Mid-America Messenger-Winter 2015

FOCUS ON EVANGELISM: REACHING MEMPHIS AND BEYOND WITH THE GOSPEL

MID-AMERICA BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

WINTER 2015 | CHURCH EVANGELISM | INNER-CITY OUTREACH | WONDER OF EVANGELISM | PRACTICAL MISSIONS | WITNESS ONE:SEVEN

President’s Page

MID-AMERICA IS LEADING THE WAY FOR SOUTHERN BAPTISTS

BY DR. MICHAEL SPRADLIN

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

—Psalm 42:8 I am continuing to pray for revival and renewal in America and the world. As I have travelled this fall I have been asking churches and individuals to join me in this endeavor. We are going to take our country for Christ, and I need you to pray with special fervor during these next days, weeks, and months. Here is how you can pray.

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witness one:seven J o h n 1:7

1. PRAY FOR OUR WITNESS 1:7 INITIATIVE. I am inviting all 46,000 Southern Baptist pastors to join us in sharing the Gospel an average of once a week in a genuine attempt to lead someone to Christ during the year 2016.

If they will join us and ask one member of their congregation to do so, we will see phenomenal growth in sharing the Gospel. If 92,000 people share the Gospel 52 times that would be 4,784,000 Gospel presentations. If only one in 20 of those hearers prayed to receive Christ, that would be more than 200,000 professions of faith in Christ! Friends, we are going to take our nation back! And we will do it through personal evangelism with our pastors leading the way.

2. PRAY FOR MISSION DIGNITY. With the return of many Southern Baptist missionaries from the field in the next few months we have set aside 30 of our student housing apartments to house them. For the missionaries in distress there will be no cost in rent or utilities. Please join me in prayer that the Lord will raise up 30 sponsors to help us cover the cost of rent and utilities. We want our personnel to return home from the field with dignity and honor.

3. PRAY FOR MISSION ADVANCE. With this move of a number of missionary families to the city of Memphis, we will have a once-in-alifetime opportunity. These missionaries speak the languages of the world, and they can help us win the international community of Memphis to Christ. More on this later.

Join me, and let’s win America to Christ and then return to the mission fields of the world in force.

God is love. Jesus is wonderful.

MABTS.edu | Mid-America

COVER STORY From downtown Memphis to upstate New York, Mid-America alumni and students are leading the way in personal evangelism. The methods and means vary widely, but the message of the Gospel remains true and clear.

VOLUME 43, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2015

Published by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary PRESIDENT

Michael Spradlin, PhD EDITOR

Randy Redd CONTENT COORDINATOR

Deanna Coscia DESIGN

Eternity Communications

P.O. Box 2350 Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350 901-751-8453 • info@mabts.edu MABTS.edu

MORE NEWS President’s Page 2 Practical Missions Report 5 Faithful Giving 18 TEAM Mid-America 20 Alumni News 22

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HEART OF MINISTRY MABTS alumnus Ronnie Tullos is loving life in the heart of Memphis, showing people the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

“CRYING & DYING TO HEAR” Ronnie Johnson and other MABTS students are taking the Gospel places no one else wants to go.

PLANT, WATER, REAP The fields are white unto harvest in the Northeast, and our New York campus is equipping laborers.

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MABTS.edu | Mid-America

Practical Missions

TO GERMANY FOR JESUS’ SAKE

BY STEVEN BOWMAN

There are few things as rewarding to me as being able to combine my God-given gifts with a calling to make disciples. This is exactly what I was able to be a part of this fall in Europe, along with fellow MABTS student Randall Downs and alum Kelly Seely. Kelly currently lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with his family and works with Nordstern church in reaching the city for the sake of the Gospel. Randall and I frequently perform as the band “Loser’s Way Home” (the name itself an allusion to the prodigal son) and were invited to be a part of a new initiative to reach the people of Europe using our music.

WE PLAYED FIVE CONCERTS over two weeks in four different cities in Germany and the Czech Republic, performing in coffee shop venues so that we could share our message with people who normally avoid churches. The music

PRACTICAL MISSIONS REPORT WINTER 2015

of Loser’s Way Home is saturated in Scripture, yet accessible to anyone since we take a story-telling approach to our songwriting. At each show in Europe, we were not only able to sing the truth of the Gospel, but also explain the Scriptural truth behind our songs from the stage. It was such an incredible blessing to look out into a room packed full of young influential men and women, and see them responding positively to our music. For many of these audience members, this was the first time that they had experienced Christianity in a real way.

