ONE, Inc.ïllr s IIHITRRY SPIflKS he December 2-3 Leader-ship Conference in Nash-ville will be a "Stewardship Summit." During the l99l national convention, delegates ap-proved the

lVhere Are the

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Lay Leadership

Good People: Bad

Things

Getting Real

You Can BeatTemptation

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Where Are the Men?Pastor Wendell Walley knows why morewomen than men attend church. He alsoknows the key to reaching men.

Iay Leadership is Serious BusinessRobert Kline believes it's an honor for lay-men to be elected as local church leaders.

Automatic Pilot, Parrot or Prayer?Anybody can pray more effectively in public. Kathy Tippett Henderson suggests l lways.

Good People: Bad ThingsBad things do happen to good people. Tex-as pastor Thurmon Murphy explains why.

Betty's StoryPastor James Pittman met Betty and hertwo children on the sidewalk near thechurch. They were surprised to hear thatJesus loved them.

Oppression or Opportunity?Do "special" children have a place in thelocal church? Patricia Collins has an answer.

Smile Through the BibleDoes God have a sense of humor? GregMcAllister maps a laughing tour from Edento Palestine.

Getting RealIndiana pastor Jim Mullen takes a harcl, hon-est look at the Christian life.

Fine Tuning Until He ComesAlton Loveless traveled to Vienna and heardsomething he could not forget.

You Can Beat TemptationWilliam Deal tells how to use Christ's temp-tation experiences to overcome your own.

OCTOBER 1991 VOLUME 38 NO.1O

The Secretary SpeaksThe Stewardship Summit

The Department Pages

Green Tree Bible StudvPreamble to Joshua

Top ShelfBriefcaseThe Pella Grouches

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2 Contact, October I99l

ïllr s IIHITRRY SPIflKS

he December 2-3 Leader-ship Conference in Nash-ville will be a "StewardshipSummit." During the l99l

national convention, delegates ap-proved the Budget Committee's re-port and its recommendation thatthe Leadership Conference probestewardship. This long-overduemeeting will examine our financialstructure and support at everyIevel-local church, district, state,national.

This summit gives us an opportu-nity to discuss a denomination-wide funding strategy. The Bible isnot silent on the subject of stew-ardship, neither should we be.

Free Will Baptist leaders mustdevelop a financial system to fundand distribute resources to all ourministries. Since I started preach-ing in 1957, no such broad meetingof leaders has addressed this im-portant area. The time has come.

As a denomination, there is notone financial practice that we allagree on. The Cooperative Planadopted in the 1950's has neverbeen fully implemented. While itworks well when tried, bickering atevery level keeps it from being theforce it could be. This excellentplan has been ignored by manyFree Will Baptist pastors and lead-ers.

Designated giving has enjoyedsuccess in our movement. Manyprefer this method of support forany number of reasons. Somerefuse to use any other methodand oppose suggestions that other

support methods could be success-ful.

Direct giving-by-passing local,district and state associations-tonational ministries is anothermethod used by some, again for avariety of reasons. Some who pre-fer this method believe that the de-nominational structure is unimpor-tant. This method emphasizes thelocal church and its relationship tonational ministries.

During the stewardship summitwe will analyze all our giving prac-tices. Are they scriptural, suffi-cient, systematic? Do our practicesstrengthen the movement? Why dowe support the way we do? Whatmodels do we use? Can we blendgiving methods to support adminis-trative staff, missions and educa-tion?

Problems exist throughout ourdenomination regarding finances.Shortage of funds remains the cryat every level. Some ministrieshave more than they need whileothers struggle to exist. Surely wecan find a solution.

Our support often results from

Secretary's ScheduleOclober 6-9 Great Bridge FWB Church

Chesapeake, Va.

Octob€r 13 First FWB ChurchMcAlester,Okla.

October 1&17 Oklahoma State Association

McAlester,okla.

October 20-25 Heritage FWB ChurchFredericksburg, Va.

octobe¡ 3ù- Florida State AsociationNovember I

Melvin Worlhington

what interests us or what we like.While this is our prerogative, wehave a responsibility to all min-istries.

Perhaps in discussing the prob-lems we can reach a consensus onhow to financially support all thework. All our work deserves sup-port. Inadequate and inconsistentsupport hinders our growth.

Stewardship Summit attendeeswill analyze a variety of ap-proaches to developing financialstrategy. Perhaps one of the great-est benefits will be understandingwhy we use a particular method ofgiving.

We need not continue arguingover plans. Perhaps we need acombination of methods. We needa strategy designed to providefunds for every ministry, yet recog-nizing the special burdens of indi-viduals.

One thing remains clear. We cer-tainly need a plan which can bepromoted and participated in byevery church, district and state as-sociation. Pastors, elected leadersand membership should be able toendorse and explain the plan.

The bottom line remains TDS-Total Denominational Support. TheStewardship Summit will be a piv-otal point for us.

Pray for wisdom for denomina-tional leadership as they meet forthe first Stewardship Summit.God's work done in God's way ac-cording to God's Word will neverlack sufficient resources in money,methods or men. r

The Stewo.rdship Summit

October 1991, Contoct 3

É@oG 1990

EWhere are the Men?

he gospel has always beenknown for its universal ap-peal. Christians take pride inthe fact that Oxford scholarsand California surfers alike

are compelled by the claims ofChrist. Motown mechanics andacross-town yuppies stand side byside on level ground at the foot ofthe cross.

But a glance around many congregations on Sunday morning is morethan a little disturbing. Men are con-spicuously absent, setting off ner-vous questions as to the root causeof the imbalance between the sexes.

Is Christianity inherently more at-tractive to women than men? Whydo evangelistic efforts almost alwaysreach a greater percentage of fe-males than males? Why do womencomprise the vast majority of Chris-tian bookstore customers? Do tradi-

4 Contact, October 1991

By Wendell Walley

tional evangelism methods fail men?

What Research Says

Some point to modern scientificresearch for clues. Studies revealthat from infancy, male and femalebrains respond differently to theirenvironment.

Baby girls are more alert to social"cues," thus learning to speak earlierand more fluently. Male infants are"visual-spatial" oriented, their innatecuriosity making them born explor-ers.

Educators latch onto such re-search to explain why 90 percent ofhyperactive children are males. Italso strengthens their call for fewerclassroom lectures and more hands-on learning activities. But what, ifany, application can be related tocontemporary methods of evange-lism?

The average evangelistic appealrequires long sitting and listening,then responding. Some argue, therefore, that women clearly have theadvantage, since verbal messagesappeal more to them. Men, on theother hand, are predisposed to ac-tivity and experiment.

If evangelism is to catch their at-tention, it must be more creativeand dynamic in its visual presenta-tion. At the same time, it needs toallow for greater participation, ap-pealing to the male need for involvement. This is one justification forBible study groups.

Male / Female Roles

The male/female roles in societycome into play at this point. Womenare said to be more passive by na-ture than men and thus conditionedto a more submissive role. By con-

trast, men are aggressors and findsubmission difficult at best, if notdownright distasteful.

This explains why invitations forhelpless sinners doesn't get an over-whelming response from men. Theyare repelled by a plea for poor sin-ners to fall into the arms of a com-passionate Savior waiting to takecare of them. There could hardly bea greater affront to their fragile maleego.

Not surprisingly, women find suchan appeal inviting because it ismerely an extension of their tradi-tional role of male dependence. Butfor any male to respond to such anappeal requires the admission ofweakness since only losers have tobe "taken care of."

The Obvious Facts

Maybe there is something to belearned and applied to evangelismfrom all of this. I leave that to the ex-perts. But my gut reaction is to ask,"Just how were the apostles sup-posed to know about such complexissues 2,000 years ahead of the re-searchers?"

If evangelism really is that compli-cated and scientific, is it such acrime for failing to reach men?

It appears to me that some obvi-ous facts have not been taken intoaccount. Based on my limited under-standing of human nature, stubbornrebellious independence is a prob-Iem for both sexes. I doubt thedaughters of Eve find it any easierthan the sons of Adam to vacate thethrone of their lives and surrenderto the absolute Lordship of Christ.

There are more women than menin society at large and an alarmingincrease in the number of single'par-ent households, usually headed bywomen. To this must be added agrowing number of widows. Elevenout of 12 women will be widowed atsome point in life; the average age ofall widows is 52.

'Real'Men in Pulpit

What about the churches thataren't suffering this worrisome im-balance of the sexes? We would alldo well to dust off our concept ofmanhood. The prevailing Rambo ormacho mentality of Hollywoodleaves a lot to be desired. Maleness

in the pew takes its cue from theman in the pulpit.

Real men in the pulpit still attractmen, and there is no better manualon manhood than the Bible. Itsgreatest example drew men to Him-self because He was the personifica-tion of true manhood and He offeredmen a challenge.

A lifetime of hard work in the car-penter's shop left Jesus with cal-loused hands, strong shoulders andstrength of character. In true gritfashion He cracked a whip defyingTemple police and stunning thepower of the mighty Sanhedrin.

He was no weakling who un-shirted his back to the cat-of-nine-tails then shouldered the instrumentof His execution and marched to-ward Golgotha. He was a man whonever knew the embarrassment ofbeing haunted by the ghosts of cow-ardice but prayed, "Father, forgivethem for they know not what theydo."

Where is the man, even in thiscentury, who is not moved by suchcourage and strength? Yes, thegospel still has its drawing powerwhen strong, brave, gentle men ofrugged character proclaim it frompulpits aflame with truth and holi-ness. But God deliver us from spineless, self-seeking crowd-pleaserswho are a disgrace to grace and aninsult to the Perfect Man they pro-fess to represent.

Key to Reaching Men

I believe the key to reaching malesis found in the same way Christ wonHis disciples. His call to energeticfishermen and busy tax collectorssuggests His understanding of themale temperament. He said, "FollowMe" (Matthew 4:19), a clear call toaction.

He promised, "l will make you fish-ers of men," a stimulating invitationto participate in His marvelouslyproductive life. Getting to knowChrist was not just passively sittingand listening. It was learning bydoing, a promise of active involve-ment in the greatest enterprise onearth.

The best strategy for reachingmales involves challenge and partici-pation. Action attracts and partici-pation persuades. Churches have

been too quick to hire professionalswilling to usurp the job of minister-ing, while conveniently ignoringtheir biblical mandate of "perfecting[equipping] the saints," in order forthem to do "the work of the min-istry" @phesians 4:12).

Silver and gold make it temptingto find contractors to maintain facili-ties, while eager men with the gift ofhelps sit frustrated on the sidelinestwiddling their thumbs in boredom.Don't be fooled by that "couchpotato" next door. He won't settlefor spectatorship at church. Heshouldn't have to.

Lay lnvolvement

Unfortunately some pastors areintimidated by thinking men. Theirinsecurity causes them to viewstrong laymen as combatants ratherthan as colaborers. While womenmeet as strangers and become sis-ters, men tend to meet as strangersand become swordsmen.

Still other pastors see women andchildren as easy targets in their des-peration to stay ahead in the num-bers game. Without diminishing theimportance of reaching them, let usall call to mind that New Testamentevangelism was "household" evan-gelism (Acts ll:14; 16:31; l8:8).

Pastors and churches should seekto maximize the involvement of lay-men rather than feel threatened bythem. Strong men gravitate towardleadership roles, otherwise therewould be no need for many of thegifts of the Spirit.

Pastors and churches must be-come more generous and creative intheir pursuit of lay involvement.After all, inspiration ceased with thebook of Revelation and infallibilitydoesn't even belong to Popes! r

ABOUT THE WRITER: Reverend Wendell Walley pastors

Zephyr Hills Free Will Baptist Church in Asheville, NorlhCarolina.

october 1991, contact 5

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embership in a true NewTestament local church isan honor indeed. The high-est honor a layman can ever

receive is to be elected a leader inhis church. However, none shouldlook upon his office as a position ofhonor only. The responsibility tofaithfully discharge one's duties inthis office is perhaps as that of apastor. There are some minimumstandards for those who aspire to


I^ay Leadenship isSerious Business

By Robert Klinean office in a local church. Many ofthese may be found in I Timothy3:8, 13.

