Finishing 2020 Strong

     It can be safely said that 2020 has been unlike any year in recent history. The year began with a presidential impeachment which was followed by a global pandemic which (to date) has taken over 250,000 lives in the United States alone. As a result of the coronavirus businesses across the country have closed and millions are out of work. The summer was marked by racial tensions, riots and nationwide protests. A record-breaking hurricane season which saw 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the United States. 2020 will stand as a pivotal year in history. While life will eventually return to some sense of normal, it will never be the same.

It is during times like this that Christians need to return to that old hymn:

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

     The darker the days, the more we need to focus on Jesus. The God who created the universe is still greater than anything that may occur in that universe. While 2020 may have been unlike anything we have ever seen, God knew from the beginning of time that this year would happen, and He was not surprised. He still holds all of creation safely in His hands.

     It might be tempting to start looking forward to 2021, but that would overlook the celebration of one of the most significant moments in history – the day God became flesh. The birth of our Savior.

     As troubling as the events of 2020 have been, mankind had a much greater problem – sin. Because of our sin, we were separated from God and condemned. In His mercy and grace, He provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. He gave us the gift of salvation – His Son. If He can conquer our sin, there is nothing that has happened this year that has shaken Him.

     As 2020 draws to a close let us choose to turn our eyes towards Jesus. Let us follow the light of the star to our Savior. The events of 2020 will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

In His Service,

Election Perspective

For the better part of two years we have been being told that this presidential election is the most important election in the history of America.  It’s a statement that has been made about a number of presidential elections in recent years.  Even a cursory survey of U.S. history would show that statement to be a bit of an exaggeration.  One thing that can be said is that this is the most important presidential election – since the last one and until the next one.

Over the last 231 years the United States has been governed by 45 different presidents.  They have represented a variety of political parties, including Democrat, Federalist, Republican and Whig.  Some have been admirable men who led the country with honor and dignity, others have not.  Some have made the country more prosperous, others have not.

While America has had dozens of presidents, it has had only one King.  It has had only one Savior, it has had only one Lord.  That is Jesus.  Before any of those running for the highest office in the land were born, Jesus was Lord.  Before Adams, Jefferson and Hancock put their names on any document, Jesus was on His throne.  Before the foundation of the world, Jesus was. (1Pet. 1:20)

This is not to say that this election isn’t important, but maybe we need a little perspective.  Eternity is not hanging in the balance.  We need to remember, regardless of who is inaugurated president on January 20, 2021, Jesus will still be King.

Followers of Christ must keep their eyes fixed on Him and not become consumed with temporal matters.  Paul reminds us, “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.” (2 Tim. 2:4) Governments will come and governments will go, yet our mission will remain the same.  We are called to glorify our Creator, to promote His kingdom and proclaim His Gospel.

The best any president can do is make our lives on this planet a little better, they cannot reconcile us to God.  They cannot save us from our sins. Only Jesus can do that.  Is this election important – sure, but not more important than Calvary.

In His Service,

"Mission-Minded" vs. "Missions-Minded"

Over the years it has become popular in evangelical churches to speak of being on mission or being mission minded.  We work hard to incorporate the word “mission” into our purpose statements, our slogans and a few creative congregations have worked it into their church name.  We have mission pastors, mission committees, take mission trips, and participate in mission projects.  This leads me to the question, “Are we really mission-minded or are we just missions-minded?”  Before we answer this question, we need to answer another one, “What’s the difference?”

In Planting Missional Churches Ed Stetzer (B&H Publishing, 2016) defines the terms like this.  Mission defines the goal or purpose.  It refers to the work God has been purposing and accomplishing throughout eternity.  It is the reason for which the church was sent into the world.  Missions relates to the intentional activities in which the church is engaged to create a Christian presence where none exists.  In other words, missions are the actions undertaken to accomplish the mission.

