Evangelism conference touches hearts

I can’t name the number of pastors and laypeople I met at the recent 2012 State Conference on Evangelism and Church Growth who expressed receiving a special touch from God during the event.

I couldn’t agree more. It was a special time.

YarbroughThe atmosphere at First Baptist Church in Sherwood was phenomenal, prompting several speakers from the platform to comment, “There’s a special Spirit in this place!”

And the speakers got right to the heart of the matter, challenging ministers and members to raise the bar on prayer, witnessing and evangelistic efforts in order to reach today’s generation of lost.

Appropriately, the event was preceded with a prayer workshop led by Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. Catt is perhaps best known for Sherwood Pictures, which has produced movies such as “Fireproof” and “Courageous.” The event set the tone early by encouraging Arkansas Baptists to “put prayer in the forefront” of all they do.

Catt’s presentation was powerful as he recounted his journey with the Albany church and how prayer has undergirded everything the church has attempted for God.

“The church in Acts had power because of prayer,” Catt told those gathered for the workshop, adding it is critical for the church to pray for all aspects of its work – including its pastor, leadership and members.

Attendance at this year’s evangelism conference was with more than 1,200, according to Sonny Tucker, Arkansas Baptist State Convention evangelism and church growth team leader.

In the final message, Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, wrapped up the conference with a message titled “The New Methodists.” It really convicted me to hear Kelley share about how Southern Baptists have abandoned many discipleship methods that he believes helped grow our great denomination in the 20th century (see related story, page 1).

While I can’t recount all that happened at the evangelism conference in this column, hopefully you will get a sense of how God moved boldly in the midst of those attending as you read highlights from our coverage in this edition and at www.arkansasbaptist.org. 

If you aren’t accustomed to going online to watch videos, make an exception and check out clips of worship and other conference events. 

God may just use them to touch your heart too.

Tim Yarbrough is editor of the Arkansas Baptist News. Contact him at 501-376-4791, ext. 5151, or at tim@arkansasbaptist.org.

Pressing On: What would Tim Tebow do?

Like a lot of evangelical Christians, I have been impressed and blessed to see Tim Tebow – with his faith in full view – emerge on the scene this season in the National Football League (NFL). What a wonderful example of lifestyle evangelism!

TebowTebow isn’t the greatest quarterback to ever play professional football, and some detractors say his throwing motion and dependence on the run make him ill suited to play the position.

It is apparent that God had a plan all along to position Tebow strategically in a sports league where players are sometimes known for abusing drugs, sexual indiscretions and other worldly pursuits. Tebow, with his message of abstinence until marriage and his adherence to strict moral values, is a breath of fresh air.

If you know Tebow’s story, you know the kingdom impact he has had both in college and now in the pros almost didn’t happen because doctors advised his mother to have an abortion. The story goes that his mother was having a difficult pregnancy and Tebow was thought at the time to be abnormally formed in the womb.

Tebow not only was born healthy, but excelled in sports as a child and in a home school environment. And he is quick to share his blessings and good fortune with those less fortunate than himself. Tebow uses his money and his influence as a pro football player to help others and to give them hope. 

Following the Denver Broncos’ recent loss to the New England Patriots in the playoffs, the Washington Post quoted Tebow as saying: “It still wasn’t a bad day. It still was a good day because I got to spend some time before the game with Zack McLeod (a 20-year-old with a brain injury sustained from playing football) and made him smile, and overall, when you get to do that, it’s still a positive day. Sometimes that’s hard to see, but it depends what lens you’re looking through. I choose to look through those lenses, and I got to make a kid’s day. That’s more important than winning the game, so I’m proud of that.”

There’s no denying that Tebow has had an enormous impact on our culture – and not only this past year in the NFL. Tebow’s one-knee prayer following a touchdown, dubbed “Tebowing” by the press, has gone viral across the Internet and is being imitated by young and old alike.

Some say the imitation of Tebow is mockery, while others point to Tebowing as the highest form of flattery. Whether mockery or flattery, the act of public prayer he displays is taking center stage on TV screens and computer screens in a country where public prayer was long ago deemed unlawful. I am certain God has a purpose in all this.

With a looming national debt crisis, a feeble economy, deterioration of the family unit and a general decay of morality in our nation, here is Tim Tebow in the public square, standing for our Lord. 

