Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri
Please read “From Our Moderator” • “From Our Host Pastor” • “From Our Clerk”!
There have been some changes made that need everyone’s attention.
This week I have been contacted by representatives of two of our churches who wanted to get some advice or help in the dispersion of funds and/or items from their churches who have reached the point of closing their doors.
Needless to say, this is not the kind of news we want to hear, but it is becoming a reality too often. Neither of these decisions are the result of anything that has happened in the last few months of upheaval in our country, but are the result of separate circumstances in each church and have been made after much prayer and soul-searching.
I commend those in charge of both these churches for wanting to make sure their assets and property are used in a way to help other churches or various ministries of our associated work and that is why they have made contact for assistance or guidance in these matters.
In the last year I have had conversations with several local churches who are showing concern over decreasing attendance and lack of growth due to various reasons including, a lack of pastors who are available, decreasing funds coupled with increasing costs, decreased interest or enthusiasm in church growth, or just overall weariness in working as God leads.
I realize there are Biblical remedies for all of our problems and we should never want to give up doing what we can to keep our doors open.
But there are also times when God is no longer working through certain congregations and He is ready for those involved to seek His guidance and do whatever will help all involved. Sometimes we reach the point when we must move on and get refocused and refreshed spiritually, just like we need refreshed physically, morally, and intellectually.
When we see our fellow Christians making some decisions that we are not pleased with we need to be careful to not criticize them, but show love and give encouragement to them as they seek God’s will. Even if our friends in Christ are getting on the wrong track, we need to follow Paul’s advice to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 6:1. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Never condone any wrong but encourage what is right.
I’m not condemning those churches who feel they must close, but I am encouraging us to prayerfully help one another to do what God knows is best and to encourage those who have to make some very difficult decisions at various times in their ministry.
We know not what we might face in the days ahead, but we know God knows all things and He will guide us to do what is best as we seek His leadership.
Let’s pray for one another as we follow God!
by James Hoffman
Due to continuing health issues, Bro. David Griggs has informed the editor that, after 30+ years he is resigning as pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in St. Louis and the church has voted to disband. They are selling their property and have two offers at this time. They also have some song books, a good piano and an organ and other items that they would love to see used in other churches. If you are interested contact Bro. Griggs at 314-724-4204.
by Jeff Swart, BMAA President
Five thousand pastors were recently surveyed and asked, “What do you think is the greatest need in the church today?” Interestingly enough, 98% listed as their number one or number two response: “To get the laymen involved in doing the work of the ministry.” The results of this survey is certainly no surprise to pastors since most of them know that the Pareto Principle is true: 20% of the people do 80% of the work in the church.
It is amazing to me how busy people are today. Everyone is busy! From the family with children to the retired couple, everyone complains about being busy. I confess that I too am busy. Have you noticed that busy people are never too busy to stop and tell you how busy they are? In fact, I have done that very thing!
I am not alarmed at the fact that almost everyone is busy, but I am alarmed at what they are busy doing. Most believers are busy doing things that have nothing to do with the Lord’s work. Therefore, when they run out of time, guess who gets cut out of their busy schedule? That’s right — God.
When addressing the subject of priorities, Jesus shared this commandment with His disciples, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33 NIV). What “things” was Jesus referring to? He promised that, if we put Him first, He would provide the food, drink and clothing that we need. (Matt. 6:25-32) So the principle is simple — if you want to save some time in your busy schedule, put Jesus first in all things and then He will provide the essentials of life.
Someone once penned these thought provoking words: “One Hundred years from now, it won’t matter if you lived in a Fifth Avenue mansion or in an alley shack; whether you wore expensive suits or hand-me-downs; whether you were known among the world’s elite or to the vast army of nobodies…”
So the next time you are about to break under the load of a busy schedule, think about what will matter a hundred years from now. In reality, only what you have done for Christ will matter then! If that is all that will matter then, that is all that should matter now!
by: Jordan M. Tew, Assist. to the Director of Baptist Publishing House
Dear friends, I am concerned about the current state of our churches. Consider what has become “normal” for us: we are barely meeting for weekly worship, some congregations have eliminated singing praises to our Lord, most churches are not actively going out into their communities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, and Sunday School classes are off the table in a growing number of churches. What in the world is going on?
Now before anyone takes offense at these words, let me assure you I understand there are churches and individuals who have decided to cancel various meetings and have made changes to better protect their health and safety. I applaud that and understand those decisions are difficult to make. There is a need to abide by the law of the land, if possible and if it does not go against the commands of the Bible.
However, an ongoing lack of corporate worship, evangelism, and Bible teaching can never become “the new normal.” God’s Word and His mandate to His churches have not changed. Are we being faithful during these days? Are we preaching the Gospel as we ought? Are we worshipping as the Bible instructs us? Are we baptizing and taking the Lord’s Supper? Are we neglecting anything God has commanded us?
