
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/13/2004

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7-nation Arabian Peninsula to be focus of prayer May 30
by Staff
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--On Pentecost Sunday, May 30, Southern Baptists across America will unite in prayer asking God to help 43 million people in seven countries of the Arab world understand how much He loves them.

"Beyond the Wall: Loving the Peoples of the Arabian Peninsula" marks the 17th year for such a focused, 24-hour prayer effort, said Wendy Hines, associate director of the International Mission Board's prayer strategy office. The effort spotlights a different people group each year.

"The people of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen are in need of Jesus," Hines said. "Believers are few, and the church is virtually nonexistent. Those who do follow Christ keep their faith secret in order to remain part of the community.

"Apart from the Holy Spirit's help, this will not change."

A free resource kit for the emphasis is available in English, Korean and Spanish. The kit includes four video segments, a music video and a bonus "Kids on Mission" episode -- in VHS and DVD formats -- as well as a sermon outline and planning tips.

Also available free of charge: a 30-day pocket prayer guide, bulletin inserts and brochures explaining how to pray more effectively for the peoples of the world.

One video segment outlines what Great Commission praying can do to help people who live behind the walls of Islam. Another shows how one Arab country is spending millions to propagate Islam all over the world. A third gives a glimpse into the life of an Arab Muslim who, because of his religion, sees no need to change his life.

"Please pray with us for the salvation of these precious people," Hines urged. "Committed intercessory prayer connects God's people with the peoples of the world.

"God is eager to reach them, and He has given us the privilege of participating as He draws the people of the Arabian Peninsula to Himself."
--30--
Order free resources for the Day of Prayer -- http://resources.imb.org/index.cfm/fa/prodlist/CatID/2/DeptID/1.htm.
Day of Prayer on the Internet -- http://ime.imb.org/dayofprayer.
Beyond the Wall -- http://btw.imb.org. (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: PENTECOST PRAYER.

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Prayer for world’s teens to echo God’s heart for the lost
by Mark Kelly
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--A network of youth ministries and missions organizations has issued a call to prayer challenging student groups across the world to spend a night in prayer for 2.1 billion teenagers, most of whom have never even heard the Good News of God's love.

"A Whole Night for the Whole World" aims to unite millions of young people around the globe in prayer Saturday May 29 for global revival in their generation, said Kelly Davis, a student mobilization consultant for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

"Everywhere I go, I meet young people whose hearts are broken over the lostness of their generation," Davis said. "A Whole Night for the Whole World is a call to reach this generation, in this generation, by this generation."

May 29 is the night before Pentecost, a time of great symbolism for Christians around the world, Davis noted. "Before His ascension, Jesus told His followers to assemble and pray. It was during that time of prayer that the Holy Spirit came in great power, and the church was born."

THE FIRST STEP

Prayer is the first step toward a worldwide movement of God's Spirit among young people, said Richard Ross of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the founders of the True Love Waits sexual abstinence program that has made a significant impact on young people around the world.

"In 1804 and 1805, prayer ignited revival among students in the Second Great Awakening and propelled thousands to the nations with the Gospel," Ross said. "A century later, in 1904 and 1905, prayer was a major factor in bringing revival among students in the Global Awakening -- and thousands more were propelled to the nations with the Gospel.

"Now, another century later, I sense God is moving in an unusual way among students again. As we see students call themselves to worldwide prayer on May 29, we shout, 'Come, Lord, and do it again!'"

The call to prayer is God's call, not man's, said Scott Kindig, youth ministry consultant for the Georgia Baptist Convention.

"I would be very uncomfortable calling this generation to pray a whole night for the whole world if it was just my idea," he said. "I am very enthusiastic about echoing a call that a more powerful and potent voice already has issued.

"God calls our students to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. He calls them to take up their crosses and follow Him in Luke 9:23. He calls them to go into all the world and make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20.

