By Will Hall, Message Editor While announcing new gun restrictions Jan. 5, President Obama, surrounded by parents of the 20 children murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut during 2012, became deeply emotional. “First graders,” he said. “Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad.” “Our unalienable right to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — those rights were stripped from college students in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers at Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown,” he said. “First-graders.” “But I also believe we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment,” he offered. “I mean, think about it – we all believe in the First Amendment, the guarantee of free speech. But we accept that you cannot yell “fire” in a theater. Then he said something remarkable. “We understand there are some constraints on our freedom in order to protect innocent people.” The president is justified in regretting the loss of innocent lives in shootings across the United States. In 2014, there were 8,124 murders using firearms, according to the FBI; and, another 21,175 individuals took their own lives with a gun, the CDC reports – nearly … [Read more...]

Dear Church Member, You are… God’s plan to display his glory to the nations. God’s plan to show your kids how to follow Christ. God’s plan to reach your neighbors & show them what it means to know Christ. God’s plan to expand his kingdom in your town, city, state. God’s plan to show His wisdom to the world through pooling your gifts with other believers in a local church. Loved. Chosen. Favored. Saved. Filled. Forgiven. And so much more. You have… God’s power within to help you overcome the daily & the deadly. God’s word to guide you in the way to believe & behave. God’s gifts to build others up & help grow his kingdom. God’s resources to be managed in a way that honors him & shows others that He is better than this world. God’s promise that He will be with you & he will use you & he will empower you. God’s people around you to encourage & build you up. Power. Wisdom. Grace. Eternal Life. Peace. And so much more. YOU ARE, much more than just a volunteer. YOU ARE a leader in God’s kingdom & YOU HAVE everything you need to make a difference. No excuses. No delay. No looking at others. Be who YOU ARE meant to be. Use what YOU HAVE. What’s stopping you? “I’m … [Read more...]

By Mike Evans, Pastor Elwood Baptist Church, Forest Hill BOSSIER CITY – Across our Convention there are spiritual warning signs found in less giving by some, fewer baptisms by many and a very real feel some churches are dying. And this should be concerning to every Louisiana Baptist. I firmly believe in the Cooperative Program and find it astounding so many independent and autonomous SBC/LBC congregations can come together to do so many vitally important things to fulfill our Lord's Great Commission while others do not find it imperative. Perhaps some of us have forgotten the CP is truly a bona fide miracle. It could be we have also forgotten or de-emphasized some of the things we used to do when the Cooperative Program first began almost a century ago. Today, we have Christian media and more technology to use than we can keep up with. So what is different today and what is lacking? For one thing, I don't see the tears that used to be a part of most every service in our churches only a few decades ago. People used to plead for the Lord to not only save their families from their enemies but also hell. Could it be the prosperity we now enjoy has made us spend more time feathering our nest, as if we will live … [Read more...]

By Dr. Marvin Jones, Louisiana College The training of preachers and pastors has a long-standing tradition within Christianity. Paul’s command to Timothy to “train faithful men” (II Tim 2:2) is an essential for the church’s spiritual health. This tradition of Christian education supporting the Christian church has continued ever since. My brief review of the Apologists and Monasticism will demonstrate the concept of pastor training and pastoral ministries support the health of the church. The review of the Apologists will show that a theologically trained pastor is healthy to a congregation as opposed to a theologically trained monk who provided limited leadership to the church. The Apologists The early church faced intellectual and spiritual challenges from the Roman culture, including attacks on the credibility of the gospel. The Roman strategy was not only to undermine the influence of Christianity but to prove it was spiritually and intellectually dismissive. These polemical battles for Christian truth were often fought in churches by competent pastors. The pastors were known as the Apologists. The Apologists were a second-century product of the Christian church which interacted with its cultural counterpart. These … [Read more...]

