By David Evans
TBC Evangelism Specialist

I have had many conversations about Easter egg hunts and evangelism. Many churches that I have recently spoken with feel incomplete concerning their Easter egg hunt plans. They have a great turnout but it seems to just be another event.

The Easter egg hunt seems to be consumed with preparation leaving little to be offered afterwards. I understand that some church leaders struggle with having an Easter egg hunt or not. This article is not intended to defend one position or another. Instead, the purpose is to equip a church to do loving follow up despite the type of event utilized. If you have an event like this or another type of event the following idea/principle can apply. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church I always knew that church attendance usually was higher on Easter Sunday and the Sunday closest to Christmas.

I naturally assumed that a lot of those Easter/Christmas attendees were non-believers. The more I have researched and talked with people who know more about church attendance than me, the more I realize that’s not necessarily true. [Read more…]

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

I recently reread an old letter that stopped me in my tracks. The author’s passion was evident, and I could imagine the anguished expression on his face. I’m sure tears streamed down his cheeks and into his beard as he wrote.

“With Christ as my witness,” he penned. “I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed — cut off from Christ! — if that would save them.” [Read more…]

By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

In our first year of marriage, I was a working, full-time college student with my wife expecting a baby. Though money was scarce, hamburger meat was just three pounds for a dollar. And we had some kind of meat every meal — well, until we didn’t one night. After we prayed, I looked over the meal and asked, “Where’s the meat?” Phyllis pointed to the macaroni and cheese and said, “That’s a meat substitute.” Not meaning to be unkind, I said, “There is no substitute for meat!”

What it means to eat “meat and potatoes.” First of all, I was wrong; there are meat substitutes. But I had caught up the essence of Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate definition: “Meat and potatoes” referred to what was of fundamental importance: basic. The term can also refer to what is most interesting and fundamental. Applying that thought to Christianity and the New Testament, some people get saved but don’t grow and mature. They remain baby milksops. They lack the core of Christian skills and the excitement of the whole meal. Read II Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:10-14; II Timothy 2:15.

The very purpose of milk in the first place is for babes to grow beyond babyhood. Peter wrote, “As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow, if it is true that you have experienced that the Lord is good” (I Peter 2:2, Modern English Version).

Evidence of moving from milk only to meat and potatoes. Acts 17:10-11 records that the Bereans dared check the preaching of Paul and Silas against the Scripture for accuracy. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to be a Bible student and check preaching and teaching against the Scriptures. Mature Christians need to know and accurately interpret the Scriptures. That takes some chewing on the meat of “multipurpose Bible tools.” Yesterday, I commented to a layperson about a Bible she had open on her desk. She excitedly told me about her Bible reading and said she owns concordances and even the Septuagint. She’s not a fanatic but a meat-and-potatoes Christian.

At the end of Jesus’ earthly teaching ministry, He told His disciples they hadn’t been able to bear other things He had to teach. Then He told them the Holy Spirit would take up where He was leaving off. The Holy Spirit would feed them further with the “meat and potatoes” heart of God’s Word to help them mature. In so many words, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11-12 that pastors and teachers were gifts to equip them to become meat and potato eating ministers.

Identifying some multi-purpose Bible tools. There truly is no substitute for the Bible! Sometimes pastors-in-training are quickly sidetracked to books about the Bible rather than keeping the Bible at the core. Don’t worship the Bible, but know the Bible and go daily to Him in it. No one read more Scripture than the religious leaders. But Jesus had to tell them they were into a form of bibliolatry without coming to Him — the One the Bible pointed to — for eternal life (John 5:39-14). Note the difference in the KJV John 5:39-40 and what I just told you. The KJV reads as a command, but Jesus was stating a fact rather than commanding the religious leaders to do what they were already doing: namely, searching the Scriptures. You get that understanding from comparing Bible translations (e.g. the KJV vs. the NASB).

I don’t have a bad word to say about the 404-year-old KJV. It truly is classic. But we all need a Bible translation from the Hebrew and Greek that puts the faith of our fathers in the language of our children. The Bible doesn’t change; but the English language changes, and translation skills grow.

Concordances list individual word references and provide valuable help in locating Bible passages, studying Bible themes, and perhaps in identifying original Hebrew or Greek words used and translated. A good Bible dictionary will help you understand words, customs, locations, and other things. Maps help visualize locations, distances, terrain, and much more. A good biblical introduction book can help you know customs and get context about both Old and New Testament times. There are lots of other multipurpose Bible tools — including good commentaries and Bibles with study notes.

Valuing people to help us become meat eating Christians. As wonderful as books and our marvelous technological era of biblical tools are, no written tool can take the place of living people in helping us become meat eaters. The Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah when Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch replied, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” (Acts 8:31, KJV).

God the Holy Spirit is our greatest person to teach us (see John 14-16). Pastors and teachers are gifted for the very purpose of helping us mature and grow in the faith individually and as a church and worldwide fellowship.

Professors and Bible scholars are able to lift up personal testimony to go with the book-learning they’ve gotten.

But humble laypersons have often helped me most in my journey to spiritual maturity and meat eating. Overall, I’ll just say the church is the best context I know for really moving on from milk only to meat eating.

