2023 applications are due October 15, 2022.
Go to the link below to fill out a student or leader form:
Go ETEAM
The Online Newsletter for Texas Free Will Baptists
2023 applications are due October 15, 2022.
Go to the link below to fill out a student or leader form:
Go ETEAM
The 2022 Leadership Conference will be held December 5-6 at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel. Robby Gallaty will be the featured speaker. More information will be released on this page as it is available.
Leadership Conference
“I’ll take, ‘Things That Show The Church Is Going Crazy’ for $1000 Alex.” The material to bring up and discuss is ever growing. I personally like the ease and accessibility we have to everything that is going on around the world and the rapid way in which we can learn it. There is always the temptation to be addicted to all the social media and news outlets to the point of neglecting people and literally everything else. However, knowing information and what is being taught and preached allows us to be informed, so that we can respond quickly with truth and answers.
Bethel (probably a whole series could be spent talking about this church) has a new product out they call The Declarations Clicker. They sell this product on their website (probably at their church building as well). It resembles a pitch counter that you use to track the number of pitches that pitchers have in a game. The difference with this, though, is that they want to encourage you to track your daily prayer…declarations. Now here’s where there will probably be a division and debate that will inevitably happen with church people. “I see nothing wrong with this. We should do this. We need to declare more things and claim things in the name of Jesus! We don’t do this enough. This is why so many Christians are living in weakness and defeat.” Then the other side chimes in. “The Declarations Clicker? What in the world? This is one of the many problems with this ‘Name it Claim it’ movement treating God like a Genie. Remember the whole ‘Holy Spirit activate, Holy Spirit activate!’ thing on Family Feud? That’s from that. We don’t declare things as if God is obligated to grant us spiritual wishes.”
The real question is, if these people have such abilities, why aren’t they changing the world? Why doesn’t Benny Hinn live at the Cancer Center, or Children’s Hospital? Kenneth Copeland, I thought he declared and decreed (by blowing) Covid away two years ago? He also said to put your hands on your head and your hair would grow back. It seems he needs to declare it in a few more spots, because it’s pretty thin. How about Joyce Meyers? It appears she needs to go to her doctors and “declare” she gets her money back for face job. This seems inconsistent and outside of what they teach and say they can do. The inconsistencies are unending. They hold scheduled revivals and only choose particular people to be healed. They will claim that we are to live in complete physical healing now, because of Jesus and Him taking the stripes (Isaiah 53:5). Yet, we still die, because, “C’mon, no one can stop that.” I’ve been told that every believer is supposed to live a sick and disease free life now…but we will die a natural death, because that’s what happens.
I know this may come across harsh and like I’m making fun. It’s a serious matter and these people and many with them are dangerous. They are literally false teachers that the Bible tells us to watch out for and to ignore. We must warn people about them. And countless others are fed this lie from Satan that if they have decreed something to happen or someone has decreed something to happen over them and it doesn’t take place, then it’s their fault. The recipients of this treatment walk away, sad, confused, angry, or depressed. And even worse, there is a rising number every day of people who have “declared” that they no longer believe in a God. And when you dig into their story, their reasons, the churches they went to, or the pastors they sat under, it’s no surprise that a common thread is this false teaching.
So where does this teaching come from? There are numerous passages that are taken out of context or “cherry picked” for the purpose of fulfilling their wish. Theologically we call this eisegesis (reading your meaning into a text). Jesus told His guys that if they didn’t doubt, that they could tell a mountain to throw itself in the sea (Mark 11:23-24). Many of them will say things like, “We’re created in the image of God. That necessarily means that we can do what He can. We have that authority.” But is that what the Bible teaches? Is that what God has said?
The writers at gotquestions.org stated this: “The problem is, our statements can be declarative, but not causative, no matter how true they are; plus, when we go around “decreeing” things, we are in danger of putting our will over God’s will.” There are numerous places where it is clear that our approach to God in prayer is to be done in humility and submitting towards His will, not ours. Consider the model prayer that Jesus shared in Matthew 6. “Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will is the goal. What about when Jesus was in extreme anguish right before He was to face the pain and rejection at his beatings and then crucifixion? Surely if there was a time for Him to model the “decree and declare no pain and suffering” this would be it. Nope. He submitted to the Father and prayed for His will to be done.
Perhaps there is a place for some device to track how much time we are spending with God? Monitoring our worship and prayer time with God isn’t bad in itself. 2 Corinthians 13:5 teaches us that examining our walk and faith is good and healthy. We should do it. But we should also check our doctrine and what we believe. John said in 1 John 2, “ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
So are we following Jesus, or are we following the way that seems right to us (Pro. 14:12)? It’s not a small matter.
We are excited to announce that the evening services will now be streamed on YouTube, Vimeo, NAFWB.org/live, and Facebook Live. The stream will begin at 6:50 PM.
Watch online at:
YouTube.com/NAFWB
NAFWB.org/live
vimeo.com/user17169025
Dear Supporters of Welch College:
Please be in prayer for my dear friend Dr. Milton Fields, beloved retired Academic Dean and Vice President for Institutional Planning at Welch College. In a CT scan in March his physicians discovered a mass in his liver and diagnosed him with advanced cirrhosis as a result of diabetes and other complications. In recent months he has had twenty surgical banding procedures for blood vessels in his stomach and esophagus to prevent mass bleeding. This condition appears to be terminal. Dr. Fields’s physicians have offered the option of chemotherapy, and he has elected not to undergo that treatment.
