Author: Russell Lightner

What’s your story? ‘God is making this last part of my life wonderful’

At my church [Cross City North, Trophy Club], I’m known as “Mama Kay.” When I told my pastor, Kent Wells, to call me that, he said, “Well, every church needs a Mama Kay.” So, I’m Mama Kay—all the children know me. Being a greeter at my church and pouring out God’s love on people is the greatest reward I could have.

But I didn’t start out at Cross City’s north campus. I was at the Euless campus [formerly First Baptist Church of Euless] for 27 years. I lived close enough to that location, and I didn’t want to travel any further. My husband had been ill with some strokes for many years. And in that church, I had been part of the choir for eight years and worked in a newborn children’s nursery for some years. I was an outreach leader and an inreach leader—I just thoroughly enjoyed being there. I had a wonderful Sunday school group. And then my husband died in 2017.

I found myself not wanting to go back to church for a while because, for one thing, it was a long drive to make by myself. In bad weather, I wouldn’t do it. I felt so bad about missing church, but it was just a fact of life that I was 80 years old, and that was just a lot for me. After my husband passed away, my granddaughter insisted I come live close to her in Trophy Club, which was a longer commute to Euless.

After I moved, Pastor John Meador saw a need in this part of the Metroplex for another church. He’d been looking for a place to plant a church, and they looked around my area. I didn’t hear much talk about it because I was just going to Sunday school sometimes and not church. We had a vote on it one Sunday when I was there, and they voted to go ahead and start this campus, Cross City North. And I thought, my goodness, this is going to be in Trophy Club.

"I feel like I’ve had a reawakening of my spiritual life, of worship, and serving God in a joyful and more meaningful way than I ever thought possible at my age."

Kay Meers Tweet

We were going to be meeting temporarily at Byron Nelson High School, three minutes from my house. I just said to myself, “Well, God, you saw that I was having a hard time getting to church, and you just sent a church out to me!” And let me tell you, I rejoiced about that. The Sunday after we passed the vote, I stopped the new campus pastor in the hall and I said, “Kent, my name is Kay Meers and I live in Trophy Club, and I’m going to be coming to the new church to see if it’s where I need to be.” His face lit up. And he says, “Well, let me tell you, I can just see your smiling face greeting at the door of our new church.” And so, I went the very first Sunday. There was just something about it. There was an excitement there. I’d never been part of planting a new church before.

I did go up to him after the sermon, and I said, “Kent, I really have enjoyed it here, but I feel such a loyalty to my Sunday school class back in Euless. We’ve been together for years. We’re all hitting 80 now and there’s deaths and illness, and I just don’t know if I can make the break.” And he says, “Well, Kay, I’ll promise you one thing. If you stay over here with us, we’ll keep you young and happy.” I decided to stay, and it was just so neat to get in the car and go three minutes to church. I didn’t miss a Sunday, I don’t think, for the first year.

But there have been some challenges. I had a little illness and had to lay out for a few Sundays. One time I had to have a heart procedure on a Wednesday and got home from the hospital on Friday, but I was at church on Sunday. My pastor said to the rest of our church, “Kay Meers is here today. No matter what, she was knocked out cold, but she managed to get to church today.”

And then my son died of cancer in August. For about four months, he needed someone to take care of him. I was eager to get to church on Sunday, but I had to miss a few weeks. My daughter goes to another church, but we would trade out. She’d stay one Sunday morning so I could come to church, and I’d stay the next Sunday morning so she could go to church. But we were there with David the whole time, one of us, the whole family. My whole church was so kind to me during that time.

I feel like I’ve had a reawakening of my spiritual life, of worship, and serving God in a joyful and more meaningful way than I ever thought possible at my age. It’s just been a joy to me—an absolute joy. And I’m so grateful to God for making this last part of my life so wonderful. I’m loved and respected and happy. Even through the death of my husband and the death of my son, God has given me a peace and a comfort that I didn’t know was possible during grieving. He has really been wonderful to me. I know that this was His plan for me and my reward for following His path.

