After Thessalonica erupts under the weight of the preaching of Christ and Jason is arrested and forced to post bond money, Paul and Silas are immediately sent on their way to Berea, 45 miles West.  As soon as they arrive in Berea, they go directly to the synagogue and begin to minister.  Talk about faithfulness!!

Luke describes these Jews as “noble” as they “examine daily” the Scriptures to determine whether or not Paul is teaching the truth.  After many days of examining the Scriptures, many of the Jews are convinced that Christ is truly the promised Messiah sent from their God.  Many Gentile men and woman also recieve the gospel, professing Christ.  But…as usual, the unbelieving Jews from Thessalonia [most likely Judaizers or related to them] hear that Paul has escaped to Berea, probably through knowing people in the community, and they immediately go to work to try to derail the missionaries’ preaching and teaching ministry.  These persecuting Jews are successful as they “agitate and stir up” the Bereans and Paul is forced to leave again and head to Athens while the majority of his travel companions stay behind.

Probably the most notable fact in this passage is how Paul describes the Jews that “examine daily” the Scriptures.  He describes them as “noble.”  Why?  Because they were discerning, not rushing to judgment, but listened intently and deeply searched out the Scriptures to try to understand what Paul was saying.

It is interesting that through the thousands of years of history past, many churches will describe themselves as “Bereans,” meaning that they too, are as the Bereans were, always examining the Scriptures, making every effort to preserve and understand its fullest meaning.

So, how are you doing with “examining the Scriptures daily?”  You will NOT grow as a Christian and you will NOT multiply yourself if you are not digging into and absorbing the life changing word of God on a daily basis.  Click the link and study the Word!  June 20, 2012 – Acts 17, 10-15 – Berea Notes final

Do Jews Have a Divine Right to Israel’s Land?

Photo by Gali Tibbon / AFP / Getty

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David Brickner

Do Jews have a divine right to the Promised Land? Are American pastors dismissive of Arab Christians in Israel? Should Christians treat the Israeli-Palestinian dispute differently than other conflicts? As pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, John Piper has been addressing these contentious questions for years. After he began informally discussing them with David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, we invited them to share some of their discussion with our readers. We begin today with Brickner’s response to some of Piper’s recent writings and sermons, and will continue tomorrow with Piper’s response.

Dear John,

It is an honor to dialogue with you on the important and timely subject of Israel/Palestine, the land and the people. I am deeply aware of your uncompromising commitment to the cause of Christ among all peoples, including the Jewish people. The opportunities you have consistently extended to Jews for Jesus to share our ministry with the family at Bethlehem Baptist Church—and the way you have stood your ground in supporting Jewish evangelism, even after receiving considerable pressure from Jewish community leaders—speak volumes. There can be no doubt that what we share in common is far greater than the areas where we may disagree.

Yet, if I understand your views regarding the modern state of Israel and its current conflict with its neighbors correctly, I do have some real concerns—particularly in light of the current political climate (the U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood) as well as a growing trend among certain Christian polemicists against Israel (see Gary Burge and Stephen Sizer). I believe our exchange will demonstrate to readers that, despite the heated arguments that occur at the poles of the Christian positions on these issues, there is a broad middle ground where the majority of us can stand and exchange our views in an irenic and thought-provoking way.

I have recently reread your article for World Magazine (May 11, 2002), along with sermons you preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church in November 2002 and March 2004, and more recently a blog from March 2011. I’ll begin this exchange on the basis of those writings.

I appreciate your clear statement of belief in God’s continuing purposes for ethnic Israel. I also note that you affirm, “God promised to Israel the presently disputed land from the time of Abraham onward.” And yet there seems to be a “disconnect” between those statements and your comments regarding the present-day situation as well as the future. As I see it, this disconnect occurs at two important points.

First, you say that because the majority of Jews do not believe in Jesus they have broken covenant with God and have no divine claim at this time to the land God promised them.