Consecrated Life

A lay leader in a local churchshould live a consecrated life. Indoing so, his influence will notbring reproach on the church orthe cause of Christ.

Paul wrote, "l beseech you there-fore, brethren, by the mercies of

God, that ye present your bodies aliving sacrifice, holy, acceptableunto God, which is your reasonableservice. And be not conformed tothis world: but be ye transformedby the renewing of your mind, thatye may prove what is that good,and acceptable, and perfect, will ofGod" (Romans 12:l-2).

An unconsecrated lay leader can-not truly discharge the duties of anoffice in a local church.

SpiritualVision

A lay leader in a local churchmust be a person of spiritual vision.A church is poor indeed if the vi-sion of the lay leaders of thatchurch doesn't exceed the vision ofthe average member.

God has an exciting plan forevery one of His local churches. Hehas positioned it where it is inorder to "build His Church." It is tobe a living, powerful, growing bodyof believers. If this happens it willbe because the pastor and the layleaders have been transformed by avision of what can be-no, whatmust be, if God is in control.

A visionless lay leader will neversee the splendid power of Cod in alocal church, and the communitysuffers as a result. "Where there isno vision, the people perish..."(Proverbs 29:18).

Faithful

A lay leader must be faithful tothe program and events in hischurch. He should attend all ser-vices unless hindered by somethingthat even the Lord would account agood reason.

It is a sad commentary on thechurch that is led by those who arenot concerned enough to attendscheduled meetings. Progress andgrowth are virtually impossible.

"And let us consider one anotherto provoke unto love and goodworks: Not forsaking the assem-bling of ourselves together, as themanner of some is; but exhortingone another: and so much themore, as ye see the day approach-ing" (Hebrews 10:2425).

A lay leader should be committedto the program of his church.

Tither

A lay leader must care enoughabout his church to support it withhis tithes and offerings. A laymanthat does not systematically titheto his church is unworthy of leader-ship responsibilities.

I question if a local church can beeffective without its leaders beingcommitted financially. Rarely, ifever, do you find non-tithers thatdo not have commitment problemsin other areas. Failure to consis-

tently support the local churchwith tithes and offerings evidence adistorted concept of biblical stew-ardship.

And, finances given to favoriteprojects should not take the placeof faithfully giving tithes and offer-ings. This too is an erroneous con-cept of biblical stewardship at best,and a selfish attitude toward ourpossessions at worst. Remember, itall belongs to God anyway. We areonly to be good stewards.

Evangelistic

A lay leader must be evangelisticand missionary in spirit. He shouldbe deeply interested in the salva-tion of mankind. It is inconceivablethat one would aspire to lay leader-ship in one of Christ's churches,and not be concerned about reach-ing those for whom He died.

A lay leader should set a good ex-ample in evangelism by schedulingtime to visit the Christians and winothers to Christ. Door to door,house to house, person to person,evangelism is still the most effec-tive method of reaching the lost.

Call it friendship evangelism, orwhatever, the unsaved must befound and witnessed to if thechurches are to grow.

Cooperative

A lay leader must be cooperativewith the pastor. He is God's under-shepherd where he serves. He hasbeen called by God, yet he cannotbe effective unless the laymenstand with him. The load on theback of a pastor can be lightenedconsiderably by a supportive layleader.

In fact, the battle is often lost be'cause of uncooperative subordi-nates. Joshua was only successfulin the battle when Moses' handswere raised toward heaven. Moses,the leader of Israel, became weary.His hands dropped. Joshua and hisarmy retreated. Aaron and Hurcame alongside of Moses and heldup his hands. Joshua triumphed inthe battle. Amalek, the enemy wasdefeated @xodus 17:11, l3).

Notice, it took Moses, Joshua,Aaron and Hur in leadership posi-tions. not Moses alone.

Transnarent

A lay leader must be one of"...honest report, full of the HolyGhost, and wisdom..." (Acts 6:3).Transparency is a rare commoditytoday. It is often consideredcounter-productive or foolish. Butin spiritual leadership, trans-parency is necessary.

God and the whole world knowwe have witnessed the opposite ofthis on the part of prominent Chris-tian leaders. Performance withoutsincerity has done a disservice tothe church. Skill and expertise can-not replace honesty and trans-parency in the Lord's work.

Get academic excellence, butalong with it, contend for spiritualwisdom, and this can only be foundat the place of prayer. Appreciateachievement in secular enterprise,but remember, the values of theworld often cut across the grain ofspiritual values.

A success by world standardsdoesn't in and of itself qualify oneto be a leader in the church.

First Things First

A lay leader must be one whosemain business is the extension ofChrist's Kingdom in the hearts ofmankind. His other business ismerely to provide for those of hishousehold. He will not neglect hisfamily in the process, but a Iayleader will be zealous for the Lord'swork. His priorities will be in place.In everything he does, he must becommitted to the expansion of thechurch.

The Church is the greatest insti-tution on earth. To be elected a layleader in a local body of believers isa great honor. Esteem it highly.Carry out your duties prayerfullyand carefully. Give yourself to it.You are a part of a spiritual armythat reaches around the world.Take it seriously, for you are han-dling the most valuable possessionof man-his eternal soul. r

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dr. Robert Kline isgeneral super¡ntendent of the Churches ofChrist in Christian Union. Reprinted by per-mission lrom Advocate, July 1990 issue.

October 1991, Contact 7

Automatic Pilot, Parrotor Prayer?

By Kathy Tippett Henderson

everal years ago our son,Kent, then 10 years old,dashed to answer thephone. Apparently his mindwas elsewhere when he

panted into the receiver, "DearHeavenly Father...." Aghast at hisown words, he dropped the phone,clasped his hands over his mouthand ran for cover under the afghanon the sofa.

I picked up the phone to apologizefor him and was met with hysteriaalmost equal to mine. Fortunately, itwas Kent's Aunt Gwen. She offeredconsolation with. "Would vou be-


lieve I did the exact same thing oneday, to the very words, when thephone interrupted my devotions?"Poor consolation for an embar-rassed boy.

We all sometimes pray on auto-matic pilot, parroting churchyphrases, and no where is it morelikely to happen than when prayingpublicly. We seldom identify withrosary beads and chants of, "Hail,Mary, full of grace...." Yet we too slipinto the comfy snare of "vain repeti-tion" because it's so safe.

One young man in our churchpeppered his prayers with, "Oh,

Lord!" We'd count them and com-pare tallies after service. His recordwas 72 in one prayer.

Imagine my husband's reaction if Igreeted him, "Hi, Doug! How wasyour day, Doug? Mine was hectic.Washer broke, Doug, and the dog issick. Oh, Doug, I need grocerymoney, Doug. By the way, Doug, I

love you."Such habits actually lead to public

distraction, rather than public pray-ing. What suggestions then might wegive to those who lead us in prayer?I surveved several church leaders.

both laity and clergy and they of-fered the following advice.

L Say "we," not "l."

When prâying for the group, usethe plural both in speech and con-text of requests.

2. Be brief.'

Closet praying, or lack of it, isoften reflected by the length of public prayers. Longer is not necessarilya synonym for spiritual.

Jesus praised the publican'sseven-word prayer, "God, be merci-ful to me a sinner" over the Phar-isee's 34 words. It's not the length ofthe prayer that counts-it's thedepth.

3, Pray appropriately.

It may not be necessary to prayfor world events at the SundaySchool ball game. However, it mightbe good to remember to include thefood when asked to say the banquetblessing.

4. Pray to God, not to the crowd.

Focus on Him, rather than others.If we pray to impress others, ourflowery words are not heard by GodWho resists the proud.

5. Pray as you uould speok.

Some feel that old English ("thee","thou", "wouldst" and "shouldst")hampers clarity in prayer. Althoughthis may be natural to older Chris-tians, recent converts may be intimi-dated by it, feeling they can't praylike that. How refreshing, though, tohear the cry of the newborn toGod-pure and simple.

6. Pause. Think.

Break the pattern of rote. We rat-tle off rapid-fire words sometimes,as if speed counts for something.Freshness might come to our publicpraying if we think ahead torephrase the pattern of words."Lead, guide and direct us" mightring sincere if we say, "Show us whatYou want us to do."

7. Teach children to pray aloud.

This prepares them for publicpraying. Adults who find it frighten-ing to pray in a group should ask theleader not to call on them. Thissaves embarrassment on both parts.Training little ones can help alleviatethis fear in adulthood.

8. Be transparent for the group.

Depending on the setting, it maybe that public prayer time couldspark fires of revival. We used to seethis on our altars.

Generally, personal confessionsshould take place in private prayertime, yet sometimes we are too re-luctant to confess our coldness orapathy. At times we should expandthe closet.

9, Be spiritually-minded.

Folks who pray expecting God tobless are a blessing. Others whocome to church out of habit, prayroutine prayers. Obligatory atten-ders pray out of obligation. Attitudeis a prayer barometer.

10. Intercede on behalf of the group.

The Sunday morning visitors maynot know about "Great Aunt Mattie'sgout." Some personal burdens are

shared by a group and certainlynames are then appropriate.

11, Vary your pattern of prayer.

Without realizing it, we may setwrong examples in our praying. Ifthe congregation can finish the sen-tence as leaders pray, it may be timeto break the clichés.

Oh, how far we have strayed fromthe original intent of public prayer.We clog the channels with "youknows," 'Jusf bless" and "justanoint." Or we drop our tone an oc-tave to that pious pitch somewherebelow middle C. Or we repreach oursermon, including points and alliter-ation. We interject, "Father, Father,Father," between every phrase.Help!

"Lord, teach us to pray." r

ABOUT THE WFITER: Kalhy Tffi llenderson is ar el-

ementary supervisor at Peninsula Christian Sctnol. Ttpmother ol three is a member of First Freo WiH Bapl¡sl

Church, Newport News, Virginia, where her husbandserves as assæiate pastor and mini$er 0f mus¡c.

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GoodBad T

By Thurmon M

10 Contact, October l99l

ord McRae has beenthrough some tough times.He and his wife Sylvia, grad-uated from one of our Chris-tian colleges and moved,

with their two-year-old son, Josh, toa distant city to attend seminary.Hopes ran high as they prepared fora life of service in the Lord's work.

Cord's ambition and calling was tobe a pastor-teacher. Sylvia was especially gifted in music, teaching andadministration of Christian educa-tion. For several months they hap-pily engaged in preparations for fu-ture ministry.

Suddenly, things began fallingapart. Cord was laid off from hispart-time job. Then Sylvia becameill, missed come classes and was un-able to work at her part-time job.Josh broke an arm when he fell offthe back porch. Someone ran a stopsign and damaged their car.

Then the really bad news came:Sylvia was diagnosed with terminalcancer. Cord was devastated. Hedropped out of school and tendedSylvia while doing odd jobs to keepfood on the table. Bills piled skyhigh. Five months later, Sylvia died.

With Sylvia gone, more bills thanit seemed he could ever pay andwith his heart no longer in prepara-tion for the ministry, Cord seemedto enter a dense fog. He was con-fused and filled with selfdoubts.

He kept asking himself, "Why hasall this happened to me? Is it be-cause God doesn't love me? DoesGod even care? Is God not able totake care of His children?" He washurting and his heart was broken.

For consolation, Cord tuned in afamous preacher on television. Bycoincidence the media evangelistpreached that day on reasons Chris-tians suffer. He said that Christianssuffer personal tragedies becausethey do not have enough faith or be.cause they do not pray enough.

That didn't do much to alleviateCord's self-doubts.

The next Sunday he sat in church,again hoping to find some answersand some comfort. But to his dis-may, his pastor's sermon struggledto the conclusion that Christians aremade to suffer because they areguilty of sin. He left the service hurtand more confused than ever.

