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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Soul-winning is the heartbeat at Robeline

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ROBELINE, La. (LBM) –A flu outbreak in the Ashley Lewis family nearly prevented her from attending a recent revival service held at the First Baptist Church in Robeline, but a miraculous recovery within the household allowed her to experience the miracle of salvation during the final night, Jan. 31. By the end of the 12-day revival, extended two days past its scheduled conclusion, 53 people, including Lewis, responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and committed their lives to Christ -- with 44 of the new converts being baptized during the services. “(Evangelist) Sam Moore was talking about how you’re either a heartbeat away from Heaven or Hell, and I could not leave that night without ensuring that I would never be separated from my Savior,” said Lewis. “It was a new beginning.” OBEDIENT IN BAPTISM Lewis waited to be baptized on Feb. 9 so family members could attend. “Just the symbolism of likening baptism to resurrection to a new life made me feel close to Christ,” she added. “And knowing I had followed through in intentional obedience has made my faith stronger. I have a new hunger for God that I never knew I was missing.” Brian Ray, pastor of First Baptist … [Read more...]

U.S. Senate Chaplain to headline Governor’s Prayer Breakfast

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black will headline next month’s Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, March 10 at the Crowe Plaza Executive Center, 4728 Constitution Ave. in Baton Rouge. Black opens the Senate in prayer each day and provides counsel and spiritual care for senators, their families, and staff – a combined constituency of more than 7,000, according to a news release from the Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast office. He assumed his position on July 7, 2003, after serving in the U.S. Navy for 27 years, including as the chief of Navy chaplains, according to his website. During his tenure, Black earned the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Meritorious Service Medals (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals (two awards), and numerous unit awards, campaign, and service medals. Additionally, Black received the 1995 National Association for the Advancement of Color People Renowned Service Award for his contribution to equal opportunity and civil rights. He also was given the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award from The Morehouse School of … [Read more...]

Greear names Stetzer to chair resolutions

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit in Durham, North Carolina, and serving his second term as SBC president, has named Ed Stetzer as the chair of the 2020 Resolutions Committee. Stetzer likely will be considered a controversial choice by many Southern Baptists. He is the interim teaching pastor for the Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois, a non-SBC congregation that ordains women as deaconesses and is elder-led. He is not the first controversial choice put forth by Greear. Despite promising to nominate candidates that looked like the rest of the Southern Baptist Convention, in 2019 Greear named his Committee on Committees, the group that shapes all trustee boards and the various SBC committees, with 31 percent identified as Calvinists by their beliefs and practices, compared to 10 percent of all Southern Baptists. One of the pastors on the list identified himself to his local newspaper as a non-denominational church with “Baptist” as its middle name. Greear also favored mega-churches over the small congregations that typify the Southern Baptist Convention. The average attendance among the committee members’ churches was 597. Meanwhile, just five percent … [Read more...]

SBC EC launches another ERLC investigation

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention formed a task force, Feb. 18, and charged it to investigate “past and present activities” of the Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission relating to “whether the actions of the Commission and its leadership are affecting Cooperative Program giving or the further advancement of the Cooperative Program.” It is the second time the ERLC, under the leadership of its president, Russ Moore, has come under fire in the last four years. In February 2017, the Executive Committee set up two investigative panels to study the ERLC after dozens of congregations either withheld funds to the SBC or left the SBC altogether after Moore made harsh comments about President Trump and his supporters. Among the prominent congregations that escrowed money was the historic Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, which withheld about $1 million in cooperative ministry funds. Meanwhile, only months earlier, during its 2016 annual meeting, the Louisiana Baptist Convention voted to set up study of its own regarding the ERLC “with regard to issues of concern to Louisiana Baptists.” Moore apologized in March 2017; … [Read more...]

Pastors Conference rejects SBC EC request for lineup changes

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—The Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference has declined a request from the SBC Executive Committee to change its lineup of speakers and entertainers. The SBC EC passed a resolution offering the pastors group use of the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting spaces in Orlando if it made changes to its proposed program, which was described as “sufficiently beyond the parameters of the faith and practice of Southern Baptists,” and made a payment of $100,000 (only a partial reimbursement of the actual cost of the facilities). Instead, the Pastors’ Conference, which has always been treated as a friend of the SBC although it has not official status with the denomination, said the First Baptist Church in Orlando, would pay the full cost for use of the spaces but not make any lineup changes. The amount of the full cost for use of the facilities has not been publicly released. David Uth, chairman of the Pastors’ Conference, also is pastor of First Orlando. It is not clear if the SBC EC will agree to this counter offer. At dispute are a number of platform personalities including David Hughes, pastor of Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, Florida. His Southern … [Read more...]

