Quarterback Brock Purdy, Whose ‘Identity Is in Jesus,’ Leads 49ers to NFC Championship Game

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January 24, 2023

On Sunday (Jan. 23), rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, previously dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” by virtue of being the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, led the San Francisco 49ers in victory over the Dallas Cowboys to take the team one step closer to Super Bowl LVII by advancing to the NFC Championship.

Purdy has been vocal about his faith, expressing to Sports Spectrum in 2021 that his “identity is in Jesus.”

“I’m living to be set apart,” Purdy said in that interview. “It’s easy to, yes, repent of your sins and be about Jesus…to know, ‘I can’t keep doing this sin. You know, I’ve acknowledged it; I gotta move on.’ But to be on fire for the Lord and walk with him. I think, right now, man, I’m all about, ‘Hey, I’m living set apart from the world. People can think this about me or whatever. That’s fine.”

Purdy continued, “The bottom line for me is that my identity is in Jesus. I get that. And I’m gonna roll with that.”

“It’s not, ‘Hey, I’m better than you,’” Purdy went on to say. “No, it’s, ‘I’m called to do this. I’m called to witness. I’m called to share the Word. I have this knowledge, you know, of the Spirit. And I want to give it to as many people as I can…I’m continuing to grow in that. And, man, I just wanna be able to witness and defend the Christian faith as best as I can moving forward.”

At the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, Purdy was named the third string quarterback for the 49ers. But when quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo experienced injuries, Purdy got his shot to play, winning all five regular season games in which he started.

In Sunday’s game, Purdy completed 19 of 29 passing attempts for 214 yards. The 49ers beat the Cowboys 19-12 and will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 29, for the NFC Championship title. The winner of that game will advance to the Super Bowl.

In a press conference before the 49ers win against the Cowboys, Purdy said, “I’m a faith-based guy, so that’s how I stay grounded. I don’t look at football like it’s literally everything, it’s ‘do or die,’ or anything like that.”

Five Christians Killed in NE Nigeria, 12 in Middle Belt

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Morning Star News

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January 24, 2023

Villagers-displaced-from-attack — Villagers displaced from attack on Abagena, Benue state, Nigeria on Jan. 20, 2023. (Morning Star News)

ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed five Christians early Sunday morning (Jan. 22) in northeast Nigeria, following the slaughter of 12 Christians on Friday (Jan. 20) in the country’s Middle Belt, sources said.

In Bauchi state’s Tafawa Balewa County, area residents said herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian community of Gambar Sabon Layi, killing five Christians and kidnapping another.

“Fulani herdsmen at about 3 a.m. this Sunday, 22 January, invaded my community of Gambar Sabon Layi,” area resident Godwin Moses told Morning Star News in a text message. “The Fulani herdsmen killed five members of our Christian community and a sixth Christian, Mr. Daniel Dabwa, was captured and is being held captive in an unknown place.”

Manasseh Danladi, another resident, concurred that the assailants were “armed Fulani terrorists,” saying in a text message to Morning Star News that one of those slain was a member of his family, and that Dabwa was “taken away at gunpoint.”

Area resident Princess Ella added, “This is a black Sunday for us in Gambar Sabon Layi, as five of our Christian members were killed and one kidnapped.”

Tafawa Balewa, a Christian-majority area, has been attacked by Islamic terrorists and predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen for several years. Many of the villages lie in ruins, made desolate by attacks that drove Christian survivors to other parts of Nigeria.

In Benue state, in the country’s Middle Belt, armed Fulani herdsmen in the pre-dawn hours of Friday (Jan. 20) invaded the predominantly Christian community of Abagena, near Makurdi, the state capital, and killed 12 Christians, area residents said in text messages to Morning Star News.

The herdsmen attacked shortly after midnight for more than three hours, area residents said.

Paul Hemba, state special adviser on security matters, said “the attacks were carried out against these Christian communities by armed Fulani herdsmen a few minutes after midnight and into the early hours of Friday, Jan. 20.”

He identified some of those slain as Gbashaor Acho; Gbashaor Joseph; Anshe Dekera; Ancho Kpor; Eunice Gbashaor; Sewuese Gbashaor; Terlumun Ajah; Emberga Gbashaor; and Donald Gbashaor.

“A man, his wife and four children were among the Christians killed during the attack,” Hemba said.

Catherine Anene, spokesperson of Benue State Police Command, confirmed the attack and said officers had been deployed to the area.

Area resident Ivor James identified the assailants as Fulani herdsmen, and she added that many more villagers were wounded. Resident Joseph Atom said two predominantly Christian communities nearby were also attacked.

“Beside Abagena village, Mbagwen and Utyondu were also attacked at that same time Abagena was attacked by the terrorists,” Atom said. “Many Christians were also killed in these communities. Casualty figures are yet to be ascertained.”

From Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, armed herdsmen also attacked Nagi and Tse-Girgi Dajo villages, predominantly Christian communities in Gwer West County of Benue state, area sources said. Four Christians were injured.

“Two Christians were badly injured in the Nagi attack while two more Christians were also wounded in the Tse-Girgi Dajo attack,” said Andrew Ayande, a local council official of Gwer West Local Government Council.

Faith-Based Organizations Urge Biden Not To Enact ‘Asylum Ban’

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Emily McFarlan Miller

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January 24, 2023

asylum ban — Migrants wait to be processed after crossing the border Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, near Yuma, Arizona. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

(RNS) — A number of faith-based organizations and congregations are pleading with the Biden administration, in a letter sent Monday (Jan. 23) to President Joe Biden and other leaders, not to enact new immigration restrictions.

The letter — signed by 165 faith-based local, national and international organizations and congregations — expresses “grave concern” with policies Biden announced earlier this month.

While those policies expand a program offering humanitarian parole to Venezuelans to include individuals from Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba, they also include a proposal to bar people from seeking asylum if they enter the U.S. without inspection or do not seek protection in other countries along the way, the letter said.