Proof-Text AnswersCord is not alone in his struggle to

find an answer to why bad thingshappen to good people. His pastorand the TV evangelist are not alonein giving answers which leave thesuffering Christian with deep feel-ings of guilt and frustration.

After all, the notion that personaltragedy is the result of personal sinis deeply rooted in us. We love toshow examples and illustrationsfrom the Bible which, we think,prove the point.

Didn't Miriam suffer temporaryleprosy because of her complaining(Numbers 12:l-10)? Wasn't Moses'failure to enter the Promised Landcaused by striking the rock insteadof speaking to it as God commanded(Numbers 20:L-L2)? Wasn't Jeru-salem destroyed and the Jews takeninto captivity to Babylon as punish-ment for their sins (ll Chronicles36:15-1Q? And were not several dis-asters in the life of David punish-ment for his sin with Bathsheba ûlSamuel l2:7-14)?

Ancient ErrorWe moderns are not alone in

thinking that all personal tragedy isthe result of personal sin. Many people in Bible days believed it too.When Job lost his wealth, his familyand then his health, his so-calledfriends came with an explanation:the calamities which had befallenJob were a result of his sins.

His friends had three basic pre-suppositions about suffering: 1) Allsuffering results from sin. 2) Godpunishes each act of sin with apenalty which corresponds to thesin. 3) Suffering is always an evi-dence of personal guilt on the partof the one suffering. However, Job'sfriends were wrong.

Even Jesus' own disciples, whowere preachers in training, believedthat all personal tragedy was the result of personal sin. Encountering aman who had been blind from birth,they asked Jesus, "Rabbi, whosinned, this man or his parents, thathe was born blind?" (John 9:l NI!).

Jesus quickly dispelled the ideathat the man's unfortunate case wascaused by sin, either his or his par-ents. He said. "Neither this man norhis parents, but this happened so

that the work of God might be dis-played in his life" (John 9:3 NIV).

Luke 13 lnsightAn important passage of scripture

on this subject is Luke l3:1-5. Twocalamitous tragedies come intoview, one a mass murder and theother a horrible accident.

The murder involved someGalileans who had come to Jeru-salem to worship. While they wereoffering their sacrifices at the Tem-ple, they were struck down, upon or-ders from Pilate. The blood of theseGalileans was literally mingled withtheir sacrifices.

The accident occurred inside thesoutheast portion of Jerusalem'swall, near the pool of Siloam. Thetower of Siloam had fallen, crushing18 people to death.

The people to whom Jesus spokeclearly believed that those who hadtragically died were worse sinnersthan other Galileans or Jerusalem-ites, and, therefore, had met suchhorrible deaths. But Jesus disagreedwith them. He said that the mur-dered Galileans were not worse sin-ners than other Galileans, and thatthe accident victims were not moreguilty than others living in Jeru-salem.

It is the common experience ofmankind, Christians included, thatwe pay hospital and doctor bills,wrestle with business failures, sufferheartaches and eventually die.

Look at the Apostle Paul for in-stance. He suffered several ship-wrecks, imprisonments, floggings,frequent dangers, hunger and ago-nizing discomforts during thecourse of his ministry QI Corinthiansll:23-27), and eventually was exe-cuted. Yet there is no indication thatthese sufferings were punishmentsfor wrongdoing, or because of thelack of either faith or prayer.

Three Ways to Help

How can we minister to God'schildren when they experience thelosses, heartaches and tragedies oflife? There are several ways.

Frrst, stop attributing their suffer-ings to some wrongdoing or spiritualfailure in their lives. This would help

October 1991. Contact 11

Good/Bad ... from page 11

relieve the burden of guilt and frus-tration they are often needlesslymade to carry.

Second, help them see that Godmay have some special purpose intheir suffering. Look at Job again.His suffering was a test to prove thathe would remain faithful to Godeven in the face of great adversity.

There may even be several pur-poses in a crisis. An example is theIsraelites, as they fled Egypt,hemmed in on one side by the RedSea and by the pursuing Egyptianarmy on the other. When it ap-peared that they were facing certainannihilation, God suddenly opened apassage across the sea and allowedthem to escape. The miraculouscrossing of the Red Sea is consid-ered by the Jews to be the singlegreatest miracle in their history.

We can see at least four purposesGod had in allowing the crisis: 1) Atestimony to the Egyptians of God'sexistence and power Gxodus 14:17-18). 2) A witness to Israel of God'spower and to fortify them for futuretrials (Exodus 14:31). 3) Authenti-cation of Moses as their leader (Exodus l4:31). 4) To put fear in thehearts of the Canaanites and makethe conquest of Canaan easier(Joshua 2:&11).

Third, we can minister to God'schildren during their bad times bygiving spiritual, moral and materialsupport. They need comfort, en-couragement, understanding andcompassionate assistance.

Fortunately, Cord received allthese things during the first fewweeks following Sylvia's death. Fam-ily, friends and church members ral-lied to his side out of Christian carefor him, even paying large sums onhis medical bills. As a result of theirministry, he is back in seminary andon track for a lifetime of ministrv toothers. I

ABOUT THE WRITER: Reverend Thurmon Murphy pas-

tors First Free Will Baptist Church in Wichila Falls, Texas.

He serves as clerk of lhe Texas State Association and

editor ol Iñe Texas Challenge.

Cooperative Channel ContributionsJuly l99r

RECEIPTS:

State

AlabamaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoDelawareFlorida

GeorgiaHawaii

ldaholllinoislndianaKansas

Kentuc*yMarylandMichigan

Mississippi

Missouri

New MexiæNodh Carolina0hioOklahomaSoulh Carolina

TennesseeTexasVirginiaWest Virginia

CanadaNodhwest Assoc.

Other (Computer)

Totals

Desisnated ,r,'o99nß1, June'90 Yr.To Date

$ 1,147.14 $ 2,879.57.00 692.90

4,334.24 39,853.26909.98 8,023.81

.00 .00

.00 00293.78 9,765.61

7,964.97 64,073.02.00 .00

90.52 59.7812,885.77 54,804.50

504.09 4,687.82110,79 389.3810.00 888.33

1,276.90 3,593.564,548.96 33,589.25817.69 3,840.82

7,630.84 61,829.09.00 1,429.80

1,978.07 13,491.14

2,805.00 19,798.00

18,580.01 289,897.0312,576.75 82,730.893,206,41 21,653.81

2,477.44 U,517.71205.13 2.290j7

3,018.80 20,824.49

365.31 86.9721.57 147.09

,00 .27

$ 320.26.00

62.07

.00

.00

.00

155.36

6,647.34.00

.00

8,170.87556.16

.00

.00

.00

3,538.73

168.20

17,045.44

.00

728.05

353.00

40,270.20

23,389.273,376.796,810.83

265.75

4,898.81

.00

.00

.00

$ 61.4!.00

5,982.191,351.82

.00

.00

195.77

934,50.00

.00

1,623.10

85.0468.61

50.001,126.952,481.66

546.78.00

.00

400.002,081.007,602.15

227.U1,231.44

361.6825.00

.00

86.9735.86

.00

Total

$ 381.69

.00

6,044.261,351.82

.00

.00

351.13

7,581.84

.00

.00

9,793.97641.20

68.61

50.001,126.95

6,020.39

714.98

17,045.44

.00

1,128.05

2,434,00

47,872.35

23,617.11

4,608.237,172.51

290.75

4,898.81

86.9735.86

.00

$116,757.13 $26,559.79 $143,316.92 $s¿r6016 $805,838.07

DISBURSEMENTS:

Executive Oúfiæ $ 8,940.38Foreign Missions 76,573.34FWBBC 6,286.76Home Missions 19.145.29

Retiremenl&lnsurance 1.158.80

Maste/s Men 1,113.77

Commission lorTheologiæl lntegrity 51.48

FWB Foundalion 771.20HistoricalCommission 48,72

Music Commission 38.07Radio & TV Commission 38.07Hillsdale FWB College 1,955.63

O{her 635.62

Torars qlrq! $26,559.79 $143,316.92

$151,348.93420,271.29

53,420.91

122,044.34

15,120.3615,359.41

736.159,742.17

707.96541.66724.47

10,648.19

5,172.23

$87,760.16 $805,838.07

$12,680.893,192.133,192.132,498.181,94.031,94Íì.03

69.40832.73

69.4069.4069.40

.00

.07

6 21,621.27

79,765.47

9,478.8921,643.47

3,101.833,056.80

120.88

1,603.93

1 18.12

107.47

107.47

1,955.63

635.69

$ 20,166.6541,149.01

5,627.2914,478.87

1,737.981,743.61

73.541,343.95

62.72

71.8363.80

598.67642.24


Betty's Story

etty with her two childrenwalked slowly past the churchthat day. The pastor wasworking in the yard, and she

shyly glanced to see if he would no-tice her, or speak. She had everyreason in the world to feel that hewouldn't. No one had ever cared forher. All she had known in her 30years was abandonment, abuse, sor-row and pain. Why would any ofthese church folk care about her?

But at that very moment the HolySpirit directed the pastor to noticeBetty. She had a little girl lookof shyness and a hint of apprehen-sion as he stepped toward her.Years of experience and that special"preacher insight" told him muchabout her.

Unhappiness, frustration, embar-rassment and hopelessness werewritten on her face. However, thepreacher's smile and friendly greet-ing quickly put Betty at ease, Hismain concern? He wanted Betty andher two children to visit the churchSunday. Her response? Yes, shewould come to church that Sundayand bring her children!

That first Sunday she nervouslywalked toward the church hand inhand with her son and daughter.This was going to be a new experi-ence for her-going to church. Shewondered if anyone would greet her,if anyone would guess about herpast. But soon all those apprehen-sions faded away.

The pastor and his family, as wellas the members of the church, allreached out to her to make her feelwanted and loved. They invited heroften to their homes. They even toldher that they loved her. For the firsttime in Betty's life God seemed nearto her and reaching out to her.

But in spite of all the love andkindness shown, Betty did not re-spond to the gospel at first. It tookmonths of preparing her heartthrough love, kindness and prayerbefore she began to yield to thewooing of the Holy Spirit. Monthsduring which she saw her daughter,Jessica, saved and baptized, andduring which she was entrustedwith the responsibility of custodialcare at the church.

And then it began to happen!Betty began to see that all along Godhad loved her, that it was God behind her moving next door to thechurch, and that God led thepreacher to talk to her so kindly thatfirst day.

It now dawned on Betty why thesepeople loved her so. It was becauseGod loved her and was showing herthrough all these people and circum-stances how much He loved her.

At last the time had come. Bettyvisited the pastor in his office. It wasa good visit, but it was late and thepreacher needed to leave. He rosefrom his desk to go, but Betty impul-sively reached out and touched hisarm.

"Pastor," she said, "please don'tleave now."

He stopped, looked at her and quFetly asked, "Betty, you're ready now,aren't you? You are ready to trustChrist as your Savior."

Through tear-stained eyes shesaw again those Bible verses thatnow were so familiar. She droppedto her knees to call on the Savior,who all along had loved her, andnow would save her.

(Betty Norris was saved at Free-dom Free Will Baptist Church ofHavelock, N.C. where she and herdaughter, Jessica, are faithful mem-bers.) r

ABOUT THE WRITER: Reverend James A. Pittman lllpaslors Freedom Free Will Baptisl Church in Havelock,North Carolina. Reprinted lrom the Free Will Eaptist Wil-ness, January-March 1991 issue.

By James Pittman III


When 'Special' People Come to Worship

By Patricia Collins

Oppression or Opportunity?hen a visitor to our churchremarked to a member, "lsense a spirit of physicaloppression in your church,"

I was dismayed. Though I realizedour small congregation had morethan the usual number of peoplewith disabilities (mostly children), Ihad never considered us "op-pressed."

