August 6, 2001
Declare God's glory, WMU urged
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WACO--Christians fulfill God's plan for all ages when they declare God's glory to all nations, a consultant with national Woman's Missionary Union told Texas Baptist women.
___Debra Berry led a Bible study on the theme "Declaring His Glory ... Fulfilling His Plan" during Texas Leadership Conference, a training event sponsored by Woman's Missionary Union of Texas. Texas WMU held the conference at Baylor University in Waco July 26-28.
___"The glory of God is God's signature in the world," said Berry, consultant with Sisters Who Care, a new missions education program for African-American churches. "It is the physical manifestation of his presence in the world."
___Declaring God's glory begins in worship, including celebrative and joyful song, she said. Focusing on Psalm 19, Berry challenged Texas Baptist women to "sing a new song" in light of new cultural dynamics and new issues in society.
___"We must find ways to tell the old, old story in new and unique ways that address the experience of the present time," she said.
___Just as the Hebrew people in ancient times thought of God as being attached to a particular geographic location, contemporary believers are sometimes guilty of forgetting that God is sovereign over all peoples and nations, she added.
___"Sometimes we act like God is just for us."
___The only way Christians can "bless the Lord" is by declaring God's glory through their words, actions and relationships, Berry said. "We are the temple of God, the place where the glory of God ought to be proclaimed and where the signature of God in the world is seen."
___Believers are granted this vital role in God's eternal plan not because they deserve it, but rather because of God's grace, she asserted.
___"We are not called because we are qualified. God calls the unqualified and qualifies the called."
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