Obviously, these shows were only a first step, but a massive one nonetheless.

From these outreaches, we were able to build many new relationships with people seeking truth. The Nordstern church experienced a huge increase in visitors, the rapport between the missionaries and these secular venues was strengthened, and many German and Czech people have now seen a glimpse of the hope that can be found in Jesus. The Lord used these concerts in incredible ways, and we are

humbled to be able to be a part of what He is doing in Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Erlangen, and Prague.

I FEEL A BURDEN LIKE NEVER BEFORE to use my music for the sake of the Gospel, and have seen firsthand just a few of the many ways that God can work through the arts to reach people. Let us keep Europe in our prayers, as God is still drawing men and women to Himself even in the darkest of places.

MABTS students Randall Downs and Steven Bowman

TENNESSEE NEW YORK

TOTAL

PRACTICAL MISSIONS

1,469

152

1,621

PERSONS WITNESSED TO

1,639

86

1,725

PROFESSIONS OF FAITH

146

39

185

SERMONS PREACHED

301

42

343

Practical Missions reported August 2015–November 2, 2015

PROFESSIONS OF FAITH SINCE 1972 = 162,624 PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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Church Evangelism

MABTS ALUMNUS LEADS CHURCH TO “GOSPEL” MEMPHIS

BY JORDAN THOMAS

No one sounded a trumpet for Grace Church’s members to move into the neighborhood known as Uptown. Many haven’t and don’t intend to do so, and that’s perfectly fine! Yet, God’s Spirit has stirred the hearts of some to relocate to North Memphis as missionaries. Over the past eight years, more than 30 believers have infiltrated Uptown, still known to many as Hurt Village. Through them, God has established Gospel lighthouses on almost every block. By “Gospel lighthouses”

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I’m referring to the biblical, articulated Gospel concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

During a recent trip to South Asia, I was reminded of the Gospel laborers in our community (Luke 11:1–2). Just like those “real missionaries” in South Asia, these local believers have also built their lives around honoring the Lord Jesus, and their tongues regularly commend the One we cherish (1 Corinthians 2:2; 9:16;

2 Corinthians 2:17). They understand that God has saved them and enlisted them as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:19–21).

I’M THINKING OF THE EIGHT MEN from our church who accompanied 15 inner-city teenage boys to a campsite in Arkansas to “Gospel them” last month. Or, the following weekend, several ladies—led by one of MABTS’s staff—who similarly “Gospeled” van loads of urban girls. In both cases, God’s Spirit worked in power as the Scriptures were expounded and the Gospel was unashamedly proclaimed (Romans 1:16).

My heart sings when I think of the weekly, verse-by-verse evangelistic study of Mark’s Gospel lead by a brother several blocks west of my house. Rejoicing again erupts when I consider what God is doing several nights per week, two blocks to

MABTS.edu | Mid-America

the north, where another brother leads a Christ-centered, Gospel-saturated, survey of the Bible.

Thankfulness amplifies all the more because of what God has done four blocks away. One of the most precious saints I’ve ever known resides there. That sister was converted several years ago. God used various church members who refused to stop loving her with deeds of kindness and telling her about Christ. Since then, she’s been telling everyone within earshot about Jesus (Matthew 4:19)!

THE SPIRIT OF GOD is doing wonderful things through one of my pastors two blocks to the east and another four blocks to the west. Consistent Gospel-advance happens through a couple of our pastoral interns, both of whom live within a few blocks. I’ve lost count of how many times my next-door neighbor and fellow church member— who possesses a double-portion of the gift

of evangelism—has commended Christ to gang members on my front porch. It reminds me of another occasion when the church organized a community yard sale in which God introduced us to a rough, tough man who was eventually converted.

About a year later, the whole church celebrated late into the night after one of our pastors preached the Gospel to masses of his friends at his wedding.

A few years ago, the church hosted an event at our neighborhood Community Center, where an aged prostitute approached me with a tear-stained face.

