The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1998

Bible •991 Jesus Leads the Way P-.alm 25 S can 1.soo.121.4440 An1azing Bible le sons Entertaining learning centers Deligh t ful puppet scripts Riotous then1e related skits Fun iacts about nature Super songs Great gan1es ~ \\ \\ \\ gat~bc org rbp Regular Baptist Press Buses & Vans For Sale 15-84 passenger vehicles available Buy quality for less at ~"""f:' Transportation IJl,;.J.;t,ii Equip. Sales Corp. 540 1 Seaman Rd Oregon OH 43618 4 l 9-836-2835 Toll -free nationwide 1-800-227-3572 819 church discounts" 4 ask for Bud Graham Profe \, 1011a I con, 11 It ing ancl \aIe.\ for _,our /inane ial an(/ in5u rance neecls :\ utn • Church • H rnne • Di sahil in· • L1f£ • Bu ,ine\.\ • Annuities· PHELPS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. [)orr R Phelp, CJP CFP. RFP. LL'TCr o'9-H Par~ ~l t:Jdo,,.., Drl\c' \\t,.",tt'r, Ille. (Jh1ll J ~o I PHONE: 614-899-6000 FAX: 614-899-6022 rhe ~ Guidant · ln,ur 11 nc~ Group If The OARBC Did Not Exist, Who Would Miss It And Why? T ct ' pretend. Suppose the OARBC L did not ex i t at all. Who would mi it and why? That's right - no ·tate conference to pl an or attend , no OIB to write or read , no pa tor ' and wive ' meeting on the local level to attend , no State Repre entalive to support or acknowledge as a leader. Nothing on the broader level to be involved with at all. At fir t blush thi sounds like a rather dangerous question. After all , it put the entire structure of what we are at ri k. What if a person concluded that he or she would actually be better off without such an organizati on? What if someone fe lt that the OARBC had outlived it usefulness and was little more than a dino aur from the past. That the be t th ing to do with it wa to lay it to res t. What if omeone saw the OARBC as sirnpl y the vest ige of some religiou traditi on with little or no biblical support for its exi tence? What if someone concluded that he did not rea ll y have time for such a broad involvemen t and his load would be li ghtened without a commitment to the OARBC? What if, what if? Perhaps we would be wiser just to leave the ques tion alone. Like some young people say, "Don' t even go there." If truth be told , however, many fo lk are not leaving that ques tion alone and are wondering if a good answer even exists. The question, of course, strikes at the very vital s of our Associa– ti on; it digs at the reason(s) for our exi tence, it forces us to exami ne from a fresh perspective not simply what we are but also why we are. Should we even be? So ... let ' s take a walk down that lane. Let 's wrestle with that fo unda– tional ques tion, "If the OARBC did not exis t, who would mi s it and why?" An Elijah Complex One group that would mi ss the OARBC wou ld be those who are doing thei r best to avoid an Elijah complex. Elijah expressed hi s complex in these well-known words, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the ch ildren of Israel have have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets wi th the sword . I alone am left ; and they seek to take my life" (I Kings 19:14). As far as Elijah wa concerned he was the onl y fa ithful person left among the Lord 's people. In his isolated lonel iness he was even ready to "throw in the towel" and quit. His ministry was done. Notice that the Lord did not allow him the luxury of such a skewed per– specti ve. He did not permi t him to remain all wrapped up in himself and his ministry. In fact, God forced him to appreciate the many others who were standing true. The Lord 's words tore into Elijah 's mallness when He said , "Yet I have re erved even thou and in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him" ( I Kings 19: 18). Yes, the Lord forced Elij ah to a broader perspective. It wa a heal thy reali za ti on that he was not all alone in the battle, that others had been j ust as faithful as he. It broke any spirit of arrogance that lay behind hi earlier statement and stopped hi pity party. Elijah's team was still intact and he had a part to play. Not all the team members had as equall y visible an impact as Elijah, but they all played a vital role~ their presence counted. Thi rings true for u today, does it not? We are tempted to withdraw into ourselves, into our own litt le world , to come to the conclusion that we are about all God has left. He's lucky we have even been as faithfu l as we have! But God 's words to Elijah attack our small– ness, too. He say to u , "You are not all alone; I still have 7000; they are ·hang– ing in there' j ust a you are ; take heart from their very pre ence al I around you!" We who wish to avoid an Elijah complex would sorely mi the OARBC. It forces us to acknowledge the pre ence of many other equally faithful ervants of the Lord around us. And we need that healthy acknowledgement ! A Point of Reference Another group that would miss the OARBC would be those that sense the continued. page 8 • •