
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-09/09/2013

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'Pick a card' segues to Gospel
by Susie Rain
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

EAST ASIA (BP) -- The middle-aged man smiles and makes a quick bow of greeting to the small audience. He reaches into his left coat pocket and pulls out some cards.

Ben Lim's* eyes twinkle as he shuffles the cards. He fans them out in his hands and tells a random person in the crowd to "Pick a card ... Pick any card!"

A hush falls over the audience as a young Chinese man pulls one of the cards from Ben's hands. Ben instructs him to look at it but not to show anyone. Then, Ben asks him to act out the picture on the card. The young man gets down on all fours, puffs out his chest and roars.

"LION!" the group screams in unison.

Ben smiles and grabs the card. He flips it over for everyone to see. It's the ace of clubs -- but with a picture of three lions surrounding a man at the bottom of a den.

"Anyone know a story about a lion?" the Christian worker in East Asia asks. "No? Then, let me tell you the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den."

That's when God's Word falls on ears that are hearing for the first time. Ben, a master storyteller, takes the audience through the trials of walking by faith and not sight. 

The rise and fall of his voice depicts emotions and fears when confronted with problems (like hungry lions waiting to devour). His peaceful cadence and soft, confident tone assures that God is always present when we have problems and call on Him. 

The story ends and everyone looks at Ben, waiting for another. He smiles and fans the cards out again. In his hands are 51 more pictures depicting the Old Testament. Another set of cards in his pocket has 52 stories from the New Testament. 

The collection is a unique pictorial Bible covering everything from creation to Christ. The uniqueness isn't simply because this wordless Bible is found on a pack of cards but by the fact that Ben's teenage daughters Jasmine* and Jamie* (plus one of their friends) drew the pictures.

"I can't begin to describe what it is like to use an evangelism tool developed by your own kids.... It's beyond our imagination because only God can do this," the church planter from Oklahoma said. "All over the world, people are using these cards as part of evangelism and discipleship training."

The teenagers spent hours last summer poring over the different Scripture passages that Ben uses as part of the Storying Training for Trainers program.

The S-T4T approach combines oral communication with methods of evangelism and discipleship, training local believers to share their faith with family and friends.

Jamie explained that most of the people her family works with are more or less illiterate. While most reports show East Asia as having a literacy rate of more than 90 percent, this only tracks the ability to read 950 characters (or just under 1,000 words). In rural East Asia, word-of-mouth and pictures are the most common forms of communicating. 

"There are so many people here who haven't found Christ. The burden is on us to spread the Gospel," Jamie said. "If drawing pictures is the way to lead people to Him, then it's something you just gotta do!"

For the Lin family, ministry is always a family affair. Ben and his wife Ellie involved their children in ministry even at a young age by giving them age-appropriate projects or tasks, helping them gain a heart for the nations and the confidence to share the Gospel. Their goal is to get their children to imagine the impossible and be creative in using their gifts for God's purposes ... even when it involves drawing 104 pictures in one summer vacation.

The 17-year-old sighed and admitted it was a lot more work than she anticipated. They'd read and study a Scripture passage and then ask God to show His work through their pictures and not just draw whatever they wanted. The budding artists decided to use a popular medium in Asia, cartoon characters. Despite all of the preparations, it often took several drafts to get it right.

"Sometimes we'd draw a picture and my parents would say that they didn't get it. So, we'd have to come up with another one," Jamie said. "If other people don't understand the picture and the character of God depicted then there's no use printing it because it's not like I'm trying to spread the Gospel to myself."

The teenager giggled at her own joke and picked up a New Testament set of cards. Putting the pictures on playing cards was a natural choice for the girls. Everyone has them in their homes. Playing games, especially cards, is a big social activity in this part of the world. 

Jamie pointed out that this love for games made it the perfect way to present a "picture Bible." Not to mention the fact that in some areas of East Asia (like China), it is illegal to give someone a Bible. But, Jamie added, you can give them a deck of cards.

Ben uses the combo-pack to train local believers in sharing Bible stories and planting the Gospel. They can use it as an "ice breaker" like he often does, as a game, as Bible story flash cards or there's even a short presentation from creation to Christ that only uses nine cards. 

Ben's favorite way, though, is to teach about the character of God and life lessons through the pictures. He works his way from creation to Christ and even teaches how to become an "Acts church." Among the minority people groups that he works with, it has become so popular that Ben recorded all 104 stories as MP3s to accompany the card packs.

More than 5,000 churches throughout East Asia have adopted this unique evangelism tool, creating a new project for Jasmine and Jamie this summer -- helping their parents train others to use the cards and share the Bible stories.

