Posted: 9/13/07

Official confirms church-starting
fund probe in U.S. Attorney’s Office

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

BROWNSVILLE—Contrary to an Internet blogger’s assertions, all documents pertaining to a probe into misappropriated Texas Baptist church-starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley have been turned over to federal authorities, a high-ranking official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston said.

Tim Johnson, first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the southern district of Texas, confirmed receipt of materials related to a Baptist General Convention of Texas-initiated investigation into allegations of fraud and misappropriation of church-starting funds.

“We have received a package of information. We are not an investigative agency. We have forwarded that information to the appropriate federal agency,” Johnson said, adding he could not comment further on the matter.

Michael Rodriguez, the Brownsville lawyer and former federal prosecutor who helped conduct the investigation for the BGCT, reported he not only delivered all of the materials to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brownsville, but also made himself available for any follow-up questions.

“I met on at least two, if not three, occasions, with the attorney directing the investigation in the Brownsville office,” he said, adding he also met once with Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Lara, who heads the office.

BGCT leaders had enlisted Rodriguez—together with attorney Diane Dillard and Carlos Barrera, a certified public accountant and certified fraud examiner—to investigate allegations that church-starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley were mismanaged and misused.

At an Oct. 31, 2006, called meeting of the BGCT Executive Board, the investigators reported they discovered up to 98 percent of the 258 church-start reported by three pastors in the Valley—Otto Arango, Aaron de la Torre and Armando Vera—no longer exist, and some were “phantom churches” that never existed except on paper. The BGCT gave more than $1.3 million in start-up funding and monthly financial support to those 258 churches.

Two weeks later at another called meeting, scheduled immediately prior to the BGCT annual meeting in Dallas, the board directed Executive Director Charles Wade to explore with legal counsel whether to refer the reports’ findings to “any appropriate government investigatory agency.”

Wade notified the board by e-mail Dec. 11the full report and all supporting documents had been submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the southern district of Texas.

On his Internet blog, David Montoya, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Mineral Wells, expressed his dissatisfaction that Texas Baptists had no clear indication that a criminal investigation was being pursued aggressively.

He called on readers of his blog to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the Texas Attorney General and urge them to act regarding the charges of fraud and misappropriation of church-starting funds.

Subsequently, Montoya posted on the blog a letter he received from James Buchanan, chief of the fraud section for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston. He referenced Montoya’s letter concerning allegations against Arango, de la Torre and Vera.

“To date, I have not received a report or any other information concerning these individuals from any private investigator,” Buchanan wrote in the letter, dated Sept. 5.

Montoya responded by posting weblog entries titled “No information has been turned over!” and “The big, big mistake: Trusting Charles Wade.”

In one entry, he wrote: “The evidence now indicates that Wade never turned the information over. It was all a smokescreen. Those who have been involved in the letter-writing campaign to the office of the US District Attorney for the southern district of Texas are finding out that the information and the complaint was never turned over. The chief fraud investigator has not been given any information. There is no investigation ongoing through the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Once again, Texas Baptists have been used. The executive committee of the BGCT needs to fire Charles Wade immediately because he lied or else intentionally misled Texas Baptists to believe something was being done. There exists proof that he has done nothing and written proof that he himself admits that he knows of nothing being done.”

In a later blog, Montoya characterized statements by “those who are trying to say the letter was sent to me by someone in a different office than the one the BGCT turned the ValleyGate report over to in Brownsville” as just “more spin control.”

He quoted an unnamed source in the Brownsville U.S. Attorney’s Office as saying the material should have been turned over to the McAllen office or, better yet, the FBI.

Rodriguez, who served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brownsville from 1999 to 2002, said he recommended the BGCT turn over the files there because that was where an earlier criminal investigation regarding the same charges had been initiated.

Jim Nelson of Austin, chairman of a committee named to oversee the implementation of motions related to the church-starting fund scandal in the Valley, affirmed Rodriguez for his work and expressed full confidence that the U.S. Attorney’s Office would deal with the matter professionally.

“A copy of the investigative report and all exhibits have been turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s office in the southern district of Texas, with whom we will stay in touch through our legal counsel,” Nelson’s committee reported to the Executive Board in February.

Nelson, an attorney, affirmed the wisdom of the advice Rodriguez offered to the BGCT—to allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office to proceed as its own pace as it deems appropriate.

“To push them would not be productive,” Nelson said.

Posted: 9/13/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for September 23

Here’s the solution

• Romans 3:21-31

By Andrew Daugherty

Christ Church, Rockwall

This section of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Rome marks a significant turning point. It echoes back to the opening of the letter where Paul connects the gospel of God with what had been promised “beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures” (1:2).

It is important to Paul’s broader argument to maintain continuity with Israel’s prophets in the past while affirming the disclosure of God’s righteousness through the faith of Jesus Christ. Here, Paul handles the delicate balance between the content of the Torah and the character of God’s decisive action in Christ. Jesus has become the living, breathing embodiment of the whole spirit of the Torah. Keep in mind Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (5:17).

