Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Feed The Kids Mission Project
This week we are doing a local mission project, it is one that I really enjoy. We will be going to a low income apartment complex and feeding lunch to the kids there. Most of these kids would probably be on the free lunch program at school during the school year, and of course during summer, don't have that option.
Today, we handed out about 130 lunch sacks, filled with sandwiches, food, a small toy, and a gospel tract. We also get to interact with the kids and some of their parents. It is a lot of fun and a great way to do great commission work.
Matthew 25:31-40
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Look for some videos coming up.
Today, we handed out about 130 lunch sacks, filled with sandwiches, food, a small toy, and a gospel tract. We also get to interact with the kids and some of their parents. It is a lot of fun and a great way to do great commission work.
Matthew 25:31-40
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Look for some videos coming up.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cooperation Makes a Difference
First Baptist Church of Southlake is a Southern Baptist Church. That simply means that we have aligned in basic agreement with thousands of other like minded churches to pool our resources to advance the cause of Christ via the Great Commission.
As a part of that cooperation we are also aligned with the smaller Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. This is a cooperative of churches in Texas that have joined together to support the Southern Baptist Convention.
If you are new to this, here is how it looks. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the overarching international group. It is the large umbrella. The Southern Bapist of Texas (SBTC) is a smaller umbrella to support the SBC. BUT,(this is important), it is an inverted hierarchical structure. The power of the convention does not sit at the top, but the bottom. The convention exists at the behest and direction of each local church. That means, small, little FBC Southlake is part boss of the SBC and SBTC. They don't give us orders, we give them orders.
Each state has at least one, sometimes more, state conventions that cooperate with the SBC in many ways. In my biased (but accurate) opinion, the SBTC is the best state convention. We belong to this great organization. When the economic crisis hit last year one of the negative impact was on missions of the SBC. The board did not have to lay off any missionaries, but it did have to halt processing and sending out more. This week at the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention gave a check to the mission board for $100,000. This is to fund the sending out of new missionaries. That is an amazing act of faith and commitment to the Great Commission. My church was a part of that. Through our giving we helped fund missionaries who would not have been able to go to the mission field otherwise.
That's not all. The way the dollar moves from church to missionaries happens differently in each state. When someone gives money to our church, a portion of that is forward onto our state convention, the SBTC. The SBTC gathers our money, and every other church that chooses to participate. Then the SBTC forwards an amazing 54% of all that money to the international SBC. The SBC then allocates those funds mainly for missions at home and abroad. That 54% is what is remarkable. There is another state convention in Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) it only forwards about %20 (last I heard) to the SBC. The rest it keeps because it has to pay for its bloated, beaurocratic entities. That is pitiful! The SBTC has been committed to minimal beaurocratic expenses to keep missions at the forefront. I am thankful to be a part of the SBTC.
Click to go to the Southern Baptist of Texas website.
Click to go to the Southern Baptist website.
As a part of that cooperation we are also aligned with the smaller Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. This is a cooperative of churches in Texas that have joined together to support the Southern Baptist Convention.
If you are new to this, here is how it looks. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the overarching international group. It is the large umbrella. The Southern Bapist of Texas (SBTC) is a smaller umbrella to support the SBC. BUT,(this is important), it is an inverted hierarchical structure. The power of the convention does not sit at the top, but the bottom. The convention exists at the behest and direction of each local church. That means, small, little FBC Southlake is part boss of the SBC and SBTC. They don't give us orders, we give them orders.
Each state has at least one, sometimes more, state conventions that cooperate with the SBC in many ways. In my biased (but accurate) opinion, the SBTC is the best state convention. We belong to this great organization. When the economic crisis hit last year one of the negative impact was on missions of the SBC. The board did not have to lay off any missionaries, but it did have to halt processing and sending out more. This week at the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention gave a check to the mission board for $100,000. This is to fund the sending out of new missionaries. That is an amazing act of faith and commitment to the Great Commission. My church was a part of that. Through our giving we helped fund missionaries who would not have been able to go to the mission field otherwise.
That's not all. The way the dollar moves from church to missionaries happens differently in each state. When someone gives money to our church, a portion of that is forward onto our state convention, the SBTC. The SBTC gathers our money, and every other church that chooses to participate. Then the SBTC forwards an amazing 54% of all that money to the international SBC. The SBC then allocates those funds mainly for missions at home and abroad. That 54% is what is remarkable. There is another state convention in Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) it only forwards about %20 (last I heard) to the SBC. The rest it keeps because it has to pay for its bloated, beaurocratic entities. That is pitiful! The SBTC has been committed to minimal beaurocratic expenses to keep missions at the forefront. I am thankful to be a part of the SBTC.
Click to go to the Southern Baptist of Texas website.
Click to go to the Southern Baptist website.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Southern Baptist Convention 2009
This week is the annual convention of the Southern Baptist Convention. There always seems to be a lot of negative press about us Baptists (sometimes deservedly so). I would like to highlight a couple of positives.
The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest elective gathering in the world.
In the aftermath of hurricanes Gustav and Ike Southern Baptists provided 3.7 million meals in the first 30 days.
In the days, months, and years after the tsunami in the Pacific Rim Southern Baptists have help construct dozens of orphanages.
