August 25, 1999
Texas Baptist Forum
Christ for the world
___At the Glorieta Prayer Conference, I learned our world now has 6 billion people! Four billion of them are lost, and half of those never have heard about Jesus.
___I heard this sobering news amidst sermons by Texas Baptist pastors from different "camps." Their messages were so focused on Christ, prayer and evangelism, I could nottell
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which man was from which camp!
A Saint has passed away
___As I prayerfully pondered these things, I rediscovered a 1938 missionary hymn. My heart was stirred by just the first stanza and chorus:
___"Christ for the whole wide world! Our task has just begun, for millions (billions) wait in every land the message of God's Son. Shall they be left in sin, to die without his word, without the Savior, Jesus Christ, because they never heard?
___"We will give, we will pray. We will witness everyday. That millions (billions) of the whole wide world may know our Savior's love."
___While we are so distracted by our different interpretations, there are millions who still have no Scripture in their language. I have been convicted to pray, "Our Father, out of your grace and righteous judgment, do whatever it takes for us to again be wholeheartedly on mission with you, O Christ, for the whole wide world!"
___ Lynn McMasters
___ Lubbock
School exodus
___The Aug. 18 editorial brought up the issue of the possible Balkanization of America if Ray Moore's suggestion for the withdrawal of Christians' children from public schools were to become a reality. Who would pay for this grand strategy--the Christian or theirneighbors, believers and non-believers alike?
___The original article on this plan (July 28) did not indicate who would underwrite the children's education. Would Christian families expect their neighbors, saved and lost alike, to pay for the education of their children in addition to the public school system?
___Would God's people ask the government as the middle man to take from the neighbors' salary (the eighth and 10th Commandments notwithstanding) to pay for their children's religious environment, instructions and teaching material?
___Would a law be passed to "legalize" the process that would authorize the extraction from the neighbors' income to pay for Christian education?
___Can you imagine the added animosity that would arise when non-Christians began to pay for Christian instruction?
___ Douglas Pond
___ Bulverde
Get real
___First ridiculous fad diets, then tongues, now a labyrinth (Aug. 18)? Why is it that the Baptist Standard is suddenly promoting all these bizarre, mystical spiritual "tools"? At least the idea of speaking in tongues has some biblical foundation, but the idea of a Christian walking a labyrinth in order to get closer to God is offensive and contradictory to the gospel.
___I wish the Standard would stop giving time to these things and start actually reporting what we need to know.
___What's next, acupuncture? Crystals? Get real!
___ Ken Sander
___ Jasper
Women can serve
___I would like to corroborate James Moore's letter concerning women in ministry (August 11).
___The word "diakonos," best translated "minister," is coupled with a person's name seven times in the New Testament: Paul and Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:5), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), Paul (Colossians 1:23), Timothy (1 Timothy 4:6) and Phoebe (Romans 16:1).
___Paul referred to and worked with many women ministers. He stayed in the house of Philip, who had seven daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9). He identified three women as his fellow workers: Priscilla (Romans 16:3), Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4:2-3). He also used "fellow worker" to describe male colleagues such as Timothy (Romans 16:21), Aristarchus, Mark and Justus (Colossians 4:11).
___Paul's choice of words appears to indicate women worked with him on an equal basis. In the six times Priscilla and Aquila's names appear together in the New Testament, Priscilla's precedes that of Aquila four times (Acts 18:18, 26; Romans 16:3; 2 Timothy 4:19). Junia, a fellow worker, was "outstanding among the apostles" (Romans 16:7).
___So, how does one interpret 1 Timothy 2:9-15? Very carefully. I challenge anyone who doubts women can serve in any ministerial capacity to which God has called them to study the Greek text and Sharon Hodgin Gritz's book, "Paul, Women Teachers, and the Mother Goddess at Ephesus: A Study of 1 Timothy 2:9-15."
___ Cameron Rhoads
___ Fort Worth
God calls
___While I appreciate Jon Thompson's acceptance of female ministers (Aug. 18), the clear implication is that women are "second-choice" ministers who are used only when men choose not to be used.
___This is not the ministry to which I have been called; God does not use women only to pick up the slack. Women are in ministry because God has called us to ministry.
___The central message of the gospel is the advent of a kingdom where we are not judged by our sins, our defects, our ethnicity or our gender. Servanthood at the banquet table of this kingdom is open to all.
___ Ellen Holden Di Giosia
___ Round Rock
Love comes first
___We recently finished a three-day citywide crusade with Frank Harber in Mineral Wells. It was amazing to see so many churches from so many denominations come together for the purpose and cause of Christ.
