Posted: 1/23/04

Prayer lays foundation for sharing
the gospel, workshop leader says

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Success is being obedient,” she said.

Posted: 1/23/04

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

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted: 1/23/04

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

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted: 1/23/04

Churches in transition face choice:
Embrace change or die

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted: 1/23/04

EDITORIAL:
Election year provides time to talk religion & politics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 1

The Bible outlines the qualities of a good friend

Selected Proverbs

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

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

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

Communication

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

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

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

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

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

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

Self-control

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

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

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

Devising good

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

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

Question for discussion

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

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 8

Alcohol steals the abundant life God proffers

Proverb 23

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

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

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

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

Addictions

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

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

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

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

Destroy

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

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

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

Wounds

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

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

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

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

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

Question for discussion

Is alcoholism a disease or a symptom?

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 1

Genuine worship is crucial for spiritual growth

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

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

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

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

A call to worship

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

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

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

A recognition of God's greatness

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

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

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

The believer's access to God

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

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

Question for discussion

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

Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 8

The difference in praying and saying prayers

Ezra 8:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 5:13-18

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Nothing we do in our Christian experience is more important than establishing a relationship with God through prayer.

True prayer must be more than a formal “saying of words” properly spoken in King James English. The praying God hears is a spontaneous expression that comes from the depths of our hearts. True praying requires a unique kind of discipline which involves a sense of our unworthiness, a personal delight in being on speaking terms with our Lord and a willingness to call on others to join us in prayer for special needs.

A call to prayer and fasting

Ezra was a priest and a scribe, a descendant of Aaron, who was among the Jews who lived as captives in the Persian Empire. Ezra and Nehemiah were in good standing with King Arta-xerxes, and were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the city.

Before Ezra and the Jews accompanying him left Persia for Jerusalem, he called a fast so they might humble themselves before God and pray. Ezra knew the task before him was going to be an awesome one. He knew his heart and the hearts of those with him must be in tune with God. They must be willing to humble themselves before the Lord. A time of fasting would help them focus more clearly on their personal spiritual needs. They would see themselves as powerless apart from the presence of God with them. The journey itself would not be without its perils. So Ezra led the people in prayer for a safe journey for them, for their families and their possessions.

Note that Ezra “was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road” (v. 22), because he had told the king “the hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him.” In other words, he had borne witness of his faith before this pagan king. Now he must prove his faith by trusting in God for protection. Do our actions match what we profess?

An encouragement to pray continually

As Paul was bringing his first Thessalonian letter to a close, he gave a series of specific, to-the-point instructions to believers in verses 16-18. Among these rapid-fire commandments is one that concerns prayer. However, Paul preceded that prayer commandment with an exhortation to “be joyful always.” First century Christians were discriminated against shamelessly, often to the point of losing their lives. Yet in the midst of such persecution, they were to be joyful. Paul referred to an inner joy, not the surface effort reflected in a forced smile that barely covers an attitude of self-pity.

The uniqueness of Christian joy lies in the fact that it shines forth under the most adverse circumstances. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave a summary of the hardships he had undergone for the sake of the gospel. In the course of that recital, he mentioned he had been “sorrowful, yet rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Very closely related to this constant joy is a spirit of incessant prayer. The only way to remain joyful even in the midst of the most pressing trials is through an uninterrupted communication with God. Paul did not mean we were to pray “non­stop,” but rather maintain a relationship with God that is constant. Perhaps we might best describe it has having a line to heaven's throne that is always open and available for our use.

Praying can take place, whether words are spoken or not. Our hearts can be in touch with God even while we are in the midst of our everyday duties. The most monotonous hours during a day can be enlivened by an awareness that our God is instantly available to us through prayer.

A basis for effective praying

In these verses in James, we find two emphases on prayer–one deals with prayer in every circumstance of life (vv. 13-16), while the other illustrates the effectiveness of sincere praying. James said that when we find ourselves in trouble, we are to pray. The normal reaction to trouble is to complain, feel mistreated or become bitter. Even in the dark shadows of trouble, prayer can help us establish such a relationship with the Lord that we will “sing songs of praise.”

Sickness is another situation in which prayer is needed. James gave detailed instructions as to what we should do in such times. It is always helpful to “call the elders of the church” to pray for us and anoint us with oil “in the name of the Lord.” Some see this anointing as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, while others see it as a medicinal anointing. Oil was indeed a popular medicine in biblical times. James brought his teaching about prayer to a climax by insisting prayer will be powerful and effective if it comes from the hearts of those who are right with God.

Questions for discussion

What role can fasting play in a Christian's life, particularly in regard to prayer?

What is the only basis for effective praying?

