Today I want to share a word about the blessing of change, as I comment on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. This Scripture reads:
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Sometimes in life we just have to live with contradictions. For example, many people resist change. In fact, since we recently changed back to Daylight Saving Time where I live, I have heard many complaints (including my own) about how folks dislike having to change to and from Daylight Saving Time each spring and autumn.
For many people, change is uncomfortable, and it is to be resisted. This is reflected in the old joke that asks “How many Baptists does it take to change a burned-out light bulb?” The answer is seven, one to change the bulb and six to stand in the parking lot after church and talk about how much they miss the old bulb and how it was brighter by far than the new one!
In contrast to this attitude is the saying that, “A change is as good as a vacation.” In other words, people who have gotten burned-out or bored with a situation are often revived by a change in routine, a change in scenery, or a change in their job. To folks in this situation, change is refreshing and it is to be embraced. The truth is, however, many people will fight change until they have no choice.
In our focal passage today, Paul underlines just how important change is in our spiritual lives. Basically Paul told us that our spiritual lives need to be totally rebuilt, the way we might demolish and replace a termite-eaten old house. There is nothing in our spiritual lives worth saving, because our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. Before God can create in us a new being, the old must be rooted out, the way that dead flesh in a wound must be debrided before it can healed and covered in healthy tissue.
Sometimes this process of renewal is painful. A beloved family home that has to be demolished because it has become unsafe can cause emotional paint. Cleaning and debriding a wound certainly causes physical pain. Confronting our sin and shame can cause us spiritual pain, but in the end we are renewed, we are rebuilt, we are changed into a new creature, with all of our old, dead, sinful self cleaned out.
The results of our being rebuilt are two-fold according to this passage. First, we will find ourselves reconciled with God. Instead of being estranged from Him, we are restored to fellowship with Him and gathered into His bosom where we find peace, safety, assurance, and grace. Second, we become His personal emissaries, representing Him and His will and way wherever we go. As we go out representing Him, we can tell others about His love for them, by our deeds and attitudes first, and also with our words. We, then, can share in the blessing of helping others to find their lived radically changed by God in the way that our own life was. We can rejoice with them and look forward to being with them as we join with other believers in worshipping the Lamb in Heaven.
None of these blessings would happen if we resist the blessing of change. We must overlook any pain, any inconvenience, or any human embarrassment and cry out to God for Him to change us. He wants to, and when He does, we won’t pine for old times, or mourn lost ways of life. Instead, we will look around us and say, “Why did I wait so long to make this change?”
Let Christ overhaul your heart, and your life. You won’t be sorry; in fact you will rejoice with the angels in heaven!
Today I want to share a word about soul thirst, as I comment on Psalm 63:1-8. This Scripture reads:
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Have you ever been thirsty? I am sure you have, and I certainly know I have had that experience. In fact some events and periods in my life are punctuated by the memory of an intense thirst.
Physical Thirst:
One of the first of these memories is when I was a child and my father took my sister and me to the county fair. It was a lovely, but very warm, fall evening in the Deep South, and all was well until we went into the adjoining baseball stadium for the free variety show that came with our fair tickets. On the way in, my dad bought us popcorn, and the vendor must have sprinkled a pound of salt on my box. By the time the first act had finished, my mouth was burning from the salt and all I wanted was to drink something; anything! I barely paid attention to what I was told later was a pretty good show. All I could remember was my thirst.
A few years later, my dad had begun growing a garden each spring. When I say garden, I really mean a truck farm! Dad’s garden had multiple acre-long rows of corn, peas, beans, potatoes, and melons. I enjoyed the process of preparing the ground and planting during the springtime, but when it came time to pick the produce, it was a miserable experience for my tender young self. To avoid something he called “rust,” we could never pick peas and beans in the cool of the morning, so we had to wait until afternoon, after the morning’s dew had been boiled off by the noonday sun. Then in the heat of the day, we would go harvest the produce. It probably wasn’t as bad as I remember it, but I do remember the terrible thirst I would experience on those hot, humid summer afternoons.
