The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-03/06/2014 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Students encounter Gospel in Quebec by Adam Miller Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: The annual Week of Prayer for North American Missions, March 2-9, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering provide support for missionaries who serve on behalf of Southern Baptists across North America. With a goal of $70 million, this year's offering theme is "Firmly Planted." For more information, visit AnnieArmstrong.com. LENNOXVILLE, Quebec, Canada (BP) -- Canadians easily dismiss Christianity, especially in Quebec. The history of mistrust is woven deep within the fabric of Québécois culture, a culture that's decidedly Catholic and, at the same time, increasingly secular. But Lucas Aube in Lennoxville, Quebec, has worked to make rejecting Christ a greater challenge than ever among the thousands of students of Bishop's University and Champlain College. It hasn't been easy.
The immediate response many give to Christian outreach has been one of disdain, skepticism and even, as Aube has experienced, disgust at the crazy religious people. Intentionally engaging people in ways that destroy stereotypes is changing that perspective. "We are living as the hands and feet of Jesus on a weekly basis," said Aube, who is planting Encounter Church with a goal of having a self-sustaining church that reaches students and the families in the surrounding communities. Aube is one of six missionaries featured this year in the North American Mission Board's 2014 promotion of the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The church plant he pastors is part of NAMB's effort to help Southern Baptists start 15,000 new churches in 10 years. Half of NAMB's financial support comes from the Annie offering. Aube and his leaders train members to share their stories and to talk of faith in Christ as a journey and a process. "When you talk to them in these ways they see you as at least an option on part of their journey instead of something to avoid at all costs," Aube said. "They expect Christians to be nasty and terrible to them," Aube said. "They're blown away with the love and hospitality that we are showing them. The barriers seem to be coming down. They're like, 'Wow. We can't believe you guys are Christians. You're so nice.' They're blown away that Christians are there in a way that has no strings attached." Aube is quick to point out how crucial partnerships with other churches have made his ministry possible. A team from First Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, learned of Encounter on a mission trip to Quebec, and the church has been part of the ministry ever since. First Baptist Midland has been integral to Encounter's continued growth and vital for weekly outreach efforts -- efforts that require significant resources. "Without them we would not be able to continue the work we have here," said Aube, who says FBC Midland helps provide the food that goes into weekly meals to several hundred students. Hospitality along with Tuesday night home cooked meals for about 300 students have provided the primary opportunities for students to emerge from atheism, agnosticism or some other belief into belief in the Gospel. "These opportunities really take a lot of time and energy and sometimes you feel like it's going nowhere," said Aube. "But over time we've seen people experience radical transformation." Aube says that students actually look forward to hanging out with the people of Encounter. Chances are that before university, going to church for a meal was the last thing on their list. "The students love it," says Aube. "Because that trust relationship is there we've been able to go deeper in conversation. On Tuesday nights, for example, they say, 'We're going to church to have a meal.' That's their language. We've never used that language with them." Aube says that in a lot of ways the work of reaching students in Quebec often boils down to working hard to remove every barrier, but then working hard to get out of the way to watch the Gospel bring people to life. "At its very core the Gospel is offensive," Aube says. "We aren't supposed to add to that offense. We are supposed to seek and create opportunities for the Gospel to do the work." To view a video on Lucas Aube's work and learn more about his ministry, visit www.anniearmstrong.com. -30- Adam Miller writes for the North American Mission Board. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Criswell's preaching honored by seminaries by Erin Roach Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday DALLAS (BP) -- W.A. Criswell's noted expository preaching is being honored in academic chairs at four Southern Baptist seminaries to model for new generations the verse-by-verse teaching that led thousands to Christ during his lifetime. The W.A. Criswell chair for expository preaching was installed at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in January and was established at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary last fall. Two more chairs, at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, have not been formally announced. At Southeastern, Jim Shaddix, professor of preaching and a teaching pastor at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., was installed in the new chair. Jack Pogue, a close friend of Criswell's and chairman of the W.A. Criswell Foundation, is establishing the academic chairs. The foundation's aim, Pogue said, is to be involved in winning people to Christ through preparing pastors, missionaries, church workers and laypeople to lead people to Jesus. Pogue, a Dallas commercial real