I wonder if covid-19 is the biggest obstacle we will face in our lifetime? I would assume it is not. If this virus proves to be an ongoing setback for our churches, then how will we respond to the other trials Christ has promised we will face? How will we handle famine, nakedness, and sword or persecution, hatred, and false prophets (Romans 8, Matthew 24)? Will we stand on the promise that Hell itself will not prevail against us or will we merely limp along until Jesus returns?
The truth is, God’s people have always assembled and ministered despite trials. In the roughly 2,000 year span since Jesus walked on this earth, His churches have faced persecution, plague, war, starvation, terrorism, economic instability, and governmental opposition. How we handle our current situation will impact our children and our grandchildren directly.
God’s people are well-acquainted with suffering and difficult times. In fact, we have often thrived under harsh conditions and God has used times like our own to usher in great outpourings of salvation and revival. We have not been called to comfort or safety. We have been called to faithfulness. Will covid-19 stop us? Perhaps a better question is “Can covid-19 stop us?
Consider the words of our Savior and the Cornerstone of your church: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
October 10, 2020, We hope to be able to have our Baptist, Missionary Association of Missouri annual business meeting at Zion Missionary Baptist Church which will start at 9:00 a.m. Until then we need to be praying that all our churches will make plans to have three messengers attend this meeting to help make plans for the work we need to do in 2020-2021.
We need this time of planning, worshipping and fellowship to draw us closer as we face the year ahead determined to do our best for the Lord.
Among the business that day will be hearing the reports of our various departments, electing officers and other committee members, electing a new Missions Director, enjoying special singing and a special time of worship, and enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other better.
As you can see in the financial report for the month of June (above) our financial picture is good and from what various pastors are saying we are anxiously waiting to find the man the Lord has for us to plant a new church in Missouri and the surrounding area! Let’s pray that we can announce plans to get started soon!
Please let nothing you can help interfere with your being present at this meeting. Zion Baptist Church is located at 3485 Baumgartner Rd, St. Louis, MO 63129.
From Our Editor…
As we have started the last quarter of this associational year, we are somewhat disappointed in that we do not have anyone to nominate as a new editor, as we had hoped earlier this year. I have told the Publications Committee that I am willing to continue as editor at least for another year since no one else has applied. Let’s pray that someone feels God leading them to this ministry during the next year!
I call your attention to the Third Quarter financial report of the Missouri Missionary Baptist at the end of this page. It reveals the fact that we will be out of funds before July is over unless we get some Special Gifts soon!
Please prayerfully consider giving a special offering to the MMB this month or lead your church to start supporting the paper on a regular basis.
I realize many of our churches are having financial problems at this time and some may not be able to give any extra. But I encourage those who can to help us out.
We have many church reporters who are faithful to send their news reports each month and other pastors and leaders who contribute material for publication monthly or from time to time during the year and I appreciate all these who help in this way.
But if we do not have an increase in income we will not be able to publish the MMB for an extend amount of time.
The monthly average to keep this ministry going is nearly $ 1,600 so you can see that we are needing help soon.
Thank you who are supporting this ministry with your finances, prayers, encouragement, comments and suggestions. I am truly grateful for each of you.
If you have any ideas that can help improve this ministry please let me know and let’s work together to make it a project that will bring glory to God and strength and encouragement to each other.
May God bless each of our churches in the BMA of MO!!
Friends, we need your help! Your church is invited to partner with us to provide Everlasting Smile Christmas Shoeboxes to missionaries in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua.
These shoeboxes are a great tool to help our missionaries meet and build relationships with people. Many people will come to a service that is providing a “gift from the States” that would otherwise not come to service.
This year, more than ever, we are excited to send the boxes. This will provide a great opportunity for our missionaries to connect and reconnect after a long time of quarantine. Many people in these countries have lost jobs, money is tight, and that means they don’t have much food. The boxes will bring much joy to parents and children.
Packing a shoebox is a great way to help open doors to spread the gospel to people who may otherwise never attend a service. It seems like a simple thing for us, but to our missionaries, it is a vital tool for ministry.
The smile that a child finds when opening a shoebox is often for a moment, but the love of Jesus that they find through this ministry is the Everlasting Smile.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or go to bmamissions.org/christmas-shoeboxes for more information. We look forward to working with you to provide Everlasting Smiles.
*PLEASE NOTE: We will not mail a packet to each church this year. Please forward this email to the person responsible for the Christmas Shoebox campaign in your church!
Thank you,
Dr. Ralph Izard & Angela Rice
angela@bmamissions.org
501-455-4977
The camp committee met tonight with Bro Matt and myself to discuss options for this years camp. After prayer and discussion it was unanimously decided that we can not in good conscience have camp.
We discussed options on serving food. Options on thinning the tabernacle. But the real problem comes down to the packed dorms. If we are still trying to practice social distancing we can’t pack the dorms full of kids each night.
We discussed options to thin the camp numbers, but that presents its own set of problems.
Another problem in the decisions of this year are with food availability and costs. I know this decision is not what you guys were hoping for. It’s not what we want either. But at the end of our discussions and our desires. We had to decide we will err on the side of caution. We all agree that no publicity is better than bad publicity.
