“College students and seminary students who have just graduated can now exhale and begin to serve the Lord in their true calling.” Every May, I get this response from both professors and students.

Richard Ray

When I was in college, a professor told our class, “Once you start pastoring in a church made of bricks, it will be then you will know you have made it.” It is as if he were saying pastoring a small church is only for pastoral training or it is a place where you do you your time to be commended later for serving in a small church.

We have pastors leaving small churches only because they feel outside pressure to leave small churches for greener pastures of larger churches.

Reasons for moving

Research shows 12 percent of Southern Baptist pastors believe the move to another church or being called by God to another church is God’s will, while 11 percent move to another church for better pay and/or benefits. Relatively few pastors—4 percent—have left a church position because they wanted to pastor a smaller church.

Most ministers take a job with a different church for reasons such as wanting to move to a different community, wanting to lead a larger church and getting promoted to a higher position—not simply because they feel God calling them to a different church, according to a study conducted for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). That may not seem like a momentous thing to some, but it is a very important to God. For those serving on the small church mission field, small churches may in the world’s view seem like “very little,” but God sees things completely differently. He is seeing your trustworthiness in the task he has assigned to you and your faithfulness to that task, no matter what “size.”

Honor the call

Your calling to serve the Lord as a pastor is what you should be honoring, for that is pleasing unto the Lord. Do not do as most and move to another church for reasons other than it is God’s calling in your life.

Those who are teaching and mentoring young pastors, encourage them to follow the heart of God and not the heart of man.

Regardless of where God calls you to serve, know you are serving where God needs you so that others can be impacted greatly by the grace and mercy of God. We need more pastors serving where God wants them. Let us begin to create a culture of pastors who are not afraid to serve the Lord in locations regardless of size.

My professor was wrong. It is not the brick on the building that shows you made it. It is the ground you stand on.

We serve those serving in the small church mission field. To contact your Bivocational/Small Church Association go to www.tx.bivo.com or email at tririversdom@gmail.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of Texas Baptist Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Have you ever had a hard moment in ministry, and it made you question whether you were doing all you could to further the kingdom of God?

Richard Ray

Lately, I have been in contact with several youth ministers who have shared their stories of struggles in ministry as they strive to reach students for Christ. One such struggle happened when a youth minister found a student smoking marijuana while attending the church’s youth group. This minister did everything right in this situation by calling the parents and discussing the situation, while also challenging the youth to overcome this vice.

However, the minister still wondered whether he was getting through to these youth, even making the statement, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” He went on to say, “In moments like these, I feel at a loss.”

He was seeking answers we all seek when it comes to drawing others to Christ, especially when it concerns our students. I have spent a lot of quality time not only serving as a youth minister for 20 years, but also mentoring and encouraging this new generation of youth ministers.

Youth ministry is a challenge when faced with all the obstacles that must be overcome in the areas of social media, school activities, home life, peer pressure, loneliness and anger. Youth ministry is a challenge, but more importantly it is a calling—a calling to introduce others to Jesus Christ, just as Andrew did. In John 1:41-42, we read: “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”

Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. What Andrew did was personal and effective. Andrew went and looked for his brother so he could introduce him to Jesus Christ.

Everything a youth minister does is to fulfill that calling of introducing students to Jesus Christ. Every program, event or game that is planned, along with each ballgame attended and each slice of pizza represents the youth minister looking for students to bring to Jesus.

As with the adage of leading a horse to water, a youth minister’s calling is to introduce students to the Living Water of Jesus Christ. However, it is always up to the student to drink from the well that never runs dry. You may have to introduce these students to Jesus many times over until they recognize Jesus as Savior, or maybe the seeds you planted in their youth will be harvested when they have moved beyond your sight when they become adults.

I want to encourage youth ministers to be like Andrew and continue to introduce these students to Jesus Christ. You will experience moments in ministry that are challenging, that might even cause you to feel at a loss, but be assured the Lord is pleased with you, for you are fulfilling your calling of introducing students to Jesus Christ.

To contact your Bivocational/Small Church Association, go to www.tx.bivo.com or email at tririversdom@gmail.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Texas Baptist Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

When we hear the word ”wrestling,” many of us might automatically think of the bright lights and the over-the-top antics of “professional” wrestling. Most would be amazed to consider, however, wrestling occurs right on the pages of the Bible. So, for those who think the Bible is “behind the times,” I offer to you wrestling—Bible style.