She tremblingly said, “You’re the pastor, right?” Before I could respond, she was weeping over her nephew, who had been gunned down almost two weeks prior in a gang-related murder as his 2-year old daughter stood by his side. Through the generosity of church members, we were able to provide for the funeral, and I was

MABTS alum Jordan Thomas Lead Preaching Pastor, Grace Church, Memphis

asked to speak. A bunch from the church showed up in loving support, and the Gospel was heralded to over a hundred of our neighbors at once (Genesis 50:20; Job 42:2; Romans 8:28)!

God seems to be using the cumulative effect of church members living on mission together in our community.

Please pray with us for lasting fruit!

Instead of only isolated evangelistic encounters (which happen often), we’ve also seen the beauty of the whole Gospel being brought to a whole community through the whole church.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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MABTS.edu | Mid-America

Inner-City Outreach

INNER-CITY MINISTRY LOVING PEOPLE UNCONDITIONALLY Next door to some of Memphis’ most needy housing projects...around the corner from abandoned buildings, run-down businesses, and “Matthews, the Poor Man’s Store”... yet less than a mile from FedEx Forum and the prosperous, skyscraping central business district...right in the very heart of Memphis, stands a clean, gymnasium-style building that is home to the Inner City Outreach Center, Miracle Baptist Church, and the Ronnie Tullos Evangelistic Association. MidAmerica alumnus Ronnie Tullos is loving the heart of Memphis.

BY RONNIE TULLOS

In 1980, Bill Gordon, a graduate of MABTS, led me to Jesus. He taught me that the normal activity of a Christian is “soul-winning.”

In 1987, I arrived in Memphis to attend seminary and started keeping track

of my activities. Since then, God has given me a part in seeing more than 54,000 precious people ask Jesus to save them, over 1,000 this year alone. God gave us at least 150 professions earlier this year at a Batesville Junior High Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting. We saw between 50 and 60 saved at Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church in Baker, Florida, during a revival meeting in September.

The sweetest single service this year was in Colfax, Louisiana, when I preached at the church where my father is a member.

Several family members came to hear me preach, and God gave us 19 professions of faith. Among those were my two brothers, for whom I had been praying for 35 years. Praise God! Also, two cousins from California who were visiting my uncle asked Jesus to save them. All glory to Jesus!

GOD PUT ME IN THE “HOOD.” People ask me, “Are you still in the inner city?” Anywhere else would be a step down, as long as I am in the will of God. For 28 years in Memphis and six years in Louisiana, God has given me the desire of

my heart: to know Him and preach the Gospel.

ONE THING GOD HAS TAUGHT ME through the years is our ministry verse, John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

I have found that it is my job to love people, no matter where they are or what they are doing; by no means love their sin, but love them, and they will know it and respond to it. As a lost man, I wanted someone to love me unconditionally more than anything. I found that love in Christ! Now I endeavor to die daily and let Jesus love others through me. That, combined with being where God wants you, will cause folks to “run you down” to get saved. More than a few times we have literally had people running down the streets calling for us to wait so they could be saved. You cannot love people perfectly unless you are willing to die to self.

My prayer for you is that you would die to self, do what Christians do (witness), and have no aspiration but the will of God.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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Student Evangelism

Written by Mid-America alum Dr. Ed Newton (MARE, 2000), this article is an excerpt from My8: Embracing and Engaging the Wonder of Evangelism, an eight-session study that shows students the heart and the how-to of evangelism.

Published by LifeWay Students.

EVANGELISM IS NO OBLIGATION, BUT A BEAUTIFUL OPPORTUNITY I have listed four biblical references that are quite familiar: Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Acts 8. Can you tell me the common denominator in these verses and what has gone unnoticed by so many? As you stare at these references there is one key ingredient that serves as the thrust behind what you will experience as you dive into this resource.

Do you see it? It’s the number 8! (Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Acts 8) Now, let me give a disclaimer that I do not believe that the chapter and verse references of the Bible are inspired.

However, I do believe there is an interesting phenomenon that serves as a

battle cry for God’s people to come back to the joy of sharing Jesus. The number eight in numerology represents “new beginnings”, which is the beauty of the gospel in the heart of those who chose to receive it.

When you expose the context of Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Acts 8, you will begin to first embrace the heart language of evangelism leading into the engagement of doing evangelism.

However, when one is captivated and captured by the reality of what Isaiah experienced in Isaiah 6:1-7, one can only respond with an affirming “Here I am Lord, send me.”

