Being united in Christ

This last week has been filled with so many emotions. In regard to ministry, I have had the opportunity of participating in several joyful celebrations. I have also navigated with staff and church leaders the tense moments our country is experiencing.

Two Sundays ago, my wife and I had the opportunity of worshiping with the people of First Baptist Church Marble Falls. As they launched an “Awakening” campaign to share the gospel in word and deed with their community, we recognized them as a model Texas Baptists cooperating church.

Pastor Ross Chandler has been leading this 140-year-old church to seek spiritual renewal,  serve their community, make disciples and engage in global missions in addition to giving generously through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program. It was a great day of affirmation.

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at First Baptist Church, Mathis. Also a 140-year-old church, they are going through our PAVE process. They are reaching new people and have celebrated baptisms as they adjust to having a bivocational pastor. Pastor Felix Treviño, who has been part of the Pastor Strong Cohort in San Antonio, is giving excellent leadership to a church that remains committed to missions and the Cooperative Program.

Another very exciting event took place a week ago. We celebrated the groundbreaking of the future Baylor Baptist Student Ministry building. After a few years of praying, dreaming, dialoguing, partnering and fundraising, we gathered with donors, leaders, staff, campus ministers, partners and students to mark the historical moment.

This was a time of affirmation of what God has been doing among students on the campus of Baylor for several decades. It was also a demonstration of what God is doing today as he is raising a new generation of disciples who are passionate in their love for God,  commitment to disciplemaking and engagement in global missions.

Moreover, it was a display of how God brings people together for the sake of His kingdom.

Baylor University donated the land for this building. Waco churches have poured into the campus ministry. BSM directors have developed leaders. Students have prayed. Campus chaplains and Truett Seminary have supported the ministry. Donors have given generously. Texas Baptists staff have given direction. The Texas Baptist Missions Foundation (TBMF) has connected people with God’s mission. And God gets all the glory!

Together we can do more for the sake of His Kingdom!

On the same day of the groundbreaking, our country was shaken by the killing of Charlie Kirk. The tragedy has occupied much space on social media, mainstream media, waterfountain conversations, coffee shops and churches.

The responses to this heartbreaking end of a human life have covered the spectrum, including sadness, fear, hatred, anger, condemnation and even celebration. Even among Christians, the expressions have varied from grief and lament to controversy and conflict.

Some pastors have been criticized for mentioning Charlie Kirk from the pulpit or taking too much time to talk about it. Others have been criticized for not saying enough, and others for not saying anything at all. Some of these responses are even within the same congregation. 

This reveals the brokenness of our world, the polarization in our country, our vulnerability, how fragile unity is and how much we need to turn our eyes toward heaven. Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21, NIV).

While the culture around us seems to be deeply divided and Christian values seem to be disintegrating, what the world needs most is for God’s people to be united in Christ. It is our love for the Triune God, for one another and for the lost that Jesus prayed for.

Will you join me in prayer for unity in our local congregations? Will you pray with me for unity among Christians? Will you pray that as we prepare for the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting in Abilene, God would make us one for the sake of the unbelieving world and for the sake of His glory?