A few weeks ago, Baptist churches from all over the nation sent Messengers to the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, held this year in Orlando, Florida. At that meeting, they elected a new president for the SBC, Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. The SBC tends to elect a new president every two years, and this year was “election year”.
I want to share a quote from Rev. Wright that I believe hits the nail on the head when it comes to Christians in American today. I quote the July 8, 2010 edition of the Baptist Message:
“If we’re going to be radically serious about reaching this world for Christ,” Wright said, “we as individuals and we as churches are going to have to really be prayerfully committed to fulfilling what God has called us to do with the Great Commission.”
“In America, local church members need to repent of materialism, hedonism and other idols that distract them from their first love and inhibit their love of lost people, Wright added.
“The beginning point for all of us is to renew our hearts. Jesus Christ could not be clearer, as politically incorrect as it is in our contemporary culture, that He is the only way to God,” he said.
I wholeheartedly agree. The task is not easy, but by God’s call, it is ours. We must be totally committed to spreading the Good News of Jesus to all and making disciples of Jesus through our own local efforts as well as through our gifts to our missionaries.
This is one reason why Grace gives 10% of every dollar that we receive to the mission agencies of our Southern Baptist partners. That’s right. We ask our people to tithe to the church, but Grace actually tithes too! Sometimes it’s tempting for a small, innercity church to look at the church bills and say that we need to keep more for our own ministries, but God has called all of us to sacrifice to take the gospel to those who have never heard.
This includes your part too. We need all of our members to faithfully tithe to their local church. Through your tithe you support our local ministry and missionaries on college campuses, urban centers, and countries all around the world.
I ask all of our members to do two things. Faithfully and prayerfully tithe to Grace. Secondly, continue to support the mission agencies of Southern Baptists through our church’s 10%.
Through the power of God, we cannot fail. Let’s continue to receive our all from Christ and to give our all to Christ.
Guest Preacher Rev. Greg Carter this Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
I know you’ll be excited this Sunday to hear our guest preacher Rev. Greg Carter, Associate Pastor at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. Rev. Carter has brought the Word for us in the past, and we’re looking forward to hearing him again.
I’ll be in Oak Harbor, Washington visiting my Grandpa Bob and Gramma Lou as well as my aunt and uncle and cousins. Grandpa Bob is very sick so please be in prayer. I’ll be back in town on Friday the 6th.