Posted: 6/25/04

Posted: 6/25/04

Posted: 6/25/04

Digital evangelism project links churches
to missionaries in sharing gospel through DVDs

By Janelle Bagci

Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO–A San Antonio evangelist links churches with missionaries to distribute DVDs with evangelistic messages to tribal communities in 25 countries.

Digital evangelism enables missionaries to bring a clear and concise message to smaller villages or closed countries where the gospel never has been preached.

The ministry supplies missionaries with a DVD player, sound system, projector and DVDs.

Digital evangelism allows the messages evangelist Sammy Tippit preaches in different countries to be recorded, mass-produced and distributed to missionaries.

The messages then are dubbed into 100 languages. On the DVD, tribes are able to see their own people responding to a message in their own language.

Tippit launched digital evangelism as a part of his ministry three years ago.

By partnering with missionaries and churches located in the community the ministry is trying to reach, his ministry has shared the gospel in Africa, South America, India, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.

“One guy who went to a town in Kenya rented a stadium and showed the video, and hundreds came to Christ,” Tippit said.

Tippit also has worked with the Nigerian Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist International Mission Board not only to communicate the gospel, but also to establish leadership for church plants.

“The Lord is using it as a church-building tool throughout the world,” Project Manager Chris Dillashaw said.

Missionary Joseph Karasanyi reported three churches were founded as a result of the digital evangelism concept.

“When we first began showing the evangelistic meetings, we were having many people come to Christ. Then I realized that we must train pastors to begin churches in these places,” Karasanyi said.

“So, we went to three villages where there was a need for a church. We showed the videos of Sammy Tippit preaching. People really responded to the messages, and we were able to start churches in those villages.”

Within the past few months, Tippit's messages have been broadcast weekly on TV in Iran, Pakistan and India.

Through broadcasts originating in Pakistan, the gospel has been heard throughout the Middle East.

Sammy Tippit Ministries would like to equip short-term missionaries with digital equipment to help them preach the gospel. Missionaries would take the equipment with them and return it after their trip.

Launching digital evangelism “has made our ministry explode, and we would just ask for the people to pray for us,” Tippit said.

Posted: 6/25/04

Committee nixes provision
allowing churches to endorse candidates

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–A House committee has scuttled a provision in a trade bill that would have allowed churches to engage in partisan politics.

The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously removed an addendum to the “American Jobs Creation Act of 2004” that would have allowed churches and other houses of worship to endorse a political party or candidate up to three times without losing their tax-exempt status.

Currently, churches and other tax-exempt groups organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code are not allowed to engage in partisan politics. However, churches and ministers are allowed to speak for and against legislation and public policy and engage in advocacy and lobbying activities, as long as such activities don't comprise a substantial part of their activity.

Religious Right groups have pushed a proposal by conservative Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) that would have allowed houses of worship and religious charities–but not other 501(c)(3) organizations–to engage in partisan politics while maintaining their tax exemption.

The provision in the jobs bill would not have gone as far as Jones' legislation. It would have levied fines against churches after the second and third violations of the ban on partisan politicking.

The provision was recently slipped into the bill–which deals largely with international trade issues and corporate tax cuts–at the request of the House's Republican leadership.

It was included the same week President Bush's re-election campaign came under fire from church-state separationist groups for a campaign e-mail that was made public.

The e-mail sought to identify volunteers for the campaign from 1,600 “friendly congregations” in Pennsylvania, widely considered an important swing state in the upcoming presidential election.

However, even many religious leaders that support Jones' legislation opposed the addition to the trade bill. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission criticized the “three-strike” provision as well as other aspects of the amendment as inviting excessive government monitoring and regulation of religious groups.

In a letter Land sent to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) opposing the provision, Land said it would enable “an unacceptable intrusion of the IRS into the business of a church.”

Meanwhile, supporters of strict church-state separation criticized the stricken provision as blurring the line between church and state.

“You've taken Jesus out of the pulpit and put him in the polling places,” Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), the committee's ranking Democratic member, said to chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) in his opening remarks before the committee “mark-up” of the legislation.

