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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

A lesson on Thanksgiving when the happy ending has not come yet

By Steve Horn Habakkuk ended his prophecy like this: Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18yet I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights! (Habakkuk 3:17-19) Now, Habakkuk was not always in this praise place. In fact, if you read the whole book of Habakkuk, he was very far away from this place. Habakkuk most likely prophesied just before the beginning of the exile when the sin of Judah is at the peak. Habakkuk questioned God as to how long He would allow sin to reign in Judah (1:1-4). God answered back that He was preparing the Babylonians to deal with Judah’s sin (1:5-11). Habakkuk’s second question concerns how God could use the Babylonians, who were more wicked, to be the instrument of judgment against Judah (1:12-2:1). When God answers Habakkuk’s questions we learn several important truths. God is always at work even if we do not see how He is at work. God will speak at the right time. And so, we … [Read more...]

Louisiana Notables

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. IN REMEMBERANCE Glen Wagnon, 80, a native of DeRidder and resident of Baton Rouge passed away November 3. He also served in full-time ministry for over 40 years in churches throughout Louisiana -- Ludington Baptist, DeRidder; Baptist Temple, Alexandria; Northside Baptist, Lafayette; First Baptist Church, Olla; First Baptist Church, Starks and Emmanuel Baptist Church, Oakdale. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Baptist Message for a number of years. Following his retirement he continued to preach as an interim and had supply preaching roles for numerous churches. He preached his last sermon only four weeks before his death. In his spare time, he was an avid hunter, fisherman, and LSU sports fan. He was preceded in death by his mother, Elizabeth Sheppard; by his father, Malvin Wagnon, Sr.; and by his sister, … [Read more...]

8. Skills of a church planter: Commitment to church growth

By John Hebert ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – The Scripture has a lot to say about growth of the Kingdom, but perhaps the key passage is Matthew 13 which describes the four soils and the resulting harvest from each. The same chapter also shares a parable that compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed, “which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Both of these references strongly convey the idea that the Kingdom of God should grow, and should convict you that your church should grow. Leaders must be committed to developing key skills and gaining valuable experiences that help them grow their congregations. LESSON LEARNED A key principle about church growth is that it is a function of health. A healthy church will grow almost with little eff ort, and an unhealthy congregation will not grow no matter what you do. These concepts are real to me because of something that happened during my first year of marriage. In fact it was less than a year after Kitty and I had recited our nuptials, and we were living in Lecompte, when I decided I would plant my first garden. I went down to the … [Read more...]

Couple heaven-bound after Gospel dial-up

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LEESVILLLE, La. (LBM) – For many years Gil James and his wife, Karen, believed they were Heaven bound based solely on their good deeds. But on a late July evening, during a phone call with Karen’s brother-inlaw, Eric Jarell, the couple finally accepted that they could enter Heaven only through a relationship with Christ. Moments later, they prayed to receive Christ in their living room, and months later they publicly declared their faith through baptism at Canaan Baptist Church in Leesville. “We had been going right along with our regular life for quite a few years and knew something was missing,” James told the Baptist Message. “One night it hit us we needed to change our life. The morning after we gave our lives to Christ we both woke up with this feeling of newness. Months went by and we realized that we needed to take that next step of obedience through baptism in front of our family members. Both of us lived all these years without Christ and now we can’t get enough of serving Him every day.” SOW AND REAP The Jameses were among four people baptized Sept. 8, and nine since January, at Canaan Baptist Church. Pastor Jason Nolde said the baptisms reflect an increased … [Read more...]

WRAPUP: Resolutions, motions, budget and elections

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists enjoyed fellowship and worship during the LBC Annual meeting, but also conducted important business, passing resolutions, addressing motions, approving a budget and electing leaders. RESOLUTIONS Messengers approved four consensus statements, with three offering respectively: a statement of appreciation to the Randolph Riverfront Center in Alexandria for hosting the annual meeting and to individuals who contributed in important ways to the production of the twoday event; a declaration that being transformed from sinner to believer means our “old selves have passed away” as well as our old identity with those sins; and, a call for Louisiana lawmakers “to provide legal relief for churches to allow them the freedom to share information reasonably believed to be a true allegation about an individual to prospective employers or other congregations – as a means to prevent predators from continuing to harm others.” But the fourth stated Louisiana Baptists’ support for the proposed “Love Life Amendment,” slated to be on the statewide ballot in 2020. The resolution gives “our strongest possible endorsement of the Love Life Amendment and the … [Read more...]