I tried to disregard the comment.After all, the background of that par-ticular visitor hinted that our theol-ogy might not agree in many areasanyway. But the thought kept re-turning, rolling around in my mind.Were we "oppressed"? Were theLord's blessings being withheldfrom us? That didn't seem to makesense.

Most of the handicapped childrenin our church were there becausetheir families had been reachedthrough the church. I wanted to believe that these families had beentouched because of a love and ac-ceptance they found in our midst.

In an effort to deal with the dis-


concerting feeling the remark hadcreated, I decided one sunday totake a close, reflective look at ourgroup of "special" people.

Kevin finds me before SundaySchool begins. Born with WilliamsSyndrome, Kevin's llyear-old bodyand mind have suffered much fromthe onslaught of the disease. "Seemy medal!" he calls, holding hisbronze medal from the SpecialOlympics out in front of him as hetroops down the church aisle.

"That's wonderful," I smile.In reply Kevin puts his arm

around me, "l love you," he says inhis uneven and throaty way.

"l love you, too," I tell him and putmy arms around his thin frame. Butthe hug is hardly complete beforeKevin sees another friend withwhom to share his treasure. Stand-ing in the afterglow of Kevin's love,all I can think of is, "blessing."

As everyone merges onto thestairs after the opening assembly Ifeel a tug at my skirt. I look down tosee 7-year-old Nicholas, his blonde

hair in abuzz, his blue eyes dancing."Hey, you!" I tease in mock irrita-

tion. Nicþ, who has cerebral palsy,gives me a big grin. I notice that twomore teeth have gone the way of allbaby teeth.

"Hey, you know what, SistewTwish?"

Even before I answer I know it willbe quite a tale. As we walk to ourclasses Nicky chatters on happily.Suddenly I'm struck with the realiza-tion that I'm understanding every-thing he is saying. When his motherwas saved at our church three yearsago I understood little of Nicky'shalting speech. I find myself stillsmiling even after Nicky has disappeared into his class. The word,"precious," comes to my mind.

As the worship service starts myeyes light on 8-year-old Donna, un-loading the contents of her purse.When she first began coming to Sun-day School on the church van it tookus all some time to adjust to thehighs and lows of Donna's moods.

An accident as an infant left

Donna with neurological damage.What a rewarding moment it was onSunday morning not long ago asDonna walked unevenly to the frontof the church to give her heart toJesus. How "valuable" her love mustbe to the Lord.

As the congregation begins to singI hear one voice clearly above therest. My husband's eyes meet mineand we smile a little. Our daughterMindy loves to sing!The seizure dis-order which has been a part of herlife for lgrlz ol her 12 years, has notrobbed her of her song, her love oflife, nor her trust in God. Ratherthan a stumbling block, her physicalproblems pulled our family downpaths of deeper faith and trust, andwidened our compassion.

I consider all this as people fellow-ship after the service. "No!" I tell my-self, "l will not accept that we are'oppressed'." Rather, I choose to believe that God has given us wider opportunities and a greater chance forhumble service.

But who serves whom? Truth betold, these special young peopleminister to others more than wecould ever give them in return. Theyare, in fact, my teachers. The frailbodies, the struggles for life itself,remind me of the Lord's words toPaul, "My grace is sufficient for thee:for my strength is made perfect inweakness."

Their smiles, a child's uncom-plaining joy of living, uplifts me as Isee them "rejoicing in hope, patientin tribulation...."

As I walk to the parking lot I seeKevin approach a visitor. I driveaway with his voice ringing in myears: "Hi! I'm Kevin. What's vourname? I like you." I

ABOUT THE WRITER: Mrs. Patr¡cia Collins is a member

of First Free Will Bapl¡st Church in Emporia, Kansas,where her husband, Larry, pastors.

Contq.ct Has Moved!

New Address:

P.Ol Box 5002Antioch, TN 37011-5002

Telephone: 615 173l-68 1 2

Please charige Contact address fon

Church bulletins for CurrentlyNewsletterìs for CurrentlyNews releasesSubscriptions-New, renewal or address changes

oooo

ItTI

These agencies can also be reached atour new location:

I Foreign MissionsFoundatÍonHome MissionsMaster's MenRetirement and Insuramce

I Woman's National Auxiliary Convention

{ni'H'


SdThrough

ean Kerr is supposed to havesaid, "The problem with thestory of the fall of man is thatthe snake has all the good

lines." The humor in the Bible usu-ally comes from God's observationof human nature. Through HisWord, He lets us in on the joke. Godputs us in His place to show us howfrustrating sin is.

Notice Moses' words of exaspera-tion in prayer to God over the stub-bornness of Israel: "Haue I con-ceiued all this people? Haue Ibegotten them, that thou shouldestsay unto me, Carry them in thybosom, as a nursing father beareththe sucking child...?" (NumbersI l:l2a).

What Moses said was, "Hey, arethese my kids? No! They're Yours!"Moses had just a taste of the rebel-liousness of sin and he almost wentnuts.

Remember Job's remark to thethree men who were trying to con-vince him of a perverted view of thesovereignty of God: "No doubt butye are the people, and wisdom shalldie with you" (Job 12:1). Whetherit's sin or faulty doctrine, rebellionfrustrates the work of God.

1. God uses humor to change us.

First Corinthians l:18-31 pointsout that Jesus looks foolish to the

16 Contact, October I99I

world. How do you give life bydying? And how can God die in thefirst place? And why die and be res-urrected and establish a church ifyou're just going to turn it all overto some goofballs who fight all thetime over who is the greatestamong them? It would make perfectsense to give the job to someonelike Gamaliel or Saul of Tarsus, butnot Simon Peter. the mouth thatwalked like a man.

And what is the reasoning behindordering Gideon's army to attackthe Midianite army with an arsenalof bugles, torches and clay pitch-ers? In situations like these, youdon't have any choice-you haueto depend on God-or get arrestedfor operating a carnival without a li-cense.

2. God's people do thinos that lookgoofy so lhe heathen wilfgain a falsesense 0r secunly.

How would you like it if your nextdoor neighbor started building anark in his front yard? Especially of

shittim wood? And how about thesmell the day the skunks andorangutans showed up? What wouldyou think if a nation of nomads wasrumored to be planning an attack onyour town, and you all took cover,and they showed up and spent sixdays walking around your town,singing and blowing horns?

Or, what if you had scared thedaylights out of every soldier in Is-rael, and then one day were facedby a red-faced teenager with a sling-shot? /d giggle. These people con-demned themselves because of theunusual way God dealt with them.

3. God does the unusual to keep peo-ple from sinning and to judge sinners.

One day a prophet named Bal-aam was on his way to put a curseon Israel. When his mule intention-ally banged Balaam's leg against astone wall, he got off and beganbeating the mule. The mule askedhim why he was hitting him-didn'the see the angel waiting to kill him

lee Bible

llister

if he continued on his way? Andthen Balaam begins justifying histemper fit. To the mule.

Now, if it had been me, I mighthave said something like, "l say,that animal is speaking fluent Ara-maic." One of the dumbest thingsabout humanity is our inability toknow a miracle when we see one.

And then there's the bizarre sideof divine humor-Nebuchadnezzargot too big for his britches, and Godturned him into a wild animal for awhile to put him in his place. (Bythe way, The Open Bible says that hehad a condition called lycanthropy,which is what Lon Chaney had inThe Wolfman.)

King Herod made a speech andthe crowd praised him saying, "lt'snot the voice of a man-it's thevoice of a God!" Herod kind ofsmirked, as if to say, "Well, I'm gladyou finally noticed." And then Godstruck him dead for taking His glory.(Also, I imagine, it was a paybackfor having Jesus beaten.) Herod col-lapsed and worms ate him.

4. Jesus was the Mæter of the sacasmwhhh edifres.

Check out Matthew 23 whereJesus calls the scribes and Phar-isees barricades to righteousness (v.13), houseaters (v. 14), world trav-ellers (v. 15), temple-worshippers(v. 23), camel-swallowers (v.24),dirty dishes (v. 26), whitewashedgraves (v.27), and snakes (v.33).

Or how about this famous line:"You money-hungry guys haveabout as much chance of gettinginto heaven as that camel has ofgetting through a needle's eye"(Luke 18:25, my paraphrase)? Orhow would you like to be inThomas' shoes after the resurrec-tion? The point was to get thesepeople to examine themselves, ex-amine Jesus and place faith in God.

5, Satan is the master of the sarcasmwhich destroys faith.

In Genesis 3, Eve told Satan, "Godtold me that if I eat that fruit. I willdie."

And Satan answered, "Yea, hathGod said?", which is roughly equiv-alent to, "Oh, yeah, right." He de-stroyed Eve's faith with sarcasm.

And Satan is blatant-he'll evenattempt it on God: "Doth Job fearthee for naught (nothing)? Hast notthou made a hedge about him...?But put forth thine hand now...andhe will curse thee to thy face" (Jobl:9-10).

Like everything else in the Bible,God's humor is intended to com-municate truth. Come to think of it.that's God's intent for us, too. Wehad better be faithful to that, be-cause I heard about this one guywho wouldn't preach when Godtold him teand a fish ate him. t

ABOUï THE WRITER: Reverend Greg McAllister is reg.istrar at California Chrislian College in Fresno.

rls?I*


Getting RealBy Jim Mullen

ave you ever been grippedwith the intense desire to re-ally be godly and consistentin your daily life? I have! Per-

haps it's time for someone to comeout of the closet and expose to thelight the internal struggles thatmany of us deal with and often feeldefeated by.

I believe the greatest challengefacing the church this decade willbe dealing with this problem. Arewe authentic? Are we real or do wejust talk a good game and keep sobusy that no one has opportunityto question inconsistencies thatexist in the pulpit as well as thepew?

Christianity-our way of life-issupernatural, not natural. It is adaily walk with a living Savior. Then

18 Contact. October 1991

why do so many experience incon-sistent, powerless lives? The an-swer is painfully obvioirs. A vital relationship with Jesus takes time-quality time. We can't build this relationship with leftover, throw-awaytime.

Well, who has that kind of time?We live in a fast-paced society. Ourmotors are rewed up to the maxi-mum. Time is money. We go towork early, stay late, take workhome, use meals for meetings andthen preach on living by the stillwaters. How can we lead others tothe still waters when we constantlyjuggle our own schedules till theyburst at the seams to get the reallyimportant things accomplished.

Just once I would like to have thecourage to say, "No, I can't meetwith you on Thursday afternoon. Iwill be reading and meditating."

This too-fast pace touches every-body in the church. No one is im-mune-from. Supermom to the T-ball Tiger-we are all pressed fortime.

When do we find the still, smallvoice of God in all this activity?When do we spend quality timewith Him, seeking wisdom and di-rection? When will those lifechang-ing encounters with God takeplace? No wonder few believerslive consistent lives.

Far too many of us settle for lessthan the best. We only experiencepartially the dramatic changes Godcan produce in our lives.

Because of mass media, Chris-tianity is perhaps more visible thanever. We cry for our nation to turnback to God. Yet our own lifestylespeeds us by the God we want oth-ers to experience. Our evangelismis fueled by guilt rather than realcommitment to Christ and compas-sion for our brother.

We serve the church for similarwrong reasons and then wonderwhere the real enthusiasm can be

found. There is often a beehive ofactivity and tremendous amountsof energy expended. But this leavesus merely exhausted, not spirituallysatisfied.

We reaffirm biblical commitmentto monogamous marriage, yet thedivorce rate within the church con-tinues to soar. we preach strongfamilies, and our people expectchurch or day care to raise theirchildren. We preach biblical finan-cial stewardship while many of ourpeople not only don't tithe but buy-in to a credit card culture thatcauses them to spend more thanthey earn.

If we ever intend to affect othersaround us for Jesus Christ, we mustfirst be affected ourselves. We haveto do more than talk about ourChristianity; we must live it on aconsistent, daily basis.