By Billy Graham On that first Christmas night, the angels appeared to shepherds on a hill near Bethlehem. Alfred Edersheim, the great 19th-century Jewish-Christian scholar, wrote in his book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah that the shepherds and the sheep to whom the angels appeared near Bethlehem were no ordinary shepherds and sheep. The sheep were those bound for the temple sacrifices. The shepherds were outcasts because of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances. And their manner of life rendered legal observances unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. How wonderful that in God’s wisdom and love the angels should appear to them—the doomed and the outcast—that night. Today we can declare to the world that the Good Shepherd cares for all people and wants to give them peace. Christ came on that first Christmas for one great purpose—to die on the cross for our sins. Now God offers forgiveness, inner peace, and eternal life to all who will repent and believe in His Son. This is the Christmas message! Do you know people who need to hear about God’s love and forgiveness? Will you share the true Christmas message with them this year? … [Read more...]

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) - This poignant beatitude from the lips of Jesus is so typical of the Savior -- "... and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:35). Though not found in the four Gospels, its spirit is seen in Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure -- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." These words represent the heart of the Lord with marvelous clarity. Although the greater blessing lies in the right kind of giving, the implication is that to receive is also blessed. The whole ministry of the Lord was wrapped up in giving, and the glory of the Gospel is its testimony to the unfolding of God's gift to man. GIVING & RECEIVING How often have you given or tried to give in a spirit of love and compassion only to be rejected or ignored? There is nothing that cuts so deeply and leaves an ache so painful as spurned giving -- whether it be an object carefully chosen or a deed lovingly planned. Surely God has designed that the receiving of a gift or ministry is a vehicle that will also bless the receiver … [Read more...]

By Billy Graham We’re given just a little glimpse of Mary and Joseph before Jesus was born. They lived in the hill country of Galilee. Joseph was a religious man. Mary gives every evidence of having a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, even though she was a teenager. The Bible teaches that God was so pleased with her that He chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Mary and Joseph weren’t married, and yet Mary became pregnant. I’ve often put myself in Joseph’s place— imagined his thoughts, his aspirations about the girl to whom he was engaged. But Joseph decided to break the engagement privately. While he was thinking about these things, God’s angel appeared to him in a dream to give Joseph an explanation of the situation. All Joseph’s suspicions were put away. He accepted what God had said through the angel, and he was immediately married to Mary. Both Joseph and Mary followed the call and plan of God, and through their obedience the way was prepared for Christ to come and bless us. Are you seeking to follow God’s call on your life? Are you actively responding to Him? … [Read more...]

By Michael Duduit ANDERSON, S.C. (BP) - It's that time of year again, when we put trees inside our houses, make strange egg-flavored drinks we'd never consume any other time of the year, and spend hours we don't have buying gifts we can't afford for people who will exchange them for something they really wanted. Welcome to Christmas! A Pew Research survey in 2013 found that 96 percent of Americans still celebrate Christmas. What may be more surprising is that only about half of all Americans still considered Christmas to be primarily a religious holiday; about one out of every three considered it essentially a cultural celebration with no religious meaning. So when you hear about the war on Christmas, that's only half right. The war isn't on Christmas; it's a war on identifying Christmas with Jesus. But even among people of faith, there's a lot of confusion about Christmas. We tend to fit Christmas into our own romantic pictures of the season, with chestnuts roasting on an open fire, home for the holidays and a picturesque nativity scene. No wonder the culture tries to draw us into this consumer-driven celebration, because the real picture is far more dangerous, far more revolutionary. If we understand what God has … [Read more...]

By Billy Graham All Christians look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth during this season of the year. Why was Jesus’ birth so important? The reason is because slightly over 2,000 years ago, God stooped down from Heaven and became a human being: Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” — John 1:14, NIV Think of it: God became a man! He did it because He loves us—and that’s what we should celebrate as Christmas approaches. Week One: November 29—December 5 Read Isaiah 9:6 — In this Scripture we find the message and meaning of Christmas. Isaiah the prophet gave five awe-inspiring names of our Lord that encourage us, thrill us, and fill us with hope at this Christmas season. Wonderful. When He did His many miracles, the Scripture says, “The people wondered” (Luke 11:14, KJV). Counselor. The people said, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46, NIV). The Mighty God. He is the God-Man. He said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The Everlasting Father. It was by Him, the living Word, that all things were created. He is the designer of the whole universe (John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3). The Prince of Peace. There will never be lasting peace on … [Read more...]