Danny Reeves

The Bible’s version of a wrestling match occurs in Genesis 32, but we need to look back at the history of Jacob to understand it better.

Jacob was born to Isaac and Rebekah, and his original name meant “he who grabs the heel or trickster.” The name fit, because Jacob was cunning. He tricked his brother out of birthright, and even more, he went on, with his mother’s help, to coolly calculate how to steal the family blessing.

The plan worked, but the blessing came at a heavy price as Esau, his brother, was ready to murder him. The family is, thus, torn apart, and Jacob is forced to go into exile. Twenty years of exile.

During this time, the tension between Esau and Jacob goes completely unresolved, but a meeting between the two is inevitable. The night before this contentious reunion is the context of Genesis 32. You see, Jacob has been involved in a lifetime struggle against seemingly everyone, and it culminates in this “strange” wrestling match with God.

But wrestling with God isn’t all that strange, is it? I mean, everyone knows what that’s like, right?

Have you ever felt God’s leadership and you rejected it? You’ve wrestled with God.

Have you ever stared temptation in the face and grappled whether to say yes or no? You’ve wrestled with God.

Have you ever tried to live life without God, but circumstances brought you to your knees, and you realized you couldn’t make it alone. You’ve wrestled with God.

All of us in the struggle of life have found ourselves in the ring, and our opponent, we feel, is God.

So, what should we, Baptists, learn from Jacob’s and God’s wrestling match? Consider three main phrases in the story:

”Jacob was left alone”

There is so much value for us seeing these words, because it has been said, “To be left alone with God is the only true way of arriving at a just knowledge of ourselves and our ways.”

We never can get a true estimate of ourselves until we are alone with God. No matter what we think of ourselves and no matter what others think of us, the real question is, “What does God think of us?” The answer to that question can only be determined when we are left alone—away from the world, away from support, away from distractions, away from thoughts—alone with God.

“And there wrestled a man with him”

Notice it does not say Jacob wrestled with a man, but a man wrestled with him. Jacob wasn’t wrestling with God to receive a blessing, but God was wrestling with him to gain something. What did God desire to gain? God wanted to reduce Jacob to nothing; to cause him to see what a poor, helpless creature he was; to teach him that true strength lies in our recognized weakness. God simply touches Jacob’s hip, and it instantly was dislocated.

When we are touched by God, we recognize how truly helpless we are.

“I will not let you go until you bless me …”

It’s amazing. Jacob could no longer wrestle. All he could do was cling. God had brought him to a point where Jacob was just hanging on for dear life. That’s a good position for everyone to be with God.

Great lessons. But I can’t help but ask—the sports fan in me wants to know: Who won the fight?

It’s hard to say, right? It seems as if both won. Frederick Buechner called this episode the “Magnificent Defeat.” What he meant was paradoxical, “Yes, Jacob lost, but, yes, Jacob won.”

This can be explained by examining the post-fight results. The outcome was that Jacob was changed. He had a new name, Israel. It means, “he who strives with God.” His new name signified a change in character. He had gone from being the “trickster” to being the “one who strives after God.”

Jacob lost the fight, but without a doubt, he won a brand-new start.

In addition, he had a new limp. Jacob had been wounded in his wrestling with God. It’s interesting to note that this meeting with God didn’t offer warm, fuzzy feelings or healing. It resulted in a crippling. It makes sense—to be one who strives after God is to be one who is weak and crippled in themselves. Yes, Jacob lost the fight, but he won an understanding of who he was.

So, we see the ultimate winner was God, because he restored a life, and he resumed his purpose in the life of Jacob.

I have some questions for you:

• Does God need to wrestle with you today?

• Are there issues in your life that need to be wrestled from the grip of your heart?

• Do you understand you need a new name and a new character and even a significant limp to be useful in God’s hands?

Today, I know you wrestle with God, and so do I. The key is to realize accepting defeat ultimately is accepting victory. Clinging to God truly is the Magnificent Defeat.

Danny Reeves is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Corsicana and president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Pastors often wonder if all those sermons preached, if all those prayers prayed and if all those spiritual talks “took” when it comes to their children.

Richard Ray

My wife and I raised five children to love the Lord and follow the heart of God. They have been alongside me throughout all those hospital visits, funerals and homebound church members’ visits. They have witnessed some victories and defeats, some success and struggles as they lived their life as a preacher’s kid.

