"The world is bigger than you think - God is bigger than you know - God's call on your life is greater than you've understood."  Jesus' words to Simon in Luke 5:10 foreshadow the remainder of the big fisherman's life:  "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."

The world, our God, His call.  In 2004, our congregation took significant steps as we began to participate with the Baptist World Alliance in new ways.  Rather than participating through surrogate organizations, we began to contribute directly to the BWA when the fundamentalist leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention withdrew financial support and quit because they could not control the direction of the BWA when the delegates allowed the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to join.  After the Baptist General Convention of Texas joined the Baptist World Alliance, our pastor was asked to serve as a member of the Genereal Council of the BWA, representing Texas Baptists and our church.  The General Council is the decision-making body of the BWA.

What is the BWA?  The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 214 Baptist conventions and unions comprising a membership of more than 37 million baptized believers.  The BWA unites Baptists worldwide, leads in world evangalism, responds to people in need, defends human rights, and promotes theological reflection.

In October 2009, Dr. Neville Callam, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, preached at FBC Plano - encouraging us from the Woprd of God to be faithful in taking the Gospel to the whole world.

A German named Johann Gerhard Oncken was baptized in 1834 and helped form a church in Hamburg.  He traveled across Europe, where state churches had effectively prevented "free church" expression to share the gospel.  When asked if he was a missionary, he responded, "Jeder Baptist ein Missionar" (Every Baptist is  a missionary").

The world.  Our God.  His call.  Let's get after it!

Pray for Angola and Mozambique, and for our member bodies in those countries. In Angola, the Baptist Convention of Angola has 300 churches, with more than 30,000 members; the Baptist Evangelical Church in Angola has 300 churches with 90,000+ members, and the Igreja Baptista Livre em Angola, is a Portuguese-speaking group of 30 churches with 18,075 members. In Mozambique, the Baptist Convention of Mozambique has 130 churches with more than 40,000 members.

In the BWA Devotions, the staff reflected on helping the hurting and our scripture was Matthew 25:31-46. We noted the upcoming World Refugee Day (United Nations) on June 20, 2010 and contemplated the plight of the world’s more than 15 million refugees, affirming the importance of sharing their burdens.

We used a prayer that the people of Mozambique and Angola prepared:

“O God, enlarge my heart that it may be big enough to receive the greatness of your love.  Stretch my heart that it may take into it all those around the world who, with me, believe in  Jesus Christ. Stretch it that it may take into it all those who are not lovely in my eyes, and  whose hands I do not want to touch; through Jesus Christ my Savior.  Amen."

(June 16, 2010)