I still don’t know what this “rust”was that we were trying to avoid, so it must have worked.
A third memory is from when we were missionaries to West Africa where, except for December and January, that part of the world is either extremely hot and extremely dry, or it is extremely hot and extremely humid. Either way, we regularly experienced extreme thirst. I would drink water until my stomach felt like it would burst, and I could still feel thirst. My mouth gets dry just thinking about it!
On those occasions, and during others too many to name, I found thirst to be an overwhelming sensation to the point of obsession. When a person is truly thirsty, nothing else will satisfy their craving for liquid. When I think of the times when I was parched, my words fail me; I cannot describe the sense of desperation I have felt when overcome by thirst.
Soul Thirst:
In Psalm 63, the Psalmist described his desire for God as a thirst. He used the metaphor of physical thirst to illustrate how much he wanted to have God in his life, and how much he needed God’s help. Nothing else would satisfy him and he was driven to despair at the thought of not experiencing the Living Water. Nothing else would satisfy his cravings; nothing else could satisfy his soul.
In reading Psalm 63, the question comes to me, do we in the 21st Century church thirst for God? By observation, I would have to admit, sadly, that we do not. We treat our relationship to God more like getting a cup of coffee at a drive-through window than we do a person dying of thirst in the desert. No wonder we are never satisfied; no wonder we search for the next big thing; no wonder we look more and more like the world around us.
Another memory of my childhood, which I often share, is of my mom. She would prepare a wonderful meal for our family, with many delicious dishes. As we ate with gusto, she merely pick at her food. Sooner or later she’d say, “I’m just not satisfied.” Then she’d go to the refrigerator and get some sliced bologna, She’d pull off and toss away the red, stringy rind, and then dash hot sauce on it before folding the bologna into a slice of light bread. She’d sit back down and enjoy that simple food, and smile would spread across her face. For her that was a feast, and it satisfied her when nothing else would.
Are We Thirsty?
We need to get back to place where, like the Psalmist (and my mom), we know what really satisfies us, and then forsake all else to embrace it whole-heartedly. We should start with complying with Jesus’ commandments, such as,
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Today I want to share a word about heavenly citizenship, as I comment on Philippians 3:17-4:1. This Scripture reads:
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
So, let’s talk today about heavenly citizenship.
If you are someone, like me, who needs to keep up with trends in the Evangelical world, you might have come across a heated discussion that is currently taking place about the subject of Christian nationalism. This is the idea that some pastors and church members have conflated their Christian identity with their patriotic identity. In other words, they have confused their US citizenship with their position in the Kingdom of God. It is a hot topic, and bottom line up front, I will not be resolving that argument today.
What I can do, however, is to consider what Paul had to say to the church at Philippi about our heavenly citizenship.
Paul's Citizenship:
Paul, of course, was a Roman citizen, and he was not shy about claiming the benefits of being a citizen of that empire when it benefitted his ministry and the spreading of the Gospel. At the same time, he did not wear his Roman citizenship on his sleeve. This could be because at the time Paul lived, the Roman Empire had largely abandoned the democratic system which had cause it to prosper. In addition, Roman democracy had always limited to the elites of society in any case. One can admire the Roman Empire for its many achievements, but sadly, championing liberty and freedom for all people was not one of them.
Paul was somewhat more bold in claiming that he was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews.” He was a Jew and a member of that nation also, and he wasn’t ashamed of it. He was glad to remind doubters of his Jewish heritage and to claim every benefit he could from that relationship also. Of course, the Jewish nation as a whole, as well as the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, had turned their back on God and were punished for their faithlessness and rebellion.
Paul was a member of two great nations, Rome and Israel, but his primary loyalty was to neither. He much preferred the Kingdom of Heaven to either earthly sovereigns.
He knew that all things on this orb are limited and frail and imperfect, and they pale in comparison to the things of Heaven. He knew that human sovereignty is limited and frail and imperfect, and it pales in comparison to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He knew that the righteousness of people, nations, and kings is as filthy rags as compared to the righteousness of God. He knew which kingdom should claim his ultimate loyalty, and which kingdom had the power to transform his life. And, if the answer isn’t apparent by now, it wasn’t Rome or Israel.