However, it was a Republican–Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut–who ultimately made the motion to strike the church-politicking provision. It passed without any dissent. H.R. 4520 will now move to the House floor without the church provision.

However, the most recent version of Jones' bill–H.R. 235, the “Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act”–remains before the committee for future consideration and currently has 165 co-sponsors.

Posted: 6/25/04

Disabled seminary student's dream
of missions service placed on hold

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

A wheelchair-bound Truett Theological Seminary student who envisioned serving as a missions volunteer in India this summer has seen her dream deferred–at least for now.

Heather Herschap had contacted WorldconneX, the missions network started by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, expressing her desire to work in India.

WorldconneX helped put her in contact with proVision Asia, a nongovernmental organization that helps physically challenged people in India become self-supporting.

Chip Kingery, founding director of proVision Asia, began making plans for Herschap–who has cerebral palsy–to work at his organization's headquarters in Bangalore, India.

However, a series of logistical problems forced the parties involved to postpone the trip to India until summer 2005.

“This would give us time to involve Truett Seminary in a much more supportive way … perhaps even provide a partner intern” to accompany Herschap, Kingery said.

Since she only has the partial use of one arm, Herschap needed someone to travel with her.

Delaying the trip for a year would allow Herschap the chance to enlist Truett students and faculty as prayer partners and financial supporters, Kingery noted.

Time was the major problem confronting proVision Asia and Greater Good Global Support Systems–a partner organization helping to secure logistical and technical support for Herschap.

A short lead-time made it difficult to secure the necessary international travel documents. And since Herschap already had other responsibilities, she only had one month available to serve in India.

Organizers of the trip encountered problems working within that narrow window, including finding available seats on airplanes at a reasonable cost, while trying to minimize the number of times Herschap would have to change planes.

“India is a world away, and the planning for such a trip has its own challenges. At this point, we are finding those challenges to be quite formidable,” Kingery wrote to Herschap in one of a series of recent e-mails.

Herschap admitted disappointment in having to delay her overseas missions experience, but added, “I know it will be better next summer.”

Bill Tinsley, leader of WorldconneX, lauded Herschap for her determination and faithfulness, even when things did not go as she hoped.

“God's timing is not always our timing. I am proud of Heather for recognizing she can be more effective by postponing her trip until next summer,” Tinsley said.

“Patience and perseverance are the marks of a mature disciple.”

Posted: 6/25/04

DOWN HOME:
Berry good time was had by all

Sometimes, my wife outdoes herself.

I know we're playing to type here, but I can report that Joanna's the world's best cook who's not specifically paid to spin a saucepan.

(I, on the other hand, can't cook worth beans. Come to think of it, I can't cook beans. But why should I be a culinary conquistador? That would be redundant at our house. Now, before you filet, marinade, skewer and grill me for being a male chauvinist, just ask her about cleaning up the kitchen. I'm a world-class cleaner-upper. A guy's got to pay for his supper somehow.)

Back to Jo. … That woman can cook.

I tend to think desserts are her specialty. She makes a–you won't believe this–buttermilk pie that probably would have been banned by the Pilgrims. According to their rigid theology, anything that sweet just had to be sinful.

And a couple of times she's made this chocolate-cinnamon torte–nine exquisitely thin layers, held together by a chocolate cream sauce and topped with shaved chocolate. Unimaginably delicious. Let's put it this way: If Esau had traded his birthright to Jacob for a slice of Jo's chocolate-cinnamon torte, everybody up to and including wise Solomon would've thought Esau got the better deal.

Jo can cook other charming concoctions, too. Most historians think the Texians and Mexicans fought over the rights to this vast promised land in 1836. What they don't realize is the stakes were much higher–the recipe to her shredded-beef burritos.

Folks who pay attention to this column know we're going to have an “empty nest” in a little more than a year. I'll miss having progeny in the pagoda for a million reasons. But one thing I'll be glad about: Without kids around, she'll get back to experimenting with main courses, like she did B.C.–before children. I already drool in anticipation.

The other night, however, Jo outdid herself. And like brilliance in all the arts–music, literature, painting, architecture and cooking–the key to her brilliance was simplicity.

She went to the produce market and came home with some of the most beautiful Texas blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and apples this side of Eden. She mixed them and served them as a salad.

