Author: Amanda Wiggins

Is the celebration of Thanksgiving Day a victim of the secularization of our society?  It seems as though the media and many merchants sped from Halloween to Christmas. The origin and the purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God for His bounty, His provision, His care, His providence, His blessing—personal, family, community, and nation. Seemingly family, food, and football have become the focus of the celebration. While this trinity is good, it is neither as good or as great as God.

It seems that faith in God is under attack from some fanatics—ISIS, militant atheism, and cults. A fourth enemy is the classic afterwhile group. For years we have had to deal with this fourth threat—those who seem to think that they can delay commitment to God until near the end of their lives.  They seem to want to be the sovereigns of their lives until near the end, when, just in time, they will “accept Jesus”. They, to their minds, will get to avoid Hell. While many experience death in ways where this option in not available, others may find their understanding of salvation to be flawed when death comes to them. Truth is, God, not us, is in charge.  He expects us to live for Him now. Matthew 25 teaches God is not to be controlled by us, but us by HIM.

A common error of the cults is to not know Jesus as the unique Son of the Triune God who came as the Lamb of God to save those who trust in His work on the cross. Jesus was truly human and truly divine. Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Adventists and other false cults do not have a true understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. Read the book of Hebrews.

Islam also fails to understand who Jesus is and thus it too is a false religion. It also does not understand or practice love which is so central to the Christian faith. Among the benefits of the Baptist way has been the belief that God can take care of Himself.  We contend that there must be freedom of religion. This is because each of us is accountable to God for what we believe and how we behave. Unlike us, Islam has a history of forcing persons to accept their religion.

Sociologists are telling us that atheism is growing here in our country. More and more persons are declaring that they do not believe in God. Their reasons vary. Some have had a bad theology and when God has failed to answer their prayers as they wished, they decided that God does not exist. Others have wanted to be the “captains of their fate” and thus have refused to acknowledge the lordship of God. Still others have wanted to sin and have killed God, in their minds, so that they would not be accountable for it. The basic issue, in my mind, is that so few in our country have truly embraced the Christian lifestyle.  Some who have taken on the label of atheist are not so much rejecting God as they are the misrepresentation of God by some Christians. They do not know God and His will. They are arrogantly asserting their reasoning power to be greater than that of God.

The Bible clearly teaches: 1. God is the Sovereign Lord of History. 2. He has a general will for all persons which is outlined in the Ten Commandments and the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbors. 3. He has a specific will for the life of every human being. Those who fail to see this are condemning themselves to an eternity of suffering.

So, let’s reclaim this season.  Let us express our gratitude to God for His blessings, material and spiritual. And let us celebrate the birth of the Messiah.  It is He who came to reveal the ultimate truth, to win the victory over Satan, sin and death.  It is He who provides forgiveness and invites us to participate in His victory and enjoy life eternal. And it is He who gives meaning to our individual lives and to history.

The 180th annual meeting of our association will be memorable. On Monday we met at our youngest and northernmost congregation, Calvary of Fayette. Sam Wiggins moderated the meeting. He and Glenn Sandifer were re-elected to the leadership position. The theme was SERVE ON by Starting Something New, Evangelizing, Revitalizing Churches, Volunteering, and Engaging Culture.

We looked at the new things God is doing among us with a focus on Rubies for Life at Aliceville FCI. We were taught by Bro. Tommy Winders regarding how and when to share the Gospel. We are to be Fishers of Men. Ours is a Great Commitment, Great Commission, and Great Commandment. By video Bro. Mike Hall shared with us what he had learned at New Salem over his 40 years as pastor there. The church has grown greatly and is now housed in a beautiful facility. It began 70 years ago in a brush arbor.

Seventeen of our churches reported regarding what God is doing in and through their ministries. Regular visitation, firewood, cookies, and other service ministries were reported. Care for the young, the lost, and the elderly were highlighted.

Bro. Tim Meherg of Reform set the stage for the meeting with the traditional introductory message. Great music. The offering for the Children’s Home totaled $558.

The afternoon ended with a wonderful fellowship dinner furnished by the host church. God has a great church at Calvary. Beautiful people in a beautiful building—focused on being real Christians.

On Tuesday we gathered at Galilee in Panola. While its history stretches back nearly 165 years, it is the newest member of our association. Among those in the congregation that day were at least five persons who helped with the re-building of the church after its fire in February 2006—Henry and Gypsey Helmers, Gene Ferguson, Don Pritchett, and Charles Ashcraft. It was moving to see the fruits of this labor. Bro. Bob Little, pastor, shared a video which told the story of the fire and the reconstruction.

