Posted: 8/8/03

A NOTABLE PERFORMANCE:
Musical premieres at Glorieta

By Jenny Hartgraves

Texas Baptist Communictions

GLORIETA, N.M.–It started noisily, with 52 children marching down the aisle, carrying large pool noodles shaped like pencils and pens, sticking notes of Scripture on people in the crowd. It finished quietly, as children filed into the dark, while glowing lanterns lit a path toward a giant Bible at the center of the stage.

Those creative scenes bracketed a Texas Baptist children's choir performance during Music Week at LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center in New Mexico this summer.

Sarah Stafford, children's choir coordinator at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, directed the premiere of the children's musical “Sticky Notes and Bible Quotes.”

The musical, written by Dennis and Nan Allen, focused on Scripture for both its lyrics and script. It emphasized the Bible's living power to deal with topics like self-worth, forgiveness, weakness, fear and materialism.

LifeWay Christian Resources staff approached Stafford in February and gave her a week to listen to the musical before she made her decision to direct the premiere. But she had no doubts whether to accept the invitation.

“It's been a dream of mine for years to take a group to Glorieta for Music Week,” she said.

But she knew it would take more than her church to fill the stage. Stafford invited South Garland Baptist Church, where she previously served as interim music minister, and Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas to join her children's choir.

Children from 6 to 13 came together for the first time at a music camp held at Park Cities July 7-11. They learned the music in the mornings and performed the show for parents and friends at the end of the week.

Stafford has taught children musicals in a week's time for more than 15 years, she said. Watching children learn music and seeing children from the Garland and Dallas churches become friends was a “sweet experience,” she added.

When Stafford received the musical without any production notes, she sought creative minds to put together props and backdrops for the set, she said.

“Most musicals end big, with the spotlight on the children,” she said. “We wanted to do something different and unique, make it stand out.”

While singing the words “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” the children set out battery-operated lanterns, creating a pathway toward the Bible as they slowly filed into the dark.

“It was an incredible experience for the children and me as well,” Stafford said. “We received a standing ovation.”

The most important part of the musical, she said, was teaching the children Scripture. Each child memorized verses and wrote them on sticky notes to place on people in the crowd.

“We taught them that the Bible was the answer to help us in sticky situations,” Stafford said. “Not only are these children going to have the memory of performing forever, but they'll have the Scripture in their hearts.”

Posted: 8/8/03

Churchgoers found to be more altruistic

By Hannah Lodwick

Associated Baptist Press

CHICAGO (ABP)–Good deeds may not get folks into heaven, but they are a pretty good indication of who is faithful, a recent study found.

Scientists at the National Opinion Research Center have determined that nothing inspires altruism except faith–not gender, race, social class, political affiliation or locale.

Americans on average do 109 altruistic acts each year, according to the study “Altruism in Contemporary America.” But people who attend a place of worship weekly–church, synagogue, mosque or temple–report doing an average of 128 good deeds a year. People who never attend perform only 96 acts of kindness on average.

In addition to worshippers, people who pray reportedly show more kindness than those who don't. The report said those who pray did three times as many acts of kindness as those who never pray.

Tom Smith, director of the two-year study, said one reason why faith-based acts of kindness proliferate is that the core values of all major world religions incorporate charity-related deeds in their beliefs.

“People who are actively engaged (in a religious community) help others,” Smith said. “What made a difference was attending church and praying more often. If we're actively engaged, we're a part of a religious community, and opportunities to help others come up more often as a member of a congregation.”

The research team began the study looking for predictors of altruistic acts–things like activity in social services, gender or rural values, Smith said. The fact faith supercedes other factors could involve what Smith called “opportunity structure.”

“We expected people in rural areas to have higher values, be more altruistic, but that was not the case,” Smith said. “If you live in a city, opportunities to do good deeds are more likely to turn up.”

For the first-of-its-kind report, Smith and his colleagues evaluated 1,366 people with a list of 15 “good deeds,” asking them how often they performed the acts in the past week, month and year. The deeds included giving food or money to a homeless person, volunteering, giving directions to a stranger, offering a bus or train seat to someone standing, and helping someone find a job.

The most common good deed–cited by 92.6 percent of respondents–was spending time talking to someone who felt depressed.

The 15 good deeds studied are commonly used in similar surveys. Researchers shied away from deeds that involve rare occurrences–saving someone from drowning, for example.

“We tried to pick things … that weren't rare, things you would have the opportunity to do in daily life,” Smith said.

