Archive for May, 2014
The Focus of Our Faith
Have you ever heard someone say, “Just believe”? Some people seem to believe that faith in itself is all that is needed, as if somehow the object of our faith is not important. Believe in the sky? The ground? Some spirit? Our ancestors?
To me, that’s like believing any car is sufficient for a trip across the country. It doesn’t matter whether it runs, has tires, a working transmission, or seats. Isn’t one car as effective as another? Almost no one would buy into such logic. But when it comes to faith, many do.
The Object of Our Faith
A strong object for our faith is essential to get us through difficulties in life. The Apostle Peter wrote to some early believers, “You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”1
In the summer 2014 edition of Bible Studies for Life, author MaryJo Sharp says, “Since we can have confidence in Christ’s victory over death, we can certainly have assurance of His power over every kind of pain or sorrow. This, then, is our firm anchor in times of trouble–a mighty foundation for hope.”2 This awareness is crucial to the people of God. We don’t have faith in faith; we have faith in God. The object of our faith matters.
To return to our car illustration for a moment, if I intend a cross country trip, does my faith matter more than the car (the object of my faith)? If I jump into a clunker, am I likely to arrive without incident, if at all? No. If, however, I climb into a dependable car, with faith it will carry me without fail, I have a much better chance to reach the goal. The object of our faith is important. Misplaced faith is no better than a lack of faith.
There is Salvation in No One Else
Saving faith is also dependent on its object. Those who would be reconciled to God must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not simply believe. Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, thus He is the One in whom we believe. The Apostles Peter and John proclaimed this clearly to the religious leaders of their day, saying of Jesus, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”3 And in John 3:36, the prophet John the Baptist warned, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
No faith, no matter how earnest, placed in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, will avail salvation. Not our works, our parents, our church, nor our pastor will bring salvation on our behalf. Make Christ and Him alone the object of your faith because He will never fail.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
“Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms”…Baptists Should Take Notice!
When a national secular publication as prominent as The Atlantic publishes an article entitled, “Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms,” Baptists should stand up and take notice! If there is one thing we do not want to be known for, it is that we are not reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. Additionally, we do not want to be known for not reaching the next generation.
Actions We Should Consider Taking Immediately:
1. Each pastor and church leader should share “Pastors’ Task Force on SBC Evangelistic Impact & Declining Baptisms,” released last week, with their entire church leadership and perhaps their entire church.
Last week, I wrote a response to this report that may encourage you on how we are responding as a church. I believe we need to educate our lay people to these matters, and they will rise up with us to take the needed actions. They can join you not only in strategic thinking, but prayerful intercession.
2. Personally own the call to evangelize the lost.
As Great Commission Christians, we must own the Great Commission personally. We cannot blame others or make excuses. It comes down to each of us owning it and wearing it daily. Evangelizing, baptizing, and discipling must be escalated.
3. Prioritize the conversation in your church.
There is a lot of noise in our churches. It is hard to get the attention of our people. The world is not just noisy, but mobile. The growing infrequency of church attendance adds to this challenge. Yet, somehow, some way, we must prioritize the conversation of reaching lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can assure you, in our church, the more prioritized the conversation is with our team and leaders, the more people we see come to Christ. Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:19-20 is not an option; it is the Lord’s command to us. Therefore, it is our priority!
4. Address the reaching of the next generation.
How can we live with 60% of our churches not reaching and baptizing at least one teenager? How can we live with 80% of our churches reaching zero to just one adult from the ages of 18-29? In reality, we cannot do a whole lot about other churches, but we can address our own church. Perhaps if we are realizing some success in reaching the next generation, it will encourage other churches to do so as well. Quite honestly, we must return to the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believing and realizing that He and His message can transform lives, even the lives of teenagers and young adults. The gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes!
5. Agree together that the greatest need in this moment is to see God bring the next Great Awakening.
We can make all kinds of changes relating to reaching people. We can try lots of things to attempt to be more effective. Don’t get me wrong, there are times strategies and even leadership needs to change. However, let’s get real: Above all, we need to see God bring the next Great Awakening! Therefore, we need to pray like never before; meaning, we need to pray extraordinarily. Let’s join together in practicing and believing in extraordinary prayer. No great movement of God ever occurs unless it is preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.
Perhaps when we take some of these actions, we will become known again as being “Baptists With the Baptisms!”
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.