The Ohio Independent Baptist, February 1999

Bible •991 Jesus Leads the lVay ""'"' '., ; can 1.soo.121.4440 Amazing Btblt' lec:;~ons Enter taining learning center Delightful puppet scr1pts Rio tou then1e related k1l – Fun tact~ about nature Super songs - Great ga 111 es =----.= , \\ \\ gai;bl org rbp Regular Baptist Press ~~ Buses & Vans For Sale •5-8~ passenger vehicles available Buv quality for less at r,r,r,,,,:, Transportation IJl,;&;J~,;J Equ ip . Sales Corp. ..:o · Seaman Ra Oregon OH 4J618 .1 9-836-2835 Toll-free nat1on\v1de 1-800-227-3572 B,g church discounts· ask for Bud Graham Preferred Risk Insurance Company • A uto • Life • L'hurch • Health • Houze • Business • [)i.,ahility • Annuities Insurance for non~rinkers your "best buy" Phelps Financial Services, Inc. 4 Proft>,,iunal con...uJling and ~It·~ for\ uu r fin.tncia l and in1:,ur.tnce need ;, lx,rr R. Ph1.!lp < ,P. (' 11' RF"P. Ll rJ C. 'f· A, >-H Park. \.1 1.! ddli~ c; l)ra\e V. e ter\lllc ()hJv 4"\0 81 Phl>n~ o 14 - )'. J9-ooc.>0 l ·AX hlJ'J -0022 If The OARBC Did Not Exist, Who Would Miss It And Why? W ould you slarl the OARBC if il did not already ex ist? Thi ques tion, of course, is another wny of getting at the "rca ·on(s) for being.. of thi s Association of churchc ·. hould we even be in ex i ·tcncc, and . if . o, why? One group who would stru1 ~uch an organi za tion would be those who see in Lhc New Teslament. local churches acting " in concert'' with each other. We all under– ·tand, do we not, that the local church is the ba ·ic building block of Chri ·tianity in any given locale. Paul indicated this in I Timothy 3: 15 when he said , "I write so that you n1ay know how you ought to conduct your elf in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. " U ing a con truc– tion analogy Paul placed the local church as the foundati onal ·upport of the truth. What a foundati on is to a building so the local church is to the truth of God in any place. As a balancing con ideration, however, the churches in the New Testament were very 1nuch aware of and prayed for one another, shared Scriptures in comrnon with each other, participated in project that reflected their comn1on roots, and chal– lenged each other to vitality. Yes, the New Tc. lament churches were autonomous but not aloof; they were independent but not isolated from each other. The term '· interdependent" best de cribc them. It is agai n Paul who helps us to sec thi s. The Gentile churches shared a common indebtedne s Lo thei r Jewish counterparts in Jerusalem, and banded together in a great outpouring of genero ity in a love offcr ing for the poor believers there (II Cor. 8, 9 and I Cor. 16: 1-4). Paul even challenged the churches of Macedonia with the zeal of the churches of Achaia (II Cor. 9:2). He thought and spoke of them as groups or units of churches and not simply as indi– vidual congregations. He exhorted them to act in concert for the greater good of the church at Jeru alem. He de cribes Titu as the messenger who wa "chosen by the churches" to accompany him in delivering the gift (II Cor. 8: 19). Paul glqried in the solidarity such an offering would show between the Gentile and Jewish believer (Rom. 15:25-27). "Churches ac ting in concert' ' is a New Testament phenomenon. It reflected the onene s that was in the believers ' hearts from the start and pr,ovided a good testi - • rnony to all who observed it. Another group who would start such an association of churches arc tho~c who understand the truthfulness o f the 1nolto National Representative John Greening has made popular an1ong us. "~fogcther we can accomplish more." Our churches have tackled large project · in a united way and the results have been: elcrnenlary, second– ary and higher education Chri tian schools, mi ssion boards, social agencies, chaplain on duty , Olympic outreaches, Christian can,p , and Bible conference . re treats and successful pas toral earches. These realities provide tangible ev idence of the power of cooperative efforts. Churches acting "on their lonesome'' could not have accomplished what churches acting "in concert" have done. An association becon1es the linkage that connects churches and encourages cooperatj on. Such thinking is not mere pragmatism. Il squares with New Testament words:._ /JW We Couldn't Have Done It Without You! Since 1991. Young at Heart'ers frorr, Wa shington Heights Baptist 1n Dayton have been packing the OIB for mailing to churches and individuals. Our cu rrent staff includes Mr. & Mrs Bill Asbury Mr & Mrs Roger Eyerly Mrs. Thelma Halverson Mr. Collin Hawkins Mr Bill Potter Mr. & Mrs . Ken Farnsworth Mrs . Jeannette Thomas Once more we say. "We couldn't have done tt without you!u • •