Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the WCF Radio Network. More can be found at ShaneIdleman.com, including free downloads of his eBooks. Visit him on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to his new podcast, Idleman Unplugged. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

This, of course, is in response to what is “perceived” to be happening at the border. I assume that Mr. Deitrich is sincere, and his heart truly wants to help people, but we must get our facts from reputable sources or first-hand experience. God willing, I’m touring the border with other California pastors very soon and hope to gain that perspective personally (look for that op-ed in mid-February).

Some say, “How can you follow Jesus and Donald Trump?” We are not following a man, we are shaping a movement. A better question to be asking, though, is What direction is the country heading? If a leader lacks Christian character but is pointing the nation back to God, is that a bad thing? If they are minimizing murdering babies and maximizing godly values, is that a bad thing? If they are being a terror to terrorists and making America secure, is that a bad thing? If they are honoring hard work and minimizing free handouts, is that a bad thing? God doesn’t judge a nation based on the character of one man; He judges it based on the spiritual health of her people. Never forget that.

I regularly say that we Christians love refugees and immigrants and are eager to help with food, lodging, and jobs. But at the national level, the president is to put the safety and provision of the American people first. When an airplane loses cabin pressure, parents put on their oxygen masks first to better assist their child. This isn’t selfishness; it’s wisdom. Opening the borders parallels cabin pressure falling and a limited supply of masks. Our law enforcement officers could not sustain the load, nor could our nation. Let’s streamline the process and welcome God-fearing immigrants and have them contribute to society so everyone benefits. The truth is, kids are not being put in cages and ripped from their mothers, as the song accuses.

The majority of news outlets spin everything (yes, everything) to put President Trump in a bad light. Their hatred for him trumps the truth. Their agenda is simple and clear: remove him from office at any cost! And I hope you realize this: they are really coming after you, me, and our Christian values.

The push toward open borders is more about votes than truly helping people. Open borders would be like me telling my kids to leave their windows open in case a stranger needs a warm night’s sleep. That would be severe parental neglect because many harmful things could also enter through those open windows. Open borders would parallel that type of irresponsibility. Additionally, our financial system cannot support people flooding in who need assistance. How is that using wisdom? It’s not a matter of if this type of financial irresponsibility causes damage but when and how much. Our California representatives in Sacramento need to wake up to this fact—and wake up quickly. There is a better way, but our leaders must repent and seek God for wisdom.

Source: Christian Headlines

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Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd will propose at the February EC meeting revisions to the EC mission and ministries statement including a new prayer ministry, he announced Thursday (Jan. 30).

“Updating the language of the SBC Executive Committee’s ministry assignments and the explanation of them is important as we seek to better serve Southern Baptist churches,” Floyd told Baptist Press. “Furthermore, the addition of a ministry assignment for prayer will enable the EC to provide strategic leadership for prayer in the SBC.”

In the proposed revision, to “assist churches through elevating the ministry of prayer” would become the EC’s seventh ministry, with an express goal of providing “strategic leadership to lift up and promote coordinated prayer for spiritual awakening, ministry effectiveness, and the completion of the Great Commission.”

The stated mission and all six current ministry assignments would be amended, with only the sixth assignment remaining intact, that of assisting churches in stewardship education.

The current mission and ministry statement is found on page 40 of the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention Annual, available online at sbcec.org/bor/2019/2019SBCAnnual.pdf.

As required by the SBC Organization Manual, Floyd has informed SBC entity executives, state convention executives and state Baptist paper editors of his recommendation. To become effective, any ministry statement changes must be approved by the EC and then by a majority vote of messengers at the next SBC Annual Meeting.

The proposed new statement is printed in full below:

Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee

MISSION

The Executive Committee seeks to empower churches to prioritize, elevate, and accelerate the vision of reaching every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation through collaborative partnership, cooperation, and generosity.

MINISTRIES

1. Assist churches through conducting and administering the work of the Convention not otherwise assigned.

The SBC Executive Committee serves as the fiduciary, the fiscal, and the executive entity of the Convention in all its affairs not specifically committed to some other board or entity. Furthermore, the Executive Committee is authorized, instructed, and commissioned to act for the Convention ad interim in all matters not otherwise provided for. It also serves as the managing agent of the Southern Baptist Convention Building.