"Christian leaders simply echo a louder voice, and in calling for a whole night for the whole world, that is exactly what we are doing."

ALIGNMENT WITH GOD'S HEART 

A night of prayer could bring an entire generation into alignment with God's heart for the nations and make a major difference all over the world, said Susie Lipps, director of "next generation" mobilization for http://www.wynet.org, Wycliffe's international youth network.

"A few years ago, a junior high group from Philadelphia took a mission trip to a town in Mexico. The kids were so struck by the spiritual and physical needs of the Tarahumara people group that they began to pray God would use them to reach them with the Gospel.

"They shared their vision with the leadership of their church, and the leadership got excited about planting a church among the Tarahumara. They discovered that evangelism and discipleship was going to be difficult because the Scripture hadn't been translated into that language. But they didn't give up, because by then the whole church was on board with the vision of reaching the Tarahumara.

"To make a long story short, Wycliffe helped them get the Scripture translated and now this church is working with others to reach the Tarahumara. There will be Tarahumara young people coming to Christ in this generation as a result of the prayers and vision of a junior high youth group!"

The website for A Whole Night for the Whole World, http://wholenight.com, offers ideas and resources for youth groups that want to be part of the worldwide night of prayer. It also provides a place to register a group's intention to participate and a way to share what God does during the event.

A Whole Night for the Whole World immediately precedes a May 30 prayer focus when Southern Baptist churches across the United States will unite in a day of prayer for 43 million people in seven countries of the Arab world (http://ime.imb.org/dayofprayer).
--30—-
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: NIGHT OF PRAYER.



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Turkmenistan still repressive despite international pressure
by Felix Corley
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

OSLO, Norway (BP)--Despite legal changes in March that -- at least theoretically -– allow minority religious communities to register for the first time since 1997, Turkmenistan retains one of the harshest systems of state control over religious life of any of the former Soviet republics, according to a report by Forum 18 News Service.

Under Turkmenistan’s highly restrictive 1996 religion law, only two religious faiths were able to gain registration in the Central Asian country: communities of the state-sanctioned Sunni Muslim Board and the Russian Orthodox Church, according to Forum 18, which reports on religious freedom issues from its base in Oslo, Norway.

In October of last year, amendments to the religion law were enacted to make all unregistered religious activity illegal and a criminal offense. Unregistered religious activity already was being treated as de facto criminal activity. Baptist, Pentecostal, Adventist, Lutheran and other Protestant churches, as well as Shia Muslim, Armenian Apostolic, Jewish, Baha'i, Jehovah's Witness and Hare Krishna communities were among those whose activities were banned and punishable under the administrative or criminal law.

This year’s surprise legal changes came at a time when Turkmenistan's government was under heavy international pressure over its human rights abuses. Key United Nations bodies already had condemned Turkmenistan's record, which was due to come up again at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, which opened March 15. The legal changes were heralded by a decree from Turkemen President Saparmurat Niyazov on March 11, the same day that he met visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lynn Pascoe, who had raised human rights concerns. A parallel decree issued at the same time eased exit requirements, a second key foreign concern.

The presidential religion decree abolished the requirement to have 500 adult citizen members before a community could apply for registration with the Adalat (Fairness or Justice) Ministry, explicitly allowing "religious groups of citizens" to register "independently of their number, faith and religion." However, Adalat officials immediately stressed to Forum 18 that unregistered activity remains a criminal offense.

The decree was followed up by amendments to the religion law, published on March 24. The new law requires that "religious groups" must have between five and 50 adult citizen members to register, while "religious organizations" must have at least 50. In theory at least, this removes the obstacle to registering non-Sunni Muslim and non-Orthodox communities.