This past week, my father, Bob Ray, who has pastored Fairy Baptist Church more than 51 years, had heart surgery. My daughter who attends college spent her spring break in a hospital waiting room praying and encouraging her family and all those she encountered. To encourage each pastor who has children, I would like to share the message she expressed on her Facebook page.

These are the words from a hospital waiting room by Josalyne Ray—a preacher’s kid.

“Of all the spring breaks I have ever had, this last week was by far the best. Yes, I was in the hospital waiting room for the majority of it. Yes, I ate hospital cafeteria food each day. And yes, I experienced a miracle! I couldn’t be happier to sit in a waiting room and eat hospital cafeteria food in my life. Lol!

“I have seen miracles many times, but not experienced one that hit so close to home like this one! My grandfather going to the emergency room on a Saturday was a shock to all of us, but with friends and family interceding on his behalf, God showed up in ways we didn’t expect.

“He was taken to the emergency room, but was shortly released to go home with medication, and scheduled for triple bypass surgery a few days later. I don’t think anyone knew the seriousness of what was going on at the time, nor did the doctors.

“When our family was at the hospital days later for his surgery, the doctor explained he had no idea how my grandfather was alive! He explained the main vein to his heart was 99 percent blocked. That’s 99 percent! Meaning barely any blood going to the heart.

“My Papa could have died at any moment or, per the doctor, shouldn’t even be alive. The doctor said of all the hearts he has seen like my Papa’s, they have never survived. We all knew he had some heart issues but not this extreme! The doctor called this disease the widow-maker, where most people die in their sleep with this, with very few symptoms.

“After hearing all this news, I think my whole family was undone, with complete awe of how good God is! Looking back, there were many things God had set up to keep my grandfather alive, and seeing it now, we’re just so thankful!

“Let me just tell you prayer works, so be encouraged that in any situation, God is a father who deeply cares for you and loves you more than you know!

“This experience will forever mark my family and me. I wish to thank everyone who prayed and believed for him.

“The One who does impossible is
Reaching out to make me whole
The One who put death in its place
His life is flowing through my veins
I believe in You, You’re the God of miracles—Jesus Culture.”

Josalyne Ray, preacher’s kid and proud preacher’s grand kid.

For more information on the bivocational/small church association, go to txbivo.com or contact Executive Director Richard Ray at tririversdom@gmail.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

The last night before his death on a cross, Jesus didn’t make reservations at his favorite restaurant in Jerusalem. He didn’t go out and paint the town red. He didn’t finalize his last will and testament. He didn’t glance at his bucket list, wondering what he could check off.

Jim Heiligman

The last night before the pain, agony and shame of the cross, Jesus spent time in prayer.

After praying for himself, Jesus prayed for his disciples with him in the upper room. John records the prayer for us: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11).

But beyond that, Jesus saw the future and prayed for the world church for all the ages yet to come.

On that night, when the Son of God would be betrayed by, of all people, one of his followers; on that night, when the Son of God would be arrested and falsely tried in a kangaroo court; on that night, when the Son of God would be mocked and ridiculed and beaten without the slightest thought of mercy; on that night, Jesus prayed for your congregation and mine.

Jesus prayed for us

What he prayed for his disciples, he also prayed for you and me. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20).

In this prayer, Jesus asked only for one thing—that all of his followers be one.

Jesus did not pray for the church’s numerical strength. He didn’t pray for its financial stability. He didn’t pray for its buildings. He didn’t pray for its worldly visibility. What he prayed for in that upper room as the cross ominously loomed on the horizon was for his church to be united. More than anyone else who had gone before him or who would come after him, he knew unity would ensure the victory of the church’s mission in the world.

Unity with purpose

The unity Jesus prayed for that night has a purpose: “So that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

How do our churches convince the world of the central claim of the Christian faith? Is it through the number of people who walk through our doors on a Sunday morning? Is it through a gifted and dynamic staff? Is it through all our programs and activities?

Absolutely not.

We convince the world Christ is God’s one and only Son sent to this earth to redeem and reconcile a sinful humanity by our unity. The unity of the local church is the chief testimony that will convince the world of the truth of Jesus’ message and mission.

Texas Baptists, my prayer for us is the prayer of Jesus—that we come together and in doing so, provide the world evidence that our Savior is real.

Jim Heiligman is second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Bryan.