The administration has said it plans to launch an app that individuals can use to schedule an appointment for inspection instead of coming directly to a U.S. port of entry in order to reduce wait times and crowds at the border.

The letter urges the Biden administration not to move forward with what it calls an “asylum ban,” calling it “harmful, inhumane and deadly for the most vulnerable.”

“Across faith traditions and practices, the message is clear: We are called by our sacred texts and faith principles to approach one another with love—not fear,” the letter reads.

“Our diverse faith traditions compel us to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner—regardless of place of birth, religion, or ethnicity. Importantly, our faiths also urge us to boldly resist and dismantle systems of oppression.”

Parole is no substitute for access to asylum, according to the letter.

Signers include three of the six faith-based agencies that partner with the U.S. government to resettle refugees: Church World Service, HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Several denominations also signed on to the letter, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church of Christ. Other signers are the American Friends Service Committee; General Board of Global Ministries and General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church; Hindus for Human Rights; Anti-Defamation League; Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice; Mennonite Central Committee U.S.; National Council of Churches; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Union for Reform Judaism; and Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice.

On a call hosted Monday morning by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of LIRS, shared a number of misconceptions people have about those seeking humanitarian aid.

‘Not a Real Schism’: Four Years Later, UMC Exodus Less a Gush, More a Trickle

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Yonat Shimron and Emily McFarlan Miller

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January 24, 2023

(RNS) — Nearly four years ago, the United Methodist Church approved an exit plan for churches wishing to break away from the global denomination over differing beliefs about sexuality, setting in motion what many believed would be a modern-day schism.

Since then, a new analysis has found, it’s fallen well short of that.

That analysis of data collected by the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration shows 6.1% of United Methodist churches in the U.S. — 1,831 congregations out of 30,000 nationwide — have been granted permission to disaffiliate since 2019. There are no good figures for international departures among the estimated 12,000 United Methodist churches abroad.

The denomination’s disaffiliation plan gives churches until Dec. 31 to cut ties, and many have already made known their desire to leave. Those churches can take their properties with them after paying apportionments and pension liabilities. Others are forcing the issue through civil courts.

But whatever the final tally may be, the analysis suggests the country’s second-largest Protestant denomination — numbering 6.4 million U.S. members and 13 million worldwide — may weaken but is unlikely to break.

“You think of a schism as 50% or even 35% (split),” said Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and a lead researcher for the 2020 U.S. Religion Census. “This is not a real schism.”

The 1,831 church departures come as United Methodist bishops say they’re battling misinformation from conservative groups that encourage churches to leave the denomination for the newly formed Global Methodist Church, which has declared it will never ordain or marry LGBTQ people — the crux of the conflict.

The name and logo of the new “Global Methodist Church,” which is splitting from the United Methodist Church. Image courtesy of the Global Methodist Church

In turn, the Global Methodist Church and groups like the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a network of theologically conservative churches, argue that the denomination’s regional conferences are making it prohibitively hard for churches to leave.

The high-stakes duel has hit some regions of the country harder than others. But four years into what has been depicted as a breakup of the denomination, the picture is less climactic than anticipated.

“Some are leaving but the number of churches and members moving forward is far larger,” said Hope Morgan Ward, retired bishop of the North Carolina conference. “It is important to focus on who is staying and moving forward in the continuing United Methodist Church.”

The past year has brought “mixed emotions,” according to Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Annual Conference, who leads the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops. Bickerton described it as a “period of disunity.”

Pastor Faces Upcoming Abuse Trial

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Scott Barkley

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January 24, 2023

MURPHY, N.C. (BP) — A Georgia Baptist pastor is awaiting a trial date in a North Carolina Superior Court over abuse charges filed in 2020 that prompted an investigation and his eventual arrest.

According to the SBC Workspace, Jeff McCammon has served as pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, Ga., since May 2019. In December 2020, he was arrested after an investigation by local authorities in Cherokee County, North Carolina.

A grand jury subsequently indicted McCammon with a felony count of indecent liberties with a child. The Cherokee Superior Court hearing is to be scheduled in response to a felony charge of soliciting prostitution of a minor.

As of 10:21 a.m. Eastern time Jan. 20, Mountain View’s website did not list information on a page marked “Our Pastor.”

In its initial report from March 2021, the Cherokee Scout identified McCammon as Mountain View’s pastor and a mathematics teacher at the Rockdale Magnet School for Science &Technology. The victim, who was under the age of 16, was reportedly known to McCammon. Court documents state the assault occurred between April 2015 and June 2016 when McCammon lived in North Carolina.

Upon discovery, the allegations were initially reported to social services and law enforcement in Georgia where McCammon lived, the paper stated, before contact was made with deputies in North Carolina.

According to SBC Workspace, prior to moving to North Carolina, McCammon served bi-vocationally as a clerk and treasurer with Discover Point Church in Conyers, Ga., from August 2005-August 2013. At First Baptist in Lithonia, Ga., he was the minister of children from April 1996-June 2004 and minister of education from April 1996-November 2004. He returned to serve as interim pastor from August 2013 to June 2014.

If you are/have been a victim of sexual abuse or suspect sexual abuse by a pastor, staff member or member of a Southern Baptist church or entity, please reach out for help at 202-864-5578 or SBChotline@guidepostsolutions.com. All calls are confidential.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Stepping Away From Un-Christian Politics

By

Scott Sauls

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January 24, 2023

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series leading up the Super Bowl and the He Gets Us ads showing at the Super Bowl. You can find Super Bowl related outreach resources at our ChurchLeaders partner, Outreach. See https://hegetsus.outreach.com/.

If you’re on social media or are watching the news for more than twelve seconds, you’re sure to spot some sort of rant about a political figure. It has become our habit to mock and insult those authority figures we disagree with. The recent “He Gets Us” campaign captures this well in their recent video called “Outrage.”

