The Purpose of This Blog

In response to the challenge by the Southern Baptist Convention that churches take on the task to share the gospel with unengaged unreached people groups, the missions team of Harmony Pittsburg Baptist Association felt the need for a way to focus prayer on the task. This blog is intended to facilitate prayer for those contemplating their role in fulfilling the Great Commission. This on-line prayer guide may prove useful to those exploring a call to missions involvement as well as to those who have sensed a call to pray for those who will go to the front lines.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

People of the Book

When I first heard the phrase "people of the book," the speaker was implying that it especially applied to Baptists.  At the time I did not know that it historically was a category used by Muslims to refer to "faiths which have a revealed Scripture" (according to Wikipedia) and includes Jews, Sabians, and Christians.  But I can see how the term especially fits Baptists since we claim as our first distinctive that the Bible is our sole authority of faith and practice.  We claim to believe the Book and to live by the Book.

If we are indeed "people of the Book,"then two things will mark our lives, the same two things that Jesus taught as the message of the Scriptures (see yesterday's post):  Jesus and missions.  We will have a passion for the person of Jesus and a passion to see all peoples come to know Him.  Over the years, we Baptists have been strong in insisting that our character be Christlike.  Let's be just as strong in insisting that our work be Christlike, not just in the sense of being compassionate, but in the sense of being focused on the whole world.  Remember John 3:16?

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).  Let's pray that we do our part that the world may know.

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