While men and women were equally altruistic, women were much more likely to feel empathy than men. Forty-five percent of women felt disturbed by others' misfortunes, but only 25 percent of men reported the same feelings.

In fact, Smith said, gender made the only difference when it came to empathy.

Posted: 8/8/03

Texas Tidbits

Bullock leaves TBM. John Bullock has resigned as director of men's ministry with Texas Baptist Men, effective Sept. 30. He joined the Texas Baptist Men staff in 1995 as director of Royal Ambassadors and Challengers, the missions programs for boys and young men. After several years in that role, he assumed the responsibility for directing adult missions and men's ministry.

The 41-member youth choir of First Baptist Church in Salado traveled to Washington, D.C., and Gaithersburg, Md., this summer, conducting a Vacation Bible School, distributing water and gospel tracts on the National Mall and singing at the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol.

HSU's Keeling wins coaching award. Hardin-Simmons University's head football coach, Jimmie Keeling, has received the Johnny Vaught Head Coach Award given by the All-American Football Foundation. Keeling joined former Texas A&M and Alabama head coach Gene Stallings and former Kansas State head coach James Dickey in receiving the award. Keeling, who will enter his 14th season at the helm of the Cowboys football program, has amassed a 109-34 record while at Hardin-Simmons. In that time he also has won eight conference titles. Five times he has been named the conference coach of the year, and twice he has been named the South Region Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

Scholarship gains another Beckham name. The name of the late Agnes Beckham of Abilene, a former trustee and longtime financial supporter of Hardin-Simmons University, has been added to an existing scholarship established originally in the memory of a son, Caldwell Beckham, an Amarillo dentist who died in 1979. Mrs. Beckham died in 2002. Her name was added to the scholarship through a gift to HSU from her estate. Mrs. Beckham, widow of the late Lacy Hiram Beckham, a former president of the HSU Alumni Association who died in 1962, was a longtime friend and financial supporter of HSU. She was an HSU graduate and recipient of the Keeter Alumni Service Award.

UMHB to host Tree concert. Two-time Dove award winners By the Tree will perform at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $10 at the door and $8 in advance; group rates are $8 per person. Groups purchasing 15 tickets or more will receive a complementary ticket per group. For more information, contact the university at (254) 295-5150.

DBU grads to walk stage. Dallas Baptist University awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees to 218 students at commencement Aug. 8 at 10 a.m. in the Burg Center on the DBU campus. Artyom Tonoyan, a native of Armenia and a recent DBU graduate, delivered the commencement address. Darold Morgan, former president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Annuity Board, received an honorary doctor of divinity degree during the commencement ceremony.

Newman heads HBU business college. Ray Newman has been named dean of Houston Baptist University's College of Business and Economics. He was a healthcare executive for more than 20 years and is a former partner of an accounting firm, where he was responsible for consulting services in strategic planning and marketing. His academic career includes teaching at New York University and Tulane University.

UMHB receives grant. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has received a $150,000 grant from a local foundation for the fitness center in the new Frank and Sue Mayborn Campus Center. The gift will provide fitness center equipment, including free weights, treadmills, elliptical and non-elliptical cross trainers, stationary bikes and strength and conditioning equipment. The university held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility June 25, with a projected completion date of fall 2004.

Dallas association encourages letters. The Executive Board of Dallas Baptist Association has approved a recommendation from the association's Christian Life and Family Ministries Committee urging churches and individuals with the association to write letters protesting a recent decision by the Dallas Morning News to publish announcements for same-sex commitment ceremonies. The Executive Board also wrote a letter of its own to the newspaper. Pastors and members have been asked to write their letters of protest as soon as possible and to notify the association of how many letters have been written by calling (214) 319-1166.

Gonzalez scholarship named at HSU. The Jacqueline Rowe Gonzalez Endowed Presidential Scholarship has been established at Hardin-Simmons University. It is named for the Abilene resident, who is widow of the late Homero Gonzalez, former vice chairman of the HSU board of trustees. Mrs. Gonzales is a published poet and member of First Baptist Church of Abilene.

Baylor Med ranks high. For the 11th consecutive year, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas has been ranked among the nation's top hospitals by U.S News & World Report. In the guide, which ranks hospitals on certain specialities, Baylor ranked among the nation's top 50 hospitals in digestive disorders (22), orthopedics (29), gynecology (46), urology (47) and cancer (50).

Posted: 8/8/03

TOGETHER:
Pray & give to meet great needs

Earlier this summer, Rosemary and I participated with Woman's Missionary Union of Texas in the 50th anniversary celebration of Texas Leadership Conference at Baylor University.

