By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists were encouraged to embrace an evangelistic mindset in at home and abroad during ECON 2024, held in the facilities of Temple Baptist Church, Ruston, Jan. 22-23.
ECON featured Louisiana Baptist pastors, seminary professors, a representative from the International Mission Board, a comedian and other evangelism associates from across North America.
The event also included times of worship led by the Temple Baptist praise and worship team and Charles Billingsley, an award-winning Christian contemporary artist, as well as breakout sessions.
GEORGE LEE
George Lee IV, minister of community engagement at Temple Baptist, reminded Louisiana Baptists to develop a heart of service and win others to Jesus.
“How badly do we want to win as a body of believers?” said Lee, drawing from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. “A win is seeing somebody who has a one-way ticket to hell being redeemed and reconciled to the Father by the power of the Gospel.”
He reminded Louisiana Baptists that they cannot win those they do not serve, they cannot serve everyone the same way and they cannot serve God without serving people.
“Every day you wake up you are on a mission trip,” he said. “Your mindset ought to be how can I contextualize the Gospel to win somebody. Lord, who are you calling me to reach?”
STEVE HORN
Steve Horn, Louisiana Baptist executive director, encouraged the crowd to embrace a culture of evangelism.
Referencing Acts 8, Horn explained that in a culture of evangelism
— be considered a witness;
— it will be believed everybody can be saved;
— the Holy Spirit always is at work;
— every Scripture points to Jesus;
— every decision is progressing towards discipleship;
— every decision is celebrated but the church cannot settle on reaching just that one person; and
— the community must be saturated with the Gospel.
“When there is a culture of evangelism, we are going to believe that God is at work,” he said. “We are going to believe God is always at work in ways we do not see, in ways we cannot see. But in those moments, we have to believe by faith that God is at work.”
Horn said for a culture of evangelism to become reality, Louisiana Baptists must talk about how to develop it, must talk to God about it through prayer and must talk to those who need evangelized.
He emphasized that of the 4.6 million people living in Louisiana, 70 percent are without a relationship with Jesus.
“Louisiana Baptists, there may be different methodologies, there may be different options to rescue those who are dying and going to hell,” he said. “One of the options can’t be ‘Let’s just let them go to Hell.’ Let’s spend the rest of our days going after, first of all, Louisiana, then our nation and the world.”
JAMES PRITCHARD
James Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lafayette, pleaded with the crowd to have a passion for evangelism. Drawing from Psalm 126:5-6, Pritchard said that evangelism is both hard work coupled with entrusting that work to Christ with weeping.
Pritchard shared that the time of greatest growth in the Southern Baptist Convention had a direct correlation to a focus on evangelism.
“We have few evangelists today,” he said. “We have few revivals today. We have few visitation programs today. And we wonder why we have few baptisms today. Frankly, it’s because we are not getting to work.”
Pritchard argued that Jesus had a hot heart for souls and if we ae walking with Jesus, our hearts would be hot as well.“Jesus said, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,’” he said. “If we are not fishing for men, can we honestly say we are following Christ?”
JEFF GINN
Jeff Ginn, vice president of mobilization at the International Mission Board and former pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, encouraged the crowd to “go and tell” others about Christ.
Summarizing 2 Kings 7, Ginn said four lepers went from being miserable without hope to missionaries.
He asked the crowd three questions to consider about sharing the Gospel: Why sit here until we die? Why sit here while they die? Why sit here since He died?
“Not everyone is going to respond to our witness,” he said. “If we will be faithful, there will be fruit on other occasions.”
PRESTON NIX
Southern Baptists need to return to being a soul-winning denomination, said Preston Nix, professor of evangelism and evangelistic preaching and director of the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
“We are called to be fishers of men,” Nix said. “So, we need to get out and fish.”
Basing his message on John 1:40-42, Nix told the crowd they need to be intentional about sharing their faith; they must connect with people; communicate the Gospel; and call for response.
He said the biggest struggle for sharing the Gospel is overcoming fear of sharing the Gospel, yet that can be overcome.
“Boldness in evangelism is going one step beyond your comfort level to share what you need to share about Jesus,” he said.
He closed his message with a three-fold challenge: be a more faithful, consistent, verbal, bold witness; help lead your church to be more faithful and consistent in sharing the Gospel; and do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus.
DEAN REGISTER
Dean Register, founding pastor of Crosspoint Community Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, told the crowd that God wants to refine them so He can develop His character in them.
Sharing from 1 Kings 18, Register said all the biblical heroes such as Elijah had their own flaws. He then asked the audience: What struggles drive them to a cave of retreat? What truth can they learn in the cave? What fresh focus can they take from the cave?
“God takes you through a refining process and it hurts,” he said. “And we know that the person who would walk close to God will always be refined exquisitely by God. God keeps the furnace of sanctification to a degree that will remove all the contaminants and He never lowers the heat until He sees the reflection of Himself in that.”
He encouraged them not to let their own flaws keep them for persevering and sharing the Gospel.
“If we quit, we will never evangelize the state of Louisiana,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important for us to persevere.”
THOMAS HAMMOND
Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, urged the crowd to do like Peter in Acts 3:1-12 and see the need, get involved and step out in faith.
Hammond said Peter had walked by a lame beggar multiple times, but on one particular day he was filled with the Holy Spirit and noticed the man. In that moment, Peter healed him.
“Peter is not only seeing his world differently, but he is seeing himself differently,” he said. “The Holy Spirit said stop and Peter couldn’t move.
“Have you ever had that moment where you are somewhere doing something, minding your own business, and the Holy Spirit said, ‘Speak to that person’? The Lord says, ‘Right now.’ In that moment, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say.”
JOHN AVANT
John Avant, president of Life Action Ministries and former vice president of evangelism and spiritual awakening with the North American Mission Board, preached the final message of the conference, proclaiming that Christ followers must get desperate for God.
Then, a great revival could very well follow, Avant said.
“What’s it going to take in our lives to get desperate enough to just come back to the simplicity of the Gospel?” he asked the crowd.
Sharing Jeremiah 29:4-7 and 1 Peter 2:9, Avant said this can occur when Christ followers seek peace; create beautiful things for people to see who rarely see it; proclaim Good News; and pursue holiness.
“Louisiana Baptists, it’s time for the great adventure of sharing the Good News of Jesus,” he said. “It’s time for the great adventure that will allow us to beautify our own Babylon and renovate our own road. Nothing is stopping us. No one can hold us back. If we will simply say, ‘Yes Jesus. Yes Jesus. Yes Jesus. It’s time for an adventure with you.’”
SENIOR ADULT LUNCHEON
About 375 people gathered for the Senior Adult Luncheon just before the Tuesday afternoon session, which featured special music by Billingsley and Tim Lovelace.
Lovelace also invoked comedy and a few encouraging words.
Sharing Exodus 14:15-16, Lovelace challenged the senior adults to move forward despite setbacks they may face.
“I don’t know how many of you are facing health issues,” he said. “Maybe you’ve lost a spouse or grandchildren. Sometimes in life we are not sure what to do.
“I don’t know what swamp you are facing,” he continued. “I don’t know if you have a gator you have been looking at lately. Maybe you thought life would be a little bit different at this stage in life. Go forward. There’s a time to be still and know there is a God. But sometimes we need to move a step at a time and trust.”
CLOSING CHARGE
Louisiana Baptist Evangelism and Church Growth Team Director Keith Manuel issued a final charge to the crowd.
“We gather to grow, and we scatter to sow,” Manuel said. “It’s time to go into the fields. Lift up your eyes, they are white unto the harvest. It’s time to plant the seeds of the Gospel.”
