By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – In many ways the Gospel message is a simple one. Indeed, John 3:16 captures the hope and promise in a single verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Regardless of what Bible translation you use, the meaning is clear. God has a plan for saving you and me for eternity. BASICS OF BELIEF There are a number of passages which explain what it means to “believe in Him.” Romans 10:13 announces that “whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and Luke 18:13 demonstrates such a plea must be made in a spirit of repentance, recording how a tax collector, eyes down and beating his chest, cried out, “O God, have mercy on me a poor sinner!” Other texts detail how repentance, a change in life’s direction, begins with a heartfelt profession of Jesus as Lord of your life based on an authentic belief in His physical resurrection (Romans 10:9-10). In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God reveals one must humble himself before seeking repentance. The sequence of His instruction is clear … before praying or seeking God’s face, and in order to be strengthened to turn from … [Read more...]

By Gary D. Myers, NOBTS Communications Director FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT NEW ORLEANS – While the cross remains the undisputed symbol of Christianity; the empty tomb conveys the abundant life found in Christ. The thought of Jesus stepping out of the tomb on the first Easter morning is simply overwhelming, representing His atoning death punctuated by the miracle of His resurrection. As a believer, I have experienced the power of Jesus’ cross and His empty tomb and I don’t need to see the tomb to experience its power. But, as a student of the Bible and archaeology, I am compelled to learn as much as I can about the setting in which the Bible was written. So seeing the empty tomb in this context is an exciting thought. Archaeology offers a wealth of contextual information about biblical places, events and people; however, it rarely offers proofs and such is the case with Jesus’ tomb. Archaeology alone cannot lead to the tomb because it is not as simple as locating an empty tomb. Many empty tombs dot the landscape around Jerusalem – emptied by the ravages of time and human raiders. With these limitations in mind, what can one learn from archaeology regarding the tomb of Jesus? It turns out, quite a bit. With a little … [Read more...]

By Fred Luter, Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church New Orleans and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention NEW ORLEANS – Ever since I started as pastor at Franklin Avenue, the Easter season has been special to me and our congregation. No matter what I’m preaching on, when the month of Easter arrives I will stop that series and concentrate on the events leading up to Good Friday and resurrection Sunday. A lot of new Christians never hear all the details of the Easter story, but I want all my members to know that one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas, betrayed him, and another, Peter, denied him. I start with that Thursday prayer in the garden and give all the details leading up to the kangaroo court that tried Christ. I share the grim descriptions of His beating and narrate His walk while carrying that old rugged cross up Golgotha’s hill. I give a vivid mental picture of Him being nailed to the cross – nails in his hand, nails in his feet – and the spear being thrust in his side, crown of thorns on his head. Then I try to get them to imagine hearing those seven cries Jesus uttered from the cross before he died. But, then I emphasize the hope of resurrection Sunday, Christ raised from the grave and an … [Read more...]

By Gevan Spinney, Pastor of First Baptist Church Haughton and President of the Louisiana Baptist Convention HAUGHTON – Has anyone ever taken something “from” you? This is one of two important questions enmeshed in the Easter story. WHAT WAS TAKEN? Have you ever found yourself looking for something you cherished only to realize you are a victim of theft, left with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach as a vivid reminder of being violated in your personal space? All four Gospel writers introduce us to a man who is guilty of impacting individuals just this way. Matthew described him as a “notorious criminal”; John simply called him a “robber”; Mark and Luke said he was incarcerated for murder. But despite such descriptions and the obvious importance of the role Barabbas played in the passion story, the Gospels share little else about the man. As soon as he steps onto the pages of the Bible he steps off, and we never hear about him again. It’s possible to make some assumptions from his name – in particular that he came from a religious family. Bar – meaning “son of”, and Abba – which translates as “father,” could suggest his parents loved God so much they named him “the son of the Father.” But, … [Read more...]

