By Rex Butler, Professor of Church History and Pastristics at NOBTS   “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”   These famous words were written around 200 A.D. by Tertullian, an early church father who lived in Carthage, North Africa. This adage proved true over and over during the first centuries of the church as Christians demonstrated their faith in Christ by delivering the ultimate witness: their martyrdom. In fact, the word “martyr” comes from the Greek word martus, which means “witness.”   When many of those living in the Roman Empire saw that Christians were willing to die rather than renounce Jesus Christ as Lord, they ceased jeering and began seeking after such a faith that could change their own lives.   In A.D. 203, some new believers and their teacher were martyred in the arena in Carthage. Their story is preserved in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas, a document that includes Perpetua’s diary (the earliest existing writing by a Christian woman), a vision of heaven recorded by the teacher named Saturus, and an eyewitness account of the martyrs’ deaths.   In 202, the year before these martyrdoms, the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus desired to restore … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, Professor of New Testament and Greek at NOBTS   Question: What Do We Know About Jesus’ Family? What happened to them after Jesus was born and later after he was crucified?   Bill Warren responds: You’ve asked a question that Christians have puzzled over from the second century onward. Unfortunately, we don’t know as much as our curiosity desires, but there is some information in the New Testament and other early sources.   In the New Testament, Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:56 mention Mary as Jesus’ mother, Jesus’ sisters (not named) and brothers James, Joses, Jude (or Judas), and Simon. The most natural reading of this text is that these are actual brothers and sisters, not simply “cousins,” and no indication is given that they are children of only Joseph and not Mary.   Matthew 13:56 also notes that Joseph was a carpenter, with Mark 6:3 noting that Jesus was also a carpenter. Of course, the son generally followed in his father’s trade, so we should expect the same trade for both Joseph and Jesus.   Regarding Jesus’ parents, his father is not mentioned as being alive during Jesus’ ministry, so most likely Joseph died between when Jesus was 12 years old and when his … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   MONROE – Rodney Ray didn’t start his latest screen venture planning to address the issue of suicide.[img_assist|nid=7841|title=Movie: New Hope|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=373]   What the owner of R-Squared Productions had in mind was a film about teen-age angst that could be shot during the summer, when most students are out of school. The film was to follow the success of 2010’s Flag of my Father, which took first place at the GI Film Festival in Washington D.C. last May.   But at least four high school students committed suicide in Ouachita Parish during the 2010-2011 school year, and when he heard that, Ray’s script-writing flowed in a new direction.   “Our small community – Monroe has a population of about 48,815 – has had more than 20 suicides in the last year,” said Ray, a member of First Baptist Church of West Monroe, where John Avant is pastor. “Hopefully, New Hope will help break that stronghold locally, nationally and globally.”   New Hope is a film set for release Feb. 10; a pastors’ preview is set for Jan 24 at First West.   “It’s about a community dealing with the effects of a suicide,” Ray … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   STATEWIDE – Jan. 2 started the first of 21 days of praying and fasting for members and pastors/leaders of Louisiana’s more than 1,600 Southern Baptist churches.   The act of confessing private and corporate sins, and the personal recommitment to walking in obedience to God’s direction, was to take place before the start of the 2012 Louisiana Evangelism Conference, themed “Return” and set for Jan. 23-24 at First Baptist Church of Pineville.   This focus pointing Louisianans toward being prepared for God to send a spiritual awakening to the state that spreads out to the nation and world is the joint venture of the entire LBC team that serves Louisiana Baptist churches, led by Executive Director David E. Hankins and President Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington.   January into April offer a basketful of opportunities for Louisiana Baptists.   A week into the time of praying and fasting, the second-annual, day-long PreTeen Invasion is set for Saturday, Jan. 7, in Guinn Auditorium and on the campus grounds of Louisiana College. This is a ministry of the LBC evangelism church growth team.   Louisiana … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ARRIVALS/DEPATURES Jeff Pate, Todd (wife Megan) Strain, Matt (wife Cassie) Hubbard and Dean (wife Kimberly) Rivers, are to be ordained to the gospel ministry Jan. 18 at Calvary Alexandria. Pastor: David Brooks. Needed/Giving First Broussard has orange pews to donate: 29 pews at 13.6 ft, and 13 pews at 16.6 ft. Call 337.837.1125 or email secretary@fbcbroussard.com. Bienville/Webster-Claiborne Baptist Association churches without pastors: Calvary Springhill, Unity Cotton Valley, West Lake Doyline, Old Union Shongaloo, Mt Paran Shongaloo. DOM: Randy Hales. Concord Union Baptist Association churches without pastors: University, Union Grove, Sardis, Mt. Tabor, First Simsboro, Mt. Union, Evergreen, Pisgah, Conway. DOM: Barry Joyner. Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association churches without pastors: Bethany, Ferry Lake, Greenwood Frist, Mansfield Road, Oil City First, Red River, Shreveport First, Waller. Carey Baptist Association churches without pastors: Bellview, First Cameron, Eastern Heights, First Hackberry, First Lake Arthur. DOM: JP Miles.   Homecomings, Anniversaries, Revivals First Haynesville: Revival Jan. 15-18. Speaker: Cliff Estes. Pastor: Shelby Cowling.   Church … [Read more...]