I’m just so happy to see everybody and so eager for them to know the happiness that I know. That’s about all I can say. It’s wonderful and I’m happy. And I sure do thank God. I thank my good Lord for all the blessings He’s given me. I thank Him for my life.

What’s my story? The closer you get to Jesus, the more you can love people!

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What’s your story? Using personal loss and grief to minister to others

Easter weekend of 2015 was a wonderful time for my wife and me. We were not only celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we discovered that our first child would be born in December of that year.

Everything proceeded smoothly until morning sickness reared its ugly head. The nausea was so intense that my wife had to be admitted to the hospital for several days. However, everything with the baby was progressing as it should. As we moved forward in the pregnancy, we scheduled a sneak-a-peek sonogram to capture detailed images of our baby as a keepsake.

When we arrived, the lady at the front desk had us sign all the paperwork, and I noticed one part that informed us that any abnormalities would be relayed to my wife’s doctor. We did not think too much of this at the time, and we actually had peace knowing the doctor could review and confirm any issues.

Unbeknownst to us, our child had two complications that were not compatible with life. One was anencephaly, where the skull had not fully developed, and the other was ectopia cordis, where the heart had developed outside of the chest. While medicine has advanced significantly over the years, the issue with our child’s skull could not be corrected through medical means. We began to pray for a miracle only God could provide.

As we prayed, we fervently asked God to heal our daughter on this earth. We specifically prayed for her skull to be made complete and the heart to be placed back within her chest wall. King David wrote, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).

We knew from these verses that God had a plan, but we were petitioning Him to change how He had made our daughter. Our immediate response to the situation was that He had made a mistake, but then the Spirit ministered to us, assuring us that God had formed our daughter exactly as He planned. God did not and cannot make a mistake.

"God’s plan for my life is sure, even in the wake of unthinkable loss and grief."

Chad Rowell Tweet

My wife was able to carry our daughter full-term, and we enjoyed three wonderful hours with her before God called her home. As a young couple, we did not know how to process this grief or where to turn for dealing with this situation. I was also in my first pastorate after graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. We were confused, hurting, and grieving the loss of a child we barely knew. My wife and I needed a ministry to help us during this difficult time.

Since 2015, God has blessed us with two more children who are happy and healthy. We, however, experienced a situation in September 2021 that we did not anticipate. After the complications with our first child, we never imagined we would deal with a miscarriage. Our fourth child passed away during the first trimester of the pregnancy. Again, my wife and I were facing grief, hurt, and confusion. Our child was alive, but now he is not. If this was not enough, my wife and I experienced another miscarriage in January 2022. Therefore, we need a strategy and plan for processing this grief.

I am currently serving on staff as an associate pastor at the First Baptist Church of Leonard and I have a desire to develop a group counseling ministry for couples who have experienced a situation similar to ours. The ministry will be a weekend retreat consisting of a session on Friday evening and sessions on Saturday. The focus will be upon helping couples process and move forward in their grief. The retreat is scheduled for September 9-10. This ministry will be for couples who have experienced the death of a child under the age of five or a miscarriage. It will also be open to individuals who have experienced the death of their spouse or have been divorced.

God has opened this door of ministry for me, and I am using it to complete my Doctor of Ministry degree at Luther Rice College and Seminary. My prayer is that other churches will be able to use the content of my project in their own setting for the purpose of ministering to those who have faced this kind of grief.

So, what’s my story? God’s plan for my life is sure, even in the wake of unthinkable loss and grief.

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?

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Biblical engagement is not a lost cause

Afew months back, the American Bible Society released its latest “State of the Bible” survey. As has been the case over the preceding decades, the metrics that measure Bible engagement are increasingly trending downward.

Four in 10 Americans say they ever read the Bible outside church, and only two in 10 say they read it twice a year or less. Only 10% of all Americans read the Bible daily, and the sum of all the numbers reported in this latest report, according to ABS, represent “a major shift away from personal Bible reading.”

I don’t know a single Christian who wouldn’t be troubled by these numbers, but I fear we’ve grown calloused when we hear them because we just don’t know what to do about it. So what can we do to reverse these trends?