The teenagers know there are a lot of unreached people groups just waiting for God's Word. They can't wait to introduce them to their God and eternal life.

"People are going to see how creative God is and amazing He is through these stories," Jamie said, shuffling through the New Testament. "Just pull a card out of the deck and you can share about a different characteristic of God or a different Bible story.

"Seriously! Pick a card ... Pick any card!"
--30--
*Name changed. Susie Rain is a writer in Southeast Asia. Click here to learn more about the pictorial Bible evangelism tool. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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Personal purity exhorted to seminary students
by RuthAnne Irvin
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The spiritual health of seminary students and their families should precede academics, speakers said at a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary conference emphasizing purity.

Jeremy Pierre, the seminary's new dean of students, introduced the all-day Personal and Family Vigilance Conference, underscoring the importance of students taking care of their spiritual lives while in seminary.

"Following Christ first in your personal life and in your family is not automatic," Pierre said.

"It takes effort and it takes vigilance -- grace-enabled effort and vigilance, but vigilance nonetheless. We don't want any of our students to shipwreck their faith through the negligence of their soul, because following Jesus while studying Him is not automatic," said Pierre, who also is assistant professor of biblical counseling.

R. Albert Mohler Jr., Southern Seminary's president, led the first plenary session, exhorting students about the health of their private and spiritual lives. Mohler preached from 1 Timothy 4:12-16, warning about the dangers of ministry and the tragedy when someone leaves ministry because of poor personal and spiritual vigilance. 

People learn much about an institution by how it begins its semester, Mohler said. He gave an example of a secular school that began its semester with a mandatory meeting about "safe sex" among the students. In contrast, Southern Seminary began its year by focusing on soul care for its students. 

"We need to train ourselves for the pattern of sound steps and the pattern of a sound life," Mohler said. "If we fail in terms of the private life, then we fail utterly." 

People are always watching those in ministry to see how they live, Mohler noted; wherever the minister or leader goes, eyes follow to watch if his words match his actions.

Mohler read an open letter from a former student who, instead of graduating, signed divorce papers. The letter, which appeared in a 2011 issue of the seminary's news magazine, Towers, illustrated the importance of the conference and its message of personal and family watchfulness while in seminary, Mohler said. 

"All of us together, whatever our age, need to be determined to, right now, feed the virtues and starve the vices by God's grace," Mohler said. "It's in the mirror that doctrine and character meet. The defense of the truth requires the same virtues as the defense of character."

Heath Lambert, associate professor of biblical counseling at Boyce College, the seminary's undergraduate school, led a plenary session directed toward men about the dangers of pornography. 

"Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace," a new book by Lambert, who also is executive director of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors, addresses the issue of pornography within today's Christian culture. The seminary gave attendees a free copy of the book. 

Lambert described pornography as "the most significant problem in the church."

"Today people in our churches have to be vigilant against a phantom," he noted, referring to pornography's anonymous ease-of-access on the Internet.

Purity in the churches begins with the pastor, Lambert added.

"God has raised you up to be leaders in your home and church," he said. "If our homes and churches are to be pure, they are going to be led by men who are pure." 

Lambert preached from Romans 6, telling students that the necessary power to be pure is found in the passage, which addresses a believer's deadness to sin and life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. 

He noted key truths that empower men struggling with pornography: a Christian cannot confess Christ's resurrection and not fight for holiness; the power for purity is found in the fight against sin; and the fight against sin includes the need for Christians to stop resenting sin and to present themselves to God as raised-to-life believers.

Lambert told students to protect themselves by putting protective systems on computers, cell phones and televisions to avoid temptations to sin. 

Fighting for purity requires spending time with Jesus, Lambert said, also encouraging men to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness by service to others and the church.

He encouraged attendees to sing Gospel-centered music when tempted to sin, saying that God "has wired us that there's something about singing that ignites our affections."

And Lambert encouraged men to find someone and tell them the truth, emphasizing the importance of grace and honesty in the effort to fight sin. 

The Aug. 22 conference also featured four breakout sessions led by seminary professors. Michael Haykin, professor of church history and biblical spirituality, led a session about vigilance in soul care; Pierre led a session about ministering to those who need to confess sin; Bruce Ware, professor of Christian theology, spoke to students about how couples can pursue purity together; and Brian Vickers, associate professor of New Testament interpretation, led a session about moving past guilt and toward grace.

The conference was the first to be cosponsored by the Rick Bordas Fund for Student Discipleship, established this year, and the John and Debbie Bethancourt Lectures for Ministerial Ethics.
--30--
RuthAnne Irvin writes for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Audio and video from the conference are available at sbts.edu/resources. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Q&A: 'Finally Free' of pornography
by Staff
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- "You don't have to wait until heaven to be free from pornography."

