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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Renewed Journey: From eviction to rap to multi-ethnic church planting

By John Kyle, Louisiana Baptists communication director ALEXANDRIA --To say, “Checkerz Williams did not grow up in the church,” is at best an understatement. According to Williams, his father left when he was born and he was raised by his teenage mother. Growing up in Las Vegas he became addicted to alcohol and had a propensity to get in fights, which eventually led to him being evicted from his home at the age of 19. “I didn’t know what else to do so I reached out to my biological father, whom I’d only seen a few times in my life,” Williams shared. “By this time he had remarried, had two other children and was getting ready to move back to North Carolina. So I moved there and began to work in construction. “While working, my boss, who resembled the TV character Grizzly Adams, would share the Gospel with me,” he continued. “I rejected it at first, thinking ‘Where was God when I was going through all this pain in my life?’ But eventually the Lord softened my heart and I surrendered to my life to Him in November of 1992.” Prior to becoming a Christian, Williams enjoyed rap music. He first thought he might have to give up rap, but his boss encouraged him just to change the message of his music and, as examples, … [Read more...]

King of Kings

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- Jesus stood in the Praetorium after a night of being arrested and questioned by Caiaphas the High Priest. Now it was Pilate who asked Him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus replied, "You say rightly that I am a king" (John 18:37). And what a King! He is the King of the Jews. In Matthew, a delegation of Eastern Magi arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" Near the end of Matthew, a sign is affixed to the cross of Jesus, reading, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." He is the King of Israel. In John 1:49, Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" He is the King of Righteousness. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was prefigured by Melchizedek, the mysterious character in the book of Genesis "to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated 'King of Righteousness.'" He is the King of Peace. In the same passage in Hebrews 7, Jesus is compared with Melchizedek in his role as king of Salem, which, according to verse 2, means "King of Peace." He is the King Over All the Earth. This title is found near the end of the Old Testament, in the passage in Zechariah describing our … [Read more...]

Back to school praying

By Steve Horn Since 1975 when I started kindergarten, every August has meant “back to school.” Every August, I have either been a student, the husband of a school teacher, the pastor of a church with a school, or the parent of a student. That is a lot of back to school prayers (and a lot of tuition). For those of us with children, I’m convinced that the first day of school marks the beginning of a new year more so than January 1. As we begin another school year, let me give you a couple of reminders about praying for your child and your child’s teachers. When praying for your child’s teachers: Pray for the teacher’s salvation. This is the most important prayer we can offer for anybody. Pray that your relationship with your child’s teacher can lead to spiritual conversations. Pray for a good relationship with that teacher. Pray that you will model Christ in all of your dealings with your child’s teacher. Pray that the teacher will always be fair. This is not always easy, because they, like you, are human. When praying for your child: Pray that your children will learn this school year. After all, learning is the reason they are going to school. Don’t pray that they will make good grades; pray that they … [Read more...]