2. Assist churches by providing a Convention news service.

Provide regular news releases about Southern Baptists; tell and celebrate stories of what God is doing through Southern Baptist churches and ministries; serve as the Convention’s press representative; coordinate news operations for annual meetings of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Source: Baptist Press

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Religious freedom and pro-life advocates have praised a Trump administration action putting on notice the state of California for its imposition of insurance mandates that require even churches to provide abortion coverage.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Jan. 24 it had notified California it was guilty of violating federal conscience protections in requiring abortion coverage by all health insurance plans and issuers. The HHS Office of Civil Rights informed the state it has 30 days to demonstrate its intent to comply or risk restrictions on funding from the department.

Southern Baptist public policy specialist Travis Wussow expressed gratitude that the HHS Office of Civil Rights “is standing on behalf of conscience rights by holding this state government accountable for this violation.”

California’s mandate “is an egregious overuse of state power,” said Wussow, general counsel and vice president for public policy of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in written comments for Baptist Press. “This state fiat on such a sensitive and contested issue violates federal civil rights law and the consciences of thousands of Californians with sincere objections to abortion.”

Charmaine Yoest, vice president at The Heritage Foundation, applauded the Trump administration “for putting all states on notice. Abortion coverage mandates like this one violate federal conscience laws and force patients to unwillingly purchase coverage that goes against their deeply held beliefs.”

Conscience objections arose when the California Department of Managed Health Care informed health insurers in 2014 they could not prohibit or restrict coverage for elective abortions. Under President Obama, HHS rejected in 2016 complaints that California had violated federal law by its mandate.

In its Jan.24 notice, however, the Office of Civil Rights in the Trump administration told California it had disobeyed the Weldon Amendment by compelling all plans and issuers to cover abortion. The office said the state’s action had stripped 28,000 people of plans that previously did not cover abortion. The office’s investigation of the California policy came in response to complaints by Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa and the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic order of sisters.

Source: Baptist Press

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Noting the growing administrative needs in Academic Services and overall growth at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College, president Jason Allen announced changes in the school’s organizational structure that will provide “greater administrative effectiveness, overall balance and continued organizational health.”

In doing so, Allen named Thor Madsen as dean of doctoral studies and academic initiatives, Rodney Harrison to the position of dean, academic strategy and institutional effectiveness, and John Mark Yeats’ title changed to dean of students and student success.

“At Midwestern Seminary, we are continuously evaluating our organizational structure, particularly as it relates to maximizing the skills and talents of the immensely gifted individuals that God has providentially sent our way,” Allen said. “Our ongoing conversations have been both thorough and healthy, clarifying the seminary’s current needs and opportunities, and how best to support those.”

As such, Madsen, who has served at Midwestern Seminary for more than two decades in various professorial and administrative capacities, will transition from the role of dean of graduate studies to dean of doctoral studies and academic initiatives.

The change, Allen explained, enables Madsen to give primary attention to all doctoral studies programs due to the size and growth of these programs. Further, he will continue to assist the provost in various academic initiative projects related to curriculum development and related tasks.

“Dr. Madsen’s service to Midwestern Seminary over the past 20-plus years has been invaluable to this institution,” Allen said. “He possesses incredible intellect and yet has a heart for preparing students to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These traits, in addition to his oversight of multiple academic departments within our seminary and college over the years, will serve him well in leading our doctoral program to even greater success in the future.”

Harrison, who has administrated and taught courses at Midwestern Seminary for more than 16 years, will transition to the role of dean of academic strategy and institutional effectiveness.

While maintaining his supervisory responsibility over the dean of Asian Studies, the dean of online studies, and now the new dean of doctoral studies, and the continued supervision of all non-English language programs, Allen said this new role would allow Harrison to give more focus to aiding the provost with academic strategy and innovation initiatives as well as providing increased oversight to all areas of institutional effectiveness.

“Dr. Harrison has already been leading the areas of academic strategy and institutional effectiveness with excellence for a number of years,” Allen said. “He is a creative, outside-the-box thinker, and this move will enable him to devote more time to thinking through strategies that will continue to move Midwestern Seminary forward as a leader in theological education for the Southern Baptist Convention and greater evangelicalism.”

Source: Baptist Press

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Presidential inaugurations require a certain amount of formality and pomp, but Jamie Dew wanted a portion of his inauguration week to focus on servanthood and Gospel proclamation.

Since coming to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and Leavell College in June as the school’s ninth president, Dew has called the seminary community to take up the “towel and basin” and serve like Jesus.

In the midst of this week with all its formalities, the NOBTS family took time out to serve in mission projects around the city, reflecting the tone Dew wishes to set for his tenure.