I wonder if you have ever walked away from a church service on Sunday morning and thought to yourself, “There has to be more to it than that ….” The music was good, the sermon was interesting, the discussion in Sunday school was engaging. But at the end of the day, your worship experience seemed to be, well, lacking something. And to be honest, maybe you couldn’t even put your finger on what was missing.

Jim Heiligman

Unfortunately, this is a reality for many believers. They go through all the proper motions. They check off all the right religious boxes. They engage in everything they had been taught should provide a satisfying and unmistakable encounter with God. But still, there was a desire for something more.

One of the reasons so many people in our churches are unfulfilled is because we have been conditioned to approach our relationship with God with the wrong perspective. Many Christians arrive at church on Sunday morning with the mentality of a spectator. There is this self-centered focus that says: “It’s all about me. My wants, my desires, my preference, my comfort and my convenience are at the top of the priority list. And as long as those conditions are met, then I will approve of the event.”

Obvious problem

The problem with this approach should be obvious. Our relationship with God was never supposed to be a spectator sport. The God of the universe didn’t send his Son to die for our sins so we could observe and critique and then maybe give a thumbs up to the Sunday morning “performance.”

Jesus came to earth to open the door for men and women to have a personal relationship with their Creator that would influence and affect every single area of their lives—not simply the two hours blocked off on Sundays, as long as there isn’t a better offer on the table that weekend.

What happens on Sunday morning should be the culmination of a week spent pursuing our Savior with reckless abandon.

If we simply come to church on the weekends, sit in a pew, listen to what God’s word tells us to do and leave and fail to apply any of it, then we never are going to experience any of the limitless joy, overwhelming peace and abundance of life Jesus promised us. If we want our faith journey to have a lasting impact on our lives, we have to be applying our faith on a day-to-day basis.

Spectator faith

James the brother of Jesus addressed this issue directly. He wrote a letter to a group of early believers warning them of the danger of having a spectator faith. He challenged them to pursue Christ in such a way that their lives would be discernibly transformed. He advised them against compartmentalizing their faith as an additional component of their lives. Instead, they—and we—should allow our faith in Christ to infiltrate every facet of who we are, so that it influences every thought, every action, every relationship and every endeavor in our lives.

Listen to what James said in chapter 2:17: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” With perfect clarity, the brother of Jesus wants us to know our relationship with Christ is about more than going to church on the weekends so that we reserve a spot in heaven someday.

Life-long pursuit

It’s about a journey that starts the moment we embrace who Jesus really is. It’s about a life-long pursuit to look more like Jesus and less like us. It’s about treating people we come into contact with every single day the way Jesus Christ would. And it’s about doing more than just listening to the word of God, singing a few songs on a Sunday, sitting through a Sunday school lesson or having a spotless church attendance record.

Our relationship with Christ is the most important relationship we have on this planet. And within the context of that relationship, we can find more joy, more excitement, more love, more reward and more of life when we are willing to put into practice the example given to us by Jesus.

So, if you have ever walked away on a Sunday feeling like there is something lacking in what you are currently experiencing, then ask yourself this question, “Is my relationship with God a footnote in the story of my life, or is it the prevailing theme that holds everything else together?”

If we want more than what we are experiencing now, the truth is, there is more available—so much more.

Jim Heiligman is second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Bryan.

The decision of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board declaring three congregations “outside of harmonious cooperation” with the state convention because of their views on same-sex relationships has brought great attention on how Christians and churches minister to those who practice a lifestyle that goes against the very word of God.

Christians and churches rely on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 to explain their stance against sin: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

This Scripture makes no distinction of the degree each of the listed behaviors is objectionable to God. It lumps alcoholism with fornication and homosexuality with covetousness.

If God did not bother separating one sin out from that list, why do we? Jesus himself never quoted concerning the topic of homosexual behavior. However, Jesus did give us a wonderful example of how we treat those who are living a lifestyle of any sin in John 8:11 when he spoke to the adulteress woman and said: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

Although Jesus is the forgiver of sin, he also never looked away from sin or ignored sin. As a matter of fact, Jesus died because of our sins. When we as Christians or as a church condone a lifestyle of sin, we are ignoring the power of that sin. Sin is what separates us from our Lord. When we fail to recognize sin as sin, we give power to sin.

