Moral Action Committee Reports

"If"

Justin Neal, Chairman (Interim)
P.O. Box 517
Aspermont, Texas 79502
940-989-3172

Greetings brethren! I pray this finds you living for the Lord Jesus. Much is going on in our world today that is not in accordance with the will of God. In seeking direction from the Lord’s Word, I have come to realize that one of the greatest words in the Bible is the word "if". Our God is a God of covenants. Some covenants of the Lord present stipulations for the covenant to be fulfilled. Having recently celebrated our nation’s freedom, this truth has been on my heart.

The Lord Jesus once addressed a group of Jews who were new believers: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32) These Jews could not understand why Jesus would imply that they were in bondage since they had never known a single day of slavery. Without knowing it, these believers were standing at the fork in the road. Their decisions would give way to their future as followers of the Lord Jesus. Yes, they were living in freedom, but their choice of direction would determine whether or not they would actually live in freedom from sin.

Like these newfound Jewish believers, today’s Christians also stand at the fork in the road. We live in the land of the free, and the home of the brave. Yet, we have chosen the wrong direction at many crossroads, and our freedom has become our foolishness. A 2003 study conducted by the Barna Group indicates that even though approximately 53% of Americans profess to be Christians, only 9% of them actually have a biblical worldview. Nevertheless, our God of covenants is also a God of second chances.

With the rise in awareness to our nation’s moral issues through the debate over the Federal Marriage Amendment, Christians now have a door of opportunity opened unto us to alter the direction of our society. I believe God’s Words to the church at Philadelphia are ringing out to us that He has placed before us an "open door that no one can shut"! (Rev. 3:8) The question is, will we heed the exhortation of the Lord Jesus to "continue in His Word"? Will we enter this door of opportunity to reclaim America for the Lord? Or, will we continue to be content with simply sitting in the pews applauding amen to the message, while only going home to relax in the recliner and shake our heads in disgrace at the evening news? You see, "if" is a really big word in the Bible! If we will practice what we profess before a lost and dying world, then our nation will know the truth and become truly free.

In closing, on behalf of the Moral Action Committee, I offer a commendation, a confession, and a commitment. I commend Bro. Mike Vestal for his passion for the work of the MAC. Mike desired for our service to you to be more effective than ever before, but, due to his wife taking ill, felt lead to relinquish his duties as our chairman. He has been an example to us all. I encourage you to pray for his family during this trying time. Secondly, I confess to you that the Moral Action Committee has much improving to do in order to serve the BMA of Texas in an effective way. The committee has been disorganized for quite some time; our web-site is drastically outdated; and our service has been minimal. So, we ask you to pray for us as we seek to overcome our shortcomings. We commit to you that we will keep you better informed about the issues we face. The MAC will seek to do that in cooperation with the Baptist Progress and The BMAWeb, while working diligently on updating our web site.

Remember, "if" is a very big factor as the BMA of Texas stands at the fork in the road! May God give us wisdom for direction, resolve for a strong witness, and boldness for action!

 July 30, 2004