CMC Christian club

The Christian club at Copper Mountain College is now meeting on Wednesdays at noon. If you or someone you know is a student at CMC, please join us! We'll be meeting each week at the new amphitheater just outside Student Services.

This is a great way to learn more about Christianity in a friendly setting, to have your questions answered, and to be encouraged in your faith. Grab a lunch and come discover Jesus from the book of John (new visitors will receive a free copy).

I'm excited to be partnering with Pam Hoyt and the student leaders to get this group back up and running. For more information, please email phoyt[at]cmccd[dot]com, or just drop by this Wednesday at noon.

Evangelism articles

One of our big areas of focus in 2011 at First Southern Baptist will be evangelism. God has been giving me a greater burden for the lost, and I pray this coming year will find our people better equipped and excited to share their faith.

We will not be doing much by way of events or programs, other than our annual Vacation Bible School and Grubstake Days booth. Instead, we'll be focusing on training and equipping our people to share the gospel in their own circle of influence.

At this point, I'm leaning toward using the book Share Jesus Without Fear as our main training manual. It gives confidence and a sound theology of evangelism, good transition questions, a concise gospel outline with key Scriptures, and answers to common objections. There's also a video series that goes with it, but I haven't had a chance to review that yet. I have a few qualms with some of the finer details in the book, but believe its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, and that any problems can be addressed while teaching through the material.

I spent some time this morning looking back through my old blog posts on evangelism, and thought perhaps some of them would interest you as well...

• We are called to "Go" - Jesus did not call us to draw people into our settings, but to go where people already are. 
• Why we don't obey Christ's call to "Go" - Fear and overcommitment are among the top reasons we fail to tell others the good news
• Is door-to-door evangelism still effective? How your neighbor perceives a stranger knocking on their door.
• Praying for the lost - A heartfelt prayer for our unsaved friends.
• Do you love lost people? You won't evangelize those you don't love. But be warned: it can be messy business.
• The American mission field - A reminder that America is more religiously diverse than ever before.
• How to witness to your waitress - Seizing those little opportunities God gives us everyday to tell others the good news.
• Talking practically about evangelism - A candid interview with several of our church members to hear about their struggles and victories in evangelism.
• Steering a conversation toward the gospel - There are many casual, non-threatening ways to take an interest in others and move a conversation toward spiritual things.
• How to live in the world - Eight great ideas for living "salty" lives and engaging our culture with the gospel.

What is the purpose of life?

This video was shown at our Christmas Missions Banquet last night. Our guest missionaries this year came from Scandinavia, and are spreading this video for people to see. It's an outstanding presentation. I only wish more Americans would have the opportunity to hear such a clear and concise summary of the gospel too.

The video is in Finnish (which you'll notice sounds a lot like the Elvish language from Lord of the Rings), but it has English subtitles. Take a few minutes to watch it. It really is a great reminder of the power and simplicity of the gospel, and that Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved.


Miksi minä olen täällä? - In English from Jere Valkonen on Vimeo.

Rethinking our evangelism

A couple years ago, I first blogged about our mission statement at First Southern Baptist: "to make disciples of Jesus Christ who love God and love people by reaching and teaching everyone." It's inspired by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), and sums up what Christ has commanded the church to do until His return.

I think all of us at First Southern would agree we’re stronger on the teaching side of this paradigm than on the reaching side. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A church first needs to grow spiritually on the inside before it can reach out effectively to others. By the grace of God, we have matured in doctrine, in love, and in leadership. During this time, we have even seen a few people come to Christ and grow in faith, but honestly, our evangelism still has much room for improvement.

At our annual deacon retreat a couple weeks ago, we agreed that it's time for us to become more prayerful and purposeful in our evangelism. We really need to move further beyond the four walls of our church. We've hosted some good events, but too often, we are still being reactive rather than proactive. God occasionally throws a fish into our boat, but we are doing very little fishing of our own -- very little engaging of the culture around us.

There's no doubt about it. This is a challenging mission field. Consider these statistics: There are 27,000 residents in the immediate Yucca Valley / Joshua Tree community. Yet only 20% of these would say “my faith is really important to me." Even fewer (15%) consider it “important to attend religious services.” This is pretty representative of California as a whole. Yet how much of our church's outreach strategy and style of ‘doing ministry’ is targeting that 15% versus the other 85% who don’t even consider their faith important, and couldn’t care less about attending our worship service?