Heath Lambert sets forth his case for a pornography-free life in his new book, "Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace."

Lambert, a biblical counseling professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's undergraduate school, Boyce College in Louisville, Ky., also is executive director of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors.

Lambert was interviewed about the book by Matt Damico, book review editor for Towers, Southern Seminary's news magazine.

Q: What's the danger involved in viewing pornography?

A: Internet pornography kills us softly and quietly. The women that you fornicate with on the screen are as silent as the grave. And a lot of times you don't find out that someone you love has a problem until they are lost in the abyss.

Q: What's at risk when people think they can maintain a life of Christian discipleship while continuing to view pornography?

A: The lie of Internet pornography says, "I'll do this little thing over here, and it's nasty and ugly, but when it's done I can cover it up and go back to the rest of my life." The problem is that sin doesn't stay covered up. You think you can control it, but you can't. It will break out and it will ruin your life. 

The worst consequences are the ones stored up over a long period of time. So the men who are doing this are sipping on poison that will eventually kill their ministry efforts and their marriage and family. They're destroying their lives and effectiveness for Christ and they don't even understand it.

Q: In the process of "putting off" the old man and "putting on" the new, what are some of the thoughts, actions and attitudes that people struggling with pornography should seek to put on?

A: One is gratitude. Men who look at porn are greedy for things they don't have. That's the logic of lust: I'm greedy for the things I don't have. Gratitude is the antidote to that. Gratitude says, "Whatever the Lord has given me is what I'll be thankful for." 

So as men grow and cultivate the fruit of gratitude, they grow in defeating the problem of pornography.

Another is humility. The only people who look at pornography are arrogant people. James tells us that selfish ambition leads to every vile practice. So, if viewing pornography is a vile practice, then viewing it stems from a heart that is selfish. It's arrogance; it's a prideful attitude of the heart. And one of the main virtues we can use to fight that is the fruit of humility. 

Q: How are pastors particularly vulnerable to pornography?

A: There's a recent statistic that says 75 percent of pastors do nothing to make themselves accountable to anyone in regard to pornography. I think that, in this pornographic age, it's reckless and irresponsible for ministers of the Gospel to take no measures to insulate themselves from pornography. The reality is that pornography is looking for you. 

Pastors who are really concerned to protect themselves, their families and their flock from this silent killer need to be serious about putting some kind of accountability measures in their life, whether it's an accountability partner to be honest with and pray with, or Internet filters and protection for phone and devices. 

Q: Ultimately, what hope do people have to overcome the struggle with pornography?

A: Romans 6 says our old self was crucified so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. So, when you're in Christ, porn is not your master. Jesus Christ is. Nobody's going to be looking at porn in heaven, and the Good News of the Gospel is that you don't have to wait until heaven to be free from pornography. You have the Spirit right now who gives life to your mortal body so that you can walk in victory. In perfection? No. In victory? Yes.
--30--
The full interview of Heath Lambert with the Towers book review editor is available here. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Pornography likened to temple prostitution
by Keith Collier
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Russell D. Moore assessed the "weaponized epidemic of porn" during a chapel sermon at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Sept. 5.

Preaching from 1 Corinthians 6:15–7:5, Moore likened the present-day cultural saturation of pornography with the first-century pagan practice of temple prostitution.

"The temple prostitution of Corinth has been digitalized and weaponized," the president of Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty said of pornography's modern-day onslaught, "and brings with it the kind of illusion and anonymity that the temple prostitutes could never promise."

People often view their bodies like machines detached from spiritual consequences, Moore observed, warning those called to ministry to recognize the satanic powers in the world seeking to destroy families, ministries and Gospel witness.

"The strategies of Satan have become so crafty that they are able to promise a cover of darkness, including to ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in a way that is able to communicate with alarming regularity 'you shall not surely die,'" Moore said.

"As you are headed out into the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if you are not arming yourself right now to recognize what is happening with this demonic strain of sexual immorality, you are not going to be able to stand.

"You are living in the kind of world in which there are digital harems of prostitutes, available and pushed upon every single population in the United States of America and increasingly every single population in the world," Moore said.

Even the language Christians use, such as "pre-marital sex" instead of "fornication," indicates a subversive tendency to cover over sin, Moore said, noting that the term "pre-marital" makes the act simply a matter of timing.

"Fornication is not simply a matter of timing, because the sexual act is not simply a physical act," Moore said. "An act of fornication isn't wrong simply because it has bad consequences -- and it does -- it is wrong because it preaches another Gospel."