By Jake Roudkovski, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary NEW ORLEANS -- Someone has said, “Young may die, old must die, but all will die.” You don’t have to be a statistical genius to know that one out of every one person on earth dies. That’s why as we celebrate Easter this year, we should remember that the resurrection of Jesus Christ provides each of us victory over death. In our celebration of the risen Savior, we are celebrating our victory over death. In perhaps the most extensive chapter in the entire Bible on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its impact upon humanity, the apostle Paul proclaims, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56-57). In my study of the epic chapter on the resurrection of Jesus, I counted the word “death” appearing twenty-five times. In highlighting every mention of death in the chapter, I was reminded of my own mortality and a story that I read about two teenagers who were discussing death. One commented, “Wouldn’t it be neat to know the time and the place that you are going to die?” But the other responded with a bewildered look, “What good would it do?” The … [Read more...]

IN REMEMBERANCE Bill Hines of Coushatta passed away March 3 at the age of 90. Memorial services were held at First Baptist Church of Coushatta with Lee Dickson and Billy Burkett officiating. Interment was at Springville Cemetery in Coushatta. He was a graduate of William Jewel University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Reared in a Christian home, he began his ministry in youth-led revivals at the age of 19 and actively served the Lord for over 70 years until his passing 9 days after his 90th birthday. He was a great minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for over 70 years, with 38 of those years being served among the churches of the District Eight Baptist Convention. He was president of District Eight for four terms, and was still a faithful pastor at the time of his home-going. Preceding him in death were his parents and one brother, Bobby Hines. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jeanette; five children, Ginny Hines; Gene Hines and wife, Diane; Gerry Camp and husband, Richard; Joy Dowden and husband, Chris; Jennifer Moore and husband, Mark; and 10 grandchildren. Ernest Julius [E.J.] Bradshaw of Leesville passed away March 6 at the age of 89. Services were held at East Leesville Baptist Church with his … [Read more...]

By Jamie Stephens, Regional reporter WEST MONROE – As Mount Vernon Baptist Church Youth Pastor Bobby Blasingame lowered 15-year-old Rileigh Norred into a horse trough in front of the church, he believed the significance of her baptism was a very honorable, unique, and special experience. “Over the years and at Mount Vernon I have baptized several people, but I have never had the special privilege of baptizing anyone in a horse trough,” explained Blasingame, “Although it doesn’t matter where a baptism takes place, it’s always a humbling experience to be part of it.” Michelle Norred, Rileigh’s mother, expressed appreciation for Mount Vernon Baptist Church Pastor Randy Burdeaux’s receptive attitude about the special arrangements. “When Rileigh told me that she wanted to be baptized in a horse trough, I thought we would have Bobby come to our house,” Michelle said, “It was great that Brother Randy was so open to the idea and accommodated her.  Our horses are a part of our everyday lives and being able to use that to reveal Rileigh’s decision to surrender her life to Christ was an extra blessing.” “I never knew what a horse trough even looked like until we began planning Rileigh’s baptism,” Blasingame said. “Many of us … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Baptist Message Now, the work begins in earnest. While most rivers have crested or are predicted to crest this week, the floodwaters are starting to fall slowly. Behind those flooding waters, disaster relief crews from numerous Louisiana Southern Baptist churches and state DR teams have gone into overdrive to meet the requests and needs of thousands affected by the spring floods of 2016. A massive cleanup effort is taking place in Louisiana. Churches throughout Louisiana have mobilized to deal with the massive disaster and they are being joined in the field by DR teams from 12 states with three more states expected to join the recovery effort in a week or so. “Mudout is the great need right now,” said Northshore Baptist Association’s Director of Missons Lonnie Wascom said. “There are simply too many jobs. The number of mudout/debris removal requests coming into the LBC/SBC Disaster Relief incident command center in Hammond is overwhelming. “There are far more requests than there are trained volunteers who are available to meet those needs,” said Wascom. Louisiana Disaster Relief leaders are reacting quickly to meet the needs for more trained volunteers by holding training at Rolling Hills … [Read more...]

By LC Communications PINEVILLE – Louisiana College has set aside March 23 as a special day of prayer. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, participants can take part in a self-guided prayer walk through seven reflective stations focusing on the passion week of Jesus, and prayer for the campus, community of Alexandria-Pineville, state and nation. “Please feel free to come and spend a few moments remembering what Christ did for us and to continue to pray for our campus,” said Thomas Worsham, Director of LC’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry. The LC Baptist Collegiate Ministry is sponsoring the prayer walk. … [Read more...]