Second, you say that the future of the land promised to Israel becomes subsumed under the promise of God that all believers will “inherit the land … because the entire new heavens and new earth will be ours.”

I believe that these views can potentially undermine Christian confidence in the ongoing election of Israel based upon the Abrahamic covenant and give encouragement to those who have adopted a supersessionist position toward Israel today. (Editors’ note: supersessionism teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s covenants and plans.)

I agree with you that Israel does not currently enjoy a divine right to the Land. But I would argue that it has never been by divine right but rather by divine mercy that Israel has dwelt in the Land. God blessed Abraham in the land he had promised him though Abraham at times acted in unbelief, at times had to fight for his land, and at one point even paid for his land (and in the end never even possessed all the land that was promised him). Similarly, for much of the biblical record, Israel lived in the Land while rebellious and breaking the Mosaic covenant. Yet God was merciful and allowed Israel to remain in the Land despite her unbelief. He did this because of his gracious promise to Abraham and his descendants. Why could God not act the same in our present-day situation?

While God declared that his judgment upon Israel for her unbelief would include removal from the Land, he also promised he would re-gather his people to that land, not based on divine right but again as a result of his mercy. Could God in his mercy allow Israel to be re-gathered to the Land although in unbelief? I believe he could. In fact, it would appear the Scripture implies that Israel will indeed be back in the Land in unbelief prior to the return of Christ (see Ezekiel 37; Zechariah 12; Romans 11).

Could present-day Israel be uprooted once again from the Land because of her unbelief? I would have to say yes, though I hope not. There is a growing remnant of believers in Jesus in the land of Israel, and God has consistently extended mercy on behalf of the remnant of his people. Paul makes much of the theology of the remnant in asserting that God has not forsaken his people. The church can rejoice in that ever-increasing remnant, with all the ramifications it holds for the modern and future state of Israel. As you have noted, “these privileges belong fully and savingly to an elect remnant of Israel now.”

The future of ethnic Israel is indeed bright; just as God has promised, “all Israel will be saved. As it is written: the deliverer will come from Zion. …” But surely that bright future must also include the fulfillment of the specific land promises God has made to Abraham and his descendants as well. To imagine that God’s very specific promises are subsumed in his wider promise that all believers will inherit the new heavens and earth makes it seem as though God is reinterpreting his original promise so as to effectively make its original meaning null.

Imagine if I had offered your grandfather a beautiful home in Minneapolis and told him very specifically that it was not only for him, but for his descendants. After you move in, I inform you that some time in the future I will be renovating the entire city and you will have a much bigger and better house. Of course, you will share the city with many others as well. And in the meanwhile, several neighbors are moving into the original house I promised your grandfather. Probably you would find either my ability to remember my promises, or my intention of keeping them, somewhat lacking. It seems to me that subsuming God’s past and precise promises into his wider, future promises reflects similarly on God’s memory or intentions of promise-keeping.

As to the issue of how Christians should understand the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, I agree with you that Israel “should seek a peaceful settlement not based on present divine right, but on principles of justice, mercy, and practical feasibility.” Israel’s government is secular and should be evaluated by the same standards as any other secular government. There has been injustice and suffering on both sides of the conflict, and we are called to care for all those who are suffering. At the same time we must avoid the common practice today of drawing a moral equivalence between acts of terrorism against citizens and the efforts of a government to defend its people and territory.

Most importantly, I absolutely agree with you that “the Christian plea in the Middle East to Palestinians and Jews is: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.'” The only hope for peace was born in the Middle East, our wonderful Messiah Y’shua. God loves Israelis and Palestinians equally. Indeed, when Arabs and Jews can say to one another, “I love you in Jesus’ name,” the world will truly see the reconciling power of the gospel. Through the proclamation of the gospel there today we are beginning to see this happening, to the praise of his grace.