estate broker, told Baptist Press the word "expository" is the key component of the academic chairs in Criswell's honor. As Criswell, who helped return the Southern Baptist Convention to its conservative roots and died in 2002, traveled the country preaching, pastors would ask him, "How do you know what you're going to preach on next Sunday?" Pogue said. "We wake up on Monday morning and have no idea what we're going to preach on." Criswell's reply, Pogue said, would always be the same: "It's very easy. I'm an expository preacher, so I start at the first passage in a book of the Bible, and I preach verse by verse all the way through that book. So I don't have to worry what to preach the next Sunday. I just preach on the next verse from where I ended my previous sermon." Pogue said of Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas for 50 years, "He preached through the entire Bible one time. It took him 17 years and eight months. He started at the first verse of the Book of Genesis, and he preached verse by verse by verse by verse all the way through the Bible. "Dr. Criswell said, 'Where I would leave off Sunday morning, I would start at the next verse on Sunday night. Where I would leave off Sunday night, I would start at the next verse the next Sunday morning. I never have to worry about what I'm going to preach the next Sunday. It will be just the next verse.'" "After he got through preaching through the Bible, he'd start at different books in the Bible, and he would preach verse by verse all the way through that book," Pogue said. "He said these young pastors worry about what they're going to preach, but if they do expository preaching, they don't have to worry about what they're going to preach. They just preach the next verse from where they ended the previous sermon. I think it's a great lesson for young preachers." In announcing the expository preaching chair at Southeastern during the seminary's spring convocation, President Daniel Akin said Pogue "is a dear friend and a wonderful brother. I thank God for how he has been used in our Lord's work." Criswell and Pogue had "a father-son relationship," Akin said, "and Jack has done a tremendous job in honoring and perpetuating the legacy of Criswell." "If not for men like Dr. Criswell, you would not be here today," Akin told the convocation. The announcement of the chairs at Southeastern and Southern was accompanied by a video of Criswell's sermon "Whether We Live or Die," delivered in 1985 at the Pastors' Conference preceding the SBC annual meeting in Dallas during the Conservative Resurgence. Shaddix, who now occupies the sixth SEBTS chair installed in the past 10 years, said, "I was there in 1985 as a seminary student when Dr. Criswell gave this address. It opened my eyes to become aware of what was going on and the need to stand on God's Word and preach it faithfully with integrity." Being named to the chair, Shaddix said, "is the greatest honor, encouragement and affirmation in my life in ministry." Criswell's 1985 sermon highlighted "the promise of renaissance, resurrection and revival" in Christ versus the "pattern of death for a denomination, the pattern of death for an institution, the pattern of death for a preacher and a professor" in theological liberalism. Criswell also encouraged the audience to "never turn aside from [God's] great high calling to preach the whole counsel of God, warn men of their sins and the judgment of God upon them, baptize their converts in the name of the triune Lord, and build up the congregation in the love and wisdom of Christ Jesus." He added, "Just keep on winning souls to Jesus!" Pogue established the first academic post in Criswell's honor nearly two decades ago at the Criswell College he founded in Dallas, naming it the W.A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. Pogue is the "custodian" of the Criswell legacy that has benefited thousands of ministerial students, said Susie Hawkins, a former Criswell College trustee. "As one of those, I am eternally grateful for Jack's love for the Word and how he so generously has given of his time and resources to expand the extraordinary teaching/preaching ministry of Dr. Criswell." --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Criswell's sermons answered his questions by Erin Roach Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday DALLAS (BP) -- Jack Pogue grew up in a liberal Protestant church where "I never heard an altar call, I never heard an invitation, I never heard how to be saved." Pogue, a Dallas real estate broker -- recounting what led to his close friendship with the legendary preacher W.A. Criswell -- said he had stopped going to church but later became acquainted with "an old cattleman down in East Texas" who challenged him to start going to church again, to pray and to read the Bible. "I started reading the Bible and came to church here in Dallas," Pogue said. "The church I was in was very liberal, but I had started reading the Bible, and I never missed a day. As I read that Bible, I wanted to be in a church where the pastor preached from the Bible, not on the social issues of the day, not why alcoholics are alcoholics, not how bad the government was. "I wanted to learn what God said. I just wanted to be in a church where the preacher was preaching from the Bible because he could preach from any verse and it would help me," Pogue said. One of Pogue's friends at the time, Jim Ray Smith, was a deacon at First Baptist Church in Dallas, where Criswell was pastor for a half-century. Whenever Smith came by his office, Pogue would ask about Bible passages he was finding difficult or hard to understand. "I said, 'What does it mean in the Bible when it says this?' I had