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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Christmas can be hard

Christmas can be hard. But it also can be good even when circumstances are difficult. Life is filled with difficulties. The circumstances of life sometimes make any celebration–birthdays, holidays, etc–difficult. I remember so well as a teenager when someone close to me was killed in a traffic accident. I couldn’t get over the fact that life for most people went on. How could they be happy when we were so sad? Those kind of events and the feelings associated with them make the holidays hard. What should you do during difficult times? First, worship the risen Christ. His story is the only story of hope for all human beings. While you may not be able to laugh through the holidays, you can worship through the holidays, knowing that God sent His Son to give us hope in the midst of difficult times. Second, spend as much time as possible with other people. For the most part, once you get past your teenage years, Christmas celebrations are about Christ and the people around us. Don’t isolate yourself. Spend time with as many people as possible. Third, take advantage of Christmas celebrations, especially those celebrations that exalt Christ and remind us of His birth.  For First Baptist Church, we will have … [Read more...]

The Reason For The Season: Day 2

As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 2: Luke 1:5; 2:52 (NKJV) ================================== John the Baptist and Jesus 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  … [Read more...]

The Reason For The Season: Day 1

As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 1: Luke 1:1-4 (NKJV) ================================== The Preface 1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed … [Read more...]

A great question

By Steve Horn In the story of Elijah’s epic showdown with King Ahab—which in reality is a showdown between Yahweh, the one true God, and Baal—Elijah asks a great question. “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21) I see four things about this question. This is a question for every generation. Choosing to follow God or not is a question of every generation and every person. Every single one of us must choose. This is a question of our own discipleship. The choices are clear, and we must make a clear and decisive choice. We cannot waiver in our decision. This is a question that directs our evangelism. In pointing people to Christ, we must point them to a decision. We cannot just talk about Jesus; we must call people to make a choice regarding Jesus. This is not a question that automatically gets a response. It didn’t for Elijah for the rest of the verse says, “But the people didn’t answer him a word.” Pray for someone today who needs to make a decision for Christ! Steve Horn is senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, Lafayette. This editorial first appeared on his blog. … [Read more...]

Pastor’s wife tragically killed in New Orleans carjacking

METAIRIE – Celebration Church is asking for prayers for Jeannot Plessy, who was tragically killed in a carjacking incident in New Orleans Tuesday, November 27. Her death was witnessed by her two pre-teen children. According to WDSU-TV in New Orleans, the incident was reported around 8:25 p.m. in the 2400 block of Prentiss Avenue in New Orleans. New Orleans Police Department investigators are seeking to identify the assailant. Lead Pastor Dennis Watson wrote in a letter posted on the church website that Plessy, 49, was a “great woman of God” who recently returned from ministering in Samoa. She is the wife of David Plessy, a pastor of the non-denominational Crossover Christian Fellowship in New Orleans, and the mother of Celebration Church member Nadia Sanchez and the mother-in-law of facilities manager Kristian Sanchez. He said that while such tragedies cause sadness and grief, followers of Christ are not left without hope. “We can pray and ask the Lord to bring comfort, help, and healing to those who have experienced this great loss,” Watson wrote. “So please be praying for Pastor David and his children, Nadia and Kristian and their girls, Jeannot’s mother, and siblings, Jeannot’s extended family, and for her Church … [Read more...]

Vote NO on alcohol sales in Pineville

PINEVILLE, La.—Residents within the corporate limits will decide the fate of alcohol sales in Pineville in the form of five propositions that are on the ballot: -- Props 1 and 4 would allow alcohol sales in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, gas stations, stand-alone liquor stores, beer barns and drive-through daiquiri stores, etc. -- Props 2 and 3 would permit alcohol sales in restaurants, bars, strip clubs, lounges, hotels, theaters, etc. -- Prop 5 would restrict alcohol sales in restaurants only. Proponents argue that permitting alcohol sales "will keep tax dollars in Pineville." But no amount of money can replace the loss of even a single loved one killed by a drunk driver. Advocates for alcohol are counting on low voter turnout, meaning the ballots cast by just a few could cause the rest of the community to have to deal with the problems of open alcohol sales for decades to come. Stop the sale of alcohol in any form in Pineville: Be sure to vote, and to say NO on all 5 options. Early voting continues until Dec. 1, 8:30 a.m. through 6 p.m., at Rapides Parish Courthouse in Alexandria and the Kees Park Community Center. Election day is Dec. 8. … [Read more...]

Confidence in Christ

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, California (BP) - Our days are fleeting; they may end before the next sunrise. Yet God's children are never insecure. The Bible says of us, "We are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.... We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). We cannot be confident in everyday life if we aren't confident of eternal life. To be self-confident, we must be Christ confident, and that means being certain of His love for us both today and tomorrow. God has placed eternity in our hearts, and that's why secularism can't erase heaven and hell from people's minds. Most Americans still believe in heaven and hell. According to findings published by LifeWay Research, 60 percent of Americans believe there is a heaven, while 54 percent believe hell is a real place where certain people will be punished forever. The Barna Group, drawing from its surveys, stated, "Many adults believe, however, that they will go to heaven as a result of their good works. Broadly speaking, this is the most common perception among Americans who have never made a commitment to Jesus -- and it is also … [Read more...]

God’s path to blessing: study His Word

By Rick Warren “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV). The Bible is more than just a book you put on your shelf. It’s a pathway to God’s blessing.Over and over in God’s Word, we’re told that studying and applying the Bible leads to blessing. For example, the Bible says, “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”  (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV). What does it mean to meditate? Some people think it means to put your mind in neutral and contemplate the lint on your navel as you say, “Ommmmmm.” But that’s not what meditation is! Meditation is seriously thinking about something. You meditate on God’s Word when you read a verse, think about what it means, and ask yourself how you could apply it to your life. Doing this, Psalm 1:1-3 says, is like planting deep roots into the ground. … [Read more...]