By PHILIP TIMOTHY, Message Staff Writer MANDEVILLE – Typically, in these economically depressed times, one wouldn’t think a construction company would be adding divisions or personnel, but Kent Construction Inc. of Mandeville is not your typical company. The highly successful 15-year-old firm, licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, is not only flourishing, but is expanding its services with the addition of a Faith Division and the hiring of Adam Martin to head it. [img_assist|nid=6812|title=Kyle Kent, president of Kent Construction Co., and Adam Martin, head of the company s new Faith Division at FBC Covington|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]“I had been thinking about doing this for more than a year,” said Kyle Kent, president of Kent Construction. “How appealing would it be to a church for a construction company to come in and work biblically with that church and its congregation? “What makes Kent Construction different from other companies, you might ask? It’s our employees,” Kent said. “Kent Construction is driven by personable employees who enjoy working with their clients. We focus on building relationships with people in order to build successful projects. “It doesn’t matter whether … [Read more...]

By QUINN LAVESPERE, Message Summer Staff Writer VIVIAN – Kicking up dust sometimes means to stir up trouble. Pastor Dustie Dunn of First Baptist Church in Vivian is a dust-kicker – for Jesus Christ, that is. Since becoming pastor at First Vivian, Dunn has led his congregation on a tremendous spiritual outreach for the Vivian community. He also is the alternate to give the convention sermon for the 2010 annual meeting. [img_assist|nid=6814|title=Dustie Dunn has led First Baptist Vivian to love the people in its community, which resulted in 165 additions and 82 by baptism|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]“We love the people of Vivian,” Dunn said. “We love the people of the world too.” Dunn first became youth and children’s pastor at First Vivian after he graduated from Louisiana College in 2005. “My most exciting part is probably people who made decisions for Jesus and got saved,” Dunn said. “There’s also our outreach in our community. Since I became pastor in 2008, we’ve seen 165 additions, 82 of those additions by baptism. It’s been really exciting to see. “What I’m really excited about, though, is that our church has really come to celebrate people getting saved,” the pastor continued. “Whenever … [Read more...]

By Jason Hiles, Chair of Christian Studies Louisiana College In a previous article I discussed some of the implications of Jesus’ well-known declaration in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” With this statement Jesus was concerned to focus his disciples’ attention on the connection between the condition of their hearts and their faithfulness to His commands. [img_assist|nid=6816|title=Jason Hiles|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=67|height=100] The burden of the previous article was to draw out the necessity of loving Christ in order to become genuinely obedient to Him. I noted that one may go through the motions of obedience and fulfill what appear to be the basic requirements of righteousness, and yet fail to obey the Lord by doing such things without love for Him. This loveless manner of life may be described as legalism, which basically amounts to performing right actions for all the wrong reasons. The Bible condemns such acts as sin. Legalism, however, is but one symptom of the spiritual disease of lovelessness toward God. Another symptom of deficient love is captured by the word “lawlessness.” Lawlessness stems from the false belief that one who has been saved by grace through faith … [Read more...]

By ARCHIE ENGLAND, Ph.D., NOBTS Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew How do the (major) covenants of the Old Testament relate to Christ Jesus? Archie England responds: Adam, Noah, and Abraham represent the three earliest possible covenants. Though most scholars acknowledge that the interaction between God and Adam (Genesis 2-3) doesn’t fit the expected covenant structure, it clearly serves a covenant-like purpose. By one man’s sin (Adam), sin entered, and all mankind consequently died. Christ was recognized as the antidote: as the second Adam, redemption – once and for all – entered so that all mankind by faith might be immediately and eternally saved (Romans 5). What God announced particularly upon Adam, Eve, and the serpent impacted all creation subsequently. Like Adam, Noah entered into a covenant with God. Following the destruction of all living beings except those sheltered from the flood by the ark, this Noahic covenant (Genesis 6-9) focused upon God’s promise never again to destroy the earth by water. Spared from annihilation, Noah learned what future portent awaited a yet distant (unbelieving) generation – fire! The New Testament writers pointed to the day of Noah as one of the hallmark signs of the future … [Read more...]

Some Christians say you shouldn’t mix politics and religion. They are wrong. One pastor/activist, Bryan Fischer, makes the case beautifully. Fischer is a graduate of Stanford University and has a theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He spent years as a teacher of biblical studies and as a pastor. But he also stayed active in his home state of Idaho, serving on the Boise Parks and Recreation Commission and even spending a year as chaplain of the Idaho State Senate. Fischer worked on causes ranging from fighting abortion to preserving Ten Commandments monuments to lowering taxes. He’s currently employed by the American Family Association dealing with government and public policy. At the recent Values Voters Summit in Washington, D.C., Fischer gave a speech tackling the most frequent arguments against Christian participation in the political process. First argument: Politics is messy; but so are churches. In fact the messiness of the political arena is one of the best arguments for Christians to make sure we stay involved. Second argument: Politics concerns the kingdom of earth. Christians should concentrate on the Kingdom of Heaven. But throughout history God has placed His men in political … [Read more...]