The be mission-minded is to be focused on the mission of God (Missio Dei), which is the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is the driving force of the church.  All projects and activities are planned, executed, and evaluated in light of this mission.  Being missions-minded is very similar in that the Missio Dei is often the primary focus of the projects and activities undertaken by the church, but there is a difference.

Missions-minded churches are engaged in missional pursuits like mission trips, local mission projects and financial support of missionary efforts.  These endeavors are developed for the purpose of promoting the Gospel.  The difference between the two is in how these activities are evaluated.  Missions-minded churches determine success by how well a project or activity is executed; mission-minded churches determine success by how those activities or projects further the mission of God.

Over the years we have been involved in a wide variety of mission project and trips. We’ve done construction, food banks, debris removal, summer camps, yard work, and after-school tutoring, just to name a few.  If the tasks were completed or the objectives achieved, it was considered a success.  Even if we couldn’t see how it furthered God’s mission we would say, “at least we planted seeds.”  While planting seeds is certainly important, it may have become a way to deflect attention from the fact that we are more focused on the activity than the mission.

In the end, the tasks we’ve done, the activities in which we have engaged and the projects we’ve completed won’t matter.  What will matter is how they’ve furthered the mission of God.  Success will be counted in changed lives, not deeds done.  It will be measured by people surrendering to the lordship of Jesus Christ and growing in their relationship with Him.  We can be busy in missions and completely miss the mission.  If the church is going to be truly mission-minded we must keep our minds on the mission.

In His Service,

What Do We See?

It was a Tuesday morning. Eric was off to school and Ronda was already at work. I had just dropped Ryan off at day care and returned to the apartment to get ready for class. When I turned on the TV, I saw the first tower burning. No one really knew what was happening at that moment. When another plane hit the second tower, it became horrifically clear that America was under attack. Before long it was reported that a third plane had hit the pentagon and that a plane had been taken down by heroic passengers to prevent a fourth attack.

For over two hours I watched as these events unfolded and heard dozens of confused journalists and civic leaders trying to get a handle on the moment. Those narrating the moment were obviously overwhelmed with fear, grief, and uncertainty.

When I arrived at class later that morning all conversations were focused on the unfolding tragedy; however, the tone was entirely different. Fear had been overcome by conviction; grief, with prayer, and uncertainty with the assurance that Jesus was still on His throne. While acknowledging the tragedy, they saw the need and the opportunity to exalt Christ. Over the following weeks, months and years tens of thousands of Christians would journey to New York to minister to that city in the name of Jesus.

Today, we are confronted with another unprecedented moment in the history of our country. We are facing global pandemic that has taken the lives of 130,000 in this country and over 500,000 worldwide. In addition, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests for racial justice across the country; a number of which have turned violent.

The question for Christians is, “How do we see this moment?” Do we see it as a time for fear, grief, and uncertainty or do we see it as a time to glorify God? Do we see this as a time to overcome fear with the conviction of faith; a time to ease grief with prayer and demonstrate the assurance that even now, Christ reigns?

How we see the moment determines how we respond to it. If we see it with fear, we will likely respond with anger. If we see it with faith, we will see the opportunity to proclaim our Savior and promote His kingdom. We will see it as a time to overcome hate with love. We will see it as a time to show the world that Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life. 

This is truly a moment for Christians to engage this world with the Gospel of Christ. Will we see it before it is too late?

In His Service,

AFBC COVID-19 UPDATE

If you have watched the news anytime at all over the last few weeks, you are familiar with the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus)

that is spreading around the world.  Today, (March 11^th) the World Health Organization officially labeled the outbreak of this disease as a global pandemic.  Also, in a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated that this virus is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu.  That being said, leading epidemiologist agree that the vast majority of people who are infected will recover and many will only experience minor symptoms.  Those at highest risk are the elderly and those with compromised immune or respiratory systems.