While we can (and should) feel strongly about different political and social issues, as Christians we’re called to respond to authority with respect. Rather than bucking the system, sticking it to our leaders, insulting, or despairing, we are taught in the Bible to respond to authority with honor. This starts with honoring God, who holds authority over the whole universe, including every earthly kingdom.

One way we can honor God is in how we respond to those He has put in authority over us. Whether we agree or disagree with them, showing honor and respect is presented in the Bible as a non-negotiable. In showing honor and respect, we also honor and respect God, who, in His own wisdom and for His own purposes, ordains who will lead and who will follow.

Are Government and Politics the Exception?

The Bible also says Christians should honor, respect, pray for and obey authorities in positions of government. This can be challenging for us, especially during heated political seasons. And yet, because politics are so heated, such seasons present Christians with a unique opportunity to live counter-culturally to the typical partisan spin and vitriol.

Biblically, Christians have a civic duty to honor their national, state, and local officials. As long we aren’t being coerced to sin against God, following Jesus includes submitting to and praying for all our public authorities. When this happens, citizens of God’s kingdom stand out as refreshing citizens of earthly kingdoms, no matter who is in charge. This was true in biblical times, and it can be true now.

New Testament Christians were routinely marginalized, persecuted and even put to death by the Roman state. Even in this climate, honoring, respecting, cooperating with and praying for Roman officials was part of being a disciple. Peter, who would later be executed by Rome for his Christian faith, said that in all circumstances, Christians must honor the king (1 Peter 2:17). Paul, who would also be martyred by decree of the Roman Caesar, said every Christian must submit to and pray for governing authorities (Romans 13:1).

In the current moment, it is hard to find Christians who embrace this line of thinking. Instead, many have been drawn into partisan spin and rhetoric. In so doing, these well-intended but misguided Christians have become more like the world than like Jesus.

Here are a few thoughts about how we can retreat from the spin and rhetoric, and instead return to more of a New Testament approach:

1. Don’t Label or Smear; Instead Humble Yourself

Right-leaning folks can easily fall prey to dishonoring our current president. Likewise, left-leaning folks have done the same concerning our last president. The aim in each case is to belittle, embarrass, and caricature leaders we do not like.

Expressing humble concern about the gross character flaws, and some of the policies, of a public leader isn’t always wrong. This is fine and appropriate unless humble concern gives way to name-calling and personal insults. Not even the young man David, when King Saul sought personally to destroy him, fell into this trap. Although David had two opportunities to finish Saul off, he would not assassinate him, either in his person or his character. In his own words, he dared not harm “the Lord’s anointed.”

11 Christianese Words and Phrases We Should Retire

By

Dale Chamberlain

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January 24, 2023

If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, you might not be aware of how differently you speak from your non-Christian friends and neighbors. But it’s no secret that we speak in our own unique dialect: Christianese, as it is often called.

And some of that is necessary. In order to understand important theological and biblical truths, we often need to turn to words that have technical definitions—words such as sin, salvation, redemption, sanctification, and the like.

But then there are other words and phrases that have evolved within the American evangelical subculture that carry no theological weight. They’re just things we say. Maybe we should stop saying some of them, though.

Here are at least 11 Christianese words and phrases that I really think we should retire.

(Disclaimer: Although much of what you’ll read below is just good natured ribbing, it is also important to note how our language can alienate those outside of our faith tradition or church community. We should take care to ensure that our peculiar words and phrases never obscure the lifesaving message of Jesus.)

1. ‘Bless This Food to Our Bodies’

Expressing gratitude to God for every meal is a good thing. But asking God to “bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies” rings a little hollow when you’re towering over a cheeseburger and fries.

In any event, simply saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for this food,” works just as well, gets rid of the esoteric language, and doesn’t request that God “bless” something that is shortening your lifespan.

2. ‘I Covet Your Prayers’

Asking for prayer is a good thing. Coveting, at least by any modern usage of the word, is a bad thing.

Instead of “coveting” the prayers of everyone in our small group, we can simply ask, “Would you pray for me?”

3. ‘Love On…’

The Christian life is marked by love. We are called to love our neighbors as well as our enemies (Mark 12:31 and Matthew 5:44, respectively). There is no denying that loving others is a fundamental aspect of following Jesus.

But loving on others? Something about that sounds weird. If I didn’t know that the intent behind the phrase was innocent and harmless, I might begin to wonder if it were an innuendo for something—and something that I certainly don’t want done to me at that.

Relatedly, we should also retire “press in.” Technically, there isn’t anything wrong with it, but it just feels weird.

J.C. Ryle: Why Do Christians Get Sick?

By

J.C. Ryle

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January 24, 2023

“Lord, he whom you love is sick.” (John 11:3)

The chapter from which this text is taken is well known to all Bible readers. In life-like description, in touching interest, in sublime simplicity, there is no writing in existence that will bear comparison with that chapter. A narrative like this is to my own mind one of the great proofs of the inspiration of Scripture. When I read the story of Bethany, I feel, “There is something here which the infidel can never account for. This is nothing else but the finger of God.”

The words which I specially dwell upon in this chapter are singularly affecting and instructive. They record the message which Martha and Mary sent to Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick: “Lord, behold he whom Thou lovest is sick,” That message was short and simple. Yet almost every word is deeply suggestive.

Notice the child-like faith of these holy women. They turned to the Lord Jesus in their hour of need, as the frightened infant turns to its mother, or the compass–needle turns to the Pole. They turned to Him as their Shepherd, their almighty Friend, their Brother born for adversity. Different as they were in natural temperament, the two sisters in this matter were entirely agreed. Christ’s help was their first thought in the day of trouble. Christ was the refuge to which they fled in the hour of need. Blessed are all they that do likewise!