___Yet we Southern Baptists cannot look to God because we are so busy looking to see what other Southern Baptist churches (and individuals) are doing. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.
___The Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthian "speaking in tongues" problem by saying they were like clanging cymbals. I only wish we sounded so good. I am afraid we forgot Paul's emphasis--if we don't have love, we are nothing.
___ William Campbell
___ Mineral Wells
Affirm all gifts
___Thanks for reporting on the growing number of Southern Baptists embracing charismatic practices. (July 21). More and more are having a dynamic encounter with the Holy Spirit leading them to unspeakable joy, renewed vision and amazing fruitfulness in bringing people to Christ.
___Regarding the quote by a seminary professor that certain spiritual gifts are no longer valid, I am astonished to hear some of our "experts in the law" choose to hold to the traditions of man (the antiquated cessation theory) rather than the clear teaching of Scripture. Take, for example, the statement, "The office of apostle is closed now."
___Let's not mistake the special place of the foundational apostles (whose criteria involved being a witness of the resurrection, Acts 1:21-22) with the gift of apostle.
___There is not one clear Scripture that says the gift of apostle has ceased. On the contrary, Paul stated clearly in Ephesians 4:11-13 that the leadership gifts, including that of the apostle, were given by our Lord Jesus Christ to build up the church "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
___Until we reach this lofty end of our faith (when Jesus returns in glory), we need the gift of apostle, as well as all the other gifts, to be fully recognized, affirmed and practiced in the church in order to embrace our destiny as God's chosen people.
___ Charles C. Carroll
___ Singapore
Spurious quote
___Steve White's letter (August 11) evidences why it is so difficult to deal adequately with church-state issues such as posting of the Ten Commandments.
___Superficial appeals to "original intent" and spurious quotations from court decisions and founding fathers are rampant among proponents of the myth of "Christian America."
___Even David Barton, myth-maker and apostle of misinformation, has had to publicly acknowledge that the quotation used in White's letter is spurious.
___ Mark Weldon Whitten
___ Spring
A saint has passed away
___The tiny community of Forsan lost a saint on Monday morning, Aug. 9, when Lucille Overton passed away at a nearby nursing home.
___Not too many people (a handful of friends, relatives, and acquaintances) who lived outside that community had ever even heard that name and certainly, if they did, attached little significance to it. But to one tiny little oil town and especially to the members of its only church, she was a treasure.
___Lucille Overton did not have a hospital named after her and to my knowledge, she never ran or had a desire to run for political office. She did not write any books or teach at a university. There is not a famous landmark or anything other than the street where she lived that carries her name. To the majority of America, she was "ordinary". However, it was not her achievements or her personality that made Mrs. Overton a special lady. Rather, it was her relationship with Jesus Christ. To anyone who ever spent at least an hour with the woman, it was clear that she loved her Savior.
___This love did not manifest itself by an excessive quoting of scripture or because she ever occupied a pulpit. It was probably most evident in her smile. She had a zeal and a love for the Lord that radiated in her every facial expression and kind word.
___I can only think of a few occasions where I heard of her being angry. However, I never personally saw it. On those occasions, the anger was related to an injustice being done to someone. It was never a selfish type of anger.
___Her family was also a priority to her. You could walk into this woman's house and see a huge gallery of photographs showing all of her children and grandchildren. For as long as her health would allow, a new Christmas stocking was made every year for each new in-law or grandchild that had come into the family. Not all of her family held to the same convictions and beliefs that she did but she never showed disappointment. Her love remained unconditional. God gave each member of her family to her and she treasured them.
___We live today in a world of skewed values and beliefs. Our heroes are sometimes people who represent moral depravity and live a life that is anything but wholesome. They have become heroes not because of any great action but more often than not because they had the "courage" to be "different."
___One of my heroes left this world on Aug. 9. She was not what the world would call "courageous" or even "different." She'll never be in a museum, encyclopedia, or have a building named after her. But she is a hero nevertheless. She is a hero because she represented everything that made this country great--a love for God, a loyalty to family, a day by day dedication to morals, values, and neighborly kindness. But she is not just a hero to me. On Aug. 9, she was greeted by Someone else who viewed her with admiration as well. As she passed through the gates of Heaven, she was given a heroes welcome with these words:
___"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
___Rick Hope
___Youth Pastor
___East Meadows Baptist Church
___Fort Worth
___Jrickhope@aol.com
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