Our Citizenship:
If Paul were an American Christian today, he’d be a good citizen and a good neighbor. He would not be ashamed of his citizenship and he would take advantage of it as he preached the Gospel. He would recognize that the US is a nation that has done many good things and also made some mistakes. He’d know that we have corrected many of our historical mistakes while, because we are human, we continue to make others. I believe he would be glad to live here in the USA.
Paul would also recognize, however, that the greatest benefit of our the political liberty and freedoms we enjoy is not so we can make money, or enjoy recreation, or even live how and where we want. No, he’d see that the greatest benefit of our nation is that we are free to choose a higher loyalty; loyalty to the Cross of Christ, and our Lord’s redeeming and transforming power in our lives.
Heavenly Citizenship:
In preferring the realm of Heaven to any earthly sovereign, Paul was merely agreeing with Jesus, who taught us, in Mark 8:36,
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
And, let's be honest with ourselves, how can we argue with Jesus?
Today I want to share a word about Baptist cooperation:
In 2005 there were 1,182 local associations affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The mere existence of something does not imply it has a purpose: for example, the human appendix.
This reminds me of a cartoon I once read: In a “Peanuts” cartoon, Lucy asks Charlie Brown, “Why are we here in earth?” Charlie replied, “To make others happy.” Lucy them asked, “Then why are the others here?”
Why are local associations and conventions here in Baptist life? What purposes do they serve? Are those purposes Biblical? I will attempt to answer this question from an historical perspective, a Biblical perspective, and a practical perspective.
Let’s begin by reading Galatians 6:1-6.
Brethren, if a man is [a]overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
AN HISTORICAL ANSWER:
Let’s remember our Baptist origins:
Most scholars today agree that Baptists originated with a late 16th Century attempt to reform the Anglican Church. Some of these Puritan reformers decided to separate from the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church, with the Crown behind it, began to repress this new faith group.
By 1608, some of these English Separatists, led by John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, fled to Holland, where they could freely worship, but where they did not feel at home. In 1609, Smyth’s church began to baptize believers by immersion, thus becoming the first true Baptists. In 1612 Thomas Helwys led a group of Baptists to return to England and establish the first Baptist church in Britain.
The climate of religious persecution in England posed serious issues for Baptists. They needed mutual support in the face of a hostile government and culture. They needed help in deciding issues of theology. They needed help to propagate Baptist ideas, but lacking a hierarchical structure, they needed a means to mutually communicate and cooperate. How were they to answer this challenge?
The answer to these issues was the forming of local associations.
In 1626, five Baptist churches in London joined together to communicate with Dutch Mennonites. In 1644, seven Baptist churches in London issued a confession of faith. In 1651, thirty Baptist churches in the Midlands issued a confession of faith.
The first formal Baptist association was established in South Wales in November 1650. Soon, Baptist churches all across Britain, both Calvinistic and Arminian, were forming associations.
The first Baptist association in America was established in Philadelphia in 1707. Like in Britain, Baptist churches all over America began to form associations. Two of these associations, Charleston and Sandy Creek, gave rise to two themes in Baptist life that persist unto this day: order and ardor!
So, we can clearly see that both in Britain and America, Baptists decided that self-government did not justify isolationism. From 1650 until 1800, associations were the only form of denominational body. It took the rise of the modern missions movement to change that.
William Carey began his campaign for missions in the Nottingham Association in England in 1791. It is important to note that the Modern Missions Movement had its beginning in a Baptist association! In 1792, Carey and a group of ministers formed what today is known as the Baptist Missionary Society, or BMS. In America, the Triennial Convention was formed to be a missionary sending agency. It was the first national body for Baptists in America.
The first state convention formed was in South Carolina in 1821 and the Alabama Baptist Convention was chartered in 1823. By the time that the Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845, there were nine state conventions in the South. And the rest, as they say, is history!