ISAIAH 6:8 This begs the question, what did Isaiah experience in these seven verses that serve as the catalyst for him to become a conduit for the glory of God? Was it not that he encountered the living God by actually “beholding His glory?” In Isaiah’s

case, he had no clue that this is how this vision would end. All he knew was his guilt caused the judgment of God to be unleashed as “smoke filled the room” prompting a heart cry of “I am wrecked and ruined.” However, when grace covers sin and you are caused to live again, there is only one appropriate response…”Here I am send me.”

MATTHEW 28:18-20 This is the heart of embracing the wonder of evangelism, but it doesn’t stop here! This fuels the understanding of what Matthew 28:18-20 brings to the conversation. The context in which the Great Commission verses of Matthew 28 were given was distinctly marked by an attitude of “worship.” Jesus Christ has defeated sin and death once and for all.

He appears to nearly 500 eyewitnesses of which the Scripture states in Matthew 28:17 that “some worshiped and some doubted.”

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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Simply stated, those who would receive the mission and mandate to “Go into all the world” would do so in the attitude of “worship.” John Piper in his book entitled Let the Nations Be Glad was spot on when he stated, “that the fuel for evangelism is worship.” You and I will never embrace the mission of embracing and engaging the wonder of evangelism if our purpose in doing so is not saturated in the awe of a Holy, triune God. The “go”, the “make”, the “teach”, the “baptize” of these marching orders only become futile and exhausting if the thrust of why we do what we do is not grounded in the fact that we have never gotten over the words “your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:8 rallies our hearts around the theological truth that God was missional towards us in ushering grace and mercy. Then Matthew 28:18-20 infuses the importance that “worship” is the fuel toward fulfilling the “go, make, teach, and baptize.” When we seek to fulfill the directive, without being captured by grace, then our efforts are motivated by our own selfish efforts that are futile and noneternal.

ACTS 1:8 The connector between, being arrested by grace, being 12

moved by worship and actually engaging people with the Gospel, is often overlooked and is found in Acts 1:8 saturated in one word called “power.”

The “power” in Acts 1:8 is none other than the Holy Spirit. The very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that lead and guided Jesus in His earthly ministry. This power has no rivals or contenders, but is not given to Christians for the purpose of “building personal kingdoms, but instead building the kingdom of God.” Whether or not a person chooses to embrace and engage the wonder of evangelism hinges upon the individual’s willingness to submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

ACTS 8 Finally, when we arrive at Acts 8, these three components of “grace, worship, and power” culminate with a grand crescendo of celebration. At the heart of Acts 8 is a majestic moment where the Holy Spirit not only creates the opportunity for Christ to be shared, but also clarifies how Christ is to be shared. It was the Holy Spirit that brought revelation of a clear understanding of the Word of God bringing about illumination for the Ethiopian.

That will be the case when you and I see evangelism no longer as an obligation, but instead as a beautiful opportunity.

Get swept away by the inexpressible joy of carrying the name of Jesus and holding Him high while God draws people unto Himself. It is my prayer for you, that the zeal of knowing Jesus, and for others to know your Jesus, would drive you to unashamedly proclaim Him. This is the beauty of evangelism! Your life divinely and intentionally colliding with those that God places in your path for the purpose of hoping that they would see what you have seen.

LAST DAY TO SUBMIT APPLICATION FOR SPRING SEMESTER

January 1

JANUARY MINI-TERM WEEK 1 & 2

January 4–15

SPRING ORIENTATION & REGISTRATION OF NEW STUDENTS

January 8

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY SEMINARS

January 11–15

SPRING SEMESTER CLASSES BEGIN January 19

MARCH MINI-TERM REGISTRATION

February 1–7

CAMPUS REVIVAL February 9–11 SPRING BREAK

March 4–21 MARCH MINI-TERM WEEK 1 & 2

March 7–18

PASSION PLAY AT MID-AMERICA

March 18–20

SPRING PREVIEW DAY March 29

SUMMER SESSION REGISTRATION

May 9–15

GRADUATION

May 20

Practical Missions

MABTS STUDENTS SHARE WHERE NO ONE WANTS TO GO

BY RONNIE JOHNSON

I thank the Lord for Dr. Gray Allison and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary for their stance on evangelism.