At Albany First Baptist we are monitoring the situation daily and will take whatever steps deemed necessary to ensure the health and safety of our members, visitors and the community.  As of today, we have not altered our regularly scheduled meetings, nor have we deemed it necessary to cancel any of our specially scheduled Easter events.  We encourage everyone to follow the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation of thorough and frequent hand washing as well as the regular use of hand sanitizer.  If you are feeling sick, please stay home and contact your health care provider.

Above all, remember our God is greater than any virus.  As Christians, we should respond to this moment with prayer, not panic.  We should also avoid getting involved in any of the political rhetoric and finger-pointing that has arisen with this event.  Now is the time when the grace of Christ should shine brightest through us.  While the number of deaths from this pandemic is relatively low, each death represents a family that is grieving the loss of a loved one.  They need to know that even in their darkest moments, the love of Christ is able to comfort them; they need our prayers.  For two thousand years, faithful Christians have responded to tragedy with love and compassion.  This is our time to follow their example.

As previously stated, we are monitoring the situation daily and will respond as conditions warrant.  We will do our best to communicate changes as they arise.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

In His Service,

Christian Conviction

            A while back I overheard a conversation that a small group of people were having about church.  Like most church conversations each person was saying what they liked about their church sprinkled in with their experiences from other churches.  Since I was occupied with my book at the time I really didn’t catch most of the conversation until one of the ladies made a statement that perplexed me to the point that I could no longer concentrate on my reading.  She said rather casually, “my husband was Catholic and I was Baptist so when we got married we started attending a Methodist church.”  While I was still staring at the pages in front of me, my mind was overwhelmed with the poignancy of the statement.

                                    

            Now there are a couple of ways that this statement could be interpreted.  The first is that both the woman and her husband had profound spiritual experiences in which the Spirit of God revealed to them the error of their ways and showed them the truth of a new doctrine.  She no longer believed Baptist distinctives like, autonomy of the local church, the inerrancy of Scripture and the eternal security of the saints.  He abandoned his belief in the divine inspiration of the apocryphal books, the veneration of Mary and the primacy of the pope.  I have to believe that it would take an incredibly profound, life changing moment to create such a radical redirection of the fundamental principles of their faith and lives.

            The other alternative is that their faith was really not that important in how they lived their lives, nor was it fundamental to their identities.  The truth is, for many people Christ is not foundation to their lives, He is a component of their lives.  Therefore what they believe about Him is not as critical, and the decision to join a fellowship is based more on style, friendliness and programs than doctrine, conviction and obedience.  Of course this is nothing new or even unusual today.  Over the years I have met more than a few people who have repeatedly switched between different religions with very little effort.  I know a woman who was once a Mormon, converted to Islam and today professes to be Catholic. 

            Modern Americans (even in the church) have embraced the belief that life directing, foundational truth does not exist.  The only truth seems to be that there is no real truth.  I believe that all of this is a result of decades of us trying to “sell church.”  How often have we tried to entice others to attend church by emphasizing what’s in it for them?  We talk about our close-knit fellowship and sense of community; we sing the praises of our wonderful music and present an impressive list of programs for the whole family.  Who wouldn’t want to join us?  This is not to say that these things are not dear to us, but they are characteristics of the church-not the foundation on which it is built.  What has gotten lost is the fact that the only way any church can have a close-knit fellowship is if they are united in Christ; what makes the music joyful is the forgiveness found in the cross and apart from the true identity of Jesus our programs are meaningless.

            What we truly seem to be missing today, particularly in the church, is the idea of conviction.  Not in the sense of a guilty verdict but in the sense of certainty of belief; conviction that serves as the foundation on which life decisions are made.  Just imagine what the church would look like if we began making decisions and acting as if we were certain of the truths taught in Scripture.  Imagine the strength and integrity that the church would display if we were unwilling to compromise on the eternal truths revealed in God’s Word.  Jesus called us to be lights in the world.  We know He is the source of the light, but it is our conviction, our devotion to that truth that determines how brightly His light shines through us.

In His Service,