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Paul has just addressed in chapter 2 the issue of those who are uncircumcised but keep the law and those who are circumcised and break the law. In his argument, he makes strong accusations about the failure of the Jews to uphold the covenant God established with them. He borrows some of the language of the prophets to say, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (2:24). In fact, the sting of Paul’s argument is that many Gentiles could actually obey the law even while many Jews could boast of knowing all about the law but breaking it anyway.

Though they claimed to possess the law, they did not practice the law. Their acts of unrighteousness destroyed any positive relationship with their covenant partner. Since human beings broke this covenant with God, the bad news was God technically was no longer bound to honor the covenant. It was God’s prerogative to decide whether to persist in the relationship with human beings or put an end to it. The good news is the only One who could do anything about it decided to restore this perversely fractured relationship once and for all.

The gift of grace in Christ represents God’s decision to continue this covenant relationship. Since “all” (Jew and Gentile alike) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, the gift of grace in Christ would have both universal appeal and universal applicability (v. 23). The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for “all” who believe appeals to “all” who have sinned (v. 22). The terms of agreement to enter in to this restored relationship are on the basis of one’s faith in the faithfulness of Jesus.

Through Jesus, God honored the covenant created with Israel. Where Israel had failed to keep their commitment to God’s covenant, Jesus fulfilled it. What has happened through the person and actions of Jesus is consistent with what God required of Israel in order to fulfill their part in the pact. The revelation of God’s righteousness through Jesus is attested by the law and the prophets (v. 21).

However, a tension exists, because Paul says this revelation has happened apart from the law (v. 21). New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson stresses two related points. First, this revelation happens apart from the law means God’s action in Christ is truly the freedom enjoyed and practiced by the human person Jesus. But not only does it happen in the life of Jesus, it also happens in the human lives of Paul’s audience. This makes God’s revelation of righteousness in Christ of more consequence than mere religious ideology or puritanical concern for the letter of the law. This means God enters into the realm of human experience in order to redeem relationships gone awry.

Second, God’s method for making human beings right is through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The expected redemption looked for by Jews was anything but what Jesus looked like as the crucified Messiah. The manner of Jesus’ death was cursed by God, according to the Torah—“Cursed be everyone who hangs upon a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:23). How could the crucifixion of Jesus be compatible with the content of the Torah? For Paul, Jesus’ faith is the ultimate expression of obedience to God, even to the point of death. This is the scandalous “stumbling block” Paul will more fully address in chapter 9.

For now, Paul emphasizes that Jesus is God’s gift of grace. He is proof positive of God’s righteousness. God’s righteousness is not so much a moral quality of God’s nature as it is the action of God whereby a positive relationship is restored with human beings.

According to Paul, God is the only one who possesses the power to do anything about the cycle of sin that overwhelms our lives. To be justified by God’s grace as a gift means to receive wholeheartedly the faithfulness of Jesus as the fulfillment of our covenant with God.

To believe in Jesus in this way means more than just a set of mental beliefs we are either right or wrong about. To receive justification by God’s grace means to live in such a way that our lives conform to the sort of life Jesus lived in his own faithfulness to God. It means hearing and responding with one’s whole life to this gospel that is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith (1:16).

Finally, Paul uses a “question and answer” format to anticipate questions perhaps commonly posed about his gospel. He carefully handles the tension between “the law of works” and “the law of faith.” No longer can anyone claim a right to boast of possessing God’s law, because a person is made righteous by God’s gift of grace in Christ. No person can accomplish righteousness. And when it comes to enjoying a right relationship with God, God has made a level playing field possible for all people to have equal access to righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus.

Discussion question

• Discuss possible definitions of God’s righteousness.

• If an alternate translation of “faith in Jesus Christ” is “the faith of Jesus Christ” in verse 22, discuss how this affects your understanding of being justified by God’s grace as a gift. Is this based on your faith or Jesus’ faith?

• How sympathetic do you think Paul is to the value of the Jewish religion in this passage?

Posted: 9/13/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for September 23

Handling success successfully

• Daniel 4:4-5,28-37

By Steve Dominy

First Baptist Church, Gatesville

The story of the transformation of Nebuchadnezzar is at least in part the story of what it means to be human. At the heart of Nebuchadnezzar’s fall from the heights of power is his pride and ego. Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of the royal palace surveying Babylon and said, “Is this not Babylon the great which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory my majesty?” Three times Nebuchadnezzar refers to his own accomplishments without any recognition that he might not have been solely responsible for all he surveyed.

To be human is to be created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 affirms, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Innumerable attempts have been made to define or identify the image of God in humans. One aspect of the image of God should not be isolated and identified as the image. Whatever the image is, it involves the whole person.

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While we can’t define the image of God as any one aspect or component inherent within humanity, we can say the image of God is at least in part our capacity for relationship with God. We are relational beings and created for a relationship of loving trust and faithful obedience to our Creator. It is within this relationship that we fulfill what it means to be human. It is only as we live in relationship with, and in response to, God that we are fully human.