Religious groups –- especially those that have suffered years of persecution –- were divided over the apparent liberalization. Many were skeptical that a government that had persecuted them for so long could have had a genuine change of heart. But others were determined to at least try to register. Among groups which immediately sought information about the registration process from the Adalat Ministry were a number of Christian communities -- including the Catholics, New Apostolic Church, Greater Grace, Church of Christ and Adventists -- and the Baha'i community. The Russian Orthodox Church also signaled to Forum 18 that it might wish to register more parishes. However, many religious leaders emphasized that until their communities have registered successfully they will not be convinced that anything has changed. One Jehovah's Witness representative in Russia who maintains close contacts with fellow believers in Turkmenistan told Forum 18 they believe there is "no realistic chance" that their communities will get registration.

Serious questions were raised about the sincerity of the government's moves when, on March 29, President Niyazov told officials of the Gengeshi (Council) for Religious Affairs, which oversees the Muslim community, that he was handing over three new mosques to it and that no further mosques would be allowed. This appears to bar both Sunni and Shia Muslim communities that have been denied registration from taking advantage of the relaxation of the harsh registration requirements.

Even on the day the president issued his decree, a Jehovah's Witness in the capital Ashgabad was summoned to the Gengeshi, where seven officials -– including a mullah -– pressured him to renounce his faith. He refused and was eventually allowed to leave, but he was fired from his job, leaving his family with no breadwinner. Two days later more than 20 Jehovah's Witnesses attending a meeting in a private home in Ashgabad were taken to the police station and interrogated and threatened by police and secret police officers.

On March 24, secret police officers raided the home in the town of Balkanabad of a Baha'i, accusing him of "provoking schism" in society by his faith and threatening to confiscate his home.

In the past few years, religious meetings have been raided, with a spate of raids against Protestant and Hare Krishna communities during summer 2003 and intermittently since. Places used for worship have been confiscated or demolished and believers have been beaten, fined, detained, deported and fired from their jobs in punishment for religious activity. Some believers have been given long prison sentences in recent years for their religious activity, most of them Jehovah's Witnesses, or have been sent into internal exile to remote parts of the country.

Jehovah's Witness sources have told Forum 18 that at least five of their young men are serving imprisonment for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of religious conscience. (Turkmenistan has no provision for alternative service.)

Turkmenistan has restricted religious activity despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion, which were repeated in the March presidential decree, and its obligations to maintain such freedom of religion as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and a signatory to international human rights conventions. Turkmenistan has pointedly failed to respond to repeated requests from the lead U.N. official on religion and belief, Abdelfattah Amor, to be allowed to visit the country or to respond to inquiries about specific incidents.

With an authoritarian ruler, President-for-life Niyazov, who likes to call himself "Turkmenbashi" or father of the Turkmens, Turkmenistan already suffers from an absence of political and social freedom. State control was tightened even more in the wake of a failed assassination attempt on the president in November 2002, which some observers believe may have been staged to provide a pretext for repression. Niyazov's rule is characterized by a cult of personality, with ever-present statues and portraits. Works he allegedly wrote -– especially the “Ruhnama” (Book of the Soul), which officials have likened to the Koran or the Bible -– are compulsorily imposed on schools and the wider public. Russian Orthodox priests and Sunni Muslim imams are forced to quote approvingly from the Ruhnama in sermons and to display it prominently in places of worship.

Turkmenistan's deliberate isolation from the outside world and the punitive measures taken against those engaged in unauthorized religious activity make religious freedom reporting very difficult. Believers often fear retribution for reporting their difficulties, and so Forum 18 is unable to give the names or identifying features of sources within the country.

Religious activity is overseen by the secret police's department for work with social organizations and religious groups. This department, formerly the sixth department of the National Security Committee (KNB), is one of the six or seven main departments of the State Security Ministry (MSS) and was created when the KNB was restructured in late 2002. The social and religious affairs department of the secret police is believed to have 45 officers at the headquarters in Ashgabad, with a handful of officers in each local branch.

