One Year Later

December 2023, A Letter to Second Baptist Church:

Dear Second Family,

It has been an entire year since I became your pastor! In some ways this year has been a whirlwind of new things. In many ways it has been a reminder of the importance of trusting God and depending on Him in everything. I am thankful that God called me to be the Lead Pastor at Second Baptist Church, and I am looking forward to all that He has in store for us. But if we want to see God continue to work in our church, then we need the power of God in our lives.

Recently, Pastor Gabe and I went to the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention (SBTC) annual meeting in Dallas, and I want to share with you some things God laid on my heart while we were there. This was my first SBTC meeting and my first time in Dallas. I did not know what to expect or what God was going to impress upon me while we were there. I was pleased with the messages we heard and how God spoke to me through them.

The first message was by SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick. He gave an overview of the vision and direction of the SBTC moving into the future. The Lord has been working and giving vision to the leadership of the convention, and with this year being the 25th anniversary of its existence, this was the perfect time for God to lead us forward with a “vision refocus.” Lorick told us that the goal moving forward is to “Mobilize churches to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and Around the world.” I was thrilled to hear this, because our church has been refocusing on multiplication through relational discipleship over the last few months. At Second Baptist Angleton, we want to multiply Christians, Small Groups (Sunday School), and churches through multiplication-minded Discipleship Groups, Small Groups, and Missions. I am happy to know that the SBTC has the same mind and will be a good partner as we seek to fulfill this vision.

But the message that God used to speak to me the most was by Todd Kaunitz (SBTC President 2022-23). His sermon was about the need of the presence of the Holy Spirit for fruitfulness in ministry. He taught from Luke 24:48-49 and Acts 1:4-5. In these two passages, the resurrected Jesus tells His disciples that they were to wait until they received the Holy Spirit before they went out to proclaim the good news. Todd pointed out that in order to do effective gospel ministry, we need the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He went on to say that many of the problems we face today are because we try to do gospel ministry without the power of God in the presence of the Spirit. I believe this is 100% true. Whether it be individually or corporately, we often try to obey the Lord in our own power without realizing we need His power to do what He has called us to do.

If we want to live out the mission that Nathan Lorick illuminated, then we have to take seriously Todd Kaunitz’ message to depend on the power of God. I believe the reason we don’t evangelize is because we aren’t walking in the Spirit. The reason we don’t disciple people relationally is because we aren’t self-controlled by the Spirit. The reason we don’t show hospitality by inviting people into our homes and lives is because we aren’t growing in the fruit of the Spirit. The reason church seems boring or a chore is because we don’t depend on the Spirit. The reason we aren’t making bigger gospel impacts on our communities is because we are trying to do so without the Spirit.

So, what is the solution to this problem of powerlessness? Try harder? Do more? Organize better? No. The answer is to look to God’s word for guidance and then sit still before God in prayer. The early church was a great example of this. In Acts 1:14, while they waited for God’s power to come, they prayed. In Acts 4:31 and 12:5 and 12 we see the church praying for God to work. The clear implication for us is that if we want to see God move in our lives, then we must chill out and pray. So often we think that the busier we are and the more we do for God, the more effective we are for the Kingdom. But that isn’t true at all. That mentality is just a construct of our hyper production-focused culture. But God can do more with one Holy Spirit empowered sermon than a billion sermons devoid of His presence.

What do we need to do as Christians who want to be faithful to the task we have been given? We need to pray. We need to pray seriously and intentionally. We need to have vibrant personal prayer lives and serious intentional corporate prayer gatherings. We need many people praying for godly biblical things. We need everyone praying for gospel movements and awakenings amongst the lost. We need to pray less about the things we are upset about and pray more about the things God instructs us to pray about. Jesus taught us how to pray. He gave us a perfect template in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. But most of the time our prayers are all about us, our ailments, and our complaints. No wonder God isn’t bringing awakenings and revivals. All we are praying for is cancer to go away, bad neighbors to move, and the younger generation to get a better work ethic. When the answer to cancer, relationship problems, and all other host of circumstantial issues is a movement of the gospel in the hearts and lives of the church and the community surrounding us. Life in Christ defeats death. Life in Christ restores relationships. Life in Christ makes us motivated to serve. Life in Christ brings joy in the midst of sorrow.

I believe that if we are going to have a vibrant, sustainable, and God-glorifying future here at Second Baptist Church, then we have got to pray as the Lord instructed us. Recently in our Wednesday night prayer meetings, we have begun using the A.C.T.S. prayer acronym. It stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. This acronym helps us to pray in the themes that Jesus gave us in the Lord’s prayer. It is easily used in private and corporate prayer, and I encourage you to employ it in your daily quiet time with God.

The reality is that we can’t make our church a powerful source of gospel ministry. But we can ask God to do that! And so, as we adore the Lord, confess our sins, thank Him for the gospel and His blessings, and ask Him to move in mighty ways in our church and community, I believe it will only be a matter of time.

Would you make prayer a priority in your life?

Sincerely,

Pastor Brian Van Doren