Today is the day we remember Jesus’ birth. He came to set captive sinners free from the tyranny of death and sin.

As you celebrate today with friends and family, exchanging gifts, hugs, smiles, laughter, food, music, and more, please take time to pray for:

People around the world who sadly have no reprieve from their pain, such as:

- Pfc Bowe Bergdahl, held captive by the Taliban since June 30 (pictured)
- Christians who suffer loss and persecution in hostile lands like Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, various parts of North Africa, China, and elsewhere
- Christians who are imprisoned around the world simply because of their unwavering commitment to Jesus
- Those who ache with physical hunger and starve in spiritual hunger
- Those who have lost loved ones this year, whether through accidents, crimes, or war

People who have offered up their lives for the spread of the Gospel, such as:

- Street evangelists who daily receive insults, jeers, and taunts as they preach Christ crucified
- Missionaries working in lands as translators, church planters, computer specialists, managers, mechanics, school teachers, etc.
- Itinerant preachers who still circuit travel to exhort, rebuke, teach, and challenge churches full of believers to greater commitment to and intimacy with Jesus Christ
- The few and rare godly pastors who hold fast to Biblical truth and sound doctrine

And, of course, people who continue, even today, to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness”; adamantly refusing to repent and believe.

I’m sure I’m missing many people, but you get the idea.
Of all the gifts we could give today, the gifts of your time and prayers for these people are priceless.

Merry Christmas,
Anthony

Posted: December 25th, 2009 under Announcements, Current Events, Persecuted Church, Prayer, State of the Church, The Church, World Events, World Missions.
Comments: none

On May 21st the International Mission Board (IMB) trustees officially agreed to suspend most (if not all) new missions appointments in 2009. Additionally, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Johnny Hunt said: “We will have a significant reduction in 2010…”

Let’s look at some numbers from the SBC website: In the SBC there are an estimated 16,000,000 members in more than 42,000 churches. To give you an idea of the enormity of those numbers, the total SBC membership is approximately 5-to-6 larger than the entire United States armed forces! Obviously, not every SBC “member” attends or gives, and not all the money that is given funnels up to the Convention.

In total, the SBC supports 5,000 international missionaries and another 5,000 in the collective area of the U.S., Canada, Guam, and the Caribbean. Statistically, for every 1 SBC full-time missionary there are 1,600 people at home. Subtract the total SBC population of full-time missionaries from the total SBC membership and that leaves approximately 15,990,000–a drop in the SBC bucket.

By comparison, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, which is about 40 times smaller than the SBC, (about 417,000 members in just 2,000 churches) supports 900 missionaries, or a statistical average of 1 CMA missionary for every 463.3 CMA members.

My beloved SBC brothers and sisters in Christ, something seems not-quite-right.

Out of 16 Million people, why are there only 10,000 in full-time missionary service? I’ve double-checked my math for what I’m about to say and it came up the same both times, so here goes: If we apply the CMA statistical average (463:1) to the SBC’s numbers, the SBC would have 16 Million members supporting 34,557 full-time missionaries to the world!

Dear SBC IMB Trustees and SBC Board Members, now is not the time to be cutting missions! What messages does this send to the world? To those serving out on the field, needing more help? To the enemy who delights in your press release? The world is unraveling! Abandon your new buildings, lighting systems, sound systems, etc. Throw whatever needs to be thrown overboard to free up the resources! God’s portfolio has not suffered the slightest hit from the economy! While the world hobbles expand the missions program, don’t contract it!

“…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38)

Posted: June 4th, 2009 under Challenge, Current Events, State of the Church, The Church, World Missions.
Comments: none

Underneath following the day’s inaugural events I have been challenged by recent comments by Paul Washer and, separately, Ingrid Schlueter on her SliceofLaodicea blog about the up-tick potential for real persecution coming to Christians in America.

Let me pose to you some of the same questions I have been trying to ask myself:

• Did you ever think you might one day get handcuffed, fingerprinted, and jailed for sharing the Gospel?
• Your plans for the future…what if they are all dashed because you lost your job because of your commitment to Jesus?
• If you ever did get arrested and convicted, have you thought how that would impact your current job and severely impact your prospects for finding other work?

These are scary questions, aren’t they? They would make the blood of any sane person run icy cold at the thought.  By the way, there are thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ who TODAY experience these things–and worse. Have you prayed for them lately?