Notice the simple humility of their language about Lazarus. They call Him, “He whom you love.” They do not say, “He who loves you, believes in you, serves you,” but “He whom you love.” Martha and Mary were deeply taught of God. They had learned that Christ’s love towards us, and not our love towards Christ, is the true ground of expectation, and true foundation of hope. Blessed, again, are all they that are taught likewise! To look inward to our love towards Christ is painfully unsatisfying: to look outward to Christ’s love towards us is peace.

Notice, lastly, the touching circumstance which the message of Martha and Mary reveals: “He whom you love is sick.” Lazarus was a good man, converted, believing, renewed, sanctified, a friend of Christ, and an heir of glory. And yet Lazarus was sick! Then sickness is no sign that God is displeased. Sickness is intended to be a blessing to us, and not a curse. “All things work together for good to them that love God, and are called according to His purpose.” “All things are yours–life, death, things present, or things to come: for you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” (Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 3:22-23). Blessed, I say again, are they that have learned this! Happy are they who can say, when they are ill, “This is my Father’s doing. It must be well.”

I invite the attention of my readers to the subject of sickness. The subject is one which we ought frequently to look in the face. We cannot avoid it. It needs no prophet’s eye to see sickness coming to each of us one day. “In the midst of life, we are in death.” Let us turn aside for a few moments, and consider why Christians get sick. The consideration will not hasten its coming, and by God’s blessing may teach us wisdom.

In considering the subject of sickness, three points appear to me to demand attention.

1. The universal prevalence of sickness and disease.
2. The general benefits which sickness confers on mankind.
3. The special duties to which sickness calls us.

1. The universal prevalence of sickness.

I need not dwell long on this point. To elaborate the proof of it would only be multiplying truisms, and heaping up common-places which all allow.

Sickness is everywhere. In Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in America; in hot countries and in cold, in civilized nations and in savage tribes–men, women, and children get sick and die.

Sickness is among all classes. Grace does not lift a believer above the reach of it. Riches will not buy exemption from it. Rank cannot prevent its assaults. Kings and their subjects, masters and servants, rich men and poor, learned and unlearned, teachers and scholars, doctors and patients, ministers and hearers, all alike go down before this great foe. “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city.” (Prov. 18:11.) The Englishman’s house is called his castle, but there are no doors and bars which can keep out disease and death.

Parent Safety Expectations—A Personal Perspective

By

Angela Lewton

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January 24, 2023

There is no denying the weekly experience with children’s ministry has changed over the last few years. Some children’s ministries have experienced lower than expected attendance, fewer volunteers, reduced budgets, and less overall interest from new families. However, organizations are working hard to get back to where they need to be, and while some factors have shifted, one element remains constant, prioritizing child safety.

As my family returned to in-person attendance, I became keenly aware of how the change in experience affected my perception of child safety. As a parent, I expect more of a focus on child protection, not less. When organizations let their guard down, bad things can happen, like individuals getting access to kids when they shouldn’t.

If there’s not an integrated approach, meaning all areas of ministry believe child protection and safety are everyone’s responsibility, the potential rate of an incident increases. When bad things happen, or there’s the concern something might, it discourages new families from visiting and alienates those who regularly attend. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. By refocusing on safety, you can make a big difference in helping families feel their children are in good hands.

Whether you are a small church plant or a large, established program, child safety is the key to attracting new families and giving peace-of-mind to the families you already serve.

Here are some concerns from a parent’s perspective on what happens when a church neglects to prioritize the safety of the children in their care.

First Impressions

Often, gone are the days of walking up to the entry of children’s ministry and seeing a security team member or two opening the doors and welcoming families. Pre-pandemic, they were a familiar sight each week, and one many kids came to look forward to and appreciate.

As a parent, I knew from the moment my children set foot in the door someone was overseeing the building’s physical safety, creating peace-of-mind, and making it easier to be apart. Once in the door, volunteers and staff greeted and helped families register, check-in, or find a room location. There was an emphasis on assisting families in moving through the drop-off process quickly, answering questions, and providing information.

Unfortunately, today, I see an absence of a dedicated security presence, greeters, and in some cases, no structured children’s check-in and check-out process. Are these likely the outcomes of resource scarcity? Sometimes, due to less children attending and fewer volunteers available to help, there might not be assigned room locations and instead all kids are gathered in one spot, regardless of their age or grade.

Does it matter if security resources are dedicated to kids’ ministry if attendance levels are low? Is a check-in/out process at some level necessary? Is a dedicated location for kids in specific age groups a deal-breaker for families to return? Are families noticing the differences and possibly concerned about safety? Yes! Every organization faces unique challenges to establishing a new normal. However, when safety in children’s ministry is no longer prioritized there’s a ripple effect across the entire organization.

When Kids Ask the Tough Questions

By

Dale Hudson

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January 24, 2023

This past weekend, I was teaching the pre-teen class at my home church.

We are in a salvation series called Road Trip (check out the series at this link).

The main point for the series is Jesus is the only way to heaven. The key verse for the month is Matthew 7:13.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.

I was sharing that Jesus is the only way to heaven. One of the pre-teens raised their hand and asked this question.

What about kids who live in other countries and never hear about Jesus? Do they go to heaven?

Good question. Tough question. Doctrinal question.

The room got quiet. The kids listened to hear my answer to this tough question.

I shared with the child that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Everyone owes a sin debt. The only person who can forgive people for this is Jesus. This happens when a person opens their heart and and invites Jesus to be their Forgiver, Leader and Friend. Everyone has to make this decision for themselves.

A child in another country may have never heard God’s plan of salvation. If they live their life and never enter a relationship with Jesus, they will be separated from God forever when they die. We have a command to go and share the Gospel with everyone on earth.

If people don’t know about Jesus, it’s up to us as believers to take the Gospel to them. I believe that if a person wants to know more about God, that He will send someone to share the Gospel with them.