According to Chuck Williams from Gideons International, who recently gave a presentation at our church, there are 100,000 people in our basin, but only 6% of these are attending church (and how many of those are truly evangelical?). I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say only 1 out of 20 (5%) in our community is saved. Jesus did say “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Mt. 7:13), but this is no excuse for idleness in our evangelism.

So, how do we begin to break down this massive amount of lost people and create an evangelism strategy that is bold yet dependent on the supernatural, regenerative work of God? One thing that we discussed at our deacon retreat is the idea of moving more toward regional home Bible Studies. Something offered on a weeknight that would be a "first contact" with unbelievers. It would be a place where Christians could invite their unchurched friends and where the gospel could be discussed in a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere. Plus, we would have the benefit of meeting regionally, which means we could host them in Palm Springs or Twentynine Palms, or anywhere in between where our church folks are talking with unsaved friends and co-workers, and want to invite them to a local evangelistic event. We're not exactly sure what this will look like in the months ahead, but we're looking very seriously at the Christianity Explored materials as our springboard.

Most importantly, we realize that just adding more evangelistic "programs" to our church calendar is not the solution. Programs and events are often very costly and labor intensive, and somewhat artificial, requiring people to come to us on "our terms." Instead, we need to incorporate evangelism into the very warp and woof of our ministry. We need to cultivate a burden for the lost and a confidence in sharing the gospel within the heart of every member of our church. We need to begin viewing ourselves as missionaries, and training our people to take the gospel to the people God has placed in their immediate circle of influence.

Father, forgive us for the many times we have failed You in our evangelism. We are weak and inadequate to save the lost. But we believe the Gospel is the power of God which leads to salvation (Rom. 1:16-17). And just as you had many elect in Corinth, we believe you have "many people in this city" (Acts 18:10). Bless our efforts as we try to become more purposeful in our evangelism in the year ahead.

Related posts:

• How to witness to your waitress
• Steering a conversation toward the gospel
  

Discipleship can be painfully slow

Here's a fascinating story about Mark and Lisa P, missionaries to an unreached people in Thailand. Over the past seven years, they were able to help local farmers with agricultural techniques and quickly gained respect in the village. But when their conversation turned to the gospel, the locals tuned out. It's another reminder that "a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him" (1 Cor. 2:14).

One thing I appreciate about this article is that the International Missions Board admits just how hard and discouraging the work of missions can be. We often hear the tear-jerking stories of conversion and the unprecedented revivals in faraway lands (as we should). Yet we can begin to assume that as soon as the gospel is proclaimed, people always respond and churches flourish. But we dare not forget how painfully slow discipleship can be.

Mark and Lisa have learned a valuable lesson through all this: "We have to trust God in His leadership, no matter what task He gives us, and we have to be faithful to that, even when it is frustrating and we can’t see the results...I think we knew that, but He let us experience it."

What a tragedy it would be if these missionaries, in an effort to boost their professions of faith and baptisms, began to dilute their message, making the gospel slightly more palatable to the locals. No, I think we see in Mark and Lisa true faithfulness to the gospel which will have far greater eternal results than any man-made method or measure of success.

You can read the whole article here.

No Greater Love movie - July 30

First Southern Baptist invites the public to a free showing of the movie No Greater Love at 7 PM on Friday, July 30. Free concessions will be served, and free child care will be provided for preschool children. It would make a great date night or family night out.

No Greater Love is the dramatic story of faith, forgiveness, and the sovereignty of God. Jeff and Heather were the "lucky ones." Best friends from childhood, high school sweethearts, and married by 22. After the birth of their only child, however, Heather fell into an uncontrollable depression. Hopelessly lost, she did the unthinkable...she abandoned her husband and infant son – and vanished. Now, ten years later, Jeff’s world is dramatically rocked when Heather shockingly reappears in the most unusual place.

Dennis Rainey, host of Family Life Today, calls this movie “a compelling story that powerfully reminds us that love is always the right choice.” The message of the gospel is clearly presented as well. We look forward to showing it and pray it will be a blessing to families in our community.