Among the things Bro. Mike Hall shared with us concerning his learnings from 40 years pastoring the same church had been the need to be flexible. When the projected discussion of the relationship between Gospel and Blues music could not be done as placed due to a death of a family member of one of the presenters, Bro. Bob handled the teaching by demonstrating how he has taken the music of the Blues, baptized them with the Gospel message, communicating it to hurting, lost persons. This was an important learning.

Volunteers reported on mission trips to Ohio and Romania sponsored by the association. Janet Estis provided a heads up on the On Mission Celebration, scheduled for February 20-24, 2016.

Bro. James Hammack spoke to the messengers concerning how to use social media in a biblical manner and thus use it as a Gospel witness.  Very helpful. Then Bro. Gene Dawkins brought the annual missions sermon.

Eight of our churches reported concerning what God has been doing in and through their congregation. The offering for ALCAP totaled $301.

The meeting was concluded with a fellowship meal provided by the host church, Galilee. Another great church.  Another great day.

The attendance at Calvary was 78. The attendance at Galilee was 57. We will be meeting in 2016 at Flatwoods on Monday and Mineral Springs on Tuesday.

So SERVE ON. Individuals, groups, churches. Three GCs.  Great Commitment, Great Commission, and Great Commandments.

Basic Beliefs is the title of a course I am teaching at the prison camp currently. It is offered through Samford Ministry Training Institute. It is the fifth in a set of courses leading to a certificate in Christian Ministries. Our purpose is to equip the Christian inmates to be effective witnesses, godly persons, and Bible teachers in churches upon their release. Connecting to a church upon release can be crucial for them. They will be a benefit to the church, make friends, and be helped in finding employment.

Glenn Sandifer and Mel Howton taught the previous classes with good results. Clay Carroll, the recently arrived new head of Religious Services, wants to see the SMTI program expanded both in the camp and in the prison. Several of our PBA ministers received this certificate when we were offering these courses at the PBA office. With so many internationals at the prison, there is an awesome opportunity to send out missionaries, effective missionaries, from right here in Pickens County through this program. With the very popular and effective Rubies for Life, we are impacting many lives here and, in days to come, around the world.

The course I am teaching includes eight topics—authority, God, humankind, salvation, Christ, the Christian life, the church, and last things. These are important topics for all Christians to know what they believe. I have published extensively on all of the topics except the last one. My thoughts on it reflect the historic premillennial position, not the complex dispensational one. I could hope that all of our churches would commit to studying these topics. You can find some of my writings on most of these topics on the webpage www.ruralchurch.us. I will be glad to help the churches prepare for studies of these topics. They might be scheduled on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights in our churches. James Hammack of West End is our new Discipleship Director. He will be encouraging us all to be serious about discipleship studies.

Looking again at the seven letters to the churches, real churches, toward the end of the first century from Jesus, the head of each church and of the whole church, we note that seven failings of some of the churches are identified. Text is Revelation 2 and 3.

*Left its first love, 2:4

*Allowed false teachings, 2:14, 15

*Too great of an accommodation to its culture, 2:14

*Tolerated a false teacher, 2:33

*Failed to see the sickness of the church, 3:1, 17

*Flawed works, 3:2

*Self-satisfied, 3:17

These were issues then, and they still are. To summarize, each church must focus on pleasing Jesus, not themselves, not others—only Jesus. So, we must evangelize, disciple, do good works and good work. It is not about us. It is about Him. Troubles come from within and from without. Suffering is and will happen, both for individual believers and churches. Leaders have a special calling and responsibility for the spiritual health of individuals and the local church as a whole.

Jesus also provides a prescription for the sin sick individual and for the unhealthy churches. It can be seen as a kind of seven step program, never fully completed, but continuing, again and again and again.

1. Remember, 2:5. Forgiven. Transformed. The coming of the Holy Spirit into the body. Joy.
2. Repent, 2:5. Boldly confess ones sins. Boldly confess the sins of the church. And know that forgiveness and renewal will come.
3. Do the first works, 2:5. Acknowledge personally, and as a church, that Jesus is Savior and Lord. Do this in worship, in prayer, in witness, in testimony, and in mission and ministry.
4. Hold fast, 2:25. The Tempter will attack, but do not be thrown off course. Walk with God.
5. Be watchful, 3:2. Do not be caught asleep by Satan. Do not allow others, or the whole church, to be deflected from its mission of evangelism and discipleship and ministry to others.
6. Work with Christ the Carpenter to repair your personal weaknesses and those of your church, 3:2
7. Rely on spiritual resources for health, wealth and wisdom, 3:18.

