Archive for the 'Spiritual Awakening' Category
It’s Time to Turn the Tide in the Southern Baptist Convention
Turning the tide means to reverse the course of events and move in another direction. It is time to turn the tide in the Southern Baptist Convention during 2016 in four specific ways.
1. Turning the Tide in Evangelism
I have written recently about the deep need we have to turn the tide relating to our evangelism through our churches. Somehow, some way, our pastors and church leaders must lead the way in being convinced again that evangelism matters.
If we truly believe in the gospel, we will be evangelistic. If we are truly a people of the gospel, how can we not want to see people come to Christ? We need to practice the gospel we talk, write, and preach about so much. Practicing the gospel involves many things, but above all, it must involve sharing Christ with the intention of leading others to faith in Christ.
It is time to return to the urgency of being personal evangelists and active participants in churches. We must be intentional in leading people to faith in Christ, encouraging others to follow in baptism immediately, engaging in church membership vibrantly, and living on mission with God daily.
As a convention, we need to again celebrate evangelism. We have been way too hesitant to do so. Leave behind the analysts and the critics of evangelism. Jesus is more than clear as recorded in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”
2. Turning the Tide in Our Nation
2016 may go down in history as the year America begins to find our way back to God or we depart from God even further. I believe the people of God will determine the future of America.
As God’s people, we need to pray like never before and we need to pray for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America. Prayer is not inaction, but our greatest action.
In this pivotal election year in our nation, we need to educate ourselves on the candidates and the issues, not only at the presidential level, but also at each level of government and service. Relating to our nation’s highest office, we need to pray now for God to raise up His future leader for America. Prayerfully, God will have mercy on our nation in this hour.
I encourage you to consider leading your church to set aside a day or days for prayer and fasting for our nation. Additionally, pray for our nation during worship services. Another call to consider is turning an entire Sunday morning service into a time for prayer.
Cross Church is setting aside 21 days in January for prayer and fasting. We will conclude these days by giving the entirety of all eleven worship services to prayer on each of our five campuses. Yes, all eleven services that day will be focused on prayer. Pray for our fellowship as we go on this spiritual journey that will conclude on Sunday, January 31.
3. Turning the Tide in Our Upcoming Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri
Last year, we saw a very positive turn in our Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. We saw a positive turn in attendance, spirit, and in the program itself. As we build upon last year, I believe we have potential to see a real upsurge on June 14-15 in St. Louis.
This can happen and should happen when pastors and church leaders determine the necessity to have representation from their church in St. Louis. Each church can bring messengers, so please reserve your space now.
Every church that invests financially in our gospel work together through the Cooperative Program should come to St. Louis to learn more about the investment your church is making. Every church that is concerned about the reports of bringing home hundreds of our missionaries from the field should come to St. Louis. Unquestionably, any church that is concerned about the future of our nation should join us in our appeal to God to awaken America and empower us to reach the world for Christ. To this, we need to agree, unite, and pray together.
4. Turning the Tide in Our Financial Support Through the Cooperative Program
Last fall, I conducted conference calls with 400 – 500 pastors, talking to them about the need to increase their church’s financial support through the Cooperative Program. I have given a lot of my time privately and publicly on this subject.
Be encouraged! Churches are responding and we will see the results of this within the next year through the year of 2020. From smaller membership to larger membership churches, we are seeing a stronger growth commitment.
This is the time for each of our churches to pray through and begin to give more through our partnership ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Cooperative Program is the most strategic way your church can advance the gospel through your state, our nation, and the world.
Now is the time to turn the tide in the Southern Baptist Convention. It begins with me. It begins with you. It begins with Cross Church. It begins with your church. We can do this, if we will.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Deliver Us From the Evil in America
The continual shootings in America are unprecedented and they are evidence of a desperate need for a spiritual awakening in this country.
Whether the shootings in America are related to terror, work, race, family, mental illness, or hate, they are killings. Violent. Lawless. Evil.
This lawlessness cannot be solved by legislation, but by the power of the love of Jesus Christ to destroy the evil in our hearts.
More Than One Evil Shooting a Day
The New York Times addressed the San Bernardino killings as the 354th mass shooting in America this year. The New York Times stated1,
“Since January, there have been at least 354 such cases in about 220 cities in 47 states, according to shootingtracker.com.”
In response to the San Bernardino mass shooting, The Washington Post stated2,
“The Mass Shooting Tracker is different from other shooting databases in that it uses a broader definition of mass shooting — the old FBI definition focused on four or more people killed as part of a single shooting.”
In fact, both the New York Times and the Washington Post illustrate graphically the shootings that have occurred in 2015.
