"Wish not so much to live long as to live well."
-- Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard's Almanack, June 1746)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Passage for August 26th, 2007
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. (Zechariah 1:1-6)
Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. (Zechariah 2:7-13)
Background Passage: Zechariah 1:1 - 3:10
Lesson Passages: Zecheriah 1:1 - 6; 2:7 - 13
Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. (Zechariah 2:7-13)
Background Passage: Zechariah 1:1 - 3:10
Lesson Passages: Zecheriah 1:1 - 6; 2:7 - 13
Thursday, August 23, 2007
For Christ's sake, stop!
Posted on Aug 22, 2007 | by Frank Page
EDITORS' NOTE: A statement by International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin follows this article by Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page.
TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--Do we love one another? Do we love our pastors? Do we genuinely care one for another? Do we care for the lost? Obviously, the list could go on and on, but the question remains, "do we love and care for one another?"
I have been greatly burdened in recent days. Our lost world, our lost continent, hurting churches and hurting pastors are crying out. A few days ago I had the opportunity to share Christ with a young man on an airplane. At that very moment, I had to decide whether to continue writing this article or talk to this young man. Obviously, I put the writing material down and spoke with this young man who is in desperate need of Christ. He, like our world, is looking for authenticity and for love. I point this out because I believe we often are making the wrong choice.
Our witness is being diluted and energies expended on other activities, especially on internecine conflict.
Church conflict is rampant. Seldom does a day go by that I do not receive a call for help from either a church, a pastor or staff member. Recently I received three in one day. And, there seems to be a new way to deal with church conflict. These days, increasing numbers of church members launch websites detailing allegations, accusations and complaints. I ask church members this question: Do you think lost people see this? When newspaper reporters are called and church conflict becomes known in the newspaper, either locally or nationally, what do you think this does when lost people read it? For Christ's sake, for the sake of the lost, stop!
Personal attacks are on the rise. I recently removed my endorsement (as did David Dockery, Thom Rainer and others) when a hoped-for and needed place for dialogue on the Internet degenerated quickly into a place of personal attack against denominational leaders as well as those who are advocating reform. For Christ's sake, stop!
Phone calls, e-mails, and hallway conversations continue to take place with the bottom line being character assassination. For Christ's sake, stop!
Yes, as you can tell, I am sick and tired of all of this. But guess what? What I think or feel matters little, if at all. However, what does matter is what our Lord Jesus thinks. He states his heart in John 17:21, where he prays, "May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me." He also states in Galatians 5:20 that the works of the flesh are "strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions and factions.
What must we do?
1) We must beg God for forgiveness. We have spoken ill of brothers and sisters of Christ in ways that should never occur.
2) We must pledge to avoid personal attacks in the future and not to support an activity or conversation in which this occurs. By the way, there is an individual in our convention with whom I have disagreed and have done so publicly. I personally think that is fine. However, I will not be a part of a personal attack of any brother of sister in our convention.
3) We must learn to disagree using the biblical mandates in Matthew 18, Ephesians 4:15, etc. Most church problems and convention problems could have been overcome if we would have followed these biblical mandates.
4) We must learn to listen to one another. This applies to all of us. It is time for leaders, trustees, pastors and people in the pew to listen to the concerns of others, even those with whom we have serious disagreement. The pattern of totally ignoring others with whom we disagree has led to a stone walling and given many the encouragement to become extreme.
5) We must learn to talk to each other, not just about each other. I challenge you to do this. I also promise to you that you will find new friends in so doing.
What is at stake? Certainly I am concerned about the future of our convention, its great mission work, and the educational work in which we are involved. However, even more importantly, I am concerned about lost souls and new believers. Lost people are seeing the deep division and sometimes hatred that is flowing forth among churches and among those who are involved in convention discussions. For Christ's sake, stop!
--30--
Grace & respect
needed in dialogue
By Jerry Rankin
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Within the diversity of the Southern Baptist Convention, we desperately need dialogue to take place in which we can listen and learn from each other, even to the extent of respecting differing viewpoints. However, the Bible gives us clear instruction of how we are to deal with disagreements with others.
