By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor In his book “God With Us: The Miracle of Christmas,” John MacArthur relates the following: “I read a haunting newspaper story several years ago about a wealthy Boston family who had a christening party for their new baby. They invited all their friends and relatives to their magnificent home to celebrate the birth of their precious infant. “A half-hour into the party, when it was time to bring the baby out for everyone to see, the mother made a tragic discovery. The large bed where she had left the baby asleep was piled high with the coats of the guests. The baby was lying dead underneath the mound, suffocated by the carelessly discarded wraps.” MacArthur goes on to draw a parallel between the horrible scene in that Boston bedroom and the manner in which America’s consumer culture “celebrates” the birth of Jesus Christ. “Lost is the realization that Christmas is first of all the birth of the Savior,” MacArthur wrote. “He is all but forgotten....” I agree with MacArthur’s observation and, as a result, I struggle with the commercial carnival that Christmas has become. I cringed when I walked into our local Wal-Mart in early October and discovered “Christmas” paraphernalia where lawn and garden … [Read more...]
“Be born in us today” – God’s miracle of new birth
By James B. Law, Pastor First Baptist Church Gonzales In recent weeks, I have read with great interest and joy the testimony of Kirsten Powers. Her journey of grace was posted on Christianity Today’s website in October. Since then her story has gone viral and has been the source of much media attention. Powers possesses quite a resume that includes an appointment to the Clinton White House, as well as established credentials as a journalist with such news outlets as Fox News and The Daily Beast. Throughout her career, Powers has been known as a progressive, secular, and atheistic liberal who expressed a pronounced contempt for all things Christian. However, through the witness of a boyfriend and the consistent preaching of a faithful pastor, Powers was confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ. Over the span of eight months of attending church and Bible study, the thick crust of resistance began to breakdown. From a worldview in which God did not exist, Powers describes the beginnings of her awakening, “I suddenly felt God everywhere and it was terrifying.” She explains the culmination of this journey to faith when she writes, “I’ll never forget standing outside that apartment on the Upper East Side and saying to myself, … [Read more...]
God’s curse against the Amalekites
By Leon Hyatt, Jr., retired Pastor, Pineville, La. My thanks go to Rob Phillips (Baptist Message, Oct. 24) and Kenny Crump (Baptist Message, Nov. 7) for having the courage to produce writings on the sticky subject of God’s curse on the Amalekites. Though their views seem to be somewhat contradictory, I actually agree with both of them. I offer a few thoughts to add to their excellent discussions, which may help to reconcile their two views. God put a curse on the Amalekites (Ex. 17:14). He also put a curse on the Canaanites (Gen. 9:24-27). Both curses called for total annihilation. However, God also gave some definite directions about how the curses were to be executed. In Deuteronomy 20:1-19, God gave instructions to the Israelites about warfare against an enemy city that was obstructing Israel’s effort to settle in the land of Canaan. Those instructions included: (1) “Before you attack the city, seek to arrange a peace treaty” (v. 10). (2) “If the city makes peace, let them work for you” (v. 11). God put no limitations on those instructions. They applied to Canaanites just as much as to any other nation. God provided a way for Canaanites to be accepted among the Israelites and share their blessings, if only they … [Read more...]
Christmas is time to magnify Jesus as Lord & Savior
By Jeff Iorg, President of Golden Gate Seminary, Mill Valley, Calif. A family once visited our church for the first time. After the service, during a casual conversation, I discovered the woman in the family was Jewish. Linda had never attended a Christian worship service and seemed quite fascinated by what she had just experienced. As was my custom, I followed up that conversation with a personal phone call early in the week. She agreed to my offer of a pastoral visit with her and her husband. Having limited experience with Jewish guests – not many drop in on a typical Midwestern Baptist church – I spent some time thinking about how to open the conversation in their home. Based on our brief conversation from Sunday, I settled on a question that received a surprising, but delightful answer. My question was, “What was the biggest difference between our worship service and the synagogue services you may have experienced in the past?” Linda said, “Oh that’s easy. In your church, Jesus is the ‘Big One.’” I had never heard it put quite that way before! Having worshipped God all her life, it was striking to her how prominent Jesus was in our worship. We sang about Jesus, prayed in Jesus’ name, talked about how Jesus could change … [Read more...]
“It’s beginning to look a lot like X-Mas”
By Roger 'Sing' Oldham, Vice President of SBC Convention Relations A mordern-day parody. It’s beginning to look a lot like X-mas Everywhere you turn; Nativity sets are banned, Carolers cannot stand On public land or in the big parades. It’s beginning to look a lot like X-mas In many public schools; For the secular world imparts That the Christ within our hearts Is against the rules. Opposed to biblical roots With a rash of lawsuits Is the wish of Barry and Lynn; Christians that balk And are too scared to talk Is the hope of godless men. And A-C-L-U looks for ways to threaten once again! It’s beginning to look a lot like X-mas Our nation will forget That the only way to joy Is when the Christmas Boy Lives within your heart. Yes, the only way to peace Is when the Prince of Peace Lives within your heart! … [Read more...]