Local MSS secret police officers regularly summon Muslim and Orthodox clerics to report on activity within their communities. Some believers have told Forum 18 that the MSS also runs "spies" in each Muslim and Orthodox community, sometimes as many as half a dozen. In addition to their spies -– who attend the religious community solely at MSS behest to gain information -– there might be another 10 or 15 believers who are regularly interviewed by MSS officers and forced to reveal details of the community's religious life.

The MSS secret police and the ordinary police also try to recruit spies in unregistered religious groups, such as with the attempted recruitment of a member of a Baptist church they had detained in June 2003 in Turkmenabad.

The Adalat Ministry officially registers religious organizations, although until now it has had little work to do because so few applications have been approved. Shirin Akhmedova, the official at the ministry in charge of registering religious organizations, told Forum 18 in March that 152 religious communities currently have registration, 140 of them Muslim and 12 Russian Orthodox. She admitted that far more religious communities had registration before 1997, when the harsh restrictions on registration came in. There were some 250 registered Muslim communities alone, as well as communities of many other faiths. 

Unregistered religious communities face regular raids by MSS secret police officers, backed up by ordinary police officers, officials of the local administration and local religious affairs officials, who work closely together in suppressing and punishing as criminal all unregistered religious activity. 
--30--
Adapted from a report by Felix Corley, editor of Forum 18 News Service in Oslo, Norway, and on the Web at www.forum18.org.


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Help in managing e-mail lists now available from LifeWay
by Lyndsey Collins
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Managing large e-mail lists is a daunting task, especially for understaffed churches. In response to customers’ requests for help, LifeWay Christian Resources now is offering christianemailservice.com as a solution for list management.

The service, which allows churches and ministry leaders to keep their e-mail address directories current, once was owned by the Bible software company Logos Research Systems and was re-introduced by LifeWay earlier this year.

The system can be used worldwide. For example, the Southern Baptist International Mission Board has more than 5,000 missionaries under appointment. The e-mail service benefits them because it is Web-based, can be accessed anywhere in the world and allows constant contact with prayer supporters. 

The free service allows users, or list managers, to create and maintain as many e-mail lists as needed, simplifying the process for getting information to an entire group at once. Multiple lists can be used for reaching specific audiences, like a youth minister with parents or youth, a pastor with deacons or church members or music ministers with lists for choirs and orchestra.

“This is another way LifeWay can serve Christian-minded groups and ministries using technology,” said Gary McClure, marketing manager for LifeWay’s e-business group. “The service helps make communications easier, quicker and more effective. It takes the worries out of the group e-mail process.”

The service is not limited to churches. The site’s use also is encouraged for non-church groups as well. 

“It can be a subtle witness to people who may not otherwise interact with Christian resources,” McClure said. The free service is supported by small ads sent through the system from companies and organizations interested in serving the Christian community.

List subscribers can update their own personal information so list managers avoid the problems of outdated addresses, failed delivery and other services that cost time and money.

The service currently is text-based but soon will include graphics and images. 

LifeWay has not put its name on the site since the service was acquired. McClure said it is important to keep the site’s look consistent for current users.

“There is not a faster or more inexpensive way for groups of people to keep in touch,” said McClure. “The Christian e-mail service is easy to use and it’s free.”
--30--
For more information or to begin a new e-mail group, go to www.christianemailservice.com. Lyndsey Collins is a writer with LifeWay.




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Youth lab’s focus: God’s Kingdom, role of parents in youth ministry
by Melanie Athey
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Student ministers should shift the focus of their programs from entertainment and busyness to seeing the Kingdom of God come to earth, speakers said at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s annual Youth Ministry Lab.

“Our desire for this year’s lab was to challenge leaders, teens and parents to seek God’s Kingdom through the student ministry of their churches, by moving the focus from entertainment and busyness to mobilizing students to be agents of change for God’s Kingdom,” said Richard Ross, professor of student ministry at the Fort Worth, Texas, seminary. “Some leaders have said that this may be the revival generation, but regardless of God’s timing &#91;for revival&#93;, we are here to call youth leaders, youth and parents to boldness and courage as they seek God’s Kingdom in their schools, youth groups and homes.”