By Gary Meyers, NOBTS Communications   NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- The executive committee of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's trustees has unanimously approved the location of a new student apartment building.   "This opens up housing space for us in the most in-demand housing unit we have, which is the two-bedroom apartment," NOBTS President Chuck Kelley said regarding the Dec. 6 action that clears the final hurdle for the project. "We are thrilled about it. It will give more families a chance to be here and experience seminary and the life of the community."   The new building, which will include eight two-bedroom apartments for student families, will be built on Providence Place in an open space near the intersection of Mirabeau Street. The location is near many of the other family housing units and the main seminary recreational areas.   "It's a great location," Kelley said. "It is right at the heart of everything on campus. It is within walking distance for all classes."   In October, the full board approved the construction of a new $1.7 million building but did not settle on a location. At the time, seminary officials identified two potential locations for the … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer   STATEWIDE – Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t always tell the whole story.   The Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Missions and Ministry Division’s goal of $1.8 million for the 2011 Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering fell $79,000 short. While most would consider this to be disheartening, such, though, isn’t the case. Instead, the leaders in the division are excited – extremely excited.   So, what gives?   “It is a huge victory … a great year … because we scored the highest total ever for the GBO, and to God be the glory,” Mission and Ministry Director John Hebert said. “This kind of blessing [the $1.721 million] is testimony from our churches they are strongly supporting missions in Louisiana.   “It is an affirmation from churches across the state they want to see our work – education, training, special mission projects, churches planted and built and people being brought to Christ throughout this state – continue,” Hebert said. “This is not just a success for the mission and ministry team but for our Louisiana Baptist churches.”   Hebert heaps credit for the success of this year’s Georgia Barnette Offering on teamwork … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   BATON ROUGE – The goal is that Louisiana become an abortion-free state. Even better, that it lead and become the first state in the nation to become abortion-free.[img_assist|nid=7852|title=Remembering the babies|desc=Gene Mills, executive director of the Louisiana Family Forum, rings a ship’s bell eight times symbolizing the 8,000 children aborted in Louisiana on average each year. Mills spoke during the 2011 Louisiana Life March, with ceremonies at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=396]   Life March 2012 is a step – many thousands of steps – in that direction. It marks the anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 that permitted wide-scale abortion across the United States.   Last year, more than 3,000 people marched on the state capitol in Baton Rouge to affirm life. It was the first such event in Louisiana, although a “Heartbeat Rally” took place in the fall in the 1980s and 90s.   “We decided to hold the Louisiana Life March because there was a need to unite the pro-life people of Louisiana, across denominational lines, around the goal of an abortion-free Louisiana,” said Benjamin … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor Thirty-nine years ago the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Roe v. Wade. The justices decided 7-2 that the practice of abortion in America was a right protected by the Constitution and thus legal throughout the United States. The date was Jan. 22, 1973. The specific date of the Roe decision deserves to be remembered as a day of infamy along with other tragic events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Roe ruling also deserves to be compared to the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. All are despicable atrocities. Those who track the numbers report that more than 50 million preborn babies have had their lives snuffed out as a direct result of the Roe decision. Think about the death toll and then compare it with the 2,400 who were killed at Pearl Harbor and the 3,000 who lost their lives on Sept. 11. Ponder the number of 50 million dead preborn children and contrast that staggering number with the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis, 1 million of whom were children. Also consider the Rwandan genocide, which took place in the spring of 1994, where between 800,000 and 1 million Tutsis were brutally slaughtered by their fellow countrymen, the … [Read more...]

By Keith Manuel, LBC Evangelism Associate   Louisiana Baptists are uniting to pray, plead and prepare for a movement of God.   As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Baptist work in our state, our theme is Awaken.   When thinking about revival, there is a distinct difference between the words ‘contrive’ and ‘contrite.’ While no convention theme can bring revival, God’s people must not be remiss in begging Him for an outpouring of His Spirit.   If you attended the convention meeting in Covington, you heard that more than 160 people professed faith in Christ during the events of Crossover. Then during the solemn assembly, you saw God move in a powerful way.   Men and women flooded the altar and aisles of First Baptist Church, Covington, with tears and prayers asking God to bring revival both personally and collectively.   A week later, teenagers from all over Louisiana descended on the Rapides Coliseum begging God to renew their hearts and their passion for Him. The result was the largest number of spiritual decisions ever made at the Youth Evangelism Celebration.   Could the sparks of revival fire be igniting and if so, what will we see?   We … [Read more...]