Your Jewish brother in him,

David Brickner

A Lasting Vision

The Gideons International, founded in 1899, serves as an extended missionary arm of the church and is the oldest association of Christian businessmen and professional men in the United States of America. Here are some highlights from our long history of service:

The Idea—In the autumn of 1898, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, came to the Central Hotel at Boscobel, Wisconsin, for the night. The hotel being crowded, it was suggested that he take a bed in a double room with Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin. The two men soon discovered that both were Christians. They had their evening devotions together, and on their knees before God the thoughts were given which later developed into an association.

First Meeting Called —On May 31, 1899, the two men met again at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where they concluded to band Christian commercial travelers together for mutual recognition, personal evangelism, and united service for the Lord. They decided to call a meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin on July 1, 1899, in the Y.M.C.A.

Mr. Samuel E. Hill (1867—1936)

Mr. John H. Nicholson (1859—1946)

Mr. William J. Knights (1853—1940)

“We shall be called Gideons.”—Only three men were present at that meeting: John H. Nicholson, Samuel E. Hill, and Will J. Knights. They organized with Hill as president, Knights as vice president, and Nicholson as secretary and treasurer. Much thought was given to what the name of the association should be, and after special prayer that God might lead them to select the proper name, Mr. Knights arose from his knees and said, “We shall be called Gideons.” He read the sixth and seventh chapters of Judges and showed the reason for adopting that name.

Effective Witnesses in Hotels—In view of the fact that almost all of the Gideons in the early years of the association were traveling men, the question quite naturally arose regarding how they might be more effective witnesses in the hotels where they spent so much of their time. One trustee went so far as to suggest that The Gideons furnish a Bible for each bedroom of the hotels in the United States. He commented, “In my opinion, this would not only stimulate the activities of the rank and file of the membership, but would be a gracious act, wholly in keeping with the divine mission of the Gideon Association.” This plan, which they called “The Bible Project” was adopted at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1908.

Church Support—It is interesting to note that the practice of the churches contributing to the support of the Gideon Scripture program originated with a pastor. Just two months after the 1908 Louisville Convention, a state convention convened in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. National Secretary Frank Garlick and Mr. A. B. T. Moore attended a meeting of the Ministerial Union, and after their program they asked if Brother Garlick could address the ministers on the work of the Gideon Association. He spoke of the needed Bible distribution, and at the close of his 10-minute address, Mr. Moore’s own pastor, Dr. E. R. Burkhalter, First Presbyterian Church, arose and moved, “…that Gideon Bibles be placed in all local hotels and that the Union be responsible for the funds.” The motion was unanimously carried and a committee appointed to apportion the cost to the churches, according to their strength.

A Worldwide Effort—It’s been just over 100 years since The Gideons International placed the first Bible in a hotel room in Montana. Today, The Gideons are organized in more than 190 countries around the globe. Bibles and New Testaments are printed for distribution by The Gideons in more than 90 languages. Through God’s grace and to His Glory, more than 1.6 billion Bibles and New Testaments have been placed by The Gideons, and the work continues. . .

“The sower soweth the word.”—Mark 4:14

10 Proofs of a Healthy Church Member:

A Healthy Church Member will be…

1. Expositional Listener
2. Biblical Theologian
3. Gospel Saturated
4. Genuinely Converted
5. Biblical Evangelist
6. Committed Member
7. Seeks Discipline
8. Growing Disciple
9. Humble Follower
10. Prayer Warrior

NEW ORLEANS (BP) — In one the most historic meetings in the Southern Baptist Convention’s 167-year history, messengers meeting June 19-20 elected the body’s first African American president and voted to keep the convention’s name while approving a descriptor, “Great Commission Baptists,” for those churches that wish to use it.

The momentous occasion in New Orleans brought media from across the nation to see the election of Fred Luter, a descendent of slaves who now is the president of a convention whose founders, in 1845, defended slavery.

The convention officially repented of its racist past at the 1995 meeting, and has seen the percentage of non-white churches grow, from 5 percent of the SBC in 1990 to 19 percent in 2010. Last year, messengers approved a landmark report encouraging ethnic diversity in committee appointments.