God’s wonderful gift to us all – salvation
By Argile Smith, Louisiana College The joy of giving characterizes the Christmas season. For that reason, we do well to spend some time with John 1:10-29. It’s a thought-provoking Bible passage that describes God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Reflecting on it will prompt us to rejoice in God’s matchless love that’s been expressed in baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. John pointed to Jesus Christ as the source of new birth. At the very beginning of his Gospel account, John explained that Jesus had come to save us. In his explanation, he made remarkable declaration. He credited Jesus with creation. In fact, he declared that the entire world was made by Jesus Christ (10). Only the Son of God could have done something so magnificent. When Jesus came to the world, however, His own people gave Him an ice-cold reception (10-11). In spite of everything that happened through His life, death, and resurrection, many of them still rejected Him. For generations, the people of Israel had been looking forward to the arrival of the Messiah. But when Jesus came to them, they turned their backs on Him. So did others who could clearly see that He was the source of the new birth, but they rejected Him just the same. For centuries now, … [Read more...]
Helping Hands Storefront Ministry receives helping hands
By Tammy Sharp, Regional Reporter LEESVILLE - Missionaries from all across the South joined forces this summer in Vernon Parish to help with the construction of a new building for the Helping Hands Storefront Ministry, located at 603 South Third Street in Leesville. The ministry had an official ribbon cutting and dedication of the facility on Nov. 22. “The Lord has definitely provided. The chapel, the new refrigerators, food storage, and the additional space is all because He has been a part of this project from day one,” Vernon Director of Missions E.J. Bradshaw said. The project got underway May 27, with the arrival of Steve Hayes of Crosby, Miss., who coordinated the more than 150 volunteers from four different states as they moved in and out of Leesville to complete the work. Those who have poured their hearts into the storefront ministry over the last two decades say they are grateful for the help, but not surprised. “God has provided for our needs at Helping Hands Storefront Ministries since its beginning in 1992,” said Modie Phillips, director of the storefront. “Philippians 4:19 is the scripture the Vernon Baptist Missions committee claimed at that time and we still claim this promise now.” And many, many people have … [Read more...]
Calvinism: Mohler, Hankins hold a ‘conversation’
Submitted by philip on Mon, 12/16/2013 - 09:56 R. Albert Mohler Jr. (right), president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Mississippi pastor Eric Hankins discuss their divergent views of Calvinism. By James A. Smith, Sr., Baptist Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Southern Baptists need to “learn the table manners of denominational life” when discussing Calvinism, R. Albert Mohler Jr. said during a “conversation” with Mississippi pastor Eric Hankins at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, and Hankins, pastor of First Baptist Church in Oxford, Miss., co-chaired a 19-member Calvinism Advisory Committee that issued a unanimous report in May to Executive Committee President Frank Page, who assembled the group. While acknowledging tension over Calvinism within the Southern Baptist Convention, the report urged Southern Baptists to “grant one another liberty” on the doctrine while joining arms for the Great Commission. In recent years, a debate about Calvinism, a term associated with the doctrine of salvation taught by 16th-century theologian John Calvin has generated controversy within the SBC, with each side of the debate convening conferences, publishing books and issuing … [Read more...]
Court of Appeal upholds dismissal of lawsuit against LC
By Staff, Baptist Message PINEVILLE – The Third Circuit Court of Appeal ruled on Nov. 6 to uphold an earlier decision by Judge Mary Lauve Doggett of the Ninth Judicial Court to dismiss a lawsuit against Louisiana College. The suit was originally filed eight years ago. Third Circuit Judge James T. Genovese affirmed the legal rational and jurisprudence whereby Judge Doggett had arrived at her decision which ruled in favor of LC’s right to determine the content of its faith and curriculum. Judge Doggett’s original ruling to dismiss a lawsuit brought by four former LC professors was issued on March 27, 2012. Carlton L. Winbery, Fredrick L. Downing, James R. Heath and Connie R. Douglas sued the college in Dec. 2005 alleging loss of academic freedom and infliction of emotional distress. Judge Doggett wrote in her March ruling: “Under the establishment Clause, the consideration is whether the issues which the Court will have to resolve will necessarily turn upon competing interpretations of religion, thus resulting in the Court becoming entangled in an ecclesiastical dispute.” The judge continued, “The ‘Entanglement Doctrine’ provides that a court must decline jurisdiction over a lawsuit when the dispute is so intertwined with … [Read more...]
Abortions in the U.S. are on the decline, CDC says
By Staff, World News Magazine ATLANTA, Ga. – Abortions are on the decline in the United States, though numbers remain shockingly high in New York City, according to a CDC report released over Thanksgiving. The study used voluntary data from 44 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia. The states not included in the study didn’t provide data for each of the ten years. From 2001 to 2010, the number of reported legal abortions in the United States fell by 9 percent. The number of teenagers getting abortions dropped most significantly, probably due in part to the overall drop in teenage pregnancies. For that 10-year period, the abortion rate among teenagers fell about 30 percent. The number of abortions in New York City alone remains incredibly high: 83,750 in 2010. That amounts to 694 abortions for every 1,000 live births. No other jurisdiction approaches that high of an abortion ratio. Other city health reports have shown that almost 40 percent of pregnancies in New York end in abortion. Most shocking in the CDC’s New York numbers: 82 percent of abortions in the city were performed on African-American or Hispanic women. The authors noted that the CDC numbers, because they are voluntary, significantly underreport … [Read more...]
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