Please spread the word, and we hope to see you July 30! For directions to the church, please click here.

Click here to watch the original trailer:

2010 Vacation Bible School

Here's a summary of last week's Vacation Bible School. This article and photo appeared in today's edition of the Hi-Desert Star.

Children entering First Southern Baptist last week were greeted by a 12-foot barn, pine trees, western murals, and a life-size ranch fence. The words “Saddle Ridge Ranch” were emblazoned across the large archway, welcoming kids into the 2010 Vacation Bible School.

On June 21-25, the church hosted games, crafts, music, and a Bible story each morning for local children. Families were invited back Friday night at 6 pm for Family Fun Night. Over 120 people attended the free BBQ followed by a closing concert and awards ceremony.

“This was a very special year for us,” said Pastor Stephen Jones. “We had record-breaking attendance and were able to make many new friends in the community. Both the kids and their parents were so enthusiastic. We give all the glory to God.”

Throughout the week, boys and girls competed to see who could bring the most missions offering. The boys barely edged out the girls on Friday, together raising over $240 for the Haiti Response Fund to provide food, water, medical supplies, and shelter for earthquake victims in Haiti.

Planning for next year’s VBS is already underway. The theme will be “The Big Apple Adventure,” featuring the sights and sounds of New York City.

First Southern Baptist Church is located at 56374 Onaga Trail in Yucca Valley. For more information about their regular services and kids programs, please call (760) 365-5771 or visit www.fsbcyv.org.

God's wisdom revealed

Last week's Q&A and the previous week's message on Baptism are now available on our podcast site.

After this short detour from our regular exposition, we're heading back to 1 Corinthians next Sunday. We're getting ready to launch into chapter three, and I think it would be helpful to give a quick summary and review of the previous chapter:

"Preaching With Power" (1 Cor. 2:1-5). God not only chose the "foolish" message of the cross to save us (1 Cor. 1:18), but He also chose a "foolish" method of delivering that message. Rather than using the clever rhetoric and slick packaging available in Paul's day, God deliberately chose preaching -- a completely counter-cultural method -- to communicate gospel truth. We saw that just as in Paul's day, our biblical preaching must be plain, Christ-centered, humble, and yet powerful. You can listen to this sermon here.

"God's Wisdom Revealed" (1 Cor. 2:6-13). If God's message and method are so absurd, then who would choose to believe? Humanly speaking, no one. It's completely an act of the Holy Spirit, who reveals the "depths of God" to us. God's wisdom is infinite, and yet He has pulled back the curtain and allowed us to gaze into things once imperceptible. We should humbly praise God for what He has done in saving us through His Spirit. You can listen to this sermon here.

"Why Do So Many Reject Jesus?" (1 Cor. 2:14-16). Tragically, the natural man continues to reject the wisdom of the gospel and to live for himself. But the spiritual man, i.e. the man who has the Spirit of God living within him, now appraises the true value of the cross and actually shares the mind of Christ. You can listen to this sermon here.

We concluded our study of chapter two with several important applications:

• Don't boast. This is the whole point of Paul's argument in these early chapters. The gospel should deeply humble us. We've got no reason to boast and quarrel. We are all brought to an equal level at the foot of the cross. Where am I manifesting pride in my life? How does the gospel confront this?
• Don't budge. Our styles and preferences will vary according to culture, but no amount of style will ever make the gospel message more palatable to the unbeliever. We must staunchly defend the gospel and avoid anything that would water down the offense of the cross. Where have I been tempted to compromise in order to be accepted by others?
• Do pray. If God alone can change the heart through His Spirit, we'd better get on our knees and pray brokenhearted over the lost. Oh that God would open their eyes before it is too late! How can I improve the frequency and fervency of my prayers for the lost?
• Do prepare. The offense of the cross is not an excuse for unpreparedness. We must diligently learn the Scriptures, learn people, and learn common questions and biblical responses. We must be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us. Where do I feel uncomfortable or under-equipped in sharing my faith? What can I do to change?
• Do persevere. Don't grow discouraged because a person does not accept the gospel at first. Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16), we can expect that through repetition, perseverance, patience, and prolonged exposure to the gospel, that people will respond. With whom have I grown discouraged and wrongly given up hope?