In 1933, E.P. Alldredge gave ten great contributions of associations to Baptist life:
Winning of religious freedom
Establishment of Baptist schools
Aiding churches in doctrine and discipline
Disseminating denominational information
Bringing great leaders into touch w/all the churches
Saving the cause of missions
Unifying our Baptist people
Demonstrating the principles of democracy in religion
Preparing the way for larger organization & life
Warding off the attacks of other denominations
This is an impressive list, and we do have a rich heritage, but is associating together and cooperating in ministry Biblical?
A BIBLICAL ANSWER:
Beginning in the Old Testament, we can see that Interdependence was expected among God’s People, as we can see in Joshua 1:9-18:
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ” And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall [d]pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.” So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
From this passage, we can see that all of God’s people were needed to take Canaan. Reuben, Gad, and the Half Tribe of Manasseh had their land, but God still expected them to help their brethren. In fact, not only were they to help possess Canaan, but they were also to lead the charge!
In the New Testament, we find that churches cooperated to decide doctrine as we see in Acts 15:1-5:
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The early church’s missionary enterprise had gotten ahead of their doctrine. They had caught some fish (Gentiles) they had not anticipated! So, did Paul the missionary (an apostle himself) unilaterally decide what to do? No! The church involved, sent Paul and Barnabas to inquire from other churches about what was proper.
We also find in the New Testament that Churches cooperated to send benevolence as we see in Romans 15:22-29:
For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
The Jerusalem church was being severely persecuted by Jews and the Romans. Churches in Asia and Europe cooperated to send help. Paul collected their offerings, and accompanied by their representatives to ensure accountability, he delivered their gifts to the church at Jerusalem.
In that same passage we see how New Testament church cooperated to send out missionaries. The Jerusalem and Antioch churches sent out missionaries, and a number of churches cooperated to support Paul. Note that in the passage above in Romans 15, Paul asked the church at Rome to support his mission to Spain, even though they had never met him!
Finally, the New Testament churches cooperated for mutual encouragement:
The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you.
Corinth is in Europe, however, the churches of Asia greeted them. The churches in Asia had gone through their own doctrinal trials and they wanted to show their support and love to their brothers and sisters in Corinth, whom they had never seen, nor would they until they met in Heaven.
A PRACTICAL ANSWER:
In the Great Commission in Matthew 28, and in Acts 1:8, God has given our churches their marching orders. Every local church is charged with going to the entire world and make disciples of all peoples.
How can a local church do this? Someone must be responsible, because as the old saying goes, “Everyone’s job is no one’s job.” If a job is too big, people will just throw up their hands and not even try. Another old saying is that “Many hands make light work.” Southern Baptists do this through cooperating in ministry.
Southern Baptists cooperate to call out, send, and sustain missionaries
Southern Baptists cooperate to equip, train, and educate missionaries and pastors
Southern Baptists cooperate to provide benevolence, human needs, and disaster relief ministries
Southern Baptists cooperate to encourage and edify each other and our churched
Southern Baptists support these cooperative efforts financially through the Cooperative Program, and the various missions offerings, like the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions
Through these means, Southern Baptists have sent out thousands of missionaries and chaplains, and they have trained and educated untold numbers of pastors and other church ministers. Without cooperation, ministry at this scale would not be possible.
For Southern Baptists, the answer to the question, “How can a local church fulfill the Great Commission?” is “Through cooperating with other Southern Baptist Churches!”
CONCLUSION:
I have personally served as an international missionary, a North American missionary, an associational missionary, and chaplain. Everywhere I went, and in everything I have done in those roles, the Southern Baptist Churches I represented were right there with me.
Whether they knew me or not, and whether they knew my contemporary situation, they were there with me as I faced the challenges and enjoyed the successes and blessings of ministry. Their support was always an encouragement to me, and I trust and pray that I represented them well.
So, in my mind, there is no question, but a confident certainty. Baptist cooperation is not only good, and permissible, but it is the very best way to pursue the Great Commission.
