Monthly Archives: July 2014

It is necessary to use words

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A popular quote attributed to Francis of Assisi is “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”  It is a quote that leads many to believe that if we demonstrate the love of Christ through ministry, we are preaching the gospel.  While there is no doubt that ministry to people in need is vital and commanded in the Bible (both Old Testament and New Testament), ministry without a gospel witness explaining why we do what we do in ministry is incomplete.

It is easy to miss opportunities to share the gospel, even when engaged in ministry. When people are surprised at what we do, this is an open door to explain what compels us.  Peter wrote “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15 NIV).  The Message  puts it this way: “Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.”

A person does not have to be a Christian to be kind to others. There are many “good” people who are lost. This is why we encourage youth groups to bring students to participate in Kentucky Changers, even if they are not yet Christ followers. God has put it in each of us to want to do good for others. Students who are not Christians are invited to come work along side those who are.  During a week of working on houses for people in need, they quickly learn that what compels believing students and adults is the love of Jesus. We are so grateful for the strong witness shared with students and homeowners throughout Kentucky Changers, both during the day at job sites, as well as through the evening worship services.

We are grateful for the compassion ministries that are taking place this week through Familyfest. Many of the ministries serve to provide a positive perception of Baptists in the community at large. Cleaning windows at a school or painting at a transitional house for the homeless may not seem like ministries where much witnessing can take place, but our prayer is that doors will be open for Boone’s Creek Baptist Association churches to share the gospel because of the good will created through Familyfest. But we also pray that there will be many saved this week while Familyfest volunteers are here and sharing the gospel as they work.

“Always be prepared” speaks to each one of us. If you are not prepared to share your testimony, write it down and practice. If you are not prepared to share the gospel, get a New Testament and mark the verses you want to share. Write the page number where you want to begin in the cover, and the page to go to next on the subsequent pages.  Buy some tracts and put them in your car, purse, wallet, or whatever you carry with you often.  Get some tracts in other languages, too.

There is an old adage that says “aim at nothing and you will hit it every time.”  If you don’t prepare to share your faith, then you are preparing not to.  The Bible says “always be prepared.”  Get ready to witness and God will bless your preparation.

Tyler’s story

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Tyler Thomas 1In my last blog on Life Changing Commitments, I shared about the call from Terry Thomas to tell us about his son’s commitment to Christ. Because Tyler’s camp experiences had contributed to his understanding of the gospel, I asked if we might share his story.  His dad sent me this note:

Mrs. Bolton,
Jon relayed the request about including Tyler’s story in your blog. We discussed it with Tyler and he said it would be OK with him to write. We are excited that you made the request.

When I asked Tyler if there was something special about Courage or Mission Adventure Camp, he FirstCourage revsaid “The most important part was talking with me and going to church.”

Now, from my perspective, these two events played a very important role in his coming to understand his need for Salvation. He wanted to go to these places with me. The leadership from the WMU as well as other churches provided Tyler with examples of people willing to spend time and energy with him and other children. Time and attention go a long way with boys and girls.

Our first Courage event, Tyler was able to see Chris Clark. He had studied about Chris in Children In Action.

100_2288Our first camp, Caleb Hetrick was his cabin counselor. Caleb was a fellow Homeschooler which made a connection with Tyler. The next two Courage events, Caleb was there and made a big deal about seeing Tyler.

This year at camp, Lucas Young was Tyler’s cabin counselor and connected with Tyler and his guitar. In fact, they played together one night in the cabin. He wrote out the chords for Tyler to play the camp songs.

Showing the Jesus film this year sparked an intense interest for Tyler. We watched the film at home and then walked through the plan of salvation multiple times over the course of a few weeks before he made his decision.

100_2316I give you all this background to encourage you and your staff to continue investing time and energy into these kids. Emphasize connecting personally. All of us come to understand the meaning of salvation through the personal witness of others. The Lord used the camps to touch Tyler’s life. If you ask him, he is probably going to say swimming was his favorite part. I assure you he got much more.

Thanks, Terry, for this note. To all missions leaders, Sunday School teachers, choir directors, and others in our churches who work with preschoolers, children, and youth – THANK YOU!  Please let Tyler’s story be an encouragement to you to keep on investing in the children and youth in your community and church.  Keep sharing the gospel. When you lay a solid foundation for growing faith, the impact will be felt for 100_2254years to come and touch others as well.

Life Changing Commitments

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IMG_2760In our Monday morning WMU staff meeting, we always pray for the missionaries on the prayer calendar and then share personal prayer requests and praises. Today Jon shared that Terry Thomas had contacted him to share the good news of his son’s commitment to Christ. Tyler has attended both Camp Courage and Mission Adventure Camp several summers. Terry wanted to share the good news and to also say thank you for the experiences that had contributed to his son in making a profession of faith.This was not a quick decision, but rather one that came from the teaching times at his church as well as gospel centered camping experiences.This young man has been taught the truths of the gospel, absorbed them, thought about them, and came to understand that they applied to him. Thank you Jon and all who have been a part of faithfully sharing the gospel. (There’s more to this story and I will share Tyler’s story in another blog.)