More than 600 students, youth ministers, church leaders and parents attended this year’s Youth Ministry Lab, the only student-led conference of its size in the nation. Two student leaders and nine student conference chairpersons worked alongside Ross and fellow student ministry professor Wes Black to select the theme, leaders and goals for the April 2-3 gathering.

Worship and training sessions throughout the weekend revolved around the theme of seeking “God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven,” from Matthew 6:9-10.

“This year’s training was designed to refocus our ministry attention on God’s Kingdom and not on what we can get out of the ministry,” Black said.

In order to empower student ministries for this type of change, specific training was provided to assist every person involved in student ministry, with a new track this year on the important role of parents.

Prompted by the increasing concern over the exclusion of parents from the majority of youth ministry models in the churches today, the parent track addressed several issues in parent-teenager relationships.  

“Youth ministers and leaders must not focus exclusively on teenagers in the student ministries,” Ross said. “It is important that youth ministers develop relationships with parents, become an advocate for the parents and partner with them in the spiritual development of their teenagers.”

Parents at the conference were challenged to be the spiritual leaders in their homes as teenagers gathered around and prayed for the parents. Student ministers stood as the youth prayed for God’s strength and wisdom to guide their ministries. Students called to vocational ministry were invited to confirm God’s call and join in a time of dedicatory prayer.

The youth lab featured guest speakers Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas and Ken Hemphill, national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Empowering Kingdom Growth initiative. 

Haynes encouraged participants to set themselves up for “out-of-the-box ministries.” His message brought tears, cheering and shouts of affirmation from participants. “We cannot do what we have been doing in ministry, just because we’ve been doing it,” Haynes said.

Breakout sessions included Calling Students to Sexual Purity; Conflict and Criticism; Making A Spiritual Impact on Your Teenager; Ministering to Post-Moderns; and “A High-Tech Room Without a High Price.”

The Company, Southwestern’s drama team, closed the weekend with dramatic vignettes. Actors portraying Lottie Moon, the Apostle Paul, 29-year-old Baptist worker David McDonnall who was slain in Iraq, contemporary student ministers and other Christian role models asked, “Who will fill our shoes?” A pile of empty shoes was left center stage to serve as a reminder that the future of God’s Kingdom awaits another generation of youth to step forward and fill them.
--30--
Melanie Athey is a writer at Southwestern Seminary.



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God’s call & plan underscored during Midwestern missions week
by Susan Reed
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--Every Christian is called to ministry, whether as a pastor, in the corporate world, in the military or in the home, Robert E. (Bob) Reccord said during North American Mission Board Week at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Reccord, NAMB’s president, was on the Kansas City, Mo., campus as part of an emphasis on the Southern Baptist entity’s numerous ministries. Representatives from military chaplaincy and various state conventions were on campus to meet with students interested in learning more about NAMB-related ministries throughout the United States and Canada.

Reccord challenged students, faculty and staff to answer God’s call, wherever that may lead, in his April 6 chapel message.

Drawing upon the Apostle Paul’s words in the first chapter of Romans, Reccord said the word “call” in verses 1 and 6 literally means to receive a personal invitation to come alongside Christ.

“As all believers in Rome were called, so are we,” Reccord said. “This call is by, from and to God. God’s call to each believer is personal,” he said. “God called each of us by name.”

God’s call carries divine purpose, Reccord added, noting that “Jesus blows apart the myth of sacred and secular. Wherever God calls you to minister is sacred.”

Ken Weathersby, a NAMB field representative, echoed Reccord’s words in an April 7 message about being on mission for Christ. 

Using Hebrews 12:1-2 as his text, Weathersby reminded the chapel audience that God has a plan for each person’s life, noting, “We are to tell His story.