This is made clear in Romans 1:20. God’s handiwork in creating the world is a witness to the reality of a real, loving and caring God.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

I was excited that the pre-teen asked this tough question. It led to a great time of discussion and engagement.

As kids grow up in today’s culture, they will be labeled as bigots and intolerant if they say Jesus is the only way to heaven. We must equip them with the biblical knowledge they need to defend their faith. We must help them get the “right answers” to the tough questions. If we don’t, they will grow up and get the wrong answers from secular teachers, leaders, etc.

Did you know that Brad Pitt grew up in a Christian home? He grew up attending church each week. When he was around 13 years old, he started having questions about the faith. He asked his parents, people at church and youth leaders why Jesus is the only way to heaven. No one took the time to discuss this hard question with him.

Today Brad says he is an agnostic/atheist.

We must be prepared to answer the tough questions that many children ask when they are looking for answers.

Let me take that a step farther. I do not believe we should wait until children bring up the tough questions. We must be proactive and bring the questions to them. We can’t wait until they are in college, hear the questions and get the wrong answers.

How to Fill Your Small Group With Encouragement

By

Reid Smith

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January 24, 2023

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

We all need encouragement! That’s always been true, and as we continue to venture deeper into 2021, everyone is feeling the need for it now more than ever. Human-beings are hard-wired for encouragement. We need people who speak hope and build confidence into our lives so that we can consistently live in a manner that’s worthy of the Gospel of Christ (Php 1:27). This is why God commands us to encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thes 5:11).

Encouragement is one of the spiritual gifts explicitly referenced in the New Testament. It’s so important that God tells us it should be a daily practice (Rom 12:8; Heb 3:13). It is fuel for our faith enabling us to persevere and overcome the hurdles we all face as we run the race marked out for us (Heb 12:1).

The “Why” of Encouragement

It reminds us we need one another.

The flame of faith needs to be repeatedly stoked by encouragement. Throughout the New Testament, we see how the early believers supported and emboldened one another. Paul purposefully commented on how he was personally encouraged and how encouragement filled the felt-needs of others (2 Cor 7:13; 1 Thes 3:7).

It strengthens our faith.

There is a real connection between the fellowship of the saints and the encouragement we need to live out our faith in Kingdom-advancing ways (Ecc 4:9-12; Heb 10:24-25). Our faith grows stronger in the company of spiritual friends who love Jesus and want to live for Him (Prov 27:17; Rom 1:12).

It helps us overcome sin.

Hebrews 3:13 says, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” One of the side-effects of sin’s deceitfulness is it hardens hearts. Encouragement counteracts this and softens our hearts so that we can be more attune to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, hear God’s truth and walk in obedience. Sin speaks lies whereas encouragement speaks life, which finds its source in God’s truth.

How to Fill Your Small Group With Encouragement

You can empower your small group members in their faith through encouragement, and when you model how to do it, they will be inspired to do the same for one another. There are countless practical ways you can encourage others whether your words are delivered in-person or online, by mouth or by text:

Use Scripture to remind your small group members of God’s Presence, power, and promises.
Make yourself available to them because it’s encouraging when you know somebody has your back (Ecc 4:9-12).
Affirm virtues you see in them and the impact they have on others.
Challenge your small group members to exercise their God-given spiritual gifts in new ways (1 Cor 12:7).
Talk about God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice, our deliverance and redemption because it’s encouraging being reminded of who we are in Him.
Help them develop an eternal perspective and think about excellent and praiseworthy things (Php 4:8).
Let your small group members know you’re praying for them and find practical ways that you can actually carry their burdens with them (Gal 6:2).
An uplifting note, a gift or gesture of love showing somebody that you’re thinking of them and believe in them goes a long way.

Encouragement is contagious! Your small group members will want to echo the ways in which you lead the way with encouraging your group. The Lord will use your effort to stretch and strengthen the faith of others so they will be empowered to live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:5). If there were a spiritual prescription to follow for entering into this new season of your small group’s life together, encouragement would certainly be a part of it, and God will use what you do to enrich your community together.

This article on encouragement originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

3 Characteristics of a Healthy Cell

By

Joel Comiskey Group

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January 24, 2023

It has been said that only healthy cells multiply, which is a truth both from a biological and ecclesiastical point of view. But what are the characteristics of a healthy cell?

3 Characteristics of a Healthy Cell

1. A cell is healthy when it is evangelistic.

This implies an effort to always bring guests to the cell meeting. The cell group is not only a group of Christians who meet to have fellowship. It is also a group of committed Christians who find fellowship in the diligent effort to reach the lost with the gospel. They are Christians who are more delighted when the cell multiplies and new people are reached, rather than maintaining a closed group of believers who only enjoy fellowship with each other.

Digital Follow Up For New Visitors – Five Easy Pieces

By

Owen Scott

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January 24, 2023

You’re just heading into a busy season in your church. Your church has been working hard to create an amazing guest experience and follow-up process. You’ve got connection cards, you have first-time guest gifts at the ready, and you’ve even spent a little bit of money on some Facebook ads promoting the Advent and so far you’ve had great engagement! The event comes, it goes, you get some connection cards in, you put some people into your church management software, maybe make a phone call. Then what? How [to] pursue digital follow up?

We work hard to follow up after major events, but it’s a struggle to follow up digitally. All is not lost! Here are five strategies you can use to follow up with people digitally.

Digital Follow Up For New Visitors

1. ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

You can leverage people connecting with you on Facebook to follow up. In the Facebook Ads platform, you can create an audience based on a variety of engagements. Create an ad either with a video or image and just say “Hey, thanks for connecting with us this Christmas season! We’d love to see you again!” and then target people who have already connected with your page.

