EDITOR'S NOTE: Neil Franks serves as president of the Missouri Baptist Foundation. I have a funny last name. Not like a name that makes you laugh or a name that is hard to pronounce; rather, my last name is sometimes confused for a first name. For instance, I admired my wife’s pastor; he was a fantastic godly leader and a brilliant expositor of the Word. One Sunday, we returned from Seminary for a visit; I looked forward to seeing him and listening to his sermon. At the end of the … [Read more...]
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Sweet smell of victory
“Smell this.” I’m trying to remember even one time in my life when I’ve been given that command and it’s turned out to be a pleasant experience. Surely there’s been one time. But the times that immediately pop to mind are the ones when someone has held out a container of chunky milk. Or when someone has come across questionable socks that have fallen between the clean pile of laundry and the dirty one. Having raised five kids, I can tell you there were way too many times people in my … [Read more...]
Article IV of the BF&M: Salvation
Following is another in a series of columns on the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Article IV of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 reads: “Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in … [Read more...]
What does the Bible say about abortion?
When the Supreme Court recently reversed Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion exploded into the national consciousness. Now, more than ever, Christians must be clear that abortion is a moral question rather than a political one. As a moral issue, we must confidently know how Scripture addresses it. As Christians, our authority on abortion comes from the Word of God. God is not silent on the value of life, and we need to know what He says about it. Scripture offers three general principles to … [Read more...]
Keeping an eye on our focus
Lash down. I repeat, we have a lash down. This is not a drill. Go to DEFCON 2. I was at a conference, just stepping up to the mic. Two seconds in, and wouldn’t you know it, one fake lash goes down. All weekend long, those lashes had been working perfectly. But up to the mic and…flop. It didn’t flop into my eye; at least there was that. But it flopped over it. So it was like looking through little prison bars. Lash-jail. I had to laugh. We all did. Turns out my eyelashes stole the show. … [Read more...]
A great tool!
“Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. – Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV We all like good tools that will help us get our tasks accomplished. Some of the latest and best tools to be invented, in my opinion, include the computer, cell phone, and the technology that comes with them. However, just like any other tool, they must be used appropriately or they can cause harm. I don’t think there are very many people who would give a … [Read more...]
Article II of the BF&M: God
Following is another in a series of columns on The Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Article II of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 reads: “There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist leaders blessed to ‘experience God’ through classic Bible study
NEOSHO – When Alan Brock went through the “Experiencing God” discipleship study for the first time he said it shifted his focus from “me” to “God and His activity.” He was pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, Neosho, and he led five groups through the study in the early 1990s. He and his groups were discovering that God is at work all around them and was inviting them to be part of His work. Brock is now the director of missions for the Shoal Creek Baptist Association in Neosho (located in … [Read more...]
Center … and center peace
Is there anything I enjoy more than a good meal? Not much. I think that’s why I don’t cook much. I guess that’s also why I love, love, love whoever it was who came up with that most marvelous and miraculous invention: the frozen dinner. That genius has likely saved a lot of lives around my house through the years. Thanks, freezy-friend. Everyone talks about those fancy ice sculptures as table centerpieces. But for me? A frozen family-sized lasagna is the real thing of beauty. Thaw it and … [Read more...]
Friends reunite around ‘Experiencing God’ after collectively doing study 27 times
ABILENE, Kan. (Lifeway) — Most people complete the Bible study “Experiencing God” in about 12 weeks. Longtime friends Deborah White and Paula Kaufman have camped out in the popular workbook for more than two decades. “When I finish ‘Experiencing God,’ I get another copy and start all over again,” said White, a retired life coach in Abilene who has gone through the study cover-to-cover a dozen times. “Whenever I arrive at the end of it, I get excited knowing I get to begin … [Read more...]
Kimbrough writes book about what the church was designed to be
BOLIVAR, Mo. – The desire to know and share about what the church is supposed to be was the inspiration for Southwest Baptist University Matt Kimbrough’s book: “Reclaiming the Church Family: A Solution to the Corporate-Church Crisis.” “During my time in vocational ministry, over a decade, I never found a source that really helped me think through, biblically speaking, what God designed the church to be: How do we relate to one another? Why do we really exist?” said Kimbrough, assistant … [Read more...]
Series on Baptist Faith & Message coming to Pathway, April 26
JEFFERSON CITY – A series of articles outlining the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 is coming to The Pathway, beginning with the April 26 print edition. The series is designed to help Missouri Baptists better understand and teach this historic Southern Baptist confession of faith. During the 2021 MBC Annual Meeting in Branson, messengers affirmed a resolution encouraging all Missouri Baptist pastors “to consistently provide instruction to their congregations on the content of the Baptist … [Read more...]
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