Today is my second day of extensive medical testings with the promise of more to come in the days and weeks ahead. These results will not achieve the “final product” I am looking for; they will only indicate if I can be accepted in the transplant program. A successful conclusion then will mark the sought-after “final product.” Meanwhile, the “process” must be continued in order to arrive at the desired “product.”

The Christian life is a lot like this. Yes, when we trust Christ we are immediately ready for heaven (Luke 23:43)! But, the New Testament reminds us that God has a “process” in store for us as He leaves us here awaiting the final “product.” God’s Word says we are “to be conformed to the image of His Son …” (Rom. 8:29).

One of my more transforming days as a pastor came when I realized that developing a New Testament church involved prioritizing the process more than the product. I came to realize that if I cooperated with Jesus (who is the only builder of the church!) and prioritized the process, He would truly build His church! For instance, I customarily would set goals for everything. Sunday School and worship attendance, budgets and giving, professions of faith and baptisms, etc. In and of themselves, there is nothing wrong with setting goals (Almighty God is the greatest goal setter there is! Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you …”). One day a pastor friend told me I was going about it the wrong way. Instead of setting the goal (identifying the product), he wisely advised me to plan and mark out the process. “What do you mean and how do we do that?” Instead of baptism goals, set goals regarding how many people will be witnessed to during the church year? To make that concrete, put some events on the church calendar that specifically target attracting the unchurched/unsaved in your community. Bathe them in fervent, believing prayer before and during the event(s). Plan, prepare and promote them well. Make sure they include a clear and convincing gospel presentation that asks people to trust Christ then and there, provide a means whereby people can record their decisions; then, do a thorough job of following up on them.

Will this process work in reaching people today? In 2009, an Evangelistic Research Project was conducted by Southwestern Seminary, involving 3,196 Southern Baptist Convention churches. The Project found that churches which conducted two big evangelistic events a year, reported 1,190 percent more baptisms than those which did not! Yes, the process is effective (read the Book of Acts, they followed the process!). And your community is waiting for your church to get out among them in practical, need-meeting ways, presenting the gospel in simple, understandable terms, thus demonstrating loving Christlikeness to the community.

Need ideas for a Big Event? Look over the Big Events Manual I wrote for Missouri Baptists. (If you don’t have one, call/email my office, we will send you one; or go to the MBC website, click on my link and download the pdf of the manual that is there. Additionally, download the two Big Event DVD’S that are there as well. (Don’t know how? Ask your grandkids to do it for you!) Show them to your congregation. There are actual stories of actual Big Events in Missouri Baptist Convention churches in recent months.

One of my dreams and prayers for Missouri Baptist churches is for every church to promote at least one Big Event Day in 2012, then, plan and prayerfully implement two in 2013.

The product will be there if we get the process right!

The agreement concerns $577,728 that the MBC has given to establish the Chair of Missions / Evangelism. Anthony Allen, MBTS senior vice president of administration, presided over the ceremony as MBTS Interim President Robin Hadaway and MBC Executive Director John Yeats formally signed the agreement. MBTS leaders did not say when the chair will be filled.

“This is a wonderful occasion in the life of our institution and the first, we hope, of many (chairs),” Allen said. 

Challenged by the question, the church began to look at practical ways to meet the needs of people. Because the closing of the Chrysler assembly plant in Fenton caused many residents to lose their jobs, Emmanuel decided to open a food pantry.

The church now serves more than 400 families every month.

“I can say definitely now that our community would miss us,” noted Pastor Richard Grayson.

The fellowship hall is stacked with potatoes, cereal, Gatorade, canned goods and bread. Starting with a couple of commercial freezers a member picked up at a garage sale, the church now has 14 freezers.

“The Lord fills every one of them up,” Grayson said.

A small army of volunteers run the entire ministry – from picking up boxes of food in St. Louis, to unloading and stocking the products, to distributing to individuals and praying for their needs as they visit.