Jesus removed the power of sin in this woman’s life when he said: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” Therefore, whatever Jesus did, we are to do. Time and time again, we are shown how Jesus had compassion for sinners while making it clear that he expected them to live holy lives.

How can we expect to live holy lives if we fail to recognize sin as sin? How can we expect others to live holy lives if we as Christians and as the church fail to recognize sin as sin?

God’s word does not make sin hard to recognize or define for a reason, so that we would not succumb to its power. We as Christians and as a church should not make sin hard to recognize by condoning or ignoring sin. For when we do, we become slaves to sin.

Proverbs 5:22-23 says, “His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.”

The church should be trying to free people from sin, not confuse them so that they become slaves to sin. Let the church with compassion give proper instruction on sin as Jesus gave in John 8:11: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

To contact your Bivocational/Small Church Association, go to tx.bivo.com or email at tririversdom@gmail.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Texas Baptist Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Disappointments come in a variety of shapes, forms situations and sometimes in people.

Joe FieldsAs they relate to people, I am of the belief that only those in whom we have placed a great deal of trust and expectation are allowed to disappoint us. Disappointment has been defined as “the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.” Disappointments have become synonymous with sadness, regret, sorrow and oftentimes anger.

As believers, we will encounter disappointments as we travel through life. Often as we encounter ministry and life, disappointment seems to meet us going and coming.

How do you deal?

With that in mind, I would like to ask the question “How do you deal with disappointment?”

As I recall the biblical account of the Old Testament leader Joseph, I get a glimpse into how he handled his disappointments and was able to flourish in the purpose God had ordained for him, all the while experiencing great disappointment time and time again.

When Joseph was being obedient to his father, Jacob, while carrying out the wishes of his father, his brothers had other plans for Joseph’s life.

Disappointments/lessons

Disappointment No. 1: His brothers didn’t know Joseph’s purpose, so they seized him and sold him into bondage. Family can disappoint you.

Disappointment No. 2: He is lied upon by his employer’s wife and thus delivered into bondage again. You career/job can disappoint you.

Disappointment No. 3: Joseph has made friends in prison and has helped other people improve their lot in life, yet when those he helped were in a position to help Joseph, they did not return the favor. Friends can disappoint you.

God uses for good

What I have learned through the life of Joseph as well as from living myself is that I should not become too disappointed with my disappointments, because the variety of my disappointments may vary, but the God of my life who gives me purpose even in my disappointments never changes.

I choose to echo Joseph’s view on disappointment: What they meant for evil, God has used for good. If God has called you to himself, he has called you to walk through the seasons of despair and devastating disappointments.

Be encouraged and persevere through to your destiny.

Joe Fields is first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Lewisville.

At First Baptist Church in Corsicana, we recently celebrated the retirement of a saint among us. Her name is Joanna Lewis. Joanna served as our financial secretary 41 years, and her husband, Truett, has taught Sunday school at First Baptist even longer than that. Joanna received a tribute and celebration filled with gifts, happy tears, laughter and love. It certainly was a party befitting someone of her tenure.

Danny ReevesOf course, Joanna didn’t want any of that attention, and if she knew I were writing about her now, she would faint of embarrassment. But as a pastor, I know a life like Joanna’s is the kind of life all of us should consider. We should consider it personally and deeply.

You see, Joanna is quiet, steady and faithful. No, let me correct that. She is faithful! (I don’t know if I can emphasize it enough.) Friends, she is the personification of steadfastness and faithfulness. She has been serving the Lord for decades, and pastors like me should thank God above, because we stand on the shoulders of people like her. Yes, now she is old, but every single day, even in her elder years, she continues to exhibit gentleness, meekness, courage, dependability and commitment. She shows all of us in younger generations what following God truly looks like. She may be stepping down from her small paid position, but I assure you, she is far from finished in the big task of serving the Lord through our church.

The great news is there are people like Joanna all across our great state in Texas Baptist churches. And when I think of all those beautiful saints, I find myself thinking of Caleb from the Old Testament. Caleb is a great character! At 85 years old, he refused to quit. He was at an age when most people are feeling it’s time to slow down and step aside, but Caleb was going to get his piece of the Promised Land.

There is immediate application for us:

When you follow God wholeheartedly, you’ll never retire from serving him.