Inherent in any gift of God is the danger of using it improperly. The worst of our sin is taking something God intended for good and distorting it into something evil, using it in a manner completely inconsistent with God’s intentions. The danger of being created in the image of God is that we can all too quickly perceive the image as reality. In other words, we perceive we are God rather than his creation. Genesis 3:5 reveals this was at the heart of the first sin, “You will be like God.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s descent to an animal was precipitated by his attention on self rather than God. His proclamation of his power, his might and his glory is evidence that God was nowhere to be found and not needed. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride was his downfall. He took God’s place at the center of his own existence and believed he had become the master of his own destiny. In doing so, he exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God, and much like a dog chases his own tail, chased after an image he could not attain.

When Nebuchadnezzar succumbed to the temptation of pride, he became less than human. In fact, Daniel makes it clear in very vivid terms that Nebuchadnezzar became like an animal. This text is a warning that we are not far from that. The step from human to animal is not a great one.

When we ignore or abandon relationship with God, we become more animal than human. Now, it is highly unlikely our fall will be as great as Nebuchadnezzar’s, but any time we reject God’s sovereignty, we lean more towards the animal than human.

We can see this in some of history’s great acts of inhumanity—the Holocaust, Stalin’s reign of terror, Pol Pot in Cambodia—and these are just some of the recent acts. To call them inhuman is correct; they are less than human. If we stay with the theme of this text in Daniel, it is fair to call these atrocities more animal than human.

Nebuchadnezzar’s success led to his downfall. Success heightens the temptation to pride because it places us in a position of power, praise and accolade. The danger comes when we start to believe everything said about us. Instead of driving us to our knees in humility and praise, we place ourselves a little bit above everyone around us, and much like the situation at Babel, raise our own tower equal to God.

The sin of pride occurs when we focus our attention on ourselves rather than God. In pride, we take the place of God and attempt to become the masters’ of our own destinies. Pride is the seed of a multitude of other sins because it becomes necessary in order to maintain our supposed position and feed our ego. Pride grows into cruelty, greed, selfishness, self-righteousness and insensitivity to others. All of this is evident in the story of Nebuchadnezzar in the first four chapters of Daniel.

Among the problems with pride is the hurt that comes when we are humbled. None of us is exempt from this; all of us have been humbled at some point or another. While it is not easy to endure, our humiliation often leads to our restoration. This certainly was the case with Nebuchadnezzar: “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever” (Daniel 5:34).

It took a great fall for Nebuchadnezzar to recognize the kingdom of God is the only kingdom that will endure. It took the humiliation of falling from the position of the king to living like an animal for Nebuchadnezzar to recognize God is sovereign and not the king of Babylon.

Wisdom is being able to learn from the mistakes of others without having to commit those mistakes ourselves. We should learn from Nebuchadnezzar that whatever it is in our lives that makes us think we are in charge and in control is tenuous at best. This story should be a reminder to us of the difference between a fully human life lived under the authority of Christ and to the praise of Christ, and living like an animal.

Discussion questions

• Why is success such a hard thing to handle?

• What are some consequences of pride that you have witnessed?

Posted: 9/13/07

Explore the Bible Series for September 23

Always trust Christ

• Matthew 8:1-9:34

By Travis Frampton

Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene

In Matthew’s Gospel, people who are “religious” often misunderstand the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus. The Pharisees have problems with Jesus’ authority. They understand him as a threat to their position of power within the Jewish community. The Sadducees, who did not accept notions of an afterlife, spirits and angels, debate with him over interpretation of the Law and vehemently oppose him on the idea of the resurrection. The chief priests, elders and scribes worked with the Roman government to bring Jesus to trial and considered plans for his execution.

The disciples are no exception. They also do not completely understand Jesus or his teaching about the kingdom of God. Jesus admonished them for their lack of understanding. How is that those who are closest to Jesus—those whom we may consider religious, righteous or spiritual—so frequently misunderstand him?

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I once heard about a father who told his son the story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27). The father explained that one afternoon Jesus and his disciples got into a boat together to cross from one side of the lake to the other. Once they set off from shore, Jesus fell fast asleep. While they were traveling a great storm came upon them. Waves began rocking the boat so severely water started seeping over the edge. Needless to say, the disciples became alarmed and distressed. They woke Jesus up from his sleep and asked him to save them, for they were sinking and were all going to drown if he didn’t do something. He calmed the storm, the waves ceased and the wind stopped, but only after he had questioned his disciples, questioned his disciples’ faith and asked them why they were afraid.

The father then asked his son, “So what do you think the moral to the story is?”

His son replied, “Don’t ever wake Jesus up from a nap!”

Misunderstanding Jesus

Misunderstanding Jesus is a common problem. We all do it.

In the passages under consideration for this week, a Roman centurion, a woman suffering from hemorrhages and two blind men are extolled for their faith. In Matthew 8:10, Jesus is astonished by the faith of the centurion: “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” He tells the woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years: “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you” (Matthew 9:22). While healing the two blind men, Jesus says, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29).

Each of these is an example of faith. These individuals seem unlikely characters to receive such high marks from Jesus. After all, they’re not your typical upright, religious characters: a soldier employed by a despised secular government, a woman with a severe chronic illness and two blind men.

No matter how you look at it, these people do not have the same righteous ring as “Peter,” “James,” “John,” or the “a disciple of Christ.” Yet Matthew regards these unlikely models as exceptional examples, especially whenever compared to the disciples.

