Category: Mind of the Missionary

Thank you for your prayers. Been through a difficult time, but am much improved. Thanks also for those who have picked up the slack and kept the work of the association going in my absence from the office. Among the things on my mind in recent days have been setting up the association to transition to a new leader when I retire, celebrating in 2017 the coming of the Gospel Light to Pickens County, and getting in place a plan to help the ladies at the prison successfully return to society.

My first day out was a Saturday at the Baptist Center Thrift Store. I was again impressed with how the needs of needy persons are being met by this ministry. We were able to provide resources to a displaced lady and her child to get started in a new place. I rejoiced as many donations were brought in. I hope that you all will do likewise as you do some spring cleaning.

The next day I worshiped at Springhill. Good service. We are blessed with some wonderful congregations with excellent pastors who bring Bible based sermons and provide a feast of biblical truth. This was followed by dinner at the Farmstead in Columbus.

Monday evening I attended, with more than 100 other persons, the Thank You God Rally. It was a wonderful event. We heard testimonies about how God had protected and how He had blessed through the storm. Recovery needs to involve both material and spiritual issues. Thanks to Charlie Wilson and Aliceville First for hosting this event.

Then Tuesday I attended the meeting of the unmet needs committee. Good progress is being made in Sapps, but it will be a long process.

If you need gifts for Mother’s Day, Graduates, or Father’s Day, we have lots of great gifts at great prices. We also have baby, wedding, and anniversary gifts. All proceeds go to support our prison ministries. Come by the office Monday thru Wednesday from 10 to 2.

Looking forward to a great summer filled with Vacation Bible Schools, mission trips, work in Sapps, and revivals.  Thanks again for your prayers.

Congratulations to the University of Alabama football team on becoming National Champions. Thanks to all of those who are harvesting deer and thus making our roads safer. Thanks to those who responded to this column last month and are working on the theme of SERVE ON in our churches.

An idea for a theme for next year came to mind recently, and I want to share it with you. In 1817 the first settlers moved to Pickens County and the Gospel Light was planted here. So, in 2017 we will mark the bicentennial of the Gospel beginning to shine here. By 1822 churches were formed. Revivals and camp meetings were held. A mission to the Choctaw Indian tribe was opened. Efforts were made to evangelize the slaves. As communities and as towns were formed more churches were planted. Through the years more than 70 churches have been connected to our association.  Nearly 10,000 persons have been members of these churches. About 30 persons from these churches have served as foreign missionaries. Nearly 300 have been called into ministry and served congregations here in our country.  If the success of other denominations was added to this, the totals would triple or quadruple.

The light of the Gospel has shined here over these 200 years. So, let’s give thanks for the faithfulness of those who brought it here. Let’s give thanks for those who have been faithful to share and follow this light through the years. And let’s commit to double our efforts to keep it burning brightly in the years to come.

I believe that God has rewarded us for our faithfulness by bringing the Federal Prison here. And we have responded well. The Gospel light has been kindled there and burns brightly. As we reach the women there with the Gospel, as we teach and disciple them, as they return to their homes, many of them even to other countries, the light of the Gospel will be carried from here to many other places. How exciting is this?

My hope is that we will come up with projects and events that will share the light with everyone in our area, will help the light shine more brightly, will support our efforts to send the light to other places, and will give thanks for those who shared the light with us.

Thanks to the 50 or so board members who came to the meeting at Ladow. The vo-tech program is up and going. Impressive. Will be expanded with a new facility in Carrollton soon. To my mind this can really set the course for our county for the next few decades. It is not very likely that a major industry will come to our county. But industrial jobs are within easy commutes to the east and to the west. The widening of US 82 will improve access. If many of our youth get trained to hold these jobs, they will not need to move elsewhere for work.  And for people in our neighboring counties who want their children to be in good, smaller high schools and get well-trained for blue collar jobs, this will be a good option. This is happening in Hale County.

With our children being able to stay and others moving here, the future of our churches will be brighter. And the light of the Gospel will draw them.

Our next Executive Board meeting has been moved to Tuesday, January 12 at 6:30 pm at the Ladow Training Center. We will be introduced to the new vo-tech program. We will also consider how to address the theme for 2016, SERVE ON.

*S – Start new churches. We are supporting a new church start in Portland, Oregon. Our international mission team will help build and launch a new church in Brazil. Locally, we need to investigate the restart of a Spanish language church, perhaps in Gordo.

*E – Evangelize the lost. The youth ministers are planning two area wide evangelistic events, the first one on April 3. Our evangelism committee is working on a plan for an area revival in November.

*R – Revitalize the churches. Recently I received a ten year report on the cumulative work of the churches in our association. Membership has increased. Worship attendance has increased. Income has increased. Financial support of missions has increased. But participation in the basic programs of our churches has declined—Sunday School, Discipleship Training, WMU, Brotherhood, Missions Education, and Music.  Several of our churches have stopped having worship on Sunday evenings. Several of our churches need to pray and work along the lines of being revitalized.

*V – Volunteerism. The work at the Baptist Center has grown greatly in the past decade. It is a great ministry run totally by volunteers.  More than 50 of us are regular volunteers in ministries at the prison and the jail. Many are volunteers on the mission trips of the association and of the churches each summer.  We are doing well in this area.

*E – Engaging the Culture. We still have much of the traditional culture of the rural South here, it seems. Plantation, Hardscrabble farm, Freedmen. But there is a growth of the newer, electronic, social media culture here as well. James Hammock addressed this at the annual meeting. We were encouraged to use the media as good Christians should. We must not let ourselves be caught up in the gossipy, unloving posts. Self-centeredness is not a Christian virtue. Humility is. We need to work on ways to use social media for outreach and pastoral care.

As 2016 progresses, let us keep thinking about these points and keep ourselves, our churches, and the association on target.

During the visit of our twin grandsons from Poland, I was introduced to the Thomas the Train videos.  Good moral lessons.  I learned that the creator of the series was a Church of England minister.  Like Fred Rogers on PBS, a Christian using modern media to present the Gospel, particularly with regard to relationships.  Let us draw resources that are good, shun those that are not good.

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.