By Don F. Mabry ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)-- The number of churches in our country constantly is changing and it is very difficult to acquire information from the various denominations, but estimates indicate that there are 330,000 Christian churches and congregations in the United States today. But the question that arises about that number is how many more churches are needed to “church” our country? One of the most interesting facts about the number of U.S. churches is that it has not changed much in the past 20 years or so because the number of new churches being planted and the number of established churches that are closing are nearly the same. Likewise, the number of denominations is constantly changing as new denominations come into existence. Plus, in recent years, one of the most prolific denominational changes has been the growth in non-denominational churches. Many of these fellowship and exchange information with other non-denominational congregations but their relationship with each other is informal. Regardless, with the estimated U.S. population of 328 million people, we can calculate that there is a congregation for nearly every 994 or so people in our country. But this average is misleading because … [Read more...]
What’s so great about the Great Commission?
By Lane Corley ALEXANDRIA, La. - Hudson Taylor, missionary to China in the 1800’s, may have been the one to popularize the term Great Commission for Jesus’ last command to his followers on earth. Matthew 28:18-20 CSB – “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” What’s so great about the Great Commission? For starters: Jesus said it. This is a directive straight from the Master himself. And it’s the last words he left with his followers. This statement makes it clear what Jesus wanted and expected the cause of our lives to be as his people until his return. It’s repeated in all four gospels. The four Gospels vary on some details about the life of Jesus. Some version of this Great Commission is repeated in all of them, as well as in the beginning of Acts. This tells us that this statement left an indelible mark on his followers and served as a highlight of Jesus’ teaching in their hearts and minds. If we obey it, people are changed for eternity. … [Read more...]
On that first Easter the tombs were opened
By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)—The days leading up to and including Resurrection Sunday were unlike any others in history and any since, with the Gospel accounts detailing the various events that took place on each. Yet, one of the most remarkable facts often overlooked about that first Easter is that others were resurrected with Christ – namely, followers of the Way. Matthew 27 is the only Gospel account to record this detail, documenting in verse 52 that “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose.” Moreover, the next verse informs us that these revived believers “went into the holy city and appeared unto many.” In other words, these grandmothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, and children – who had received salvation because of their faith in Jesus as the Christ – had their decomposed bodies restored and they returned to their homes, still wearing death shrouds with the smell of the grave embedded in the cloth. The significance of this aspect of Easter is enormous in at least two aspects. POWER AT PENTECOST First, the resurrection of the many saints helps give context to the great awakening that took place on Pentecost, … [Read more...]
Your brown bag miracle
By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBC) - Over the last year we’ve been asked to cut back on most everything – time with family, trips to restaurants, retail establishments and public gatherings. During the recent winter storm we’ve been asked to cut back on our power usage, water usage and more due to the demand on the system. While our infrastructures may be limited in their ability to meet currents demands, I’m reminded that God’s resources are not. Take the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. From nothing, Jesus fed the multitudes! He does that which otherwise seems impossible. Like the other miracles, this miracle confirms who Jesus is, confirms what others say about Him, and what He said about Himself. This miracle appears in all four Gospels so I believe God is trying to communicate something of importance if we’ll take a moment to reflect on this truth. If other miracles communicate “nothing is too big for God” (and this miracle stands in agreement with that) this miracle reveals “nothing is too small for God.” We need to be reminded of that sometimes – maybe even today. Roofs are leaking, pipes are bursting, no electricity, no water—all small problems on the global scale, but still very real, especially … [Read more...]
Are you ready to pray?
By Stewart Holloway PINEVILLE, La. - I’ve heard people say, “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is wet.” I would say that about yesterday. It’s been a while since I had a 15 1/2 hour Sunday and was so jazzed when I got home that it was hard to come down. But yesterday was that. First, we had baptisms in both services. In the first service, I baptized a father and daughter. That kind of baptism is always extra special, especially when the little girl says, “Yes sir!” with joy and certainty when I ask, “Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Second, in our second service, we honored a young man who made a difference in a kid’s life. That moment was moving as our entire congregation stood and clapped, some wiping tears from their eyes. Third, we had our highest worship attendance since the shut down a year ago, falling just twenty-five people short of pre-Covid attendance. It was also good to see even more of our people back for the first time in a year. Every Sunday is like a homecoming now! We had powerful worship services. I got a text from one person watching online that simple read, “Glory!” People left saying, “I felt the Spirit today” and “I feel like I’ve been to heaven.” Fourth, … [Read more...]
What’s your story like?
