Jan 27
Wes GeorgeUncategorized
Getting ready to preach to our students tonight at Merge. I did this last year during the month of January and had a blast. I thoroughly enjoy preaching to our teenagers. They are fun, authentic, and many are ready to make an impact for the kingdom. I am speaking at a Kaleo event at Ouachita Baptist at the end of February which triggered my interest in “calling.” So my series for our teenagers is entitled “The Called: Join the Movement” borrowing the subtitle from Alvin Reid’s book by the same title. We are the called. Revelation 17:14 says “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (NASB). I heard one well known preacher say once that he has doubted his salvation but never his call to preach. I may not go that far, but I do know that His call upon my life has been a sustaining force for direction, perseverance, and hope. His call is a call to salvation, sanctification, service, and steadfastness. God does not have a volunteer army. All His soldiers are drafted, called, chosen. God called me as a young boy to salvation and captured my heart in sanctification especially in the teen and early college years and I have never been the same and never have looked back. While my path has been more crooked than I wished, there has been a path that God has ordered and ordained. I pray that these teenagers will know the call of God and do great things for our Great God. Until next time. . .Wes
Jan 26
Wes GeorgeUncategorized
Just returned from our State Evangelism Conference. It was good to see a lot of friends and also get to hear some great preaching. It was good to John Bisagno and Bill Stafford as they have been preaching for decades. They both had a fresh word from the Word. John Bisagno was especially relevant to our current culture. We had Alvin Reid preach at FBC Rogers and in our drive to the EV conference, he shared with me that John Bisagno was ahead of his time during the Jesus Movement as pastor at FBC Houston. He challenged pastors to consider the impact of music on this generation and proposed that music will be major in reaching this generation. He reiterated that God’s song book (Psalms) preserved the words of the psalms but not the music. I am not a musician but I have read through Scripture. While I have heard second hand comments concerning different beats, and off beats, etc.; I am not aware of any biblical evidence of such conjectures. The caution that I have seen is that music can appeal to the flesh if our focus is on the music above the message (lyrics). Music gives an avenue of expressing our heart. So music in and of itself is amoral (it is not moral or immoral); lyrics are the key. While music can be and is emotional, God’s music (lyrics and music) is also spiritual. We need to help our kids to navigate the journey where music can teach them Scripture while giving them the words to express spiritually and emotionally their love and devotion to God.
I also had a consideration verified concerning our presentation of the gospel. The culture that we live in today in the US is more like an international mission field than ever before. The Gospel has not changed but the world where we live has changed. We must always start where people are and getting them to Christ and His cross and resurrection. I remember sharing the gospel with a couple of young muslim men in Paris. I began with creation and actually culminated with the eternal state. Upon the completion of that lengthy presentation, my friends responded to the “whole” gospel with the words “wonderful.” His story is wonderful and in some ways, we may have unintentionally taken the “wonder” out of the gospel. More later. Until next time. . . .
Jan 20
Wes GeorgeUncategorized
This month is recognized Sanctity of Human Life month in remembering the day that the famed Roe v. Wade made abortion on demand legal. While our politicians tell us that nobody cares about whether you are pro life or pro choice these days when it comes to who you vote for, something inside me cries out that it really does matter. I am very much aware that professing believers in record numbers voted for a pro-abortion president. But really it has not been the first time. Government and politics rarely come down on the biblical side of a moral issue.
Those of us who claim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life should declare our conviction that God creates life and only God can because He is Life. We certainly do not condone mean spirited, unkind hatred towards those who are victims of the enemy. But we are called to take up the cause for the widow, orphan, weak, and helpless. The unborn certainly fall into that category. Scientific and medical research today clearly establishes that life begins far before delivery. Abortion is not a kind ministry but rather a cut throat money making business with a political and social agenda. Anyone who does not see that chooses to close their eyes and refuses to deal with the truth. While I agree that abortion is a symptom of a greater issue, it is a very recognizable issue with an ax being placed at root of the value of human life. We can argue statistics, medically, economically, socially, and politically; but it really is not that complicated. It all boils down to a person’s world view. World view determines everything. Everyone has a world view. Everyone has a set of preconceived, presuppositions that they bring to the way they look at life.
There are many people who sit in Christian churches almost every Sunday who are called Christian, but their world view is far from biblical. A biblical world view determines how you consider creation, sin, redemption, salvation, eschatology and yes abortion, life, and eternity. While all the politicians attempt to quiet the pulpits of America on the subject of Life, let’s with kindness, grace, compassion, a tear in our eye and a lump in our throat declare the Truth who is the Life. While we bemoan the decay of the national fabric of a biblical morality, we do not need to look much farther than our own church pews. Research indicates that we are more biblically illiterate today than ever and this includes those who are regular church attenders. We have somehow, somewhere along the way forsaken feeding the people of God a steady diet of His Word. Without the foundation of His Word anchoring our world view and life today, people blown in the wind of popular opinion, hollywood influence, and secular humanism. All that said, let’s celebrate life by caring and sharing the love and life of Jesus Christ.
Jan 14
Wes GeorgeUncategorized
Continue to pray for Haiti. Pray for “redemption lift” as the gospel is shared and millions of dollars are poured into one of the world’s most impoverished countries. Pray that people will be open to the life changing message of the gospel and will be lifted out of spiritual poverty and social and economic poverty.
Give through Southern Baptist organizations to insure that no administrative costs will be taken out of your gifts. Give to First Baptist Rogers, Arkansas Baptist State Convention absc.org, or the International Mission Board imb.org
I deleted a paragraph that erroneously mentioned that American Airlines was flying doctors for free to Haiti. My source for that info advised me that it was a scam so I deleted that part of the post. I had a few links from here according to my administrator so I am putting this disclaimer. Sorry, I hate being scammed.
Jan 13
Wes GeorgeUncategorized
We are all concerned and praying for those who have experienced the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti. Right now, the main airport into the country is closed. Southern Baptists are on the front lines of getting help to the country in the near future. There is and will be opportunities to pray, give, and go to assist with the recovery process. Below are some questions and answers given to us from the IMB.
Do we have personnel in Haiti and are they safe?
IMB does not currently have personnel living in Haiti.
IMB is continuing to work with Baptist partners who have direct ministries there.
What is being done to help after the earthquake?
IMB’s human needs partner, Baptist Global Response, is coordinating relief efforts with other Baptist partners. The Florida Baptist Convention has many ongoing ministries with Haiti and will be the primary coordinator the Southern Baptist response there.
I want to be involved. How can I go? Give? Pray?
Assessments have begun and there will be more specific information forthcoming.
Meanwhile, you can pray for those who have lost loved ones in this disaster. Pray that as relief is provided for physical needs, opportunities will also arise for meeting spiritual needs.
Give?
Relief efforts are going to be costly. If you want to give online, please go to imb.org, click on giving, and click on human needs. 100% of your donation will be used in to provide relief; no funds will be used for administration or promotion.
Go?
Assessments have begun and we will have more information in the next several hours. As you may have heard on news reports, there is a need to make sure aid from all sources is coordinated so that all individuals will receive the help they need.
Information will be posted on www.imb.org <http://www.imb.org> later today and in following days about any specific needs.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook