Concord Baptist Church

Jefferson City, MO

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5 Simple Ways to Reach Out This Fall

 

  • Host a neighborhood block party on your street. Put a grill out front, cook up some burgers and hot dogs, and invite everyone on your street to stop by. Add a bucket of candy to this, and see how many neighbors you meet on Halloween.
  • Take a homemade snack or decoration to your neighbors. There are several upcoming holidays, so this would work for Thanksgiving and give a chance to follow-up at Christmas.
  • Have a service day in your neighborhood. Identify an area of your neighborhood (park, street, etc.) that needs cleaned up. Invite others from your neighborhood to help, and provide water and a snack for everyone who helps. You might consider adopting a neighbor in need (perhaps an older person, widow or someone with a special need).
  • Pray specifically and intentionally for your neighbors. This would involve praying for them by name and even by need. Consider how technology might help with this effort. A good website to check out is blesseveryhome.com. Signing up gives you access to information that will help you pray for every person on your street.
  • Invite the neighbors over to watch a ball game or a movie (be careful with that one). Add a few snacks or a light meal and you’ve got the makings of an enjoyable evening where you can get to know your neighbors.

These are all ideas with one goal in mind—get to know the people around you. There are folks all around us who do not know Jesus and you can impact their relationship with the Lord often by just striking up a conversation. Know their name. Get to know their story. Share some of your story. In the course of conversation, you will have an opportunity to share your faith in Christ.

Be intentional. Be humble. Be willing. God will use you.

Blessings!
Bro. John

Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Efforts

Dear fellow Missouri Baptists:

Thank you for the outpouring of prayers and support for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. This historic storm continues to wreak havoc throughout the Gulf Coast, having moved today into Louisiana. I want to provide you with a brief update, especially for those of you eager to volunteer your time and resources to Missouri Baptist disaster-relief efforts.

First of all, please be patient. At this point, those in a rush to travel and help on-site unintentionally may be causing more harm than good. The road conditions, among other realities, are not conducive to massive boots-on-the-ground efforts just yet. Stay in touch with our disaster relief efforts on Facebook.

Second, it’s important for you to know that, initially, we are only sending trained, certified DR volunteers. After major deployments have taken place, with the permission of Texas authorities, we may be able to send untrained volunteers. If you wish to serve with Missouri Baptist DR, please attend the Hannibal training on Sept. 8-9 so you may become certified. Register here.

To churches wishing to collect and send goods and materials: These are not yet being requested. Monetary donations to Missouri Baptist DR or to your local associational DR unit are the best options. Bottled water and Gatorade are acceptable, but those making such donations must have the means to deliver the items to either a local associational DR unit or to the DR warehouse in Jefferson City.

To give to Missouri Baptist DR efforts, click here. Or send your check to the Missouri Baptist Convention and designate it “Disaster Relief.”

We also offer a text-to-give feature, where you may donate from your smart phone or other mobile device. Just text “Give” to 573.433.8286 and follow the prompts.

You may also want to give a “Disaster Relief” designated gift through your local church. The 1,800 MBC churches serve together to transform lives and communities with the gospel through vital ministries like MBC Disaster Relief. Your church would then forward your gift, and gifts from other church members, to the MBC.

Thank you for prayers, gifts, and willingness to go as God leads. May the Lord bless you as you continue to serve Him.

Dr. John Yeats
Executive Director, Missouri Baptist Convention
Recording Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention

 “Touching the world through the Cooperative Program”

20 Relics of Church Past by Thom S. Rainer

Twenty Relics of Church Past

Prayer Guide to Praying for our Nation

 

  1. A time of thanksgiving for the opportunity to gather freely with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Gratitude for our freedoms to worship freely and speak openly. Gratitude for the work of Christ in our lives. His death, burial, resurrection and wonderful gift of salvation.
  1. A prayer of repentance for complaining far more than we pray and trust God. Repentance for failing to take our responsibilities as citizens seriously and for our lack of involvement. Repentance for silence when we as believers in Jesus should be speaking as salt and light.
  1. A prayer of forgiveness for wanting what benefits us personally and makes our lives more comfortable rather than that which makes our nation stronger, moral and just. May our children and grandchildren live in a better America.
  1. A prayer for a just and right election. May there be no election fraud. May there be integrity in the voting process. May citizens take their responsibility seriously and vote with a high turnout. May there be clear results
  1. A prayer for peace in the process. May there be no violence in our streets. May there be a peaceful transition of power.
  1. A prayer for God to make His will known. May the principles of righteousness and justice prevail. May that person be elected who will in fact seek God and not political expediency. Who will seek to protect the unborn, the underprivileged, the oppressed. May we have elected officials that turn back to the original intent of our Founders and our Constitution.
  1. A prayer for those elected. May they be protected. May God grant them wisdom. May their families thrive while they serve in office. May they have a heart for God and grow spiritually. May they promote righteousness in the land. May they be lovers of Jesus.