Let’s pray for God to use his voice and the voice of other young people like him to bring revival among God’s people and a great awakening across the United States and the world – winning the lost for the glory of the Father – always carefully giving credit to the One who draws all men unto Him.

To quote Tim Tebow following a big game, “First, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Pressing On is a column written bi-weekly by Tim Yarbrough, editor of the Arkansas Baptist News. He is available to speak to your church. Contact him at tim@arkansasbaptist.org.

Pressing On: How strong is our marriage?

I have been known to compare the relationship of the Southern Baptist Convention and its member churches to a marriage where a husband and wife – rather than grow closer over the years – seem to have grown apart. While the couple are still married and love one another, they just don’t seem to have that cozy relationship they once had.

YarbroughOf late, one has to look no further than the discussion surrounding changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention for proof of this supposition.

I fancy myself to be an objective and sometimes critical thinker, but as I have mentioned in this column before, I can’t think of many reasons why changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention would make much of a difference in the convention’s church planting and evangelistic efforts.

Conversely, the Southern Baptist Convention – like every good marketer – should continue to find ways to brand itself that result in maximizing efforts for its churches to reach the world for Christ.

A couple of excellent examples are World Changers and disaster relief – both of which are ministries that much of the world I’m certain do not immediately connect with Southern Baptists.

Having been in many Southern Baptist churches across the United States over the past 20-plus years, I know that not all Southern Baptists connect World Changers and disaster relief with their denomination either.

And it really doesn’t matter to them that World Changers – which I had the privilege of being a part of early in its history – was once a part of the former Brotherhood Commission (when World Changers was launched nationwide in 1990), the North American Mission Board (from 1997 to 2011) or LifeWay (where its home is now). Rather, I believe most simply applaud the efforts of students and leaders to further the cause of Christ through missions involvement.

Another example is our denomination’s disaster relief ministry. Southern Baptists from every state convention have been on the scene of major disasters our country and the world have faced for nearly half a century. If the convention chooses to change its name, does that mean the famous bright yellow Southern Baptist Disaster Relief logo will change as well? I doubt there has ever been a victim of a disaster who has rejected a hot meal or cup of cold water because it was being served by Southern Baptists.

As the Lord has tarried now more than 10 years into the 21st century, I believe Southern Baptists and their churches stand at the crossroads of history and legacy. Will we continue to “major on the minor” or choose to boldly hoist the name of Jesus high and proclaim His name to the nations?

Folks don’t get to heaven because they’re Southern Baptists … but only by knowing the One who shed His precious blood and laid down His life to bridge the gap between God and man. 

For all that Southern Baptists stand for, I believe they are mainly known as a people of the Bible who love and live to honor their Lord, Jesus Christ.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Tim Yarbrough is editor of the Arkansas Baptist News. Contact him at tim@arkansasbaptist.org.

Sanctity of Life Sunday: It's so much more

This year, most churches will be emphasizing the sanctity of human life on January 15 or 22.  The 22nd is the date on which the Little Rock March for Life will be held. The peaceful, prayerful and reverent celebration of human life will begin at 2 p.m. with a march from the intersection of Capitol and Louisiana Streets and proceeding to the State Capitol where a brief ceremony will be conducted.

PageI know many of you cannot attend due to the distance you would have to travel after church services; it presents a conflict for most not located near the center of the state.  However, you can support those who do participate in the march by announcing it in your church services and by praying for the event and for an end to the taking of defenseless, innnocent human life.

I've been involved with the pro-life effort since its inception.  I've heard all the arguments on both sides, I've seen what virtually unrestricted abortion has wrought, and I am more convinced than ever that the taking of innocent life is wrong - violative of bedrock biblical truth.

Christians today seem to be suffering a bit of "battle fatigue" in the abortion debate.  There is a way to energize the pro-life movement, to improve how we are perceived, and to enliven our evangelism.

We are calling on Christians to step up and serve in the most selfless, sacrificial way. We are asking that Christians consider adopting children into their families, not unlike God adopted us into His family.  Others may be more equipped to serve as foster parents for those children awaiting adoption by a loving family.

Can you imagine a more pragmatic way to evangelize a child?  How could the truth of the Scriptures regarding taking care of "the least of these" be more meaningfully realized? And how could our pro-life efforts be given a greater shot of energy, credibility, and viability?  Could any one doubt the sincerity and depths of our sanctitiy of life message when we are taking care of the already born while pleading for the plight of the unborn?

