BaptistLIFE Online

If the definition of “Christian” starts with “following Jesus” and emulating all that He did, then a brief look at the record of some of the things He did is in order. Even a cursory examination of his daily life as an adult reveals much about His heart as it relates to the poor, sick, racially divided, socially disenfranchised and forgotten people of His day.

I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20).

There are times when I don’t like what is happening around me. And then there are times that I do. There are times like waves that carry us to where we need to go. Other times we feel the force of the “tsunami” carrying away from us things that are precious. There are times that test us and times that prove we are right where we need to be.

Lately I’ve thought a lot about the legacy I am currently crafting that will some day be left for others to judge. It is my sincere hope that when they read it, one thing will be obvious… I tried to live my life in such a way as to be a positive influence on any and all that came my way. Have I been perfect at it? No, of course not. But I firmly believe that the preponderance of the evidence will show that I succeeded at it more times than I failed.

The upcoming convention in Orlando will give voice to a dispute among Southern Baptists, a dispute not about whether the great commission should be the central focus of all Southern Baptists but about how we go about fulfilling the great commission. Simply stated we are at odds over the best allocation of resources that will provide the best opportunity of fulfilling the Great Commission. I am hopeful that we will not allow this minor dispute to hinder us from working together. I am prayerful that we will recognize the strategy of the enemy of divide and conquer and continue cooperating together for the building up of the kingdom of God. The Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) vote in Orlando will not affect my church’s Cooperative Program giving; we will continue to support the Cooperative Program. Our level of giving will remain the same and our goal of increasing Cooperative Program giving will continue regardless of the outcome in Orlando.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the impact of the SBC’s Great Commission Task Force. While Southern Baptists will vote their wishes at its national convention in Orlando in a few weeks, it is clear that the role of state conventions has been surveyed and highly evaluated during the past year. It has caused me to take inventory of just what would happen if, for any reason, state Baptist conventions should suddenly just go away.