I was moved by worship experiences as we sang and prayed for our missionaries. WMU has kept alive in many of our churches the ability to pray with understanding and passion for individuals and families who make real sacrifices for the sake of the gospel of Christ.

I was inspired by testimonies of missionaries and mission leaders in local churches who work with children and young people, giving them a heart for the world and presenting opportunities for mission service.

I was encouraged by the growing ethnic diversity in our Texas Baptist family. The TLC crowd included Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, African-American, Hispanic and Anglo women. If women from all our churches could come to the Texas Leadership Conference to improve leadership skills, gain a mission vision as big as the world and become friends with women from every culture in Texas, then we would be a people more passionate for Jesus and his kingdom than we have ever been.

I also was privileged to attend another great missions gathering this summer, the Baptist World Alliance conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2005, the BWA will celebrate its 100th anniversary in Birmingham, England. Southern Baptists were present at the beginning of BWA and have long been heavily involved in the work of this worldwide body, which helps represent Baptist concerns and mission vision around the world.

Where persecution of Baptists has been rampant, BWA leaders have interceded for the persecuted. Gathered under the great doctrines of the lordship of Christ, the authority of holy Scripture, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to believer's baptism, they also have represented the great Baptist ideals of evangelism and missions, religious liberty, priesthood of believers, autonomy of the local church and separation of church and state in cultures where those ideas are not generally known or appreciated.

The BWA helps link national Baptist bodies in networks of cooperation for missions. And through Baptist World Aid, Baptists are able to channel funds to help people who face famine, natural disasters and deprivation related to war. It is a grand privilege to be a Baptist and to share in the fellowship of Christ with these amazing brothers and sisters. I am humbled by their faithfulness in the most difficult circumstances.

Please pray especially for our Baptist family in Liberia as they undergo their most painful and frightening time. The end of civil war there appears to be near. If your church would like to help the dear people there, send a special disaster relief offering to BWA through our convention. Baptist World Aid will make sure it gets to those who need it most. Emile Sam-Peal, executive secretary for the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Education Convention, wrote me last week. He asked Texas Baptists to pray for his people and to remember their need for assistance to “help with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Liberia.”

The needs are great in so many places. Please pray. And give if you can.

We are loved.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

Posted: 8/8/03

Wayland touches Africa through Kenya program

By Teresa Young

Wayland Baptist University

NAIROBI, Kenya–Simon Mwangi is not a typical Wayland Baptist University graduate.

He's not 22 years old, armed with a new diploma and out to conquer the world in a new career. He's not spent the last four years calling a small dorm room home, dropping into bed after midnight or attending sporting events with his classmates.

And unlike his counterparts nearly half the globe away, Mwangi is not sitting through his graduation ceremony wishing it were over, ready to take off the cumbersome gown and awkward mortarboard cap.

Instead, Mwangi, associate pastor of Parklands Baptist Church in Nairobi with a membership nearing 1,000, is giving the student address at the first commencement ceremony held by Wayland in Kenya, and he's speaking with deep gratitude.

“Simon spoke about the broader knowledge he has now with his Wayland degree and how those classes were like gifts from the faculty,” explained Vaughn Ross, professor of biological sciences and program director for the Wayland partnership with Kenya Baptist Theological College. “He spoke of the gift of science, the gift of history and the gift of languages–gifts because of what he can now do with them.”

A church choir of Maasai from the town of Kajiado traveled 100 miles by bus to perform at the graduation ceremony, dressed in traditional tribal attire.

Unlike many new college graduates, Mwangi and the other 15 members of the Kenya class of 2003 know their new associate of applied science degrees don't represent an end but a continuation of training for ministries to their church families.

It was that big-picture thinking that had Ross entranced during the commencement ceremony this summer. Admittedly, his mind was in other places, thinking back to when Wayland's involvement in Kenya was in its infancy stages just four years ago. Then, the dream of making education accessible to the people of Kenya–with whom he had worked as a missionary for 19 years–was just in the planning stages.

“Two things kept running through my mind,” Ross said. “First was a personal dream to see Wayland–the school I love–involved in participation missions, then combining that with the dream the Kenyans have to meet their greatest challenge, which is Christian leadership training. Just getting to be part of that dream was great.”

Ross' next thoughts, however, were even more mind-boggling, he said.

“Thinking that these are just small parts of God's bigger dream of winning the world for Christ gave me an overwhelming sense that we were helping the churches to write Christian history in Kenya,” he said.

That big picture is what makes the newest Kenya graduates most excited. Take Isaac Esilima, for example.