I am a third-year student having the time of my life being here. I have the joy of meeting with fellow students twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. We

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go throughout the streets of Memphis sharing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

THE LORD HAS ALLOWED US TO SEE 91 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH since the beginning of the semester. Last year, we saw more than 200 people give their hearts to Jesus. We always pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to the places in which He wants us to go. We go to the dirty, dangerous, and despised places where no one else wants to go. God saved me out of the same places, and I know people are hurting there.

Just the other day while out with the students, we approached two men sitting on a car. Both were gang members, one who had been shot in the head a year ago and was paralyzed on his left side. I asked him if he would have gone to Heaven, if he had died when he was shot in the head.

He said he would have gone to hell, but after being in the hospital for two weeks, a preacher came to visit him and shared the Gospel. He gave his heart to Jesus that day. I asked him where he was going to church, and he said, “Nowhere.” I then asked him if he was reading the Bible, and he said, “No.” After talking with him for a little while longer, I felt he was saved, and I asked him if he would like to come to

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the Miracle of Redemption Church Bible study, and he said, “Yes.” He has been coming to church ever since.

I THEN TURNED TO HIS FRIEND and asked him if he had assurance that he would go Heaven. He said he was a Muslim. I asked him to tell me something about his faith, and he could not tell me much about Islam. I told him I once had practiced Islam, but I never found joy. I was still empty on the inside and knew there had to be something better.

I told him that I found fulfilment in Jesus in 1995. I continued to share the

Gospel with him, and he realized he was empty and wanted something better than what he had. Praise God, he knelt down alongside the car and gave his heart to Jesus. Priceless!

John said in John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world though Him might be saved.” God has given me a burden for the lost. MidAmerica alumnus Ronnie Tullos led me to Jesus and said, “It is a natural thing for a Christian to witness.” Jesus said in

Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

THERE ARE PEOPLE ALL AROUND OUR CITY WHO ARE CRYING AND DYING TO HEAR the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can remember when I was lost and how I wasted most of my time serving the enemy. I asked the Lord to take the energy with which I used to serve the enemy and turn it around and use it to serve Him. All I ever wanted was something better than what I had. There are many people out there who feel the same way: wanting something better than what they have.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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Northeast Evangelism

NORTHEAST FIELDS WHITE UNTO HARVEST

BY DR. MIKE HAGGARD DIRECTOR, NORTHEAST BRANCH

On one Saturday this past July, Tom (a lay leader in our church) and I were out on church visitation working through a trailer park near our church. People were generally friendly, and we talked to several before we came to Tina’s trailer. Tina came out and talked to us on her front porch. We learned that Tina was recently widowed and was raising a 2-year-old daughter by herself.

Tom and I were using a

church survey to establish how our church could be of service to the community. Of course, there is an opportunity at the end of the survey to share the Gospel. As we went through the survey questions with Tina, she was very open and engaging on how our church could help the residents of the community.

AT THE END OF THE SURVEY, I asked Tina if she was interested in knowing what the Bible teaches about eternal life and Heaven. She answered in the affirmative! I opened the New Testament and shared God’s simple Gospel with her out of the Book of Romans. At the end of my Gospel presentation, I gave Tina the opportunity to repent, believe, and surrender to the Lord Jesus. She accepted! She prayed to receive Jesus. Tom and I rejoiced and now begin the task of instruction and discipleship.

As we said our goodbyes and walked away from her trailer, the Holy Spirit impressed me with several things: We didn’t come to Tina’s trailer to plant a Gospel seed or water an already existing seed in Tina’s heart—we came to reap the harvest. Someone planted the seed in Tina’s heart long before we arrived on her doorstep, and God has been at work drawing Tina close, watering and

fertilizing that seed and getting her ready for our visit. How long had she been waiting?

HOW MANY OTHER “TINAS” ARE OUT THERE scattered across the Northeast? People whom God has been Dr. Mike Haggard drawing and wooing to Himself and who are ready to repent and believe but just don’t know how? How many other “Tinas” are in your neighborhood? Or living around your church? Or living in a trailer park near you? God is at work in the Northeast and God is at work in your neighborhood, too.