Fruit like that is the reason God invented farming. It's why God sends spring rain and commands summer harvest. You can spend who-knows-how-much on flambeaus and broulees. You can travel to New York and Paris. But you can't beat a bowl of fresh berries on a summer evening.

Later, as I recalled that berry delicious salad, I thought about divine simplicity. How often do we make life harder by trying to make it complicated? God wants us to appreciate it day by day. Look for the simple things.

Posted: 6/25/04

EDITORIAL:
This year's SBC annual meeting takes on unusual tone

As this year's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting neared its conclusion, a veteran reporter from another state looked up from her work and announced, “I've never been to an SBC like this before.”

She was right. The Indianapolis meeting marked my 25th national convention, and I've never seen another one like it.

Oh, some things remained the same, of course.

Several leaders reminded messengers that full participation in the convention still is limited to people who support the SBC's “conservative resurgence” and affirm its 2000 Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement, making it tantamount to a creed.

They also continued their isolationist trajectory, voting to leave the Baptist World Alliance, comprised of 210 other Baptist conventions around the globe, primarily because the BWA admitted the SBC's nemesis, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

And some speakers still sang the two-note song of secular condemnation, which reduces all the world's moral evils to two–abortion and homosexuality.

Nevertheless, several developments distinguished the 2004 SBC annual meeting.

One of the most obvious was the contested presidential election. Normally, a man hand-picked by a small cadre of leaders runs uncontested. This year, that candidate was Bobby Welch, a mega-church pastor from Florida, famous for pioneering a successful evangelism strategy. But from the convention floor, a small-church pastor nominated a colleague, claiming the SBC's leadership is “growing further and further and further away from the grassroots of this great convention.” And a little-known pastor from a tiny rural church received 20 percent of the vote.

Messengers also voted down a proposal that looked like a sure thing. Earlier this year, SBC President Jack Graham suggested the convention change its name. In Indianapolis, Claude Thomas, former chairman of the SBC Executive Committee, proposed that a committee be created to consider Graham's idea. In the past few years, any motion with such high-powered backers would have sailed through. But this motion generated some of the most heated debate in more than a dozen years and eventually failed to get a majority vote.

But even more unusual than contested elections and overturned motions were comments made by convention leaders. For the first time since fundamentalists gained control of the convention, they seemed willing to wring their hands in public. Now that their political victory has been sealed for more than a decade, perhaps they feel secure enough to confront looming issues in front of the rank-and-file. Here is a sampling:

“We cannot let the convention be driven by politics,” declared Morris Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee. “Politics for the sake of control by a few is not how our forefathers envisioned the operations of our convention.”

Chapman's condemnation of politics caused bile of bitterness to rise in the throats of moderate Baptists vanquished by the political aparatus that handed Chapman the SBC presidency and then its most powerful administrative post. His words could have been well-taken in the 1980s, when the battle for the SBC raged. But back then, diminution of politics wouldn't have served Chapman's purposes, since all-out politics ruled the day, since his group was better at it than the other Southern Baptists and since it paved the way for his party's victory and control of the convention.

In 2004, many Baptists wondered exactly what Chapman meant. With no moderates left to vanquish, what's with politics, anyway? Insiders hint at power struggles, but the SBC elite comprise a closed society and tend to keep their squabbles to themselves. Of course, the public dispute between the Executive Committee and New Orleans Seminary hints at tension between Chapman and Seminary President Chuck Kelley. Since Kelley's brother-in-law is Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary, questions abound about tension between Chapman and Patterson–titans of the convention. And Patterson practically invented SBC politics.

“To say we're plateaued is a compliment. I mean, we're declining,” acknowledged Welch, the new president. “Baptisms have decreased for the fourth year.”

Twenty-five years of conflict have hurt the bottom line, and for Baptists, the bottom line is baptisms. Once baptisms start to decline, it's time to be alarmed. And time to do something.

Jimmy Draper, president of the SBC's LifeWay Christian Resources, said the decline in baptisms “reflects a denomination that's lost its focus. It is hard for someone to argue to the contrary when more than 10,000 Southern Baptist churches did not baptize a single person last year.”