An older student and a pastor, Esilima has been a public schoolteacher for many years and is nearing retirement from that profession. He still is excited about earning the diploma that Ross says is an opportunity “he never would have dreamed of.” This gentle pastor proclaims that it will equip him to serve his congregation better. He leads a new church in Nyahururu.

For many of Esilima's classmates, the diploma they now have is not a promise of great riches but an open door to better serve Christ through their churches. They also in some cases will be able to advance their vocations–many of which involve teaching–and expand their territory to spread the gospel.

David Howle, director of Wayland's Virtual Campus, gave the commencement address, and Ross conferred the degrees with help from Anne Foster, program registrar at Kenya Baptist Theological College, and Bernard Kabaru, the college's principal. Along with their degrees in theology from Wayland, students earned advanced diplomas from the college.

A tradition from the college's ceremonies was carried into the Wayland ceremony as well–presenting a symbol of servanthood.

“Each student received a charge to servant ministries at their churches, and they each received a towel as a symbol of being a servant,” Ross explained, adding that the towels had been embroidered with the Swahili word “mtumishi,” meaning “servant,” and their initials, courtesy of Don Smith's Sunday School class at First Baptist Church in Plainview.

Other Wayland faculty who have taught in the program sent gifts for the graduates as well, including devotional books and jackets with the Wayland logo.

Ross noted that about one-third of the graduating class are members of the Giriama, a people group that were first ministered to about 30 years ago by missionaries Clay and Pat Coursey, Wayland graduates now retired in the United States.

During the visit to Kenya, Howle spent much of his time setting up an electronic database for the college's library and working on connections that may soon make a satellite link to Wayland's home campus possible.

Ross spent time planning with college leaders.

“We came to a point of looking back and looking forward, and two things really emerged,” Ross said. “First was the success of the students, about their transformations in critical-thinking skills for ministry, plus English language skills and writing.

“We also reaffirmed our original concept, which was to train those with few other opportunities and to retain those who would have opportunities but can get their education here rather than go abroad.

“In this graduation exercise, the number of Baptists in leadership with a college degree increased by approximately 50 percent. I can remember when there were very few Maasai believers in Kenya, and now there are 3,600 Baptist churches representing multiple tribal groups. These Baptist leaders were trained in Kenya and will remain there. Baptist churches in Kenya just can't afford to lose those Christian leaders.”

Posted: 8/8/03

BIG DADDY WEAVE:
Weaving a way

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Standard

Before they became successful recording artists, the musical group Big Daddy Weave grew accustomed to holding concerts at a variety of unique locations–ranging from used car lots to Chinese buffets.

With a surge in popularity, venues now include national tours, church camps, festivals and promotional appearances, such as at LifeWay Christian Store headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.

Wherever they perform, the focus remains directed toward Christ, who they consider their “audience of one.”

These five musical talents–the Weaver brothers (Mike and Jay), Jeff Jones, Joe Shirk and Jeremy Redmon–are based in Mobile, Ala., and met while attending the University of Mobile.

“We started leading praise and worship at various events, and God really just took it from there,” lead vocalist Mike Weaver said.

From the start, Big Daddy Weave felt led to share the message of Christ's love with songs of praise.

“We kind of use whatever means necessary to allow people to see God,” Weaver noted. “Our music is a blend of what people find in contemporary Christian music and what crosses over into worship music. The spectrum of where we can wind up and where God can use us is fairly broad. We sing some worship songs that may be familiar to people in the church. We also sing hymns every now and again, and we use our own original songs. We constantly point people to Jesus through the music and through our words. Hopefully, an event with us is not so much a concert as much as it is a worship gathering.”

In addition to receiving a New Artist of the Year Dove Award nomination, Big Daddy Weave has the distinction of receiving the highest charting single for a new artist in adult contemporary radio with the song “In Christ.”

This fall, Big Daddy Weave will join the musical group FFH on tour. They also will release “Fields of Grace,” the follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed debut, “One and Only.”

“We're really excited about the new album,” Weaver said. “I think it's a good representation of what we perform live. It has the whole aspect of worship from a congregational-side and testimonial-message songs. One song is a 'reverse-vertical' song, from God to us, called, 'Let Me Be Your Everything.' The songs are a cross-section of what God's been doing in the life of Big Daddy Weave for the past two years.”

Their success, they contend, is due to following God's plan.

“Over the past two years, we've just continued to walk where God's led,” Weaver said. “He's always confirmed what we were doing by the peace in our hearts. If we ever step out of that (boundary), he yanks the peace out from under us, and we have to come running back so fast. We've found that we can't really live without that peace; we shift into just existing. For us, it's all about following God's peace.”

