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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Abraham urges passage of Farm Bill

By Office of Congressman Ralph Abraham WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Ralph Abraham (R-Alto) issued the following statement in response a vote May 18 on the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, commonly known as the farm bill, failed on a 213-198 vote. "Today a small group of Republicans joined Democrats to block the best chance we had to institute work requirements for food stamps so that people can lift themselves out of poverty and enter the workforce,” said Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church. “I know that Democrats have vowed to block bills like this that President Trump supports, but Republicans should be working together instead of holding each other hostage over unrelated issues. This was a good Farm Bill that implemented work requirements for SNAP and provided the policies our farmers rely on for planning so that they can keep feeding this country. Those who voted "no" turned their backs on President Trump and the American farmer. They need to get on board so we can pass this bill that is critical to the success of American agriculture.” … [Read more...]

Louisiana’s Johnson applauds passage of Louisiana prayer bill

By Office of Congressman Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04) applauded the Louisiana Legislature on its amended “school prayer bill” (La. Senate Bill 512), which was passed late Friday evening, May 18, in the final moments of the legislature’s 2018 regular session. Earlier this month, Johnson, who previously served as senior legal counsel for America’s largest religious liberty defense organization, joined with many of the nation’s other leading religious liberty attorneys and constitutional law experts to offer suggestions on how to amend the controversial legislation. “We applaud the hard work of the legislature, and especially those principled leaders in the Louisiana House, who stepped forward to correct and pass the revised version of SB 512," Johnson said in a statement. "What began as a very flawed piece of legislation that would have jeopardized the rights to religious expression in public schools was properly amended in the House. The new law will now provide much-needed clarity for students, teachers and coaches throughout Louisiana. “In the complex and widely misunderstood area of the law pertaining to school prayer, legislation is sometimes proposed on a state and local level that … [Read more...]

Evangelist Jerry Drace to be nominated SBC 2nd VP in Dallas

By Staff DALLAS – Tennessee Evangelist and Pastor Jerry Drace will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas, during the denomination’s June 12-13 annual meeting, Ernest Easley announced May 16. "I believe it’s important to elect a vocational evangelist to serve as one of the officers of the SBC to help keep a focus on evangelism,” Easley, professor of evangelism at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, told the Baptist Message. “It will only strengthen Southern Baptists, having an evangelist in the room and at the table when discussing subjects that impact our Convention.” Drace has served as a vocational evangelist for more than 40 years, having preached in approximately 1,000 Southern Baptist churches and conducted 300 of his signature Hope of the Home conferences in the U.S. and Great Britain, according to his official bio. For the past eight years, he has served as bi-vocational pastor at Friendship Baptist Church, the west Tennessee congregation his father once pastored and where he came to faith in Christ, Drace told the Baptist Message. Drace is a former president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists. He shared how a discussion with Ken … [Read more...]

LARTL applauds State Legislature for bipartisan passage of Pro-Life Laws

BATON ROUGE –The successful passage of a diverse package of life-protective laws this legislative session is being heralded as ‘major accomplishments’ by the Louisiana Right to Life. Those bills include: HB 449, the first in the nation "Adoption Option Act," will require abortion clinics to give women concrete information to make an adoption plan so that the mother is empowered to avoid the trauma of abortion and choose life for her child with a loving family; HB 891 enhances existing state policy preventing taxpayer funds from being used directly or indirectly by abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood; SB 181 provides an additional provision to Louisiana’s current trigger law by prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks gestation in the event the same Mississippi law is upheld in the U.S. Fifth Circuit. This provision is in addition to a 2006 trigger that will ban all abortion once the Supreme Court returns the issue to the states. HB 273 authorizes the Department of Heath to promulgate regulations that the bodies of aborted unborn children are given dignified burial in accord with the treatment of unclaimed human corpses. HB 297 addresses the creation of materials giving resources for children prenatally … [Read more...]

Jesus and only Jesus: why is that so difficult?

By Joe McKeever Only Jesus. No one has been to Heaven except the One who came from there. (John 3:13) How clear is that? He is the One who knows. No one can come to God the Father except through Jesus. (John 14:6) How clear is that? He is our mediator. No one can know God unless Jesus reveals Him to them. (Matthew 11:27) How clear is that? He is the revealer. There is no other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Only Jesus. (Acts 4:12) How clear is that? He is our Savior. Jesus said He was given authority over all mankind. (John 3:35; 13:3; 17:2 and Matthew 28:18) How clear is that?  He is Lord. Here’s an outline that sums it up for me.  It got me out of bed in the middle of the night recently. Use it if you can and if the Lord leads. There is only One who has come from Heaven – and He alone is our AUTHORITY on matters of Heaven and eternity. (John 3:13) That’s why even the Father told people, “Listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35) There is only One who has gone to the cross and made atonement for our sins–and He alone is our SAVIOR.  (John 3:16) That’s why the Holy Spirit draws people to Him. He is the door. (John 10) There is only One who has risen from the dead and … [Read more...]