Posted: 1/23/04

Gaither discovers the longer he serves, the sweeter it grows

By Stacy Hamby

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)­ Bill Gaither wasn't good enough for gospel music. At least, that's what he was told.

So, with his dream of singing Southern gospel music seemingly out of reach, Gaither went home and began writing.

More than 500 songs and dozens of popular videos later, Gaither and his wife, Gloria, were named Christian Songwriters of the Century in 2000.

“I became a teacher because I was not good enough to do gospel music,” said Gaither, who taught high school English in his hometown of Alexandria, Ind.

“There were piano players and singers better than me. So I started writing songs. I never realized it would become this popular. Writing came naturally to me.”

The Gospel Music Hall of Famers together penned songs that are mainstays in hymnals around the world.

Those songs include “The King Is Coming,” “Because He Lives” and “He Touched Me”–the song that catapulted him into the national spotlight in 1969 when Elvis Presley recorded it.

He, Gloria and his brother Danny founded the Bill Gaither Trio in the 1970s, and later he formed the award-winning Gaither Vocal Band, in which he still sings bass.

In recent years, the Gaithers have been known best by their popular “Homecoming Series” videos and concerts.

What has become an international phenomenon actually started with an impromptu taping in a Nashville studio in 1991.

The Gaither Vocal Band was wrapping up a recording session that had included several legendary Southern gospel music artists, including The Speer Family, The Cathedral Quartet and the Happy Goodmans.

After the planned session ended, the artists lingered and gathered around the piano, singing, swapping stories from the old days and sharing a few laughs and tears.

The video camera still was rolling.

Gaither knew he had something special.

That spontaneous sing-along became the first “Homecoming” video, released in 1992.

The response to that video was so overwhelming that Gaither decided to reassemble the artists and try to reproduce the spontaneous style, fearing it might not work.

He had no need to worry.

The artists forgot about the cameras as they sang and shared stories.

Today, there are Homecoming concerts in just about every major venue in the country.

And the videos–which have sold more than 7.5 million copies–consistently rank in the top 10 on the Billboard video charts.

Gaither, though, takes it all with characteristic humility.

“Whatever I did, I couldn't do without them,” (the artists), he said.

“I'm like the turtle on the fencepost–I didn't get there by myself. All I did was expose them; I let people see them and hear them sing.”

Gaither is credited with rejuvenating Southern gospel music and the careers of many legendary singers as well as launching the careers of many others.

Tim Riley, bass for the 2003 Male Quartet of the Year, Gold City, said: “Bill Gaither has done so much for gospel music. He quickened peoples' spirit.

“They heard songs on the radio and saw the videos. They had to come see the groups in person. It gets into your blood.”

Guy Penrod of the Gaither Vocal Band said today's gospel music is blending the sound of the old 1940s and 1950s quartets and pop groups with the technology of the current generation.

“Kids are starting to hear that and say that's cool,” he said. “We're growing a new generation in gospel music, and Bill is helping to do that with the concerts and videos.”

And he shows no sign of slowing down.

In his mid-60s, Gaither keeps an active schedule with his Gaither Vocal Band, Homecoming concerts, the annual Praise Gathering and the management of everything in between.

“I work together as a team with Gloria,” he said.

“We have no long-range plans for retirement; we never have. We just walked through the doors God has opened.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Committees to study HBU relationship, BUA financial needs

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS­The Christian Education Coordinating Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas is setting up committees to deal with Baptist University of the Americas' financial needs and the convention's relationship with Houston Baptist University.

At its winter meeting, the board voted unanimously to create two committees. One will consider the Baptist University of the Americas' requests for additional funding this year. The school in San Antonio, formerly named Hispanic Baptist Theological School, is asking for $1 million to help with operating expenses and another $3.5 million to buy property across Interstate 35 from its current location.

The other committee will “evaluate” the BGCT's relationship with Houston Baptist University since the school entered into a “fraternal agreement” with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. A motion passed at the BGCT annual meeting in Lubbock last November instructed the board to study the BGCT/HBU relationship.

An agreement signed in 2001 between BGCT and the university called for the school to have a “unique affiliation” with the convention “by not affiliating or establishing a formal relationship with other denominations, conventions or religious entities.” Different views of what that wording meant surfaced in following months.

After the university signed its fraternal agreement with the competing Baptist convention in 2003, messengers to the BGCT meeting in Lubbock passed a motion offered by Robert Creech of University Baptist Church in Clear Lake to have the Christian Education Coordinating Board study the matter.

The committee looking at the Houston Baptist University-BGCT relationship will consist of two members of the current coordinating board, two members from the committee that drafted the original agreement between the school and the BGCT and two at-large members.

The Christian Education Coordinating Board will report its findings to the BGCT Executive Board May 25.

Baptist University of the Americas' issues are solely financial. University President Albert Reyes said the school's trustees requested the $1 million “to meet all obligations related to certification and accreditation standards recently attained.”

