By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – In a world that is increasingly evil with each passing day, Steven Smith believes Christians must be on their knees, praying with boldness and persistence. “Prayer is asking that God’s goodness would be directed toward us until His will is made clear to us,” said Smith, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., during the E4 Preaching Conference Sept. 19. Smith said Christ presented a template of how to pray in Luke 11:1-13, with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. “Why does He say the ultimate thing He gives us is the Holy Spirit?” Smith said. “Because the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in our lives. He’s saying God can’t give us anything better than God. It’s the greatest thing He can give.” In another message, Smith encouraged pastors not to fixate on the style of preaching or the right topic, but, instead, to allow Scripture to guide them. “We don’t have to explain God to anyone,” Smith said. “Just get people to Jesus, who gets them to the Father. “The Father and Jesus are invisible,” he continued. “How do we get people to see the invisible Christ who leads them to the invisible Father? Through the Word! “Is the way I am doing what I am … [Read more...]

By Arthur Mazhambe & Sheri Duffy, Louisiana College PINEVILLE (LBM) – Problem gambling and all the issues surrounding it have become more prevalent, whether through buying daily scratch tickets, frequenting casinos or sports betting. According to Janet Miller, executive director of the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling, “This problem has risen from 3.1 percent to 8.3 percent in the past 8 years.” Meanwhile, mental health professionals recognize it as such a growing concern that the latest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), categorizes Gambling Disorder on par with substance-related addictions and not just as a matter of “impulse control” – a change that indicates the severity of the problem. This social ill affects not only the individual gambler, but also touches the lives of all those close to him or her, as well as other aspects of life – sometimes resulting in violence/abuse, deception, loss of or decrease in income, loss of jobs and relationships, and decreased performance on the job or in school. Moreover, the average household budget in America does not have an expense item for “gambling.” Instead, funds budgeted for other purposes are risked and … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message WINNFIELD – First Baptist Church is celebrating an evangelistic milestone in Winnfield during October – the 20th anniversary of its first Judgement House. A walk-through drama that presents visitors with a visualization of some of the life and death consequences of choices made on earth, Judgement House at FBC Winnfield has enjoyed an average of 103 people making a decision for Christ from among 1,324 visitors each performance year since its inception. Judgment Houses are held in 20 states, using any of 24 scripts developed by the Judgement House national organization based in Clearwater, Fla. All scripts follow a story line that involves a fatal accident to make the emphasis that the only way to get to Heaven is by believing in Jesus. John Holland, minister of music and senior adults for FBC Winnfield, explained to the Baptist Message that the congregation hosts Judgment House every two years, hosting a church-wide revival in the year between. “After the first year’s presentation, we were overwhelmed by the response from churches throughout central Louisiana,” Holland said. “It is a unique, cutting-edge evangelistic opportunity, but it is very demanding on the cast members. Due to its … [Read more...]

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Reporter DUPONT (LBM) – There is new life in First Baptist Church Dupont, which began about 50 years ago as a rural mission church in southern Avoyelles Parish. The congregation, which was gasping for breath to survive, had dwindled down to a handful of people when the door opened for Brian Johnston to become the pastor. Now, after many heavenly appeals, there has been such revitalization that Johnston anticipates members will vote on a new identity within the month. “We plan to change the name because we are a new work. Everything is going great now, and our church has their heart on the Lord. We present ourselves to the community as a new work,” Johnston said. Moreover, the congregation plans to reconstitute as a mission church as part of its “fresh start.” God has given church members, who now number about 28, a vision to be relevant to the Dupont community, Johnston said, and there is a newfound fervor for outreach. Moreover, the pastor believes the church’s “second wind” is the direct result of intentional prayer. When the church switched their mid-week service to Thursday nights, Johnston said the members began a new focus. “We had a big, heavy emphasis on prayer,” he … [Read more...]

