By Waylon Bailey Is anything more important than imparting the good news of God to the next generation? This week we had the Evangelism Conference for Louisiana Baptists meeting on our church campus. The theme for the conference concerned imprinting the next generation. What does this mean and how do we do it? Here are some of the highlights I gleaned from the meeting. While God has given the church to help encourage, educate, and disciple children, this is primarily the work of the family. Both the immediate family and the extended family can and must imprint children with a biblical worldview and a passion to live for God. Eric Hankins particularly preached about this subject. He pointed out the truth that children are wired from God to learn from their parents. This truth seems difficult for many people to comprehend, but children want to be like their parents. Eric pointed out that studies commissioned by Coors, MTV, and Anheuser Busch show that the most influential people in children’s lives are their parents. This effectively demonstrates that the family is God’s plan to thwart the sinful culture. In a day in which we assume that children are vulnerable to every voice except the voice of God and the … [Read more...]

By Gary D. Myers ANGOLA (BP) - The joy seemed so out of place in such a bleak setting -- the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. But that overwhelming joy on the faces of men who may spend the rest of their lives behind bars spoke volumes about the power of the Gospel. Just a few days before Christmas, a group of faculty and staff members from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College made the trek to Angola to celebrate graduation inside the walls of our state's maximum security prison. It was a cold, rainy day. The gray skies over the prison were punctuated by tall fences topped with razor wire -- not-so-subtle reminders about the purpose of this place. Once inside, the security was even more evident. Visitors had to pass through several chambers with iron bars and a metal detector to get inside. I expected all of this, having been to Angola many times to cover events related to the seminary's prison degree program. The joy of the Christian inmates always surprises me. The chapel, simple compared to most of our churches, was brimming with graduation candidates dressed in black robes and excited family members. For me, it was a glimpse at what heaven will be like. Leavell College's … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn I have started out this year preaching from Philippians. I routinely say that my favorite book of the Bible is whatever book I am preaching from that week and my second favorite is Philippians. So, I am having fun this month re-visiting some of the most powerful truths I have ever discovered in God’s Word. This past Sunday, I preached from Philippians 3. I am especially fond of this chapter. I encourage you to take a moment and read this wonderful chapter. I desire that my life be characterized as a forever pursuit of Christ. Verse 14 seems to be something of the apex of this whole letter: "I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus." We pursue Christ because Christ is worthy. We also pursue Christ because staying in pursuit of Him helps us to succeed against the constant temptation of compromise with the world. Let this pursuit of Christ define your . . . Goals—Set as your goal the goal of Christ and pursue that goal. Realize that you are not there yet. If you think you are there, rethink that. You are not there yet. Friends—Ask God to help you to find good examples and follow those examples. Priorities—Re-order your priorities continually and re-visit those … [Read more...]

By Brian Gunter Ten years ago, I witnessed the tragedy of fifteen mothers walking into a Fort Worth abortion clinic to take the life of their unborn child. I pleaded with them to reconsider as they went in pregnant, then a few hours later came out broken and full of regret. I spent my first morning outside an abortion clinic with my Hebrew professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Eric Mitchell, who had been to that sidewalk many times before. We shared the gospel with those women and prayed for God to turn their hearts away from death to life. I went home and tried to clear my mind, but I could not erase the memory of what I had seen that day. I wondered who those fifteen little boys and girls would have grown up to be. I asked myself: What would I do if I knew that some crazed mass-murderer would walk into my local elementary school tomorrow and murder fifteen children? Would I try to stop him? And then I asked myself: Is there any real difference between a school shooting and that abortion clinic where another fifteen children will be slaughtered tomorrow? Every day in America, three thousand babies are torn to pieces in abortion clinics in our communities. That is about the same number of people … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) - The late-1960s TV comedy "Get Smart" featured a lovable, bumbling secret agent, Maxwell Smart, and his partner, Agent 99. Agent 99 was smart and classy, yet humble, and was always there to rescue Smart when he bumbled himself into a predicament. Although Maxwell Smart was the comedic star of the show who always managed to blow his cover and reveal his presence to the enemy, Agent 99 was the true secret agent who got the job done in a professional way. I want to use this image to ask you to become a different kind of agent: God's "Seekret" Agent. The number 99 plays a notable role in one of Jesus' parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:1-7). Jesus introduces us to a shepherd who has a flock of 100 sheep. When he counts his flock, he discovers one is missing. So he leaves the 99 sheep and goes in search of the one lost sheep. God wants each of us to be that kind of "Seekret" Agent who is continually aware of the need to seek out those lost sheep that have not yet made it into the sheepfold of God's safety and salvation. Two important lessons can be drawn from the parable of the lost sheep. It is not just a parable about evangelism. It is also a parable about … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey We don’t like to wait. We have learned to think that everything should be waiting for us when we show up. That kind of mentality affects our relationship with God as well. Instead of thinking that we exist to serve God, we begin to think that God exists for the purpose of giving us what we want when we want it. What does the Bible say? When Nehemiah learned of the anguish of the people in Jerusalem, he spent time with God learning God’s will and God’s way. Nehemiah was neither a priest nor a prophet. He was a leader, a man accustomed to acting decisively when called upon. How amazing that Nehemiah gives us this lesson concerning waiting on God. What should we do? First, we should seek a word from God. Years ago, I decided that I needed to take everything to God in prayer. Of all the things I have desired for my life with God, that has been one of the most difficult. Every time I think that I will pray about all things I find myself going off on my own and leaving God out of the decision. It is hard for me to wait, but I need to hear from God and learn His way. That means waiting on God. Second, we need to practice solitude. God can speak in the middle of a busy intersection, but the truth … [Read more...]