“In order to tell His story, God has said we need to be prepared,” Weathersby said. “We need to get rid of the weights that encumber us.”

He added that this includes getting rid of anything that takes one’s attention off God’s work. “Release the sin that trips you,” such as pride or an unforgiving heart, he said, pointing to the necessity of asking the Holy Spirit to reveal sin in order to be controlled by His power.

Weathersby further stated that God’s plan has a price. Expounding on the illustration used by the writer of Hebrews, he said Christians are like athletes who very often have to run while in pain.

“God’s plan comes with a promise that He will give us power,” Weathersby concluded. “He works beside us to tell His story.”

Seminary President R. Philip Roberts said North American missions is “high on the priority list of Midwestern Seminary. If we don’t impact the homeland with the Gospel, we certainly will not be able to touch the world.”
--30--



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No country off limits for missions, Mohler says on Fox radio show
by Jeff Robinson
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Because of the Great Commission, Christians have no right to declare any area of the world as “off limits” to missions because it is dominated by another religion, R. Albert Mohler Jr. said on a Fox radio news program. 

Mohler discussed missions and evangelism on “Fox News Live” with Alan Colmes two days after the March 15 slayings of four Southern Baptist aid workers in Iraq. 

Although Iraq is a country dominated by Islam, that does not rule it out for missions and evangelism, Mohler said, because the Gospel is to be proclaimed universally to the lost.

“It &#91;evangelizing Iraq&#93; is a very difficult challenge,” Mohler acknowledged. “And by the same token, we have no right as Christians to write off any part of the world. So, it’s not just Iraq, but literally every spot on planet earth where Christians are responsible to take the Gospel.”

While Iraq likely will remain a Muslim-dominated society, Mohler said it does not matter whether a country is considered a “Muslim country,” a “Christian country” or a country heavily populated by adherents to some other religion; Christians have a Great Commission from Christ they must fulfill.

“I don’t think the country matters,” Mohler said. “I think it is individuals &#91;who are important&#93;. I believe eternity is hanging in the balance as to whether persons know Jesus Christ or not. I have to deal with persons, not with nations.”

Charles Kimball, chairman of the department of religion at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, appeared on the show with Mohler, arguing against what he called “proselytizing” in Iraq.

Kimball said that while it is “inherent in the Christian tradition” to be engaged in Gospel proclamation and witness, he said he does not believe Christians have the exclusive message of salvation. 

“My experience of God has come primarily mediated through my experience as a Christian,” Kimball said. “But a large part of my family is Jewish and I am quite sure that my experience of God does not exhaust all the possibilities. 

“I believe that God is the God of all creation and that God’s ways far exceed my ways and my experience. In fact, I write quite extensively in my book, ‘When Religion Becomes Evil,’ that indeed there are many paths and we would do well to be the best Christians, the best Jews, the best Muslims.” 

Kimball said American Christians must be cautious in their evangelism efforts in Iraq because such efforts to “proselytize” might be taken as American imperialism by the Iraqi people.

Mohler pointed out that Christian missionaries have never sought to convert unbelievers through coercive means but have attempted to meet both their immediate and eternal needs. The four IMB workers were helping with a water project near Mosul, Iraq, when they were killed by unknown gunmen.   

“I would disagree with the use of the word ‘proselytizing’ here, in this one sense,” Mohler said. “... Since it’s not just a matter of manipulating persons to convert. It is a matter of sharing, from the heart, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and simply trusting those who hear it to respond. If they do not respond, then that’s their own free choice.

“Right now, the Iraqi people are in desperate need of help, and I find it ludicrous to suggest that westerners should not be there; that would be to abandon these people in their time of great need.

“We have no right to be offensive as Christians,” Mohler continued. “We should be winsome and should develop relationships and should minister in Christ’s name just like these folks were doing in terms of working on a water project. Yes, there will be opportunities in conversation &#91;about the Gospel&#93;. Of course, being duplicitous or in any way dishonest is to violate biblical commands.” 