For those involved in pornography and sexual immorality, Moore encouraged genuine repentance, not "sham repentance." He challenged husbands and wives to work together in fighting sexual immorality because it strips away intimacy in the marriage relationship.

"In your marriages," Moore said, "... if you are not together in this issue, including in the fight for sexual morality by cultivating your relationship with one another, by maintaining intimacy with one another, by identifying threats to that one-flesh union, you are not doing spiritual warfare."

In the end, Moore said, no amount of willpower or empty promises will correct a pattern of sexual immorality; only the Gospel can conquer sin.

Moore spoke in three different venues during his two-day visit to the seminary, including chapel, a "Grindstone" student question-and-answer forum, and a presentation on work and economics during a luncheon sponsored by the Southwestern's Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement.

"In this context and in this culture, you are not being faithful to the Gospel if you do not deal directly with the issue of pornography," Moore said during the student forum. "This isn't some niche problem that's going on somewhere out there; this is something that is ravaging and destroying our churches."

Moore addressed ways to minister to those in the church who struggle with pornography as well as ministry to homosexuals and transgendered persons, encouraging Christians to demonstrate the biblical balance between confronting sin and offering grace. Watch, listen to or download Moore's three sessions at www.swbts.edu/MooreResources.
--30--
Keith Collier is director of news and information for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas (www.swbts.edu/campusnews). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Christians besieged in Central African Republic
by Staff
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

BANGUI, Central African Republic (BP) -- Christians in the violence-ridden Central African Republic (CAR) are enduring atrocities under the country's rebel government, whose leader reportedly seeks to turn the country into an Islamic state. 

Home to roughly 5 million people and slightly smaller than Texas, the CAR, which lies in central Africa just west of Sudan and South Sudan, was already one of Africa's least developed countries, with a history of instability. On March 24, a coalition of rebels known as Seleka took the CAR capital, Bangui, and sent then-President Francois Bozize into exile in Cameroon.

The new government, as described by reports in persecution monitor Morning Star News, is filled with Islamists whose troops have embarked on a spree of rape, murder, theft and general violence against Christians, who make up a majority of the population. 

"It is clear, according to our research, that it is Christians who have been suffering under Seleka rule and Muslims have been profiting," Lewis Mudge of Human Rights Watch told Morning Star News in an email, adding that Seleka agents "have not hesitated to attack Christian places of worship."

Nicolas Guerekoyame is the leader of CAR's Evangelical Alliance, part of the National Transitional Council created to act in place of the former parliament. According to Morning Star News, he wrote a letter on May 10 to Michel Djotodia, Seleka's leader, decrying the treatment of Christians. 

"The various atrocities that preceded, accompanied and followed Seleka's rise to power have been specifically aimed at the Christian population," Guerekoyame wrote in the letter, which also was signed by Evangelical Alliance leaders Michel Gbegbe and Anatole Banga. "Churches and Christian institutions have been desecrated and plundered, priests and pastors have been assaulted and nuns raped."

Guerekoyame was briefly arrested Aug. 6 for criticizing the government at his church, even though his position with the National Transitional Council granted him immunity. He was released later in the day. 

Fears of Islamic law, or sharia, coming to CAR mounted when a copy of a confidential letter surfaced reportedly written by Djotodia to the Saudi Arabia-based Organization of Islamic Conference in 2012 asking for help overthrowing Bozize's government. 

"God willing and we come to Bangui; we will put in place a regime to apply Islamic sharia law," the letter read, a copy of which was obtained by Morning Star. "Even if we fail to hunt Bozize, we will transform a part of the Central African Republic, Chad and Darfur into a new Islamic Republic."

The letter, which Djotodia denies writing, also indicated that taking power in CAR was not the end of his aims. 

"After our victory, we will also help &#91;Islamists&#93; take power in Chad," he allegedly wrote. "We need your support, brothers. It should help us in material, money and homes. We agree that your items come to fight on our side."

The World Evangelical Alliance's Religious Liberty Commission (WEA-RLC) released a statement Aug. 19 highlighting the danger to Christians in the CAR, relaying a report from the Catholic group Aid to Church in Need about an Islamist militia attack against 14 Christian villages. The attack killed 15 people and left more than 1,000 homeless. Witnesses said militants threw bodies into a river, including the corpse of a five-month-old baby.

"These incidents highlight targeting of Christians and breakdown of law and order in the country," Godfrey Yogarajah, executive director of WEA-RLC, said in the statement. 