Faculty, staff and students worked in teams throughout the city and saw at least three people come to faith in Christ. One of the people who responded to the Gospel that day lived just next to the seminary campus. A team going door to door in the neighborhood that abuts NOBTS struck up a conversation with a man working in his yard. After hearing the Gospel, he prayed to receive Christ in the shadow of a seminary building.

Before dispersing into the city, Dew reminded the more than 300 participants gathered in Leavell Chapel just how Christ served others. He warned them not to stop at intellectual devotion to the Gospel.

“I’m afraid we often do miss in the midst of all that God is doing in our lives, in the place and location we’re in, with the tasks before us — I’m afraid we miss how simple this really is,” Dew said. “Christ … the Master, the Teacher, the Messiah, the King — our King — came into the world as a servant and took a towel and basin and took the posture of the lowest of them all and washed his disciples’ feet.”

Dew expressed his love to the seminary family and said he “fell in love” with them because of their humility and service.

“So today, and every day from this point forward, you start this journey with me,” Dew said. “I submit myself to you and the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention to be your and their servant. With Christ, I call you into that with me.”

Lifting up the towel and basin that Dew carried to the pulpit, he gave his final charge.

“Let’s show Gentilly and New Orleans and all the places we will go what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He is our example and today we honor Him by obeying.”

Some teams prayer walked and shared the Gospel in neighborhoods (Gentilly, Lakeview and the French Quarter) and on a university campus. Others served at Global Maritime Ministries, a seafarer ministry at the Port of New Orleans, or at the Baptist Friendship House, a ministry near the French Quarter that cares for women and children in transition and human trafficking victims.

Teams sorted and organized hygiene items and articles of clothing for backpacks the center distributes to those in need or those escaping human trafficking and provided other needed services.

Key Bennett, Baptist Friendship House executive director and a North American Mission Board Send Relief missionary, pointed to Jesus’ example in Matthew 25 and the admonition in 1 John 3:17-18 to show the importance of service.

“[Serving others] is what Jesus did,” Bennett said. “Hurting people have experienced trauma in their lives, so my homeless and human trafficking survivors and folks living in poverty have a lot of need. It’s simply meeting a need, building a relationship and changing a life through Jesus Christ.”

Source: Baptist Press

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Troy Sadowski was the first All-American tight end that the University of Georgia ever had, and he went on to have a 10-year career in the National Football League playing for six different teams, including the Falcons, Steelers and Jets. Despite the sterling athletic career, something was missing.

“The first 31 years of my life, I was as lost as a duck in the desert,” Sadowski said. “In the NFL, I got to a low point. It was a very dark time. It wasn’t until I went to the First Baptist Church of Woodstock (Ga.) and heard Johnny Hunt preach that I understood what the Gospel was all about.”

Sadowski learned that morning that he had a problem with sin and needed to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recently shared his testimony as a part of #AnyGivenWeekend, a new story-telling video series being launched by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) during Super Bowl Weekend. The videos are a component of NAMB’s Who’s Your One evangelism emphasis.

When two teams meet to compete, just about anything can happen. The same thing takes place in churches any time believers meet and worship, especially when believers bring those who need Christ to church.

“Just as sporting events are taking place on any given weekend, churches are also gathering, the Gospel is being shared and lives can be changed,” said Catherine Renfro, an evangelism specialist at NAMB.

As a part of #AnyGivenWeekend, athletes are sharing their testimonies and telling about the people who first reached out to them, while also challenging those watching to participate in Who’s Your One by identifying one person they will pray for and share the Gospel with.

Source: Baptist Press

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Midwestern Seminary welcomed MORE THAN 1,000 students from more than 90 local and regional churches on Jan. 24-25 for its annual Ready Conference, which exists to equip the youth of the church to defend their faith.

This conference — which is based off of Jude, verse 3 — encourages students to be ready to defend “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” It featured main sessions from speakers Sam Bierig, Cam Triggs, Jared Bumpers and Noe Garcia, and included a number of breakout sessions. Additionally, students were treated to a hip-hop concert with Christian artist KB.

“Existing For the Church means reaching out to all generations, and the Ready Conference offers the next generation of church members and leaders an opportunity to be equipped for the future,” said president Jason Allen. “It is encouraging to see the passion these students possess for Jesus Christ, and our prayer is that they’ll take what they’ve learned during this conference and use it to develop their personal walk with Christ and employ it to further His kingdom.”