Photo credit: Ted Winder

What the GCR means for California

Leading up to the final days before the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, the Pray4GCR team has been releasing a number of articles supporting the final Great Commission Resurgence Report.

These articles are now streaming in via blog and email on a daily basis, from authors all across the country. They remind me of the federalist papers written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay circulated over two hundred years earlier, which supported the ratification of our U.S. Constitution. Like our Constitution, the GCR is a significant break from the status quo, but one that is urgently necessary. Unlike our Constitution, the stakes are eternal.

Yesterday, California Southern Baptists were privileged to have our viewpoint represented by Walter Price, current president of the California Southern Baptist Convention. Here is his article in full, which gives one of the best endorsements of the GCR Recommendations I have heard yet. Thank you, Walter, for your thoughtful analysis.

Last June I sat in the hall of the Southern Baptist Convention and joyfully joined what appeared to be 99+% of the messengers in affirming the motion to ask President Johnny Hunt to appoint a Task Force to study the work of our great Convention and bring recommendations for a better way to move forward in fulfilling the Great Commission. Many said it was a watershed moment in the life of the SBC. I agree. I pray that moment will overflow into this year’s Convention in Orlando as we give strong approval to those recommendations.

One might wonder how we in the West could be supportive of recommendations that will so directly affect us. In fact, some would argue that we in California have seemingly the most to lose monetarily from these potential changes. So, how could we applaud the report of the Task Force? Let me explain. We can applaud the GCR recommendations because, from our view out West, we have noticed some things.

We have noticed that the greatest need in our churches and in our nation and world is a mighty move of the Spirit of God in bringing true revival and spiritual awakening to our planet. How could we possibly do anything but join arm in arm with the GCR Task Force in praying: “Let the Holy Spirit come and take control and send a great revival in my soul?” We know that we each should ask God for a fresh kindling of holy fire in our hearts as we cry with the publican, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!”

We have noticed that in California we have over 30 million lost people. 30 million! That is roughly the combined populations of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. Clearly we can see the need to focus our energies in North America in the most populous areas with the least Gospel penetration. In California we live on the eastern edge of the Pacific Rim. The nations have come to us. Southern Baptists in our state worship in 70 different languages. Again, we easily identify the benefit of allowing those who are trained by the IMB to do people group missions wherever those groups are. We’ve noticed this job is too big for us. We need the help of all Southern Baptists.

We’ve noticed that our global witness is diminishing even while there are still so many who have never heard the Gospel. We Southern Baptists always maintain that we have a heart for the nations. The younger generation of Southern Baptists’ hearts are truly broken for the nations. We simply must do what is necessary to increase our involvement to the ends of the earth.

And, speaking of the younger generation, we have noticed that change must come or this Convention will die a natural death. The generation coming behind us is not enthused about the status quo of the SBC, they are not motivated by denominational branding. Theirs is a Kingdom passion to see the Gospel penetrate a lost world. They are interested in the most efficient and effective ways to accomplish the task of being real followers of Christ in a global generation. If we continue with things as they are we will find there is no one to whom we may pass the baton in this relay of redemption.

So how can we applaud the GCR Report? The recommendations address each of the issues that we have noticed with positive steps. In fact, I believe the recommendations will result in even more resources funneling into California as Southern Baptists commit themselves to penetrating the lostness in this very unreached and underserved region. And we in California are committed to joining all Southern Baptists in channeling more of our lives and our resources into taking the Gospel to the unreached peoples of the world.

What will happen in California? Well, there is one more thing we have noticed. We have noticed that our great and glorious God is in control. He is our Source; He is our Provider. He will give us wisdom in how to go forward. Whatever we might “lose” for the greater good of our partnership in the gospel we will “win” in our absolute dependence on the grace of God. Our prayer is that He will be glorified as all Southern Baptists come together for the taking of the gospel to a lost and dying world.

Related articles:

• An historic moment in the SBC
• Initial thoughts on the GCR Progress Report

Are hymns still relevant in our worship?