By performing in more than 200 events, Big Daddy Weave is making waves around the country. However, they believe this is God's work and not their own.

“We've had some times where we were certain in our minds that we were totally messing up, and no one was getting it,” Weaver said. “Then, at the end, all these people come up and share all these different experiences. They've said, 'I was having a rough time, and the Lord really spoke to me through this.' That's so cool to see. … God is not nearly as interested in our ability as much he is in our availability.

“We have all wanted to play music for a long time,” he explained. “It has been a dream of ours to do this full-time. I think my favorite part is doing something we've always dreamed about, but it also being what God has called us to do. It's so cool to be doing something that is our job, but it's not just a 'job.' It's something that we would do even if we didn't get paid. We love doing what we do, and we feel like God has ordained it.”

Posted: 8/8/03

Whites paid to go to church

By Hannah Lodwick

Associated Baptist Press

SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP)–Looking to make some extra spending money? A pastor in Shreveport, La., is offering white people money to attend services at his mostly black 4,000-member church.

Fred Caldwell, the pastor, says he grew tired of looking down from the pulpit and seeing only black faces in his congregation. “Our churches are too segregated, and the Lord never intended for that to happen,” Caldwell told the Shreveport Times. “It's time for something radical.”

Caldwell said the idea for diversifying Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church came to him during a sermon. He is paying whites $5 an hour for Sunday services and $10 an hour on Thursdays. The plan started Aug. 3, and 10 white people–some glad for the money, some glad for the invitation–showed up for the Sunday morning service.

While some critics say the worship-for-wages plan amounts to bribery, Caldwell said he just wants the kingdom of God on earth to look like it will in heaven.

Caldwell used the parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20 as a biblical context for his program. In the parable, no matter what time of the day the owner of the vineyard hired workers, he paid them all the same amount.

“This isn't just a good idea,” Caldwell said. “This is a God idea. I ain't got no better sense than to obey God.”

To get their money, white visitors must register before the service, and Caldwell pays them out of his pocket. His offer lasts through the end of August.

Members of the Greenwood Acres church have met Caldwell's challenge with enthusiasm. Torie Jenkins has attended the church all of her 21 years. She told Associated Baptist Press she has enjoyed Caldwell's decision to invite whites to their church.

“It has been very interesting,” Jenkins said. “We just love them, and we open our arms to them.”

Jenkins said she doesn't know if the white visitors will continue attending Greenwood Acres after the payments stop, but she hopes they will. “I'll look and see what God's going to do,” she said.

Posted: 7/25/03

Posted: 7/25/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 10

Faith always has feet; deeds indicate devotion

James 2:14-26

By Jim Perkins

Madison Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio

How do you convince me that you own a real race car? Don't just open the hood and show me the motor; race it!

Faith without works

This text perhaps is the most controversial passage in James. Foundational for our understanding and interpretation of this passage is the premise that James (faith with deeds) and Paul (faith alone) agree salvation is by a personal faith in the “Lord Jesus Christ” (2:1). Because their letters are occasional literature (written to a particular group for a particular situation), however, the positions they state and defend in their letters give some surface appearance of disagreement concerning saving faith. As we shall see, though, that truly is not the case!

James wrote to these dear brothers to explain that a faith purely intellectual and purposely divorced from good works “is dead” (2:17). The specific situation might have centered on a group of needy brothers and sisters within the church (2:3, 5, 15) who required assistance with food and clothing. The author was very clear: His readers had the opportunity to show the genuineness of their faith by responding to the needs of others with concrete actions.

Let's be very clear on this issue. Faith always has feet. Even if those feet of faith have been crippled by the circumstances of life, they are still willing to step out and help when possible–it truly is a matter of the condition of the heart, not the strength of the step.

Paul and James agree on this foundational matter, as Paul made clear in his defense before King Agrippa: “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20; also Ephesians 2:10). Good works are not a condition for salvation, but they are an inevitable result.

Faith that works

James continued his defense of faith with accompanying deeds by recording the text of a debate with a foe, who maintained faith and deeds are separate issues in the Christian life (2:18-20). Rather than assign this argument to a “straw man” or imaginary foe, a better interpretation would be that this position had been supported in the churches to which James wrote and he was inspired and impelled by the Spirit to a corrective response.

The erroneous position held by James' opponent might well have been that an “intellectual faith” was sufficient–agreement with the facts of the gospel was all that was needed for salvation. Verse 19, however, certainly is startling with its remonstrance that even demons accept the fact of the one true God–but that statement of fact is not equivalent to trust or faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.