2. THE FACEBOOK PIXEL

As part of your digital outreach strategy, you’ve been driving people to your website and getting loads of hits on your event landing page. Now you can leverage that to follow up with people who didn’t fill out the event registration, or submit the plan your visit form.

You can install a little snippet of code from Facebook, called Facebook Pixel, on your website that will track people who land on your website. Much like the engagement audience, you use your pixel to build an audience, and then you can follow up with people who were interested enough in your Easter service to go to your website, but didn’t end up coming.

Opening Letter to Parents: What Your Teenagers Need

By

Greg Stier

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January 23, 2023

Use this opening letter to parents to express appreciation for the moms and dads of your youth group members. Also use it to educate, encourage, and inspire parents in their important roles.

An Opening Letter to Parents of Teens

Dear Parents of Teenagers,

Thanks for all you do to invest in the life of your teenager(s). You probably play many roles: an Uber driver (ready to pick kids up/drop them off when they call). A coach (helping them perfect sports). A tutor (working with them on homework). Often a guidance counselor (preparing them for the future). And sometimes a jockey (pushing them to cross the finish line…without a whip, of course!) Parents are all of these, wrapped up in one.

That’s why, with all the insane busyness of parenting a teen, it’s easy to let youth group attendance slide off the grid. It’s tempting to think, “My kid’s just too busy for a night of hanging out with other teenagers. There’s no time for some goofy games and hearing another Bible lesson.”

Believe me when I say I understand the temptation. As a parent of a busy teenager, my wife and I feel pressure to measure every event through the lens of what matters most. And we’ve decided that youth group attendance must be a priority. Although we view ourselves as the primary spiritual influence of our kids, we also believe that a strong youth ministry plays a vital role in our son’s overall spiritual development.

Opening Letter to Parents: What Teenagers Really Need

With this as a backdrop, here are five short yet powerful reasons to encourage (make?) your teens attend youth group:

1. Teenagers need models and mentors.

“O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:17-18

In the Jewish culture, it wasn’t just parents who poured into the younger folks. Older men poured into younger men, and older women poured into younger women (Titus 2:1-8).

Of course, God calls you as a parent to be the primary spiritual mentor of your own teenagers. But they also need other godly adults! It’s important for your son or daughter to see that this whole “Christianity thing” is more than just mom and dad’s belief system. They need to have models and mentors who reinforce all the spiritual truth they’re learning from you.

2. Teenagers need community.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

In an age of bullying, gossip, slander and hatefulness (which can destroy a teenager’s self-identity), young people need other young people. They need godly peers who can lift them up, encourage them and challenge them in all the right ways.

Youth group is also a place where teenagers can discover their spiritual gifting and begin to use it to serve others. This will help them have a heart to selflessly serve others for the rest of their lives!

Valentine’s Day Sunday School Printables: Free Christian Cards

By

Daniel So

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January 23, 2023

Valentine’s Day Sunday school printables are a great way to share Jesus’ love with students. Use these free love-themed cards to remind children in your classes that God loves them—and so do you!

Simply download and print these fun Valentine’s cards (as many as you need). You can give them to kids yourself or let them share the greetings with family and friends. Other ideas include using the cards with classroom Valentine’s Day boxes and at a Sunday school Valentine’s Day event.

This printable comes in pre-colored or ready-to-color formats. If you use the black-and-white version, then children can color and decorate the cards themselves.

Messages include “God’s love is so sweet!” “Jesus loves you!” “God made you beary special!” and “You are a gift from God!” All children need to hear this good news regularly. And Valentine’s Day is a great occasion to send these lovely cards.

Resource provided by Guildcraft

‘The Chosen’ Actor Jonathan Roumie Warns March for Life Attendees of the Demonic Forces Opposing Them

By

Jessica Lea

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January 23, 2023

Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the popular series “The Chosen,” spoke at the 50th annual March for Life on Friday, Jan. 20. Roumie warned his audience that Satan is at work in the world deceiving people about abortion and also encouraged attendees that God is real and that he loves them.

“God is real,” said Roumie, “and he is completely in love with each and every one of you.” The actor said he knows these truths, not because he views all of life through his faith or because of the miracles he has experienced, but “because you are all here today.”

“Having lived under a grim cloud of darkness for the last 50 years,” said Roumie, referencing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, “the world has once again been given a glimmer of hope, and I pray that with this recent step in protecting life, despite the grievous nature of what we’ve allowed, that God might still look upon us in his infinite mercy and see the hearts of those of here in support of life today and say to us in this hour, ‘It is good.’”

Jonathan Roumie: ‘As God Is Real, Satan Is Also Real’

This year’s March for Life was the first to take place after the fall of Roe v. Wade, which in 1973 made abortion legal throughout the U.S. Other speakers at the event included football analyst and NFL Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren.

Jonathan Roumie took the stage as some in the crowd chanted, “Jonathan! Jonathan!” After warning he might go over his time, Roumie jumped into his talk, proclaiming, “God is real!” When he asked, “How do I know that?” someone in the crowd responded, “Because you’re him.” Roumie and the audience laughed, and he said, “I’m not him. I’m not the real Jesus, let’s just get that out of the way.”

The actor emphasized how much God loves the people attending the March for Life, and he celebrated what their presence at the event meant.

“History has been made,” he said. “Life has triumphed in an extraordinary way, and the light of the world who is Jesus Christ, the author of life, his light has burned so very brightly within each and every one of you, irrespective of your specific beliefs, compelling you forward for one reason or another to stand together today and fight the noblest and worthiest cause possible, which is to allow the unborn the right to enter into the world and defeat those earthly forces that wish to destroy the very evidence of them.”

Quoting Psalm 139:13-16, Roumie said that the work to protect life is “far from finished,” and he focused on the spiritual forces that make that work challenging. Just as it is a law of physics that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, he said, the same is true in the “spiritual realm.”