A United Nations panel said in August that the rule of law is "almost non-existent" and noted the many atrocities carried out in CAR as well as general insecurity. 

Mudge of Human Rights Watch told Morning Star that CAR's humanitarian crisis "verges on catastrophe," with Seleka fighters still looting neighborhoods in the capital and rampaging through provincial villages. 

"Because of a lack of security, humanitarian actors cannot access the most vulnerable; people continue to die in the bush due to disease, exposure and malnutrition," Mudge said. 

Djotodia has claimed people outside his control are committing the atrocities, but Bishop Albert Vanbuel, president of the Catholic Bishops Justice and Peace Commission, denounced the Seleka government in a May 5 statement as "a rebellion of religious extremism with evil intentions, characterized by profanation and planned destruction of religious buildings, especially Catholic and Protestant churches."
--30--
Compiled by John Evans, a writer in Houston. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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FIRST-PERSON: The harvest is plentiful where we are few
by Aaron Coe
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- God has placed Southern Baptists in a strategic place in the North American mission field. We are stronger than ever, more widespread than ever and are making the population centers of the United States and Canada a missional priority. 

While the Southern Baptist Convention has historically been a suburban and rural denomination, churches throughout the convention are partnering with and sending church planters and missionaries to the influential centers of trade and culture. New York, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles and many others of our 32 Send North America cities will never be the same.

I only pray this trend becomes a movement, but it won't come without difficulty and sacrifice. The challenges that have made most evangelical denominations non-urban are the same ones we're faced with in starting Gospel ministries in the cities. 

Common sense tells us that the more people there are, the more restrictions. Prices go up, laws and regulations are set in place and clashes of cultures and beliefs are more pronounced. Cities can be uncomfortable places for people who believe Jesus is the only way to God.

Being comfortable and yet faithful to the Great Commission in North America is becoming more and more difficult to balance. To love the lost the way God has called us to means we have to be an urban people. 

This doesn't mean we need to evacuate the suburbs in droves, but it might mean that we ask God to open our eyes to the reality of lostness. Lostness exists in every community -- rural, suburban and in the cities. But consider this: New Jersey has one SBC church for every 78,000 people. Mississippi has one church for every 1,400 people.

What's happening in Mississippi and the other Southern states is absolutely incredible. But what happens in the South can't stay in the South. So many people in neighboring regions are without an opportunity to experience the Gospel. 

As it stands now, we have a smattering of thriving oases amid vast deserts of lostness in the U.S. and Canada. But we have resources unrivaled by anyone else in evangelical life. 

My prayer is that God will open our eyes, minds and hearts in a big way, help us get a little more uncomfortable every day and use us to make our cities say, "People wandering in darkness have seen a great light."
--30--
Aaron Coe (@aaronbcoe) is vice president of the Mobilization and Marketing Groups at the North American Mission Board. This column appears in the fall edition of On Mission magazine. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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FIRST-PERSON: Small church pastors & the SBC
by Van Welton
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

BERRYVILLE, Va. (BP) -- Can a small church pastor benefit the Southern Baptist Convention?

Biblically and historically, the answer is a clear yes. 

Berryville is the county seat for Clarke County, the smallest county in Virginia. The latest census indicated that just over 4,000 people live in Berryville. It has a total of three stoplights, and the closest Walmart is 17 miles away. By many standards, Berryville is puny.

In 2010, being led of God, I planted Apple Valley Baptist Church.

Mimicking the apple industry, once the primary industry in Berryville, I tell people that Apple Valley Baptist strives to be their source for spiritual nutrition.

God has blessed. While Apple Valley Baptist has not set any convention growth records, the church has touched lives that were going unnoticed. New Christians are uniting with mature Christians with a hunger to advance the Kingdom. My soul is nourished every Sunday.

Still, I would be less than truthful if I did not admit that at times I wonder if serving in Berryville prevents me from having a role in my convention and in the Kingdom. Is Berryville and those who serve here simply too small, too insignificant, to be of value to the convention?

After all, who has ever heard of Berryville? 

God spoke to me on this issue while developing a sermon series on the life of Gideon. Through Judges 6, I was reminded that Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh, which the text indicates had dwindled in size compared to the other tribes. Gideon, furthermore, was the youngest in his family, a position that would ensure his limited social standing.

Despite the reasons why Gideon was not the perfect choice, God chose him to free the nation from the grip of its enemies. God saw in Gideon what others, and even Gideon himself, could not: a mighty warrior. 

Gideon's submissive heart to God's call and his willing obedience to eradicate the sin of idolatry from his own house was pleasing to God. 

When the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon (6:34), he became a leader among his people and the instrument God used to oppose evil.