Welch announced plans to rectify the situation by leading Southern Baptists to baptize 1 million new Christians per year, up from less than 400,000. He plans to take a bus on the road and encourage Southern Baptists, laity and clergy alike, to lead people to faith in Christ.

“We battle today over trivial issues like forms of worship, styles of leadership and approaches to ministry,” Draper said. “Younger leaders are asking, 'Is there a place for me at the table in the SBC?' We'd better address the question.”

Draper, an astute observer, is onto something. The young bucks who fueled the fundamentalists' “conservative resurgence” now are aging if not old. And while they may be followed closely by middle-aged preachers who want to fill their shoes, Baptists in their 20s and 30s couldn't care less about a Baptist battle fought when they were children. Many of them couldn't care less about denominational labels, and the non-existence of brand loyalty could mean disaster if the convention doesn't demonstrate its worth to the rising generations.

Now, here's an irony: Similar problems plague both the SBC and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which have taken different tracks during the past quarter-century.

First, politics–crucial to the fundamentalists' success in the SBC and traditional Baptists' victory in the BGCT–has weighed them down. Both groups have been branded by their battles. But now, Baptists of all stripes are bone-weary of politicking and fighting. They're rejecting anyone who waves a political banner.

Second, the world is going to hell faster than Baptists are baptizing. The challenge of evangelism, missions, church-starting and ministry is greater now than ever. All Baptists need the spark of divine creativity to rejuvenate lagging efforts.

Third, the younger generation is taking a hike. If conventions are going to engage Baptists in their 20s and 30s (not to mention the younger ones), “being Baptist” must be reinterpreted in terms and values that matter on a day-to-day basis in the real world where these folks live.

While public expressions of doubt may have made many SBC leaders cringe, the discussions they should raise are necessary for the SBC to move ahead. Enough of looking back on its “conservative resurgence.” Without a vision for the future, the SBC will decline.

And the BGCT should heed this lesson. The world doesn't care that we've resisted the rise of fundamentalism. It's tired of hearing what we're against and wants to know what we're for–and why that matters. –Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 6/25/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 4

God cares about the needs of his children

2 Kings 8:1-2; 9:1-6, 10-13

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

God's love for people extends to all aspects of their lives. People's needs, whether sacred or secular, matter to the Lord.

Elisha's ministry illustrates the breadth of God's care. His prophetic work ranged from advising people where they should live to anointing rulers for nations. Prophets associated with him were instrumental in restoration of a woman's land and a coup d'etat which cut off the reign of Ahab's descendants.

The Shunammite woman's land returned (8:1-7)

The Shunammite woman, whose son Elisha promised and later restored to life (2 Kings 4:8-37), resurfaces here in the telling of Elisha's story. The prophet warned her that God intended to strike the land with famine seven years. He instructed her to move her family to a land where they could survive. She obeyed, and they moved to “the land of the Philistines.” The narrator highlighted Elisha's reputation by referring to him as “the man of God.”

The woman returned home when the famine ended. She went before the king to petition that he restore her land. It just so happened Elisha's servant and the king were at that moment talking. The king had asked Gehazi to tell him about Elisha's great deeds, probably his miracles. He was telling the story of the raising of the woman's son to life when she came in to make her appeal.

When told this was the woman whose son had been resurrected, the king restored all her property to her. He even ordered all the profits from the field during her seven-year absence be given to her.

Jehu anointed Israel's king (9:1-13)

A brief interlude recounted Elisha's anointing of Hazael as king of Syria (“Aram”). Two kings of the southern kingdom were introduced–Jehoram and at his death, his son, Ahaziah.

Chapter 9 returned to events in the northern kingdom. Joram reigned over Israel but had returned to Jezreel to recover from battle wounds. Ahaziah joined him there while he recuperated.

The kings had left the united armies of Judah and Israel at Ramoth-Gilead, about 25 to 30 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Jehu commanded these troops. The time had arrived for God to destroy the house of Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-24).

Elisha summoned “a man from the company of the prophets.” This company was likely a group of prophets who assisted Elisha as they ministered in Israel. Elisha commanded him to prepare for a special task (“tuck your cloak into your belt”) and sent him to anoint Jehu as the next king of Israel.