In Matthew 9:37–38, the Scriptures declare, “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’” There are people all over this world in Tina’s condition—fruit ready for harvest, but there is no reaper, laborer, shepherd, or worker to work the fields and harvest the fruit. Here in the Northeast, there are dozens of cities, towns, and villages that have absolutely no Gospel witness. Join me in praying to the Lord of the harvest that He will raise up shepherds and messengers and send them into His harvest fields for the fields are white, ready for harvest.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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NEWS | EVENTS | PEOPLE | MINISTRY 18

MABTS.edu | Mid-America

Faithful Giving

AS WE DRAW TO THE CLOSE OF 2015, INVEST IN SERVANTS WHO ARE SPREADING THE URGENT NEWS OF THE GOSPEL

BY DUFFY GUYTON

The Apostle Paul shared meaningful instruction with Timothy, the young pastor of the church in Ephesus, in 2 Timothy 3:1, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come,” his words to his spiritual son were not to panic him. His edification was to encourage him to stay faithful, living and proclaiming the Gospel in a society where the influence of Christianity was nonexistent. As the message of the Gospel was urgent in that day and time, it is urgent today. The time is now. It is not a time to panic, but to press forward. We are not in a day to be bashful, but to be bold for “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Bill Wallace, a medical missionary to China for 15 years, was brutally murdered as a martyr on February 10, 1951. He wrote about his calling to China, “I want to go because of the need. And how great is that need! China today is ready and willing to hear and accept the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.” He is known by many who were held captive with him for his bravery, selflessness, and devout love for the Chinese people, and his desire for them to know Christ as their Savior.

WITNESS ONE:SEVEN was introduced earlier this year as a visionary movement from our seminary president.

It is an imperative act of faith in inviting pastors and church leaders to join us in our Practical Missions program to share the Gospel with at least one person per week. Building His Kingdom is done by personal evangelism with our pastors leading the way. This is one of our major distinctives at the seminary, and we unashamedly follow the Bible’s example of personally sharing the Good News to this generation.

The time is now to join together in prayer, provision, and practice in winning our nation and the nations to the Lord.

THE LORD DESIRES US TO OBTAIN THE SAME BOLDNESS that Jonathan displayed with his armor bearer in 1 Samuel 14. When he looked up at the steep incline of Mount Michmash covered with Philistine soldiers, he moved with godly confidence because he knew that “the Lord will work for us” and that “nothing restrains the Lord.”

Just as his faith did not waver because of his trust that the Holy God would carry them through, we can rest on those same promises.

Join me in prayer that the Lord will continue

to do a great work through Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary that will impact our nation and our world.

Personally seek His Word and ask the Heavenly Father how you can be used to carry out the urgent news of the Gospel for this generation and future generations.

It is not a time to panic, but to press forward.

We are not in a day to be bashful, but to be bold.

COMMIT TO FINANCIALLY INVESTING in servants who pour their life into spreading the Gospel throughout the world. As we draw to the close of 2015, we are dependent upon your faithful gifts through end-of-the-year contributions. We need YOU! Please join us in spreading hope in a hopeless world. “People need the Lord!”

FOR MORE INFORMATION regarding living a life of bold obedience through financially supporting the seminary, please contact Duffy Guyton, Chief Development Officer, at dguyton@mabts.edu or 901-751-3030.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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Sure, we have a website, brochures, and a modest ad budget.

(No TV commercials, though, so far!) But our best advertisement?

You. In fact, according to a recent survey, 91% of Mid-America students heard about MABTS through someone they knew—a pastor, student, alumnus, or other friend of the seminary. In other words, someone like you.

Tuned in yet? Mid-America is a team. Faculty. Students. Alumni. Supporters.

All working together toward one goal: taking the Gospel to all the world for Jesus’ sake.

That’s why we’ve introduced TEAM Mid-America.

It’s a network of friends of the seminary, all dedicated to helping Mid-America accomplish our mission. So join the TEAM today. And win for Christ.

JOIN NOW AND RECEIVE A FREE GIFT!

Sign up at MABTS.EDU/TEAM today, and we’ll send you the special TEAM Mid-America Kit with 40 ways you can help tell the Mid-America story. Plus, you’ll receive a free gift! We want YOU on our team. Join now!

What is TEAM Mid-America?

It’s a special team from the seminary family committed to the following goals:

T—Telling the Mid-America story.

E—Educating prospective students about our programs and benefits.

A—Assisting the seminary in its mission through prayer and financial support.

M—Mentoring the called as partners with us.