Here are a few recommendations:

Emphasize Bible study over topical study

There’s nothing wrong with topical teaching, and it can be done well. People need to know what the Bible says about marriage, gender, conflict, finances, and more. But if topical teaching or preaching is all we ever do, we may unintentionally create generations of people who are culturally literate while being biblically illiterate.

When done poorly, topical teaching and preaching can lead to proof-texting instead of a thorough exegetical study of the Scriptures. In reality, the Bible should always speak first and never be used as secondary material.

"I’m not sure there’s a greater heirloom we can pass down to future generations of Christ-followers than the ability to ably handle the Word of God for themselves."

Jayson Larson Tweet

Be careful teaching application

We sometimes have a tendency when we preach and teach of not only providing a summary of all our research for that particular sermon or lesson, but of telling our listeners all the ways we think they should apply the biblical principles to their lives.

We run the risk of making (at least) two errors when we do this. First, we train our people that there’s no need for them to personally engage and interact with God’s Word because they know we’ll tell them everything they think they need to know. And maybe even worse, we risk playing the role of the Holy Spirit, who is the only one who can guide us into a right understanding of how God’s unchanging Word applies to the ever-changing situations that will arise in our lives.

Don’t get me wrong—good Bible teaching will walk people into a space where they learn how to apply God’s principles to their lives. We just need to be careful to leave the Holy Spirit space to speak to Bible learners, as well.

Read the Bible with other people

One of the easiest methods of Bible study has seemingly become a lost art: simply reading the Bible together out loud. Sometimes our good intentions to follow strategies, measure discipleship growth arcs, and present compelling lessons with impactful illustrations have the potential to complicate something God did not intend to be complicated: discerning His Word.

When was the last time you sat down with a group of other Christians, read a passage of the Bible out loud, and then asked each other, “What might God be trying to communicate to us through this passage?” It really could be that simple.

What works in one church context may not work in another. Regardless, we must continue to try something in whatever context we find ourselves to raise the level of biblical engagement. I’m not sure there’s a greater heirloom we can pass down to future generations of Christ-followers than the ability to ably handle the Word of God for themselves.

Congregación de Dallas tiene un nuevo liderazgo y nuevos métodos, pero el mismo corazón por el evangelio

Para la Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida, el Primer Mandamiento y la Gran Comisión son la fuerza motora que los guía para cumplir su visión: “Amar a Dios, amar a los demás, alcanzar al mundo.”

Fundada en 1966, Nueva Vida (también conocida como New Life) es una congregación bilingüe que sigue predicando fielmente el mismo mensaje del evangelio, aunque su metodología haya cambiado. Esos cambios han dado grandes resultados, según el pastor Nelson Fonseca, incluyendo el bautismo de 34 personas en lo que va de año.

“Queremos que la gente venga a Cristo,” dijo Fonseca. “Los amamos y queremos que lleguen a conocerlo, no sólo a nivel local, sino también en todo el mundo. Es por eso que damos a las misiones, al Programa Cooperativo y apoyamos a los misioneros en diferentes partes del mundo.”

Fonseca fue elegido recientemente como pastor principal de Nueva Vida después de que el pastor David Galván anunciara su jubilación tras 40 años de servicio en la iglesia. Fonseca, hijo de pastor y nativo de Nicaragua, llegó a Nueva Vida en el 2006 mientras estudiaba en el Seminario Teológico Bautista del Suroeste de Texas en Fort Worth, completando una Maestría en Divinidad. Fonseca fue director de misiones y evangelismo y ha estado involucrado en el discipulado, pero describe el evangelismo como su “primer amor.”

“Un distintivo de nuestra iglesia es la oración y el evangelismo,” dijo Fonseca.

‘Donde está la gente’

Durante la semana, Nueva Vida no tiene servicios de adoración en el templo, sino que se reúnen en casas con un total de 47 grupos de crecimiento alrededor del área de Dallas. Según Fonseca, estos grupos son la principal estrategia de evangelización en Nueva Vida “porque es donde está la gente.” El propósito de los grupos se basa en Hechos 5:42, donde los seguidores de Jesús tienen dos objetivos: enseñar al creyente maduro a seguir aprendiendo de la Palabra de Dios, y tener un alcance evangelístico en aquellos que no han escuchado el evangelio.