“Just as God is real,” said Roumie, “Satan is also real. And I’m not talking about the simplistic cartoon of some dude with horns and a tail. I’m talking about the father of lies, the great deceiver, the diabolical slanderer who pushes you to doubt when you know in your heart the right thing to do.” Satan is not giving up, he said, but is fighting harder because “his time is limited.”

Aspiring 5-Year-Old Preacher Appears on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ After Millions Witness Him Baptizing Toys

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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January 23, 2023

Five-year-old Luke Tillman told Grammy award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson earlier this month that he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a pastor after his viral video of him baptizing his toys landed him a guest spot on her talk show.

Tillman’s mother posted a video of him baptizing his “Paw Patrol” toys on Dec. 29, 2022. “I shocked my mom today😂 I told her all my toys have to be baptized… today was Chase day🙌🏾 Say amen church😂🙌🏾,” Tillman captioned his video.

The video shows Tillman dressed as a pastor in a baptismal church robe and telling his mother he’s “ready for the baptism.” Tillman then walks into the bathroom where his plush “Paw Patrol” dog, “Chase,” was awaiting his water baptism.

“Are you sure Chase wants to get baptized?” Tillman’s mother asked. “Yeah,” Tillman replied, “He needs the Holy Ghost!”

Tillman entered his bathtub, which had a few inches of water in it, and began to sing the song “Take Me to the Water” by Nina Simone. The preschooler then took his toy “Paw Patrol” character, raised his hand and said, “Obedience to the command, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Ghost,” as he fully dunked Chase in the water.

Appearing on Hudson’s show, Tillman told her it was a “blessing” to be there as he explained to her that he aspires to be a pastor when he grows up. Tillman shared that his father, who is a pastor, is his inspiration. “So I got it from my father, he baptized me,” Tillman said as he recalled when his dad baptized him.

Tillman was baptized when he was four, but said he had been asking to be baptized since he was two years old. When his father asked him why he wanted to get baptized, Tillman responded, “Because I love God and he did a lot of stuff for me.” He affirmed that he believes that Jesus died for his sins, rose again, is coming again, and lives in his heart.

“You want to be like your dad,” Hudson asked. Tillman replied with an affirmative, “Uh huh.”

Hudson then asked Tillman’s father, “How does it feel that he wants to follow in your footsteps?”

“It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing,” Tillman’s father replied. “I’m thinking now, you know, the pressure is always on PK’s [preacher’s kids] and that whole development, for him, to decide to want to do it, and authentically want to do it—it’s a blessing. I think this year is 20 years of me preaching, and he preached to 20 million people in one week. I haven’t reached that in 20 years. I’m very happy about that.”

Tony Dungy Takes Heat for March for Life, Says Damar Hamlin Incident Revealed Truth

By

Stephanie Martin

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January 23, 2023

Speaking Friday (Jan. 20) at his first March for Life in Washington, D.C., football analyst and NFL Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy highlighted the sport’s recent testimony to the importance of human life.

At the event marking the 50^th anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade, the outspoken Christian referenced the life-threatening emergency involving Buffalo Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin.

Tony Dungy: Every Life Is Important to God

“It’s amazing to me that God actually used football to shine some light on the subject of life for all of us,” Dungy said, referencing the January 2 Monday night game in Cincinnati. “Damar Hamlin…made a routine tackle, and his heart stopped beating right on the field. It could’ve been tragic, but something miraculous happened. The team medical staff rushed out, they got Damar’s heart started again, but you know what? That wasn’t the real miracle. The real miracle was the reaction of everyone to that,” when “all across the country, people started praying.”

The contest between two playoff contenders was eventually cancelled, which Dungy called “unbelievable” because “millions of dollars of ticket money and advertising money [were] on the line.” The reason? “Because a life was at stake, and people wanted to see that life saved.”

Dungy told March for Life attendees to feel encouraged by that turn of events. “That’s exactly why we’re here today,” he said, “because every day innocent lives are at stake. The only difference is they don’t belong to a famous athlete, and they’re not seen on national TV. But those lives are still important to God and in God’s eyes.”

When Dungy announced last week via tweet that he and his wife, Lauren, would attend the march, he said they wanted “to support those unborn babies who don’t have a voice.”

Critics Call Tony Dungy’s Views Extreme

Dungy’s appearance at the pro-life gathering led to pushback by critics, including sports editor Dave Zirin. “I’m done with Tony Dungy and the way the NFL and NBC coddle his right wing extremism,” he tweeted. In an article, Zirin called Dungy “an anti-gay bigot” and blasted the league and TV network for “celebrating” him as “nearly a patron saint.” He contrasted that to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to protest racial injustice and became “a pariah.”

On Twitter last week, Dungy also posted but then deleted a tweet about “students who identify as cats,” which some people blasted as “transphobic.” Dungy later apologized, writing, “As a Christian I want to be a force for love to everyone. A force for healing and reconciliation—not for animosity.”

New Book Spotlights Influence of Pentecostalism on California’s Mexican Farmworkers

By

Alejandra Molina

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January 23, 2023

mexican farmworkers — Salinas Apostólicos harvesting. Members of a Salinas, California, church gather for a quasi-staged photograph in the mid-1940s. Standing on the far right is Manuel Vizcarra, the eventual presiding bishop of La Asamblea Apostólica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús (AAFCJ). Photograph courtesy of Milca Montañez-Vizcarra.

(RNS) — The farm labor history of California has often been told through the plight of agricultural laborers during the Depression era and the efforts, beginning in the early 1960s, of the United Farm Workers to improve working conditions of Mexicans in the fields.

But to Lloyd Barba, a professor of religion at Amherst College, this history isn’t complete without factoring in religion, particularly the stories of California’s Mexican farmworkers who embraced Pentecostalism, a Christian movement generally seen at the time as a “distasteful new sect” with “cultish and fanatical tendencies.”