Last fall, the school received accreditation as a Bible college, an effort the BGCT has supported significantly with additional funding the past three years, according to Keith Bruce, coordinator of institutional ministries for the BGCT.

The proposed $3.5 million land grant would be used to buy 78 acres across the highway from the school's current 13-acre campus. Reyes said deterioration of current buildings, coupled with the existing campus' higher market value than the larger tract, moved the BUA board to request the funding.

Both requests would require approval of the BGCT Administrative Committee and Executive Board, as well as the Christian Education Coordinating Board. As a result, a committee made up of two people from each of those bodies, plus three at-large members, will consider the proposal.

A third financial request from Baptist University of the Americas is that the school be added to the formula used to fund the BGCT's other eight universities. That request will be considered by the coordinating board's administrative/finance committee. It will be part of a broader review of the funding formula sought by Dallas Baptist University. Other issues the review will consider are how students in online courses and at off-campus centers are counted in the formula.

Currently, Baptist University of the Americas is scheduled to receive $459,000 through the 2004 BGCT budget. It also is set to receive about $105,000 through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. If it were treated like one of the eight BGCT-affiliated liberal arts universities, its funding from the BGCT budget would rise to more than $800,000, Bruce said.

Linda Brian, chairperson of the coordinating board's administrative committee and a member of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, said the committee is aware of the “strategic position” the school has in preparing leaders for Hispanic churches. “We need it and want it to do well. At the same time, we are very much aware of budgetary restraints here,” she said.

“There have been funds in the past” that have been sent to support the school, Brian said. “We want to look at what all can be done … without detriment to the other schools. … It's a tall request that has been made, unprecedented.”

Posted: 1/23/04

'Miss Cul' mothered Hardin-Simmons
co-eds for more than four decades

By Loretta Fulton

Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE–For 41 years, “Miss Cul” pampered, admonished and consoled thousands of young women under her care as a dorm mother at Hardin-Simmons University.

Even after Aileen Culpepper retired in 1985, she was a regular on campus, eating one meal a day in the cafeteria.

“I give it credit to my good health,” Culpepper, 84, said of the cafeteria food, which is traditionally scorned by students.

Last month, Culpepper received a reward for her many years of keeping a sharp eye on her girls. She was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree during a graduation ceremony in Behrens Chapel on campus.

“My mind still doesn't comprehend it,” Culpepper said. “I was about as ordinary as anybody could be.”

Several thousand young women who were under Miss Cul's watchful eye from 1944 to 1985 would disagree.

One is Dorothy Kiser, a 1962 graduate who is now the registrar at Hardin-Simmons. Kiser recalled the strict curfew and dress code that were in place at HSU when she was a student. “Miss Cul” had a keen sense of time and hem lengths.

“I can still remember seeing her with her arms crossed and giving you that look,” Kiser said.

Times have changed. Hardin-Simmons no longer has curfews or a dress code. Culpepper knows the girls didn't like those restrictions, but she still thinks they're a good idea.

“I don't think any 18-year-old is ready for full responsibility,” Culpepper said.

However, she was pretty responsible herself at that age. She grew up in Anson, attended junior college two years and then earned an education degree from Hardin-Simmons in 1940.

She taught school two years at Ira and Spur, but then World War II changed her plans. With no brothers in the service, Culpepper felt compelled to represent the family in the war effort.

She got a job in Fort Worth as a file clerk with Consolidated Aircraft, which was turning out planes for the war.

“My mother wasn't too happy about the idea,” Culpepper said.

But she stayed on the job for 14 months until the president of Hardin-Simmons, the late Rupert Richardson, asked her to come back to HSU in 1944 as director of Mary Francis Hall. She spent 11 years in that job before moving to Behrens Hall, a residence hall for freshmen women.

Culpepper lived in an apartment in the dorm and was on duty year-round. She estimates 6,000 students passed through her dorms over the years.

One of Culpepper's favorite tricks was to get a list of the new girls each year a couple of weeks before school started. She would memorize roommates' names. When the girls arrived, she would ask one her name and then turn to the other and say her name.

The young women were happy to be known on campus already , but also a little concerned about what else the dorm mother knew about them.

Miss Cul has plenty of happy memories to share. But she also had more than enough tragedies to deal with, beginning soon after taking the job in 1944. One young woman in the dorm had three brothers in World War II. Each eventually was killed in action.

“I got the message and had to tell her three times,” Culpepper recalled.

She remained active on and off campus until she fell and injured herself in September.

She has received numerous honors from Hardin-Simmons and letters of thanks from “her” girls.

But she still is in disbelief over the honorary doctorate she received.

“I would have to say it exceeds any expectations I ever had,” she said.