“Hemos visto personas que no van o se sienten intimidadas para ir al templo, pero llegan a la casa de un hermano y llegan al conocimiento de Cristo,” dijo Fonseca.

El enfoque y la conformación de estos grupos varía, ya que están estructurados para familias, mujeres, hombres, solteros, niños y adolescentes. Cuentan con siete líderes regionales quienes proporcionan información actualizada sobre cómo se está llevando a cabo el trabajo a través de los líderes de los grupos.

"Hemos visto personas que no van o se sienten intimidadas para ir al templo, pero llegan a la casa de un hermano y llegan al conocimiento de Cristo. "

Nelson Fonseca Tweet

Escuela dominical no convencional

Entre los cambios que Nueva Vida ha implementado, está un enfoque de discipulado sistemático en su enseñanza dominical. Todos los que llegan a Nueva Vida comienzan con el programa de discipulado “Nueva Vida,” que está diseñado para que los nuevos miembros comprendan los fundamentos del evangelio. Una vez completado, pasan a estudiar la obra clásica “Mi Experiencia con Dios” de Henry Blackaby, que busca que el creyente se fortalezca en disciplinas espirituales. A partir de ahí, el discípulo tomará la “Estrategia de Grupos de Crecimiento,” que es la “columna vertebral de la iglesia,” según Fonseca.

Después de completar esas tres clases de discipulado, que se ofrecen en semestres durante la primavera, el verano y el otoño, el discípulo podrá comenzar a estudiar otros temas enfocados en el crecimiento y la madurez de los creyentes y en ser comisionados para discipular a otros.

Alcanzando y orando

Nueva Vida también llevó la Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones (EBV) fuera de los muros de la iglesia este verano, con 13 grupos que se reunieron simultáneamente en diferentes lugares como parques, apartamentos y casas de algunos miembros. La EBV se celebró de lunes a jueves, y el viernes de esa semana, los 13 grupos se reunieron en el templo para celebrar un día de clausura junto a la comunidad. Un promedio de 185 niños asistió por día, 161 voluntarios participaron y se registraron 34 profesiones de fe.

En Nueva Vida, la oración corporativa juega un papel importante y ha tenido un impacto en la congregación, dijo Fonseca. Durante más de 20 años, la iglesia ha celebrado una reunión de oración matutina a las 6 AM todos los días para orar por los enfermos, la iglesia, los ministerios y las misiones. Entre 10 y 12 personas se reunían regularmente para orar. Cuando las instalaciones de la iglesia cerraron debido a COVID, la reunión continuó por teléfono y llegó a tener entre 35 y 40 participantes, muchos de los cuales todavía se reúnen para orar.

“Nos hemos tomado la oración corporativa muy en serio”, dijo Fonseca, “y el Señor ha hecho grandes cosas.”

Late Night offers YPN opportunity to fellowship, encourage one another

Afew weeks ago, Caleb Fleming—pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Sherman—received news that someone he loves was facing a potentially serious medical diagnosis.

He instinctively reached out to the leadership team of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Young Pastors Network (YPN), of which he is a member. Within minutes, he said his phone began “going off” with messages from team members committing to pray for his family.

“It is seriously overwhelming, the depth of friendship and fellowship we get to enjoy by being part of the Young Pastors Network,” he said. “YPN is one of the most life-giving things I have been able to be a part of. I am so thankful the SBTC sees the value of investing in us young guys.”

The Young Pastors Network consists of SBTC pastors 40 years old or younger. It provides networking and leadership development opportunities and is headed by Spencer Plumlee, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mansfield. YPN gathers twice a year—at the Empower Conference held each February, and at the SBTC Annual Meeting, which is scheduled this year for November 14-15 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville who was recently elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, will give the keynote address at the YPN’s Annual Meeting gathering.

Join us for the YPN Late Night with guest speaker Bart Barber at this year’s annual meeting immediately following the Monday evening session

The YPN has three main objectives, Plumlee said: to encourage pastors, to connect members with other pastors across the state, and to empower young pastors to have a voice in shaping the future of the SBTC.