May God bless America and may America be blessable.

Discerning Sound Doctrine

Everyone’s talking about it. Zesty one-liners liked on Facebook. Blurbs teasing on Twitter. Even primetime television shows are buzzing about the new book by a so-called Christian author. It’s quite easy to discern this new publication is trendy. But discerning whether the new rage is doctrinally sound is another matter altogether. And if God’s people are to be faithfully committed to sound doctrine, how do they determine whether the newest book abuzz in the media upholds doctrinal integrity, or is the product of those puffed up and using godliness as a means of gain (1 Tim. 6:3-5)?

The apostle Paul’s timeless admonition in 2 Tim. 3-4 rings especially germane today where he writes, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but have itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Such itching ears are the essence of the vestige of sinful flesh that remains in us. Our flesh naturally itches for teachings that conform to our fallen faculties rather than desiring to be conformed by God’s Word. This is such a concern to Paul that in the three pastoral epistles, Paul takes up the importance of sound teaching 26 different times. Think about that! Paul is consistent throughout the NT in encouraging believers to mature towards developing the mind of Christ so that we will cease acting like children tossed back and forth by the latest fads and deceitful doctrines (Eph. 4:14).

So what should be our reaction when a new book proffered by a “Christian” author makes the rounds, being lauded on all the major media networks? First, I must ask myself why the world is endorsing it. Not always, but generally speaking, an endorsement by the world means a reduction of the gospel. How can we say this? Perhaps we should ask Jesus Himself, who counseled us, saying, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:18-19).” So our Lord Himself instructs that if the world loves us, we are not His, but if we are His, the world will hate us.

Jesus reinforced this teaching in the high priestly prayer, noting, “the world has hated them because they are not of the world.” Therefore, if a literary work is marketed as “Christian non-fiction” and the world loves it, due diligence requires that we ask what kind of reductionism has occurred, or what doctrines have been watered down, in order for the world to embrace it because as we just read according to Jesus, their natural response is to hate His word. The Apostle Paul also echoes these sentiments concerning the world’s default response, noting that not only is the cross an offense to non-believers (Gal. 5:11), but that it is also folly (“moronic” in the actual translation) to those unregenerate who are incapable of understanding spiritual truth. I must therefore conclude that some offense has been removed to make the “cool” literary work palatable to unconverted ears.

Our response then, knowing the presupposition that Jesus and Paul have laid forth, is to contend and test for the truth. Such is Jude’s imperative (Jude 3-4), telling us to contend for the faith once given to us (a faith when in the Greek means a completed act, ergo, there is no new revelation) against ungodly people who have crept in unnoticed who pervert the gospel by encouraging antinomian behavior (the belief that because one is saved and therefore free to sin with impunity). We should not be silent, but contend. Paul instructs us likewise to “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). John warns to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” John’s contention is as true today as it was then. We should not just assume carte blanche that a book or study, no matter how popular it is, (or, especially how popular it is) accords with sound doctrine.

If we truly are seeking a new study or book to facilitate our sanctification, and are not doing so out of a motive that seeks the approval of man over the approval of God – after all, as Paul says, if we were trying to please men we would not be servants of Christ (Gal. 1:10) – what should we look for in a new book or study? Is there a simple guideline to help steer us straight? In response to this frequently asked question, here are three tips to help guide you on your quest to find material that rightly handles the word of truth:

1. Does it point to Christ, or external sources, for our sustenance?
Christ is the source and sustainer of our salvation. However, we are a culture fixated on quick-fixes, and one pervasive symptom of the quick fix bug is to look to ourselves, or another tangible, visible authority for sustenance rather than looking to the cross. Pointing to Christ, we see not only is His grace sufficient for us, but a dual submission/admission that we are incapable of doing it alone, which is the very heart of the gospel. This is liberating!

