You may have read this past week about the Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, where a change was rejected to the convention bylaws concerning practices of communion and baptism. Our church has exercised autonomy on these two issues for years.

While the bylaws of the convention call for “closed communion,” we have practiced “open communion” for years. We believe any born again believer who is right with God is able to experience communion with our church when we observe it together. We actually hold to a very conservative view, even telling our people they are to make sure they are worthy to observe communion on each occasion. We do not need to drink condemnation to ourselves because we are not right with God when we observe the Lord’s Supper.

While the bylaws of the convention call for no practices of “alien immersion,” our church has handled each case for baptism individually. The strict call of these bylaws would say that we cannot receive anyone who has not been baptized in a Baptist church. Well, that is just not right and definitely not biblical. At the same time, our own practice has been to take each case individually as well as hold to a strong belief and practice that we only receive baptisms from churches who are of like faith and order as our church. Yes, our commitment is to doctrinal purity. We hold the line tight, even to the point of losing possible members to our church. However, we are to be a biblically grounded, Christ-centered people of God. We cannot negotiate away the precious doctrine of salvation as well as other doctrines.

Please understand that while we do associate with the Arkansas Baptist Convention, we are an autonomous body of Christ. No convention office dictates to our church how to practice our faith. As a local body of Christ, we have the liberty to interpret Scripture as we believe is right and prayerfully historically accurate.

These bylaws need to be changed. I was unable to attend this year due to my Board of Trustees meeting with GuideStone Financial Services. I was surprised the bylaws were upheld since most churches believe in and practice their autonomy on these issue and others. Perhaps they can be changed in the future, but again, our church will continue to practice local church autonomy on these issues and others.

At least one great thing happened at this year’s state convention meeting: Dr. Wes George, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Rogers, was elected President. He is a gifted man who has a heart to reach our region with the gospel. The Lord is using him in a great way and we are proud of him and for him. He is the right man for this season to help our churches through issues like these and others. I am thankful as well for the leadership of our outgoing President, Harry Black of Fayetteville. Harry is a great encouragement to my life and ministry.

Let’s stay prayerful and humble in these days.

I want to challenge you to begin now to consider something for 2008. What is this? Is it important? Why now, Ronnie, it is only November 8! I know what happens in the month of December in all of our lives. We have intentions of planning something for 2008, but get tied up. Then we tell ourselves we will do it after the beginning of the next year and when the next year comes, we are too busy catching up from the holidays. By the time we think about it or have time for it, we just think, “What is the use? January is almost over.”

I want you to consider THE INVESTMENT YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE FOR 2008. I want you to think NOW about it. Pray about it NOW. Determine in the next 40 days what that will be.

Investing in your spiritual life could look like one or a combination of these things:

• Taking the time to plan what this needs to be and then working the plan diligently.
• Going to the Holy Land with me on March 11-20, 2008. You can get information now online or by calling our office.
• Attending a conference that is designed to help me grow spiritually.

Be present on Sunday morning, December 2 and let me help you through this process. The possibilities are endless. I hope you will have a great weekend.

Make this weekend count!

I believe with all of my heart that the local church needs to be central in the life of every born again Christ-follower. I am convinced there is an all out attack on the life of believers to lure them away from the church being central in their lives. Yes, Jesus is Lord, but on His heart of love is His church. This church is personified from the book of Acts and following as local bodies of baptized Christ-followers.

At the heart of Jesus is His church. If it is to Him, it ought to be to us. Jesus died for the church. He did not die for other organizations, but for the church. Nothing should distract us from His church.

These threats or distractions come in all kinds of ways. They do not threaten the viability of the church, but they do threaten each of our lives, keeping the church from being central to our lives. Our jobs, our entertainment, our desires – nothing should distract us from His church.

A post-Christian America will lead to a post-church America! This is frightening! We must evangelize America, but it will not happen with a post-church America! A post-church America means the church is just not important in our lives! It gets “leftovers” at best. People are highly disengaged from true commitment to the church. We must turn this around in our church immediately! What is the problem?

A genuine Jesus-filled heart will personify a genuine church-centered life. We cannot treat Jesus’ bride, His church, like she is not important or like she cannot add value to our lives.

We need a fresh heart spiritually so we will gain God’s heart for His church.

I was in Dallas all day yesterday at our GuideStone Financial Services Board of Trustees meeting. We have three meetings a year. GuideStone is at the present time a $10.4 billion entity that serves ministers and their families in retirement, investments, and hospitalization. It is being led by Dr. O. S. Hawkins, a gifted and influential leader. We topped off the long day that began with meetings at 7:00 a.m. and ended at 9:00 p.m. celebrating Dr. Hawkins 10th anniversary as the President and Chief Executive Officer. He and his wife Susie are friends, and it is a pleasure to lift up their arms as they provide leadership for this ministry.

After I conclude meetings this morning, Jeana and I will drive home. We are going to have a brief lunch with Nick, Meredith, and Reese Caroline, and hopefully arrive home early evening. Please pray for our safety.

Have a nice Tuesday. Off to meetings!

I am in a meeting all day today, so I will be back with you tomorrow. Enjoy this beautiful Fall day – the colors are beginning to shine! God has given us so much to enjoy and be thankful for.

Have a wonderful day.

Just imagine – you only have 61 days left in 2007 and in 62 days, you will be entering 2008! This means Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is just around the corner. This provides us time with friends and family. The final two months of this year, what will be your priorities? Let me suggest the following:

1. Evaluate where you are with the Lord, and strategize to take a quantum leap in your faith in the year 2008.
2. Assess your relationships with family and friends and plan now how to experience special moments with them over the next 61 days.
3. Consider your relationship to your church in every way and insure that before the end of the year, all matters are right with others and with God, including the decision to honor God financially through your church with at least one-tenth of all God has given you in 2007. You have 61 days to insure rightness in at least this one area of your life.
4. Examine your vocation, career, and calling in life, making a commitment that in 2008, you will seize the opportunities God affords you to experience.
5. Bless the Lord by doing something that will stretch you in your faith in the year 2008 . . . for example . . .

• A trip to the Holy Land with Jeana and I on March 11-20 and/or
• A mission experience across the seas or even somewhere here in North America and/or
• A radical commitment to service right here in your local church’s ministry that goes on in Northwest Arkansas

Are you ready to prepare to enter the next year of your life? Life runs so fast these days that if you delay some of those thoughts and decisions, you will look up February 1 and think, “Well, I missed it again.”

Let’s get with it these last 61 days of 2007, so we can explode spiritually in 2008!