I know the concept of retirement is something we dream of in our culture, and retirement from a career is a fine idea. Hey, it’s a great time to go out and spend your children’s inheritance! But did you realize retirement is not a concept that remotely touches following the Lord? The reason is because serving the Lord is not a job; it’s a life-calling. That’s what the Latin word “vocation” means—a calling. Our true vocation is to follow God, so…

“You can’t take a vacation from your vocation!”

You see, God isn’t through with you, whatever your age. You have to remember the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. So, keep on serving, keep on praying and keep on being available to God.

I am thankful today to write about Caleb, but I am even more thankful to write about Joanna Lewis. I praise God for many others just like her across our state—steady, faithful, quiet, committed disciples who make all of us better and strengthen our churches.

Danny Reeves is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Corsicana.

If you are a believer, and you understand Jesus Christ has saved your soul and has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit with all its power and resources at your disposal, why wouldn’t you share Christ’s message of salvation unashamedly?

Richard Ray

This is the question pastors must ask their congregations continually if we are to win our communities to Christ. There can be no more excuses if we truly want to be on fire for Christ.

“I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

What about the fire?

We know who the Holy Spirit is, but what about this fire? The fire is what is burning inside of you. This fire that has been building up in you since the day you were saved. This fire is the fire to be a witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This fire, when let loose, will become a blaze that cannot and will not be stopped.

I came to know Christ as Savior at age 11 and I remember after I was saved, I went to school that next week, and as soon as I hit that playground, I told everyone I could I was saved. I proclaimed so loudly, the whole playground was listening to what I had to say. I was excited, and I had to share it. I was on fire for Christ because of the flame he had placed in me. This is the fire we should talking about, where we are so excited about our salvation and our rescue from hell that we must share it with others. We are unabated in our witness.

Never burns

So often, our fire is kindling and never gets to the burning stage. An opportunity to witness may be right before us, but we fail to burn. We shy away with excuses of “not ready,” “haven’t been to church long enough,” “don’t know the words to say,” “don’t have my Bible with me” or “I can, preach but witnessing is different.” Have we forgotten the Holy Spirit lives within us, who is the very presence of God? And have we forgotten that all the angels in heaven are behind us?

You see, just because you have the Holy Spirit and the fire within you does not mean it is burning brightly. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be bold believers, but the Holy Spirit does not force us to be bold believers. Have you experienced a time when you failed to witness to someone, when you knew you should have and it begins to burn you up inside? You cannot stop thinking about it. You worry that person will forever turn their back on Christ, so you pray for Christ to provide another opportunity or for someone else to be a witness to them.

Burning building

Every witnessing opportunity you let go by is like allowing a person who does not know a building is burning to walk inside anyway. It is fatal.

Every believer needs the fire burning brightly in their lives, but more importantly, those without Christ need the fire in lives of those who are saved. The world needs the church to be on fire for Christ. People every day are walking into the burning building and do not even know it. Let the church, let every believer rise up and proclaim, “There is a hell, and people are going there everyday. But that does not have to be you.”

Let the fire of Christ burn brightly for the world to see, for the church has kindled long enough.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Do you remember your first VCR? It was the greatest, wasn’t it?

Danny Reeves

You no longer had to be there to watch a program live. You could record it and watch it later. Now, the truth was that you had to have an engineering degree from MIT to set the clock on the thing, and you had to pay hundreds of dollars for this big, huge, bulky box. But it was a VCR—a video cassette recorder! It was the highest pinnacle of technology, and it was sitting in your living room!

Now, let’s be honest. You may not have your VCR anymore. You’ve probably even moved on from your DVR. Regardless, you still have some recording device, and you love it because now you not only can record shows, but when you watch those favorite shows, you can watch them in fast forward, right?

Fast-forward life

You no longer have to waste away through the commercials. You no longer have to wait to see which house they choose on “Fixer Upper.” You no longer have to hear the phrase, “This is Jake from State Farm.” Now, you can fast forward. You can even go to the end of the game and see who wins!

Wouldn’t it be great if life had a fast forward button?

And more importantly, in our life as Christians, wouldn’t it be great if in our maturation process as followers of Jesus, we could just push a button to see where we were going to be? Wouldn’t it be great to know where God was taking us in our growth with him?

Wonderful promises

Well, in 2 Peter, the Apostle Peter wrote a letter to Christians who were looking ahead. They were living in fast forward. In other words, they wanted to peek ahead to the new heaven and the new earth. They wanted to look ahead to the Day of the Lord. Peter knew that, so he talked to them about their future, and he told them they could look forward to their future with confidence, because God had given them wonderful promises to stand upon today.

