Robertson McQuilkin was the president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary from 1968 until 1990. He was a world renowned New Testament Theologian and speaker. After forty years of marriage, Robertson’s wife Muriel became ill and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. By 1990, Muriel was no longer able to speak or to feed and clothe herself. In 1990 Robertson stood before the students and faculty of Columbia Bible College and resigned as president so that he could devote himself full-time to caring for his wife. Muriel lived another 13 years after Robertson’s retirement.
I am adding the following video that contains an audio portion of Robertson’s resignation address along with some pictures of the couple. Please, watch this video and see what true love and commitment look like in marriage. You may want to turn the music off on this blog before playing the video.
Wednesday, November 19
Monday, November 10
World Missions Conference
My favorite time of year has arrived! It is Fall and I love the cool weather and the clean crisp air. Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is coming up soon. I think it is my favorite because nobody is expecting a gift from me. While these things add to my personal enjoyment of the season, they are not what I look forward to the most. The event that I anticipate most is our church's World Missions Conference which is coming up this Friday-Sunday. The WMC provides us with some exciting opportunities. It provides time for us to praise God for what He has done around the world the past year through the members of First Baptist Church. We are presented with all the mission opportunities for the coming year. And, we have the privilege of reuniting with missionary friends from around the world along with the chance to get acquainted with some new missionaries.
There is one more opportunity the World Missions Conference presents. It gives parents a springboard to speak to their children about the biblical basis of missions. With just a little effort, this could be the event where their understanding and concern for world missions begins. Parents can plant the seeds of missions support into their children's hearts by helping them understand that when it comes to our personal involvement, going and giving are not optional activities. What a great teaching opportunity the WMC presents for us to possibly raise up the next generation of missions minded Christians at FBC!
As a reminder, children K-5th are invited to spend time with some of our guest missionaries this Saturday from 11:00 am till 2:00pm. Parents are invited to stay and participate as well. Everyone will meet in the G-Force area to eat pizza and hear about what is going on in each missionary's part of the world. If you would like to attend this event please call the church office to sign-up!
I am also very excited to know that the church will be providing more opportunities in the future for families to go on mission together. The Georgia Family Trip has been amazingly successful and the testimonies from the families that have gone have been no less than inspiring. The Family Ministry Staff is praying about offering even more challenging opportunities where family members can fulfill the Great Commission while serving side-by-side. I fully expect there to be a growing number of family mission trips in years to come.
I hope that each First Baptist family will take full advantage of this coming weekend and all the great opportunities it provides.
David
P.S. If you have never attended a Friday night worship service during previous World Missions Conferences, you have missed some of the most amazing worship times in the life of our church. Let me urge you to come and take part this year. You will be glad you did!
There is one more opportunity the World Missions Conference presents. It gives parents a springboard to speak to their children about the biblical basis of missions. With just a little effort, this could be the event where their understanding and concern for world missions begins. Parents can plant the seeds of missions support into their children's hearts by helping them understand that when it comes to our personal involvement, going and giving are not optional activities. What a great teaching opportunity the WMC presents for us to possibly raise up the next generation of missions minded Christians at FBC!
As a reminder, children K-5th are invited to spend time with some of our guest missionaries this Saturday from 11:00 am till 2:00pm. Parents are invited to stay and participate as well. Everyone will meet in the G-Force area to eat pizza and hear about what is going on in each missionary's part of the world. If you would like to attend this event please call the church office to sign-up!
I am also very excited to know that the church will be providing more opportunities in the future for families to go on mission together. The Georgia Family Trip has been amazingly successful and the testimonies from the families that have gone have been no less than inspiring. The Family Ministry Staff is praying about offering even more challenging opportunities where family members can fulfill the Great Commission while serving side-by-side. I fully expect there to be a growing number of family mission trips in years to come.
I hope that each First Baptist family will take full advantage of this coming weekend and all the great opportunities it provides.
David
P.S. If you have never attended a Friday night worship service during previous World Missions Conferences, you have missed some of the most amazing worship times in the life of our church. Let me urge you to come and take part this year. You will be glad you did!
