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As an adolescent, I remember my parents taking me to Bokchito, Okla., to visit some relatives. I was fascinated by the name of this place. It was not the pronunciation—both “o’s” are long and the “i” is short. The literal Choctaw meaning of Bokchito is “Big Creek.” That was funny because I don’t remember it being close to a creek but it wasn’t far from the Boggy River.

On the side of one of the downtown buildings was a statement in large but worn letters. The statement read, “Bokchito – Biggest Little Town in Oklahoma.”

What fascinated me all these years with that memory is the attitude that was reflected by the entrepreneur who had the letters boldly scripted on the wall of his building.

The attitude I saw reflected was, “We may be small in number but we can make a difference.” Kinda makes me want to go watch a rerun of “Rudy,” the little guy that made an attitudinal difference in Notre Dame football.

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While researching information about missions, I came across a sermon by Dr. J.D. Grey, the pastor of the historic First Baptist Church of New Orleans. By every account, Grey was a “preaching machine.” He possessed a passion for God and the things of God. He was a man of deep conviction and incredible speaking skills.

Grey was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1951 and 1952. He was the presiding president for the 1953 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston.

That year, Grey preached an amazing message to a convention of churches that were gearing up to do something extraordinary. In 1953-1954, there was an obvious passion for reaching lost people with the gospel. Southern Baptist churches were collectively engaged in reaching over one million new believers—one million more in 54.

Grey spoke to this collective passion. “Every church we organize in the homeland, every institution we set up, every program we project, should have as its end result the giving of the gospel of Christ to all peoples of all the world. The spirit of missions, or world evangelization, has made us what we are and it and only it will maintain us.”

Little did he know that what he said would be so prophetic. Back in Grey’s days, as well as this day, if you have three Baptists, you have five opinions. However, the only time we cease pontificating is when we focus on missions in our state, the nation and the world. It is missions that assemble us into a collective force.

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I confess. I’m partial to pickups. There is something that just feels good about driving in a “sitting-up” position and kinda looking out over the road. Those who know me well know that I really don’t “sit-up” in a car seat but instead take an almost recliner position. However, I like driving with a “king-of-the-road” perspective.

When I catch a ride with a colleague in a regular car or in one of those sporty vehicles, my perspective changes. Instead of noticing the load a flat-bed truck is carrying, I notice how big the tractor truck tires are and the hub on the axle is level with my door. Instead of seeing what manner of person is driving the truck, I’m looking at the size of the fuel tank hanging next to the window in the car.

It is all about perspective.

To the city consumer, the price of food seems horrifically high. Yet, the farmer/rancher can’t seem to get enough to cover his hard costs for equipment and fuel, much less his labor and investment of time cultivating crops or caring for livestock. The drought of 2012 means many things, but for those in agribusiness this is a very tough year. While the city dweller is disappointed that his shade tree in the backyard is stressing and losing its leaves, there are many in the agriculture business who are losing their farms and their livestock.

It’s all about perspective.

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Newsflash—According to Associated Press, Bible Ministries International has announced that the Judgment Day predicted in the Scriptures begins on May 21, 2011. Somehow through the manipulation of calendars and biblical references, the organization that wants to remain nameless, wants people to know that the door of salvation will be shut on this day and the end-time clock is in motion. As a matter of fact, the organization has embarked on a billboard campaign to let everyone know.
What do Southern Baptists say about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Here is what the Baptist Faith and Message states:
X. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.

Throughout our history, Southern Baptists have consistently stated that we believe the Scriptures are very clear that Jesus is coming. Furthermore, we have openly resisted those who would be so presumptuous as to think they can place God on a timetable of human design. When He comes, it will be sudden—as a thief in the night.

We have understood the Scriptures to teach us that every generation should live as if they are the terminal generation. Jesus chose not to reveal a precise date. However, He does warn His followers that as long as history continues there will be troubles and major calamities in the world. He strictly cautioned His followers to stay away from attempting to predict the timing of His return.

When the Lord Jesus tells His disciples that the gospel must be preached to all the nations (Matthew 24:14), He isn’t giving us a methodology for hastening His return through aggressive mission strategies. He is stating that the purpose for being here is to share the gospel with the nations. We must not allow wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes or any other circumstance keep us from our mission.

Consequently, we, the followers of the Lord Jesus, should be aggressive, focused, strategic, and abandoned to multigenerational strategies to reach the lost in this world. We need to implement personal and cooperative strategies that share the gospel now and with future generations. Jesus is calling His disciples then and now to avoid worldly entanglements and live “full throttle” for His purposes. He tells His followers to stay on message preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. Live as if you are ready to meet Christ face to face at any moment—in the twinkling of an eye.