In opening the conference, Bierig, who serves as the undergraduate dean and as assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Spurgeon College, preached from Jude, verses 1 and 2. He noted that the epistle consists of the apostle, Jude, exhorting believers to remember who they are in Christ.

Fleshing out his message, Bierig encouraged the attendees by offering four marks of “real Christians.” These marks include that when a person comes to salvation in Christ it completely changes and humbles them. Second, he said those saved by Christ are called by the Holy Spirit, and that’s a purposeful act, not an accident.

Third, Bierig noted that those found in Christ are truly loved by God, and the fourth mark was that real Christians are guarded, protected, and never let go of by Christ.

Bierig explained what believers are protected against, saying, “Primarily Satan, sin, and death. These are unconquerable foes for you and me, and this same cosmic muscle that God the Father, by the person of the Spirit, taps into to raise Jesus out of the grave strapping on him invincibility, that same power, He now deploys on your behalf as a Christian.”

Garcia, who serves as senior pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Ariz., preached the second main session from Jude, verses 3 and 4, and warned attendees that culture is always changing and shifting, and if they are not careful, their identity will shift and change with culture too.

Speaking of Generation Z, Garcia said, “One of the big things they are concerned about is identity. So, part of Generation Z goes like this, ‘be whoever you want to be.’ ‘It’s not wrong to be whoever you feel like being.’ ‘Let’s just all love and get along.’ However, that’s countercultural from Scripture. And if we’re not careful, we begin to believe those lies. You, then, believe you. You begin to substitute the truth of God for the lies of the enemy. It is incredibly important that you know the truth of Scripture and that it becomes your foundation.”

Garcia added that once a person comes to faith in Christ, there then becomes a daily struggle not to conform to the world and to contend for the faith. This is a vital component to their growth as a believer.

Kicking off the conference’s second day, Bumpers, who serves as director of Student Life & Events and assistant professor of preaching and ministry at Midwestern Seminary, preached from Jude, verses 5-16.

He shared that everyone has made sinful decisions, and often people take their sin too lightly. This cheapens what the Bible says about sin, which is lawlessness and rebellion. In essence, sin is following one’s heart and not the heart of God.

Jude, in this passage, warns readers that following their hearts leads to destruction because the bottom line is that God judges sin.

Source: Baptist Press

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Matt Henslee (@mhenslee) is managing editor of LifeWay Pastors, coauthor of the book “Replanting Rural Churches” and pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church in Mayhill, N.M. He is married to Rebecca, and they have four daughters. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

Social media can be an awesome tool, but it can also be a terrible temptation. It’s a mixed bag that gives people a platform to say whatever they want — the good, the bad, and the ugly — whenever they want, with little to no consequence.

I’ve made several friends on social media and have been encouraged by thousands of tweets and Facebook posts. There have been days, however, when I’ve been ready to delete every last one of my social media accounts.

But I’ve determined every second God gives me is an opportunity to “make the most of the time” (Ephesians 5:6). For this reason, I block the trolls, mute the troublemakers and am intentional and particular with what I decide to post.

Another reason I do this is because of what Jesus says in Matthew 12:36: “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.” Social media can be a breeding ground for careless words, which is why wisdom and caution are necessary.

While I’m not always successful, before sending on an online message, I try to ask myself:

— Is this true or false?

— Does it build up or tear down?

— Does it amplify or diminish Christ’s Gospel?

These questions help me accomplish three things in an effort to post to the glory of God:

1. Speak the truth

“Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight,” (Proverbs 12:22).

I might have tens of thousands of friends and followers on social media, but the audience that really matters consists of three persons in one: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It’s out of the new nature I received from Christ I aim to speak the truth in love to those in my circle of influence (Colossians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:15).

These verses also inform how I process and respond to the news. When breaking news occurs, I try to wait at least 72 hours before giving commentary, as more facts often come to light after the story breaks.

May we be known as a people who value honesty and likewise share the truth in love.

2. Share to edify, encourage and embolden

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

I’m a pastor of a normative size church in the middle of absolutely nowhere. The people I have the privilege of serving and leading are gifts from the Lord.

But like all pastors, there are days when the rise and grind of ministry gets me down. Since most of my online friends and followers are pastors who are in the same boat, the absolute last thing I want to do is add to their headaches and heartaches.

There’s a time for everything, and I’ve found the time I spend on social media should be primarily dedicated to cheering on my brothers and sisters in Christ. Do I agree with all of my social media contacts on everything they post? Of course not.

Source: Baptist Press

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