JOIN NOW AT MABTS.EDU/TEAM

Join the faculty, students, alumni, and supporters who have already joined TEAM Mid-America: Brad Banks Stephen Beavers Danny Berryhill John Boler Robert Burnett Johnny Bussell John Byong-Hwan Choi Michael Cloer Philip Cooper Wayne Cornett Mike Crescenzi Carlos De Freitas Frank Gantz Bobby Gibson Vito Hall Parish Hartley Jeremiah Henderson Tim Hight Ken Jones Rusty Keltner Timothy Kraynak David Lawrence Jason Mackey Emmett Manley Paul Middleton Jeff Mink Rose Mink Bryan Monty Jason Moore Klavens Noel Bartholomew Orr Brandon Pendleton Nathan Perry Darrell Prince Ricky Ray Dwight Rice Terry Robertson Alex Shepard Tommy Stafford Ryan Strother Jimmy Sykes Jeff Thompson Larry Thompson Mark Thompson Heath Tibbetts Lyda Turner Bob Vincent Jim Waggener Jeremy Westbrook Joe Wiggins Michael Wilburn Mark Williams Mondonico Williams Wendell Wood Brandon Woodard

MVP Honors

For completing at least 21 of the 40 ways to share the good news about Mid-America (from the TEAM Member Handbook), MABTS wishes to recognize: Carlos De Freitas Lyda Turner

to all the world...

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PHILIP EYSTER (DMIN) recently released his book titled Soaring Higher: An Itinerary of a Fifty-Year Flight of Faith that recounts his evangelistic church planting ministry over the past three decades.

1997

DESI GINN (MDIV) is currently serving as pastor, Old Salem Baptist Church, Salem, Kentucky.

2001

TONY LYNN (DMIN) serves with the North American Mission Board as the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan.

2002

JEFF MOODY (ADIV) recently resigned from First Southern Baptist Church, Imperial, California, to pursue full-time evangelism.

TROY STYERS (MDIV) was selected to write the Sunday school commentaries for the June–August 2015 editions of the Baptist and Reflector Tennessee Baptist state paper.

DEREK WESTMORELAND (MDIV) was selected to write the Sunday school commentaries for the September– November 2015 editions of the Baptist and Reflector Tennessee Baptist state paper.

2006

CHAD GRIGSBY (MDIV) has been named northwest Arkansas church planting strategist for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

NATHAN WASHBURN (MDIV), pastor of First Baptist Church, Greenbrier, was elected second vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

2007

BOBBY RUSHING (MDIV) has been called as Pastor to Northwood Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee.

JOSEPH TAYLOR (MDIV) is now the Director of Missions, East Central Baptist Association, Oklahoma.

2009

JUSTIN MCLENDON (MDIV & PHD) is the Assistant Professor of Christian Worldview and Practical Theology at Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona.

2012

JOHN HONEA (MDIV) serves as Elder and Lead Pastor, Church of the Valley, Huntsville, Alabama.

NATHAN PERRY (BACS) serves as pastor, Crenshaw Baptist Church, Crenshaw, Mississippi.

JOSH STONE (MDIV) has been called as pastor, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Bradford, Tennessee.

2013

IVAN GRAY (MCE) serves as bivocational youth pastor, Nolensville First Baptist, Nashville, Tennessee.

2014

WESLEY STEPHENS (MDIV & DMIN) has accepted the pastorate at Jones Chapel Baptist Church, Nettleton, Mississippi.

2015

JARROD COX (BACS) serves as senior pastor, Farmington Baptist Church, Corinth, Mississippi.

NATHAN PRINCE (ADIV & MMIS) has been called as the Children’s and Education pastor at The Heights, San Angelo, Texas.

TYLER NEWSOM (MDIV) has been called as youth minister to Morris Memorial Baptist Church, Moscow, Tennessee.