The instructions were detailed. Search for Jehu, separate him from his fellow officers to visit with him secretly, pour oil on his head and tell him privately God had anointed him “king over Israel.” Elisha knew the dangers of such action and alerted the prophet to anoint Jehu and then flee quickly.

This unnamed prophet reflected the courage of Samuel when God instructed him to anoint one of Jesse's sons to succeed Saul (1 Samuel 16:1-2). Samuel obeyed, even though Saul would have considered him guilty of treason and plotting rebellion.

Serving God is neither easy nor without danger. Some face physical attack because of their obedience. For others, the risk is emotional and social. Nurture the courage God provides that you may remain faithful in difficult times (2 Timothy 1:7).

The prophet faithfully carried out the task. He informed Jehu that God would use him to destroy the house of Ahab. This act of commissioning Jehu as king completed the tasks God had given to Elijah on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:16).

The designated king was well-qualified to reign. Jehu had served ably in Ahab's army (2 Kings 9:25). His name may mean “the Lord is the one.” His fellow officers respected and admired him. He rejoined them after the prophet had fled. They asked him why the prophet had singled him out. They quite likely suspected what had happened.

Jehu glossed over the meeting as the “mad talk” of the prophet. His comrades knew his reply was nonsense and pressed him to tell the truth. He finally admitted the prophet had anointed him king of Israel.

The general's aides took their outer clothing and placed it on the steps nearby. In essence, they formed a makeshift throne on which he sat. Some biblical students have suggested this was a mock coronation. Others are inclined to view this as an affirmation by fellow officers that they were ready to join with Jehu in the coup. The blowing of the trumpet was associated with the naming of the new king. Military support had switched to Jehu from Joram.

Jehu left the camp and traveled to Jezreel. There he assassinated both Joram and Ahaziah. He ordered the death of Jezebel. He executed others who might have challenged his rule. He destroyed both the temple and prophets of Baal.

The narrator's summary of Jehu's reign was mixed. He did not completely remove the pagan presence in the kingdom, but he reduced some of its influence. The Lord had saved the Shunammite woman and her family from famine. Here God saved the nation from pagan worship.

Question for discussion

How do you know God cares?

Posted: 6/25/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 11

God's purpose in the world will not be thwarted

2 Kings 11:1-3,12,15-20

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

God's purpose in this world moves forward despite occasional setbacks. God's preservation of Joash during Athaliah's reign of terror shows God can overcome obstacles that stand in the path of accomplishing the divine purpose.

King protected (11:1-12)

The southern kingdom has received scant attention to this point in 2 Kings. The narrator will direct more and more attention as the book progresses. Jehu's purifying Israel of the influence of Baal worship has its counterpart in Judah.

After Jehu had killed Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:27), Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and Ahaziah's mother, seized the throne. She became the only woman to reign on the throne of either Judah or Israel. By not providing her reign either a formal introduction or summary, the narrator showed she was not a legitimate ruler. Only three verses even mention her reign, and these really focus on the saving and hiding of the legitimate heir, Joash. She attempted to destroy all the rightful heirs to the throne. She had championed Baal worship in the south as her mother had done in Israel.

The people must have wondered if the Lord had abandoned them. God promised a descendant of David would reign forever. But Athaliah had destroyed “all the royal family.” How secure could the nation be when God couldn't keep a promise?

The people could not see that God had preserved David's lineage. Athaliah tried to eliminate royal rivals, but Jehosheba preserved the house of David. These two women were markedly different. One sought to thwart God's purpose while the other secretly plotted and worked to promote it. The Lord used Jehosheba's courage and faithfulness to further God's purpose for Judah.

Jehosheba was King Joram's daughter and a half-sister of Ahaziah. This made her Athaliah's stepdaughter. She was married to Jehoida, the priest (2 Chronicles 22:11). Jehosheba hid Joash, the rightful heir, and his nurse in one of the temple's rooms. The word “bedroom” may suggest a place where beds were stored. Athaliah would likely have searched all of the living quarters but might have neglected to look in some of the storerooms.

Joash remained hidden in the temple for the six years of Athaliah's reign. Outsiders would have thought he was one of the priest's children.