YPN offers a Young Pastor Cohort led by an experienced mentor who coaches young pastors in the areas of soul care, preaching, church leadership, and more. Those groups consist of 7-10 young pastors each and meet four times over a two-year period.

Matt Bowles, pastor of Ovilla Road Baptist Church in Ovilla, said he got a later start in ministry than many of his peers, having been called as a youth pastor in his 30s. He was called to serve as Ovilla Road’s senior pastor a couple of years ago knowing he still had much to learn about how to lead a church while at the same time facing the reality that “many people think senior pastors are supposed to have all the answers.”

“I can’t express how soothing it is to be able to ask other pastors questions, share struggles, and realize that you really are not that crazy,” Bowles said, “and that things that happened and problems you face are not always as unique as you think they are.”

Bowles recalled attending a dinner with YPN members at last year’s annual meeting that provided an opportunity for those present to talk about the joys and challenges of ministry.

“We sat around and told crazy stories about things that happen to us in our churches, and we praised God for placing us in those churches,” he said. “We laughed at those crazy things and all expressed that we felt like the luckiest guys alive to be called to do what we do. [Pastoring is] hard—but we are not alone.”

Dallas congregation has new leadership and methods, but same gospel heart

For New Life Baptist Church, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are the driving forces guiding it to fulfill its vision: “Love God, love others, reach the world.”

Founded in 1966, New Life (also known as Nueva Vida) is a bilingual congregation that continues to faithfully preach the same gospel message, even as its methodology has changed. Those changes have brought great results, according to pastor Nelson Fonseca, including 34 people being baptized so far this year.

“We want people to come to Christ,” Fonseca said. “We love them and we want them to come to the knowledge of Him—not only locally, but also all over the world. That’s why we give to missions, to the Cooperative Program, and support missionaries in different parts of the world.”

Fonseca was recently elected senior pastor of New Life after pastor David Galvan announced his retirement following 40 years of service to the church. Fonseca, a pastor’s son and native of Nicaragua, came to New Life in 2006 while studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, completing a Master of Divinity. Fonseca was director of missions and evangelism and has been involved in discipleship, but he describes sharing the gospel as his “first love.”

“A hallmark of our church is prayer and evangelism,” Fonseca said.

‘Where the people are’

During the week, New Life does not have services in the building, but gathers in homes with a total of 47 growth groups around the Dallas area. According to Fonseca, these groups are the main evangelism strategy at New Life “because that’s where the people are.” The purpose of the groups is based on Acts 5:42, where followers of Jesus have two objectives: to teach the mature believer to continue learning from the Word of God, and to have an evangelistic outreach to those who have not heard the gospel.

“We have seen people who do not go or are intimidated to go to the church, but they come to a brother’s house and come to the knowledge of Christ,” Fonseca said.

The focus and makeup of these groups varies, as they are structured for families, women, men, singles, children, and teenagers. They have seven regional leaders who provide updates about how the work is being carried out through the group leaders.

"We have seen people who do not go or are intimidated to go to the church, but they come to a brother’s house and come to the knowledge of Christ."

Nelson Fonseca Tweet

Establishing a clear path

Among the changes New Life has implemented is a systematic approach to discipleship. Everyone who comes to New Life begins with the “New Life” discipleship program, which is designed for new members to understand the basics of the gospel. Upon completion, they move on to study the classic work Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby, which seeks to strengthen the believer in spiritual disciplines. From there, the disciple will take the “Growth Group Strategy,” which is the “backbone of the church,” according to Fonseca.

After completing those three discipleship classes—which are offered in semesters during the spring, summer, and fall—the disciple will be able to begin studying other topics focused on the growth and maturity of believers and become commissioned to disciple others.

Reaching and praying

New Life also took Vacation Bible School (VBS) outside the church’s walls this summer, with 13 groups meeting simultaneously in different locations such as parks, apartments, and other members’ homes. VBS was held Monday through Thursday, and on Friday of that week, all 13 groups joined together in one location to celebrate with the community. An average of 185 children attended per day, 161 volunteers participated, and 34 professions of faith were recorded.