Before proceeding with his own position on this issue, James took one last jab at the opposing position/person: “You foolish (empty-headed) man”! How could a person defend the position that a true and saving faith can be partitioned off from good deeds except that he has no brains at all?

Faith, works and salvation

James provided an appropriate statement of his position on works and deeds in 2:21-26. Again, remember that James did not state that good deeds save one apart from faith. Instead, turn that concept around and we can see the precedence of faith and the accompaniment of good deeds. As it has been said, a defective faith (faith divorced from any works) never saves, and an effective faith always brings forth good deeds–like a spring naturally emits a flow of fresh water, or else it is simply an empty hole in the rock!

The examples of Abraham and Rahab are both intriguing and inspiring. James maintains “his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (2:22). Good deeds, then, as they accompanied Abraham's faith, completed it (“brought it to completion” or “brought to complete maturity”). While James did not commend Rahab's profession, he did congratulate her confession of faith that naturally issued forth in good deeds–and those deeds demonstrated the vitality and validity of her saving faith.

The truth and experience of salvation by faith is as multifaceted as a cut precious stone. Paul and James would agree that salvation comes through a personal trust in Christ as Savior. They also would agree that a true, saving faith cannot be divorced from good deeds motivated and directed by the Spirit and done for the glory of God.

Questions for discussion

With today's passage also read Acts 26:20; Galatians 5:6, 6:9-10; Ephesians 2:10. Write in your own words a combined summary of Paul's and James' positions on faith and works?

What "good deeds" characterize your salvation experience? Look to Galatians 5:22-6:10 for guidance in examining the outflow of Christ's life and love in your life!

Posted: 7/25/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 3

James offers relational and ethical guidance

James 1:19-2:4, 8

By Jim Perkins

Madison Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio

Most of us enjoyed the privilege of growing up in a home in which our parents loved us enough to offer practical advice as to how we should live daily. We profited by being able to thrive in a life filled with a variety of relationships and roles.

Live by good principles

James wrote this letter with concern like unto a loving parent. To that end, James constructed this portion of the letter with a view toward guiding them in their relationships and ethical behavior.

Verse 19 contains a theme common to much of the wisdom literature: Be a wise and considerate person as you avoid rash, ill-advised comment and allow others to speak (Proverbs 10:19, 17:27-28, 29:20; Ecclesiastes 7:9). Indeed, James insisted the Christian cannot live the “righteous life” (1:20) God intends unless we renounce our tendency to anger.

This passage contains one other significant challenge for the believer. James insisted in verse 21 that just as his readers would dispose of a soiled and ruined garment, they also should rid themselves of every trace of the “moral filth” and “evil” that was so prevalent and characteristic of the world (that is, people) in open rebellion against the cause of Christ. At the same time, they should find themselves in humble agreement with “the word” (of God, probably the gospel message mentioned in 1:18). Here some would see the phrase “the word planted in you” as an allusion to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:33.

Learn from God's word

Humble acceptance of the word of God was needed to bring forth a concrete result in the life of James' readers. His injunction was concise and straightforward: Hear clearly and then obey faithfully.

Why the concept of reception and subsequent action was so vital is explained in James' parable-like discussion of two men in verses 23-25. The first man peered into a mirror and unwisely departed without recognizing the visage was his and that it demanded attention (perhaps to comb his hair or wash his face!). The second man would appear to have done the opposite–he was attentive and acted on the demand. Here, though, James leaped ahead to the intended application: This man heard the word of God–here the “perfect law”–and recognized its claim on him and his need to apply it.

Much of the discussion of this letter has centered on the identity of “the perfect law that brings freedom.” Perhaps this might be described best as the sum total of the moral and ethical teaching contained in Christianity. In addition, the concept of the “perfect law” and the “royal law” (2:8) should be interpreted in the light of Jesus' teaching concerning the “greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:36-40) and Paul's teaching on love for neighbor (Romans 13:8-10).

Look toward others

In 1:26-27, James offered an appropriate illustration of the practical application of a life lived in awareness of the demands made on the Christian by the perfect law that brings new freedom in Christ. The author chose three real-life situations encompassing life with the Father and his children. Two of these topics reiterate subjects mentioned previously.

First, James insisted a “religion” flowing from a true relationship with the Father would necessarily result in a tight rein kept on the unruly tongue. The truth of the need to control the tongue was introduced in 1:19, and will be developed more fully in chapter 3. Here James simply and forcefully asserted that one who will not control his tongue is deceiving himself concerning the efficacy of his professed religiosity.