read it that morning, and Jim Ray would always say, 'Well, Dr. Criswell says it means this. Dr. Criswell says it means that.' It went on day after day. "Finally, one day I said to Jim Ray, 'Who is Dr. Criswell?' I didn't know who he was. And he said, 'He's the pastor of the First Baptist Church, and you ought to come and hear him preach someday.' "So one day I decided if I'm ever going to learn what God means in the Bible, I've got to get in a church where the preacher is preaching from the Word of God," Pogue said. "So one Sunday without telling anybody, I went to the First Baptist Church." When Criswell got up to preach, he said, as Pogue recalled, "'Before I preach my sermon, I want to say something. I have been your pastor for 30 years' -- or 35 or whatever number of years it was -- 'and every sermon I've ever preached has been from the pages of this holy book.' "Then he held up that Bible and he said, 'I promise you as long as I am your pastor, every sermon I will ever preach will be from the pages of this Holy Bible,'" Pogue said. "And when he said that, the Lord spoke in my heart that 'This is where I want you. I want you in this church under this pastor.'" Criswell enlisted Pogue as a church member to help negotiate some real estate deals for the church as it grew, and the two developed a friendship. Criswell lived with Pogue most of the last four years of his life and died in Pogue's house. "I happen to think that Dr. Criswell is the greatest preacher who ever lived," Pogue said. "From the time he was a little boy of 9 years of age until he died at 92 years of age, he had his eyes on Jesus, on the cross, and on lost souls. His last words, coming momentarily out of a coma were, 'Oh, are you here for the revival?' As sick as he was and as close to death as he was and as medicated as he was, he still had his eyes on Jesus, on the cross and on lost people. He went to be with Jesus two days later." Because Pogue knows that millions of people are like he was, not knowing how to be saved, he established the W.A. Criswell Foundation and its W.A. Criswell Sermon Library, an online collection of more than 4,000 of Criswell's sermons in audio and video form. Also available are transcripts and handwritten notes corresponding to the sermons. The sermon library can be accessed, free of charge, at wacriswell.com. The foundation also is in the process of establishing W.A. Criswell chairs for expository preaching at four Southern Baptist seminaries. Criswell, who lived from 1909 to 2002, was a former president of the SBC and patriarch of the Conservative Resurgence. He preached more than 5,000 sermons at First Baptist and founded Criswell College there. Criswell held a doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and published 54 books. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore, others urge religious liberty promotion by Tom Strode Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's lead advocate for religious freedom has called on two conservative Republican senators to permit a vote on legislation designed to protect adherents of minority faiths in such countries as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria. Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and Richard Pates of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asked Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Lee of Utah in a March 4 letter to lift their hold on a bill that would authorize presidential appointment of a special envoy to promote religious freedom in the Near East and South Central Asia. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed similar legislation in September with a 402-22 roll call, but the hold placed reportedly by Coburn and Lee has prevented the opportunity for a floor vote on the Senate version under the chamber's rules. The appeal to the senators came less than a week after another joint letter endorsed by Moore urged President Obama to promote religious liberty internationally and protect it domestically. The special envoy to be established by the Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act, S. 653, is needed "to focus on the dire situation affecting religious minorities, especially Christians who are the group most targeted for harassment and attacks in the largest number of countries," Moore and Pates said in their letter. Christians and adherents of other religious faiths increasingly are targets of repression and violence in countries in both the Near East -- also known as the Middle East -- and South Central Asia. The existence of entire religious movements is threatened in some areas –- most notably Egypt and Iraq. In their letter, Moore and Pates -- who is chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace -- pointed to the civil war in Syria as an example of assaults in the Near East on religious adherents. More than eight million Syrians, many of them Christians, "are caught in the cross-fire between the government and opposition forces, and have fled their homes, becoming internally displaced or flooding into neighboring countries," they told Coburn and Lee. Other attacks in recent years on religious minorities cited by Moore and Pates were the destruction of Coptic churches in Egypt and the targeting of Christian villages by Hindu extremists in India. "In many instances, religious minorities have lived for centuries side by side with those of other faiths, but now find themselves coming under increased attack and harassment," they wrote. Among his duties, a special envoy would monitor religious freedom conditions in the regions and recommend responses by Washington to violations of religious rights. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee easily approved the proposal in December. Sen. Roy Bount, R.