LBC pastor creates network to stop SBC’s leftward drift

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor BOSSIER CITY, La. (LBM)—Brad Jurkovich, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, announced on Valentine’s Day the launching of the Conservative Baptist Network, a grassroots movement of Southern Baptists “concerned about the current direction and perceived future of the Convention.” In just three days, more than 3,200 churches and individuals had signed onto the initiative to restore conservative Southern Baptist views of Scripture, Jurkovich told the Baptist Message. CONSERVATIVES Jurkovich is joined in leadership of the movement by a number of pastors and laymen, but two of the most prominent supporters are: Rod Martin, described as a “tech guru” by Fox Business News and noted especially for his work as a member of the startup team that developed and launched PayPal, and who serves as a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee; and, Chuck Kelley, a longtime Southern Baptist leader who recently retired after serving 24 years as president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. BATTLING RADICAL IDEAS During a radio broadcast about the announcement Jurkovich told Todd Starnes, a conservative Southern Baptist, formerly with Fox News, … [Read more...]

Archer shares how to live in Christ’s victory

By My Sherie Johnson PINEVILLE, La. (Wildcats Media) – How to live in Christ’s victory poses a serious question for Christians facing difficult situations, even persecution. Jess Archer shared insights from 1 Peter 4:1-11 in this regard during the Feb. 6 chapel service at Louisiana College. “What does it mean to live out Christ’s victory?” asked Archer. “In order to have victory in Christ, a person has to know where they are in Christ, be obedient, and surrender to what Christ is doing in their life,” she explained. “The Lord can do a lot of things with all believers, but when that surrendered and obedient Christian says, ‘Lord, I’ll follow you in whatever way,’ that is when He gets the glory.” Believers should remember Christ’s sacrifice and struggle to have hope through their struggles. Archer recommends anyone living in the flesh to confess and turn away from that sin, sit down with mature believers for guidance, pray, and study Scripture. “We need to understand what Christ has already done on the cross, and know that the victory has already been won,” Archer said. “I was super encouraged by today’s message,” said senior Convergence Media Major Chloe Berthelot. “I think the Gospel was really clearly presented … [Read more...]

Wildcats Media/Debate win awards

By LC Media Staff PINEVILLE, La. - Louisiana College convergence media students participated in the 2020 Southeast Journalism Conference held Feb. 13-15 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This year nearly 300 students from 31 colleges and universities across the Southeast participated in 15 on-site competitions and heard from Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist Ted Jackson and Cathy Straight, executive editor for CNN Digital, in a three-day conference.  In addition to the onsite competition, SEJC recognizes work collegiate journalists have done over the previous year, ranking the best work as Best of the South. Louisiana College student winners include: Best of the South: Alena Noakes              9th place, College Journalist of the Year Joel Thompson            3rd place, Opinion-Editorial Writer Aaron Quartemont     2nd place, Hard News Radio Reporter On-site competition: Jerry Clark                   2nd place, Radio News Reporting The Wildcat Debate team competed in the 12th Annual Eddy Shell Invitational at Bossier Parish Community College Feb. 14-16. Trinity Baugh was awarded second-place speaker and advanced to the finals in novice debate, losing … [Read more...]

Urgent prayer request needed for disaster relief volunteer

By Message Staff LAFAYETTE – Urgent prayers have been issued for Mel Granger, a Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer with the Acadia Baptist Association shower and laundry unit, who sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident Friday, February 14. According to Gibbie McMillan, Louisiana Baptists disaster relief strategist, Granger was struck by another vehicle around noon in Eunice. Granger, who is a member of North Eunice Baptist Church, is on life support at Lafayette General Medical Center. “Pray for the Lord’s will and for God’s grace to be with his family in this time of uncertainty,” McMillan told the Baptist Message. … [Read more...]

Adding value to others

By Waylon Bailey James Clear is a favorite writer. He has written about the power of habits and how you develop those powerful habits. Recently he wrote about adding value to other people. He said that before you ask for value you must give value to others. This fits many areas of life. Think about marriages. Most of the time we think about what our spouse doesn’t do. He/she doesn’t meet my needs, think about me, etc. James Clear would say that we have to add value to others before we can ask value from others. In other words, be sure that you are giving fully before you ask to receive. While I don’t know about James Clear’s religious beliefs, like so many other helpful people he is really expressing powerful words found in Scripture. Jesus told us to “do unto others as you want them to do for you.” Have you applied that to your marriage, your family, your friends at school, or your workplace? Have you considered the kind of difference this could make? What about what Jesus said about loving others as you love yourself? Would this turn everything around you upside down? And, what if two people in the marriage practice “doing unto others” and “loving others as we love ourselves?” Have you thought about your … [Read more...]