TOGETHER:
Virtues describe 'the heart' of Texas Baptists' identity
___In recent days, I have been reflecting on what is at the heart of our identity as Texas Baptists. After reading God's word, seeking his direction through prayer and listening to the wise counsel of Baptists around this state, certain key words have come to mind.
___These are big words--important words. They are words that come directly out of the life and ministry of our Lord and out of the Scriptures.

CHARLES WADE Executive Director, BGCT Executive Board

___ Love. Matthew 22:37-39 makes it clear that the Great Commandment is to love. We are called to love God with all our being. We are to love other people as we love ourselves. Jesus lived his life in the shape of a cross, and he commands us to do the same. The vertical beam of that cross reaches up in devotion to God. The horizontal beam reaches out in compassion to people.
___ Mission. Jesus gave us a Great Commandment. He also gave us a Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:18-20. Texas Baptists understand that we live in a state that is both a tremendous mission base and mission field. Half of the Texas population is unchurched, but Texas Baptists are committed to changing that. We have started more than 1,400 churches in the last five years, and our churches have baptized more people in the last four years than in any other four-year period. And we are committed to strengthening the already vibrant work of our Hispanic churches and expanding our outreach to the dramatically increasing Hispanic population.
___ Education. Part of the Great Commission is educational--"teaching them to observe" all that Jesus commanded. Nearly half of all Southern Baptist ministry students in Baptist universities nationwide are attending a Baptist General Convention of Texas-related school. Former students of Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio serve three-fourths of the 1,000 Hispanic churches in Texas. Texas Baptists are training and equipping leaders for the future.
___ Ministry. Texas Baptists believe that the missionary mandate of Matthew 28 is inseparable from the ministry mandate of Matthew 25. That is why our people are involved in restorative justice ministry, sharing God's love with the victims of crime, with those who commit the offenses and with the family members of all involved. That is why we provide Living Water for thirsty souls and clean, healthy water for parched lips from the refugee camps of Mozambique to the colonias along the Rio Grande.
___ Freedom. Jesus revealed truth, and he told us that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Baptists have long recognized that freedom of conscience is rooted in the character of our creator God who made us free to choose and made us responsible for our choices.
___As the Apostle Paul wrote, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1a). We believe faith is free and uncoerced or it is not true faith at all. We remain committed to religious liberty for all people, and we are dedicated to using our freedom to share the liberating message of God's grace and love.
___Why do Texas Baptists have a love for other people? A heart for missions? A passion for ministry?
___Why are we committed to teaching and training? Why are we insistent upon guarding principles of soul liberty and the priesthood of the believer?
___It is because we are Jesus people.
___It is because we are loved.
___




The Baptist Standard