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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Takeaways about prayer

By Waylon Bailey Prayer is at the heart of our Christian faith. In Scripture, we find many examples of prayer including and culminating with Jesus’ model prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). We also find exhortations to pray, and we find different aspects of prayer. One of the great passages about prayer is Paul’s writing to the Ephesians. In this passage, Paul described prayer as essential to our living faithfully. As we pray urgently, fervently, and constantly, we equip ourselves for the onslaught that we receive from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Paul wrote these powerful words as encouragement for God’s people to pray. “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to  proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20). Here are some takeaways about prayer from this passage of Scripture. First, prayer should be more “all” and less “some.” Notice that Paul uses “all” four times in Ephesians 6:18. We pray at all times with all prayer with all … [Read more...]

Joseph Willis: The story of the first Louisiana Baptist

Pilgrims and served as governor for over 30 years. As noted before, he is credited as the first government leader to proclaim the Thanksgiving holiday. Importantly, William Bradford’s Mayflower pedigree did not have as much influence on Joseph’s life as much as the religious movement that crossed with him on this ship. Bradford was a committed member of what was termed a “Separatist” church. Unlike Puritans who wanted to purify the Church of England, Separatists wanted to break from it because they felt it was beyond redemption due to unbiblical doctrines and teachings. It was Bradford’s Separatist views about religious freedom that would greatly influence Joseph Willis more than a century later. By 1790, Joseph and Rachel were living in Cheraws County (now named Marlboro County), South Carolina, just southwest of Bladen County, across the state line. The 1790 census lists him as the head of the household with two females and one male over 16. In South Carolina, two more children were born to the couple: Joseph Willis Jr., born in 1792, and Rachel’s last child, named after her, Rachel Willis, born circa 1794. Rachel died this same year at only 32 years old, but it is not known if she died in childbirth. Joseph was … [Read more...]