Finally, no substitute for meat. I’ve been talking symbolically just as the Bible does about milk and meat. I do love a good steak. But some time ago, my pastor noticed that I had ordered only a vegetable plate as we ate at a Cracker Barrel.

Out of curiosity, he asked, “Do you not eat meat?” I smiled and said that yes I do eat meat. But after almost 59 years of marriage, I find that I sometimes just prefer vegetables with cornbread, butter, and catsup to put on my cornbread. That’s nourishing!

So whether you’re a meat eater or a vegan, the point is to grow from babyhood to maturity. Don’t suffer from milk anemia. Whether you’re Baptist to the bone or some other kind, be a meat eater of God’s Word. And be strong in Him!

— © 2015 by Johnnie C. Godwin. Write the author: johnniegodwin@comcast.net.

By Chris Kelly
Exec. VP/General Counsel, Tennessee Baptist Foundation

It’s not always popular to speak of the, uh, let’s say “seniority” of some of our Baptist brothers and sisters. However, for the purpose of this article, it may be a good thing as you have an opportunity to contribute to Kingdom work that others do not enjoy.

If you have reached the young age of 70 and a half years and you have an IRA (Individual Retirement Account), you know that the Internal Revenue Service requires that you take out a certain amount each year known as the Required Minimum Distribution, or RMD, for short. The taxpayer is then taxed on the amount taken from the IRA in the calendar year. For several years, with some limitations, the IRS has allowed a taxpayer to have the RMD distributed directly to a qualified charity.

This direct distribution, known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), satisfies the person’s annual RMD requirement. A great tax benefit of this plan is that the money distributed directly to the charity does not count as personal income for the taxpayer. Thus, the individual gets the tax benefit and the charity gets the benefit of the donation. Win-win for everyone!

However, the current problem we have is that even though legislation is pending in Congress to make this effective in 2015, as this is being written, it has yet to become the law. The QCD has historically only been approved on a very narrow basis from year-to-year, and many times not until the very 11th hour in late, late December. So, is this article nothing but worthless historical information and a waste of newsprint? I think not.

There is still a planning opportunity while we wait to see if Congress acts. If you are required to take the RMD and you have charitable inclinations (such as to your church, local association, or other Baptist cause), you should still consider structuring a gift from your IRA so that if Congress does extend the QCD for 2015, you will already be in compliance with the law and can enjoy the full tax benefits of this transaction without the year-end rush to get it done. Simply contact your financial advisor to follow the previous QCD rules and make your distribution directly to the charity. Then, you can rest easy that you have covered your bases for the year and you can enjoy the better things of life rather than monitoring tax legislation (unless, of course, you enjoy doing that).

But what happens if Congress does not renew the QCD for 2015? Your IRA custodian will simply issue you a 1099-R for the distribution, and the charity will issue you a receipt for your personal income tax filing. If you itemize your taxes, you may get some benefit for the charitable contribution, just depending on your individual tax situation.

So, talk to your advisor and get the ball rolling. And if you have any questions about this technique, please feel free to contact the Foundation at 1-800-552-4644.

We are happy to help with this opportunity to support the work of the Kingdom!

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Okay, show of hands. How many of you have ever heard of Knowles Shaw (without searching for him on Google). Raise those hands high. Tennessee is a long state. Nobody? Honestly, before this column I didn’t know who he was either. But he’s worth knowing about.

Shaw was an American composer, author, and evangelist from Ohio. Thousands across our state grew up singing his most notable song: “Bringing in the Sheaves.” You remember: “Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness//Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve//Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping//We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.” [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Over the past year you have seen a lot of changes in the Baptist and Reflector — and there are more to come.

We are in the process of developing a website totally dedicated to the B&R. This website will enable us to produce more material that our readers (and future readers) will want and need to read. [Read more…]

By Scott Patty
Pastor, Grace Community Church, Nashville

Two obvious reasons to affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman include loyalty to Jesus and faithfulness to the Bible passages about marriage. But there is another reason: for the clarity of the gospel.

The one human relationship given to us to illustrate the gospel message and the relationship between Jesus and the church is marriage. The Apostle Paul said the mystery of marriage is deep and profound and that it refers to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

During last week’s ice storm in Tennessee I took a step and suddenly was looking straight up after falling flat on my back on an ice-packed street. I was unhurt (except for my pride) but it was a not-so-gentle reminder that life does, indeed, have its ups and downs.

The week before, the Wilkey family welcomed Parker Andrew Beasley into the world. Parker is our second grandson, joining his brother Eli.

Some of you may remember that there were major complications with Eli’s birth two years ago. Eli spent nearly a month in neonatal intensive care but God worked a miracle and Eli is a bright, active 2-year-old who now has a little brother. [Read more…]

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

We all have memorable days and we also witness historic days. It’s a notable milestone when memorable days are historic, and Tennessee Baptists experienced a notable milestone last November when messengers from Tennessee Baptist churches overwhelmingly selected Memphis pastor Michael Ellis to be president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Michael is the first African-American to fill that role in our 140 years as a network of Tennessee churches.

The selection of one of our black brothers to lead our convention was long overdue, and when Michael was affirmed, it was one of my most satisfying moments as a pastor, denominational leader, and most importantly, as a Christian. [Read more…]