When speaking of faith to his own disciples, Jesus offers strong rebuke: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26). The centurion, the woman and the two men who had lost their vision all needed healing. When his disciples were asked by the Pharisees why their master ate with tax-collectors and sinners, Jesus replied: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

You may have heard it said: “Politicians need Jesus.” “Homosexuals need Jesus.” “Muslims need Jesus.” “Liberals need Jesus.” “Hollywood needs Jesus.” From a Christian perspective, each of these statements has a ring of truth to it. But each of these statements also falls short of Jesus’ message. We all need Jesus. If all we can do is point our finger at someone else and say, “You need Jesus,” then we’ve drastically misunderstood the gospel, thereby, rendering ourselves clean, healthy and virtuous.

According to the New Testament, all have sinned and we all need Christ. As soon as we turn the end of our finger back on ourselves and say “I need Jesus,” we come closer to the Christian message. Self-transformation is central and essential to the gospel of Christ Jesus.

Being the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” does not give Christians free license to display their commitment to Christ through outward forms of righteousness. Praying openly for all in public to see is not the same as standing behind the sneeze-guard in a buffet line serving others in a soup kitchen. The first has the tendency to draw attention to one’s own virtue or piety; the other subtly demonstrates compassion by feeding the hungry. Speaking righteous words and living like Christ are not the same. The two are worlds apart.

A Christian life reflects upon the teachings of Jesus constantly. It asks the difficult questions. Have I wronged others? What are my weaknesses or blind spots? How can Christ enable me to overcome my shortcomings? How can I be less selfish, more considerate, more giving and love others, even those who cause me harm. The Spirit of Christ empowers those who believe that they are in need of a “physician.” Those who consider themselves “religiously or spiritually healthy” will have a difficult time hearing Jesus’ summons, for he did not come to call “the righteous, but sinners.”

Discussion questions

• How is your faith like that of the disciples?

• Does your faith have something in common with the Roman centurion, the hemorrhaging woman and the two blind men?

• Why is it that those who are so close to Jesus frequently misunderstand him?

• As followers of Jesus are we surprised when we see God’s love extended to “unlikely models”?

Posted: 4/15/05

Texas students befriend
Afghan refugees in California

By Traci Rylands

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

FREMONT, Calif.–Pastor Paul McGovern knew Crossroads Church had a heart for global missions. What he didn't know was that a group of Afghan refugees in desperate need lived less than a mile from the church.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions field personnel Lita and Rick Sample, who recently had joined Crossroads Church, alerted him to the presence of the refugees.

“I was shocked,” McGovern recalled. “Fremont is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. I wasn't aware of the high population of refugees all around us.”

The Samples belong to the Fellowship's “internationals cluster”–a group of CBF field personnel who minister to people living far from their homelands.

While most Afghan families had enough money to pay the rent, they had little for necessary items like laundry soap. The Samples, along with church members, began to help meet these needs.

The Afghans–most of whom are Muslim–also were hungry for friendship with Americans, they noted.

“We tell them we're happy that they're here and that Christians in America care about them,” Sample said.

Other churches and Baptist student groups across the country are partnering with Crossroads Church through CBF's refugee needs project to provide needed items many Afghan families lack.

This year, 11 Baylor students helped lay the groundwork for starting an Afghan congregation in San Francisco by building relationships during spring break.

The students sang songs and performed skits that presented Christian messages. They also ate with about 70 Afghans and danced to Afghan music.

This was the second consecutive spring break Baylor Baptist Student Ministry volunteers have spent serving Afghans in San Francisco. Two students also served in the area last summer as short-term missionaries.

“A lot of this is letting Afghans know a Christian environment is a safe environment,” said Brian Severski, a Baylor junior who went on the trip. “And that's something they haven't known in years.”

During Christmas 2003, the Samples and Crossroads' small groups “adopted” four Afghan families. They invited about 25 Afghans to Christmas parties in their homes.

“We made it a point to share with the Afghan guests the true meaning of Christmas, that it's about the birth of Jesus,” Sample said. The following Christmas, about 125 Crossroads members held 12 parties for 17 families, reaching 73 Afghans.

Plans are being made to start an Afghan church so refugees can learn about Christ in the Farsi language.

“This will allow them to come as seekers, to know what the gospel is about and who Jesus is without a high-pressure kind of preaching,” Mrs. Sample said.

The Samples hope other churches can use this refugee ministry as a model.

“We didn't come to California with these ideas,” Sample stressed. “This came out of our partnership with Crossroads Church.

They've helped us learn how a local church can minister to refugees around them.”

—With additional reporting by John Hall of Texas Baptist Communications.

Posted: 9/10/07

Fire destroys First Church, Dripping Springs

By George Henson

Staff Writer

DRIPPING SPRINGS—A fire beginning in the 106-year-old sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Dripping Springs brought the structure to the ground Sept. 5. The fellowship hall was left standing, but Pastor Lanny Tanton suspected it would also have to be razed.

No one was present when the fire began, so there were no injuries. While the final report is not in, the genesis of the fire is believed to be electrical.

The property was insured, but whether it will be enough to cover rebuilding costs was not immediately known.