Worship at the temple apparently was not seriously hindered during this period, for Jehoida staged Joash's coronation there. Jehoida finally determined the time had come to challenge Athaliah and enthrone Joash. The priest revealed to the royal guards a legitimate heir had survived Athaliah's massacre. He sought their support. Their ready support suggests they too were ready to depose Athaliah.

The changing of the guard on the Sabbath provided the perfect opportunity for the coup. Five groups of soldiers were either rotating on or off duty during that time. The plan called for the guards to surround Joash to protect him. The soldiers took their places and the boy-king was brought to the temple, where they placed the crown on his head, gave him the testimony and anointed him. The crowd cheered their approval.

The word “crown” is rare and suggests the idea of the consecration of the king and his devotion to his people. The “covenant” may refer to specific guidelines for a king. It may have been a covenant made between the God and the king who ruled as God's representative. It may have been a copy of the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). Although we cannot determine the exact content of the covenant, it certainly directed the king to responsible care for his people.

Tyrant deposed (vv. 13-16)

Athaliah heard the cheering crowd, hurried to the temple, and saw the boy standing in the spot reserved for the king. She shouted the supportive crowd was committing treason.

Jehoida ordered the troops to arrest her and those with her. He warned the guards not to kill her in the temple but wait until she had left it. They seized her when she departed and put her to death near the one of the entrances to the temple and palace.

King installed (11:17-21)

Jehoida resumed the covenant ceremony. One covenant was made between God and the king and the people. Both king and people agreed to be faithful to God. The priest established a second between the people and the king.

Purifying the nation's worship was the first act after the coronation ceremony. The people went to the site where Baal was worshipped, smashed the idols of worship and killed Mattan, Baal's priest. Jehoida also took steps to renew worship at the temple. The “guards posted” at the temple may refer to its custodians and caretakers.

Other guards escorted the king as he left the temple for the palace. The king “took his place on the royal throne.” An heir of David again ruled. The city was quiet. The word “quiet” implies much more than absence of noise or riot. The narrator in Judges used the same word to indicate the land had rest (Judges 3:22, 40; 5:31; 8:28). God had reestablished divine order over the nation and God's people. God's peace and wholeness had returned to the land.

Questions for discussion

Do events in the world or in the lives of people close to you ever cause you to wonder if God is in control?

How can this story help?

Posted: 6/25/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for July 4

Jesus was just as intent on seeing Zaccheaus

Lamentations 3:19-24; Luke 19:1-10

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

From the congregation's perspective, Steve appeared to be a good bit shorter than my height of six feet.

Due to a problem with the baptistery glass, he was being baptized in less than three feet of water. It was going to be a difficult dunking, to say the least. He decided to help me out. He came duck walking up to me, squatting with bended knees, giving up a foot of his height. I appreciated his effort. I pronounced the usual baptismal formulas and immersed him. I buried him with Christ in baptism at about 5'7″. When I raised him to walk in newness of life, he sprang from his watery grave with newness of height, his full 6'7″ dwarfing his previously taller pastor. Six short people came forward for baptism that morning.

Zaccheaus is remembered as a short man, a diminutive dude with few friends and little hope of attaining any. Most of us have not memorized the biblical story, but we know well the children's song, complete with miniature motions. “Zaccheaus was a wee little man.” If that were not insulting enough, we rub it in with repetition. “And a wee little man was he.” What can be more insulting than to describe someone with the words “wee little”? Twice!

To be politically correct, the Bible does mention the fact that he was vertically challenged, but it does not belabor the point. I will avoid the temptation to play pop psychologist here and read a Napoleon complex into the story. The biblical text spends more time describing his truncated character than it does his sawed-off stature.

Zaccheaus had a number of things working against his first-century popularity. He was a wealthy man floating easily in a sea of poverty. Add to that the manner in which his wealth was achieved. He was a tax collector. He was no IRS man. He was more of an independent contractor who collaborated with the Romans to collect the hated taxes. Paid on commission, he was about as popular with his Jewish neighbors as a door-to-door pig salesman.

