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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

What legacy are you leaving behind?

By James Dobson What will be your legacy on behalf of those you love? Will you help them build a foundation of faith that will sustain them through the trials of life and take them into the better world beyond? Will they be there to greet you and the rest of your family and Christian friends on the other side? That is my prayer for you. A day of celebration is coming like nothing that has ever occurred in the history of mankind. The Guest of Honor on that morning will be One wearing a seamless robe, with eyes like flames of fire and feet like fine brass. As we bow humbly before Him, we will hear a great voice out of heaven saying: Now the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev. 21:3–4) And, again the mighty voice will echo through the corridors of time: Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living … [Read more...]

Local churches encouraged to book an LC Day

PINEVILLE (LCNews) -- Louisiana Baptists have much to celebrate regarding how the Lord is blessing Louisiana College.  Increases in enrollment and the donor base, as well as more degree offerings in undergraduate and graduate programs are but a few examples. “Our leadership team and the support of our Louisiana Baptist family have facilitated these blessings,” said Louisiana College President Rick Brewer. Another contributing factor is the intentionality of regularly visiting LBC churches with Brewer, the Voices of LC, and other leaders from the Office of Admissions, who bring a display booth and promotional materials for parents and prospective students to learn more about LC.  This comprises an “LC Day” in the local church. “Never before has our culture needed more of a Christian influence in the marketplace,” Brewer said.  “This is our primary motivation with LC Day, and that is for all to see why high school students and their parents should give serious attention to Louisiana College.” “There is no other college or university in this state more capable of helping young students discover what Colossians 2:3 proclaims: that in Christ Jesus are ‘hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,’” Brewer said. “Any … [Read more...]

LifeWay to provide free Bibles to spur evangelism

By Aaron Wilson, LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE, Tenn.—This summer, thousands of Bibles will ring up for free at the registers of LifeWay Christian Stores. It’s an effort by LifeWay to help local churches take the Word of God into their communities through an initiative called “Share the Word. Together.” Churches of any denomination within 15 miles of a LifeWay store can sign up for a designated week in which each member of the church can visit the local LifeWay to pick up a free CSB personal gift Bible. Church members will then give the Bibles away in their communities. “The goal for this free Bible giveaway is to start gospel conversations and spark invitations to weekend worship services or Bible study,” said LifeWay President and CEO Thom S. Rainer. Rainer shared on his blog last week that he was inspired to create this initiative when his church gave away loaves of bread to members and asked them to share the bread with people in their communities. He says many who received the bread came to church the next Sunday. “I began to think, ‘Could I leverage my position at LifeWay to help thousands of churches do the same?’” Rainer said. “The answer came back as a resounding ‘yes’! We will be giving away the … [Read more...]

GuideStone announces launch of new lower-cost Secure Health plan

By Roy Hayhurst DALLAS -- Churches and pastors looking for budget-minded health care coverage as well as protection for themselves, their employees and their families have another option to consider coming this summer. GuideStone®, which is celebrating 100 years of serving Southern Baptist and evangelical churches, will roll out the new GuideStone Secure Health plan during the Southern Baptist Convention and enrollment will begin on July 1. “We hear daily from pastors and other church leaders who feel the tension between wanting to do right by their employees while also being responsible to their budget,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. “With Secure Health we wanted an option that provided lower-cost coverage and protection for church employees, as well as their families.” Under the new Secure Health plan, eligible participants still have access to the nationwide Blue Cross Blue Shield network. Primary care visits and Teladoc consultations are available at no out-of-pocket charge. Some care — such as out-of-network service — is not covered. Before enrolling in the plan, GuideStone encourages participants to review their health coverage needs to see if GuideStone’s Secure Health is the appropriate coverage … [Read more...]

Evangelicals and Israel’s birthday

By Richard Land As we prepare to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel's independence (May 14, 2018) we need to explain to others, and to remind ourselves, why many evangelicals fervently support Israel and the Jewish people. According to Lifeway Research in Nashville, at least half of self-identified evangelicals believe that at some point in the future most Jewish people will accept Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah. Additionally, large segments of American evangelicalism believe that God has made certain promises to His chosen people, the Jews, that He did not make to Gentiles — including possession of the Promised Land of Israel forever, in belief, in unbelief, in obedience and in disobedience, unconditionally forever. These beliefs are based on the Abrahamic Covenant that God made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3). In this covenant with Abraham, God not only promised the land of Canaan to the Jews forever, He also promises to bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews. Consequently millions of evangelicals believe that if they want God to bless them individually, and America collectively as a nation, then they need to bless the Jews. This means among other things, that anti-Semitism … [Read more...]

Trust God to help overcome worrying

By Rick Warren “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). It takes more than willpower to stop worrying. You already know that, because you’ve already tried it. You’ve thought, “I shouldn’t worry about this,” yet you just keep on worrying about it. It’s going to take more than your willpower to stop worrying. It takes four things: 1. You have to get to know God. Jesus says in Matthew 6:32, “People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things” (The Message). If you don’t have a relationship with God, you have every reason to worry. You’ve got to get to know God! As a believer, you have a heavenly Father who has promised to take care of you. You are God’s child, and children get special privileges. When you worry, God says, “You’re my child. Why are you acting like an orphan?” 2. You have to put God first in every area of your life. Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. . . . Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to” (TLB). Anytime you take God out of the center of your life and put … [Read more...]