Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

CONSIDER THE CONNECT>1 EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN

By Mark Miller
Sunday School Specialist, TBC

Mark Miller

Mark Miller

How will you lead your groups to become outwardly focused? Would you like to see your groups engage in actions to see lost people saved and unreached people reached? Do you need a plan to encourage group members to invite the lost and unchurched to their group and group activities? What is your strategy to prepare group members to share Jesus with lost friends? Consider participating in the Connect>1 Evangelism Campaign!

What is the Connect>1 Evangelism Campaign? The goal is to equip and engage every church member in personal evangelism through the church’s small groups or Sunday School. [Read more…]

WILL YOUR CHURCH BAPTIZE 16 IN 2016?

By Roc Collins
President, TBC

Roc Collins

Roc Collins

It seems hardly conceivable that February is almost over. Where did January go? Time is ever passing and the longer I live, the faster it seems to go by. And with the passing of time, there always seems to be the recollection of things I had planned to do, things I had hoped to accomplish. At the center of all this are the things I planned to accomplish for Christ and for His Kingdom. What’s that? Saving the lost! And if we are not careful, all our good plans to accomplish great things — along with time — will quickly pass by.

In Matthew 28:19-20, before leaving this earth, Jesus tasked His followers with a three-pronged mission: to make disciples, to baptize them, and to teach them about the ways of Christ. With that in mind, let me ask some hard questions. [Read more…]

HOW WELL IS YOUR CHURCH EXECUTING THE 3 Vs?

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

Chris Turner

Chris Turner

The Great Commission is in the DNA of every church (or at least it should be), and hopefully every church has as its vision the idea of “reaching people for Jesus Christ.” But unfortunately, too often the community around the church doesn’t know that’s the vision because church members don’t know that’s the vision or don’t understand how to transfer it beyond the church.

Vision statements are great, but every “vision” begs the question: Are the actions of the church and the responses of the church’s members harmoniously working together to reach the vision for everyone’s benefit? [Read more…]

IN NASHVILLE, THERE’S ROOM IN THE INN

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

Everyone who has been a Baptist all of his or her life knows the Christmas story and probably has participated in a Christmas play in which the mean innkeeper tells Mary and Joseph, “There is no room in the inn.”

Whether it actually happened that way or not, only eternity will tell. We do know our Savior was born in a manger.

In Nashville, there is an organization called Room in the Inn which draws its name from the Christmas story, seeking to provide shelter for the homeless. [Read more…]

WILL YOU FIGHT FOR TODAY’S 72?

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Randy C. Davis

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

The day’s minutes pass and vaporize, unaffected by any change or resistance we hope to exert. And with the passage of every hour, three spiritually lost Tennesseans slip into eternity.

That’s 72 eternally lost neighbors, friends, and family members every day, 26,000-plus every year. I simply can’t accept that without a fight for those souls, and I intend to do something about it.

Yes, the daily headlines can be overwhelming. This law is being passed here. Christians are being kicked out there. Freedom of religion is being throttled over there. So many Christians feel defeated and settle into a defensive posture. However, we need to lift our eyes! The dark being the darkness has no effect on the light being the light. [Read more…]

FIRST-PERSON: AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT: WISDOM

By David Jeremiah
Baptist Press

david-Jeremiah

David Jeremiah

EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) — Many elements make up a blessed life, but none is as powerful or important as wisdom.

Wisdom is knowledge compounded by grace. It’s seeing things through the lens of God’s vision.

When it comes to wisdom, Solomon is the person to study. According to 1 Kings 4:29-34: “God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand of the seashore…. For he was wiser than all men…. And men of all nations … came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” [Read more…]

ILLEGAL TO BELIEVE?

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Christian, persecution, prison, BibleFor 200-plus years Western culture (especially America) has been shaped by the Judeo-Christian worldview. Not all citizens of the West were orthodox Christians nor were Western nation-states theocracies. Yet, the contours of the social and intellectual life of Western culture were largely moralistic and spiritual.

In the last 100 years things have changed. The West is largely secular and at times anti-religion, especially anti-Judeo-Christian. How did this happen? The process is interesting and revealing. To explain, let me borrow from Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor and his magisterial work, A Secular Age. [Read more…]

KORAN LEADS MAN TO CHRIST (WELL, NOT EXACTLY)

Editor’s note: Due to safety concerns about the Muslim who accepted Christ and his family, the name of the author has been withheld.

Koran, mosque, lectern, shadowsAn Arabic-speaking Christian friend brought a new believer to meet me. The man, who I’ll call Alvey, was a former Muslim who wanted to be baptized. My friend thought it would be a good idea to make sure Alvey understood what it meant to become a follower of Jesus.

I listened to Alvey’s story and my interest was piqued when he talked about the shortcomings of the Koran. “I was raised a Muslim and came to the U.S. a long time ago. Because I drove a truck for a living, I listened to tapes of Islamic teaching. The more I listened, the more I questioned. There were so many holes in the teaching.” [Read more…]

UNDECIDED A POOR CHOICE IN 2016

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

vote-ribbonHere is a B&R article on the 2016 presidential election that examines which candidates Protestant pastors would vote for if the election were held today. Keep in mind this survey was conducted only of ministers, not the general population, but it’s still revealing.

Pastors were able to provide answers depending on whether they are Republicans or Democrats.

For Republicans, the overwhelming winner was not Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, or Donald Trump. The winner by a wide margin was “Undecided” with 39 percent. [Read more…]

DOES SATAN KEEP YOU OUT OF THE BIBLE?

By R.T. Kendall
Member, First Baptist Church, Hendersonville

R.T. Kendall

R.T. Kendall

A melancholy fact: Most Christians do not have a Bible reading plan. Most Christians do not read their Bibles regularly. And some church leaders do not read their Bibles. I happen to know more than I care to reveal about how many famous Christians and leaders have not read the Bible through at all.

Bethan Lloyd-Jones, wife of the late Martyn Lloyd-Jones, made a gripping observation about C.S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters, a brilliant satire that includes among other things how the devil tempts new Christians. She lamented that one huge thing Lewis left out was how the devil wants to keep people from reading their Bibles. I agree; it would have been so helpful had Lewis put that in. [Read more…]

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