-Mo., is the sponsor of the bill, which has 22 cosponsors. Coburn refuses to support the bill because he considers it unnecessary, he told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a February 2013 letter. He said the special envoy position duplicates that of the ambassador at large for international religious freedom, according to the letter provided by Coburn’s staff. “[T]he creation of this duplicative position will ultimately do nothing to hold the [Obama] Administration accountable for its continued failure to fulfill the legal mission established under [the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act] and our moral obligations to support freedom for religious minorities worldwide, as the bill’s supporters intend,” Coburn wrote. Instead of passing another bill, Congress should hold the administration and State Department “directly accountable for their failure,” he said. Baptist Press requested comments from Lee’s office, but none were received before the deadline for this article. One difference in the House and Senate versions of the proposal is the House bill mandates the special envoy will prioritize activities in the countries of Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. In 2011, the House passed a bill that was similar to the one it approved in September, but the Senate failed to vote on that legislation. The Obama administration's State Department led opposition to the measure in 2011, said the House bill's sponsor, Rep. Frank Wolf, R.-Va. The ERLC's Moore joined nine others in a Feb. 26 letter to Obama thanking him for his advocacy of religious liberty overseas in his Feb. 6 remarks at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. They applauded his words of support for imprisoned Christians Saeed Abedini in Iran and Kenneth Bae in North Korea, as well as his promise to appoint soon an ambassador at large for international religious freedom. They also urged the president to guard religious liberty in the United States. "Some Americans are concerned that your administration's domestic policies do not fully protect the religious convictions of all our citizens," they said in the letter. "Your leadership abroad will be strongest as you point to the robust religious freedom protection that is provided even to those who may be critics of your administration." Among their complaints, religious liberty advocates have been especially dismayed by the Obama administration's refusal to reverse its abortion/contraception mandate or provide adequate conscience protections as part of the regulation. The mandate, which is part of the implementation of the 2010 health-care law, requires employers to provide contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs for their workers. The letter signers included Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington; and Dwayne Leslie, director of legislative affairs for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Egypt's Christians hope for peace amid quiet by Ava Thomas Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday CAIRO, Egypt (BP) -- When Egypt's government abruptly stepped down Feb. 24, the action made only small ripples in a nation now accustomed to major political upheaval. Army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is now expected to run for president in the coming election, quietly resigned from power, and new prime minister Ibrahim Mehlib stepped in, reinstating Sisi as defense minister. The quiet change mirrored Christians' cautious hope for the future -- that they might trade the revolutionary change promised by the Arab Spring for the peaceful lives they lived before, said Courtney Dobson,* a Baptist worker who serves in the area. "As the Arab Spring revolution started in 2011, Christians were hopeful that a new day of freedom was dawning," Dobson said. At that time, Egyptians spilled out of mosques and churches alike to rally around issues transcending religious barriers -- jobs and food. Christians were "guardedly optimistic" that the change would bring freer lives and pave the way to share the Gospel more openly, one Christian worker said. But after the nearly 30-year regime of President Hosni Mubarak fell, things took a different turn. A narrow majority elected Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi president in 2012, and he "began to gather to himself unrestricted power," Michael H. Edens, professor of theology and Islamic studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in a column for Baptist Press. Morsi "hurriedly formed a constitutional revision committee devoid of non-Islamist input and drafted a pro-Islamic constitution." He also tightened his grip on things like freedom of expression, and by the end of June last year, many realized Morsi was destined to become another dictator, Edens said. Protestors worked themselves back into a frenzy, and after tremendous bloodshed, Morsi was forced out July 3 by military force headed up by Sisi. The public cheered. But Christians faced an escalating battle -- open attacks on Christians and churches. The violence, touted as revenge on Christians for ousting a Muslim Brotherhood leader, saw more than 75 churches across the country attacked, looted, burned or destroyed by the end of the week that Morsi was removed from power. The attacks continued into August, with Beni Mazar Baptist Church in Minya and other churches set on fire Aug. 14. Without God, "it is still dark" in Egypt, said Mounir Malaty, pastor of another Baptist Church in Egypt and a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. "Pray for us as a church that we will be like salt in the community and try to wake people