Some songs are composed in a sudden gush of inspiration. But others spring from a deep well of personal experience. The song “Abide with Me” is one of those. It was written by an Anglican pastor named Henry Lyte who knew what it means to abide with Jesus in life’s darkest moments.

For almost 25 years, Lyte had pastored the blue collar sailor families of Devonshire, England, in spite of his poor health. Finally, his tuberculosis and other ailments became intolerable, and doctors instructed him to move to a milder climate. In 1847, Lyte prepared for his final sermon. Some friends begged him not to preach, warning that his health was simply too poor. But on September 4, 1847, with the help of his parishioners, Henry Lyte ascended to his pulpit for the last time.

As Lyte stood, he said, “Oh, brethren, I stand here before you today, as alive from the dead, if I may hope to impress upon you and get you to prepare for that solemn hour which must come to all. I plead with you to become acquainted with the changeless Christ and His death.” As the sermon concluded, amid great tears, Lyte celebrated one final communion with his flock, and then left for France where he died from a seizure soon after.

During those final days in Devonshire, Lyte wrote one of our most treasured hymns, “Abide with Me.” It was composed by a man who knew the shortness of life, the pain of suffering, and the comfort of Jesus Christ. The final verse is a wonderful prayer of hope: “Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes. Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies; heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee—In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”

Stained by blood, sweat, and tears, such hymns have withstood the test of time and are still worthy of our worship services today. A band called Page CXVI (‘one-sixteen’) is arranging these great hymns of the faith into a fresh, new style for a younger generation. We invite you to hear their music at First Southern Baptist on Friday, May 14. Our free BBQ begins at 6 pm. Please join us.

This article first appeared as a Minister's Message in our local newspaper, the Hi Desert Star.

Photo credit: mondays child

Concert promo video

If you haven't seen this yet, here's a promo video for our Spring Concert on Friday, May 14. A new local band Iam Sailboat will open up the night with a worship set and a few of their own songs. Then, Page CXVI will take the stage. Page CXVI has gotten a lot of well-deserved attention in the past week with the release of their second album. We're privileged to be hosting them live on May 14, starting with a free BBQ at 6 pm. Hope you can join us.

Spring concert - May 14

On Friday, May 14, First Southern Baptist will host a spring concert featuring the band Page CXVI ("one-sixteen"). The night will include free food, music, prizes, chalk art, and a bounce house. It's an outdoor event for the whole family.

Page CXVI is a project to make the great hymns of the faith more accessible and known again. You can listen and download their first Hymns album here. A second album is just about to be released, and I expect some of their new songs will be played at our concert.

Help us spread the word by sharing this post with others, or forwarding it to a friend. We also have a big stack of postcard invitations at the church that you are welcome to take from. Help us reach as many people in our community as possible, and then join us Friday, May 14 for a night to remember.

You can now RSVP on our Facebook event page.

Here's one sample song by Page CXVI:

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The Hard Soil

Last Sunday, we began to study the Parable of the Soils from Mark chapter 4. We had some interesting sound issues during the sermon, but I hope it didn’t detract from the privilege of hearing God’s Word.

Jesus did not always speak in parables. In fact, for quite a while in his ministry, he was very straightforward, teaching lessons and commands and stories and illustrations, but not parables. As Mark 3:23 and 4:11 tells us, Jesus deliberately began speaking in parables to conceal truth to those who rejected Jesus and were guilty of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the parables were a way to continue to reveal truth about the kingdom of God to those who were genuine believers

The Parable of the Soils is the first parable recorded in the Gospel of Mark. It has four parts, and we studied just the first part together last Sunday. There were three points:

1. The seed. Living in an agrarian society, many of Jesus’ audience were either farmers themselves or walked by farms every single day on their way to work or the market. Jesus uses the familiar metaphor of farming in many of his parables. In this one, he explicitly tells his disciples that the seed being sown represents the Word of God (Mark 4:14). We, like that farmer, have a duty to scatter the seed of God’s Word into the lives of those God has put in our path. But take heart, the results do not depend on your knowledge or skill. The seed itself has power to transform lives (cf. Romans 1:16-17). Just scatter it faithfully and you will be amazed at what God begins to do.

