By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Mark Robinson told students attending the Collegiate Evangelism Conference hosted by Louisiana Christian University, Feb. 2-3, that they are ambassadors for Christ on their respective campuses.
“We’re the ambassadors that are carrying the message of reconciliation,” Robinson, Louisiana Baptist collegiate ministry team director, shared during the conference’s opening session inside Guinn Auditorium. “You are an ambassador and should tell people about Jesus. You’ve got the authority and you’ve got the name badge that says you belong to Jesus.”
Citing Luke 19:1-10, Robinson told the students that Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, called him by name, and in the end, Zacchaeus turned to Jesus.
He said that just as Jesus took notice of Zacchaeus, He also takes notice of them.
“But you may feel in your life, like nobody sees you,” he said. “They don’t know what’s going on. They don’t know what’s happening with my grandparents. They don’t know my parents just split up. They don’t know anything about what’s going on in my life. Let me tell you the good news. Jesus knows us.”
HEAR GOD
Robinson’s message was part of the two-day program that included seminars designed to equip students with sharing their faith, worship by the praise band of Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, and a late nighttime of fellowship. CEC drew around 500 participants from BCM and church collegiate ministries in the state.
Students also attended breakout sessions about sharing the Gospel and learned about missions and ministry opportunities from representatives of Louisiana BCM GOLA Missions, the International Mission Board and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
PURSUE GOD
In his Feb. 3 message, Jordy McKaskle, discipleship pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria, challenged the students to share the Gospel with their lost friends on their respective campuses.
Basing his message on Acts 17:16-34, McKaskle said the apostle Paul had his eyes open with words ready and was tough skinned during his ministry.
“Paul spoke the Gospel and God calls us to speak the Gospel today,” he said. “We cannot rely on our kindness and service alone to save the lost. We must speak the Gospel.”
George Lee IV, director of the Grambling BCM and minister of community engagement at Temple Baptist Church, Ruston, told the students during the final session, Feb. 3, that if they want to become better evangelists, they need to become better servants.
Sharing 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Lee said the students cannot win those they do not serve, they cannot serve everyone the same way and they cannot serve God without serving people.
Additionally, Lee encouraged the students to win others for Christ.
“A win is seeing people who are far from God redeemed and reconciled to the Father, by the power of the Gospel,” he said. “A win is seeing somebody who has been going to church, but not living like the church recommit their life to God. That’s what a win is.
“A win is when the light bulb comes, when people who have never read their Bibles before beginning to understand how to mine the text and pull out the truth of God’s word,” he said. “That’s what a win is.
“A win is being able to share your faith for the first time and actually seeing the Holy Spirit work in and through you,” he continued. “A win is a way of seeing black people and white people come together and experience true Gospel-centered community.”
Lee closed his message with a challenge to the students, who received a card in which they committed to share their faith with others. Their BCM leaders will follow up with each student who made a commitment to share the Gospel.
“In the coming weeks, we will be able to share testimonies of how we have shared,” he said. “We will be able to be in awe of all that God was able to accomplish because we were obedient.”