Well, what gives me the right towrite such an article or broachsuch a subject? Have I arrived? Ismy life serene, consistent and pow-erful?

Quite frankly, not yet. But I am onthe way. I know that the abundantlife Jesus promised is available inall its fullness. I want it-for myselfand what it will mean to others towhom I minister.

I want to be real, genuine, au-thentic, honest and consistent. Iknow that God can help me to experience this on a regular daily basis.He can do it for you also. Not onlydoes the world need to see this inour lives, they deserve to see it-aglimpse of Jesus in our lives.

Our first priority is fellowshipwith Him. Our main task is evangelism. It will take time-but it will beworth it. r

ABOUT THE WRITER: Reverend Jim Mullen pas-

tors First Bible Free Will Baotist Church in NewCastle. lndiana.

IIt- ' t ',re,^^ .a

Æa

q;

8;

Fine TuningUntil He Comes

By Alton Loveless

or an evening of entertain-ment while visiting in Vienna,Austria, my wife, some

friends and I went to hear theMozart Symphony at the famed con-cert hall.

Being a small town boy fromArkansas, I had never been to asymphony and didn't know what toexpect. As the orchestra began toenter I was struck by their beautifulattire and wigs. This was costumenight and their dress depicted thatof Mozart's time.

As soon as they were seated thegentleman in the first chair of the vi-olin section stood and went to thecenter of the group, lifted his instru-ment with one hand and the bowwith the other and slowly pulled itdown with a screeching sound. Thatsection began to check their notes.Then he moved to another groupand did the same thing. Finally,every member was actively tuninghis own instrument in his own way.It was most disconcerting as withtoots, booms and screeches theyprepared for the concert.

Then quietness. The conductorentered and the first thing he didwas shake the hand of the man sit-ting in the first violin chair.

I turned to my friend next to meand asked why he did that. Hereplied, "That's the custom."

After several Mozart pieces wereplayed, an individual who was aguest performer entered and playedhis tune. Then as he departed hetoo stopped at the first chair andshook the violinist's hand.

By then I was totally puzzled.Why did that fellow get all the spe-cial recognition?

As the symphony played the nextto last Mozart song, the conductorleft the platform. Every eye in theorchestra turned to the person inthe first chair. He lifted his bow tothe violin and as he pulled it downevery instrument in perfect timingharmonized instantly and per-formed the most beautiful ofMozart's symphonies.

I was mystified. Why did theyeven need the conductor? That guyin the first chair seemed to be the

man everyone looked to for direc-tion. He was the one who appar-ently had done all the behind-the-scenes work. He fine-tuned thegroup in the beginning. He probablydid much of the work in the prac-tice sessions. Every guest artist rec-ognized his efforts and those whoaided his presentation. And nowthis performance without the con-ductor.

The conductor returned for the fi-nale. At the end, he took most of thecredit. But he was gracious and ac-knowledged his thanks by shakingthe hand of the man in the firstchair as he departed.

What a thought! Our Lord cameto earth for a short time and mobi-lized a few men who have led othersand saw to it that we were fine-tuned to His message.

He left us for a time but will comeagain. We are in the business of tun-ing ourselves and others, preparingfor His return.

At that time He will not forgetthose who have done their jobs wellin preparing others. I

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dr. Allon Loveless is exec-utive secretary for the Ohio State Association ofFree Will Bapt¡sts.


You Can Beat TemptationBy William S. Deal

Jesus was tempted socially.

Satan took Him to the pinnacle ofthe Temple, which some have saidwas 610 feet above the pavement atthe base of the Temple. He thentempted Jesus to leap from the topof the Temple and come downamong the people....ln this way,Satan suggested that He would re-ceive immediate acclaim and acceptation. But to have done this wouldhave played into the hands of Satan.

Jesus again wisely answered thetempter by the Word of God. "lt iswritten, Man shall not live by breadalone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"(v'4).

Jesus was tempted spiritually,

Satan showed Him all the king-doms of the world, from the top of ahigh mountain, and offered all ofthem if He would bow down andworship him. Jesus answered himagain by the Word of God. "...1t iswritten, Thou shalt worship theLord thy God, and him only shaltthou serve" (v. 10).

Since Jesus came to save theworld (all who believe), Satan offersthe world to Him on a silver platter,so to speak. But Jesus knew that Hecould never win men by yielding tothe enemy of men;and besides, thiswould have been in direct disobedi-ence to God's will and plan.

As the ruler of this world, Satanhad the authority to make this offer,but as the Creator and Redeemer ofmen and the earth, Christ had boththe authority and ability to refusethe offer.

Note that the three points Satantempted Him on covered all men'snecessities-physical, social andspiritual.

As to the place of the temptation,it was likely in the Judean desert,where neither water nor food couldbe found.

As to temptation's power, Satancan tempt, oppress, depress andcompress you, but he never can

possess you as long as you resisthim.

We should always do our best tokeep the devil guessing. A friend ofmine says his father said, "lf I die ofstarvation, I'm going to do my bestto make the devil think I died of fast-in4"

Satan has given many saints arough time about their financialproblems. But just remember, it'snot sin to be poor and needy andeven in debt sometimes. Lazarusdied in dire poverty, but he went toHeaven nonetheless. It is a shame tobe stingy and resentful of those whohave more wealth than we have.

Another point of temptation forsome people is the matter of theirposition in life. The wealthy andsuccessful may be tempted to beproud and neglect their poorerneighbors. This can be a snare ofthe devil.

Paul said, "Charge them that arerich in this world, that they be nothighminded, nor trust in uncertainriches, but in the living God, whogiveth us richly all things to enjoy;That they do good, that they be richin good works, ready to distribute,willing to communicate; Laying upin store for themselves a good foun-dation against the time to come,that they may lay hold on eternallife" Q Tim.6:17-19).

Finally, remember, that tempta-tion can never overpower you aslong as you remain faithful to God inprayer and Bible reading and in at-tendance at the house of God.

Make it your aim never to putyourself in places where temptationcan reach you. If you go on Satan'sterritory, he will snatch you if hecan. Stay on the Lord's territory al-ways.

Remember, too, if you walk withGod, He walks with you and willprotect and care for you, even intemptation's darkest hour. I

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dr. William S. Deal is a lreelance writer who resides in El Monte, California. He

serves as d¡reclor ol Crusade Publications.

emptation is the common lotof all men. Even Jesus, theSon of God, did not escapetemptation's awful, persua-

sive power. Paul said of temptation,"There hath no temptation takenyou but such as is common to man:but God is faithful, who will not suf-fer you to be tempted above that yeare able; but will with the tempta-tion also make a way to escape, thatye may be able to bear it" (l Cor.l0:13).

Consider the following pointsabout Jesus' temptation:

We cannot choose where orabout what we will be tempted.Even Jesus did not make thischoice. Matthew says of Him, "Thenwas Jesus led up of the Spirit intothe wilderness to be tempted of thedevil (Vlatt.4:1).

Jesus was tempted physically.

Satan said. "lf thou be the Son ofGod, command that these stones bemade bread" (Matt. 4:3). Jesus had,fasted 40 days and nights and wasdoubtless weak and hungry at thistime. Satan hit Him when He wasphysically weak.

Likewise, temptations often hit uswhen we are weak and in someneed. Satan is a merciless tempter.But Jesus answered him by quotingfrom God's V/ord (v. 4). We can de-feat Satan's tempting strategy byusing the Word.


New Church Goes Up in,A.nkansas

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ROGEIìS, AIì-Menbers ofIì.ogers FWll Church in Rogers,Arkansas, concl uctecl qrouncl-breaking services Jr-rly 7 for ¿ì newsanctLrary, accorclinq to I)¿rstorI-oy Counts. J'he conqregation isnreeting in Southgate Sl-ro¡tltingCenter in Iìogers until the ltuilcl-in{ is complete.

Construction of the 250-seatsanctuary l;egan .luly 16. Officialsexpect to finish the ¡troject in sixrnontl'rs.

P¿istor Counts saicl tltat the fa-cility can lte ex¡tanclecl to seat450 people. It also provicles eclu-c¿rtional sllace altcl a fellowsl'ri¡tarea.

'l'he church building will lte lo-catecl on the corner clf Dixieìanclancl Oak streets in lìogers.

Memlters of the ltr-rilcling corir-rnittee inclucle church nternltersIluster Harrell, FI. K. Knox ancì

Larry Van Meter. Deacons CarlCohorn, William McGarrah, ClycleScott, Terry Sullivan ancì .lohn

I-lutchilts joinecl I)¿rstor Countsancl the ltuilrling con.lllittee forthe grouncì ltreaking cerenlorìy.

ft{exícan AssociationMONTEIìIìF.Y, MEX.-More than500 ¡reople attenclecì the 31st an-ntral Mexican National Associa-tion in Monterrey, accorcling toJames Munsey, coorclinator ofthe Mexican Free Will Baptistwork. Memlters front the 30 Mexican Frec Will Ba¡ttist churchesgatherecl at the AssociationCanrpgrouncl August 1-3 for therneeting.

Moclerator Lâzaro De La Iìosalecl the worship ancl ltusinesssessions. Twenty-nine ministersregisterecl.

In acìclition to the National As-sociation, clelcgates also attenclecì

Meetsthe Wontan's Auxiliary anclYouth Conventions. Iror-rr ltas-tor.s-l)altlo S¿ilazar. Vict<¡r [ror-tanel, Irelix Zúrniga, Isiclr<_i Aguil-era-ancl Executive SecretaryMelvin Worthington ltreacheclclrrrirrg I lrc scssion.

I)elegates aclo¡ttecl a Coo¡tera-tive Plan bucìget with the folìow-ing allocation llercentages: BibleInstitute (70'X,), National Trea-sury (15%), District Association(75',/,,).

The 1992 session meets Julylì1-Ar-rgust 3 at the AssociationCam¡tgrouncl in Monterrey.

FREE WILI BAPTIST

October 1991. Contoct 21

VÍrgËnia to Sponsor Mission BuilderROANOKIi, VA-l)elcgates to theVirginia State Association ap-¡rrovecl hiring lìev. Willie Os-borlle as asso<'iatc tttissiotrarybuilcler for a new church in Àb-ingclon. The joint project with thenational Home Missions Deltart-ment will recluire $2,240 inmontl-tly su¡rport, a $12.000 initialinvestment, and $65.000 to pur-chase an existing church builcl-ing.

The 53rcl annual sessior.t rnetJune 13-14 at First FWII Church in

Roanoke. Severtty-l hree ¡teoltleattencìecl, inclucling 2ll ministersancl three cìeacons.

ln other action. tlclegateselected lìichrnoncl pastor I)anielMerkh as rrocìerator; he suc-ceecls outgoing rlocìerator ÌJaviclNeitch.

Pastor Bob Surber of CarclwellJ'own IrWB Church in Saltville cle-livered the keynote aclclressThursclay evening on the "Fruitsnf tho Qrririt " l.'vnerrfir¡o Sr'crot;¡rr¡v, (r¡\ \/l/¡¡

Melvin Worthington spoke Satur-clay.

Tl-rrce pastors ¡rreachecl clur-ing the Thursclay Ilible Confer-ence: Sherr.nan Grace of Kings-port, Tenn.; Iìalph Yor-rng ofPetersbr-rrg; and Jack Blanton ofNorton. Charlotte sville pastorWalter Surnmerlin spoke at theThursclay banquet.

Thc l9.c)2 sessior-t will lneetJune l8-19 at First l"WB Churchin lìoanoke,

Southeastern Sets MissÍonary Conference

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WENI)ELL. NC-Four spcakers.inclucling Dr. Michael Cox, presi-clent of the Michigan School ofMissions, will leacì the November10-12 Missionary Conference atSoutheastern FWB College. Dr..loe l-laas, Sr., chairman of South-eastern's missiot.ts cleltartntent,saicì, "We believe this will lte ourgreatest conference yet."

ln arlrlitiort to kcynotitrg tlrcconference, Dr. Michael Cox willleacl several workshops on howto builcl a successful rnissiot.tsprogran in the local church.