The church already had a committee in place to begin mapping out a future course for the church in the community which is changing rapidly, Tanton said.

“Whether we rebuild on that property or somewhere else will be something that will be addressed by our vision team,” he said.

There has been a great outpouring of concern from the community, Tanton said. While the church has not decided where to meet in the interim term, he said every church in the community has offered space including the Church of Christ and the Catholic church. He said the Church of Christ even offered office space.

Posted: 9/06/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for September 16

Just not good enough

• Romans 2:17-29

By Andrew Daugherty

Christ Church, Rockwall

Human beings are by nature ritualistic. Whether private or public, rituals help human beings mark important occasions and rites of passage in our lives. As we seek to find and create meaning, rituals give us the space, time and bodily enactment that help us express what is most important in our lives.

Consider some common individual and communal rituals: decorating a nursery room before the baby is born; a driver’s license test for a 16-year-old; blowing out candles on a birthday cake; giving a ring to propose marriage; singing the national anthem before ball games; graduation ceremonies; Presidential inaugurations; a red-ribbon cutting at the opening of a business; carving the turkey at a family Thanksgiving dinner. These ritual actions honor significant moments in both our personal lives and the wider culture.

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People of faith celebrate rituals, too. Rituals are the outward and visible practices that at best reflect the inward and invisible quality of God’s grace. Whether you close your eyes when you pray, say a prayer before a meal, read your Bible before bed or keep a spiritual journal of your daily experiences, these personal rituals are only some of the ways you might practice your faith. They create an opportunity for you to encounter God’s presence and be changed by the experience.

Even as Baptists, with our distinctive commitment to helping others experience a personal relationship with Jesus, we share worship rituals that offer a visible demonstration of our faith. Whether our pastor wears a robe and stole or a button-down and khakis, whether we join the church by walking the aisle or by signing a member covenant; whether we sing traditional hymns set to Bach or contemporary choruses set to rock; whether we celebrate communion by passing the plates of juice and crackers or by dipping a piece of bread into a cup, these actions of worship are meant to express to God what is in our hearts.

Some of us may have been churchgoers most our lives. Some of us may know all the hymns by heart. We might know when to sit and when to stand. Perhaps we’ve memorized all the books of the Bible; maybe we have even read the whole Bible a time or two. We may be able to recall our baptisms and even tell proudly the time, date and place we “got saved.”

External trappings, however, and knowing all the right words to say, are worthless minus the passionate commitment of the heart behind them. Unless how somebody behaves is a reflection of what that somebody professes to believe, it will be difficult for the person to have much credibility to his witness.

This is a problem Paul lays out in his diatribe to the Jew, which begins at 2:17. He takes up the great responsibility that accompanies the privilege of being a Jew. Just because one is born a Jew, has knowledge of the law and has been physically circumcised does not mean one is spiritually circumspect.

He argues that there are those who call themselves Jews who are so self-assured about their relationship to God that they boast about knowing God’s will. They are the self-appointed teachers of righteousness for those who don’t know “the letter of the law” as well as they do. They are the ones who “sat in synagogue” all their lives and who know better than most exactly what the law requires and precisely what the law prohibits.

The problem is that these ones who claim to be the “guiding light” of God don’t practice what they preach. They don’t demand of themselves what they demand of others. Instead, while they preach against stealing, adultery and idolatry, they blaspheme the name of God by practicing these very things.

Though it would be easy to focus on the individual nature of these actions, Paul is prosecuting the whole Jewish people on these points. If God’s plan was to reveal the law of righteousness to the whole world through Israel, how would this even be possible if a person could not tell the difference between a pagan and a Jew?

To be clear, certainly this does not mean all Jews were guilty of saying one thing and doing another. What it does mean is that Israel has no national bragging rights just because they held the title as “God’s chosen people.” God’s choice of Israel to be a light to the nations was a matter of responsibility, not a matter of rights.

Paul suggests such people exploit their privilege of being Jews by living like the law does not apply to them. Their actions betray their words, and according to Paul, the ritual of physical circumcision is regarded as meaningless. Perhaps even more poignant, a person’s very identity as a Jew could be called into question. When one breaks the law, even if they are Jewish, it’s as if they are not even a Jew: For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal” (2:28-29).

These are sharp words. In effect, Paul is saying a Gentile is worthy of being called a Jew even if the person has not been physically circumcised, because the person keeps the law’s requirements. Thus, that person is spiritually circumcised. Paul says that even if a person is not born a Jew, and even if they do not have the physical mark of circumcision, they nonetheless “keep the law,” because it is “a matter of the heart” by the spirit. Paul is radically re-defining the notions of inclusion and exclusion. He will use the following chapters to elaborate on this ever-widening circle of God’s covenant fulfilled in Christ.

Discussion question

• How do Paul’s words to “the Jew” relate to the contemporary situation of the church?

• How might the church better follow its own advice based on Paul’s challenge?

• What are the external “physical markings” of the church that are different than the church’s message?

• At a different level, might Paul’s words have relevance for the political realities/mindset of the United States?