As a leader of a Southern Baptist entity, I find there is no lack of those who have disagreements with the work of the International Mission Board and issues with me personally or my leadership.
I welcome direct communication that is intended to result in understanding or corrective actions. But discussion of such issues publicly without making every effort to deal with me or the individual involved is inappropriate and unbiblical. There can never be justification for communicating, even areas of serious concern, without grace, respect and a Christ-like spirit.
I regret that SBCOutpost.com, which I and others earlier endorsed, has not fulfilled its intended purpose. This had the potential of being a forum for an objective interchange of ideas and opinions that would contribute in a constructive way to the Southern Baptist Convention. While I continue to endorse and advocate the value of open communication and understanding that comes from a free exchange of ideas, I am retracting my endorsement of SBCOutpost as the place for that to happen.
EDITORS' NOTE: A statement by International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin follows this article by Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page.
TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--Do we love one another? Do we love our pastors? Do we genuinely care one for another? Do we care for the lost? Obviously, the list could go on and on, but the question remains, "do we love and care for one another?"
I have been greatly burdened in recent days. Our lost world, our lost continent, hurting churches and hurting pastors are crying out. A few days ago I had the opportunity to share Christ with a young man on an airplane. At that very moment, I had to decide whether to continue writing this article or talk to this young man. Obviously, I put the writing material down and spoke with this young man who is in desperate need of Christ. He, like our world, is looking for authenticity and for love. I point this out because I believe we often are making the wrong choice.
Our witness is being diluted and energies expended on other activities, especially on internecine conflict.
Church conflict is rampant. Seldom does a day go by that I do not receive a call for help from either a church, a pastor or staff member. Recently I received three in one day. And, there seems to be a new way to deal with church conflict. These days, increasing numbers of church members launch websites detailing allegations, accusations and complaints. I ask church members this question: Do you think lost people see this? When newspaper reporters are called and church conflict becomes known in the newspaper, either locally or nationally, what do you think this does when lost people read it? For Christ's sake, for the sake of the lost, stop!
Personal attacks are on the rise. I recently removed my endorsement (as did David Dockery, Thom Rainer and others) when a hoped-for and needed place for dialogue on the Internet degenerated quickly into a place of personal attack against denominational leaders as well as those who are advocating reform. For Christ's sake, stop!
Phone calls, e-mails, and hallway conversations continue to take place with the bottom line being character assassination. For Christ's sake, stop!
Yes, as you can tell, I am sick and tired of all of this. But guess what? What I think or feel matters little, if at all. However, what does matter is what our Lord Jesus thinks. He states his heart in John 17:21, where he prays, "May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me." He also states in Galatians 5:20 that the works of the flesh are "strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions and factions.
What must we do?
1) We must beg God for forgiveness. We have spoken ill of brothers and sisters of Christ in ways that should never occur.
2) We must pledge to avoid personal attacks in the future and not to support an activity or conversation in which this occurs. By the way, there is an individual in our convention with whom I have disagreed and have done so publicly. I personally think that is fine. However, I will not be a part of a personal attack of any brother of sister in our convention.
3) We must learn to disagree using the biblical mandates in Matthew 18, Ephesians 4:15, etc. Most church problems and convention problems could have been overcome if we would have followed these biblical mandates.
4) We must learn to listen to one another. This applies to all of us. It is time for leaders, trustees, pastors and people in the pew to listen to the concerns of others, even those with whom we have serious disagreement. The pattern of totally ignoring others with whom we disagree has led to a stone walling and given many the encouragement to become extreme.
5) We must learn to talk to each other, not just about each other. I challenge you to do this. I also promise to you that you will find new friends in so doing.
What is at stake? Certainly I am concerned about the future of our convention, its great mission work, and the educational work in which we are involved. However, even more importantly, I am concerned about lost souls and new believers. Lost people are seeing the deep division and sometimes hatred that is flowing forth among churches and among those who are involved in convention discussions. For Christ's sake, stop!
--30--
Grace & respect
needed in dialogue
By Jerry Rankin
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Within the diversity of the Southern Baptist Convention, we desperately need dialogue to take place in which we can listen and learn from each other, even to the extent of respecting differing viewpoints. However, the Bible gives us clear instruction of how we are to deal with disagreements with others.