2. The soil. The soil in Jesus’ parable represents the heart of man (cf. Matt. 3:19). The dirt in this story, hardened over time by continual foot traffic, was resistant to the seed. This soil represented the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who had blasphemed against God (Mk. 3:22). Likewise, there are many hard-hearted people today who sadly want nothing to do with God, Jesus, the Bible, or the Church.

3. The snatcher. For the farmer, any seed that drops is the loss of a precious commodity. But for the birds, it is a free meal. Quickly, the birds swoop in and devour the seed. Jesus then draws a parallel in how Satan often snatches the seed of God’s Word away from a hard heart before it has the opportunity to penetrate. It’s in one ear and out the other. Satan may do this through self-righteous religiosity, through false teaching, through ignorance, fatigue, distractions, etc.

Questions for thought and discussion:

• Is it possible that this kind of soil describes me -- that I may feel very religious and self-righteous, but in reality am not allowing God's Word to penetrate my heart?
• Who is someone that God has put on my heart to 'scatter seed' and start building a relationship to witness to them? What step will I take this week to do begin doing this? (e.g. make a phone call, invite to lunch, invite to church, etc.)
• Who is one friend or relative that this hard soil describes? Have I given up witnessing to them? What strategies have succeeded or failed in the past?
• Read 2 Timothy 2:24-26. What does this passage teach us about reaching hard-hearted people?
• What can I do each week to ensure the preaching of God's Word is not being snatched away by the devil? What should I do on Saturday, on Sunday, on Monday?

Due to audio problems, we were only to record the first 15 minutes of Sunday's sermon. It is now available for free download on our podcast site.

Outreach New Testament

Justin Taylor points out a great resource to keep in mind for evangelism...

If you or your ministry or your church are looking for inexpensive copies of the NT to give away to folks for evangelistic purposes, you may want to look at the ESV Outreach New Testament. You can get 300 copies for just over $200. Or you can order them individually at $1.19 a piece.
Here are the specifics:

• 8.2-point type
• Words of Christ in black
• 222 pages
• Size: 5.25″ x 8.25″

And here’s the supplemental material included:

• Short intros to each book
• How to Read the New Testament
• Where to Find Help When You Are . . .
• What the New Testament Says About . . .
• Getting Started: A 30-Day Reading Plan
• God’s Plan to Save You
• Six-Month New Testament Reading Plan

HT: Justin Taylor

How to witness to your waitress

J. D. Greer has some good thoughts on day to day evangelism - taking advantage of all those little 'divine appointments' God brings our way where we can be salt and light.

How do you witness to your waitress? The check out clerk? Your barber? Barista? Mechanic? Co-worker? In our culture, cultivating these relationships is probably far more effective than a Monday night door-to-door visitation program or handing out tracts to strangers. Here are Greer's thoughts.

• Frequent the same places
• Ask people how you can pray for them
• Invite people to church, over and over
• Use an acrostic like F.I.R.E. to help spur conversation. (I personally like to use R.O.C.I. - Residence, Occupation, Children/family, Interests)
• Read a good book on evangelism by someone like Bill Hybels (I also recommend Mark Dever and Becky Pippert)
  

Greer closes with this:

Gospel people are to be people of extraordinary generosity, extraordinary answers to prayer, and extraordinary joy. Look for ways to really put the generosity of Christ on display, because laying down your life can really get someone's attention; look for places to ask God for miracles; and thank God for chances to suffer before your friends, because only in suffering can you put on display that you have a joy that is better than anything life can give and that death cannot take away.

You can read the whole thing here.

HT: Justin Taylor

Loving our neighbors in Haiti

The IMB reports that Christian relief efforts have begun in Haiti after a deadly earthquake. What a privilege to know our monthly Cooperative Program giving, rummage sale fundraiser, and Lottie Moon offering are contributing to this ministry. Let's pray for all those helping with the relief efforts, and that the name of Jesus will be magnified through this.

Southern Baptists are mobilizing to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12.

The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief effort will be led by Florida Baptists, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have six staff members who live and work in the country, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist relief and development organization. The International Mission Board does not have long-term personnel stationed in the country.

Initial funding for the relief effort will be provided by the IMB’s disaster relief fund. You can contribute to the relief effort at gobgr.org.