IN REMEMBERANCE Mrs. Lonie Mardell Roach, age 94, recently of Alexandria, went home to be with her Lord on Friday, September 15, 2017.  She was a Godly woman who dedicated her life to being a Christian wife and mother.  She was also a faithful partner in ministry alongside her preacher-husband, H.M. Roach, for 67 years.  She leaves a rich legacy of love and Christian values, for which her family wishes to honor her. Condolences can be sent to Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Roach, 2508 10th Ave. NW, Minot, ND 58703. ON THE MOVE Leanne Treme is the new reservations supervisor at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. Tyler Adams is the new Maintenance Technician at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. HOMECOMING West Lake Baptist Church, Doyline: 39th Homecoming, October 1, 10:30 a.m. Dinner on the grounds will be held after services.  Everyone is asked to bring a covered dish. Pastor: Jerry Elgin. Cedar Baptist Church, Archibald: Homecoming 2017, October 1, 10:30 a.m. with dinner on the grounds to follow at noon. Speaker: Bryan Lipscomb , former Pastor of Cedar Baptist Church and present Pastor of Providence Baptist Church of Lufkin, Texas. All friends, families and former church members are … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-Alto) has urged the Senate to pass Sen. Bill Cassidy's health care plan. A physician practicing family medicine for more than 20 years, Abraham voiced his support for the proposed piece of legislation that would repeal and replace Obamacare. "When Senate leadership threw in the towel and gave up on repealing Obamacare, Louisiana’s senior senator Bill Cassidy kept pushing, and I applaud his efforts to remove Washington from my exam room,” Abraham said in a news release. “His plan repeals nearly $1 trillion in taxes, which paves the way for true tax reform. It gives money back to the states to construct health care plans that work for their patients, scrapping the one-size-fits-all Obamacare mandate. It defunds Planned Parenthood. Passing this bill would allow the House to possibly strengthen it even further. “Let’s be clear: This is our last opportunity to end Obamacare as we know it,” said Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church. “While Democrats are debating whether to keep the failed status quo or adopt a socialist single-payer government takeover of health care, Bill Cassidy and I are doing what we can to provide patients with choices in their health care. Sen. Cassidy’s plan takes … [Read more...]

By Message Staff FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Louisiana Baptist feeding team is hard at work in Fort Myers, Fla., preparing nearly 15,000 meals in a five-day period for Hurricane Irma victims. The team of 15 from Northshore Baptist Association and other southeast Louisiana associations began working out of Riverside Baptist Church Sept. 15. Freddie Arnold, blue hat for the team, told the Baptist Message they have prepared between 500 and 1,300 meals for lunch and supper, and expects that number to increase as each day passes. Joining the feeding team is a shower and laundry unit from Mount Olive Association, water purification unit from a First Baptist Church in Mangham and a generator from Rolling Hills Ministry. Since they are not working in neighborhoods hit hard by Irma, Arnold said team members for the most part are unable to interact directly with residents of the community. However, he said people they have encountered have expressed appreciation for their efforts. “As we were coming in on the interstate, people were blowing their horns, rolling down their car windows and saying thank you for being here,” Arnold said. “So they definitely know about Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Since we have been through this … [Read more...]

By Message Staff After hearing his pastor share about the need for ministry for Hurricane Harvey victims in early September, Mickey Watson felt led to form a team with other members of Amite Baptist Church. For several weeks, teams from the church traveled to Texas, cooking meals, gutting homes and delivering supplies. Like many other Louisiana Baptist churches, Amite Baptist Church in Denham Springs spent two days working on homes in Beaumont, Texas. Watson said the effort was a way for their church to bless the people of Texas, much like they were blessed when teams came to help in the recovery process last year following historic flooding in south Louisiana. “Over half of the people that traveled from Amite to Texas to assist with the cleanup flooded last year and our hearts knew exactly what these people were going through,” Watson told the Baptist Message. “We just loved being able to show the love that God showed us and to returned a big thanks. “Our ministry last year lasted a little over two weeks and we fed more than 16,000 meals basically from my driveway and delivered them daily to neighborhoods and gave them away at the church,” he continued. “We realized how much a plate of fresh food meant. We were … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PORT ARTHUR, Texas – Surveying the estimated $300,000 worth of damage  Hurricane Harvey caused his church facilities, Pastor Rick Erwin maintained an attitude of gratitude as he thought about the army of volunteers, including two Louisiana Baptist churches, sent to help Proctor Baptist Church in Port Arthur, Texas, begin its path to recovery. “Had it not been for the volunteers that came in and helped us, I think we would have had to close the doors,” Erwin told the Baptist Message. “This is tremendously hard work. We’ve stepped up and said God is with us, this is His church and not ours. There is no measure of thanks we can express to Christians who came and helped us..” Searcy Baptist Church in Trout and United Baptist Church in Jena sent a team of eight people to the church Sept. 12 and 13. While there, they removed damp carpet, cut out tiles and carried debris to the street. The team also brought cleaning supplies and $1,500 worth of monetary donations they gifted the church. Reid Terry, pastor of Searcy Baptist Church, said from the onset of news reports that large areas of Texas were flooded, his congregation asked how they could make a difference. When Terry learned from … [Read more...]