Our convention is full of testimonies of God working through the unexpected to accomplish great things. Long before I was present, Berryville already had an example of how God may work through anyone. 

F.H. Kerfoot, a former professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was born in Berryville.

Arguably his greatest contribution to the convention was his editing work on James P. Boyce's Abstract of Systematic Theology, a task that largely established the present theological footprint for the convention. 

Amazingly, God called and worked through a dairy farmer from Berryville to impact the convention. Who would have thought? 

It is exciting to realize that God still uses the least likely from the unexpected places to accomplish His will. 

Our convention is made up of a majority of small churches in towns and villages across our nation. Each church has the potential to produce a mighty warrior for the Kingdom.

The lesson is simple. When individual Southern Baptists humble themselves before God and consecrate their lives in holiness, the Spirit of God can work through anyone -- a dairy farmer, a small town pastor or whoever He chooses -- to have a great impact for the Kingdom.
--30--
Van Welton is pastor of Apple Valley Baptist Church in Berryville, Va. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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BP Ledger, Sept. 9 edition
by Staff
Date: September 09, 2013 - Monday

<i>EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.</i>

Today's BP Ledger contains items from:
U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom
Baptist New Mexican
Campbellsville University
Hardin-Simmons University
Florida Baptist Witness

President Obama announces intent to appoint James J. Zogby to USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. (U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom) -- President Barack Obama on August 30, 2013 announced his intent to appoint James J. Zogby to the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
 
"USCIRF warmly welcomes Dr. Zogby as our newest incoming Commissioner. My fellow Commissioners and I eagerly await Dr. Zogby adding his voice to ours in support of humanity's first freedom," USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George said. "Given his knowledge, experience and commitment, I am confident that he will make significant contributions to our work on behalf of the cherished right of freedom of religion or belief and its fuller integration into U.S. foreign policy." 

Zogby is President of the Arab American Institute, which he founded in 1985. He is also Managing Director of Zogby Research Services, and a Visiting Professor of Social Research and Public Polling at New York University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In 1982, he co-founded Save Lebanon, Inc., a non-profit relief organization which funds social welfare projects in Lebanon. Earlier in his career, Zogby co-founded the Palestine Human Rights Campaign and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He is the current Chairman of the Editorial Advisory Committee for SkyNewsArabia News. He has hosted various television programs, including A Capital View on MBC from 1993 to 2001, and Viewpoint with James Zogby on Abu Dhabi Television from 2001 to 2011. His column, "Washington Watch," is currently published in 14 Arab and South Asian countries. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Zogby received a B.A. from Le Moyne College and a Ph.D. in Comparative Religions from Temple University.
 
Comprised of nine members, USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. 
 
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A Message to New Mexico's Christians
By Russell D. Moore

NASHVILLE (Baptist New Mexican) -- After counties in New Mexico began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in late August, the Baptist New Mexican asked the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Russell D. Moore, if there was anything he would like to say to New Mexico Baptists. Below is his response.

New Mexico is in the center of the cultural tumult over marriage these days. The New Mexico court decision penalizing a Christian photographer with conscience objections to shooting a same-sex union was followed quickly by news that some localities in the state were issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the fact that New Mexico hasn't approved same-sex marriage. How should churches in New Mexico think about these developments?

First of all, recognize that you are on the front wave of changes that will soon confront all states and localities. The redefinition of marriage is coming to every place, and those who think there is a "safe" Bible Belt cocoon to hide from such changes are simply wrong. Congregations around the nation will be watching New Mexico to see how you navigate these changes.

My primary counsel to you would be to remember the words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21 NIV). Both aspects of this biblical mandate are key.

The Bible tells us not to be "overcome by evil." There are some Christians who simply wish to avoid questions of justice, especially when those questions are controversial. Think of how many churches, shamefully, failed to address previous matters of family dissolution, such as the divorce culture. As citizens, you are to speak to those things best suited for human flourishing, and the recognition of marriage is one of those important things.

Even more important than our very real responsibilities in the public square are our responsibilities in our churches as embassies of the kingdom of Christ. Let's make sure that we are not just assuming that the people around us, or in our pews, understand marriage. Let's teach why marriage is important, because it is the icon of the union between Christ and his church (Ephesians 5), and let's do so not starting at premarital counseling but starting in children's Sunday school as we teach our boys and girls what it means to be husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and what it means to live chaste lives for those who are called to singleness.

But the Bible also tells us not to overcome evil with evil. When we feel as though we are under cultural assault, we're sometimes tempted to fight like the devil to please the Lord. We are tempted to match outrage with outrage, insult with insult. But we have no reason to be frantic or panicked. Jesus is alive, and even the gates of hell won't prevail over his church—much less a Supreme Court or some county clerks.