Others can debate the terminology and statistics regarding what comprises a mass shooting. Regardless, we cannot deny we are seeing people shoot and kill others at a rate of more than one a day.
This is pure evil. It is a spiritual problem.
The Human Heart and The Forces of Hell
What is the cause of this shooting spree in our nation? Opinions abound, every one is expressed passionately, and they are debated continually. Yet, almost no one discusses the real problem, which is much deeper.
The problem is the condition of the human heart, as affirmed by the Holy Scripture in Jeremiah 17:9,
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?
The human heart has the potential to express evil in unimaginable ways. We are experiencing this today. While each of these shootings is occurring in different cities and for different reasons, the root problem is consistent in each of them… the evil condition of the human heart.
Jesus Himself answered a question from his disciples about various signs that will point toward His coming and the end of the age. One of these glaring signs Jesus gave to them is stated in Matthew 24:12,
Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.
This is the evil we are witnessing in our time. Lawlessness is multiplying. The love of many is growing cold. Everything we are seeing relating to the devaluation of human life from an epidemic of abuse to the coldhearted murder of innocent people begins with the condition of the human heart.
I believe the Bible speaks clearly about the powerful force of Satan and his demonic forces; and a weak, sinful, and evil human heart is vulnerable to the evil forces of hell. The Bible states in 1 Peter 5:8,
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
Be assured, Satan is alive and well, scheming against each person who is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, and stoking the fire of hate in the hearts of those who chase after violence.
I believe Satan is especially and continually scheming against America because of our Christian heritage. His goal is to destroy our lives, our nation, and all it represents. This is why evil abounds not only inside of our nation, but also from outside our nation.
America is becoming more susceptible and vulnerable to our enemies when we fail to listen to the words of Psalm 11:3,
When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
The foundation of our nation is strong, but with every attack on that foundation, our nation suffers. Presently, America seems to be experiencing a season unrestrained and unrelenting attack.
The Hope for America
On December 2, 2015, an op-ed was printed in the Wall Street Journal by its owner – Rupert Murdoch – who is also the executive chairman of News Corporation. Rupert Murdoch had received the Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award, and the op-ed, which was entitled America the Indispensable3, was an excerpt of his remarks in that gathering. Murdoch’s remarks are worthy of the attention of America.
He called for, “Reviving our sense of direction and celebrating America’s exceptional nature.” Then he stated these words that captured my attention: “Around our country, there is a restless desire for revival.” He is speaking not of a spiritual revival, but a revival of our nation that is in, as Murdoch called it, “a slow descent.”
I appreciated his dynamic words and his call to our nation.
Yet, my call to America would take his concern one step further – to a revival of the human heart. I love America and believe in our future greatly. But the evil we are seeing unrestrained in our nation today will not find its answer politically, socially, materially, nor financially. Rather, it all begins in the heart.
My Hope is in the Gospel
The condition of the human heart discovers its cure only in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we repent of our sin and by faith turn to Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven completely. A spiritual transformation occurs within us, changing us from the inside out.
We must share, speak, write, and preach the gospel to people and in places where the gospel has never been before, across our nation, and world.
My Hope is in the Revival of the Church
I believe there is a restlessness also occurring in the church that is desirous of an unprecedented move of God like we have never seen before. Spiritual revival in the church is our hope.
When the church desires this move of God and seeks the God who can give it, then we will become even more convicted of the need to pray for ourselves and for our nation the powerful words of Jesus from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:13,
“ …deliver us from the evil one.”
The Church needs to get prayer back in the church. We need our churches to become houses of prayer as Jesus said we must be. The Church must become the leader in praying, “Deliver us from the evil in America.” It is the Church that must lead the way in praying for the security in our nation.
My Hope is in a Great Spiritual Awakening
I am often asked, “Dr. Floyd, have you given up on America?” I respond immediately, “Absolutely not!” I have not given up on America because I believe in a God who can do anything, any time, anywhere, with anyone.
This includes America. A great spiritual awakening is the greatest hope for America. This is our hope.
Lord, deliver us from the evil in America.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches and congregations nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
1LaFraniere, S. & Cohen, S. & Oppel, Jr., R. A. (2015, December 2). How Often do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/us/how-often-do-mass-shootings-occur-on-average-every-day-records-show.html?_r=0
2Ingraham, C. (2015, December 2). The San Bernadino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/02/the-san-bernardino-mass-shooting-is-the-second-today-and-the-355th-this-year/
3Murdoch, R. (2015, December 1). America the Indispensable. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/america-the-indispensable-1449013820
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.