As a leader of a Southern Baptist entity, I find there is no lack of those who have disagreements with the work of the International Mission Board and issues with me personally or my leadership.
I welcome direct communication that is intended to result in understanding or corrective actions. But discussion of such issues publicly without making every effort to deal with me or the individual involved is inappropriate and unbiblical. There can never be justification for communicating, even areas of serious concern, without grace, respect and a Christ-like spirit.
I regret that SBCOutpost.com, which I and others earlier endorsed, has not fulfilled its intended purpose. This had the potential of being a forum for an objective interchange of ideas and opinions that would contribute in a constructive way to the Southern Baptist Convention. While I continue to endorse and advocate the value of open communication and understanding that comes from a free exchange of ideas, I am retracting my endorsement of SBCOutpost as the place for that to happen.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Prayer Requests, August 12th, 2007, Archive
August 12th, 2007
John & Lisa - that their final home study would go well so their adoption could continue to go forward.
Crystal & Tammy- That all would go as planned with their baptism next Sunday night.
Tanner - traveling mercies as he travels to Texas with family to visit family.
Prayers for the Faith program and the participants and those who will hear God's Word.
Prayers for Trey and Kitty; If anyone hears from them, please let us know.
Prayers for Rich's friend, David Bower and family. David's mother has suffered a serious injury related to family concerns and developments. Peace, healing and God's guidance.
Please pray that Carol and Clark's son will get a job soon.
Welcome to Troy and Mei Rachael Hill and their children visiting the Bible Study Class.
Please pray for Mei's mother, Sioelan, who is suffering from bronchitis and a heart condition. Pray that the mother's son, Leo, can/will stop smoking in the home, since the smoke aggravates the mother's health condition. God's healing, peace and guidance.
Pray for the brother of Dan's friend who suffered a several story fall and injuries, perhaps somewhere back east. Dan, the brother and friends had an immediate prayer session on their job site. Praises that the man seems to have come out of it with minimal injuries and has had a miraculous recovery such that he will be going back to work this next week.
Praise the Lord and thank you, Jesus, for answered prayer.
Pray for repentance for Debbie's daughter, Jessica.
Prayers for Joyce Jones and the family in the accidental injury and death of husband Floyd.
Prayers for Rich's friend, David Bower and family. David's mother has suffered a serious injury related to family concerns and developments. Peace, healing and God's guidance.
Please pray that Carol and Clark's son will get a job soon.
Welcome to Troy and Mei Rachael Hill and their children visiting the Bible Study Class.
Please pray for Mei's mother, Sioelan, who is suffering from bronchitis and a heart condition. Pray that the mother's son, Leo, can/will stop smoking in the home, since the smoke aggravates the mother's health condition. God's healing, peace and guidance.
Pray for the brother of Dan's friend who suffered a several story fall and injuries, perhaps somewhere back east. Dan, the brother and friends had an immediate prayer session on their job site. Praises that the man seems to have come out of it with minimal injuries and has had a miraculous recovery such that he will be going back to work this next week.
Praise the Lord and thank you, Jesus, for answered prayer.
Pray for repentance for Debbie's daughter, Jessica.
Prayers for Joyce Jones and the family in the accidental injury and death of husband Floyd.
Continued prayers for Nora and the family, the Stones and all of their family, Mary and Jerry Foster, Kitty and Trey Smith and all of their families.
John & Lisa - that their final home study would go well so their adoption could continue to go forward.
Crystal & Tammy- That all would go as planned with their baptism next Sunday night.
Tanner - traveling mercies as he travels to Texas with family to visit family.
Passage for Aug 19th, 2007
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. (Haggai 1:7-9)
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Haggai 1:12-15)
And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. (Haggai 2:15-19)
Background Passage: Haggai 1:1 - 2:23
Lesson Passages: Haggai 1:7-9, 12-15; 2:15-19
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Haggai 1:12-15)
And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. (Haggai 2:15-19)
Background Passage: Haggai 1:1 - 2:23
Lesson Passages: Haggai 1:7-9, 12-15; 2:15-19
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