October 28, 2002
TOGETHER:
Graham provides presence of Christ
___E.B. Brooks began his devotional at a recent meeting by saying, "The greatest chapter concerning worship in the Bible is Isaiah 58." And then he proceeded to read the 14 verses. They shook my soul. I thought of Isaiah 1:12-20 and then Luke 4:17-19 and Matthew 25:31-46.
___Sometime soon, take the time to read these verses. You will discover just how plain the Scriptures can be.
___You will discover that it is not understanding that is lacking in Christian life; it is discipleship--the willingness to follow Jesus.
___You will sense a call to bring into harmony what you say and what you do--to "walk the talk."
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___You will catch a glimpse of what really matters to God and why Jesus lived as he did.
___You will find ideas about how to live, as well as preach, the gospel.
___You will understand why sometimes you feel God is not listening to your prayers.
___You will begin to get an idea of what it means to be the presence of Christ in the world.
___Billy Graham understands this. Years ago, he began to encourage churches in the cities where he was preaching to survey human needs and work together to involve Christian people in feeding the hungry, providing hope for those who have almost given up, helping people find jobs and welcoming everyone to come to Christ and into their churches. He holds together in a powerful way the call to salvation and the call to service.
___Record crowds came to the Billy Graham Metroplex Mission in Texas Stadium. They came in pouring rain, refusing to let traffic jams deter them. When the stadium gates were shut because there was no more room, they sat by the thousands in the parking lot and watched on a big screen. And when Billy Graham offered the invitation, thousands of people moved to the front in surrender to God's gracious call.
___We give thanks to God for his ministry among us, and for the leadership of Boone Powell and Jim Nichols--Christian laymen in Dallas and Fort Worth--who were the co-chairs. Powell is the retired CEO of Baylor Health Care System in Dallas and an active Baptist. Those who were involved in the evangelistic effort point to the special place Gary Hearon, executive director of the Dallas Baptist Association, had in praying, encouraging and working tirelessly behind the scenes to help make this dream a reality.
___God bless all our churches and members who gave so that God could be known in a fresh and powerful way in this busy urban center, and who will be following up on those who made decisions. Be on the lookout for new faces in church for the next several Sundays. Please make them welcome.
___Speaking of welcome, you are invited to be a part of our annual convention session, Nov. 11-12 in Waco. It will be historic. We will pray over and vote on the recommendation that the Baptist General Convention of Texas establish a world missions network. The potential of this entity to help our churches, small and large, be involved in direct, hands-on mission activity is beyond imagination. But we are going to try to give you a taste of what can be. You will want to be in the Ferrell Center when that report is presented. It will be a time you will long remember.
___We are loved.
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