By Stewart Holloway Everyone has a story. No one’s story is perfect. We’ve all faced disappointments, made bad decisions, struggled with sin, and more. The difference for Christians is we have welcomed God into our story. We have come to a point in our lives where we repented of our sins and received Jesus Christ as our Savior and surrendered to Him as our Lord. Our stories before we met God can run the gamut from G-rated ones of being raised in church and then finally realizing that just church was not enough to R-rated stories with plenty of sin and bad decisions before coming to faith in Christ. Some of us, even after welcoming God into our story, run astray or drift away from Him for awhile, and then turn back. Others are fortunate to begin their God-story early in life but only later discover a deeper relationship with Him that goes beyond a distant God of Sunday School posters and flannel-graphs. Whatever a person’s story with God, it is powerful and needs to be shared. No one can argue with your God-story. When brought before King Agrippa, in Acts 25-26, Paul shared his story. Having broken no Roman law about which he needed to make a defense, Paul used the audience with the king and the surrounding people to … [Read more...]
A mother’s resolve: God is sovereign, faithful, and loving
By Judy Patrick ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) -- Oct. 14, 2020, will be ingrained in my mind forever. Around 7:00 that morning my daughter-in-law called my husband to tell us that our 41-year-old son had died suddenly from an apparent cardiac arrhythmia. We were in shock! David had no history of heart issues. He was disciplined to watch what he ate and to exercise regularly. He was a very slim and fit young man. Just a week earlier he had passed his annual physical with flying colors. How does a parent wrap her mind around such news!? My first reactions were: “I didn’t get to tell him goodbye. I didn’t get to see him one last time. Did my child suffer? Did he die in pain?” But the thoughts that have carried me through this horrific crisis have been: “God is sovereign. God is faithful. And God is loving.” At first, I simply repeated these three phrases over and over in my head. But after a few weeks, I began to ask myself, “What do you really believe about these three statements? What is it about these three declarations that sustains you?” Truly, the loss of my son was a crisis of belief for me. Before I go any further, I need to share a few details about David’s life in the months prior to his … [Read more...]
Lord, that’s not how we do things!
By Joe McKeever “‘…your ways are not my ways,’ saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8) Keep an eye on how the Lord works in your life. You might learn something useful for the next time He wants to use you. This little couplet seems to sum up 90 percent of what Scripture and life teach us concerning the operation of God in this world…. When God gets ready to do a thing, He loves to start small Using ordinary people With whatever methods He chooses, And take HIs own good time about it. Only people of faith will still be standing there at the end To see what He has done And to behold His glory. That’s how He does things. You can see it all through Scripture and by looking back over your lifetime. But here is the problem. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are different from ours. He is in fact light years above and beyond us and our techniques. (He said that very thing in Isaiah 55:8-9.) For instance, using the formula (above) as our guide….. God loves to start small; However we don’t like little things. (Matthew 13:31-32) We keep asking God to do big things, and think we’re complimenting Him by such prayers. “Do a God-sized thing,” I prayed for years. We complain if our numbers … [Read more...]
Despite 2020’s challenges, we can be confidently thankful this Christmas
By John Kennedy, U.S. Senator WASHINGTON (LBM) — This year not been easy for Louisiana. No one could have foreseen when 2020 began that, in just a few months, an unprecedented pandemic would shut down America’s economy and a novel coronavirus would infect more than 200,000 Louisianians, with over 6,000 confirmed deaths. As if the coronavirus didn’t cause enough loss, Louisiana has also had a particularly bad hurricane season, too. In August, Hurricane Laura killed at least 28 Louisianians, destroyed over 10,000 homes, and caused up to $14 billion in damages. Tragically, while we were still recovering from Laura, Hurricanes Delta and Zeta followed, further devastating much of the state. The destructive hurricane season and the pandemic have hurt Louisiana jobs as well. Although the economy has begun to recover, the unemployment rate reached 9.4% in October, and small businesses have been hit especially hard. This year, I have worked as hard as I can to help Louisianians recover from these disasters. To help those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, I introduced a bill providing $10 billion to the Disaster Relief Fund, as well as two bills that simplify forgiveness for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, … [Read more...]
Skills of a church planter – practicing financial integrity
By John Hebert ALEXANDRIA (LBM)--Adrian Rogers, deceased pastor of the historic Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis and a past president of the Southern Baptist Convention who helped lead a grassroots movement to return the denomination back to its conservative biblical roots, told a story about the importance of financial integrity that I still reference in sermons today. “I heard about a man who was an executive in a company,” Rogers said (now archived on lwf.org). “They were going to move him up and make him one of the chief executives. The board of directors had talked it over, and it was a done deal. It was a monumental advancement. But in the company cafeteria one day, the owner of this company just happened to be behind this man in the cafeteria line. Unbeknownst to him, the CEO saw him take a pat of butter costing about 3 cents, then put a slice of bread over the butter so the cashier couldn’t see it. The CEO went back to the board and told them they had the wrong man—he didn’t have integrity. And for 3 cents, the man lost a monumental promotion and multiple thousands of dollars!” MORAL OF THE STORY I don’t accept that the man was simply a few pennies short of what he needed at check-out. Neither do I believe he … [Read more...]
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