Passage: Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 Expositional Devotion: We have noticed a trend developing in our home. When our grandkids get told no by mom or dad they will come and ask grandpa for what they want. Somehow, my lack of willingness to say no has given them the idea that I have an unlimited supply of money and willingness to satisfy their desires. They are correct that I would … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 3:20-21 “He Is Able”
Some pre-convention voices
Twenty-four days to our Grand Confab, the Annual Meeting in Dallas. Here are some things rumbling around: On B21, megapastor, former SBC president James Merritt endorses J. D. Greear and offers a withering criticism of loud, loutish critics: All of this to say this to that I believe this is the most pivotal SBC presidential election since the conservative resurgence. Make no mistake—we will make a loud and clear statement of just who we are and where we want to go. Will we give in to those who want us to always be “battling Baptists,” who show more passion for what they want to “stop” than … [Read more...] about Some pre-convention voices
From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 3:14-19 The Posture and Purpose of Powerful Prayer
Passage: For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 3:14-19 The Posture and Purpose of Powerful Prayer
Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
In the preface to Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “That part of the line where I thought I could serve best was also the part that seemed to be thinnest. And to it I naturally went.” We see a need in the Southern Baptist Convention, and our desire is to provide a means to strengthen that weakness. The SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative is designed to be a networking tool that helps open channels of communication within our convention. We are receiving nominations of ethnic minority leaders and women who may be available, interested, and willing to serve the SBC in leadership … [Read more...] about Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
So you want to get a resolution passed? Here’s the process…
There's a presumption rolling around among SBCers that the Resolutions Committee has what they want to do in mind before the convention and sloughs off or dismisses all resolutions that get submitted from individual SBCers. Not so. Those individuals who properly submit a resolution according to the provisions of By-Law 20 will be properly considered. Here's what the By-Law says is necessary for a properly submitted resolution: Be submitted to the Committee no earlier than April 15th and no later than 15 days prior to the annual meeting. Be addressed to the Committee on Resolutions … [Read more...] about So you want to get a resolution passed? Here’s the process…
Why I Am Voting for J.D. Greear to be the Next SBC President (K.V. Paxton)
K.V. Paxton is Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Quinlan, Texas. He's a Palestinian-American, graduate of Criswell College, Midwestern Seminary, and a veteran of the United States Air Force. The Southern Baptist Convention is at a crossroads. We may not be battling for inerrancy like we did during the often-referenced “Conservative Resurgence,” but the future is no less at stake for our convention. Millennials and minorities, both inside and outside of the SBC, are watching what we do next with great interest on a host of topics. And though I am often given to hyperbole, I do not think it … [Read more...] about Why I Am Voting for J.D. Greear to be the Next SBC President (K.V. Paxton)
From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 3:8-13 “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Passage: Ephesians 3:8-13 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So then I ask you not to be … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 3:8-13 “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Do What You Do Well
We’re always trying to figure out how to “do church better.” We have, after all, communities of people surrounding us many of whom have little to no connection to a church (other than, maybe, “oh, I attended VBS there as a kid!”). My shelf is filled with books and conference notes that talk about visions, pipelines, revitalizations, etc., ad nauseum. Most of these are written by or led by men who pastor large churches, run large organizations, or live in large communities. Maybe, at some point, they pastored a tiny church in a small or rural community, but those days are long in the … [Read more...] about Do What You Do Well
Requesting and Utilizing an IMB Missionary at Your Church
This is the third in what has become a three-part series. Section one lightly sketches some reasons why IMB missionaries don't frequent many churches, with the main thesis being churches no longer request missionaries as speakers. Part two is a more in-depth treatment of that initial thesis, pointing to trends and patterns which have led the SBC to this condition. Today we'll look over how to request an IMB missionary and what to do with them once they arrive. Do not expect a comprehensive listing; I imagine comments from current and former IMB workers will far outshine my own in terms of … [Read more...] about Requesting and Utilizing an IMB Missionary at Your Church
Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”
One of the quirks of this effort to highlight the "Voice that Matters Most" here on SBCVoices is that we divided the text based on the CSB translation. The goal was to provide some standardization and for you readers to be able to open a Bible and track with us. Some of the (other) writers can do this in Greek, but others (me) aren't quite so good with it, and we wanted this to be reasonable for a blog. The result, though, is that some of our sections divide in strange places if you are in NA28 or even NASB. That goes back to doing the divisions based on sentence structure in the CSB. So, if … [Read more...] about Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”