Let's speak the truth -- including what Jesus has told us about a Christian sexual ethic. But let's remember that the Son of God did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save it (John 3). Even as we speak of the righteousness of God in marriage and sexuality, let's always remember to offer mercy and forgiveness to those who repent and believe. Let's keep gospel reconciliation, not personal vindication, as our primary goal. Let's speak to our neighbors who disagree with us, not as enemies but as fellow sinners who just might, by the grace of God, soon be our brothers and sisters in Christ.

New Mexico's Christians, it seems, will be pioneers of what it means to bear Christian witness in post-Christian America. In that sense, you are finding yourselves where most Christians throughout the history of the church have found themselves, and where the rest of the American church will soon be. As you move forward, do not be afraid. Speak with conviction. Speak with kindness. Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Sen. Rand Paul visits Campbellsville Univ.
By Joan C. McKinney

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University) -- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) visited Campbellsville University Aug. 28 and spoke with various ministers and CU students in a dialogue in the Chowning Executive Dining Room.

About 65 persons attended the discussion during which media asked questions about employment, health insurance, education, immigration, Syria and the possibility of Paul running for president.

Paul said he believes Congress should have to review and approve any military action against Syria rather than the president making the decision on his own.

Paul said he is contemplating running for president by having discussions with his family. He said higher education is costing more and pay is not rising. He said "we need to leave more money in Kentucky" and "jobs need to be filled."

He said immigration reform needs to be done, and health insurance needs to be studied.

The dialogue featured a welcome from Michael V. Carter, president of the university, and; an invocation by Mike O'Neal, senior pastor at Campbellsville Baptist Church.

John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president, also gave comments and served as moderator of the dialogue.

Taylor County Ministerial Association officers spoke including Michael Caldwell, pastor of Pleasant Union Baptist Church, president of the association; James Washington, pastor of New Zion Baptist Church, secretary of the association; and Michael Goodwin, pastor of Salem Baptist Church, vice president. John Hurtgen, dean of the School of Theology, also spoke to the audience.

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HSU announces largest gift in university history 

ABILENE, Texas (Hardin-Simmons University) -- More than 1,500 people jumped to their feet with a standing ovation during Hardin-Simmons University's convocation ceremonies in Behrens Auditorium. 

"This is the largest gift commitment in HSU history," Lanny Hall, president of Hardin-Simmons University, told students, faculty and staff, alumni and community leaders. 

Standing on stage in the midst of the excitement was Will Wilkins. He and his wife Janice are the donors of the historic $16 million gift and the family leading the charge in the largest fundraising campaign in the university's history. 

The official opening of the 2013-2014 school year began with the announcement of the aptly-named fundraising campaign, TRANSFORMATION 2020, which seeks to realize gifts of $60 million to complete the first phase of a master plan that will dramatically alter the face of the Hardin-Simmons University campus. 

"We hope within the next three years – by HSU's 125th birthday – we will raise an unprecedented amount of money to meet our needs for the future," said Hall. 

Will Wilkins, a 1961 graduate and member of the HSU Board of Trustees, is the chairman of the TRANSFORMATION 2020 capital campaign as well as the patriarch of the family providing the leveraging gift. 

The announcement featured a video of the master plan that laid out a series of new buildings, renovations, and additions to the present campus, with a focus on the two most immediate additions, a wellness center and a spacious education building, both to be constructed on the west end of the central campus. 

"In recognition of the magnificent generosity of Will and Janice Wilkins, the wellness center will be known as the Wilkins Wellness Center," Hall said. He drew a round of laughter when he immediately quipped, "I predict that the students will quickly name it the WWC!" 

Hall explained that the Wilkins's second naming gift, which will house a portion of the Irvin School of Education, will be called the Christopher Education Building, the last name of Janice Wilkins' grandparents, and honoring the role the Christopher family has played in public education. 

"Because of their commitment of resources, we will be able to move forward on the detailed architectural planning on both projects and proceed toward groundbreaking and the beginning of construction in 2014," Hall advised. 

Hall said gift commitments to TRANSFORMATION 2020 have already reached $27,950,443, which is 46.6 percent of the campaign's first phase goal. 

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Restoration after devastation: Former pastor says there is healing in God's arms
By Mark Heath

ORLANDO (Florida Baptist Witness) -- Mark Matheson, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Windermere, Fla., survived ministry burnout, separation from his wife, and finally her death before he finally practiced what he had been preaching for so long.

