Episode 461

Maui Churches Continue Amid Slow Recovery, Online Worshipers Lead in Frequent Bible Reading & the Secret to Loving Your Wife Better

Oct 19, 2023

It has been 10 weeks since flames whipped over and through Maui, taking nearly 100 lives while destroying homes and historical markers. That latest release from the State of the Bible delved into how many people read the Bible at least weekly outside of normal church services and certain descriptive characteristics concerning them. And, New England pastor Tim Counts says that if a man wants to love his wife better…he should love Jesus better. Even more, Counts encourages men to love their wives like Christ loves the church.

Transcript

It has been 10 weeks since flames whipped over and through Maui, taking nearly 100 lives while destroying homes and historical markers. Even now, a return to normalcy seems far away, with many residents saying it’s frustratingly far away.

That pace, they hear, is due at least in part from the age of many structures lost in the fires that began Aug. 8. Harmful materials such as asbestos can be kicked up with any large-scale cleanup. A left-behind propane tank poses its own threat.
So, they wait.

All but two families at Lahaina Baptist Church lost their homes. The church building itself was unharmed, but transitional pastor Barry Campbell said he and others have been allowed only one five-minute visit to gather some essential office items. The church itself has been meeting outside at a local park.

Send Relief statistics count 61 families assisted with recovery work such as ash sifting and other repairs. There have been nine recorded professions of faith and nearly 11,000 volunteer hours contributed.
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That latest release from the State of the Bible delved into how many people read the Bible at least weekly outside of normal church services and certain descriptive characteristics concerning them.

Among top findings:

1. 25 percent of American adults use the Bible at least weekly, amounting to about 65 million people.

2. More than half of Evangelicals, 53 percent, report reading the Bible weekly, compared to 21 percent of Catholics who do so.

3. Black Americans far surpass others in reading the Bible at least weekly, with 38 percent reporting so, compared to 23 percent among all other ethnic groups combined. Nearly one in five Blacks (19 percent) read the Bible daily, outpacing all other groups combined, which numbered 8 percent.

Curiosity about Scripture doesn’t necessarily drive Scripture reading, the ABS found. About 39 million U.S. adults say they are extremely curious about Scripture, but don’t read it at least weekly. More than half of Americans, 52 percent, wish they read Scripture more, but only 14 percent increased their Bible reading in the past year.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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New England pastor Tim Counts says that if a man wants to love his wife better…he should love Jesus better. Even more, Counts encourages men to love their wives like Christ loves the church.

In the Baptist Press Toolbox he writes, “As I have studied what the Bible says about marriage, both for my own growth and for the growth of others whom I am trying to help, I have become convinced that Christ’s relationship with the church is the controlling metaphor that God has given us to help us understand marriage. A controlling metaphor is a word picture that explains something for an entire work of literature. At the beginning of the Bible, when God created marriage in the Garden of Eden, he initiated a human covenant relationship that he knew could reflect the relationship between his Son and his people. Even so many years before Jesus, even in the Garden, God was pointing ahead to his Son.

At the end of the Bible, when God plans a celebration feast for the consummation of the ages, he describes it using what term? The marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7, 9)! When we love our wives like Christ loves the church, we are playing our part in a story that has been told since the beginning of time, a story that will continue to be celebrated at the end of time as we step into the beginning of forever.”

You can read the full piece and learn more about our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.

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