By Rebecca Holloway If you’re like me, you’ve been watching Christmas movies since before Halloween. Or maybe you have strict rules that you don’t start doing that until after Thanksgiving. Kudos to you! One thing I have noticed about those movies is this: Someone in the movie is always waiting for something. They’re waiting for their true love to come. They’re waiting on Santa to arrive. They’re waiting for the first snowfall so they can kiss under the mistletoe. They’re waiting for the fight they’ve had with this new love they’ve found to end so the movie can end. Somebody is always waiting for something. We’re always waiting for something – no matter the time of year. But have you noticed something? We’re not good waiters. I mean, if it’s only for a few minutes, we’re okay. We understand and we’re gracious. But if we have to wait for something over an hour or day or a week or God forbid months or years, we start getting a little salty about it. We get angry. We start making smart alack comments. We start complaining. We are a very, very impatient people. And it’s even worse if God has told us to wait on something. There have been lots of times of waiting in my life. One of the greatest “waits” I ever had was while I … [Read more...]

By Alex Sibley, Southwestern Communications BATON ROUGE (BP) -- As both a crew member at Trader Joe's and a minister at Progression Church in Baton Rouge, Joe Handy essentially gets to pastor two locations -- his "Trader Joe's campus" and his "Progression Church campus." Serving “full time” in both, Handy is continuing a bi-vocational pastoring legacy that has been fundamental to the health and growth of Southern Baptist churches across the state and the nation. IN THE MISSION FIELD At Trader Joe's, a grocery store chain, Handy rubs shoulders with nearly 85 coworkers from a wide range of social, cultural, political and spiritual backgrounds, most of whom have little to no interest in visiting a church. "So I try to pastor them right where they are," Handy said. "I'm the only pastor some of them have. I love that I have opportunity to bring church to them. "As they get to know me," he continued, "trust builds, and I get to play the role of friend and pastor in their lives. It's fun seeing the worlds of Progression Church and Trader Joe's collide like that." Handy is one of four bi-vocational ministers on Progression Church's five-person pastoral team. Lead pastor Brian Crain is Progression's only full-time … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” goes the line of the familiar Christmas song. I think the line should be, “It’s the busiest time of the year.” Most of the problem is our own creation. We try to go to too many parties. We try to buy too many gifts. We try to make too many people happy. Could I offer a solution to this holiday rush? Simplify! Simplify everything. Simply your giving and going. Spend more time on those things that truly “redeem the time.” Here is my encouragement to simplify. Simplify the gift buying craze. Lest someone think I am Scrooge, I love both giving and receiving gifts. I am just arguing for prudence. Most of what we buy during this time is probably excessive. Seek to give gifts that will advance the Gospel. For example, make a donation to a mission or charitable organization in someone’s honor. As a Southern Baptist, our churches receive a special offering (the Lottie Moon Christmas offering) at this time of the year for International mission efforts. Seek opportunities to share the Gospel. I have read … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE (LBM) – When Clayton King encouraged nearly 6,000 students at the 2017 Youth Evangelism Celebration to share Christ with someone while they were in Lafayette, ninth grader Kylan Davis just a few hours later accepted that challenge by leading another person to a relationship with Jesus. As Davis was enjoying a smoothie at a restaurant with fellow members of the First Baptist Church, Houma, youth group Nov. 20, he reached in his pocket and pulled out “The Road to Life” tract King used earlier in the afternoon as a guide to demonstrate how to share the Gospel. Moments later, the Holy Spirit moved Davis to share Christ with Todd, a manager at the restaurant. Apprehensive at first, Davis moved forward in obedience, nonetheless, asking the man if he had a few minutes to chat. “When I asked Todd if he wanted to receive Jesus in his life, he said, ‘Sure,’” Davis said. “I could tell the Holy Spirit was moving. I never thought I would be sharing the Gospel with someone that day, but for some reason I reached for the tract that Clayton King used to walk us through sharing Christ.” Now that he has experienced the joy of leading someone to Christ, Davis said he no longer is … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE (LBM) –The 2017 Youth Evangelism Celebration