up to come to Christ," Malaty said. "This is the time for our sister churches outside of Egypt to pray for us. This is our time. This is our chance." Pastors across the country asked for urgent prayer for peace, and slowly things have settled down. Dobson said the fragile calm is reminiscent of the old days for Christians. Many hope the quiet step-down of Sisi -- which many say sets him up to run for president in the next election -- is an indicator that peace and stability are on the horizon. "Three years on [from the start of the Arab Spring], people seem to be resigned to resuming their old patterns of life and maybe even hopeful to return to a more predictable response from those who oppose them," she said. Dobson said she has seen an uptick in the number of Christians determined to share their faith regardless of the circumstances. "Christians in the West can pray that believers here would be willing to take risks to share their faith," she said. "Pray that the Christian community here will be marked by love, especially when they face hostility. Pray that Egypt would become a place where people are free to choose their own beliefs without facing persecution for doing so." --30-- *Name changed. Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for the International Mission Board based in Europe. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: What good is Christian apologetics? by Rob Phillips Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Apologetics simply is a reasonable defense of the Christian faith. The word is derived from the Greek noun apologia and means "a defense." Apologia and its verb form apologeomai are used nearly 20 times in the New Testament, often in the classic legal sense, but more importantly to describe the call of God to all believers to defend the Christian faith with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). But how is sound doctrine applied practically? Put another way, what good is Christian apologetics? Apologetics has at least four practical applications. We may use apologetics to: Build There is a positive case to be made for Christianity, and apologetics helps us get there. The Bible, history, archaeology and other sources help establish that a real person named Jesus burst onto the scene 2,000 years ago. He claimed deity, performed miracles, spoke the truth, modeled compassion, died on a Roman cross, was buried and rose physically on the third day. His coming to earth was the most important event in human history. Further, apologetics helps us know who God is; who we are; why there is purpose in life; how we can be restored to a right relationship with our Creator; why we can face death without fear; and what God is doing about evil in the world. Defend Christianity is under attack on many fronts, from moral relativists to radical Islamists to angry atheists. Many times they misrepresent Christianity, so we can go a long way in defending the faith by clarifying the Christian position on matters of faith, answering objections and clearing away difficulties. For example, Jehovah's Witness leaders historically have claimed that orthodox Christians worship a "freakish-looking three-headed god." While we may not be able to convince our Jehovah's Witness friends of the truth of the Trinity -- their New World Translation of the Bible and their official publications have stripped this biblical truth from JW doctrine -- we may at least provide biblical clarity. The Bible teaches that there is one true and living God who exists as three distinct, co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We do not worship a three-headed god, or three separate gods, or even one God who shows up sometimes as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Defending the faith against mischaracterizations of Christian doctrines is an important function of apologetics. Challenge Sometimes Christians have to go on the offensive by challenging critics to provide evidence for their unbiblical beliefs. For example, when a moral relativist boldly declares, "There is no absolute truth," a good response is, "Are you absolutely certain about that?" When our Muslim friends tell us that Jews and Christians have corrupted the Bible, it's only fair to ask them how they came to that conclusion. We have significant manuscript evidence that the scriptures have been carefully copied and faithfully preserved. Further, the Qur'an states in several places that the sacred writings of the Jews and Christians faithfully attested to the truth of Islam. If Muhammad believed the scriptures were intact in the 7th century, what happened since then to make them corrupt? Sometimes the best defense of the Christian faith is to hold critics accountable for their unbiblical views. Persuade Ultimately, Christian apologetics finds its greatest application as an effective means of evangelism. When we build a positive case for Christianity, defend Christianity from attacks, and challenge critics to defend their views, we can bring them to a point of commitment to Christ. We should never coerce another person to trust in Jesus. That's the work of the Holy Spirit (see John 16:7-11). But we should eagerly invite our unbelieving friends to receive Christ and thus pass from death unto life (John 5:24). In his book "Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions," Gregory Koukl writes, "It may surprise you to hear this, but I never set out to convert anyone.... I have a more modest goal, one you might consider adopting as your own. All I want to do is put a stone in someone's shoe. I want to give him something worth thinking about, something he can't ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way." May all of us be Christian apologists that gently and respectfully place pebbles in the shoes of our lost friends. --30-- Rob Phillips is director of communications for the Missouri Baptist Convention with responsibility for leading MBC apologetics ministry in the state. This article first appeared in The Pathway (www.mbcpathway.org), newsjournal of the Missouri Baptist Convention. Phillips also is on the Web at www.oncedelivered.net. