Archive for May, 2015
Set Aside a Day to Pray and Fast for Our 2015 Southern Baptist Convention
I humbly call upon each one of our Southern Baptist churches and congregations to set aside one day between now and June 16 to pray and fast for our upcoming Southern Baptist Convention. Pastors and church leaders, please lead the way!
It is Time Now to Set Aside One Day to Humble Ourselves in Prayer and Fasting
We cannot fix ourselves. This is more than obvious.
We need to humble ourselves, placing ourselves low before God in prayer and fasting, and call upon the God of Heaven to do what only He can do. He is Lord.
Jesus was more than clear to His disciples and to us as recorded in Mark 9:29, “And He told them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’” The disciples could not cast a demon out, and asked Jesus why He could and they could not. Jesus was clear: Prayer and fasting! The Scriptures are full of illustrations about the power of coupling our prayer with fasting.
Set Your Day for Your Church: We are Setting Aside May 17 (7 p.m.) – May 18 (7 p.m.) to Pray and Fast for the SBC.
Fasting is abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind. Whether a person fasts from one meal or all three for the full day is between them and God, but we will call on our members to join us in prayer and fasting for our upcoming Southern Baptist Convention.
Set aside a day for your church. Set aside a day for yourself. One day between now and June 16, pray and fast for our upcoming convention meeting. So much is at stake. How do we not pray and fast?
You can still participate if you are unable to fast from food due to physical limitations. Choose to abstain from something you love besides food, like the Internet, television, etc.
Draw aside for a few minutes during the day when you would normally eat (or participate in the activity you’re fasting from), get in His Word, and call out to God.
Why Should We Pray and Fast?
Carnality abounds in life and church. Division dominates many churches. Gossip, skepticism, criticism, and cynicism are ruling the day. Many pastors and churches are jealous of and critical about one another.
Evangelism is lagging. Over 70% of our churches are plateaued or declining. We have missionaries ready to go to the field, but have limited funds to send them. We have gospel churches that need to be planted now nationally and internationally.
We need to pray and fast. We need to ensure we are right with God and get right with one another. When we are repentant, we will become flexible to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, be set on fire by the Spirit, and change whatever needs to be changed to reach our town, city, nation, and world with the gospel of Christ.
A Few Requests to Pray and Fast About One Day Before June 16
Please join us in praying and fasting over these requests and others that God may lead you to before June 16:
- Lead us Lord, to intercede in prayer and fasting with a mighty conviction that the hour is critical in America; we must pray intensely and responsibly.
- Holy Spirit, wake us up! Wake up our pastors and leaders.
- Holy Spirit, revive the churches of our Convention.
- Lord, we ask You for the next Great Awakening in the United States, as spiritual awakening is our greatest need.
- Lord, lead our Southern Baptist pastors, leaders, and churches to come together now in CLEAR AGREEMENT, VISIBLE UNION, and EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER for the next Great Awakening and to reach the world for Christ.
- Lord, I call out to You each of the people, by name, who will lead in some way at the Southern Baptist Convention. (Please click here to see the entire program relating to those who are leading us, calling out each of their names. Ask God to empower them with His Spirit as they do this.)
- God, pour out Your Spirit upon Tuesday night’s National Call to Prayer gathering in Columbus for all Southern Baptists, using it as a catalyst for the next Great Awakening in America and to reach the world for Christ. On this night, extend the reach across the world through sbc.net and other media venues, where thousands join us as we begin at 6:45 p.m. (EST). (Call out to God these pastors who will lead.)
- Lord, help our churches through our SBC Presidential Panel on Wednesday at 3:35 p.m. This panel will address The Supreme Court and Same Sex Marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future. (Call out to God the names of these people who will serve on the panel.)
- Lord Jesus, give our SBC President, Ronnie Floyd, Your message as he prepares his presidential address for Tuesday morning, June 16 at 9:30 a.m.; anoint him powerfully as he preaches, leads, and presides over our meetings.