We have already talked with Bro Dustin Wisely and he is planning to be with us for next year’s camp. We are going to keep the same theme, and we are hoping the guys in the band can be with us for camp in 2021. Which will be July 26-30th.
Some have asked about t-shirts. We are not going to have t-shirts made for the DEWrs or for camp this year. Just to avoid the cost and hassle. There is a bright side even though you may need to strain to see it. If our regular contributions continue without the expenses of camp week. We will be able to completely pay off the camp loan. We are doing some minor repairs and will be working at camp. In fact the DEWr retreat June 19-20th will basically be a work weekend. So if you’re a DEWr be sure to come help. A DEWr is anyone who gives $75 per year to camp. We will be cooking outside to avoid congestion in the dining hall.
The MO state GMA’s are also planning their annual retreat to be held at camp July 10-11. We are permitting their retreat because they typically have fewer than 30 in attendance which can be safely spread out through multiple dorms.
Again, We did not make this decision lightly. It saddens me to write this. Last year we celebrated 50 years, this year no camp. We are only comforted by knowing that our LORD will work even this out to be good.
It is HIS history. HIS story.
Chris Polk, Camp Director
Romans 4:1-25
by Dennis Baker
Justification in both the Old and New Testaments has always been by faith and grace. No one has ever been justified by works or keeping the law. The text provides three principles illustrating the spiritual experience of believers today is similar to that of Old Testament believers Abraham and David.
Principle One, justification is by faith and not works, Vs. 1-8. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”, V. 3. At the age of seventy-five God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, Genesis 12:2-3. Later in life, Abraham raised a question to God concerning his promise, “what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,” Genesis 15:2. God confirmed His promise by assuring Abraham that his seed would be like the stars. Abraham simply took God’s Word at face value and believed God. Abraham believed in his heart that God had told him the truth. Abraham’s faith was never something that he could boast about or for which he could receive praise, he simply believed God would accomplish what He had promised.
Quoting from Psalm 32:1-2 in verse 8, David’s song of confession of sin, Paul illustrates that God forgives sin and imputes righteousness without works. Today, believers can be assured that once they are justified by faith, our record contains Christ’s perfect righteous and our record can never again contain our sins. Christians do sin, and these sins need to be forgiven if we are to have fellowship with God, but these sins are not held against us. God does keep a record of our works, so that He might reward us when Jesus comes, but he is not keeping a record of our sins.
Principle Two, justification is by grace and not the law, Vs. 9-17. Abraham was declared righteous fourteen years before he was circumcised. Circumcision had nothing to do with God declaring Abraham justified. Circumcision, as a sign, was evidence that Abraham belonged to God because he believed God’s promises. Circumcision, as a seal was a reminder to Abraham that God had given the promise and that God would keep His promise. Today the believer experiences a spiritual circumcision of the heart and is sealed by the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13. Circumcision did not add to Abraham’s faith, it merely provided evidences of Abraham’s faith. The fact that Abraham was justified by grace and not the law proves that salvation is available to all. God’s promise is by faith, so that it might be guaranteed to all people who believe. If we could be saved by keeping the law, and not grace, there would be no guarantee that salvation would be available to all who believe.
Principle Three, justification is by resurrection power and not human effort, Vs. 18-25. God’s delay in sending Abraham and Sarah a son was to permit their natural strength to decline. It would seem impossible for a ninety-nine-year-old man and an eighty-nine-year-old woman to have a child. From the reproductive point of view, both of them were dead. Abraham did not walk by sight but by faith. Abraham believed God’s promises. Application, God waits until the sinner is “dead” or not strong enough to do anything to please God for salvation. When Abraham admitted that he was “dead” God’s power went to work on the body. It is when the lost sinner confesses that he is spiritually dead and unable to help himself that God can save him. The Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation” because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is proof that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and we can be justified without God violating His own law or contradicting His own nature. The Key to salvation is “if we believe,” v. 24.
Dr. Harry Ironside, who for 18 years was pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, was on vacation visiting a Sunday school class. The teacher asked, “How were people saved in the Old Testament times?” One man replied, “By keeping the law.” That’s right,” said the teacher. But Dr. Ironside interrupted: “My Bible says that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.” The teacher was
a bit embarrassed, so he said, “Well, does somebody else have an idea?” Another student replied, “They were saved by bringing sacrifices to God.” “Yes, that’s right!” The teacher said and tried to go on with the lesson. But Dr. Ironside interrupted, “My Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.” The unprepared teacher was sure the visitor knew more about the Bible than he did, so he said, “Well you tell us how people were saved in the Old Testament!” And Dr. Ironside explained that they were saved by faith-the same way people are saved today!”
The good news for the people of the world, all of whom are guilty before God because of their sin, is that God in His grace offered His Son as a sacrifice to pay the penalty of sin. Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ are counted as righteous and receive the gift of eternal life.
Bibliography: Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Right NT Commentary Romans. Colorado Springs, Co: David C. Cook, 1977.