He heard Jesus was coming to town and he wanted to see him. He got the best vantage point he could find to see Jesus. He shimmied up a little tree, “for the Lord he wanted to see.”

Jesus was more intent on seeing Zaccheaus than the little tree hugger was in seeing him. “And as the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree.” His prey was treed and defenseless. Jesus took full advantage of the situation by inviting himself to dinner.

It was not an imposition. Zaccheaus provided his new friend with the best he could on such short notice. Jesus did not come to the dinner empty handed. He brought a covered dish of his own, with ample servings of dignity and grace. It is what Zaccheaus most needed to taste.

His new relationship with Jesus changed his life. He immediately gave half his wealth to the poor. He began to repay those he had cheated, four times more than he had stolen.

Isn't that the point of this story? Jesus is looking for sinners. He encourages them with a word of fellowship. He offers himself. He gave Zaccheaus what he needed most, a friend. “Zaccheaus, you come down! For I'm going to your house today.”

Could you use a friend today? I know one. His name is Jesus. He has been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. From the dawn of time, in fact! He will come to your house and stay. He will change your life.

Are you a Christian who needs an encouraging word today? Jesus offers you the same thing. He offers you himself. He still wants a relationship with you that will transform your life. Nothing you have ever done has made him love you any less. He remains faithful.

There is a wonderful text in Lamentations that says: “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast (short?) within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him” (Lamentations 3:19-24).

Look for Jesus today. He is looking for you.

Questions for discussion

How has your relationship with Christ made you a “bigger” person?

Whose story of spiritual transformation are you most comfortable retelling–your own or that of Zaccheaus?

Why did Jesus say, “I'm going to your house today”?

Is there a place you go to find Jesus?

Posted: 6/25/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for July 11

Christians should believe, belong & behave

1 John 3:23-24; 5:1-5, 9-13, 18-19

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

Do you like tests? I have often wondered if Jesus' disciples ever said to him, “Lord, is this stuff gonna be on the test?”

To the best of my knowledge, Jesus never offered his disciples a written examination. The book of Acts, however, tells us the story of some pretty strong testing that took place. John went through a bit of a trial himself on the island of Patmos. He passed with flying colors. When your faith is tested in the crucible of life, how do you measure up?

You will find the phrase “born of God” used seven times in the New Testament. All of them are in John's writings. He proposed a bit of test to help his readers determine where they stood in this journey of discipleship. His discipleship examination consisted of three parts–believing, behaving and belonging.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1).

It seems a pretty easy test. If you believe Jesus is the Christ, according to John, you have been born of God. To believe he is the Christ is to believe he is God's chosen Messiah. It is to put your trust in him alone as God's plan to save sinful man.

We remember John 3:16, “That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” For John, this test of faith is not something that waits until the end of time. Judgment is now. It is not delayed. The one who believes has life now. The one who does not believe is “condemned already” (John 3:18).

What do you believe about Jesus? It is the essential question of life. It is more than a matter of personal opinion. It is a matter of Holy Spirit activity. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, Jesus said, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you.”

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin (1 John 5:18).

Christians are folks who should behave. Faith in Jesus Christ is behavioral in nature. In the Great Commission, Jesus said we should “teach them to obey all things” (Matthew 28:20). Let me make up two words to describe believers. We are obeyers and behavers.

I was an education major at the University of Houston. One of the things we had to write in our education classes was “behavioral objectives.” It was more than a statement of what material we wanted to teach. It had to be a statement that reflected some change in the life of the student.

Grace is behavioral as well. We do not change life patterns or behaviors in order to receive God's grace. He gives it to us freely. But once he gives us his grace, he begins a reformation project in our lives.

I don't know who writes those real estate ads you see in the paper. My favorite is “a real handyman's special.” You know you are getting a dog of a house if you buy one of these. Yet they can be beautiful cost-efficient homes for the person willing to work at remodeling.

The Christian life is one of continual remodeling. The person “born of God” is in the process of continual transformation by the grace of God. When Jesus moves into a human life, he brings his tools with him and starts remodeling the heart, one room at a time.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

For me, this is a word about belonging to a family. “Let us love one another.” Those who have been born of God love one another. Those who have been born of God are brothers and sisters in faith.