The second and third life situations included in this section offer positive evidence of a sound religious faith. A vital life of faith will include the care of those who are socially disadvantaged, specifically here widows and orphans. These two categories of people typically were vulnerable to exploitation by society, and at the same time were the object of particular concern on the part of the loving Father (see Exodus 22:22; Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:10; Mark 12:40, 43-44).

The last life situation mentioned here was the need to avoid the ethical and moral pollution which was common in the “world” (people in rebellion against God) and a temptation to God's people living in a society so opposed to the Lord (1:21, 27).

Love all people

Chapter 2 begins with one additional illustration of the Christian life lived in obedience to the royal law that commands us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (2:8). We cannot be certain whether James was reminded of a specific situation in their meetings that had been related to him or instead chose to include a generalized word of instruction. The net result, however, is that James forbade showing favoritism–whether based on financial considerations or any other factor. God does not exhibit favoritism (Exodus 23:3; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9) and neither should the believer.

Questions for discussion

Make this passage specific to your life: In what area are you most challenged to “be doers and not hearers alone”? What needs to change to make that happen?

Posted: 7/25/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 10

Flee temptation and avoid the places it prowls

Genesis 39:2-10, 19-23

By Tim Owens

First Baptist Church, Bryan

Out of hatred and jealousy, Joseph's brothers sold him to Midianite merchants, who in turn sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, in Egypt. Joseph served as a slave in Potiphar's household. This part of Joseph's life poses a relevant life question: How can God's people remain faithful to him in times of testing and temptation? The testimony of Joseph is that God graciously empowers those who remain faithful to him when tested and tempted.

Genesis 39:2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered.” Joseph was successful. Success is a major goal in contemporary life. The world measures success by power, prominence and possessions. God measures success by obedience to his will. Success is living in the will of God. Humble servants of God know they are successful only because God allows them to be successful.

Perhaps the greatest lesson God taught Joseph about success was that those who are greatly blessed and used by God are inevitably tempted by Satan. Another way to state this lesson is that those whom God greatly uses are tested by God. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether God is testing his people for the purpose of making them more useful for his purposes or whether Satan is tempting them for the purpose of leading them into defeat. Sometimes temptation and testing are interwoven. God does test his people to prepare them for greater usefulness, but Satan relentlessly tempts God's people in an effort to destroy their usefulness. Joseph was certainly being tempted by Satan, but he also was being tested and strengthened by God for even greater blessing.

Joseph went from being a menial servant to being Potiphar's personal servant to being overseer of the entire household, until finally Joseph assumed the oversight of everything Potiphar owned. Everything Joseph touched was successful, because it had the touch of God's blessing. Joseph was about to learn that today's successes are often times a prelude to seasons of enormous challenge. His success turned into an intense season of temptation and testing.

Genesis 39:6-7 says, “Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'Come to bed with me!'”

It is remarkable that Joseph withstood this kind of pressure. He had the pressure of single manhood. Through the failures of his father and brothers, he had a family history of sexual misconduct. The Egyptian culture of that day was characterized by sexual promiscuity, adultery and fornication. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear Potiphar's wife tempted Joseph with the proposition day after day. In spite of all the physical odds being against him, Joseph continually resisted the temptation and remained faithful to God. How did he do it?

Genesis 39:8-9 suggests three reasons why Joseph resisted this temptation. First, Joseph says, “Your husband trusts me.” It meant something to Joseph to know his master trusted him. Joseph said, “Your husband put me in charge of everything he owns; I have privilege to everything except you, his wife.” Adam and Eve used the exception in their life as an opportunity to sin. They could eat all of the fruit except the fruit from one tree. It was a forbidden object that attracted Adam and Eve. This same rationale was used by Joseph to give him strength to reject that which was forbidden. He said, “I have everything but you, and I cannot go to bed with you because Potiphar trusts me.” Second, Joseph said, “You are his wife.” For Joseph this was a simple matter of doing God's will. Third, Joseph said, “It will be a sin against God.” Joseph was saying, “God sees me, and if I disobey him, it would bring a reproach against his holy name.”

Of all the reasons Joseph resisted this temptation, this is the one that most challenges the believer of any generation. God was more real to Joseph than anything in the world. Joseph was saying: “God is worthy of my obedience. His holiness and love are to be taken with utmost seriousness.”

The following principle cannot be stated strongly enough: Any time the Christian encounters the temptation of sensuality, the only appropriate response is to run from it. Joseph's example says to all Christians, “Don't talk about sin; don't reason with it; don't debate it; don't sit down and discuss it with somebody– run from it!”

