God’s Idea
Scripture teaches us that the family is older than the church. God in his wisdom established the family long before he organized the church. Genesis 1:24 says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” The home was and is God’s idea.
The early church did not meet in elaborate worship centers, but they did assemble in the homes. The Southern Baptist Convention is comprised of thousands of churches that could be called “family” churches. What I mean by that is that everything the church does is directed toward the family, even the height and size of the platform.
One such church had the pulpit platform two feet in height with six-inch steps. The reason was so children could walk onto the platform easily and present their VBS and Christmas programs.
If you examine the programs of these churches, you will find much of what they do revolves around the family —homecoming, reunions, revivals, and fellowships. They even recognize all the birthdays of the week along with all the wedding anniversaries. They worship the Lord each Sunday, promote all the special offerings and still support the Cooperative Program. They are stable and seldom “split” because they are all related to one another. They take care of one another and can be counted on in a time of crisis. They remain the backbone of the convention because they realize the importance of family.
What does all of this have to do with the Mississippi Baptist Convention and more particularly, the Christian Action Commission? Throughout this past year the staff here has been involved with our legislators in supporting laws that strengthen our families and working to defeat laws that tear down the family and are harmful to the cause of Christ.
We have continued to work alongside churches and associations who have and are facing gambling and liquor referendums. We have provided materials and information to churches who have taken a Christian stand against the social ills in their communities.
The Christian Action Commission has been the agency of the Mississippi Baptist Convention in speaking out on abortion and gathering pennies from all across our state for the Memorial to the Missing. We now have approximately 47 million pennies in the Memorial. Pray with us that we will reach our goal of fifty million pennies by the end of this year. If you haven’t given and feel led to participate, you can make a check out to the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, designate it to the Memorial to the Missing, and mail it to the Christian Action Commission, PO Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205. Your gift will be changed into pennies and placed alongside others who have already given.
Having said all of this, I want you to know that the Christian Action Commission is really about families. Never before in the history of our world have so many assaults been launched at the family. Therefore, our pledge to you is to continue working in 2008 to make Mississippi a place where families can and will be what God designed them to be.
If there is any way we can assist you in the coming year, please give us a call. Working together we can make a difference. The holiday season is upon us, and it provides a wonderful opportunity to gather your family for Thanksgiving and Christmas to celebrate what God has done in your lives. Also, spend some time sharing with one another how special they are and then thank God for each other.
Happy Thanksgiving!