By Scott Barkley, Georgia Christian Index For other Cartersville residents and I, it was surreal to see Trevor Lawrence, a kid who had just been known around town as “Trevor” since he was 15, on the national stage last night. It shouldn’t have been. Over four years we saw his talent at Cartersville High’s Weinman Stadium, the spirals thrown at ridiculously impossible angles with equally ridiculous velocity. Fans of the Purple Hurricanes became used to 42-0 leads halfway through the second quarter. In 2017, his senior year, Trevor and the Canes led Calhoun – a team that would later that year win the Class AAA state championship – 51-0 at the half. So when the kid many call “Sunshine” after his resemblance to the character from the movie “Remember the Titans” shone so brightly on the national stage against the favored Alabama Crimson Tide, many of us weren’t surprised. Something I do take note of regarding these young athletes are how they handle the spotlight away from the field. Keep in mind that Trevor is 19 years old. Last year’s National Championship also had a lot of young guys featured like Jake Fromm and Tua Tagovailoa. Their small towns can be a fishbowl. Get out of sorts publicly in any way, even for a … [Read more...]

By Rebecca Holloway Somewhere in the middle of the rain, the merriment, and the holiday travel, the new year dawned. And here we sit with a chance to start over again. A couple of weeks ago, the Lord had given me my verse for the year and a couple of words. (With me, it never seems to follow the pattern of a single word. I usually get multiple words.) The verse hit me like a ton of bricks as I was flipping through the book of Isaiah to another passage. "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." (Isaiah 43:18) And goodness, there are some things I need to forget. Some things I need to let go. Some things from which I need to move on. Last year I asked the Lord to make me fruitful in the land of my suffering (Genesis 41:52). I don't know how fruitful I really was, but I am ready to be out of the land of suffering. Suffering will never be gone from any of our lives, but I am ready to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13) How will I do that? The other words the Lord gave me were obedience and surrender. I don't know exactly what the obedience means yet. But I do know the surrender means that I need to let go and fall into the arms of the One who knows what is best for … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Here we are a few days into 2019. The first Sunday of the New Year is upon us. Now is the right time to ask yourself the penetrating question: “Will Jesus be the center of your life in 2019?” That phrase comes from a song I like to sing. Here are some of the lyrics to that song: From my heart to the heavens Jesus be the center It’s all about You Yes, it’s all about You From my heart to the heavens Jesus be the center It’s all about You Yes, it’s all about You From my heart to the heavens Jesus be the center It’s all about You Yes, it’s all about You From my heart to the heavens Jesus be the center It’s all about You Yes, it’s all about You Most people would probably like to think of their lives as lots of boxes of different sizes. The label on one box reads family. Another box is labeled career. Yet another box is labeled hobbies, perhaps, until all of the components of one’s life have a box. Most people even conclude that one of those boxes needs to be labeled God. A person with right priorities might even recognize that the “God box” needs to be the largest box. The separate box analogy, however, is not sufficient to describe a right relationship with God. God does not want to have one … [Read more...]

By Lane Corley The Bible is full of resolutions. Our reading of the Bible should be to see the gaps between ourselves and God’s will and close that gap with resolve. The difference between worldly resolution and Biblical resolution is that as believers we have the promise of God’s presence with us to empower and encourage us as we resolve to walk with him. So let’s be resolute in 2019. Here are four Biblical Resolutions in way of reminder and challenge. Devote yourselves to Prayer… Colossians 4:2 Prayer works every time it is tried. God promises to hear and to answer the praying believer, who prays in faith (Matthew 7:7; James 1:5-8; 1 John 5:14-15). Resolve to be a person of prayer in 2019.  Ideas: Set your alarm for 10:02am as a reminder to pray for your church and for more laborers for God’s mission (see Luke 10:2). Get your church’s directory and pray for one page per day. Sign up for Daily Prayer List of the International Mission Board Sign up for BlessEveryHome.com and pray for your neighbors everyday  Every man mature in Christ – Colossians 1:28-29 The resolve of the apostle Paul was to move EVERY PERSON in his sphere of influence closer to Christ. What a resolution!? Our influence as … [Read more...]