wrapped up its three-year run in Lafayette on a high note, seeing 1,081 students make decisions for Christ. The annual event returns to its traditional home in Alexandria next year. “YEC was truly a celebration of the past and present,” Louisiana Baptists Youth Ministry Strategist Steve Maltempti said. “The Lord continues to bless and propel YEC forward. Students and teenagers are engaged with the Gospel message.” During the Nov. 19-20 gathering inside Lafayette’s Cajundome, 5,929 Louisiana Baptist students were challenged by evangelist Clayton King to share what Christ has done in their lives and to lean on God’s truth. “The biggest lie is God doesn’t love you,” King told the students. “That’s a lie. God loves you. He loved you so much that He made a path for you to be saved.” During all four sessions, King offered a chance for students to step forward and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit. He said simply knowing the truth of redemption through Christ does not set a person free but rather believing and making a decision. “Every one of us is more lost than we ever dreamed but we are more loved than we … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (LBM) – After 14 years of peacekeeping duties in the country, the United Nations stood down its 2,300 military forces Oct. 15, giving hope of a return to political stability for the people of Haiti, a poverty-stricken nation of more than 10 million citizens. Meanwhile, the arrival of a 44-member team of Louisiana Baptists, Oct. 14, launched a week of compassionate aid and spiritual ministry to hundreds of residents of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, offering hope in the form of medical and dental services, construction work, safe drinking water filter installations and upkeep, and, the sharing of the Gospel as part of these compassion efforts, Vacation Bible School, and door-to-door community evangelism. SHARING THE WORD Ray Swift, administrative pastor, First Baptist Church in Lafayette, Jason Cole, pastor, First Baptist Church in Simsboro, and Wayne Sheppard, partnership missions strategist for Louisiana Baptists preached in local churches the Sunday after landing in Port-au-Prince: Swift spoke in the rudimentary structure of a rural evangelical church in Monet; Sheppard shared the Word at an established Baptist church in Croix-des-Bouquets and presided … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE (LBM) – After two years of praying and preparing for the largest joint evangelistic effort in the state among Louisiana Baptists, the time for Harvest has arrived. This year-long statewide soul-winning effort will launch with the 2018 state Evangelism Conference, known as ECON, Jan. 22-23, at the First Baptist Church in Pineville. “God truly has blessed us with the largest number of Louisiana Baptist churches ever to commit to work together on a specific evangelistic initiative,” Keith Manuel, evangelism associate for Louisiana Baptists, said. “Whether it is through a church participating individually or in a group through their association, we are praying for the lost to receive prayer, hear the Gospel, be saved, baptized and become a vibrant, growing disciple of Jesus in these congregations. The enlistment was great. Now the real joy comes as we meet, pray, and share the Good News with our neighbors.” The groundwork for the initiative to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person” began in the fall of 2015 with a small group of leading pastors. Strategy development and the enlistment of churches were undertaken in 2016.  Statewide evangelism training … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – Organizers of recent evangelistic outreaches throughout the state may have used different approaches to share the Gospel but have achieved similar results – scores of the lost making decisions for Christ. RESCUE REVIVAL The Rescue Family Revival took place Nov. 10-12 at Marksville High School, marking one of the largest evangelistic outreach efforts for Louisiana Baptists in Avoyelles Parish. In the end, this harvest yielded 42 decisions for Christ. Prior to the revival, volunteers from Life Point Community Church, Mansura, and Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, held block parties in Bunkie, Cottonport, Mansura, Marksville and Simmesport featuring games, food, a basketball tournament and a classic car show – with invitations to attend a worship service at Marksville High School featuring drama and music by the Philadelphia Baptist youth group and a powerful Gospel message from evangelist Ken Freeman. Freeman focused his messages on rescuing the perishing. “We want to be a part of your rescue,” Freeman said. “In life today the only thing that’s going to save you is Jesus Christ.” Freeman shared about his own experience with God’s saving grace … [Read more...]