“It’s like a church in motion,” Grayson said. About 70 members, from senior citizens to children who carry food to visitors’ cars, minister each week. “Side by side, we’re working and praying for people.”

Besides meeting physical needs, the congregation takes care to meet the deeper needs of the heart. Visitors to the food pantry are given doughnuts, a cup of coffee or juice. Members ask about their needs and pray with them. Quite often, visitors leave in tears as they have been touched by the care and concern. And people are getting saved. Grayson said he has baptized several new believers in the past year.

“It’s growing our church,” he said. “Like the New Testament church, we’re giving to the poor and hungry and the church grows in number.”

Emmanuel has an average attendance of 125 in Sunday School. Wednesday night attendance now exceeds 100. The budget for the food pantry ministry this year is $134,000. Grayson measures the church’s reach in other ways, noting they help about 10 families every day and give out 2,000 loaves of bread each week.

“It is a genuine ministry and it is fun,” Grayson said. “It’s time consuming, but it is very rewarding.”

The luncheon and conference for pastors and other leaders featured four speakers who took turns addressing the perversion of science and the secularization of America in the hope that God would use the intentional teaching of creation science as a means of advancing the gospel. The keynote speaker, Rod Butterworth, spoke 56 minutes to that end.

Butterworth is president of both the Creation Ministries of the Ozarks (CMOTO) and the Creation Experience Museum in Strafford (which has been visited by almost 2,000 people). His message was on “The Only Foundation,” referring to our bedrock as Christians.

“Christ is truth, and He is the foundation of all truth,” said Butterworth, who began his talk with several Bible verses.

He said he chose to do that to counter what Satan has been doing in the world. As it relates to science, the idea that there is not a Creator is one of Satan’s biggest lies. He reminded his audience that this is being taught in public schools.

“Satan is doing a real good job of deceiving Christians into compromising the truth of God’s Word,” Butterworth said.

Justin Nelson, who serves as a pastoral advisor to CMOTO, said the conference was about providing education and resources as well as partnering with churches. Nelson is a member of the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board and worship pastor at South Creek Church.

“We’re asking pastors to teach the Bible for what it is—a real historical document about God’s relation with man,” Nelson said. “It is historically accurate. It is geologically accurate and scientifically accurate. You don’t have to be a scientist to know and understand that.

“It means you have to be able to dig more within the text. You have to be able to explain things that we gloss over all the time.”

CMOTO seeks to partner with churches, schools, and other organizations. For more information, call (417) 736-3773 or visit www.cmoto.org.

Paul Meinsen, Missouri state director for Capitol Commission, welcomed those who attended the standing-room-only service and offered the opening prayer. Meinsen, who serves as chaplain for the General Assembly and their staffs, told attendees that legislators regularly pray not only for themselves but for each other.
The welcome was followed by the singing of the national anthem, led by Atchison County Sheriff Dennis Martin.

Special speaker for the event was Missouri Supreme Court Justice Zel Fischer, who listed five qualities needed by Christians in public service.

A member of First Baptist Church, Tarkio, Fischer said Christians should pray for their public servants to have salvation, wisdom, encouragement, strength, and humility.

“Salvation is eternal; legislation is temporal. The best prayer for any judge or legislator is that they come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior,” Fischer said.
He gave Scripture references to go with each item on the list, concluding with Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Rep. John McCaherty and Rep. Tommie Pierson, both pastors as well as legislators, led in prayer for the legislative branch of government.
Supreme Court Justice William Ray Price, Jr., prayed for the judicial branch; and Jeremiah Morgan, deputy solicitor general, prayed for the executive branch.
Law enforcement was represented by Major Dale Schmidt of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The military prayer was given by 2nd Lt. Jason Brawner of the Missouri National Guard.

Pastor Mark Kiekhaefer, pastor of Grace Evangelical Free Church of Jefferson City, offered the closing prayer.

Preceding the indoor service, there was a time of music and worship outdoors at the State Capitol steps.

