Archive for June, 2014
Will We Reach the World for Christ?
In 2011, Christianity Today reporter Sarah Pulliam Bailey interviewed Billy Graham. She asked, “What are the most important issues facing evangelicals today?” Billy Graham responded:
“The most important issue we face today is the same issue the church has faced in every century: WILL WE REACH THE WORLD FOR CHRIST? In other words, will we give priority to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel?”1
Unquestionably, this issue is looming not only among evangelicals, but especially before the Southern Baptist Convention.
Simplifying Our Task
We need to once again simplify our task for each of us personally, for our churches, and for our Southern Baptist Convention. In order to simplify the task, we need to raise up the key question, which is, “Will we reach the world for Christ?”
In our complex world with all sorts of noise going on in our lives, we need to dismiss our attraction to controversies and argumentative discussions. We need to ask our churches continually, “Will we reach the world for Christ?”
With all the good things we do within our own Southern Baptist Convention, we must never neglect the best and highest thing; will we reach the world for Christ? I believe we know this is our mandate, and I also believe that it is the desire most of us have; yet, at times, it gets lost in the maze of many good things.
3 Steps to Reaching the World for Christ
1. Prioritize the vision to reach the world for Christ. It is not an option, but a necessity to see it raised up as our ultimate priority. Everything else we do personally, in our churches, and in our convention must contribute to this mission that God has placed upon each of us.
2. Finance the vision to reach the world for Christ. We must move away from stewardship practices that do not move more and more monies to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This must occur within the lives of all Christ-followers personally, in our churches, and in our Southern Baptist Convention. Our stewardship problems begin in the lives of each Christ follower. Therefore, we must begin to change there! Then, it must occur in our churches and in our convention. Since the preaching of the gospel to the world is a necessity for the world to be reached for Christ, more and more monies must find their way toward insuring this vision is fulfilled.
3. Enlarge our vision to reach the world for Christ. It is sad when we do not have the vision to see our part in reaching the world for Christ. We must not only see our part personally in reaching the world, but each church must discover our part in reaching the world for Christ. As a Southern Baptist Convention, God has placed us strategically in this vision in order to make a major difference across the world.
With our 10,000 plus missionaries strategically placed around the world and many others ready to go, we must find a way to see not only our vision enlarged, but our missionary force enlarged to reach the world for Christ. To see this vision reached will take more and more money given by each of us individually and all of our churches.
In closing…
For the last several years, I have become convinced that I want to give the rest of my life influencing and investing in others to reach the world for Christ. I know I cannot do it by myself. I know our church cannot do it by ourselves. We need each other. Therefore, anytime, anywhere we can, we must influence others and invest in others to reach the world for Christ.
Billy Graham was right in the interview noted earlier. We can talk about all kinds of things, but we must lift this question high forever and ever to today’s generation: Will we reach the world for Christ?
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
1 The Great Evangelical Recession, p.119, John Dickerson, author
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Faith that Endures Suffering and Persecution
It seems with each passing day, more and more people raise the possibility of persecution of Christians in the United States. Many see religious liberty slipping away. Christians are beginning to wonder what the future holds.
Lesser in Number and Influence
For many years, it seems that Christianity has been the most dominant spiritual presence in the United States. While it some parts of our nation its influence is still great, most people would agree such influence is shrinking everywhere. A growing number of polls and surveys reveal majority positions with which evangelicals would disagree. As Christians, we are becoming lesser in number in proportion to the growth of the United States. This is resulting in ever-growing abuse being demonstrated toward Christians and our beliefs we hold dear in the Scripture.
When Suffering and Persecution occurs in Our Lives
Thankfully, we are not without instruction from God’s word on our responses to suffering. What happens when our inclinations as citizens collide with our responsibilities as followers of Christ? The first epistle written by the Apostle Peter was to believers who were scattered all over. Persecution, if it had not already started, was always a possibility. Nonetheless, Peter instructed them (and us), “Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.”1
God’s will is for us to submit to the authorities He has put in place over us. Sometimes, this will result in suffering. Peter is clear. If we suffer, we should suffer because we have done good and not evil (v. 20). Whether things are going well for us or whether we are in the midst of persecution, our orders are clear. As Mary Jo Sharp writes in the Summer 2014 unit of Bible Studies for Life, “Peter held up Jesus as their example, who Himself endured undeserved persecution by entrusting Himself to God, who judges justly.”2
When Jesus Suffered and was Persecuted
Consider for a moment, the suffering of Jesus. He never did a single thing wrong. Scripture calls Him the Lamb of God without spot and without blemish; Perfect, pure, and without sin. He never did anything to warrant persecution for doing evil, but suffered plenty for doing good. His sacrifice was not for wrong He had done, but for the sin of the entire world. The suffering He endured was, from a human perspective, unjust in the extreme. Yet, He never pleaded His own case.
How should we respond when Persecuted?
The Bible warns that the children of God will suffer. “In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”3
The presence of persecution is not the issue. We will face it. Let us, like Jesus and so many of His followers, remain true to Him through a resilient faith that overcomes suffering for His glory.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church General Editor, Bible Studies for Life1– 1 Peter 2:13-15, HCSB
2– Bible Studies for Life, Resilient Faith, Mary Jo Sharp
3– 2 Timothy 3:12, HCSB
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.