David Uth, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, introduced Matheson who shared his story of restoration during worship Aug 11. 

"How many of you have come in and your life looks just like this?" Uth said, holding up a piece of broken glass. "You've come to a great place on a great day, to hear hope and restoration, and the testimony of Mark Matheson."

Uth, who has been a friend to Matheson through much of the devastation in his life, shared a conversation they had several years ago. 

"Dude, I burned out," Uth recalled Matheson telling him. "I crashed. I hit the wall." 

The senior pastor painted a picture of a fellow pastor who had left the ministry to start his own company, slowly rebuilding his life. 

And just when his professional and personal life was on an upswing—and he could finally start to focus on the future—he was blindsided by the unconscionable. 

He and his wife Carla were involved in a jarring, head-on collision in July 2012. Matheson, who was driving, was badly injured. Carla died in her husband's arms. 

"The last memory I have of her is holding her in my arms, praying, 'God no, not this.' Matheson told those gathered to hear his story.

LIVING THE MESSAGE

Preaching from Numbers 13, Matheson said Caleb exhibited the characteristics of courage, humility and faithfulness—those traits he believes are required for creating a solid legacy.

The passage took on a special meaning for Matheson, who said he had never before fully realized how much would be required of him.

"I've preached this stuff for 25 years," Matheson said, "now it's time for me to live it."

Matheson looked to Caleb, who the Bible records as being a faithful preacher, even at 85 years of age, as an example of how to pass on a good legacy.

"Caleb showed courage, responded in humility, and recognized God's choice of Joshua as the leader," Matheson went on, "God wants us to be faithful. Caleb was."

Matheson borrowed some of Caleb's courage when in a courtroom one day he finally came face to face with the 17-year-old who was traveling 60 MPH in a 30 MPH speed zone when he caused the accident.

"He came up to me and said, 'Mr. Matheson, I'm so sorry. Would you please forgive me?"

On the way home, Matheson said he called his father-in-law. "We've got to forgive this kid. That's what Carla would have done," he recalled telling him. 

Speaking of Jesus on the cross, Matheson said, "We're Christians. Our flesh is on Calvary. What kind of legacy are you leaving this morning?"

LEAVING A LEGACY

Holding up a blue baton, Matheson said leaving a good legacy is much like passing a baton during a sporting event. 

Recalling that during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China the U.S. men's and women's 400-meter relay teams were favored, Matheson said "neither one of them made it. Both teams dropped the baton."

Matheson pastored churches for 25 years before he experienced a burnout in ministry. Since then he has served as a consultant to corporate executives. 

"Start living today, not tomorrow." Matheson said. "How we live every day is going to determine the kind of legacy that we are going to leave."

SHARING HOPE

In Uth's introduction, he shared another difficult conversation he had with Matheson more recently on a special cruise in the middle of the Mediterranean, retracing the journey of the Apostle Paul.

"I'm almost back," Uth recalled Matheson telling him. 

"Man I pray you get back, because you have a message to share," Uth said he told Matheson.

"Brokenness in your life doesn't have to be the last chapter," Uth said. "God wants to change the end of the book."

In the years before the couples separation and their subsequent reconciliation, Matheson said he had been dealing with more than just burnout, however.

"I found out I had a chemical imbalance that I didn't know about," Matheson said. "It caused me to respond &#91;negatively&#93; to some stress. I just didn't handle it that well."

At that point Carla moved back to North Carolina to live with her parents, Matheson said. Her mother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Matheson and his wife had been separated for nearly two years before she died. Still, they never ended their marriage. 

The couple reconciled just six weeks prior to Carla's death. 

In May 2012, Carla's mother died of complications related to Alzheimer's. Then Carla went home to her husband. "It was so good to have her back," he said.

Forgiveness flowed as his wife pardoned him for his indiscretions, he said.

"God was healing us," Matheson said. "We were so excited about the future that God had given us."

Then just the day after they discussed how they would spend the rest of their lives together, Carla was gone.

"We only had six weeks, but because of that decision we made, it's going to impact our kids and grandkids," Matheson said.

GOD BRINGS RESTORATION

Drawing on the same illustration Uth began with, Matheson said it takes time to heal, but that God is faithful. 

"I was that broken piece of glass." Matheson said, referring to Uth's illustration. "Pastor David asked about a word for the year; &#91;and&#93; my word was restoration.

"It just takes a little courage to ask for a little help, and in humility to receive the help," Matheson continued. "And then the faithfulness to start walking with God every day ... &#91;T&#93;he time to start is today, not tomorrow."
--30-
Florida Baptist Witness managing editor Joni B. Hannigan contributed to this story.