That some oppose Christian missions work in countries such as Iraq and do not believe that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone underscores the divide between evangelicals and non-evangelicals, Mohler said.  

“What we have here is a distinction between evangelicals and those who are not evangelicals,” Mohler said. “I believe, and other evangelicals believe, that eternity is hanging in the balance, that the only way to salvation is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
--30--







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FIRST-PERSON: A first-class opportunity
by Ginger Plowman
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

OPELIKA, Ala. (BP)--I knew something strange was going on when I couldn’t find my seat. After combing the isles of the Delta airplane two times, seat assignment in hand, I was convinced I had lost my mind. Was I on the wrong plane? Would I wind up in China, rather than Florida? Would a voice announce over the intercom, “You have now entered the twilight zone?”

Embarrassed that someone who flies as often as I do was not capable of finding her seat, I quietly asked the stewardess for assistance. “No wonder you can’t find your seat,” she replied after studying my ticket. “Your seat is in first class, not back here.” I assured her there must be some mistake, as I would never take out a second mortgage on our home in order to fly first class.

She escorted me to the front of the plane, commissioned me to a leather reclining seat and offered me a Pepsi. Bewildered by my good fortune and intrigued by the many luxurious gadgets in which the first class indulge, I began to investigate my options for play. I resolved to take full advantage of my stroke of luck before the air police realized the mistake and ushered me back to my rightful place.

As I reclined, scanned through the channels on my personal pull-out television, slurped my Pepsi and started to make a call from my complimentary telephone, the gentleman sitting beside me began to squirm. It was obvious he was sitting next to an amateur first-classer, and an obnoxious one at that.

After answering several of my “What’s this thing do?” questions, he glanced back toward the direction in which I had come and stated in a heavy Latin accent, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone board first class from the back of the plane.” I explained that my sitting in first class was some sort of mistake. He didn’t seem surprised.

Ten minutes into our conversation, I learned that the man was a vice president with one of the world’s largest Fortune 500 companies, a perfectionist, a philosopher and a multimillionaire. He was overconfident and extremely intelligent. He knew what he wanted out of life, and he got it -- or so it seemed.

I decided that sharing the Gospel with this man would be a waste of time. He was simply out of my league intellectually, financially and socially. I silently vowed to keep the conversation casual. I listened with interest as he told about his line of work. My plan was working.

Then suddenly, the tables turned. He asked me about my occupation.

After telling him about my ministry of writing and speaking on biblical principles, he asked, “So, what brought you to a point of becoming religious?” So much for my plan. How could I not witness to this man who viewed my Jesus, the Savior who bled and died for me, as nothing more than a religion?

I jumped in with both feet. I shared my testimony of how Jesus rescued a rebellious, promiscuous, alcohol-abusing teenager from the grip of hell and brought her to a place of peace, joy and contentment. 

He listened intently. Then with tears streaming down his face, he asked how to become a Christian. I told him. As the plane landed, my millionaire friend proclaimed, “You have given me such a gift. I want to do something for you. What is something that you need or want? Whatever you request, I will do it for you.”

The temptation was heavy and dark. A new car, a new house, a condo at the beach and visions of sugarplums danced in my head. 

Then another voice interrupted my thoughts. It was a voice from deep within, a voice that I recognized and obeyed. “What would bring me the greatest pleasure is to know that as a result of our meeting, you are seeking the Lord with all your heart. My request is that you read the Book of John.” With fresh tears and a warm handshake, he gave me his word.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” the Lord says. It’s a common misconception to think that we must raise support, fly halfway around the world and sleep in a grass hut on a dirt floor in order to witness to the lost. The harvest is everywhere. It’s at the checkout counter in Wal-Mart, standing in line at the grocery or hardware store, in your workplace, on an airplane and around your kitchen table.