Posted: 9/06/07

Explore the Bible Series for September 16

Strive for godly perfection

• Matthew 4:17-7:29

By Travis Frampton

Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene

When the old generation of Israelites died in the wilderness after wandering 40 years, Moses assembled their descendants, the new generation, east of the Jordan River and told them to “listen to the statutes and laws which I proclaim to you this day. Learn them, and be careful to observe them” (Deuteronomy 5:1). Shortly thereafter, he recited the Ten Commandments.

A couple of years ago, I was flipping through the TV channels, when something on C-Span caught my attention. Two lawyers were debating whether the Ten Commandments should be posted in federal and state court houses. Needless to say, the debate was lively. Both sides exchanged compelling arguments for their positions. But, as I sat there enthralled by their discussion, I thought it odd for two Christians to be so vehemently debating Old Testament law. The Ten Commandments make up just part of the Mosaic Law. Why were these commandments the center of such controversy between Christians?

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Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount came to mind, particularly a couple of verses from the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. … Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:7, 9). Later in his sermon, Jesus goes on to say: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. … If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44-45a, 46-47).

I imagine verses about showing mercy and being a peacemaker would not go over well in most American courthouses today. Can you imagine plaintiffs loving defendants or defendants loving plaintiffs? That is probably why there is no current debate regarding whether or not the Sermon on the Mount should be posted.

The Ten Commandments are foundational for the Christian life, but were they repeated in their entirety by Jesus? Jesus stated he did not come “to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:15). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides his followers a new way of understanding the requirements of the Law. Instead of beginning with the Ten Commandments like Moses did in his sermon in Deuteronomy, Jesus opens his sermon in Matthew with the Beatitudes.

The importance of the Sermon on the Mount

Sometimes I like it when people get what they deserve, especially if they have wronged me in some way. I rejoice when my enemies are defeated, when those who curse me are cursed, and when those who bless me are blessed. But then I am confronted by the words of Jesus. His Sermon on the Mount challenges me to change my ways.

Revenge is not justice; it just satisfies our desire to get back at those who have wronged us. Revenge may even feel good at times, but it is never truly fulfilling. It never brings about real justice, because it never brings about genuine reconciliation.

Let’s face it: we all like being the judge. We all have been wronged and are accustomed to playing the role of the plaintiff. What we don’t like, however, is playing the role of defendant. We can’t tolerate others blaming us for hurting them. We tell ourselves: “They’re just overreacting. They don’t like hearing the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.” These words are an attempt to reassure ourselves that we’re innocent. Nevertheless, we’ve lied to people, stolen from them, betrayed them, forsaken them, falsely accused them and perhaps even abandoned them when they needed us the most.

Jesus taught us to pray in this way: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). If we forgive others what they have done to us, then God will forgive us of the wrongs we have committed (Matthew 6:14). It seems a pretty simple concept, yet it is one of the most difficult to carry out. The justice Jesus offers provides the opportunity for reconciliation. Without offering our enemies and those who have wronged us the opportunity to reconcile with us, a broken relationship can never be fully restored.

Jesus called his followers to internalize their righteousness instead of making public displays of it. Standing on a street corner proclaiming “God loves you” is not the same as genuinely loving someone. Spreading the message that “God loves the sinner, but hates the sin”—however catchy the phrase may be—is not the same as spreading the message “God loves us all!” For until we have the courage to abandon fear and love our enemies, until we have the strength to forgive others as we have been forgiven, until we have the audacity to love as Jesus loves, how will we ever be “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) or “be perfect as God is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)?

Discussion questions

• What relevance does the Sermon on the Mount have for us today?

• How do we go about loving our enemy?

• What does it mean to be perfect as God is perfect?

• Frank Stagg has called “forgiveness a revolving door.” What do you think that means?

Posted: 9/07/07

Texas Baptist museum to be remodeled

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

INDEPENDENCE—The Texas Baptist Historical Museum is set to be remodeled and expanded.

Designs are being drawn for a reworked museum that leaders hope will open in 2008 and include more exhibit space, a theatre and a patio area. Alan Lefever, director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection, said the improvements are meant to help visitors quickly understand Texas Baptist history.

“It really tells the story of the beginnings of Texas Baptists and for that matter, Baptists,” Lefever said. “It makes people familiar with our early heritage as Texas Baptists and what that means.”

The expansion is possible because Independence Baptist Church, which shared space with the museum, has grown during recent years and has built another building on adjacent property.

About 10,000 people visit the museum each year—particularly in the spring when wildflowers native to the area are in bloom.

Independence Baptist Church was founded before Texas became a state and is the oldest surviving Baptist church in Texas.

Sam Houston, who led Texas’ fight for independence and later served as the Republic of Texas’ first president, was baptized into the membership of Independence Baptist Church by Pastor Rufus Burleson. A pew where Houston carved his name is on display in the museum. The renovated museum will feature an expanded exhibit about Houston’s time in Independence.

Independence also is the original location of Baylor University, which later relocated to Waco, and Baylor College, which relocated to Belton and was renamed the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Baptist General Convention of Texas leaders have raised more than $300,000 of the $750,000 needed to refurbish the museum. Individuals can make donations to the effort or purchase bricks or paving stones for the campus. For more information about the project or to donate to the effort, call Lefever at (888) 244-9400.