Edifying resources are those pointing to Christ by engaging His inerrant Word, not the word of another person given privy before Him. Conversely, there resources abounding today that feed off the impulse to look to ourselves or to some other fallible figurehead “paraphrasing” for God, about how to figure it out. Unfortunately, we often find a profusion of literature that recycles trivialized iterations and countdowns, such as 5 ways to a happier ____. This follows a step-by-step list of things to do to secure happiness, a virtue that often subjugates sanctification and Christ-likeness as the chief aim. But in pursing happiness, rather than holiness or Christ as the chief aim, these authors also impose another impediment to their readers’ sanctification by pointing to external sources rather than the sufficiency of Christ for their sustenance.

This is not to say we are to be self-loathing killjoys who forsake even the appearance of happiness. Rather, our joy is grounded in Christ and knowing Him more intimately. This kind of joy found in pursuing the holiness of God leads to the kind of contentment that Paul spoke of when he said, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Do we really believe that? Or do we prefer following teachers that point to their own human-centered self-help methods, and away from Christ, for nourishment? Ultimately, this approach fails because it points to more law through a sense of appeasement, rather than pointing to grace through a sense of yielded entrustment. Remember, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). So before you dive into a study, browse through it to see to whom it points as the chief protagonist.

2. Does it hold to the primacy of Scripture?
Simply put, Scripture is that special revelation which God felt necessary to reveal to us for our salvation, growth, and sanctification (John 17:17). You should always, before embarking on any study, do your homework to determine if the author holds to a high view of Scripture. Said another way, determine whether they believe that God’s Word is fully authoritative for our lives, or simply some wise proverbs in order to live a happier life. Does the author believe God’s Word is no longer applicable for today’s culture, and thus, is to be interpreted fluidly according to shifting cultural values, or does the author affirm a hermeneutic that places meaning only by the original author’s intent to the original audience? If the former, then quickly run away and don’t look back or collect your refund when passing “Go.”

One helpful tip is to always be mindful to determine whether the author’s core tenants and buzz-phrases are supported by Scripture. Does the author undermine Scripture by proclaiming they are the recipients of “new revelation,” claiming that God has uniquely spoken to them, thus contradicting the Bible itself (Heb. 1:1-2; Rev. 22:18-9; Jude 3)? Or, is the closed canon Scripture sufficient? Does the author encourage obedience to Christ as a means of loving Christ, such as what Jesus proscribed when stating, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15)? Or, are they quick to lambast those contending for normative biblical truths as “legalists,” thereby tacitly advocating a form of cheap grace that marks much of the “live and let live” mores of American Christianity today? You can tell a lot about an author by their view of Scripture. The Lord tells us that not only is all Scripture inspired by Him, but that it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). An author who affirms anything less would not be profitable for your growth in Christ-likeness.

3. Does it proclaim the gospel?
Bottom line, we should always ask, “Does the study proclaim the gospel?” That is, the person and work of Christ, and how we acquire the benefits of His person and work. Sadly, in a quest for quick stimulus happiness, the gospel is mutually excluded in many popular publications. Oft driven by expediency, this strategy is simply a quick-fix, a counterfeit, that doesn’t give its audience what it truly needs after the fleeting feelings of feel-good. The gospel offends, because in order for there to be good news, there must be bad news, and that bad news is antithetical to modern humanist views, or to selling books, for that matter. The bad news is what bad people, such as all of us, don’t want to hear: that we are all proud and corrupt, naturally hostile to God, and deserve divine justice with no way of helping ourselves (Rom. 8:7).

“But God…” those two words, perhaps the most beautiful in all the New Testament from Ephesians 2:4, bridges the bad news to the good by ushering in God’s rich mercy and love, and should be an integral inclusion to any work that seeks to rightly handle the Word (2 Tim. 2:15) and give the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). At a minimum, some element or semblance of the gospel should be present in any work that expressly markets itself as Christian or some related facet of developing Christian disciplines. This gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That’s good news that can never be written and printed enough.

Paul tells Timothy in two different books to “guard the deposit” entrusted to Him (1 Tim. 6:20, 2 Tim. 1:14). All too often we find soaring inspirational stories that itch the ears and make the listener feel good, but when the program is over we find the entire platform was devoid of the gospel. If we are to guard the deposit given to us, if we are to discern good doctrine, if we are to rightly handle the Word, and if we are to truly love people, we will make sure we put nothing before their faces that settles for anything less than Christ, His Word, and the gospel.

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3724 W. Truman Blvd.
Jefferson City, MO 65109
573.893.2876

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