Luter, who was unopposed and received a lengthy standing ovation from messengers when elected, told media at a news conference that he sees his election as being a turning point for blacks and other ethnic groups.

“Here is a convention that has been talking this racial reconciliation thing and now they’re putting their money where their mouth is,” said Luter, pastor of New Orleans’ Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, whose building was flooded after Hurricane Katrina but has been rebuilt into a mega-church amid the city’s much-reduced population.

Luter called his election “a genuine, authentic move by this convention that says our doors are open.” He also said he hopes to see minorities promoted to other positions within the convention, “and I’ll be a cheerleader promoting that.”

About 7,900 registered messengers attended the annual meeting, and nearly every one of them — plus family members and several dozen media representatives — were in a packed convention hall when Luter was elected. New Orleans pastor David Crosby nominated Luter, and recording secretary John Yeats cast the convention’s official ballot.

“It is my high honor to cast this historic ballot of the convention for Dr. Fred Luter as president of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Yeats said before adding, “Hallelujah!”

Yeats’ expression seemed appropriate for a historic day, and messengers responded with an emotional 70-second standing ovation. With cameras flashing as Luter walked to the podium, he pointed heavenward and, while wiping away years, said simply, “To God be the glory for the things that He has done.” Outgoing SBC President Bryant Wright then put his arm around Luter and prayed for him.

Luter’s election came with a historical coincidence: He was elected on June 19, or “Juneteenth,” a yearly date in which many African Americans celebrate the emancipation of slaves. His election also came as Americans commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

“This is not just an Anglo convention,” Luther told media members. “… I’m Exhibit A that this convention is serious about saying that our doors are open to everyone. I hope to be a spokesperson to that, because let’s face it: There are some African Americans, maybe Asians or Hispanics who for years felt that they were not welcome in the Southern Baptist Convention. That’s not the case anymore.”

Two days prior to Luter’s election, several hundred Southern Baptist messengers visiting New Orleans — most of them white — attended Luter’s church, wanting to see him and the congregation he had helped rebuild. At the close of the second service, Luter called on Jimmy Draper, former president of LifeWay Christian Resources, to pray. Prior to his prayer Draper addressed Franklin Avenue church members, referencing Luter’s pending election and telling them to applause, “This is not tokenism. … We’re electing a great leader who happens to be black.”

The convention has made several moves in recent years in an attempt to reach out to ethnic groups, including the establishment — by the Executive Committee and the North American Mission Board — of an African American Advisory Council and a Hispanic Advisory Council. Last year’s ethnic diversity report cited the “need to be proactive and intentional in the inclusion of individuals from all ethnic and racial identities within Southern Baptist life.”

Luter told the media he wants to see the convention become even more diverse during his presidency. He also said he wants to spotlight evangelism and missions and help bring together factions within the convention.

‘GREAT COMMISSION BAPTISTS’

Passage of the descriptor “Great Commission Baptists” also was momentous, although the vote total was closer than some had expected. The proposal came via a recommendation from the Executive Committee, which had proposed it after a task force — appointed by Wright — studied whether to change the name of the convention. In the end, the task force recommended the convention keep its name but also adopt a descriptor, “Great Commission Baptists,” that can be used by any church. Usage is voluntary.

Messengers debated the descriptor for about a half-hour before approving it, 53-46 percent.

The task force said the descriptor would be beneficial to churches and church planters outside the South — some planters say the convention’s regional name is a barrier — as well as to ethnic churches whose members might view the name “Southern Baptist” negatively.

CALVINISM

The issue of Calvinism also was addressed from the platform several times, with each speaker urging messengers to remain united for the Great Commission. Executive Committee President Frank Page — who said he’s not a Calvinist — addressed each side of the debate. He told the non-Calvinists: “There seems to be some non-Calvinists who are more concerned about rooting out Calvinists than they are about winning the lost for Christ.” He then addressed Calvinists, some of whom he said “seem to think that if we do not believe the same thing about soteriology that they believe then somehow we are less intelligent or ignorant.” Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation.