When you look at the early church, you get a picture of a group of people who belonged to one another. They shared their provisions. They shared in the work of ministry. They experienced real fellowship. They worshipped together. They suffered together. They went to jail together. They broke bread together and gave mighty testimony to the resurrection of the Lord.

How can you describe the church today? What are those “born of God” like? They are believing, behaving and belonging.

Is there an order in which these should come? We tend to think that believing is prerequisite to behaving or belonging. It was not for me. My parents expected me to behave in the manner prescribed by our Lord even before I put my personal faith in him. I felt very much a part of my home church before faith dawned in me. I did not yet belong to a believer's church, but in my faith family of origin I was made to feel welcome and a part. I belonged there before I believed.

Perhaps others, sensing a need for radical change in their lives, sought a place that would help them behave. They came to a church looking for a change of life. They found more.

People today are looking for places where they can belong. They are looking for places that will help them to live well. They need to believe in Jesus. They need to be “born of God.” Our churches must become places where believers are believing, behaving and belonging. Others will join us in a quest like that.

Questions for discussion

Which is the hardest for you–to believe, belong or behave?

Are these good criteria for measuring faith? What other things might you substitute or offer in addition to these?

How would demonstrating these things draw others to faith?

Posted: 6/25/04

Pastor helps missionaries in remote areas stay in contact

By Janelle Bagci

Staff Writer

VALLEY VIEW–Danny Shaver wants to make it easier for overseas missionaries to stay in touch with their families, supporters and colleagues. And he knows how to make it happen.

Shaver, pastor of Pioneer Baptist Church in Valley View, serves on the board of Radio Ministries–a nondenominational, nonprofit Christian ministry that provides communications equipment, training and technical support to missionaries working in remote areas where they lack easy access to conventional communications.

Missionary safety and morale are crucial for an effective ministry, and radio equipment helps. But people do not know the technology is available, Shaver said.

High-frequency radio e-mail often is the best option for missionaries serving in isolated areas, he explained.

The radio equipment works in conjunction with a computer, a terminal node controller–which serves as a substitute for a conventional external modem–a tuner and an antenna to connect to receiving stations located throughout the world.

The system uses an amateur radio service and does not cost users anything. There are no fees or airtime charges. The capability of this technology for missionaries is extensive, with telephone service, e-mail access, position reporting, weather and bulletin services, and emergency communications.

In some areas where communications has involved sending a messenger to the nearest town, response time to requests by missionaries has been shortened by up to a month, Shaver noted.

“I finally made connection today and received our first batch of e-mail. How excited we were! I had to hold back the tears. … My wife is so happy to be in touch with her family,” a missionary serving in Haiti said.

Evangelical missionaries who serve where telephone or Internet access is unreliable or unavailable can be candidates for radio assistance from Shaver's organization. They can write or call to express their need and describe their ministry.

Radio Ministries provides missionaries with radio equipment and training while they are on furlough or makes arrangements for the equipment and training materials to be sent to them.

Radio training depends on the country and its radio regulations.

“Usually it involves studying and taking a test,” Shaver said. “We help the missionary. Here's what you study, and here's the book.”

Shaver's ministry helped missionaries in the jungles of Guyana who run a medical clinic–the best-equipped facility with the best-educated personnel within a 70-mile radius.

They now are able to e-mail pictures of patients to doctors in the United States to get treatment advice.

Instead of waiting two months–as was the case previously–they receive a response within the day and can treat the person accordingly.

When “the physical needs of a person have been met, they are more open to spiritual nurturing,” a Guyana missionary said.

“I have long been praying that God would show me ways to use my interest in amateur radio and the skills I've developed along the way to serve him and his work,” Radio Ministries founder Scott Thile said.

Radio Ministries accepts donated radio equipment and financial gifts.

Equipment and money are used entirely for equipping and supporting Christian missionaries in the field. All gifts are tax- deductible. Radio Ministries is a nonprofit ministry, and all workers are volunteers.

Shaver transports the equipment in the back of his truck to do churchwide demonstrations.

He can be contacted by e-mail at n5nbk@ntin.net or by phone at (940) 727-1150 or (940) 668-2689.