By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – On the heels of its 175th anniversary, Louisiana Baptists have an opportunity to unify and reach the state for Christ, Reggie Bridges said in his presidential address during the 2023 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, Nov. 14, hosted by the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
“If we all look to Jesus, and if we all run the same way, there will be natural unity because we are looking to Jesus,” Bridges said.
Drawing from Hebrews 12:1-2, Bridges, pastor of Temple Baptist Church, Ruston, said Christ followers must lay aside the weight of sin that entangles them, run with endurance and look unto Jesus.
“There is going to be pain,” he said. “There is going to be agony. But you’ve got to keep running. You and I have to give it all we have because the Christian life is not a 40-yard dash but a marathon.”
Bridges said everything starts and ends with Jesus.
“The hero of history has always been Jesus,” Bridges said. “He is the author and the perfecter. What He begins in us, He will finish in us. He will keep me until the day of His return. He will perfect His salvation in me.
“I may fail,” he continued. “I may fall. But thanks to God I will always have the Rock of Certainty in Jesus Himself.”
BIBLE STUDY
Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, reminded messengers they can be busy in the work of ministry without pursuing Christ and His Kingdom.
“We would never mean for it to happen, but somewhere along the way these lights and these platforms and these little microphones and these moments where we stand can become important to us,” said Dew, basing his Bible study on Philippians 3:1-11. “We seek them out. We jockey for position. We hone our skills, and we do the things we do but somehow, someway, we can lose sight of that which is important.”
Dew said that to pursue Christ and Kingdom, those in vocational ministry must not put trust in themselves or their own accomplishments, seek Christ as their greatest reward, recognize they are not yet who they are supposed to be and seek the life Christ purchased for them.
“To be in pursuit of Christ means you have come to realize that Christ and Christ alone is worth having,” he said. “Christ and Christ alone is what can satisfy our hearts.”
CONVENTION SERMON
Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, in his convention message told messengers they never will be successful in life and ministry if they do not forgive themselves for their past mistakes.
Drawing from Philippians 3:12-14, Luter said that to move on, Christ followers must face, forgive and forget their pasts, and press on.
“If Jesus has forgiven us, we must forgive ourselves,” he said. “The devil is a liar. You are forgiven.”
He said everyone has a past, but they cannot change it. Instead, Luter said, messengers should learn from their pasts and look to their futures.
“Don’t waste time on digging up the past,” he said. “That’s the devil’s job and he’s good at what he does. Give your past to God and let go. Give your past to God and let God take care of your past.”
Luter shared that when the Franklin Avenue congregation formed, his members expressed a desire to break off from the Southern Baptist Convention because it was rooted in slavery. After much discussion with his members, they opted to stay, and they became a leader in the Louisiana Baptist Convention in baptisms.
“I’m so glad we stayed because of what God has done in this Convention,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about our past, but there’s a whole lot we can do about our future.”
