Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Southern Baptist Convention
We went to Nashville.
It was the first time ever. You see, I married into a family that has something like 11 people in the ministry. Dan, Ross, Jerry and I are all pastors, and so this was the very first time that the four couples got to go to the Southern Baptist Convention together....at the same time....stayed in the same hotel. It was pretty cool. We ate far too much. Laughed a whole lot. But conventioneers we were!
This year's convention was quite a bit different than most of the past ones. Now, let's admit it. The SBC convention can be like most conventions;
B-o-r-i-n-g! But there was something really different about this one.
I recently preached to my congregation that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And I think that's what was so wonderful about this year's convention. SBC president, pastor Bobby Welch arranged for the whole setting of the convention to be set around this year's "main thing" goal: To Witness, Win and Baptize ONE MILLION souls to Christ in the next year! Quite a lofty goal, even for the 14 million Southern Baptists that are out there.
Come to think of it, that sort of is the Main Thing, isn't it? Winning the lost, soul winning, evangelism. That's the main thing as far as I can see. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-19) is the Lord's marching orders to the Church. It's the Gospel, the Good News about the salvation offered by the crucified, resurrected Lord Jesus that is the power of God for the salvation of everyone that believes (Romans 1:16). Sure, there's an awful lot more that has to be done by the church. But, the main thing is to get the Gospel out to people so that they can receive the Lord Jesus and be saved.
Whether it's only one or the million hoped for, winning the lost is the main thing the church has to be busy about doing.
Who have you led to the Lord lately?
Brother B