At New Life, corporate prayer plays a major role and has had an impact on the congregation, Fonseca said. For more than 20 years the church has held a 6 a.m. prayer meeting every day to pray for the sick, the church, ministries, and missions. Around 10-12 people regularly met for prayer. When church facilities closed due to COVID, the meeting was continued over the phone and blossomed to 35-40 participants—many of whom still participate today.

“We have taken corporate prayer very seriously,” Fonseca said, “and the Lord has done great things.”

Pastors connect with faith, one another on SBTC trip to Israel

In the footsteps of Jesus

Surreal.

When John Aaron Matthew, pastor of Clear Lake Baptist Church in Houston, attempts to describe his and his wife’s recent trip to Israel, that’s the word he says comes to mind the most—surreal.

“It was just unbelievable,” he said, referring to a moment he and others shared at the Sea of Galilee. “Putting my feet into the water that Jesus walked on, it just had such an impression on me.”

Matthew and his wife, Emily, were among the 128 pastors and wives who traveled to Israel in July for a 10-day Clergy Familiarization Tour sponsored by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The trip was hosted by SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, and the convention offered scholarships to financially assist pastors making their first visit to Israel.

The tour itinerary looked more like a biblical survey course, with stops in both Old and New Testament settings. The tour included a trip to Mount Carmel, where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal as recorded in 1 Kings 18. The tourists also visited Jesus’ childhood home of Nazareth and walked down the Old Palm Sunday Road leading to the ancient olive grove at the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prepared to go to the cross.

The garden visit provided a particularly poignant moment for pastor Rey Cantu, whose heart was stirred by Lorick’s reminder that this was the site where Jesus “gave it all.” Cantu and his wife, Juanita, are planning on leaving behind familiarity and comfort to plant a church in Brazoria, south of Houston and near the Texas Gulf Coast.

“That really stuck with me, because the Lord has called us to start a new work,” Rey said. “I was able to take that all in, meditate on it, and tell the Lord, ‘We want to give you our all here in this new work.’”

Many on the trip decided to get baptized in the Jordan River, including retired SBTC pastor Casey Perry—who was making his first trip to Israel at age 88. Perry said the trip truly provided an experience for him where the words of the Bible that he has preached for decades came alive.

“Now when I preach, I can say I’ve been there,” Perry said. “What a privilege it was to be able to walk where Jesus walked.”

“Now when I preach, I can say I’ve been there. What a privilege it was to be able to walk where Jesus walked.”

casey perry Tweet

For Matthew and many others, the trip that gathered pastors and their wives from all over Texas also brought an unexpected blessing.

“We’ve been desperate for [ministry] relationships,” Matthew said. “Spending that much time with people who understand what we’re going through—that was so needed. It helped us know we’re not alone. We’re so thankful for the relationships we made on the trip.”

Matthew said since meeting other pastors and their wives on the trip, he discovered many who are serving close to where he lives. They’ve since followed up and began deepening those newfound connections.

Holly Sanders, who was on the trip with her husband, Aaron (pastor of Coastal Community Church of Galveston), agreed about the new connections they made, saying, “That was just a very surprising, cool part of the trip. That wasn’t on my radar going in.”

God’s Word is worthy of our wholehearted devotion

One of the foundational beliefs we share as Southern Baptists concerns the nature of the Bible. Historic Christianity teaches that the origin of the Scriptures is not man, but God Himself. So when we hear the words of Scripture, we are hearing the voice of God.

That means the Bible is not merely a book that guides our faith; it is the book upon which our entire faith rests! Everything we believe about God, Jesus, and salvation is revealed in it, and without this biblical foundation, Christianity has no substance.

Millard Erickson states, “By inspiration of Scripture we mean that supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the Scripture writers which rendered their writings an accurate record of the revelation or which resulted in what they wrote actually being the Word of God.” F.F. Bruce gives a more concise definition: “The inspiration of Scripture is that operation of the Holy Spirit as a result of which words spoken or written by men are also the Word of God.” In essence, the human authors of the Bible were being supernaturally influenced by the Holy Spirit as they wrote, which means they were writing the words of God. This has been the commonly held conviction since the birth of Christianity.