Read this five more times. Consider how you can use the prescription in your life. Consider how you can facilitate its use in your church.

Let me testify that I have experienced the effectiveness of this prescription in my personal life, in the lives of many persons here in our area, and in some of our churches during my period of ministry here. Use it and let me know the results. Next month we will look at the promise of us becoming overcomers.

Again, looking at the letters from the Lord to the seven early churches in Asia Minor, today’s Turkey, let’s identify those qualities Jesus loved in those churches, qualities that still are appreciated by the Lord Jesus. Certainly, the situation of each of these churches was different—different towns, different sources of income, different leadership, different opportunities, and different sources of problems. Next month we will consider how they responded to their setting. But now we will focus on a dozen or so qualities Jesus is looking for in a church. Consider each one. Is it in your church? If not, seek it.

1. PATIENT. 2:2, 19. This is an important virtue both of individuals and of churches. The patient just keep on doing what is right and good, even when things are not going just as one might expect.
2. OPPOSED TO EVIL. 2:2. In our day it appears that evil is winning the “cultural war.” Lying, stealing, killing, infidelity in marriage, failing to honor one’s parents, and coveting were condemned by God at Sinai. He still sees them as evil. Love is perverted. Self dominates service.
3. NOT GULLIBLE. 2.2. We have always had persons who sought to “con” Christians, persons who knew the “righteous” language and used it to exploit and take advantage of others. Jesus told us “to be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves.” A current example is “the prosperity Gospel.” The members of the seven churches in Revelation were suffering. We will suffer.
4. PERSEVERANT. 2:3, 10, 13, 25; 3:5, 8, 11. This quality is the most often cited in these seven letters. Keep on keeping on. Things may not be “PEACHY” right now, but things will be better for us and for the church in days to come, if not in this world, then surely in the world to come.
5. PURE 2:3. In many of our churches one finds a covenant printed and hanging on the wall. It is a guide concerning how we are to live and to treat one another. It is grounded in the concept that the family of God should be morally pure. Read it again. Grade yourself. Do better going forward. The statement about Walking in White, 3:4, 5, seems to be repeating this expectation.
6. MINISTERING. 2:19. As individuals we need to care for one another. And as a body, the church needs to care for its members and for the larger community. I was recently impressed by the role of the churches, their pastors, and their leaders in responding to the riots in Baltimore.
7. FAITHFUL. 2:19. God reveals himself as being faithful. He does what He promises He will do. He is forthright in telling us what He wants us to do as individuals and as churches. As His children we too should be faithful. As the “bride of Christ” the local church should also be faithful. In 3:12 we find the Lord of the church speaking about being Branded as Faithful. What better observation can be made of a church?
8. WATCHFUL. 3:2. A key theme in Revelation is that Jesus will return to establish a perfect government. Justice will finally be achieved. Again, individually and as a church we should live each day as if that will, indeed, be the day of His return.
9. REPAIR. 3:2. When one owns a house, his/her work is never done. The same is true of a family and of a church body. We never are fully pure. There is always some work to do, including making repairs.
10. REMEMBER. 3:3. The Bible is to be read as a recital of the Mighty Acts of God. Both Judah and the church went through dark days. But again and again, God showed up at the right time and took care of things in His way. It is in the remembering that one sees our God is a Faithful God.
11. PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES. 3:8. Each of the seven churches had, or would have, special opportunities to serve the Lord of the church. Given that their places were different, the opportunities were diverse. Sadly, none of the churches survive to this day. The times have changed. It seems safe to say that as they, and others, failed to respond to opportunities, Islam was allowed to triumph in the region. Is there a lesson for us in this observation?
12. HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE. 3:18. To my mind the core issue with the Prosperity Gospel is that it focuses on the material and neglects the spiritual. It focuses on oneself, and not on God and His kingdom. God is viewed as being the servant of the individual, which reverses the relationship taught in Scripture by 180 degrees.
13. REPENTANCE. 3:19. The line in Romans 1:17 about how God’s righteousness is revealed from “faith to faith” has been important in the lives of many saints. As believers and churches walk with the Lord, they see His hand. They, while tempted to arrogance and pride, resist. Even in times of success and victory, we must continue to repent, truly repent, humbly. It is for this reason that each congregation needs to study and reflect upon its history. See where God has blessed, chastised, opened doors, provided necessary resources, and won victories.

Running through these letters, one finds a recurrent theme of becoming an overcomer. We will look at this later in this series. Let us suffice for now to encourage our churches to do what is needed to become overcomers. Focus on having and exercising these qualities as a church. And encourage each member to seek to have these qualities in his or her life.