Here is how he phrases it in 2 Peter 1:4, “God has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in this world caused by evil desires.” In other words, he was saying that people can’t deal with the possibilities of the future until they know the certainties of today, and those certainties can only be found in the promises of God!

Texas Baptists, just as our ancestors in the New Testament needed God’s promises, so we, too, need them today! God’s promises allow us to look into our future with confidence, because we know that God has a stable plan right now.

Write it down …

So here are a couple of things we need to write down:

• When God gives a promise, we can know it’s certain and true!

Thank goodness, because in our world, it seems like promises are made to be broken. How great it is that God’s promises are not fleeting, false or fading. His promises are certain and true.

• When God gives a promise, many times those promises are conditional!

Now, don’t get confused. God’s love is unconditional, but God’s promises are not the same as his love. Many of his promises often contain the important two-lettered word “if.”

Let me offer one example: God answering prayer. We all want our prayers answered, right? In John 15:7, Jesus promises we can “ask whatever we wish, and it will be given us.” That sounds great, but it’s not an open-ended buffet served by God. We can’t have whatever we want, because the first word in the verse is “if.”

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.” It is a conditional promise, and it shows us how it works. Many times, God makes a certain promise, and he will do it “if” we will do our part. His part we cannot do, and our part he will not do.

Now, write down a final thing:

• God’s promises reveal his character!

It’s easy to see this one. I mean, the fact God has never broken a promise reveals he is someone who can be counted on and someone who is faithful.

Let me close with this: In just a few short weeks, the IRS and income tax will be on all of our minds. But did you realize right now the IRS is looking for thousands of people? They aren’t looking because these people owe taxes. They are looking because these people are owed a refund! Since the year 2000, well over $2.5 billion has gone unclaimed, the IRS actually reports.

How tragic it would be for you to have thousands of dollars due to you, yet you never claim it! But how much worse it would be for there to be thousands of promises of God that you never took for your own!

I encourage us as Texas Baptists to take the promises of God and allow them to give us confidence as we fast forward into our tomorrow!

Danny Reeves is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Corsicana.

“To take something for granted is to begin to lose it!”

I never will forget when I first heard that statement. I was 19 years old, and Wallace Roark, my professor at Howard Payne University, said it to our entire class.

Danny ReevesHe went on to defend his premise, and the more I listened the more I knew he was right. If we take any part of our lives, any person in our lives, any situation in our lives for granted, then we are in the beginning stages of losing something or someone.

Let me offer some examples, and I will begin with a simple one—the simple wooden, picket fence that may surround your back yard. Do you see it in your mind? It’s a nice fence—new, precise, clean, neat. It won’t need attention for years. So, you forget about it. The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t see in its second winter several nails begin to loosen in the pickets. You don’t notice in its third summer the Texas sun has begun to warp the untreated boards. You’re not aware of the wood ants that eat away out by the shed. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it. Soon, that fence will be gone.

Consider another example. This one is quite a bit more serious. This time it is your church. This congregation has been a part of your life as long as you can remember. The building has dominated the corner of 15th and Main your entire life. The church is strong, dynamic, financially stable and gospel strong. So, you don’t really get involved or take on any responsibility. (After all, you’re not really needed with all the people down there!) The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t notice an entire generation of leaders has passed on to be with the Lord. You don’t see the pastor and staff struggling to carry the load themselves in the absence of involvement. You’re not aware of baptism numbers that decline year after year. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it. Soon, that church will be gone.

And now, the final example. This one is the most critical of all—your personal relationship with God. You begin following Jesus when you’re just a child. Your parents have you in church every time the doors are open. You fall in love with Jesus, and as a teen and young adult you are dynamic, on-fire, winsome and Spirit-filled. This faithful disciple is going to go the distance, so you sit back and put it on cruise control. The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t see that you really no longer read God’s word. You’re not really vigilant in guarding your heart and mind against un-Godly input you allow into your life. You’re not aware that sin and disobedience have become your norm. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it.  Soon, that devoted walk with God will be gone.

Texas Baptist family, the principle is true for every area of life—our fence, our car, our health, our church, our convention or our relationship with the Lord. So, be vigilant. Be concerned. Don’t take anything for granted, or you will begin to lose it!

Danny Reeves is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Corsicana.