaica, Grenada and the Bahamas.

In the wake of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, nearly 6,000 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have helped prepare more than 1.6 million meals and completed nearly 5,000 cleanup and recovery projects so far.

And more Southern Baptist relief workers were being deployed to Florida after Hurricane Jeanne hit.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship mission volunteers were heading for the Bahamas and Grenada beginning Oct. 2, working through the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and its partnership with the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship. CBF volunteers will go to Jamaica in mid-October, with volunteer effort continuing through mid-December.

“It's nothing but rubble on the sand.” That's the news Paul Smith, pastor of Romar Beach Baptist Church in Orange Beach, Ala., received from congregation members who watched televised reports of Hurricane Ivan smashing into the beachfront church building.

Baptist churches on the coastal region of Alabama and Florida–including Pensacola, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan–sustained major wind and water damage from Ivan.

Perhaps hardest hit was Romar Beach Baptist Church, on a barrier island near Mobile.

“I don't think we have a church left,” Smith said. “I haven't seen it yet, but I have been told that it's totally destroyed.”

Elsewhere in Alabama, structural damage was fairly severe for First Baptist Church in Summerdale, First Baptist Church in Atmore and Fulton Road Baptist Church in Mobile. All lost their steeples during the storm. New Life Baptist Church in Bay Minette, Fairmount Baptist Church in Red Level and First Baptist Church in Seminole also all sustained major water and wind damage.

In Florida, 27 Baptist church buildings were damaged by Hurricane Ivan, 12 of them heavily.

At Pensacola's First Baptist, Ivan ripped two holes in the sanctuary's roof, sucked out the windows and frames from the church's educational building and peeled the top off the building where a Korean congregation meets. A hairline crack in the brick mortar stretches from the sidewalk pavement to the third story.

North Carolina Baptist Men started serving meals out of the fellowship hall at Pine Grove (N.C.) Baptist Church on Sept. 21, said Mark DeBardelaben, a deacon at the church that is situated about a mile from where a landslide hit. Recovery teams also were working in the area, he said.

Harold Ball, pastor of First Baptist Church in Franklin, said North Carolina Baptist volunteers were helping people get back on their feet.

“We've sure been blessed with the disaster-relief people here,” he said. “They've been a great blessing and still are.”

In addition, North Carolina Baptist disaster-relief units set up at churches in Clyde, Canton and Spruce Pine, N.C. Many of those towns already had experienced flooding a week earlier, due to rains from Hurricane Frances.

In Pensacola, volunteers coordinated through the Florida Baptist Convention set up an operations center at the Olive Baptist Church. Oklahoma Baptist disaster relief volunteers worked there, feeding area residents and relief workers.

Compiled from reports by Associated Baptist Press, Baptist Press and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

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.




Author Jenkins sees Texas as laboratory for global Christianity_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Author Jenkins sees Texas as
laboratory for global Christianity

By Alison Wingfield

CBF Communications

DALLAS–How Texas handles its ethnic diversity and recognizes the opportunities for missions in the next 20 to 30 years can be a model for the United States as a whole, says author Philip Jenkins.

Jenkins sees Texas, California and Florida on the front lines of changing demographics and as a kind of laboratory of how these changes will affect global Christianity.

Author and historian Philip Jenkins believes the rest of the United States could learn lessons about ethnically diverse Christianity by looking at Texas.

“Ethnic diversity means that Texas will be confronting these issues and opportunities that are going to face the whole country soon,” said Jenkins, who will be a featured speaker at the We Love Missions Conference sponsored by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions and Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Oct. 21-23.

One of the issues Texas churches face is how to incorporate and work with different cultures. Texas will have the “ability to draw on different kinds of experiences and the strengths of different groups,” Jenkins said.

Texans can learn from and create partnerships with different ethnic churches in the state and use those relationships as a way to build up missions work in their countries of origin, he said.

Jenkins pointed out Houston is known as the Nigerian capital of the United States because of the strong Nigerian community located there.

In his award-winning book, “The Next Christendom,” Jenkins maintains that by the year 2050, the heart of Christianity will move to the Southern Hemisphere, with the majority of Christians living in Latin America, South America and Africa.

When Jenkins addresses an audience, he asks them to think about what kind of church presence in their cities represents the “Global South.” He finds it surprising how many people do not know about these churches.

“If you don't know,” he said, “it's a good idea to find out, because those people have a good connection to their home countries.”

Because of what Jenkins calls “global Christianities”–reflecting many different denominations and traditions–the face and meaning of missions is changing.

“For one thing, it changes the whole idea of mission as sending. That suggests you're sending from a Christian world to a non-Christian world. We need to consider the whole world as a missions area. A lot of the mission arrows are going South/South,” such as Asia to Africa and Latin America to Asia, he said.

This global shift will have ramifications not only for Christians, Jenkins said, but also the growing Muslim world, as the two religions find themselves in political/religious clashes as the world population changes.

“Muslim and Christian nations will expand adjacent to each other, and often, Muslim and Christian communities will both grow within the same country,” he notes in “The Next Christendom.”

As those populations grow, so does the rivalry, with struggles for converts, and “competing attempts to enforce moral codes by means of secular law. Whether Muslim or Christian, religious zeal can easily turn into fanaticism.”

Religious struggles facing the world today will only continue to escalate, Jenkins believes.

“It might be that regardless of what Christians do, what churches do, we are in for an age of religious struggle,” he said. “I don't see much chance of avoiding religious confrontation.”

Although confrontations might be inevitable, one of the first things Jenkins recommends that Christians in the western tradition do is change their perceptions and concepts of what it means to be a Christian. “Recognize that this situation is changing,” he said. “It also affects language. When people say today, 'Christians today believe …,' who do you mean?”

He also encouraged Christians to think more about their concept of history, particularly the history of Christianity.

“We need to be aware that Christianity is much more of a global thing,” he said.

Christians need to look at “what is cultural and what is the core of our religion,” he added.

Jenkins is distinguished professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University. “The Next Christendom” was awarded the 2002 Theologos Award for best academic book of the year by the Association of Theological Booksellers and the 2003 Christianity Today Book Award for the best book in the category of “Christianity and Culture.” He also is the author of numerous other books, including “The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice” and “Images of Terror: What We Can And Can't Know About Terrorism.”

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.