"What does the authority of the Scriptures mean for us today? The answer is simple—obedience!"

Todd Kaunitz Tweet

Justin Martyr in the second century referred to the Bible as “the very language of God.” Later, in the fourth century, Gregory Nyssa described the Scriptures as “the voice of the Holy Spirit.” This sentiment was reinforced in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Protestant reformers. It’s important to note that those convictions concerning the Scripture did not originate with these church leaders, but rather echoed what the apostles believed and what the Bible reveals about itself.

Two of the numerous passages that clearly reveal the divine inspiration of Scripture are 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20-21. In the first, Paul refers to the Scriptures as “breathed out” by God. In the second, Peter describes the authors of Scripture as being “moved by the Holy Spirit” in their writing. The inspiration of the Scriptures leads to the logical conclusion that they are also authoritative. As John Feinberg says, “If God, the highest authority, has given us His Word, it must have authority over us.”

What does the authority of the Scriptures mean for us today? The answer is simple—obedience! If God’s Word is authoritative in nature, then it must be obeyed. Corneliu Constantineanu states it this way: “To live by the authority of Scripture means to allow ourselves to be permanently shaped and molded by the story of the Bible, especially as we are constantly tempted to think and to do as the world does! It is only the Scriptures that can judge and redeem our own actions and lives. That is why we should allow Scripture to teach us, to guide us, to bring us back to the biblical view of the purpose and meaning of life.”

The Bible is the source of truth that all other views and opinions are subservient to in our life. By the Spirit of God, the Word of God has a transformative effect on us. It is through the reading, obeying, and preaching of the Bible that the glory of God and the life He offers are revealed to humanity. God has given us this precious gift as the primary means by which we know Him, His will, and His redemptive work through Jesus. Let us know it, love it, live it, and proclaim it!

The 5: Getting a good read on the rest of the year

It’s September, so there are four months to go in 2022. Do you have a reading plan to finish the year well? As I think about my own reading for the rest of the year, I always like to read at least one book that’s short and practically helpful. If you think the same way I do, here are five short books I encourage you to consider:

1

Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church
by John Onwuchekwa (137 pgs)

We know we need to pray, but we often don’t know how to get started or keep it going. This little book is especially helpful in building prayer into your church. It’s filled with ideas, examples, and challenges that will make a difference in your life, your small group, and your church.

2

The Money Challenge: 30 Days to Discovering God’s Design for You and Your Money
by Art Rainer (148 pgs)

My wife, Pam, and I work hard to be wise and generous with our finances, but we’ve learned the hard way. Had we read this resource when we first married more than 31 years ago, we would have made even wiser decisions. Reading this book—and guiding your church
to join you—will strengthen your church’s ministry efforts.

3

Problems of Christian Leadership
by John Stott (95 pgs)

I review this abridged version of other writings of the famous pastor at least every other year. Not all of it applies directly to me (e.g., one chapter is about being a leader when “comparatively young”—which I’m probably not anymore), but I always remember something of value. Other chapters deal with discouragement, self-discipline, and relationships.

4

Nobodies for Jesus: 14 Days to a Great Commission Lifestyle
by Chuck Lawless (108 pgs)

Forgive the self-promotion, but this book describes what I believe
we must do to be evangelistic people again: be filled with wonder over Jesus like we were when He first saved us. Evangelistic programs and processes simply don’t work well when we’ve lost our amazement over the Savior—or when we’re amazed over ourselves.

5

The Art of Turning from Sin to Christ for a Joyfully Clear Conscience
by Kevin DeYoung (40 pgs)

No matter how long I’ve been a believer, I’m still learning. I don’t always pay sufficient attention to my God-given conscience. Sometimes I let the enemy lead me too far into self-condemnation. This really short book is packed with guidance if you face any of these types of battles. It’ simple. It’s clear. It’s freeing.

Chuck Lawless is dean of doctoral studies and vice president of spiritual formation and ministry centers at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. For more from Lawless, visit chucklawless.com.