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Friday, June 18, 2010

Love Loud Through The Great Commission

Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth.” (I John 3:18)


This week we (Jerry, Zack, Jay and me) are attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, Florida. This year’s convention theme “Love Loud Through The Great Commission” will be what some are calling a watershed moment in the life of our Southern Baptist Convention as the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force final report is presented for adoption Tuesday afternoon by chairman Ronnie Floyd, pastor from Arkansas.


I know the report has given birth to more debate and opinion than perhaps anything else in Baptist life for about two decades. I also recognize that much is at stake. I must confess that I have never delved in convention politics over the years. The demands of both a growing home life and a busy pastorate have held me captive for many years. I do believe it is time for my church to step up to the plate, but not necessarily in terms of heavy convention activity. We already do that in many respects. I currently serve on the Alabama State Board of Missions and our church is a major financial contributor to Southern Baptist life.


It is time for our church to step up to the plate in terms of the greatest need facing Southern Baptists. The greatest thing at stake, more than any denominational change that may come as a result of the GCR task force vote of the messengers, is the lostness in our nation and in our world. The fact remains: we are not impacting lostness in a way that elevates the glory of God. The statistics reveal that we are in fact losing ground while having more resources and more missionaries than ever before.


For example, in 1972 we baptized 140,000 teenagers as compared to 75,000 in 2008. In 2008 we baptized 33,000 less than we did in 1950, and we have more churches, more people, and more resources than we did in 1950. Consider these facts:


  • 7 billion human inhabitants living on planet earth.
  • 1 billion are believing Christians.
  • 6 billion people are lost.
  • 3.5 billion have never heard the Gospel.


Is it hard for you to imagine that there are still some 6000 people groups around the world that have never heard the Gospel in their language? These facts have gripped my heart, and I want to lead my church to step to the plate in a way we never have before.


So, l will listen prayerfully as the report is shared and as the debate ensues. I ask you to pray fervently for God’s Spirit to fall over the messengers in Orlando. I ask you to pray that in the midst of our debate, these facts will not be lost in the crowd. In fact, I am praying that a great spiritual awakening will occur as we confess all things that we have allowed to divert our attention away from the Great Commission. May God be glorified as our beloved convention “Loves Loud Through The Great Commission!”


Derek

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