Posted: 9/07/07

Fidelity to God’s calling motivates musician

By George Henson

Staff Writer

CARROLLTON—Blake Bolerjack enjoys singing for congregations throughout Texas and Oklahoma. The concert and recording ministry he began two years ago is beginning to blossom—and he and his bride of less than two years, Jenna, are thrilled about that.

But the most invigorating thing is that they believe they are living and ministering squarely in the center of God’s will.

“I have the feeling God is going to let me do this for a long time, but whether or not it does, I feel like I can’t get away from ministry God has a calling on my life,” he said.

For now though, he is thrilled at the opportunity to sing.

“I get to sing in a wide range churches, and I like that because I get to worship and fellowship with a very diverse body of Christ,” he said.

A legacy of music ministry runs through his veins. His father, Buddy, sang with a quartet from his church, and the music of Southern Gospel quartets like The Cathedrals rang through their home.

“Since junior high, I’ve known I wanted to sing—to do something with singing,” he said.

But he acknowledges he has encountered his share of bumps along the road. Bolerjack, who grew up in Perryton and graduated from high school there, suffered severe depression and even attempted suicide.

A counselorhelped him through that dark period, and a rededication of his life to Christ was the ultimate outcome of that tumultuous time.

Shortly thereafter, he traveled with the Continental Singers group.

“While traveling with them, I was able to see God use my testimony and that summer really confirmed I was to sing,” he said.

While his parents always were very supportive of his pursuing a singing ministry, sometimes others were less enthusiastic about his plans, he recalled.

“They weren’t saying those things to be mean or anything, they just cared about me and thought I should pursue something with more security,” he said. “But I knew what it was that God had called me to do.”

And after his graduation from Oklahoma Baptist University, he said singing was really the only opportunity that opened up for him.

He feels strongly that for him to minister in the manner he has been called, the focus has to remain on Christ and not himself.

“I pray for a humble spirit because I’m scared to death of being humbled,” Bolerjack admitted.

“It’s a constant struggle not in all of life, not just singing or any other kind of ministry, to give him all the glory. It’s so easy to give yourself the credit.

“It’s all about the heart. Any singer or worship leader, no matter how sincere, there is always that sort of struggle. The most important thing is to communicate the message clearly. The way the message is communicated has a tremendous bearing on how it is received,” he said.

That desire to follow where God is leading is his motivation.

“I’m trying to do everything just like God wants me to do it,” he said.

Bolerjack can be contacted at (469) 323-8747 or www.blakebolerjack.com.

Posted: 9/07/07

Three-minute challenge exposes
more than 4,600 bikers to gospel

By George Henson

Staff Writer

STURGIS, S.D.—The field was black and blue, covered in leather and denim, but four men from Immanuel Baptist Church in Paris were among those who could tell that it was white and ready for harvest.

The event was the world’s largest motorcycle rally held each August in Sturgis, S.D. It has swelled to include a half-million people who crowd its streets—all in a town with a population of less than 7,000 people the other 51 weeks of the year.

Not blinded by the chrome, the Dakota Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board saw many people who to know Jesus Christ as Savior gathering in a single locale and sought to meet their spiritual need.

Craig Bryant (center) from Immanuel Baptist Church in Paris shared his Christian testimony in three minutes with visitors to the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

To get the attention of people who came to town with motorcycles on their minds, the Baptists offered to give away a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. And a chance to win the steel stallion couldn’t be purchased with money, but with time—three minutes.

Evangelist Ronnie Hill from Fort Worth trained the volunteers to share their testimonies in three minutes.

“In three minutes you have to share your testimony, share the gospel and ask, ‘Do you want to do it?’” said Steve Gunter, minister to students at Immanuel Baptist in Paris.

That kind of rapid-fire personal evangelism was a totally different experience for him and the other men from his church—Sam Brown, Craig Bryant and John Harrington, he said

“Sharing the gospel in this way and to do it right in this way is almost frightening—you just have to just jump in and do it,” Gunter admitted.

The mission trip to Sturgis was a departure from other efforts the church has participated in, he noted.

“God laid it on our hearts to send a team after hearing of the need. This was a different mission trip for us. It was straight-up evangelism—witnessing one-on-one or one-on-five,” Gunter explained.

By the time the week ended, 4,677 people spent three minutes hearing a presentation of the gospel and registered for a chance to win the motorcycle. Of that group, 870 made faith commitments Christ.

“Many had been involved in church earlier in their lives, but because of something that had happened, hadn’t been in years, and some hadn’t been ever,” Gunter said. “Some you could tell totally got what you were saying, and some of them you could tell totally blew it off. That was the sad part.

“It was amazing how God had already prepared these people’s hearts. So many times, it was like walking up to an apple tree and picking off an apple. And then there were the others that just wouldn’t allow themselves to hear.”

Gunter estimated that he shared his testimony about 150 times in one week, sharing the gospel with up to 200 people.

“I’ve never done that before,” he said. “Sharing, sharing and sharing makes you know yourself so much better and it’s going to impact my ministry here” in Paris, Gunter said.