Among those attending the services were 50-75 motorcyclists with Road Riders for Jesus, an international motorcycle organization, with the majority of those in attendance from all over Missouri.

Todd Starnes reported an incident at the National Scholastic Press Association and Journalism Education Association. At this conference for high school students, the speaker, Dan Savage, noted gay and lesbian advocate, went on a profanity-laced tirade against the Bible and verbally assaulted the students who hold a biblical worldview. Interestingly, the subject the speaker was designated to address was the issue of bullying. Yet, he used the power of the platform to condemn and abuse students who believe the Bible.

Several students walked out of the offensive lecture. One was Jake Naman. Appropriately, he stood up and walked out. He did not shout back at the speaker or make gestures or hold up a sign. Other students followed. As the students left, the speaker spoke about their leaving and condemned them from the platform—a platform designed to educate future journalists learning to report news, not to give cultural commentary.

Naman’s father, Phillip, told Starnes, “Dan Savage is a bully. When you are attacking somebody for their character, for their beliefs – that’s abuse. Dan Savage was abusing the children in a bullying fashion.”

In recent years, the hostile clash between opposing worldviews appears to be escalating and more fractious. It is very evident regarding certain sexual behaviors.

When serving as a public policy officer for another state convention, I experienced this first hand. A state legislative committee was holding a hearing about amending public school regulations regarding bullying. The goal was to bring in sweeping regulations that required teaching kindergarten through high school students the message of neo-tolerance characterized as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”

There was already an extensive bullying statute in place in this state so that local districts were empowered to regulate and enforce their policies using these standards. However, that was not enough for those who want public acceptance of gay and lesbian behavior statewide. So their strategy was to hijack the current bullying statutes.

During the hearing, what really crushed my heart was the 11-year-old they brought to the table to testify for the new regulations. With tears in his eyes, he said he was bullied because he was “gay.” While I emotionally sympathized with the young man’s sexual confusion, I wanted to scream, “Who told this young boy he was gay? Has a grown adult, a teacher or counselor funded with tax-payer dollars, told this young boy he was gay?” They don’t have a right to do that. Has someone in authority used the power of their position to fill this boy with all the wrong answers about his confusion?

Such is the state of the union—political correctness. Or should I say “incorrectness?” And the intensity is escalating higher each year as a certain segment of the society is demanding normalization of its behavior.

If nothing else, this is a clear case of political bullying. The only way to deal with bullying is to begin by saying, “Enough! I will not take this any more.” Jake had the courage to stand up and walk out – to push back the bullying.

Sadly too many believers are passive about things they should be convictional about. In a June, 2006 article, Al Mohler wrote about this concept and submitted a commentary on what causes such passivity.

“Courage is far too rare in many Christian circles … Liberal churches have redefined compassion to mean that the church changes its message to meet modern demands. They argue that to tell a homosexual he is a sinner is uncompassionate and intolerant. This is like arguing that a physician is intolerant because he tells a patient she has cancer. But, in the culture of political correctness, this argument holds a powerful attraction.

“Biblical Christians know that compassion requires telling the truth and refusing to call sin something sinless. To hide or deny the sinfulness of sin is to lie and there is no compassion in such a deadly deception. True compassion demands speaking the truth in love –and there is the problem. Far too often, our courage is more evident than our compassion.”

Yet passivity is not courage. Cowering is not courage. Courage includes some form of action and risk. When biblical conviction is placed on one side of the scale and political correctness on the other, ultimately the measure of compassion always tilts toward conviction. And faith is a verb that demonstrates great courage.

Lord, may the courage of the cross impact our lives each day. 

“I have been getting a lot of calls, mostly from homosexuals,” said Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi, where he is a member of First Baptist Church.

“They’re telling me what a horrible person I am for even signing on. [I think] everybody should have signed onto that bill.”

Fitzwater was a Sunday School teacher at Potosi First Baptist for 18 years and a public school health teacher for 29 years. He said the schools do not need to be teaching sexuality to kids.