If Christians are serious about being men and women of God, here is what Joseph says to them:

Do not give the devil an opening. Do not enter into situations where it would be easy to be led into sin.

Do not take fleshly passions lightly. Joseph ran. He did not stick around. Did God reward him immediately for his obedience? No. Obedience might cost the believer before it will reward the believer. God has his schedule. He calls on his people to be faithful, and in his time he will reward them.

Saturate the heart with the truth and worship of God. When one's life is filled with God, there is little room for the tempter to gain a foothold.

Questions for discussion

Do sexual temptations cease after marriage? How can a husband and wife help one another avoid sexual temptation?

What lessons about avoiding all sorts of temptation are present in this passage?

Posted: 7/25/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 3

God has a plan even when circumstances hide it

Genesis 37:3-8, 23-28, 34-36

By Tim Owens

First Baptist Church, Bryan

The story of Joseph is a lesson in how God's gracious plan in a life can still be fulfilled in less-than-ideal circumstances.

The patriarch Jacob had 12 sons. He showed favoritism to Joseph, a son of Jacob's preferred wife, Rachel. That demonstration of favoritism contributed to the tension in this family.

Genesis 37 raises the question, “How can one make sense out of life's devastating experiences?” Some people believe life's events are attributed to chance. Thus, they have difficulty making sense out of the trying circumstances of life.

Christians believe God is working even in the crises of life to accomplish his purpose. While he may allow his people to suffer the consequences both of sin in the world in general and of specific sins in their own lives, he is always at work to accomplish good in his people's lives even in the midst of devastating experiences. How can the believer depend on God's grace in the crises of life?

Remember God has a plan

Genesis 37:3 says Israel (Jacob) made Joseph a “richly ornamented robe.” The important thing about the coat was its significant meaning. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 states how the birthright was transferred from Reuben to Joseph, because of Reuben's sin of fornication. The coat Jacob made for Joseph designated Joseph was to be the heir to the birthright. His brothers knew this, and for this reason they hated him.

What follows in the story only intensified the brothers' hatred toward Joseph. In Genesis 37:5, Joseph had a dream, and he told the dream to his brothers. In the dream, Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain in the field when suddenly Joseph's sheaf rose and stood upright, while the brothers' sheaves gathered around Joseph's and bowed down to it. The brothers recognized the meaning immediately–Joseph was predicting that someday he would rule over his brothers. Because of the dream, the brothers hated Joseph all the more.

Although some would question Joseph's motive in sharing this dream with his brothers, it seems Joseph was genuinely seeking to discover God's plan for his life. He was saying to his brothers and his father, “I don't understand all of this, but somehow I know God has a purpose for my life.” This is what motivated Joseph for the rest of his life–the assurance that God was always working his plan. Joseph was a man who said, “Whatever trial and testing I have to accept, whatever rebuke I have to endure, whatever adversity I have to face, and even if it seems God has forgotten me, I will remain confident God is working his plan for my life.” What a worthy example to follow!

Persevere in spite

of shattered dreams

Motivated by their jealousy, the brothers plotted to kill Joseph. They ended up selling Joseph to a caravan of Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Joseph must have asked himself, “How are these circumstances working for the glory of God?” He must have wondered about his dreams and their fulfillment. Certainly the next 13 years of his life were filled with many tests and trials. Had Joseph been looking at only the circumstances, he would have despaired of all hope, but his trust remained in God.

The persevering Christian must know that God's ways are often beyond human comprehension. As God sovereignly works his plan, the believer is often unable to understand why he/she is being led down a certain path. Believers need confidence in God that he will accomplish his will, whether they understand it at the time or not.

Joseph teaches this timeless principle: Believers learn more from the pits of life than they do from the mountain tops of life. It is usually from the valley experiences that God prepares his people for effective service and ministry. This is why perseverance is absolutely essential. James is right–consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Frequently, God is best able to deal with his children when they are alone. Even Christ spent agonizing hours alone in Gethsemane before he was betrayed and finally crucified.

For Joseph, the night in the pit was not a night of defeat but a night of victory. He was now completely under God's control, and any dreams of self-ambition and self-importance were now dead. Joseph realized that his dreams were God's revelation to him and, therefore, it was God's responsibility to fulfill those dreams. Joseph was not to try to fulfill the dreams on his own, but he was to make himself available to God, so that God could fulfill the dreams through him.

Questions for discussion

Have you had circumstances in your life where you felt God was distant only to discover later that he was working his plan in your life?