Other conference .slteakers in-clucle Steve Lytle, Itiissionary toPanarla; Frecì .Iones who clirectsthe lrree Will Iìaptist Bible Insti-tute ir-r Mexico; ancl Iìancly Saw-

yer who chairs the rnusic cleltart-ment at Southeastern College.

Dr. I-laas saicl the thel'ne forthe fall missions conference is, "lWill Go in thc Strer"rgth of theL.orcl," taken fron'l Psalm Tl:16.

The Mexican Quartet will ac-cor'ìr[)any Frecl .lones frotn Mex-ico ancl sing clr-rring the coltfer-ence. .t

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JONES


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Members of Southwest FWB Churchin Columbus, OH, celebrated their 20thanniversary, according to Pastor JohnMeade. Southwest church was previ-ously Greenleaf Road Baptist Church.

Pastor Densll Wrlght says that some-thing wonderful is happening at Mt. Ster-llng FIVB Church in Mt. Sterllng, OH.The church reports six conversions,eight baptisms and l2 new members.

Wakeñeld FlilB Church in Wakeñeld,OH, reports a successful VBS program.After the VBS program, Pastor LowellKlng baptized eight people. Later thatday three more young people were con-verted.

Pastor Roger Childers and the congre-gation at Urbana FWB Church, Urbana,OH, travelled to Mad River after morningservices. That's where Childers baptizedfive converts.

Pleasant Valley FWB Church inPedro, OH, is 75 years old. Pastor LarryJoseph also reports a VBS that averaged44 people.

Here's more good news from DivlneFWB Baptlst Church in Cleveland, OH.The church reports six conversions, fourbaptisms and four new members. BobbyHudnall pastors.

They have new wheels at FellowshtpTabernacle FIVB Church in Xenla. OH.The church purchased a van and mini-bus for outreach ministry. They plan tosell a S4passenger bus. Vernal Falrchtldpastors.

Pastor Luclan Mounts completed 28years in Christian radio broadcasting.Mounts pastors Mechanicsburg FWBChurch in Urbana, OH. He conducts anhourlong radio program Sunday morn-ings.

Evangelist Clovis Vanover of Colum-bus, OH, reports l0 revivals and 23 èon-versions.

Members of Socastee FWB Church inMyrtle Beach, SC, constructed a 1,600-square-foot fellowship building at a costof $18,000. Pastor Ray Crtbb said, "lt ispossible that the building will be paid forat completion." The Socastee churchbegan as a mission in 1987.

Pastor James Herrtng and membersof New Llfe FIVB Church in Conway, SC,completed work on a 1,920-square-footbrick fellowship building. Although thefacility is valued at $85,000, it cost only

$15,000 because members donated laborand materials. The facility includes a din-ing area which seats more than 100 peo-ple.

When members of Flrst F'WB Churchin Greenvllle, SC, dedicated their familyfellowship center, the congregationnamed the building in honor of 21-year-pastor, Bobby Bowens. The 4,800-square-foot metal structure cost $85,000 and in-cludes a regulation basketball court,kitchen, mezzanine and lounge.

Pastor Delbert Akin and members ofTecumseh FWB Church in Tecumseh,OK, honored a member for 50 years ofservice. Mrs. lVllllam Davis Willlamsserved 50 years as church clerk.

Pastor Wayne Bookout of BlackwellF'WB Church in Oklahoma baptized 16converts. He said, "This is the largestgroup I've ever baptized at one time."

Members of l^awnwood FWB Churchin Tulsa, OK, surprised Pastor J. C. Mor-gan on his 20th anniversary with thechurch. In addition to a great show oflove and kindness from members. thechurch presented Pastor and Mrs. Mor-gan a $10,000 check.

Members of Flrst FWB Church inPampa, TX, dedicated their new churchJuly 13. They purchased a church build-ing from another group.

James Tlmbrook began pastoring Re-vival FWB Church in Tulsa, OK, oneyear ago. Since that time he has baptized13, witnessed 32 conversions and re-ceived 42 new members.

After four months at Ftrst FWBChurch in Rolling Prairle, lN, PastorJohn Dickerson said that Church Train-ing attendance surged from 12 to 51.Dickerson also reports l6 rededications,five conversions, seven new membersand three baptisms. Church attendanceclimbed to 85.

Ftrst FWB Church in Albany, GA,scheduled a four-day seminar withFWBBC staffers Robert Picirlttt and KenRiggs. Picirilli spoke on perseverancewhile Riggs spoke on the Christian fam-ily. Bttly Hanna pastors.

Members of Corlnth FWB Church inIron Clty, GA, installed a new steeple. ln-terim pastor Andy Merritt led the dedi-cation service. Ret¡red minister DamonDodd preached the dedication message.

Members of Cool Springs FWB

Church in Norman Park, GA, collected$500 in coins for the Home Missions"Build My Church" campaign. PastorMtke Edwards said the funds were givenin memory of Bobby Holder, a memberwho recently died.

The Georgla Couples Retreat metSeptember 13-14 at Norman Baptist As-sembly in Norman Park, GA. Don Hlll, director of the Frazer Counselling Clinic inMontgomery, AL, was keynote speaker.

Arkansae minister Glynn Campbell oflValnut Rldge celebrated 40 years in theministry. He has pastored eight churchesin Arkansas and Missouri.

Members of Catcher FWB Church inVan Buren, AR, honored retired pastor,Burl Osborne, who pastored sevenchurches in Arkansas in his 43-year min-istry.

Pastor lonnie Skiles and members ofBethel FWB Church in Festus, MO,burned the mortgage on a 300-seat audi-torium. The church was erected in 1973under the leadership of A. B. Brown.

Pastor Wesley Rider led a ribbon-cut-ting ceremony at Flrst FrüB Church inCape Glrardeau, MO, after resurfacingthe driveway and parking lot. Membersgave more than $4,500 in labor and mate-rials as well as $4,000 in cash donations.

The educational building at First F'WBChurch in Sprtngfleld, MO, was dedi-cated with more 200 in the worship ser-vice. Pastor Max Courtney said the10,000-square-foot facility cost $259,000.Missouri Executive Secretary ClarenceBurton led the cornerstone laying cere-mony.

\{ilma Clark, member of GreenfleldFWB Church in Greenfleld, CA, wasnamed Mother-of-the-Year by the Green-field Rotary Club. Her pastor is Holt Sea-well.

Pastor lvan Ryan reports six conver-sions at Bakersvllle FWB Church in Mt.Vernon, IL. The church recently voted topurchase new pews.

Rrst FWB Church of Russellville, AR,hosted their second annual softball tour-nament with I I teams from four states.The tournament ended about midnightJune 15 with the Russellville team defeat-ing a Tennessee team 144 1.or the cham-pionship. Some 175 people attended thetournament activities. Doug Llttle pas-tors. I


MASTER'S MEN

National Conuention HighlightsThe men of West Virginia and other Mas-

ter's Men ushered with effectiveness and dig:nity through all the services of the 1991 na-tional convention. Led by Roger Tolliver,ushering chairman of the West Virginia Steer-ing Committee and by Raymond Lee, na-tional ushering chairman, the men per-formed excellently in many tasks.

On Wednesday night they "passed thebuckets" for a record missionary offering ofnearly $34,000. During General Board meet-ing, WNAC, general business sessions and inthe halls, they helped find people, count people, inform people and direct people. We appreciate the labor of a staff of nearly 60 menwho freely gave their time in service to theMaster.

Laymen HonoredThe 225 people attending the Wednesday

evening Master's Men Dinner applauded theannouncements of 1990 Layman of the Yearand 1990 Runner-up Layman of the Year.Master's Men Board Chairman, WendellLeckbee presented plaques from the depart-ment to Waymon Ray (Okla.), Layman of theYear 1990 and Gary R. Wilson (Mich.), Run-ner-up Layman of the Year 1990.

Board member Thurman Pate, Jr. ex-pressed his feelings when he returned hisvotes, "The choice was very hard this yearbecause the nominees are all so involved inthe Lord's work." Rev. E. Dwight Fletcheradded, "They all deserve the award."

Waymon Ray is a member of the NewHome FWB Church in Tulsa, and was nomi-nated by his pastor, Rev. Roy Dale Smith.Gary Wilson attends River Rouge FWBChurch where the pastor is Rev. DannySlater.

Director Awards Two Plaques"We are honored to have a man serving on

the Master's Men Board who is connected tothe Home Missions Department. He servesthere as our 'part-time' Missionary Builder.


He is fully committed to helping build newchurches for our home missionaries.

"Howard Gwartney has led in almost 30building projects since 1985, making it possi-ble for pastors to have a place to preach andlead the people in worship much sooner andmuch more cheaply than might otherwisehave been possible.

"Today we honor Howard Gwartney with aplaque which reads:

With thanks to the Master foryour leadership and effod in

æordinaling the work ofMaste/s Hands Project crews

as Missionary Builder,

And the saving of the first

$1,000,000 in conslruclionæsts by February, 1991 onFree Will Baplist Churches,

Howard Gwarlneyis honored with this plaque byFree Will Baplist Maste/sMen Department July 24, 1991 ."

Director Jim Vallance also presented toTrymon Messer a plaque which stated:

ln grateful thanks for your vision in hiring a

Missionary Builder to lead volunteerworkers in construcling Free Will Baptist

Churches, we reægnize lhe HomeMissions Department and Board upon the

achievement of saving $1,000,000 in

construction østs in February 1991 .

Presented byFree Will Baptist

Maste/s Men Deparlment

July 24, 1991

Board Votes to Increase DuesThe Master's Men Board voted to increase

annual dues and LifeMember dues beginningJanuary 1, 1992. The annual dues will in-crease to $20 per man. The LifeMemberdues, in keeping with current policy will re-flect the same rate of increase as the annualdues, to a onetime total gift of $200. ¡

BOARD OF RETIREMENT

Learn to PiddleBy R.F. Smith, Jr.

Every financial retirement plan demandsyou start in your early 20's for the best re-turn on your money. And I would suggestthat you start preparing mentally, emotion-ally, spiritually and physically for retire-ment at that same age.

Most people come to retirement neverhaving learned how to loaf. Now if you wantto be a successful loafer, you have to learnhow to loaf without feeling guilty about it.All our lives we have been told to work,work, work. Idle minds, idle hands, idle any-thing, become the devil's workshop. Andthese "wise sayings" have guided us to thepoint that work and production are all weknow.

But loafing is not being idle; it is changinggears, going from what you usually do towhat is unusual for you.

For instance, I like to piddle. (fhat's an-other word for loaf.) Every time we havemoved I have always made sure the househad a spare room in the basement for myworkshop. I don't make many things there,but I do enjoy piddling around, repairingthis and that. Often times I fix things be-yond repair, and I have a box full of thingsI've fixed-trash to my wife, but stored in-ventory for my cherished times of piddling.

I really pity the person who does notknow how to piddle. Piddling takes place onany level. It is going from what you do for aliving to what you like to do when not mak-ing living. It is what you work at whenyou're not working.

Piddling is . . . putting around on a golfcourse . . . working out in a gym . . . poringover a good book in the library . . . doinghandwork, drinking coffee with friends atunheard-of-hours, and 101 other things therelaxed mind can come up with when al-lowed the freedom to piddle without guilt.

Fulfillment in retirement goes to thosewho have learned the art of piddling, bytraining for it during those demanding, pro-ductive years when everything around usyells, "Don't drop a stitch in your work pat-

tern." But everything inside quietly says,"Piddling, like happiness, cannot be retroac-tive."

It is now or never! I

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dr. R. F. Smith, Jr. serves Fitth Avenue BaptistChurch in Hunlington, West Virginia, as senior minister.

ln Honor of.,.8y...