Before the convention starts every year the Southern Baptist’s organize a coordinated effort to do ministry and evangelism in the city that is hosting the convention. This year 107 churches, 3000 people joined together in Louisville, Kentucky. 1012 people placed their faith in Christ as a result.
The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry is the third largest in the USA, only behind Red Cross and United Way.
The great thing for First Baptist Southlake is that we were a part of all that. The money that is used to fund all of those fantastic ministries, and even more that weren’t mentioned yet, comes from churches like ours all across the world. A portion of the money that people give to our church is sent to the Southern Baptist Convention. This is called the “Cooperative Program”. This is a great, God directed strategy for mutual participation in the Great Commission.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
VBS Rocks
What a great week we had at vacation bible school! I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to minister and share the gospel with those kids. The most important message that anyone will ever hear or learn is the gospel. Everyone who was at VBS heard that message more than once.
On top of that, we had a blast!From the games, songs, and of course, The Big Kahuna Waterslide -- what a fun time! I heard some kids ask if we were doing it all again next week. For the sake of all the adults who did such an awesome job, we are not doing it again next week. We need the break. But, we need to be ever mindful of opportunities to share Christ with those around us. We are never on break from that.
On top of that, we had a blast!From the games, songs, and of course, The Big Kahuna Waterslide -- what a fun time! I heard some kids ask if we were doing it all again next week. For the sake of all the adults who did such an awesome job, we are not doing it again next week. We need the break. But, we need to be ever mindful of opportunities to share Christ with those around us. We are never on break from that.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
VBS Preview #1
Vacation Bible School -- June 15-19th
6-8 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Southlake
go here for more info. VBS FIRST BAPTIST
6-8 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Southlake
go here for more info. VBS FIRST BAPTIST
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Sexually Exploited
You would think that in our sex saturated society here in the US that I would not be so naive to that in Estonia. But, I was.
One of the foci of the week was for the sexually exploited in Estonia. AIDS is rampant. Prostitution is legal. Human trafficking is real.
We prayed for those caught in these sins. While most people could care less about the lives of these women, Jesus cares greatly. We should too. Jesus was a noted friend of prostitutes. He can redeem them from the awful situation they are trapped in.
Please pray for those ravaged by these sexual sins. Pray for the ministry that the Thompsons have to that community.
One of the foci of the week was for the sexually exploited in Estonia. AIDS is rampant. Prostitution is legal. Human trafficking is real.
We prayed for those caught in these sins. While most people could care less about the lives of these women, Jesus cares greatly. We should too. Jesus was a noted friend of prostitutes. He can redeem them from the awful situation they are trapped in.
Please pray for those ravaged by these sexual sins. Pray for the ministry that the Thompsons have to that community.
Seeds Sown
The seed of the gospel was sown last week. I pray that those seeds might land on fertile soil and that the Lord will harvest those souls for His glory.
I pray for the Finnish lady who heard the gospel on the plane.
I pray for the hundreds of tracts that were passed out by the team.
I pray for the teenage boys that heard the good news of Jesus.
I pray for the Australian tourist who heard how to find forgiveness in Christ.
I pray for those trapped in situations and sins, like prostitution, to be set free in Christ.
I pray for the thousands that heard the gospel at the Franklin Graham event.
I pray for the hundreds that responded to the call of repentance and faith.
I pray for the drunk college student who heard the gospel.
Lord, continue your work in their lives.
I pray for the Finnish lady who heard the gospel on the plane.
I pray for the hundreds of tracts that were passed out by the team.
I pray for the teenage boys that heard the good news of Jesus.
I pray for the Australian tourist who heard how to find forgiveness in Christ.
I pray for those trapped in situations and sins, like prostitution, to be set free in Christ.
I pray for the thousands that heard the gospel at the Franklin Graham event.
I pray for the hundreds that responded to the call of repentance and faith.
I pray for the drunk college student who heard the gospel.
Lord, continue your work in their lives.
Life Change Estonia
My prayer for the people of Estonia is that they might have the life changing privelege of knowing Jesus as Lord. As I was there last week working and praying to that end, my life was changed.
As I have mentioned before, one of the reasons I love missions is because of how the Lord uses it in my own life. I was challenged to rely upon the Lord, to seek Him diligently, and to pray fervently. The end result was that I felt like the Lord did a great work in my own life. I hope that lives were changed in Estonia. I know that mine was.
Taking steps of faith are never easy. It isn't easy to put yourself out there and share Christ with a friend or stranger. It is not easy to be devoted to intense times of prayer. It isn't easy to leave your home for a week and go somewhere half way across the globe. But, I have never regretted take a step that forces me to rely even more upon the Lord. You should give it a try. It will do wonders for your faith and walk with Christ.
As I have mentioned before, one of the reasons I love missions is because of how the Lord uses it in my own life. I was challenged to rely upon the Lord, to seek Him diligently, and to pray fervently. The end result was that I felt like the Lord did a great work in my own life. I hope that lives were changed in Estonia. I know that mine was.
Taking steps of faith are never easy. It isn't easy to put yourself out there and share Christ with a friend or stranger. It is not easy to be devoted to intense times of prayer. It isn't easy to leave your home for a week and go somewhere half way across the globe. But, I have never regretted take a step that forces me to rely even more upon the Lord. You should give it a try. It will do wonders for your faith and walk with Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)