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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

God’s amazing promises to you

By Greg Laurie I read the other day that $5.8 billion in gift cards go unclaimed every year. Think of all that money not utilized. Those gift cards are already paid for. They just need to be cashed in. The Bible is filled with promises from God that we all too often disregard like unused gift cards. Someone has estimated there are 3,000 promises to believers found in the pages of Scripture. I don’t know if that figure is accurate, but I do know there are numerous promises that God has given us in the Bible. For example, God says we will never be alone in life. In Isaiah 41, the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (verse 10, NLT). And Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV). God also promises to get us through whatever we’re facing. A while back, a young friend of mine had just received a round of chemo treatments and sent me a text asking me to pray that he could keep food down. I texted him my prayer for him. I happened to be writing down this promise from Isaiah at the time, so I included it in my text: “When you go through deep waters, I will be … [Read more...]

Women’s conference to challenge participants to be more ‘obedient’

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Author and Bible study leader Katie Orr and dramatist, speaker and  author Gwen “Ms. Chocolate” Williams will challenge hundreds of women to become more obedient in their walk with Christ at the upcoming Kaleidoscope women’s conference. More than 300 women are expected to attend the annual conference Feb. 23-24 at First Baptist Church, Pineville. The theme of the 2018 conference is “Obedience.” Janie Wise, women’s missions and ministry strategist for Louisiana Baptists, said this year’s Kaleidoscope features several firsts. Not only has the conference expanded to include an additional day to offer more opportunities for fellowship and breakout sessions, but event organizers also will offer participants the chance to purchase a women’s missions and ministry shirt. “The important thing about Kaleidoscope is what God has in store for each of us related to obedience,” Wise said. “It’s not an easy topic, but I invite each woman across Louisiana to come and learn together,” Wise continued. “We will better serve the Lord and more effectively reach the lost when we learn to live in obedience to Him. We have a great program team to help us.” During the main sessions, Orr, author … [Read more...]

Agarwal challenges students to focus on ‘Next’ things in life

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Rahul Agarwal challenged students attending the recent Collegiate Evangelism Conference to consider how their everyday choices impact their future. “When you ask about what’s next, are you thinking of what’s tomorrow or what’s in your future or are you thinking of what’s in light of eternity,” said Agarwal, the director of men and married couples at Gwinnett Church, a campus of the non-denominational North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Ga., and a former Baptist Collegiate Ministry director at the University of South Florida. “So many times we are so relegated to now. We just think of now,” he continued. “We worry about our own lives instead of thinking of eternity and thinking about what God has for us.” Responding to his challenge to include Christ in their future, 10 students came forward to declare Christ the Lord of their lives, while many others answered the Holy Spirit’s call to follow Christ in obedience on a daily basis. Agarwal’s messages were part of a two-day conference that included seminars, worship led by the House Band – a group comprised of former Baptist Collegiate Ministry members from around the state – and a late-night fellowship. The … [Read more...]