February 16, 2000

TOGETHER:
Texas Baptists love people into the kingdom of God
___The pastor stands with arms outstretched and invites people to respond to God's call. And the people respond. One comes forward. Then another. A family makes their way down the aisle, and trusting God for salvation and guidance ... they trust themselves also to the life of the church.
___The people of the church welcome them and gather afterward to assure them of their joy as they enter into the life of the congregation.
___Each Sunday across Texas, this scene is viewed by those of us who make our way to

CHARLES WADE Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

church. Sometimes one person, sometimes two, sometimes scores of folks are moved to share their faith with us. Sometimes no one presents themselves to the church. But where the gospel is preached, the people live the gospel gladly in the community, and folks are regularly invited to faith and to church, it won't be many Sundays until another harvest will happen on a Sunday morning when the glory of God breaks through in another life.
___Rosemary and I have visited in several of our churches the last few weeks, and we have been deeply touched by the worship and fellowship that goes on. We are blessed in Texas with gifted preachers, faithful churches and a great host of people who need to hear the gospel and be loved into a real experience with Jesus Christ and the church.
___All of us who were at the Evangelism Conference a few days ago were challenged and encouraged to pray and to be obedient to God so that he can use us in reaching out to a lost Texas. Ten million of the 20 million people in Texas are unchurched.
___Texas Baptists have big hearts. We care about the world, and we care about Texas. We see our local churches as outposts of the kingdom of Christ, bearing witness to the grace of God in the place where we are.
___Think of every church as a place from which the gospel goes out into often-hostile territory in order to bring good news of hope and life to people who have lost their way home.
___Think of six thousand congregations--outposts of the kingdom of God--scattered all across Texas. Think of them, each one, taking the responsibility of sharing the gospel with everyone in their territory. Think of every ministry effort of our churches being bathed in prayer so that people who come near us catch a glimpse of Jesus and find hope, redemption and joy in him!
___Last week in the Baptist Standard, I read the story of my colleague in ministry, Tillie Burgin, director of Mission Arlington and minister of missions at First Baptist Church in Arlington. I was glad to see the picture of the little sign that hangs in the Mission Arlington office: "The only help you will receive here that lasts forever is Jesus." From the beginning of Mission Arlington in 1986, Tillie and I said, "The best gift we have to give is Jesus."
___Jesus is the One who puts it into the hearts of his people to minister to the needs of people, knowing that when we have ministered to the least of these we have ministered to Jesus and brought joy to his heart (Matthew 25:40).
___When we care for people, when we ask them how we can help, when we respect others enough to listen to their questions and their answers--the good news we so much want to share gets heard (Luke 18:41).
___God help us to care ... for we are loved.
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