“That’s something parents are responsible for. We’ve gone way overboard with that. It took a lot of courage for Rep. (Steve) Cookson to bring that bill forward. I was proud of him. I was proud to sign onto it.”

Rep. Charlie Denison, R-Springfield, at first said he hadn’t gotten as much flak as some of the others but changed his tune later as emails and calls began to reach his office.

Denison is a member of Second Baptist Church, Springfield.

“It’s hard for me to understand why the bill itself is causing the folks to rise up like this because I don’t see that it’s bashing the gays or directed toward the gays, other than the sexual orientation,” he said.

“I need someone to explain to me what I’m seeing in the emails I’m getting right now. They’re saying it is trying to do away with any conversations at all about gays. I don’t think this is going to do away with free speech at all.”

Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-O’Fallon, a member of Crosshaven Church, said he had received some hate mail from the homosexual community, but not much.

He believes that school is not the place for talking about sexuality, whether it is homosexuality or heterosexuality. “It is not appropriate academic learning.”
Bahr was surprised at the media attention.

“I’ve gotten more criticism over this bill than a more controversial bill I filed. This one is getting a hearing in the community. The other bill … not a peep from the media.”

Rep. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, said he has been getting positive as well as negative mail regarding the bill.

“When they understand what the bill truly says, people are for it,” he commented.

“We don’t believe it is necessary to allow our kids to be indoctrinated with sexual orientation. We don’t believe it needs to be addressed.”
Schatz is a member of Temple Baptist Church, Sullivan.

Rep. Mike McGhee, R-Odessa, is a member of First Baptist Church there. He has received a large amount of mail as well as comments from some of his colleagues.

“They are disappointed in me in not only being in favor of this legislation but being a co-sponsor,” McGhee said.

“I don’t see that I am doing anything to hurt anyone by only teaching the facts of life.

“Twenty-five percent of the money that comes into the state goes to public schools. What is taught should only be the truth. I want the revenue that comes from my constituents to teach the facts, not what somebody believes or any type of orientation.”

Concerning Northern Ontario, there are three areas of focus in prayer. First is the Kenora area in the west which includes the First Nations Communities. Second is the area north of Toronto. Third is Sudbury, which includes mission points being reached through All Nations Church.

In and around Kenora, pray for Jay and Mary Kim, church plant catalytic leaders. They will be incorporating the following mission teams into their strategy:
Southwest Baptist University students, May 21-June 6; North Central Missouri College (NCMC) Baptist Student Union team, May 24-31; Current Canada Summer Missionary team (two women from NCMC), June 1-July 31; First Baptist Church, Trenton, team, June 8-16; First Baptist Church, Gainesville, team to Dryden, June 30-July 7; Wright Douglas Ozark Baptist Association team to Dryden, July 7-14; First Baptist Church, Nevada, team, July 16-21; First Baptist Church, Bolivar, team, July 22-26; and teams from First Baptist Church, Fulton, and Southside Baptist Church, Fulton, Aug. 4-10.

Up to four trips are in the process of being developed for communities north of Toronto. These Missouri Baptists will be utilized in the strategic plan of Pat and Nadine Armstrong, church plant catalytic leaders.

The first entry point into this region was made April 30 through May 3 by Miner Baptist Church, Sikeston. Pray for fruit to come forth from this vision trip.
July will yield the next two trips to this area, first by a team from Sandy Baptist Church, Hillsboro, for Vacation Bible School in mid-July, and then by a team from Cane Creek Stoddard Association in late July.

Finally, Atlanta Baptist Church is considering a vision trip.

The third key foundational point for the Missouri Baptist outreach to Northern Ontario is the city of Sudbury. Pray for host pastors Jeremy Mahood and Josh Sklar as they look to God for guidance after welcoming a team from Memorial Baptist Church, Jefferson City, who ministered there April 30-May 6.

The homosexual community has risen up in opposition to House Bill 2051 (HB 2051) and more than a dozen representatives who have signed onto it. They insist it would have a harmful effect on students struggling with their sexual identity.