Evangecube activityDuring the Girls in Action Overnight for girls in grades 4-6 and their leaders this past weekend at Jonathan Creek, the girls participated in Bible Storying. The girls not only heard the gospel, but they also learned to share the gospel with others through making their own evangelism cube. How important it is that we not only share the gospel with children, but that we also equip them to share Jesus with their friends.

Excel2014At the three Excel WMU Training events (July 19, August 16, and September 13), we are offering a conference entitled “Witnessing at Any Age.” The purpose of this class is to equip children and adults to share faith in Christ with others because a “silent witness” is not enough. Participants will learn how to tell the gospel story and teach others to do so, too.  We are offerig this conference because in WMU we want to encourage people of all ages to share their faith, including children and youth.  Our students have access to the place that most of us do not – our schools.  Kids who are equipped and encouraged to share their faith can do so when they are playing with friends, talking on the school bus, etc.

Steve Coleman preaching
The reports from our first three weeks of Kentucky Changers are exciting.
June 7-13, Hopkinsville: 16 churches represented with 151 students and 83 adult volunteers for a total of 234 participants.
June 21-27, Lawrenceburg/Frankfort: 18 churches represented with 174 students and 77 adult volunteers for a total of 251 participants.
July 5-12, Richmond: 24 churches represented with 214 students and 90 adult volunteers for a total of 304 participants.
July 13-18, Louisville: 7 churches represented with 75 students and 35 adult volunteers for a total of 110 participants.

Witnessing to a homeownerThat gives us a total of 65 churches with 614 students and 285 adult volunteers for a total of 899 participants. We are very pleased with this first year of Kentucky Changers in the WMU family.  The final numbers are not yet in for decisions made since the Louisville project is still under way and we also like to confirm any decisions made as students returned home that were a result of Changers, but the preliminary report for the first three weeks is that there were 24 salvations, 29 commitments to ministry, and 37 rededication decisions.   We will give a final report in a few weeks.

During Kentucky Changers, students lead a devotional each day on the job site. Our videographer, John Richards, captured a student sharing his testimony with the others. Jackson’s testimony on brokenness is a wonderful story of redemption. Pray for our students as they share Christ with their friends and classmates. What a mission field in every community!  Pray for those who have made professions of faith this summer through VBS, camps, and experiences like Kentucky Changers. Pray that they will be dynamic witnesses for Christ

Seeing people make life changing commitments is the goal of all that we do in WMU. Whether this happens is in the groups we teach in our churches, through the events that we sponsor, or through prayer and financial support of missionaries around the world, we want to see lost people saved and believers grow in their faith. Sounds like the Great Commission to me!

Don’t wait to be asked

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“Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek The Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12 NASB).

In Shelby County there is a wonderful farm called Gallrein’s.  The corn there is outstanding!  When the folks at Gallrein’s plant their corn, they do not wait for city folks to call them and ask them to be sure to plow and plant this year. Rather, the folks at Gallrein’s see the fields, they envision the harvest, and they break up fallow ground. Gallrein’s plants with the harvest in mind. They reap in accordance to what seed and how much of it they have sown. While weather is certainly a factor in the harvest, the most important factor is plowing the fields and planting the seeds.

I am a city kid through and through.  What little I know about farming has come from reading and observation. But since I like to eat, learning a little about farming and showing appreciation to those who farm is a good thing.  In addition, because so many illustrations in the Bible center around planting and reaping, understanding the process is also vital to understanding Scripture.

Fallow ground is unused ground.  It may be usable with attention, but it will take work to prepare the ground for planting. To get a crop to grow, the farmer must break up the soil and prepare it for receiving seed. When the farmer plows and then plants, the farmer has a vision of the crop to come. In the passage, Hosea said to sow “with a view to righteousness.”  We are to sow the gospel with a view to spiritual harvest.

I want to issue a challenge: Don’t wait to be asked to participate in missions.  Don’t wait to be asked to “break up fallow ground” of missions and people’s lives.  Too many people are waiting to be asked to participate.  We need to realize that when a missions opportunity is placed before us, this is God’s invitation to join in what He is doing.

imageimageThis weekend I spent time with Kentucky Changers. I had had delivered some of the supplies and decided to stay. I did not have a job to do and did not have to be there. But I decided to stay and spend time talking to the volunteers, participants, and youth leaders as they were arriving. In farming terms, I was breaking up fallow ground for new relationships.  Many participants in Kentucky Changers are not familiar with WMU and all that we offer to engage students in the mission of God.  Time spent with these leaders is an opportunity to introduce them to WMU, to build relationships, and lay the foundation for future opportunities.

imageimageIn missions, an opportunity to help in a specific way often comes when we have simply shown up, not knowing what we would do. My moment came on Saturday when Elaine Koch was not feeling well and someone was needed to hand out the t-shirts. Marilyn Creighton of Tates Creek Baptist Church had also just stopped by to help for the day. Together we got the job done and visited with youth leaders and Changers volunteers. Marilyn also took some wonderful pictures.

Don’t wait to be asked. Volunteer. Show up.  Look at the “fallow ground” around you. Start “plowing.” Plant seeds with a vision for the harvest.