“I think about how often Latino history is told as labor history, and that makes sense … but where are the laborers going?” Barba said. “If we’re going to get a more balanced and accurate Latino history, we have to look at Latino religious life.”

In his recently released book, “Sowing the Sacred: Mexican Pentecostal Farmworkers in California,” Barba writes about the Mexican and Mexican American Pentecostal agricultural workers who built houses of worship in the state’s agricultural towns, who turned to “divine healing” for injuries they sustained working in the fields and whose worship style inspired civil rights leader Cesar Chavez to incorporate music and singing in his union organizing.

Barba also writes about the role of women in these church spaces “who were the foundation of the church,” despite not given ministerial credentials to become preachers. They raised money for the building of churches by selling food and made the worship spaces look holy through their handmade goods, such as doilies and fabric embroidered with biblical phrases, Barba said.

“To do a material history of this Mexican Pentecostal movement is to do women’s history,” Barba told Religion News Service.

The book traces the development of Pentecostalism among migrant laborers between 1916 and 1966, before the heyday of the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. Barba felt it important to “describe a moment where the exploitation of Mexican workers is at its worst.”

Barba, in his book, recounts how “divine healing” was seen as a pragmatic way to care for impoverished workers who lacked regular access to medical care. For laborers working in tough conditions, it was about “hard work and fervent worship … work by day and worship by night,” Barba said.

“People are getting hurt. People are contracting tuberculosis. People are seeking out healing when there’s not a health care system in place to provide those kinds of services,” Barba said. “Whether we’re talking physical healing, or what we now refer to as mental health and counseling, these are spaces that offered respite in an otherwise punishing world.”

Worship services “would call for people who were sick to come up and to be healed,” Barba said. There was a “spectacle” side to it, he added, “in that it was a very public kind of ritual.”

In the book, Barba cites a flier distributed by La Iglesia Apostólica Cristiania del Pentecostés that invited residents in the Imperial County city of Calexico to revival services held “under the direction of the Holy Spirit.” These services were outdoor and presided by a Mexican orator and pastor who lived in Los Angeles. “All are invited. Bring your sick and God will bless them,” the flier declared.

First Post-Roe March for Life Marked by ‘Celebration and Resolve’

By

Tom Strode

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January 23, 2023

post_roe — Thousands participated in the 2023 March for Life Jan. 20, 2023. Photos by Eric Brown courtesy of Baptist Press.

WASHINGTON (BP) – Thousands of pro-life Americans gathered Friday (Jan. 20) for the 50^th annual March for Life to rejoice in a long-sought victory and to restate their commitment to protect preborn children and care for their mothers.

Initiated in 1974, the latest March for Life was the first to be held since the U.S. Supreme Court overruled in June of last year the Roe v. Wade decision. That 1973 ruling legalized abortion nationwide, ultimately resulting in the deaths of more than 60 million preborn children, and prompted the launch of the pro-life march a year later. The high court’s June ruling returned abortion regulation to the states.

Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and other staff members participated in the march and the rally that preceded it on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

“This year’s March for Life is one of both celebration and resolve,” Leatherwood said in written comments for Baptist Press. “It is an extraordinary reality that at what we thought would be the 50-year mark of the disastrous Roe decision, we are gathered here today in a post-Roe world.

“It is right and good to take a moment to celebrate that our nation has taken this first step towards protecting life,” he said. “But we know that more work remains.

“We will press on towards a day when both mothers and their children are fully valued as image-bearers of God. We are committed to establishing a true culture of life by developing innovative solutions and policies that actually serve mothers and help families flourish, and we will march until abortion is no more.”

The march came two days before Sanctity of Human Life Sunday and the actual date of the Roe opinion, Jan. 22. It will be the 38^th year for the observance on the SBC calendar, one many Southern Baptist churches commemorate.

In celebrating Roe’s reversal, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini expressed gratitude at Friday’s rally to the marchers and to longtime pro-life advocates, including the late Nellie Gray, the march’s founder. After Roe was reversed, the March for Life staff was often asked if the event would continue, Mancini said.

“[W]hile the march began as a response to Roe, we don’t end as a response to Roe being overturned,” said Mancini, March for Life’s president. “Why? Because we’re not yet done.

“While this year marks our most significant victory, the human rights abuse of abortion is far from over” she said. “We will continue to march until the human rights abuse of abortion is a thing of the past. We will march until abortion is unthinkable.“

The theme of this year’s march was “Next Steps: Marching Into a Post-Roe America.” Speakers addressed the future efforts of the pro-life movement, including through legislation, adoption and maternity homes.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, whose defense of the state’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation led to Roe’s reversal, rejoiced in the Supreme Court decision and said, “But this is not the end of our journey.

“Until we can give women when they are most vulnerable what they need and what their children need to thrive, and until we can make changes in our laws that reflect our compassion for all life and until we can change hearts and minds in our fellow Americans, until then, life remains fragile and the embrace of human dignity remains aspirational,” she said at the rally.

1. Don’t Label or Smear; Instead Humble Yourself

1. ‘Bless This Food to Our Bodies’

2. ‘I Covet Your Prayers’

3. ‘Love On…’

1. The universal prevalence of sickness.

First Impressions

The “Why” of Encouragement

It reminds us we need one another.

It strengthens our faith.

It helps us overcome sin.

How to Fill Your Small Group With Encouragement

3 Characteristics of a Healthy Cell

1. A cell is healthy when it is evangelistic.

Digital Follow Up For New Visitors

1. ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

2. THE FACEBOOK PIXEL

An Opening Letter to Parents of Teens

Opening Letter to Parents: What Teenagers Really Need

1. Teenagers need models and mentors.

2. Teenagers need community.

Jonathan Roumie: ‘As God Is Real, Satan Is Also Real’

Tony Dungy: Every Life Is Important to God

Critics Call Tony Dungy’s Views Extreme

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