Read  the whole article here.

Tears of the saints

We showed this video during last Saturday's Christmas Mission Banquet. The need for the gospel in our world is absolutely staggering. May God use us to rescue the lost and declare His glory among the nations.

Tears of the Saints from HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

Talking practically about evangelism

The Apostle John does not include the "Great Commission" in his Gospel, as reported in the other Gospels and the Book of Acts (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Lk. 24:47-48; Acts 1:8). However, if we wanted to point to a single text that serves as a Great Commission in John's Gospel, it would be this: "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (Jn. 20:21).

Jesus says that just as His Father sent Him into the world to seek and save the lost, so He has sent us into the world to make disciples and be His witnesses (cf. Jn. 17:18). This is why we're here, my friends. This is our mission, plain and simple.

Two weeks ago, our church studied this "Great Commission" from John 20:19-23. But rather than doing a full exposition, I taught briefly through the passage and then led a discussion panel on evangelism with three church members: Jerry, Janet, and Marty. It was a fun and instructive time. You can listen to the audio here.

Here are the questions I posed during the interview. We didn't get through all of them, but you get a sense of what kinds of issues determine whether we're obeying the Great Commission. I think each of you would benefit from answering these for yourself:

• The fact that you’re here today is because of someone else’s obedience to the Great Commission. How did you come to know the Lord?
  
• The Great Commission that Christ gave His apostles applies to each of us as well. Who are one or two unbelievers the Lord has brought into your life? How are you trying to reach them with the gospel, and what struggles have you faced?
  
• If someone in our church doesn’t know any unbelievers, or is not developing relationships with them, how could they begin to change?
  
• The mission of our church is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ who love God and love people, by reaching and teaching everyone.” Love is an important mark of a true disciple of Christ. What are some ways people are hurting in our community, and how could we show greater Christian love?
  
• Young people are the next generation of Christian leaders. What are some issues we need to think through if we’re going to reach young people in our community?
  

Free harvest festival - October 17th

On Saturday, October 17th, 2009, First Southern Baptist will host an evangelistic harvest festival open to the public. There will be free food, kids games, door prizes, a bounce house, and country music concert.

The BBQ begins at 4:30 pm, followed by the Christian country band Southland at 5. Right after the concert, we'll have ice cream and a raffle drawing. Come join us, and bring a friend!

Failure to count the cost

Why are there 16 million registered members in the SBC, yet only 6 million can found in our churches on Sunday? I believe many of these members responded to an "easy believism" gospel invitation, but sadly, they never truly counted the cost of becoming a disciple of Christ.

Jesus warns, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" (Lk. 14:27-28).

Over 100 years ago, J. C. Ryle described this tragic phenomenon:

For want of counting the cost, the hearers of powerful evangelical preachers often come to miserable ends. They are stirred and excited into professing what they have not really experienced. They receive the Word with a “joy” so extravagant that it almost startles old Christians. They run for a time with such zeal and fervor that they seem likely to outstrip all others. They talk and work for spiritual objects with such enthusiasm that they make older believers feel ashamed. But when the novelty and freshness of their feelings is gone, a change comes over them. They prove to have been nothing more than stony–ground hearers. The description the great Master gives in the parable of the sower is exactly exemplified: “Temptation or persecution arises because of the Word, and they are offended” (Matt. 13:21). Little by little their zeal melts away and their love becomes cold. By and by their seats are empty in the assembly of God’s people, and they are heard of no more among Christians. And why? They had never counted the cost.

For want of counting the cost, hundreds of professed converts, under religious revivals, go back to the world after a time and bring disgrace on religion. They begin with a sadly mistaken notion of what is true Christianity. They fancy it consists in nothing more than a so–called “coming to Christ” and having strong inward feelings of joy and peace. And so when they find, after a time, that there is a cross to be carried, that our hearts are deceitful, and that there is a busy devil always near us, they cool down in disgust and return to their old sins. And why? Because they had really never known what Bible Christianity is. They had never learned that we must count the cost. (Ryle, Holiness, chapter 5).

It was for this very reason the SBC passed a resolution on Regenerate Church Membership last year at the 2008 convention. O that God would awaken hearts before it is too late.