HANNIBAL – It is becoming like clockwork. Most Hannibal-LaGrange students leave campus during the summer, and Gasconade Valley Association comes for a week to help with projects. Gasconade Director of Missions Phil Rector said this is the 22nd year a team from the Association has come to offer summer project help to HLGU. Rector was part of the team for a few days. Delmar Branson, who with his wife Belinda are co-leaders of the group, said the team this year was comprised of 38 people, … [Read more...]
Christian Stewardship: ‘Count your blessings’
In 1897, Johnson Oatman, Jr., wrote the hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings,” and we Baptists have been counting them ever since. But we are also good at counting other things – say, like attendance, though we have a tendency to attribute more attendance to what the census bureau could rightfully attest. But the other thing we Baptists love to count is our money. Even though we don’t have nearly as much of it to count as we may like, we love reporting finances. Budget numbers, designated … [Read more...]
The gospel and discipleship
Hull, Bill and Ben Sobels. The Discipleship Gospel. Brentwood, TN: HIM Publications. 174 pp. $15.95. Christians are supposed to be “unashamed of the gospel” (Rom 1:16). The gospel is of “first importance” for Christians (1 Cor 15:3). Yet if you were to ask a group of Christians what the gospel is, you would almost certainly get a number of different answers, maybe even some arguments. Confusion reigns in our churches about the most basic truths of the Christian faith. Most pastors … [Read more...]
Instilling patriotism in children
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. “ Romans 13:1 What a challenge we have as parents and teachers to help our children learn to love our country and respect our leaders! It is tempting to think that the current environment in our country makes such a task impossible. However, a study of Old Testament kings and leaders reminds us that in Bible … [Read more...]
A world without Roe
As I picked up the July 10 issue of USA TODAY, I couldn’t help but notice the headline of a front-page “story” titled, “A world without Roe v. Wade.” Later in the evening, POTUS was to name his nominee to replace retiring SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy. We now know that person to be 5th Circuit U.S. Appeals Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. So, the day before the nomination, the not-so-mainstream media is hosting an opinion piece on the front page promoting a sky-is-falling mentality about … [Read more...]
Making new friends: Partnership missions is a way
In 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 and 13 the Apostle Paul has a lot to say to the church of Jesus Christ about spiritual gifts and loving one another. In 1 Cor. 12:28, he lists the spiritual gifts that followers of Christ have. In 1 Cor. 13:2, Paul writes, “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” One practical way a spiritual gift can be an act of love is to minister to a … [Read more...]
10 truths about the Incarnation
This is the third in a series of articles on the Incarnation. So far in this series, we have established that the Incarnation means the eternal Son of God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, Jesus is one person in two distinct but undivided natures: human and divine. In addition, we’ve explored how these two natures work together as the eternal Son of God adds sinless humanity to His deity via the miracle of the virgin birth. In this article, we summarize 10 … [Read more...]
The Great Commission and rural America
In his recent Moody Press release, The Forgotten Church, Glenn Daman accentuated the current reality that rural America is a mission field. Rural America has often been thought of in terms of Norman Rockwell paintings long before there was an Ozzie and Harriett of the 60s and a Duck Dynasty of early 2000s. When Sharon and I led Pray Across Missouri 2017-2018, we met people from all 114 counties in Missouri at their County Courthouses for prayer. We met some really great people from rural … [Read more...]
How an SBC church rescued me from abuse
He came from behind, grabbed my hair and repeatedly slammed my head into the brick exterior of a convenience store. Stunned and knocked nearly unconscious, I fell to my knees. All I can remember is a woman customer screaming and then sirens. I had no health insurance, so a doctor or emergency room visit was out of the question. I staggered to my car and somehow drove home, which was less than a mile away. The next thing I remember was lying in the bed, looking through fog at the ceiling. … [Read more...]
What does the Missouri Baptist Foundation do?
What exactly does the Missouri Baptist Foundation do? I have heard that question lots of times over the last six months. My standard answer has become a lot more than any of us realize. On the one hand, we help manage endowment funds for churches and entities helping them grow ministry funds in order to accomplish ministry both today and tomorrow. We also provide church loans, cash savings accounts, short term fund management along with coaching, education and seminars for churches … [Read more...]
Jesus as the God-man
This is the second in a series of articles on the Incarnation. If Jesus is fully divine and fully human, how are we to understand the way in which these two natures work together? At times, Jesus exhibits the fullness of deity – demonstrating His sovereign control over nature, forgiving sins, receiving worship, and knowing the thoughts of human beings. But He also displays the full range of humanity – getting hungry, growing tired, and, occasionally, not knowing certain things such as … [Read more...]
‘The proven path to happiness’
Parnell, Jonathan. Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah. 151 pp. $14.99. We were created to live with God and for God, to know him and make him known. Every one of us exists for that reason, no matter our personalities, vocations, birthplaces, ethnicities, or anything else. God made all of us on purpose to live with him wherever he might happen to put us and live for him in whatever he might call us to do. This is … [Read more...]
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