TOGETHER:
May God help Texas Baptists to see who they are
___At the beginning of the third millennium A.D., my prayer to God has been that he would use me to help Texas Baptists affirm and live out who we are in Christ.
___I pray God will help our churches see themselves as who they are, the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 1:2-3, 4:11-16; Romans 12:4-8; I Corinthians 12:12-31). As each church
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CHARLES WADE ,
Executive Director,
BGCT Executive Board
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increasingly understands that it is located in its community to be the active presence of Jesus in that place, then agendas and plans and prayers and activities will begin to reflect the heart and mind of Christ for that place and time.
___This vision is biblical, creative and responsible.
___Jesus felt responsible to the Father and to the needs of the people and responded in creative and sometimes very surprising ways. With the Spirit of Christ active in the life of the local church, the pastor and people begin to sense God's leadership and direction as the church puts its life and soul into the daily lives of the people all around them. The preaching and the daily witness of the church become more passionate and more liberating as people are prayerfully brought close to Jesus himself.
___For this to happen, it becomes crucial that one's understanding of Christ's heart and mind for a particular church is shaped by a careful reading of Scripture where the life and passion of Jesus are carefully described. To know the mind of Christ is not to look into a mirror and see the best person you think you can be and ascribe that to Jesus.
___If you want to know the mind of Christ, you must look into the Scriptures. Hold God's word and your heart and mind up before the Lord and ask God to speak to you a fresh, compelling and authentic word from Scripture so that you can go, in the power of the Holy Spirit, into your world with the same mind and spirit that Jesus demonstrated in his time in the flesh.
___What if our Texas Baptist churches, one by one, began to ask this question as they read the Bible, "What did Jesus do here, say here, that we can do and say in our community?"
___I believe it would increase our sense of love and reverence for God in our worship. I believe it would elevate our praise and prayer to a full-throated and heart-felt devotion. Every Sunday we would gather with a sense of being in his presence and eager to give testimony as to what the church saw happen in the lives of people during the week.
___I believe it would put us out into the streets of our communities looking for people who need to know the salvation only God can bring. I believe it would make us look for ways to stand up for children, for the poor, for families, for public righteousness and justice. I believe it would give to those of us with the most resources a new zeal for being leaders in making a difference in our communities.
___I believe we would want to start new Bible study classes, new ministries and new churches to reach people not now being reached with the good news of God's salvation.
___I believe we could change Texas and the world if we would simply, in the power of the Holy Spirit, begin to be the presence of Jesus in our communities.
___We are loved.
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The Baptist Standard
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