Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Don’t get discouraged

By Steve Horn I had the opportunity to address a group of pastors recently. I was asked to speak to them on the general subject of leadership. My message was simple. “Don’t Get Discouraged.” I think this is a lesson for anyone. I shared from my experiences briefly, but mostly I shared from the Bible story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was as a great a leader as I have ever studied. Nehemiah got people who had a decades old history of inactivity to build a protective wall around Jerusalem in 52 days. How did he do that? Nehemiah was able to get them to dwell on what God had said, rather than on what others were saying. Compare Nehemiah 2:8, 2:12, 2:20 with Nehemiah 4:2-3. Nehemiah was able to direct attention to the half built wall instead of the rubble. Rubble paralyzes us, but half built walls energize us. Nehemiah discovered friends who encouraged him. I have decided not to waste my time on the people who are critical all of the time. They zap the life out of me. I call them “drainers.” I look for the “refreshers.” We have to listen to critics, but we cannot hang out with critics. We become like them. Finally, Nehemiah decided that his God was bigger than all other struggles. Here is Nehemiah’s motto: “Remember the … [Read more...]

SBC: A leader in racial reconciliation

You By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA (LBM)—Southern Baptist history is complicated. Slavery is most often cited as the cause for the split from Northern Baptists that led to the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention, and it was a decisive factor. However, Southern Baptists also strongly disagreed with Northern Baptists regarding how they were organized as the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions (also known as the Triennial Convention). In general, Southern members preferred a more centralized structure of operating while Northern members favored the formation of independent societies for home missions, foreign missions and the publication of tracts, according to historian Robert A. Baker. Likewise, Baptists in the South felt they were not being treated equitably in the appointment of home missionaries to the region. But, the records of the first SBC annual meeting indicate the final straw was the approval by the Board of the Triennial Convention, in a Boston meeting, of a new rule that prohibited slave owners from serving as foreign missionaries. W.B. Johnson, the first SBC president, perceived the action not in terms of … [Read more...]

Graham: Prayer breakfast a refreshing example of Republicans, Democrats coming together in Jesus’ name

By Franklin Graham It was a privilege to be at the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 8. Many powerful testimonies to God and prayers for our country were shared by different individuals. The Prayer breakfast is a bipartisan event co-chaired by a Democrat and a Republican. This just goes to show you that both parties in Washington can work together – when we come together in Jesus' name. It was refreshing to see. Below are some of the comments made by the President yesterday morning. Pray for himand for all of our leaders in Washington. “Each year this event reminds us that faith is central to American life and to liberty. Our founders invoked our Creator four times in the Declaration of Independence. Our currency declares ‘In God We Trust.’ And we place our hands on our hearts as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance and proclaim we are 'One Nation Under God.'" “America is a nation of believers and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer.” “Our rights are not given to us by man; our rights come from our Creator. No matter what, no earthly force can take those rights away. That is why the words, ‘praise be to God’ are etched atop the Washington Monument, and those same words are etched into the hearts of … [Read more...]