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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Archives for January 2017

BILLY GRAHAM: Don’t lose sight

By Billy Graham ..when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem... - Luke 2:45 We might as well face it, strife has even infiltrated our church life. It is true enough that the Church is now the Church militant. But, as such, its warfare ought to be that of dedication to revealed truth and divine holiness, and not intramural bickering and carnal disputes. We read in the second chapter of Luke that Joseph and Mary lost Jesus one day. Where did they lose Him? They lost Him in the most unlikely place in all the world-the Temple. I have seen many people lose Jesus right in the church. I have seen them lose Him in a dispute about who was to be choir director, who was to play the organ, who was to be an elder, or who was to be the minister. Yes, because we are human, though Christian, it is easy to lose sight of Jesus right in the temple! Prayer for the day Don't let me lose sight of You, Lord, in the complex logistics of everyday life. … [Read more...]

Pitman: get desperate for God and see a great movement from Him

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer RUSTON – Sensing a prompting of the Holy Spirit during the final session of the Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference, church planter Vance Pitman issue an altar call to anyone willing to pray for and share Christ with every home in the state. In the end, dozens of people came forward inside the Temple Baptist Church worship center to accept a massive challenge called the Harvest Initiative that Pitman said appears to seem an impossible task. But as he told pastors and others during his message Tuesday evening, Jan. 24, the same God who moved in the early church more than 2,000 years ago is the same God who is on the move today. “It’s a massive goal - every home, every person,” Pitman said. “I can’t imagine a church not wanting to be a part of that.” Throughout the next two years, 700 Louisiana Baptist churches will be challenged to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person” in the state. After spending 2016 to plan and enlist leaders and churches and using 2017 to conduct statewide evangelism training and pilot different methods, Louisiana Baptists will join together across the state in 2018 in prayer events and intentional soul-winning activities. The … [Read more...]