While by no means trying to minimize (or sensationalize) what may lie ahead, it seemed to me most appropriate to take courage and comfort in Luther’s (translated) words.  Steve Green does a masterful job giving them voice:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Posted: January 21st, 2009 under Challenge, Current Events, Evangelism, Hope, State of the Church, The Church, World Events, World Missions.
Comments: none

Ed Dobson spent 2008 “trying to eat, pray, talk, and even vote as Jesus would” this USA Today article says.

Here are my thoughts on Mr Dobson and his goofy efforts. Unfortunately, there are several problems with his thinking/experiment.

- Jesus never called us to physically live like Him; only to follow His spiritual/moral examples, and above all die to ourselves and follow Him completely. He is our example spiritually, but not in physical/temporal matters (for the most part). Could you imagine if the Bible mentioned whether Jesus was left or right-handed? Good grief!

- This guy didn’t come close to living like Jesus–or anyone from the first century. This guy apparently enjoyed all the advancements of medicine, communication, transportation, shelter, hygiene, food, clothes, etc. etc. Bedouin Muslims today do a better job of living like
a 1st century person, technically speaking.

- Jesus would’ve voted for Obama, a man who adamantly supports the murder of innocent babies via abortion? That Mr Dobson would surmise that the Prince of Life would’ve voted for Obama shows his logic to be not just misguided but arguably blasphemous.

- He kept the Jewish dietary laws, but what about the sacrificial laws? Did have sheep slaughtered for the required sacrifices like Jesus would’ve?

- Jesus healed on the Sabbath–did this guy? OK, I’ll forego the Sabbath requirement. How about just a regular day-of-the-week raising of the dead? Walking on water? C’mon, man, if you’re gonna be interviewed by a national newspaper about “living like Jesus”…

On behalf of the true gospel that is in the Bible, please let me be apologize for this guy. His self-promoting sham is another tragic example of how far people have gone away from true, biblical
Christianity. Even worse, how far people have sought to claim Jesus for their cause or their team. This guy lived less like Jesus and more like PT Barnum.

Let me give you a much better example of someone who has lived like Jesus not just for a year, but for 20!

I met Linda recently. Linda is small, unassuming Philippino lady who has joyfully, quietly worked in the church nursery for 20 years now. She has changed countless dirty diapers, been spit-up on more than could ever be imagined, and has loved, hugged, coddled, and cooed at those whom the Lord loves (and, incidentally, who Obama would support killing were they still in the womb).

Linda never wrote a book or appeared in USA Today, but there is no doubt that, in God’s eternal economics, her rewards make a millionaire look like a pauper. I was honored to be in the humble presence of one who truly has lived her life modeled after her Lord.

P.S.: Joe Stowell, what are you thinking supporting such ridiculous antics?

Posted: January 18th, 2009 under Current Events, State of the Church.
Comments: none

So goes the headline to this article put out Saturday by the Associated Press.

The article is a stark look at the American landscape from politics, the economy, floods, and even the great gods of sports and entertainment. It is a good, concise article but one almost gets the feeling they left out more problems (like failing education, crime, and even the general lack of civility toward one’s fellow man these days) on purpose so as not to totally inundate John and Joan Q. Public with the realities of our times.

The last third of the article almost tries to end on a positive note, recalling the historical rebounds after similar times of upheaval. (One could even debate whether those times could be considered similar.) It ends with this thought, “maybe this is what the 21st century will be about — a great unraveling of some things long taken for granted.”

At the bottom of the article I followed a link to a Time magazine piece that discusses the fact that, according to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life,

“70% of [survey] respondents agreed with the statement ‘Many religions can lead to eternal life.’ Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation.”

Hmmm…coincidence? Other than the Lord, who can truly say? But when our hearts are set on the Lord, His Word promises peace, even joy, despite the despair that surrounds. Christian, your dependence upon the Lord in these times, and the resulting calm He gives, can be evidences used by Him to share the power of the gospel with those around you.  May these words from Horatio Spafford’s “It Is Well with My Soul” encourage you:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Reader, if you don’t know Christ and are troubled by what you are bombarded by in the news, if you repent today, casting yourself at His feet and asking for His mercy and forgiveness, you too can have a part in His joy and peace and then you can say with this song, “It is well with my soul.”

Posted: June 23rd, 2008 under Current Events, State of the Church, World Events.
Comments: none