- Lord, may the city of Columbus, Ohio, be impacted the week before the convention by evangelism and ministry, specifically Saturday, June 13, through Crossover Columbus.
If you will take the time, there is plenty to pray and fast about during one day. This could even become a daily prayer list.
Pleading With Southern Baptists
I am pleading with Southern Baptists to pray and fast for our upcoming time together. In reality, the call is for so much more.
Yours for the Great Commission,
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 46,000 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.
The Supreme Court and Same Sex Marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future | SBC Presidential Panel
One of the most powerful features in our upcoming Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus, Ohio, will occur in our final afternoon session on Wednesday, June 17. This is NOT the year to leave the Annual Meeting early!
The Stakes Are Rising
The United States Supreme Court is beginning to hear oral arguments this week for and against redefining marriage in America. Marriage between a man and a woman is a God-ordained institution; the courts in our land do not need to attempt to redefine what God Himself has already clearly defined.
Yet, this week the stakes begin to rise regarding marriage in our nation. If the United States Supreme Court rules to redefine marriage, the continual attack that is already taking place on religious liberty will escalate.
Hear me clearly: If we lose the freedom of religion, then all the freedoms we have today will begin to diminish.
What is at stake is great. This is undeniable. We do not control the Supreme Court. At this point, our number one role must be to pray. Regardless of the outcome, may God have mercy on America and teach us how to live daily.
Preparing Our Churches for the Future
It is incumbent upon us to do all we can with all we have to prepare our churches for the future. The Supreme Court may rule on this issue within days of or during our convention in Columbus, and regardless of the outcome, our churches need to be prepared. We must respond to the issue and toward those who may have differing opinions in a way that would represent our Lord Jesus Christ in the highest manner. Unquestionably, things are changing, and the way we address this issue must be done with the truth of God in one hand and the love of God in the other hand.
Our Southern Baptist churches must rise in this moment and minister to people of all ages who are wrestling with all the challenges of the sexual revolution in America. Children and teenagers need help. Parents need help. Adults of all ages need help. Pastors, Christian leaders, and churches need help.
SBC Presidential Panel
Since this need is so pressing, I appealed to our 2015 Committee on Order of Business to allocate some time for us to address it on Wednesday afternoon. I am thankful to Dr. Andrew Hebert, our Chairman, and the members of this terrific committee who provided us with an answer to this need.
We created an SBC Presidential Panel for a session entitled The Supreme Court and Same Sex marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future. I prayerfully thought about who could contribute to this conversation and sought counsel from others. I am absolutely thrilled with who God has put together. I will lead this panel with five gifted people, each of which have valuable insight into this discussion.
Let Me Introduce You to Our Panel
The Presidential Panel includes:
- R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky
- Russell Moore, President of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Nashville, Tennessee
- Rosaria Butterfield, Writer, Speaker, Educator, Pastor’s Wife, and Author, Durham, North Carolina
- Ryan Blackwell, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, San Francisco, California
- Matt Carter, Senior Pastor, The Austin Stone Community Church, Austin, Texas
While most of us are very familiar with the giftedness and contributions of Dr. Mohler and Dr. Moore, the other three leaders will also bring a special perspective. Recently, I listened to the powerful testimony of Rosaria Butterfield concerning this issue. You will not want to miss her insight. Additionally, my thirty-one year old dear friend, Ryan Blackwell, has pastored San Francisco’s First Baptist Church for four years. Our own Matt Carter has pastored in the capital city of Texas since 2002 and speaks into the lives of people weekly who live and navigate through cultural issues.
Spread the Word and Join Us
Spread the word and join us for the final session of our 2015 Southern Baptist Convention. Do not miss any session of the SBC, including this final session. Let’s experience our convention all the way through the final prayer with a great expectation for God to encounter us powerfully.
Yours for the Great Commission,
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 46,000 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.