“I do believe we can find some ways to work together better,” Page said, “and I believe that the leaders of both of these groups can come together to say, ‘Here’s how we can return to working together like we once did.'”

Page confirmed again that he plans to assemble a group of advisers to help chart a way through the division surrounding Calvinism. But that will not include revising the Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptists’ statement of beliefs, he said.

Wright also addressed the issue in his convention sermon.

“Our calling is to be centered on Christ and grounded in the Word, while agreeing to disagree on the finer points of theological issues,” Wright said. “May we all agree that Christ … has given us a very clear message and mission for the church.”

Wright added, “If we pride ourselves more on being a traditional Southern Baptist or more on being a Calvinist or a Reformed theologian, more than we are thankful that we are Christ-centered and biblically based … then it is time to repent of theological idolatry.”

Messengers also overwhelmingly passed a resolution “On Cooperation and the Doctrine of Salvation,” which said in part, “We affirm that The Baptist Faith and Message provides sufficient parameters for understanding the doctrine of salvation, so that Southern Baptists may joyfully and enthusiastically partner together in obedience to the Great Commission.”

In other matters:

— More than 1,100 decisions for Christ were made during Crossover, the yearly evangelistic emphasis prior to each annual meeting.

— International Mission Board President Tom Elliff reported on the progress of IMB’s Embrace challenge, issued at the 2011 SBC in Phoenix, where he called on Southern Baptist churches to claim responsibility for evangelizing all of the world’s then-3,800 unreached, unengaged people groups (UUPGs). He said 1,281 Southern Baptist churches and entities have indicated an interest in embracing a UUPG. Of that number, 474 churches and entities have taken steps to go deeper in that commitment. “It means some of you are taking this really seriously, and you’re saying we want to count the cost, we want to see what’s involved,” Elliff said. “I want to tell you on behalf of the International Mission Board, we’re absolutely thrilled. We welcome you to the field, we rejoice that you’ve taken up this mantle and we praise God that the Kingdom is being expanded because of your involvement.”

— North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell encouraged congregations to get involved in planting churches and supporting church planters. To underscore the urgency he quoted statistics showing that in some states in the Northeast, Midwest and the Northwest, there is only one Southern Baptist church for every 20,000-plus people. In Canada, it’s one in 117,000, he said. By comparison, the ratio in the South is one in less than 10,000. “Church planting is an evangelistic strategy,” Ezell said. NAMB has a goal for Southern Baptists to plant a net of 5,000 new churches by 2022, Ezell said. When including churches that die each year, that means Southern Baptists must plant 13,500 new churches. “We will never be able to plant that many churches unless God does a work in His people,” Ezell said.

— Messengers passed nine resolutions.

A resolution on the sinner’s prayer said the prayer is “not an incantation that results in salvation merely by its recitation and should never be manipulatively employed or utilized apart from a clear articulation of the Gospel.” It further said that messengers “promote any and all biblical means of urging sinners to call on the name of the Lord in a prayer of repentance and faith.”

A resolution on gay marriage and civil rights rhetoric declared: “We deny that the effort to legalize ‘same-sex marriage’ qualifies as a civil rights issue since homosexuality does not qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender.” The resolution also said messengers “stand against any form of gay-bashing” and that messengers “express our love to those who struggle with same-sex attraction and who are engaged in the homosexual lifestyle.” The resolution was submitted by two African American pastors.

— Nathan Lino, senior pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, Texas, was elected first vice president, while Dave Miller, pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa, was elected second vice president. Yeats was re-elected recording secretary and Jim Wells re-elected registration secretary.
–30–
Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. With reporting by Erin Roach of Baptist Press and Don Graham of the International Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/Baptist Press) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).