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: March 9, 2014 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: March 06, 2014 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the YOU curriculum. Bible Passage: Philippians 4:10-19 Discussion Questions: How hard is it for you to focus on the fact that God owns everything? What can you do to rely more on God? Food for Thought: The Sea of Galilee takes in water from the mountains north of Israel and releases water to the Jordan River in the south. The Jordan then flows into the Dead Sea, which has no natural outlet. But while these two seas are in the same geographic area, they are very different. Because the Sea of Galilee receives and releases water, it has become a vital commercial resource for the region. Meanwhile, the Dead Sea -- which receives, but releases nothing -- has become a tourist spot only because nothing in it can survive. What's true with water can also be true with our lives. If we receive and give freely, we have a chance to thrive. If we hold tightly to our stuff, we'll be lifeless -- maybe even toxic. Today's lesson challenges us to be givers, to display generosity and contentment whenever we can. When we live like that, we can find stability even in the midst of our economic instability. In Philippians 4:12, Paul described in greater detail how he had learned to be content in three parallel statements. First, he knew how to have a little, that is, he had learned to cope when he was actually in need. Because he had the right perspective on God and his own circumstances, he had learned to trust the Lord and deal positively with want. Second, he knew how to have a lot. The single Greek word for "have a lot" means overflowing or abounding. Paul had learned how to handle prosperity as well as adversity. Just as a shortage of life's necessities could not harm him, so an abundance of things could not spoil him. Often we worry about poverty, but don't see the dangers of prosperity. Other times, having abundance distracts our attention from our true Source of our provision. Paul had learned over time that he needed God in every circumstance -- possibly because any circumstance can change quickly. The third parallel statement deals with "any and all circumstances." Whatever the situation, Paul had learned the "secret" of contentment. His use of the word "secret" literally means, "have been initiated." In Paul's day, it was common for religious sects to require certain rites of initiation. These groups emphasized secrets that could only be discovered through the initiation process. The secret Paul had learned, of course, was how to be content -- whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. Paul never tried to portray himself as a self-denying superman who was able to discipline his desires to the point of contentment. On the contrary, he was empowered through Christ. Paul totally depended on His strength in facing every need he had. Today, a person who trusts in the power of Christ can overcome any obstacle and fulfill any task God calls them to complete. The Philippians did not give in order to get. They gave from a sincere motive to bless Paul. Paul wanted the Philippians to understand that generosity is a vital part of the Christian life. God is a generous giver (John 3:16), and we are made in His image (Gen. 1:27). As such, we are called to be generous givers as well (2 Cor. 9:7). We also need to understand that our giving relates to more than our money. When God says that He owns everything (Ps. 24:1), it also means that He has given us everything to use for His glory. While finances are part of that equation, we also should freely give of our time and our talents. We should be generous with every gift He provides, so we can support others and work toward expanding His kingdom. "My God" stresses Paul's personal relationship with His provider through Christ. He affirmed that God would fully meet the Philippian believers' every need. God has used them to meet Paul's material needs; God would meet their material needs as well. This is not a promise of riches only. Instead, Paul may have had in mind spiritual needs as well as material. God can and will meet all our needs according to the glorious riches of Christ. These words underscore the limitless resources that God has at His disposal. We also see that Jesus is the One through whom God's abundant supply is made available. We please God when we demonstrate contentment and generously move to meet the needs of others. In fact, when we minister to God's people and support His work, we minister to God Himself (Phil. 4:18). The more we rely on Him, the more we understand that He can be trusted to come through during our times of deepest need. YOU Intentionally focused on African American, urban and multicultural believers, YOU is biblically based with culturally relevant and affirming lessons to help people connect, grow, serve, and ultimately be engaged in impacting the world for Christ. This flexible, non-dated all-in-one quarterly resource offers weekly Bible study for leaders and learners, devotionals, and teaching plans, as well as articles on hot topics and missions. For additional online teaching resources, visit LifeWay.com/YOU. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. --30--