If we are willing, God is able. He will provide the opportunities for those who seek them. Let us be willing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ anytime and anywhere. You might be surprised at where you wind up. I don’t know about you, but I could get used to leather recliners and unlimited Pepsi.   
--30--
Ginger Plowman of Opelika, Ala., is author of “Don’t Make Me Count to Three!” and an assistant director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, for which she speaks at women’s events and parenting conferences across the country. For more information visit her website at www.gingerplowman.com.





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SBC position on BWA unchanged; both sides agree to ongoing talks
by Art Toalston
Date: April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

	NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Representatives of the Southern Baptist Convention and Baptist World Alliance met April 13, issuing a joint press release after the 19 participants had spent six hours together at the SBC Building in Nashville, Tenn.

	Although the SBC Executive Committee recommendation for the SBC to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance remains unchanged, the three-paragraph press release noted two areas of agreement:

       -- a yearly dialogue.

       -- the possibility of the SBC rejoining the BWA if issues can be resolved “in the not too distant future.”

	As stated by the press release:

	-- “It was resolved that a similar representative group of the leadership of the BWA and SBC meet at least once per year to continue an ongoing dialogue.”  

	-- “All participants expressed the desire that if the SBC messengers vote for disaffiliation from the BWA, further issues of concern to the respective organizations be resolved in such a way that at some point in the not too distant future the Southern Baptist Convention may choose once again to become a fully participatory member of the Baptist World Alliance.”

	The press release also noted, “The meeting encompassed a full and frank discussion of concerns, conducted in a warm and mutually respectful spirit.”

	The recommendation by the Executive Committee for the SBC to withdraw from the BWA will be voted on by messengers from SBC churches attending the convention’s June 15-16 annual meeting in Indianapolis.

	Co-chairs of the SBC-BWA April 13 meeting in Nashville, according to the press release, were BWA President Billy Kim of Korea, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Suwon, and Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee and chairman of its nine-member Baptist World Alliance study committee.

	In addition to Kim, the 10 BWA participants in the meeting were Denton Lotz, BWA General Secretary; four BWA vice presidents, David Coffey of England, Bruce Milne of Canada, Elaine Smith of Washington, D.C., and John Sundquist of Michigan; and four BWA regional leaders, Theo Angelov of Bulgaria, Alistair Brown of England, Fausto Vasconcelos of Brazil and Ian Chapman of Virginia.

	In addition to Chapman, the nine SBC participants included seven other members of the BWA study committee: James T. Draper Jr., president of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn.; Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board in Richmond, Va.; Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; Tom Elliff, a former SBC president and pastor of First Southern Baptist Church, Del City, Okla.; Gary A. Smith, chairman of the Executive Committee and pastor of Fielder Road Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas; retired Judge Paul Pressler of Houston; and Bob Sorrell, president, The Associate, Inc., a ministry to pastors, Cordova, Tenn. A ninth SBC participant was D. August Boto, the Executive Committee’s vice president for convention policy.

	The proposal for the SBC to withdraw from the BWA was approved by the Executive Committee by a 62-10 vote during its Feb. 16-17 meeting in Nashville. The action was recommended by the SBC study committee, which cited various theological concerns in an initial report on Dec. 19, 2003, and in a second report presented to the Executive Committee during its February meeting.

	The SBC would fulfill its $300,000 allocation to the BWA in the current SBC budget, which runs through September, under the recommendation to be presented to the annual meeting in June.

	For a number of years, the SBC allocation to the BWA had been $425,000 per year. The allocation was reduced by $125,000 during last June's SBC annual meeting in Phoenix to be redirected to a new SBC "Kingdom Relationships" global initiative in conjunction with the SBC-wide Empowering Kingdom Growth movement. The committee anticipates that the other $300,000 now will be similarly redirected.
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The joint news release is posted at <a href="http://www.Baptist2Baptist.net/b2barticle.asp?ID=278">Baptist2Baptist.net.</a>