Dr. Fields’s sincerest prayer is that he will bring honor and glory to God in this trial. He recently told me that his prayer is that he will “be able to avoid fear, be patient during times of discomfort, and maintain a Christian testimony with all I meet until my time comes. . . . With this type of difficulty, the liver eventually becomes unable to remove the toxins from the blood and ammonia poisoning occurs. This prevents the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide and results in loss of some cognition. My prayer is that the Lord will take me before this occurs. I would like to see all come to the point as did one of my physicians last week. He said, ‘I pray that when I approach this time in my life I can do so with as much confidence as you.’”
Let us hold Dr. Fields in prayer. You can reach him via email at mfields@welch.edu.
Sincerely,
Matt Pinson
President
home
Register for the April 2023 conference in Orlando by August 8th for a discount.
Raymond Richard DeHart was born February 10, 1933 and went Home to be with his Lord on July 7, 2022
Raymond was born to Raymond and Evie Marie DeHart on February 10, 1933 in Brazos County. A hard worker, he retired from the International Shoe Factory where he worked as an electrician, and later retired from Texas A&M University Student Housing Maintenance Department.
For many years, Raymond enjoyed hunting and fishing, or just being outdoors doing most anything. He particularly enjoyed working in the garden and attending to his yard.
Raymond loved the Lord and looked forward to Sunday school and church services at New Beginnings Church in Bryan. He served as a deacon and volunteered for various committees.
Raymond is reunited with his loving wife of 53 years, Agnes Surovik DeHart; parents, Raymond Richard DeHart Sr. and Evie Marie DeHart (Massey); sister, June McClain Peecher; and son, Raymond Bromonsky, Jr. and wife, Sherry.
Raymond is survived by his daughters, Peggy Mize and husband Benny of Madisonville, Margie Gustavus of Bryan, and Linda Conrad and husband William H. of Bryan; brother, Howard DeHart of Camp Creek; sisters, Shirley Vytopil and husband Joe of Bryan, Betty Hubacek and husband Edward of Bryan, and Ginger Thomas of Bryan; 10 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and 6 great, great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in Raymond’s memory to New Beginnings Church of Bryan, 3131 E. 29th St. Bldg E, Bryan TX 77802 https://newbeginningsbryan.com/online-giving
To order memorial trees in memory of Raymond Richard DeHart, please visit our tree store.
Click on link below to visit Hillier’s site and watch the video tribute to Raymond.
https://www.hillierfuneralhome.com/obituaries/raymond-dehart
Pray for our students from across the country as they begin their journey this week at Truth and Peace. Also pray for us parents as we let go of our babies. Yes, they’re almost grown, but it’s not easy to let go. My mom always says, “I’d rather have my child across the world and in God’s will than right beside me and out of His will.” I’m remembering that as I let mine go. – Beth Howell
“Nearly 90 seminars and breakout sessions will be hosted by national departments and commissions Monday through Wednesday. Plan to take advantage of these opportunities for continuing education and ideas to enhance your ministry.
Seminars will be recorded and made available online in the months following the convention.”
For the full schedule of seminars, visit
https://nafwb.org/convention/.
RESET: The 2022 D6 Conference
By Lauren Biggs, Social Media Manager at D6 Family
After a storm knocks out the electricity, you must reset your clocks. But first, you have to find the correct time—an accurate point of reference. Recent world events have disrupted ministries, households, and churches. The 2022 D6 Conference offered over 1,000 parents, volunteers, pastors, and leaders a chance to RESET. While looking back on foundational principles and holding true to Scripture (point of reference), speakers equipped and encouraged attendees to RESET with generational discipleship in both church and home settings.
Main Stage Moments
A video portraying the original writing of the Shema passage in Deuteronomy 6 introduced the conference. Flashing back to Moses and forward to modern-day discipleship moments, the video illustrated the dramatic picture of what God intends for discipleship at home and at church. Emcees Jon Forrest, Marianne Howard, and Dr. Kevin Jones set the stage with Dr. Ron Hunter to unpack the theme and greet the 1,055 attendees.
Dr. Richard Ross reminded parents to reset by restoring their first love found only in Jesus, or their hearts will remain lukewarm. When parents’ hearts change, they embrace biblically sound goals for themselves and their children.
Robby Gallaty challenged everyone to ask two questions. First, ask, “What’s more important to you, the approval of God or the applause of man?” He shared the story of how God reset his own heart through the daily spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude. In quiet moments, God will reveal what needs to be revived within you. If you don’t slow down in your walk with the Lord, from marriage and home to ministry, you will burn out. Gallaty cautioned, “Believers, don’t fall for the trap of doing ministry for Jesus when you should be doing ministry with Jesus.” Robby concluded with a final question: “Are you the blood clot stopping the flow of healthy discipleship in your church?”
On day two, Denise Pass and Michelle Nietert opened the general session. Drawing from their new book, Make Up Your Mind, Denise and Michelle walked attendees through Scripture and reminders of Truth to reset negative mindsets. Romans 8:5 and Isaiah 55:8-9 teach us our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Resetting the mind is not about thinking positively but thinking righteously. Denise and Michelle encouraged fellow ministry leaders and parents to take on the mind of Christ by refocusing our minds to gratitude, mindfulness, and surrender.
Holley Gerth tackled the question, “How do we help the next generation of introverts become who God created them to be at home and at church?” She reminded each personality type, “You were made on purpose, for a purpose. Being an introvert or extrovert is not your identity, nor is it your destiny, they are just descriptions.”
Visit: http://onemag.org/22d6.htm for more details