Wednesday, November 5
Election Opportunities
Now that the presidential election is finally over, what should be our response to the outcome? I do not want to dive into details of policy issues even though those things will significantly affect us all. I did however want to share some general insight about how we, as Christians, might seize the opportunities that this election has placed before us.
First, we should seize this opportunity to praise God. The only reason I can say this is because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. While the outcome of the election was not what I had hoped and prayed for, I trust that God directed the outcome. His will was not thwarted and His plans were not subverted by “the will of the people.” There are no emergency meetings going on in Heaven today! Listen to Job 12:23, “He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.” We can praise God because He is still on His throne and because He will accomplish His plans through our next president. Even if those plans are to bring us to brokenness and repentance as a nation.
Second, we should seize this opportunity to honor God’s Word. Listen to 1 Peter 2:13-14;17 - “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” As many of you know, Nero, the insane tyrant who joyfully martyred scores of Christians, was the Roman emperor Peter is telling his readers to “subject” themselves to and to “honor”.
We must not allow the outcome of any election to cause us to act contrary to this command of our Lord. We must honor the president because through God alone has he received his authority to lead this country. In John 19:10-11 Jesus confirms this to Pontius Pilate, “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”
We must also subject ourselves to the president’s authority even when we do not agree with his positions and policies. Of course God is our ultimate authority. Our subjection to church and governmental leaders is conditioned on them not causing us to violate biblical principles. I urge you to read all of 1 Peter 2 to see how Christ provided this example for us to follow.
Third, we should seize this opportunity to trust God. He will direct the heart of our new president. Proverbs 21:1 says “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God works through both godly and ungodly rulers to bring His will to pass. A good friend of mine is fond of saying “When we look at the world around us, we say everything is falling apart. When God looks down from heaven, He says everything is coming together.” I am trusting that God will be active in directing the decisions and policies of a new administration to accomplish His purposes.
First, we should seize this opportunity to praise God. The only reason I can say this is because I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. While the outcome of the election was not what I had hoped and prayed for, I trust that God directed the outcome. His will was not thwarted and His plans were not subverted by “the will of the people.” There are no emergency meetings going on in Heaven today! Listen to Job 12:23, “He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.” We can praise God because He is still on His throne and because He will accomplish His plans through our next president. Even if those plans are to bring us to brokenness and repentance as a nation.
Second, we should seize this opportunity to honor God’s Word. Listen to 1 Peter 2:13-14;17 - “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” As many of you know, Nero, the insane tyrant who joyfully martyred scores of Christians, was the Roman emperor Peter is telling his readers to “subject” themselves to and to “honor”.
We must not allow the outcome of any election to cause us to act contrary to this command of our Lord. We must honor the president because through God alone has he received his authority to lead this country. In John 19:10-11 Jesus confirms this to Pontius Pilate, “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”
We must also subject ourselves to the president’s authority even when we do not agree with his positions and policies. Of course God is our ultimate authority. Our subjection to church and governmental leaders is conditioned on them not causing us to violate biblical principles. I urge you to read all of 1 Peter 2 to see how Christ provided this example for us to follow.
Third, we should seize this opportunity to trust God. He will direct the heart of our new president. Proverbs 21:1 says “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God works through both godly and ungodly rulers to bring His will to pass. A good friend of mine is fond of saying “When we look at the world around us, we say everything is falling apart. When God looks down from heaven, He says everything is coming together.” I am trusting that God will be active in directing the decisions and policies of a new administration to accomplish His purposes.
Finally, we should seize this opportunity to teach our children. This election provides a multitude of talking points where families can discuss important issues concerning our government, society, and culture. If your children are old enough to discuss the issues, use this election to help them develop a biblical worldview.
Continue to pray for our country, our president (both current and future), our legislators, and for our Supreme Court. You may ask, if I truly believe that God is in control and His plans will come to fruition, why encourage prayer? Let me close with this quote by Arthur W. Pink:
“To affirm that God will not and cannot bring to pass His eternal purpose unless we pray, is utterly erroneous, for the same God who has decreed the end has also decreed that His end shall be reached through His appointed means, and one of these is prayer.”
Grace and Peace,
David
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