Mr. Wllllam DanielCados Kelsey

Smyrna, TN

Mrs. Chrlsten GaneyCove Cily Auxiliary

Cove City, NC

Reverend W E. (Bill) GeorgeSalem Woman's AuxiliaryAlford, FL

Herman HerseySmyrna Auxiliary

Smyrna, TN

Herman and Vernie HerseyCarlos and Fosalie Kelsey

Smyrna, TN

Pastor Carlos KelseySmyrna Auxiliary

Smyna, TN

Ray LewlsAnnie Rooks

Bocky Mount, NC

Danel NicholsFirst FWB ChurchTahlequah,0K

Mrs. Martha OwensWilson Chapel AuxiliaryNorton. VA

Early WhiteSutlon Woman's AuxiliaryPæahontas, AR

Mrs. Jesse WhlteCarlos Kelsey

Smyma, TN

ln Memory O. . .

8y...Reverend George Capps

Salem FWB ChurchWayne City, lL

Rev. Paul ClaytonHillside Auxiliary

Florence, SC

Reverend J. R. DavidsonPleasant Hill AuxiliaryVienna, GA

Reverend Davld ParentKilsylh Woman's Auxiliary

Kilsylh, WV

Don PettisMarlha Petlis

Perry, FL

Hoyte PowellCypress Fork FWB ChurchManning, SC

A, B, RooksAnnie Roolrs

Rocky Mount, NC


WOMAN'S AUXITIARY

Woman's Window on the WorldBy Mary R. Wiseharl

From My Window"l didn't know how dark it was in here," my

friend said as I switched on the light. Theroom was not completely dark, just half dark.Still, the light showed up how dark it reallywas.

How like us human beings. Those in dark-ness are often not aware of how dark it is intheir lives. How will they know unless weswitch on the light?

We may not realize the darkness in ourown lives until the Holy Spirit switches onthe light. That light of God may reveal thedarkness of greed, selfishness, unconcern,enry, covetousness. That ugly darkness dis-mays us, frightens us. We may have to cryout of our own hearts, "l didn't know howdark it was in here."

The Holy Spirit stands always ready toturn the light of the Word on in the darkplaces of our lives. As light reveals darkness,He is ready to chase it away with light, thetrue Light. "God is light, and in him is nodarkness at all."

"lf we walk in the light, as he is in the light,we have fellowship one with another, andthe blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleansethus from all sin" Q John l:7).

WNAC Elects New Officers and Execu-tiue Committee

Delegates at the 1991 Convention inCharleston, West Virginia, elected new offi-cers for the nert two years.

President: Mary Neal, IndianaVicePresident: Delois Loveless, OhioRecording Secretary: Joan Wood, Okla-

homaMembers-atlarge of the Executive Commit-

tee: Pam lilood, California; Gwen Hendrix,South Carolina;Everyl Getz, Texas

Watch this page for biographies of the newofficers and members of the Executive Com-mittee.

Sudy of Woman's Auxiliary ContinuesThe study committee elected in 1989 re-

ceived permission from the convention tocontinue study for two more years. Theseven-member committee is now a six-mem-ber committee because of the resignation ofKay Hampton.

The committee set a meeting for Decem-ber 2, 1991, in Nashville, in conjunction withthe Leadership Conference.

If you have ideas or suggestions for thecommittee, you may send them to the WNACoffice or to any member of the committee.

June, Rolen, California, chairman; PeggyOutland, Illinois, secretary; Diana Bryant,Florida; Diane Thomas, North Carolina; Mar-guerite Kern, Oklahoma; Mary R. Wisehart,Tennessee.

Eunice Edwards Loan FundJuly 31, 199l-$35,729.08

Make Plans for the LeadershipConference

All Woman's Auxiliary state presidents andfield workers are invited to the LeadershipConference December 2-3 in Nashville.

Each state should plan to send at least onerepresentative. The conference will be astewardship summit, with discussion of howto support national ministries more equi-tably. r

26 Contact, October I99I

FOREIGN MISSIONS

Counting the CostBy Don Robirds

IVhat does tt cost to be aChrtstian?

To become a Christian costs us nothing.Jesus paid it all! But to be a Christian, a truedisciple, can cost a great deal.

In her book, louching the Untouchables,pioneer missionary Laura Belle Barnard de-scribed the dilemma which converts facedin India during her day: "Persecution was aliving reality to be dealt with, some casesmuch less severe and others much moredrastic."

Miss Barnard tells of one woman who in-formed her family of her intentions to followChrist and be baptized. "They responded bykicking and beating her cruelly, taking cus-tody of her son, and confiscationg all herpossessions."

Thomas, a young Christian relative, triedto help the woman by instructing her andarranging for her baptism. "Shortly there-after," says Laura Belle, "the angry relativesstopped him as he entered a restaurant forrice and curry, and beat and kicked him un-mercifully."

The Priuilege of SufferingrvVithin an hour, still bearing the marks of

his beating, he went to a service where hewas to act as an interpreter. "l assure you Iam not crying because of the pain," hesobbed, "but because God has given me thehappy privilege of suffering a little shameand disgrace for my Lord who bore all mysin and shame."

Barnard also told of Moses and his wife,Gnanamani, who went through severe firesof testing following their baptism. She gotsick and her baby died suddenly. Her fam-ily, who wanted her to turn back, tauntedher with the idea that the gods were punish-ing her. But she stood firm although Moseslost his job and was terribly distressed.

They endured a great deal of persecutionand were even threatened with death. "lheard that Gnanamani was actually draggedabout by the hair of her head in a attemptto force her to return to Hindu worship,"

says Laura Belle. "Rumors were circulatedthat she was finally seen out in a grove,kneeling before a heathen shrine."

Forced to KneelAssuring Miss Barnard of their continued

faith, Moses declared later, "You can beforced to kneel down, but the heart cannotbe forced to worship."

Missionary Carlisle Hanna tells of Barosiwho grew up in India as a member of aHindu family. Although he was exposed tothe gospel a great deal during his boyhooddays while working for missionaries Danand Trula Cronk, he never made a profes-sion of faith until much later in life. He fi-nally was moved to receive Christ afterhearing an Easter message.

Barosi's wife had not made an open pro-fession of faith, so when he was baptized herefused to let her be baptized. He wantedher to thoroughly understand the conse-quences of her commitment. Her family of-fered to kill Barosi for becoming a Christian,but she didn't want him killed. She hadcounted the cost and determined to be-come a Christian also in spite of the family'sopposition and rejection.

The Benefits of FaithfulnessToday, she and Barosi have a fine

Christian family. They have reaped the spiri-tual benefits of faithfulness in the face ofpersecution and suffering. Barosi managesthe cattle proiect started by missionaryCarlisle Hanna in Sonapur, India. He is in-volved in developing cows that are smaller,so they eat less, yet they give much moremilk than the local breed. People call him"Doctor.t'

Christians in the United States must alsocount the cost of true discipleship. Jesusleft us with the command, "Go ye into allthe world and preach the gospel to everycreature." Mark 16:15. He also declared, "lfany man will come after me, let him denyhimself..." Luke 9:23. r

october 1991, Contact 27

tnrr¡r TRrr BrBtt sTlJIY;-.*\.

#t.'!xdÙ'r ã:l

Robe¡t E. Picirilli

Preamble to Joshuo: Challenge for o New DoyJoshua 1:1-9

he book of Joshua opens at acritical time in Israel's his-tory. The first attempt toenter Canaan, a generation

earlier, had failed. When you havefailed once, a second attempt is au-tomatically more nervous.

Add to that the death of a provenleader. A new and younger man is atthe helm. Did anyone ever face asterner challenge than Joshua?

Never fear: the Lord speaks toJoshua. He has not died. And thefirst thing he says is, "Moses, myservant, is dead. Arise and go."Don't grieve for Moses. Don't lookto Moses. What's past is done with.What matters now is what you do. Ihave chosen you (Deuteronomy3:28).

Three times, in this short pas-sage, the Lord's word to Joshua is,"Be strong and of a good courage."Each of those is linked directly to adistinct point, and the three to-gether summarize the message.

1. Be strong and courageous,for there is a challengíng uork(u.6).

There is a two-fold implicationhere. For one thing, there is needfor Joshua to be strong since thetask before him is so demanding. Hemust lead this people to take pos-session of Canaan and divide itamong them.

Verses 2-4 provide background:the Lord had promised to give it tothem-every place they would walk,all the way from the Euphrates onthe east to the Mediterranean onthe west.

If the first implication is need, the

other is confidence. Joshua can dothis imposing thing. I promised it,says the Lord, and you s/ral/ do it.Indeed, we note the "l have given"(v. 3); this thing has already beensettled in the counsels of God.

Joshua needsto be strong. Hecanbe strong, and very courageous.

2. Be strong and courageous,and find your strength ín keeping God's law (u, 7).

The covenant relationship be-tween Jehovah and Israel underliesthis. It was based on God'spromises to them as they observedHis law. Then Joshua, as Israel'sleader, will find that law to be asource of strength and courage.

He must determine to keep it-allof it (v. 7a), turning neither this waynor that from it (v. 7b). He mustspeak of it always (v. 8a), teaching itand citing it as a basis for everyplan and action. He must meditateon it faithfully (v. 8b), consideringhow to apply it daily at every deci-sion point. In doing this, he willboth find the direction he needsand set an example for those heleads.

True strength and courage will befound here, because those whowalk according to the revealed willof God are assured that their waywill be prosperous and successful(w. 7b,8b).

Keil and Delitzsch, by the way,render "have good success" as "actwisely." Whether that is the righttranslation or not, the idea is right.Acting wisely is true success. Andacting wisely is walking with God.

3. Be strong and courageous,because God is with you (u. 9).

Joshua need not fear or dismay.Jehovah God will be with him wher-ever he goes, so long as he goeswhere God has commanded.

Verse 5 fleshes this out. No onecould doubt that God had been withMoses. Just so surely He will bewith Joshua. And God's presence isa promise: He will not fail or forsakeJoshua. I

Directory Update

OKLAHOMA

Billy Ray Wilson to ChickashaChurch. Chickasha

Del Miller to Firsl Church, ldabel

OTHER PERSONNEL

Terry Forresl to Free Will Baplist BibleColleoe as dean of studenls from FirstChurc-h, Monticello, AR, as pastor

^ John Murray to Free \ /ill Baplist BibleColleoe as director of Chrislian servicefrom Ñantes, France, as a missionary t


-

T0p StlIII

Public Schools: An Euongelical ApproisolFrank C. Nelson(Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987, 223 pp., hardback, 9.l4.95),

his volume is one of a seriesof volumes devoted to acareful biblical analvsis ofkey issues in our sãciety

today. The prior volumes in the series presented factual, fair and rea-sonable analyses of difficult andcontroversial subjects. This is noexception.

The author begins by discussingthe conflict in society over publiceducation. A number of books in recent years argued that much of pub-lic education in this country hasdemonstrated hostility toward tra-ditional moral and spiritual valuesof society. In many cases evangeli-cals and fundamentalists respondedwith calls to establish private Chris-tian schools.

According to Dr. Nelson, publiceducation has always been some-what suspect within Christianranks. Horace Mann and others in-fluential in beginning public schoolswere Unitarians and did not adhereto orthodox Christian beliefs.

The author describes a series ofconflicts over the role religionwould play in these newly estab-

BEYOND BELIEF

lished public schools. Some earlyconflicts centered on textbooks tobe used and the books to be madeavailable in school libraries. Insome ways, these early conflictswere similar to some of our contem-porary controversies.

About the middle of the last cen-tury something of an accommoda-tion was reached. The publicschools in most areas of the coun-try came to reflect traditionalProtestant moral and ethical valueswithout, however, providing spe-cific religious instruction. RomanCatholics and some other groupsresponded to these developmentsby establishing parochial schoolsfor their students.

