By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
BALL – Pastors, their wives and other members of Louisiana Baptist churches traveled to Kingsville Baptist Church in Ball, Nov. 13-14, to be reminded of and revitalized in their love of Christ and His Gospel.
MERRITT
James Merritt’s message at the 2016 Louisiana Baptist Pastors’ Conference was simple yet profound – the Gospel is a big deal.
“The Gospel is the only message that has the power just like that to take a person from sin to salvation, from hell to Heaven, from darkness to light,” said Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, Ga. “If the Gospel is not true, nothing else really matters. But if the Gospel is true, it is the only thing that matters.”
Preaching from 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Merritt said pastors must prioritize, recognize and emphasize the message, meaning and might of the Gospel.
“The message of our church is not determined by our mission,” he said. “Our mission is determined by our message, and that message is the Gospel.”
James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, Ga.
ALLEN
David Allen told pastors that while it is wonderful to know the facts about God, it is much better to actually know God personally through Christ.
Allen said God has revealed seven wonders of His Son, found in Hebrews 1:1-4, to share with a lost world in order to bring them to that personal relationship with Him.
He said that Jesus is the heir of all things, the creator of all things, the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of God’s nature, the sustainer of all things by His powerful Word, and, lastly, the purity of God that cleanses the sinner.
“The urgency of the hour is to get the Gospel to every human being on this planet,” implored Allen, dean of the School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. “There is a provision for their sins in the atonement by Christ – cleansing in Him, and Him, alone.”
David Allen, dean of the School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas
ROSS
George Ross reminded pastors their identity is found in Christ, not in what the world values in terms of looks, performance, achievement and approval.
“So much of our worth and value and identity come from horizontal places instead of a vertical relationship with Jesus Christ,” said Ross, SEND City North America coordinator in New Orleans. “Our tendency is to identify ourselves by what we do rather than who we are.”
Just as Satan spoke lies into Joshua’s life thousands of years ago, referencing Zechariah 3:1-7, Ross said Satan is doing the same today.
George Ross, SEND City North America coordinator in New Orleans
Ross challenged pastors to stand strong in the Lord and minister in His name.
“If you have never felt like you are unfit for ministry, you are probably suffering from self-righteousness,” Ross said.
“Even though Satan is the father of lies, he really only has to tell the truth to accuse us. None of us measure up,” Ross explained. “None of us meet the expectations of God.
“If you always feel like you are unfit for ministry, you are suffering from believing a lie,” Ross said. “Your identity is in Christ.”
To find one’s true identity, Ross encouraged pastors to identify the enemy, examine one’s self, embrace truth, resist comparison and get busy with the right motives for God’s glory.
“If like me you preached to less than 150 yesterday, you are part of a SBC brotherhood of over 30,000 pastors,” Ross said. “Don’t believe the lies of the devil and seek the approval of man. Be bold and courageous, Brothers. You are approved, accepted and adopted with the fierce and forever love. Never, ever quit.”
FLOYD
Nick Floyd presented a Great Commission “check-up” for pastors.
Citing Hebrews 11, Floyd offered four tests, or questions, as self-checks pastors can use to test their spiritual health and measure their ministry commitment to share the Gospel at home and beyond:
— Will I go where God leads?
— Will I believe what God says?
— Will I live for eternal things?
— Will I give my best for Jesus?
“If you and I ever desire to be people of Kingdom influence, we will be people who will fulfill the Great Commission that God has given us,” said Floyd, teaching pastor for Cross Church in Fayetteville, Ark.
Nick Floyd, teaching pastor for Cross Church in Fayetteville, Ark.
HUNT
In the final Pastors’ Conference sermon, Johnny Hunt emphasized the importance of soul-winning.
Raised by a single mom, Hunt dropped out of school at age 16 to become a professional pool player, he said. But thanks to exposure to the Gospel, he turned to Christ when he was a young adult. Escaping the shackles of his past, Hunt began sharing his newfound faith with others, including many in his own family, with a number of them coming to know Christ.
Now, Hunt is pastor of the renowned First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga.
Hunt, preaching from Psalm 126, encouraged pastors to model soul-winning to their members.
“Whatever is important to you is what’s important for the people you lead,” Hunt reminded pastors.
“There is no soul-winning church without a soul-winning preacher,” he advised. “There is no mission-minded church without a mission-minded preacher.”
Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga.
PASTOR REACTON
Pastors’ Conference President Nathan Davis, pastor of First Baptist Church, Coushatta, said he was leaving with a renewed sense of excitement for sharing the Gospel in his community and beyond.
He was convinced others were inspired, too.
“My prayer has been that we would have a sense of urgency to preach the Gospel, evangelize the lost, and encourage others along our spiritual journey,” Davis said, regarding the conference. “The comments I’ve heard so far have been so encouraging.”
Charles Rogers, director of missions for Richland Baptist Association, was enthused.
“The message was ‘to be committed to the urgency of telling others the Gospel of Jesus Christ,’” he said. “Even more important was the not-so-subtle message that ‘we must teach from the Bible and not man’s ideas about the Bible.’
“A third point was that our work must come from out of our relationship with Christ,” Rogers recapped. “It was wonderful seeing so many eager to hear God’s word. I pray that as they return home this fervency will be sustained and they will preach the truth no matter the cost.”
Mike Trahan, pastor of Victory Baptist Church, Estherwood, echoed Rogers’ sentiments.
“We as preachers need to continue preaching the Gospel of Jesus,” Trahan said. “I was reminded we need to go out and preach about the power of God and the need for salvation through his Son.”
Derek Kitterlin, pastor of New Life Community Church, Covington, said the messages were needed in a time where much division exists in the country.
“The Gospel is something we can unite around as the answer to racism and a lot of other issues that plague our country right now,” he said. “I was encouraged to hear the significance and importance of the message of Jesus Christ, not just for our country, but for the entire world.”
LAGNIAPPE
Amid the messages and music, votes were held and awards presented.
Elected to lead the 2017 Pastors Conference are Jason McGuffie, pastor of First Baptist Church, Tallulah, president; Kirk Jones, pastor of Fellowship Church, Prairieville, vice-president; and, Justin Clark, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lake Providence, secretary-treasurer.
Louisiana College enlivened the proceedings by recognizing excellence in the pastorate, within groupings of worship attendance up to 100, 500 and more than 500. The winners were, respectively, Cedric Murphy, pastor of Providence No. 1 Baptist Church, Ethel; Steve Armstrong, pastor of Westside Community Church, Addis; and, Brad Jurkovich, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bossier City.