Are you a soul winner? Do you attempt to do everything you can with your lifestyle, your actions, and your words to lead someone to an encounter with the Savior? If you are, then you are aware that most of the time leading someone to Christ is not an easy task. It requires confrontation, dedication, and perseverance. [img_assist|nid=6053|title=Andy Johnson, Pastor Cross Roads Baptist Church, Farmerville|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100] There are rare occasions when God sends you a seeker – someone who has been searching diligently for the meaning of life. On those occasions, it seems as if leading the seeker to the Lord is easy. The seeker asks, “Can you tell me how to be saved?” They are ready, they are willing, and you’ve got the goods to get them where they are trying to go. The usual presentation of the Roman Road would be applicable, but the person is so desperate to do whatever it takes that you lead him in the sinner’s prayer. With the drop of an ‘Amen,’ you say to your new friend, “Welcome to the Kingdom!” The new believer is even willing to be presented as a candidate for baptism the following Sunday. The person talks with the pastor. He baptizes them in a public demonstration of their … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA – The 2010 annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention with its theme “Be filled with the Spirit” from Ephesians 5:18 is to celebrate what God has done through His Louisiana Southern Baptists over the last year, and to look ahead at what He will – or could – do over the next year. “I am celebrating what God has done this year in our LBC. We’ve really tried to renew the focus of humbling ourselves in prayer, desperately seeking Him.” said Rod Masteller, president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and pastor of Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport. “If we want to see church growth, we are going to have to fall on our knees in prayer, asking God to send revival and awakening across our state.” “We know that if we would come together as pastors and leaders, seeking Him, I believe He will raise us up,” Masteller continued. “We know that church business as usual will not turn our churches or our culture back to Christ.” Set for Nov. 15-16 at the Riverfront Center in Alexandria, the annual meeting is to feature Louisiana’s own as well as nationally-known speakers. Additional information relating to available hotels and scheduled meetings is available on pages 8-9 of this … [Read more...]

By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY, Managing Editor POLAND – Nuisance alligator hunter Ronnie Guy endured two regimens of chemotherapy for his follicular lymphoma. But the cancer came back a third time, like an alligator surfacing from a bayou’s murky waters, and Riverview Baptist Church in the Poland community near Alexandria responded with love that radiated like the dawn of a gorgeous summer’s day. The members raised about $14,500 after expenses to help pay for the non-traditional cancer treatment Ronnie and his wife Terri Guy decided to try. “We prayed for a miracle,” Terri Guy said. “I told several in the church, ‘you’re that miracle.’” Church members sold 1,800 tickets at $6.50 each (donations made up the rest) for a barbeque chicken half that included dirty rice and baked beans. Twenty men of the church and others from the community cooked the chicken under the direction of Otis Monroe, a local caterer, who also made the dirty rice. Outlaws restaurant donated the Styrofoam containers. Women of the church made a variety of desserts, which were available for an additional donation. “Everyone we talked to said it was the best barbeque chicken plate they’d ever had,” Pastor Matt Palmer said. “We were very pleased with the … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – This year’s annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is to take place Nov. 15-16 at the Alexandria Riverfront Center in Alexandria. In order for a church to participate in the business of the convention they will need to elect messenger(s) to represent them. Those messengers then register at the annual meeting. “There are five ways messengers can be certified to vote at this year’s annual convention,” said Ken Gilmore, LBC Credentials Committee Chairman. The Credentials Committee oversees the registration process. Elected messengers can choose one of the following options to validate their certification. First and best, messengers can pre-register using the LBC online program, print out their registration cards, and bring them to the annual meeting. By pre-registering, messengers can be certified within a matter of minutes, Gilmore said. Second, if messengers have not pre-registered, bringing a letter from their church on church letterhead stating that they are elected messengers will allow them to register and be certified to vote. Third, a church officer can phone in the names of the elected messengers. Fourth, verification by a fellow registered church member. And finally, fifth, when … [Read more...]

BALL – The 2010 Louisiana Pastor’s Conference is set for Nov. 14-15 at Kingsville Baptist Church in Ball, north of Pineville. Theme for the annual event is to be “For the glory of God,” calling pastors to a renewed fervor for the calling God has placed on their lives, said Randy Harper, president of the Pastor’s Conference. “It’s easy to get caught up in the steady stream of crises in the lives of members and others in the community,” said Harper, pastor of Bellaire Baptist Church in Bossier City for the last 14 years. “We need this time away from our churches to take a deep breath and remember God’s call. That’s what this year’s Pastor’s Conference is all about: Reminding us that all we do is to be for the glory of God!” Guest preachers for the 2010 Louisiana Pastors Conference are to include Richard Blackaby, Jack Graham, David Hankins, O.S. Hawkins, Alex Himaya, Lyndon Longoria, Fred Lowery, and Jay Strack. Each has a website, or see www.LBC.org/PastorsConference for more information. “We anticipate a time of both renewal and revival for our Louisiana pastors during this conference,” Harper said, including in his statement Steve Folmar, vice-president of the Pastor’s Conference and pastor of First Houma, and Darryl … [Read more...]