THE SEMINARY EXTENDS HEARTFELT SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY OF THE FOLLOWING GRADUATE:

JAMES MARSHALL TARRANCE (MDIV)

TOMMY MARSHALL MCCLAIN (BACS)

CHRISTOPHER WALLACE (MDIV)

CLAY AUSTIN MILLER (MDIV)

STEVEN JAMES PAUL WINIARSKI (PHD)

THI SAENGTHIEN MITSAMPHANH (PHD)

HEEDUCK YOO (PHD)

DREW AARON MOORE (MDIV)

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2014–2015 GRADUATES

MAY 2015

TYLER NEWSOM (MDIV)

DECEMBER 2014

JACOB BLAIR (MDIV)

JASON ERIC BOGARDUS (DMIN)

RONALD DEAN BUSH (PHD)

JOSHUA HUNTER CALDWELL (MDIV)

JOHNNY BUSSELL (ADIV)

RONALD JOSEPH CALLAWAY (DMIN)

JAMES EDWARD COLLIER (PHD)

ANDREW JUSTIN CATES (MDIV)

JARROD COX (BACS)

AIRTON D. SANTOS (MDIV)

RODNEY BRIAN CLINGAN (DMIN)

ALEXANDER SHEPARD (ADIV)

MICHAEL COLLINS (PHD)

JAMES PRATHER CROCKETT, JR. (MDIV)

CASEY RACHELLE SLAGLE (BACS)

NATHAN JAMES DAVIS (MDIV)

CHAD DAVIS (BACS)

BILLY JOE (CHIP) TAYLOR (ADIV)

ANDREW DYER HARBOR (MDIV)

TIMOTHY CHARLES FOWLER (MACE)

MATTHEW K. TAYLOR (MDIV)

NICHOLAS ADAM JOHNSON (MDIV)

PHILIP GIBSON (BACS) EMILY NICOLE GRAY (MACE)

ELIZABETH PAIGE WEATHERS (BACS)

MICHAEL ANDREW JONES (BACS)

MICHAEL SCOTT HAGGARD (PHD)

RANDY WILLIAMSON (DMIN)

ANDREW ROBERT KAPPENMAN (MDIV)

JACKSON TYLER MICHAEL HAM (BACS)

JOHN JUSTIN WILSON (BACS)

SANGWOON KIM (PHD)

JAMES LAWSON HARLOW (BACS)

DAVID WARREN KISSELL (MDIV)

TAYLOR RYAN HARMON (BACS)

DUSTIN LAMBERT (BACS)

LUKE HARPER (MDIV)

DOUGLAS BLAKE LANDRUM (PHD)

KENNETH ANDREW HOOPER, JR. (BACS)

LAYMON L. BREWER, JR. (ADIV 1987) passed away October 17, 2015.

BENJAMIN I. JOHNSON (MDIV)

KENNETH RAY LEWIS (PHD) DELLABENA MACK (BACS) JASON POLK (MDIV)

MATTHEW R. AKERS (PHD)

KEVIN CLARK (BACS)

CODY PAGE (BACS) ANDY PRICE (MACE) DARRELL NATHANAEL PRINCE (MDIV) JOSEPH CLAY REID (MDIV) BREANNA D. RUTLAND (BACS) SETH THOMAS SANDUSKY (BACS)

JERRY D. WALKER (MACE)

JEFFREY MILES INGRAM (MDIV) BRIAN JONES (MDIV)

MELANIE M. REDD (MACE)

ALVIN JAMES KEYTE (BACS)

JOHN DAVID SHACKLEFORD (ADIV)

JOHN CALEB KNIGHT (MACE) IKSAN LASMANTO (MDIV)

RICHARD CARL SHADDEN, JR. (PHD)

JOHN ADAM LEWIS (BACS)

HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR BRICK YET IN THE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS LEGACY WALKWAY? RESERVE YOURS TODAY AT MABTS.EDU/LEGACYWALKWAY.

PRACTICAL MISSIONS | ACADEMICS | ADMISSIONS | ADVANCEMENT | ALUMNI Messenger | Winter 2015

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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MEMPHIS, TN PERMIT NO. 831

P.O. Box 2350 • Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350 901-751-8453 • info@mabts.edu MABTS.edu

PLAN OF SALVATION. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. —John 1:7

Introducing Witness One:Seven.

Here’s the plan: Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is inviting the pastor of every Southern Baptist Church to join us in committing to “Witness One:Seven.” It’s a commitment to witness to at least one person every seven days during 2016. Of course, others are welcome to join us, too, including YOU! But if the pastor of each of the 46,000 SBC churches made the commitment… more than two million people would hear the Gospel during 2016. It all begins with you.

Please contact us at witness@mabts.edu to let us know you’re making the “Witness One:Seven” commitment.

WitnessOneSeven.org