My family goes way back with the Elliffs. They are extraordinary, godly people. We’ve served at two churches together and remained friends through the years. I count Tom as the chief among the many mentors who’ve challenged and molded my life and ministry. So, from a legacy perspective, what can Southern Baptists expect from Dr. Elliff’s election as president of the International Mission Board?

1. Passion for the Word of God permeates everything. E. F. Hallock and Manley Beasley taught Tom that God always has something important to say to our current circumstances. He has chosen to reveal Himself through the precious, inerrant Word of God. Whether you are talking about a local church, an individual’s faith journey or an institution as comprehensive as the International Mission Board, Tom believes that God reveals His heart through the Scripture and that the believer’s important role is that of faith.
As a result, Tom will cast a vision for Southern Baptists that is larger than our flesh, larger than our abilities. Even with our great mission boards and educational institutions, we don’t have enough power or resources or people to fulfill the vision that God has for His people. No amount of reallocating Southern Baptist Cooperative Program resources will be sufficient to fund what the Lord wants to do through His people called Southern Baptists. Tom will challenge Southern Baptists to lay down the cravings of our flesh personally and collectively to take up the call of God to reach the nations of the world until the Lord returns.

2. Prayer knees prevail over Baptist babbling. In the sphere of Southern Baptist life, the Internet, bloggers and conferences speakers are ranting these days about the demise of denominational strategies to reach the world. The whipping boy is any part of the Cooperative Program funding stream that isn’t international missions. With great verbosity some have discredited, devalued the work of the churches through state conventions, associations and Baptist institutions.
In the past, you haven’t heard Tom stoop to these disrespectful practices. Tom is a seasoned prayer warrior. His practice is that of talking less and praying more. Instead of discrediting one another and the work of our churches in various jurisdictions, he will challenge us to seek God’s presence together. Instead of pontificating our opinions and seeing how much political muscle we can flex, let’s work out competent strategies from the platform of brokenness, prayer and mutual respect for one another’s usefulness in God’s kingdom.

3. Family life is a brighter testimony to the world than institutional prowess. Over the course of years, I’ve watch as Tom, Jeannie and their family have provided a model of compassion for each other. Their unconditional love for each family member is a testimony to many others. One of the Elliffs’ assets is their vulnerability. They aren’t perfect, but they love each other and have learned the great value of forgiving one another. They have needs as attested by the recent journey through Jeannie’s oncology treatments. They wrestle with the things everyday people face but in the end they exercise good, godly judgment and are faithful to the Lord. No great church, no institution of global outreach can surpass the power of a family testimony.

4. Shining the light of the Gospel on global lostness is every believer’s responsibility. Tom will be clear and concise in his message that the International Mission Board is not the Southern Baptist Convention’s “hired gun” to reach the lost peoples of the world. The IMB is a sending agency that provides the strategies and the support for the called and is one of the primary facilitators for churches seeking to fulfill their Acts 1:8 mandate. However, every believer everywhere has the opportunity to witness to the people in this world. Whether Tom is in the buckle of the Bible belt or a hotel in Tel Aviv or a Honolulu MacDonald’s or in a Southeast Asian market or an airport in Bangalore, Tom is attentive to his surroundings as a witnessing opportunity. By the practice of his own life, he models what every Southern Baptist, no matter where they might be living or working, are called to be, a witnesses for Christ. If we are to reach the lostness in the world or this nation or in our cities or our neighborhoods, Southern Baptists must return to personal witnessing about the transformational work of God through Jesus Christ in our individual lives.

The word “retirement” isn’t in Tom Elliff’s vocabulary because he’s spent face time with the One who knows the number of our days. You will find he rarely uses the word “can’t” because he knows the God who can. You will hear him talk about a global vision to reach the unsaved lost with all the energy, resources, creativity and faith the Lord has entrusted to Southern Baptists.

Today I visited with a young pastor. Every time I have talked with him my heart is refreshed. His new church plant is prospering. His passion for souls oozes through his every sentence.

Today he asked, “How does my new church become a Louisiana Southern Baptist church? What steps do we take to participate in the Cooperative Program?”

This is that perfect moment when you sense he is at a special time in his faith journey. Either he gains the right information or his honest request shrinks and is never visited again.

At that moment, I took him through the process of participating in the Cooperative Program. I took him to the state convention accounting office. They explained the protocols.

So many voices in SBC life seem to articulate that the CP is a dinosaur, a relic of a by-gone day. But not this young man. He sees its value in helping his church reach this state, nation and the world with the gospel.

May his tribe of collaborating young pastors increase.