In the early 1960's the situationbegan to change. The climate in thecountry became increasingly secu-lar. A series of Supreme Court deci-sions effectively removed organizedprayer and Bible reading from pub-lic school classrooms.

Much additional controversy hassurrounded the teaching of whathas come to be called "secular hu-manism." The author devotes con-

siderable attention to the type of in-struction provided in many publicschool classrooms today.

Dr. Nelson sounds a voice ofalarm at a number of these developments, but he does not call forChristians to abandon public educa-tion. He recognizes that Christianschools cannot provide adequateeducational opportunities for thechildren of this country. There issimply no viable alternative to public education.

He argues that Christians must beaware of the issues and organize toconfront them. They should seek toinfluence school policies in positivedirections. They should, however,avoid extreme positions whichserve only to discredit them in theeyes of the community.

This is a good book which pre-sents a thoughtful and helpful analy-sis of one of the more difficult is-sues of our day. Everyone will notbe pleased with his conclusions. Heis a friend of public education. Hedoes an excellent job separatingfact from fiction and confronting thereal issues. I

Thomas Marberry

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October /991, Contact 29

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Louisiana Passes Tough Abortion Bill

BATON ROUGE, t-A (EP)-Louisiana's legis-lators voted to override Gov. Buddy Roe-mer's veto of a strict bill banning most abor-tions. lt was the first time in this centurythat a Louisiana governor's veto has beenoverturned.

The law, said to be the strictest in the na-tion, bans abortions except in cases of rapeand incest, or to save the life of the mother.Rape and incest victims are required to re-port the crime within seven days; a provi-sion meant to eliminate false rape reportsas a way to circumvent the law. Doctorsperforming illegal abortions in Louisianaface up to l0 years in prison and $100,000fines.

The law was to take effect in September,but both sides in the abortion dispute ex-pected a court to order an injunction, lead-ing to a judicial review of the law. The Amer-ican Civil Liberties Union will seek a courtorder to stop enforcement. Legislators hopethe restrictive law will be the obiect of acourt-battle that will eventually lead the U.S.Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 Roe u.

Wade ruling that legalized abortion-on-de-mand.

"We are delighted that the LouisianaILegislature] has acted to ensure protectionfor the most defenseless among us-unbornchildren," said Dr. Wanda Franz, presidentof the National Right to Life Committee, thenation's largest pro-life group. "This is a his-toric event, not only for Louisiana, but alsofor the nation, which is moving slowly butsurely toward protection for unborn chil-dren."

Judge Restrains Top NEA Lawyer

PHILADELPHIA, PA (EP)-A federal iudge inPhiladelphia restrained Julianne Ross Davis,General Counsel for the National Endow-ment for the Àrts (NEA), from further repeti-tion of defamatory comments about theRev. Donald E. Wildmon and the AmericanFamily Association (AFA).

Wildmon and AFA sued Ms. Davis in fed-eral court for defamation and sought a re-straining order. The iudges order addressedstatements first made by Davis in a speechat the University of Pennsylvania LawSchool on October 24, 1990.

She told an audience of law students andprofessors that "The American Family Asso-ciation (headed by the Rev. Wildmon) issimply a diiecþmail political action commit-tee. And it has a 24-point political agenda itwould like to see obtained by the year 2000.And it's not a pretty agenda. I saw a report afew days ago. It includes the elimination ofdemocracy, elimination of public schools,(and) advocates that astrologers, adulter-

30 Contact. October I99l

ers, blasphemers, homosexuals, and incorri-gible children be executed, preferably bystoning. That's one of our enemies. This istrue."

Under a court-approved settlementwhich is a part of the court's order, Davis isrestrained from any further utterance orpublication of the false statements. Shemust also pay Wildmon and AFA $100,000 indamages if it is ever repeated.

In the agreement Davis admits the state-ments were false and is compelled to send aletter of retraction to the Deans of the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania Law School as wellas Wharton School of Business, whose stu-dents also attended the speech. The agree-ment also requires the NEA Ceneral counselto send a letter of apology to Wildmon andAFA. Wildmon and AFA have agreed to dropthe remainder of the lawsuit against Davisfor damages.

"l am gratified over this restraint on theNEA's top lawyer and pleased with the re-traction and the apology. It's unfortunatethat we have had to humiliate the NEA'snumber two official in order to stop herfrom uttering these lies. However, no smearby any NEA official will stop our public criti-cism of the NEA's continuing abuse of tl'retaxpayer's money," Wildmon said.

Poll Shows Americans More Religious

VALLEY FORGE, PA (EP)-The long-heldperception of the United States as a reli-gious country has been confirmed by thelargest and most comprehensive survey ofreligious opinion ever uñdertaken.

The poll, commissioned by the GraduateSchool of the City University of New York,surveyed 113,000 adults throughout the 48contiguous states between April 1989 andApril 1990.

More than six out of seven of those sur-veyed-which projects to 214 million Ameri-cans-identified themselves as Christians.Baptists (19.4 percent) comprise nearly athird of all Protestants, ranking behind onlyCatholics (26.2 percent) as the largest Chris-tian body in the U.S.

The overwhelming majority of those sur-veyed were willing to talk about their faith.Less than three percent refused to sharetheir opinions, and only 7.5 percent pro-fessed agnosticism or atheism.

Prominent church historian Martin Martycharacterized the results as "astonishinglyconfirmatory" of previous demographic proiections. Comparing the survey findingswith the state of organized religion in otherindustrialized countries, Marty said thelevel of religious commitment in the U.S.was dramatic in such "a high-tech, highly af-fluent nation."

He added, "lf such a poll were done inWestern Europe, the ancestral home ofmany Americans, you would run at least athird lower on every indicator."

According to Dr. Barry Kosmin, senior re-searcher at the City University GraduateCenter, "Religion is more important in Àmer-ica than in most industrialized countries.Americans display a greater level of commit-ment and a greater level of diversity."

Expert Sees Cult Growth

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (EP)-Steve Hassan, aformer recruiter for the Rev. Sun MyungMoon's Unification Church, is a leading au-thority on the mind control techniques thatdestructive cults use to recruit and holdmembers.

Hassan, who is the author of CombalüngCult Mind Control, says cult activity is defi-nitely increasing. "The Bible-based cults aregrowing; there are probably more of themthan anything," he explains. "After thatwould be psychotherapy cults, then theNew Age cults. We're seeing more and moreof them."

What does the success of such cults sayabout America? "What we're looking at is afertile ground for these groups to recruit,"Hassan notes. "Our political institutions arenot meeting the needs of people. Our reli-gious institutions are not meeting the needsof people. People want to have hope, andthey see budget cuts, service cuts, jobless-ness, a high divorce rate. A group comesalong and says, 'We have the answer. Wecan make the world an ideal place.' Youhave to be stupid or apathetic to not wantto hear what they have to say."

In fact, says Hassan, it is the stupid or ap-athetic who have the least to fear fromcults. "Who's not at risk from cults? Compla-cent people, apathetic people and mentallydisturbed people," he explains. "Cults donot want the mentally disturbed, they don'twant retarded people or people with severemedical problems. They want intelligent,middle-class, educated, ambitious, produc-tive people who can withstand the enor-mous pressures of being in a cult-and thepressures really are tremendous."

Stress, depression, and life transitions-loss of a loved one, change of job or home-can make people vulnerable to mind controlcults, Hassan says. "The other variable is ig-norance, ignorance of cults and mind con-trol," he insists. "lf you know about cultsand mind control, even if you're goingthrough a vulnerable time in your life, you'llknow what questions to ask, so you won'tbe vulnerable." I

-

BnrrrIRSr

The Pella Grouchesorty miles east of DesMoines on Highway 163sprawls the Dutch farmingcommunity of Pella, Iowa.

Other than a rock-solid name, thetown's only claim to fame is aunique signpost near the city limits:"PELL,A-Pop. 9,27 0 Great People."Then in smaller print below: and "3or 4 Grouches."

The Pella city fathers apparentlyknow that a few grumps can raisemore dust than the rest of the popu-lation can settle. Nobody knowswhy but grouches always manage tofind tourists and new families be-fore the welcome wagon does.

It probably works that way inyour church or your place of busi-ness with potential customers andnew members. Grumps are by na-ture evangelistic. They knock onevery door in the community anddump a tale of woe.

The good news is that therearen't as many grouches around asyou'd think. They're such wet blan-kets it just seems that there's onebehind every tree.

Life's too full to waste singing offkey. There's so much opportunityto get in step and sing harmony. Besides, grumps can be cured.

James Angel said, "Don't un-derestimate the ability of God tostraighten out a situation evenwhen you can't, and give God a littletime!"

I agree with Charles Allen whowarned, "When you say a situationor a person is hopeless, you areslamming the door in the face ofGod."

The grouch stares at one potholeand ignores 50 miles of good high-way. He disagrees with one item inthe church budget and rejects it all.Does every grouch own MatthewLesko's The Great American GripeBook?

I'd like to give church grumpsa framed copy of John Maxwell'scheery observation: "Nothing is ashard as it looks; everything is morerewarding than you expect; and ifanything can go right, it will and atthe best possible moment." Thatsure beats Murphy's Law.

The Christian life-style is God'steflon umbrella to repel grey,weasly attitudes. But even theChristian life-style has to be prac-ticed for it to work.

Herb Miller told about a religiousversion of an old secular saying inhis book, How to Build a MagneticChurch: "'lf you build a bettermouse trap, the world will beat apath to your door.' That was nevercompletely true of mousetraps, andit is not true of Christianity."

Church grumps are like OscarWilde's Aunt Jane who, he said,"died of mortification when no oneattended her grand ball. But shedied without knowing that she hadfailed to mail the invitations."

That's why grumps sink deeperinto their gloom when no one showsup to help them celebrate. They for-got to mail the invitations: A readysmile, an eager hand to help others,a warm life of faith, openness to newideas and a sense of humor.

Last summer a dandy list ap-peared in a Christian monthly: "Howto Be Miserable in 20 Easy Steps!" Itreads like the grump's bible andprovides sure'fire ways to never behappy.

Take #11, for instance: "Alwayslook for faults in others." Or #3: "Bejealous and envious." And check out#15: "Sulk if people are not gratefulfor your favors." Everything on thelist reminds me of religious grumpsI've known.

The average grouch ratrlesgloomily through life sucking onimaginary lemons and eating

Jack Williams

worms, unaware that his attitude isa prison with no doors and no win-dows.

Cartoon character Nancy roaredhow unfair it was that there wereonly 68 more days left until schoolstarted. When her friend Sluggo sug-gested that she do something toenjoy the time left instead of com-plaining, Nancy snapped, "l enjoycomplaining!"

My frÍend Bob Smith owns asign company in Nashville. Sometime ago he painted a small sign fora customer who wanted to sellsome property, and charged him$52. Three years later the manbrought the sign back, said he neverliked it and asked Bob what he in-tended to do about it.

Bob examined the sign notingthat it had been roughed up by theweather. The man, somewhat irri-tated, added that he had not soldthe property and never planned touse the sign again. Bob generouslyrefunded the man's $52. What agreat story!

Then the grumpy man fellowasked Bob if he would also returnhis sales tax! You can't win with aprofessional grump.

Van Wyck Brooks said, "Howdelightful is the company of gener-ous people, who overlook triflesand keep their minds instinctivelyfixed on whatever is good and posi-tive in the world. People of smallcaliber are always carping. They arebent on showing their own superi-ority, their knowledge or prowess.But magnanimous people have novanity, they have no jealousy, andthey feed on the true and the solidwherever they find it. And, what ismore, they find it ever¡nwhere."

How refreshing. That's almost asuplifting as a hike down Highway168 to read the signpost in Pella,Iowa. r


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ONE, Inc.ïllr s IIHITRRY SPIflKS he December 2-3 Leader-ship Conference in Nash-ville will be a "Stewardship Summit." During the l99l national convention, delegates ap-proved the