Basics for baptists who we are what we believe how we serve A series from the Illinois Baptist • Vol. 5 The call begins with “wherever” Shirley Mackin started preparing for life as an in- ternational missionary long before she moved over- seas. As a college student, she sensed God’s call on her life and went to a missions conference to learn more. She committed to go wherever He would lead her, and joined a Bible study group with other students who felt a similar call. When she went to graduate school for social work, “I remember telling people that I would eventually go overseas. I knew the Lord was calling me to go.” God had also called her husband, Ross, who knew he would serve overseas even before he met Shirley. The couple started preparing for their life in parts un- known, first by planting a Laotian church in Chicago so they could learn more about working with Asian We serve in … Asia people. Missionaries weren’t allowed in Laos, a South Ross and Shirley Mackin were appointed as career missionar- Asian nation, at that time, so the Mackins requested ies to Thailand almost 28 years ago. The 70 million Thai peo- that the Southern Baptist International Mission Board ple are part of the world’s 4.3 billion Asians. appoint them to neighboring Thailand, where the cul- ture is similar. many different methods to share the Gospel over the “We thought we might be able to go to Laos later, years, like door-to-door evangelism in villages, dis- but we have been in Thailand almost 28 years now,” tributing Gospel tracts, English lessons, medical and Shirley said. The nation of nearly 70 million people is dental clinics, Christmas outreaches, radio broadcasts, largely Buddhist, and while Christians don’t face and evangelistic outreaches in local schools. physical persecution, there is overwhelming social They don’t have to do it all on their own. Visiting pressure to follow Buddhism. volunteer teams have served alongside the Mackins in “Thai believers are often in situations where they these ministries, and the couple currently is working are the only Christian and are pressured to follow the with existing churches to plant new congregations. Buddhist traditions and culture of the country. Pray for “Pray for us to be faithful to God’s call on our lives continued boldness for these Thai believers.” in penetrating the darkness that is all around us,” Most of the Mackins’ ministry has focused on Shirley said. “Pray for the blinders to be taken away church planting and evangelism. But they’ve used and for Thai people to see the saving truth of the Gospel.” – Meredith Flynn O NE G OD , O NE W AY World religions In a world with many religions all advocating many ways 1% 6% to know God, Christians contend there is only one God Christianity......32% and only one way to know Him. 7% Central to the Hebrew faith is the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5): Islam...............23% “God is one.” This monotheistic declaration is in direct 32% Unaffiliated......16% 15% contrast to polytheism, which says there are many gods, Hinduism.........15% and pantheism, which says everything is god. Likewise, Jesus’ statement “I am the way, the truth, and Buddhism........7% the life…” (John 14:6) is about one-ness. Jesus does not 16% Folk religions ..6% say he is “a” way. The Greek article translated “the” is very 23% specific. There is only one. In declaring himself “the way,” Other...............1% Jesus says plainly, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” – Pew Research Center 2012 (rounded) 1 W HAT W E B ELIEVE A BOUT ... MAN Read Article 3 of The Baptist We also choose. The sun, moon race possesses dignity, that all Faith & Message (2000) at and stars do not choose whether human life is sacred – have been www.IBSA.org/B101. they will reflect the glory of their so distorted in our world. Creator. But we humans do, both But there are places in the Bible When we open the pages of the every day and for eternity. that we can clearly see both our Bible, we gaze into a supernatural And so our second view of our- desperate, fallen condition and our mirror that can tell us more about selves in the Bible is very differ- miraculous return to favor as the ourselves, and all of humankind, ent. Open to Genesis 3 or Psalm 51 image bearers of God. Ephesians than any other source. We see our or Romans 1 and we see our kind, 2:1-3 tells us we were dead, self- origin, our nature, our value and and ourselves, after choosing sin. ish, hopeless, enslaved, trapped. potential, and our destiny with and We look distorted, not because the But then verse 4 simply, merci- without God. fully, begins, “But God…” And it The Word of God shows us goes on to tell us He is rich in clearly who the human race is, has mercy, and that He loves us, and been, and will be, in the world and We are desperate and that His grace was offered to us in throughout history. fallen, but also made Messiah Jesus on the cross. Now And yet it is personal. It pene- we can exercise that marvelous, trates and exposes our hearts and in God’s image. God-like and God-given privilege motives. It shows us ourselves, but of free will, and choose Jesus. Re- with such searing truth and insight demption and restoration into that we are often surprised. The mirror is flawed but because we, God’s image and purpose await us. Bible convinces us that its Author the objects, are flawed. We are What’s the difference between doesn’t just know our ancestors, or selfish, and sin-sick. the two very different pictures of human nature in a general way. He In fact, in Noah’s day, “…the humankind, and the two very dif- knows me, intimately. Lord saw that man’s wickedness ferent pictures of our own destiny, But depending on the passage to was widespread on the earth and that we find in the pages in the which we open, we will see one of that every scheme his mind Bible? In a word, it’s grace. Every two very different reflections. thought of was nothing but evil all one of us, throughout history and Open the Bible to Genesis 1-2 or the time.” (Gen. 6:5, HCSB) This around the world, begins as an Psalm 1, and we will see a lofty, is by far the more common picture eternal creature, made in God’s noble view of ourselves. We are of humanity that we find in the image, but without Christ. It’s made in God’s image, in His like- Bible – tragically fallen, a shadow what we do at that crossroads of ness. We are the pinnacle of cre- of our former selves and the way grace that determines whether we ation. We think, and reason, and God created us. will return to our Creator and live feel. And we live not just in the No wonder the other things the in His image, for His glory. moment, for survival, but with an Bible reveals about us – that we Nate Adams is executive director awareness of the past and a hope are male and female and that is of the Illinois Baptist State Associ- for the future. good, that every person of every ation. C ONSIDER T HIS For personal study or group discussion What evidences do you see in today’s culture that people have 1 distorted views of who they are? When reading the Bible shows you your own humanity, your 2 own self, what does it most often look like? Which Bible passages encourage you most toward living in 3 God’s image for His pleasure? Which passages convict you most of your sinful nature? 4 In what specific ways do you long to look more like the image of God that we find in Christ? Our denomination’s statement of faith is called “The Baptist Faith & Message.” It was updated in 2000 and adopted by elected messengers who attended the SBC’s annual meeting that year. Adopting the BF&M is the voluntary choice of each local church. 2 W HAT MAKES US DIFFERENT See the World from a new angle STUFF WE’RE FOR An old joke goes like this: SBC history A woman returned home after Sunday service. From the his easy chair her husband Southern Baptist asked, “What was the ser- mon about?” “Sin,” his wife replied. First SBC President, First African American Convention “What did the preacher William Bullein Johnson SBC President, Fred Luter say?” the man asked. 1845 2013 “He was against it.” Year founded – From the time of the Con- as possible in their new organ- 18451845 vention’s founding in 1845, ization, calling it a “conven- Stated purpose then: Southern Baptists have been tion” rather than a denom- known as people who are ination or Church with a capital “propagation of the Gospel” against sin. (“We don’t drink, “c.” Each local church handles smoke, or chew, or go with its own affairs, and “auton- omy” is highly valued. What we call that now: girls who do,” the saying goes.) Early Baptists were known for But working together through voluntary association, and their circumspect, even austere evangelism missions lifestyle. They stuck to a strict the SBC grew into a strong and moral code and tended to kick effective missions organiza- Members today: out members who strayed from tion.