My intention in writing this is not to be controversial.  I really believe that it is past time for the church to put into action in even greater ways its testimony that we love our neighbors as ourselves and that we are willing to give of ourselves in fulfilling that clear mandate from Christ.

Larry Page is executive director of the Arkansas Faith & Ethics Council. Read more at www.arfaith.org.

Guest column: Why celebrate Christmas?

Joe Hewitt
Special to the ABN

Christ never commanded us to celebrate His birthday or any other day. Early churches discouraged celebrating Christmas. Some even forbad it.        

HewittWith Christian liberty, we can celebrate special days, or not celebrate them. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind (Romans 14:5). The Apostle Paul probably had reference to the Passover and other Jewish feasts rather than any distinctively Christian holy day.

Christians who choose to celebrate a special day should not be criticized for it, nor should they criticize others who choose not to celebrate the special day. So we can celebrate Christmas, Easter, and even the Passover, if we choose, or we may not.

Many pagans and secularists celebrate Christmas. They put up a Christmas tree, exchange gifts, and have a family feast. To them, Christmas is a cultural thing. Each year Christmas is getting bigger in Japan. In places in the United States where only 4 percent go to church, almost a 100 percent celebrate Christmas.

Many of the trappings of Christmas have pagan origins. The decorated evergreen tree was part of a winter celebration in pagan Germany before Christ. The Druids of Britain burned the Yule log and considered mistletoe sacred long before Christians started celebrating Christmas.

Pagan Romans celebrated Saturnalia around December 18-25 by exchanging gifts and feasting. Probably this is how we arrived at December 25 as the time to celebrate Christ's birth. Christian kids saw their pagan neighbors exchanging gifts and having a good time. So the Christians started their own celebration. They "Christianized" the holiday season.

There is a modern parallel. Jewish children saw Christian children exchanging gifts and having a good time at Christmas time. Jewish parents then began exchanging gifts and sending cards to celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights that commemorates reconsecration of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC after its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanies. That celebration doesn't mean these Jewish people are participating in Christianity.

Some "paganized" Christmas, others "Judaized" Christmas, like Christians had "Christianized" Saturnalia. We can't surrender part of our calendar because pagans used those dates first. If we did, we'd lose the whole thing. Every day of the year was a special day to the Romans. All seven of our days of the week are named after pagan gods, the Sun, Moon, Tiu, Woden, Thor, Frigg, and Saturn.

Muslims can worship on Friday without worshiping the German goddess of love or Venus. Jews can worship on Saturday without worshiping Saturn. Christians can worship on Sunday without worshiping the Sun.

Christians must, however, be careful to keep paganism and false religion out of our Christmas celebration. We should not teach our children to believe in some supernatural being who can do things only God can do. Only God knows what you've been thinking, and knows if you've been bad or good. Only God can be in millions of homes at the same time. Kids need to know that Santa Claus is a fictional character. If we teach children to believe in Santa, and then when they get older they see it was all fiction, might they expect to eventually learn that Jesus Christ too was all fiction? We should explain to babies that Santa is pretend, but Jesus is real. Truth won't warp their psyche; it will strengthen it. They can still enjoy Christmas. And they can enjoy Santa like they enjoy Superman, the Roadrunner, and Mickey Mouse.

Christmas celebration is a valuable tool for evangelism because it gives us opportunity to tell the world what we're celebrating, the incarnation of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, He was God in the flesh. It was a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy made 700 years earlier, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Immanuel means "God with us."

Christians believe in Jesus Christ. Believing in Him does not make the Christmas story true. We believe because it is true.

Why celebrate Christmas?

First to commemorate Christ, God the Son, becoming flesh, being born of the Virgin to be our Savior.

Second, to have an opportunity to tell the world, "Jesus Christ is Born."

Third, it's a great time to get the family and friends together and express our love for God and for each other, and enjoy good food.

Last, but by no means least, kids love Christmas.

Joe Hewitt, a journalist, author and pastor, grew up in Arkansas near Harrison. His books include “Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower,” released in May 2011 by Hannibal Books. He is currently is a member of First Baptist Church, Rockwall, Texas. This article was originally published in the (Texas) Baptist Standard.