“We need to focus on how to get jobs. We want education to be about developing mathematicians and civil engineers. We do not like education to be the place where a political agenda uses it to social engineer our children,” Cookson said.

“We still need to be focusing our dollars toward good subjects and the primary mission.”

Calling for Cookson and other sponsors to withdraw the proposed legislation is a group of 36 representatives, led by Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis, calling itself the “House Progressive Caucus.”

Cookson said his bill does not target a particular sexual orientation but would ensure that the focus is on the curriculum parents expect their children to learn when they send them to school.

Kerry Messer, legislative liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention, said that all the bill does is to remove the social engineering regarding the homosexual agenda.

“In 28 years, I have seen over 45,000 bills going through the Legislature. Until today,” he said, “I have never seen one group of legislators publicly call out another group of legislators to remove their names from a bill related to an issue those sponsors believe in.”

Messer said the homosexual network is doing everything it can to harass the 20 representatives who are in support of the bill. “They’re being beaten up with hundreds of harassing phone calls from around the state.”

Messer pointed out that the homosexual lobby is more than the homosexual community. It includes those who have empathy with them, and it is made up of groups who are affiliated based on the sexual fetishes that they hold in common, which may include criminal sexual behavior such as pedophilia, he said.

Cookson, who said he has been threatened as well as harassed, plans to work with House leadership but has no intention of withdrawing the bill or changing his stance on what the 23 words of the bill actually say:

“Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school.”

“I am a man of faith,” Cookson said. “I prayed to God before I filed the bill, like I do with other legislation. He gave me the words to accomplish what His goals are, to further His glory. That’s why I filed the bill.”

“What we’re doing isn’t revolutionary or groundbreaking. We’re just asking God to move and be glorified through it,” Ministry Leader Jason Chrisman said.

Prayer is a key component. Every day at 3 p.m., members of First Baptist pause for a moment to pray for Truman State University students. Chrisman said initially he asked the church to pray for the ministry to grow. Later, he encouraged them to pray that students would give their hearts to Christ.

“I truly believe in the power of prayer,” Chrisman said. “We’re seeing awesome things happen.”

This semester, two young women were baptized at First Baptist after making decisions for Christ. Another student is preparing for baptism.

“Our college ministry doesn’t have a slick and trendy marketing plan,” Pastor Marty Joplin noted. “We don’t even have a cool name that insulates us from the reputation of the traditional church. But the kindness and compassion of many workers have created opportunities for the Spirit of God to use the people of God to bring souls into the kingdom and that is exciting.”

Joplin rejects the idea that college students will not attend a local church. If the church offers substantive teaching in God’s Word and genuinely cares about making a difference in the lives of students and the Word, they will participate, he said.

“It requires a time and resources investment to earn their trust,” Joplin said. “Those two elements are far more important than where or how you meet and what style of worship you offer.”

First Baptist started off with food, serving supper on Sunday evenings when Truman’s dining hall is closed. Church members cook and serve the meals. In the past few years, the ministry has grown to feed an average of 65 students each week.

“It’s a home-cooked meal from moms and grandmas,” Chrisman said. “Our hope is that some of them will come to church or come to Christ, or maybe down the road they’ll remember that godly people fed them when they were poor college students.”

Chrisman, who recently completed his master’s degree in education at Truman, is a semester missionary appointed by the North American Mission Board. He has been serving at First Baptist since January 2011.

Through sustained ministry, the college Sunday School class has grown from a handful to more than 15. Even more participate in worship services. Chrisman also leads a Thursday evening Bible study in which students are reading through the Bible this year. An active college ministry has invigorated all church members. Joe Visker, a professor at Truman, and his wife, Erin, lead Bible study and assist with the meal ministry.

Baptism of new believers was a milestone for the ministry. Looking to the next school year, First Baptist hopes to be recognized as a Truman organization with a student ministry charter and possibly take a mission trip.