Baptists Committed to World Evangelism

Of late years, I have heard a great deal against deacons, and have read discussions as to their office, evidently suggested by no idolatrous reverence for their persons. Many of my brethren in the ministry bitterly rate them, others tremble at the mention of their very name; and a few put on their armour, and prepare to do battle with them wherever they go, as if they were the dragons of ministerial life. I have been accused of saying that “a deacon is worse than a devil, for if you resist the devil, he will flee from you, but if you resist a deacon, he will fly at you.” This is no saying of mine; I never had any cause to speak so severely; and although, in some cases, it may be true, I have never had any experimental proof that it is so. Not one in a hundred of the sayings that are fathered upon me are mine at all; and as to this one, it was in vogue before I was born

 Numbers 11:11-17 “And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?  12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?  13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

I wanted to put out some very good information about godly deacons. I loved the following things that you will see about deacons from the autobiography of Spurgeon. If you are a deacon you should strive to arrive at this level of service.

Check out this incredible opportunity to serve as an intern at my home church: Welcome to a description of the Vision Baptist Intern! Thank you for your interest in serving the Lord Jesus Christ through the ministry of Vision Baptist Church and the Our Generation Training Center. The Vision Baptist Internship provides an opportunity to experience day-to-day life in the Lord’s work while working on a variety of tasks and projects. In addition to normal church and office duties, interns attend weekly lectures, volunteer at special events, participate in tours, and contribute to world evangelism projects.

In an article in Time Magazine you will find how to make the most of your internship. This article is speaking of the internship that business students will work but applies very well to those of you heading into ministry. The writer makes it clear that internships have become critical preparation for the job search after graduation.

Leviticus 22:1-2 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 22 and 23 contain detailed instructions that were to protect the priests from impurity and to set a high, holy standard for their lives.  As the spiritual leaders of the nation of Israel, they were to set an example of purity, devotion, and holiness.  Much of the focus of their purity was on external holiness, but our focus is to be primarily on internal holiness and purity. Holiness, character, and inward purity are vital for all of us, especially those in leadership.  This means: We have accepted the work of Christ on the cross for our sins to make us righteous in the sight of God

Exodus 1:1-2 “And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” God told Moses to go to the leaders of the Israelites and tell them that God wanted him to lead them out of Egypt.  Moses was concerned that they would not believe him, so the Lord used the rod that he had in his hand to perform a miracle.  Moses cast it on the ground and it became a serpent.

The following was in this weeks reading for the students in the Our Generation Training Center. I thought it was a wonderful challenge to all of us desiring to be servants. This does not only apply to missionaries but to all of us serving the King. Missionaries should value achieving a spirit of servanthood as a high ideal and goal. Paul often presented himself as an apostle to clarify the authority with which he treated difficult moral matters in his letters.

Genesis  27:41-46 “ And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.  42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.  43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;  44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;  45 Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?  46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? “ The role of a wife is an extremely important role.  Despite the fact that the Bible teaches that a wife should be in submission to her husband, the wife still has a position of great influence in the home and in the lives of her husband and children.  Submission does not mean lifeless, opinionless, or powerless.  Submission is a decision to willingly recognise the God-given authority of another.

The following is a discussion between two great missionaries. Keith Shumaker in Burkina Faso is sharing with Kevin Hall in South Africa some of the ways to get the national men and women to take ownership of the ministry there. Read this and let me know what you think.