“How many times have my youth brought somebody up to me and said, ‘Steve, meet my friend,’ and I’ve said, ‘Glad to meet you and glad you’re here.’ Now, if I have three minutes, I’m going to share my testimony. I can’t believe how many opportunities in the past I’ve missed here at church and walking around town,” Gunter admitted.

The Sturgis experience was life-changing for Bryant as well. While he accepted Christ four years ago, he said five minutes after arriving in Sturgis he knew he needed to experience the baptism he had been putting off.

Some of the people Bryant met in Sturgis are going to linger in his mind a long while.

“One guy walked up and said, ‘You got three minutes, and I’m timing you.’ Thirty minutes later, we were still talking, but he walked away without making a commitment,” he recalled.

One man’s story broke Bryant’s heart. A big man told him his wife had died of cancer last year, leaving him with four children—the youngest a 9-year-old boy. The man continued to say that he had recently been diagnosed with cancer himself and was told he had less than one year to live. He told Bryant that no one else knew about his illness yet—not even his children.

The man wanted to know why it was happening. Bryant told him that his father had died of cancer. But Bryant’s father was a Christian, and his comfort was that they would meet again in heaven. He encouraged the man to look at the situation from an eternal perspective.

When Bryant asked if he could pray for him, the man told Bryant he could pray, but he wouldn’t pray himself. He was angry at God.

John Harrington recalled a woman and man in their early 20s. She accepted Christ with enthusiasm while he was very reluctant.

“It blew my mind how I said to a different person the same words in the same way and one took it and the other didn’t,” Harrington said. “That living word of God goes right into their soul. We’re not impressing them at all. It is just word of God.”

His greatest regret was the huge number of people he met who had been hurt in churches.

“All I could do is apologize and say that’s not the way of Christ,” Harrington said.

Gunter had a different regret: “What was sad was how many people wouldn’t give us even three minutes.”

Posted: 9/07/07

CYBER COLUMN:
Life is short

By Brett Younger

When our oldest son was born, friends came to the hospital, asked to hold the baby, and commented on how glad they were that he looked like his mother. As they were leaving, several said something like, “Don’t blink, because that’s how long it will be before he’s off to college.”

At the time, I thought it was a stupid comment. I knew any child of Carol’s was going to be smart, but he wasn’t ready for college.

But they were right. Two weeks ago, we took our son to college. I find this hard to believe. It feels like he started crawling a month ago, went to kindergarten a week ago, and got his driver’s license a few days ago. It seems like only yesterday he was lying on the couch throwing food and making silly noises, when actually it was a month ago.

The great American poet Dr. Seuss wrote,

How did it get so late so soon,

It’s night before it’s afternoon.

December is here before it’s June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?

It gets so late so soon. We know that life is short, and yet we spend our lives as if we have nine of them to spend. We give too many of our days to not nearly enough. We act as if life is always about to begin. The real part of our life is on the way, but first we have to get past a couple of things, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid, a responsibility to take care of.  Then life will begin.  We recognize how wrong it is to throw a life away, and yet don’t see how sinful it is to do the same thing an hour at a time. Life is wasted hour by hour, day by day, in a thousand small, uncaring ways.

As the renowned philosopher Ferris Bueller said: “Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Life is too short for fantasy baseball, computer solitaire or Deal or No Deal.

Life is too short for microwave pizza, bad novels or having the cleanest gutters on the block.

Life is too short to keep waiting for vacation, a special occasion or a better day.

Life is too short to sit around moping, choosing despair or worrying what people think.

Life is too short to complain about those you don’t like, look for revenge or spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise.

Life is too short to be bitter over things you can’t change, want to go back to what was or always do the same thing.

Life is too short to be bored, always blend in or sit in the corner while the band is playing.

Life is too short to intend to live a new life but never get around to it.

We shouldn’t give ourselves to things that are less than God’s best or surrender ourselves to the values of the world, because life is short.

Life is short, so live every day as if it were your last, because some day you’ll be right.

Life is short, so do what you love to do, and give it your very best. Whether it’s business or teaching or medicine, if you don’t love what you’re doing and can’t give it your best, look seriously at getting out of it.

Life is short, so recognize that today is the only day you have, eat dessert first and read good books.

Life is short, so go to church, stay awake and sing.

Life is short, so tell the truth, take care of this day and dance.

Life is short, so listen to the people you love, tell them how much they mean to you and visit someone else’s mother in the nursing home.

Life is short, so recognize that every day is a special occasion, do something interesting, have some fun, look for excuses to laugh and choose to be happy.

Life is short, so forgive. Look past the faults of others, just like you hope they will do for you.

Life is short, so surround yourself with gracious people, hug your friends and care for someone you haven’t cared for before.

Life is short, so be courageous, take a chance, live so that when your life flashes before your eyes, you’ll have plenty to watch.

Life is short, so embrace the possibilities, try something new, see that every day is an opportunity and dream, but don’t just dream, follow those dreams.

Life is short, so breathe and think deeply, don’t give your heart to that which won’t fill your heart and make the changes that will make the difference.

Life is short, so celebrate God’s grace, make time for the things that matter, and don’t leave yourself regretting things you didn’t do.

Pray hard, believe in Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Celebrate the love of God, because it’s later than you think. And life is short.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.