The Open Door

The Southern Baptist Convention meeting will be held June 21-22 in Nashville, Tennessee. As always, you may expect to hear great preaching and singing. There will be thrilling reports about our mission work around the world. Expect to be challenged to pray more, give more and go more in your own personal missions commitment. The vision of "Empowering Kingdom Growth" will continue to inspire all that we do.

Empowering Kingdom Growth (EKG) is the right vision for the right time for Southern Baptists. Jesus promised, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). In other words we are to seek first the Kingdom of God, and leave the rest to Him. The Apostle Paul understood this great principle and reflected it in his words in Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." No wonder Paul followed these words with a doxology: "Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Philippians 4:20).

As Southern Baptists focus on God's Kingdom and the growth of God's Kingdom on earth, God will bless our efforts. Focusing upon building my kingdom, my plans, my programs, my finances will result in what I can provide. On the other hand, focusing upon God's Kingdom, God's plans, God's programs, God's finances will result in what God can provide.

Please pray for Bobby Welch, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pray that God will bless Bobby as he leads us. I am thankful for Bobby's call for everyone to take the Kingdom challenge of reaching the lost. Several months ago, Bobby Welch, rode a motor coach across America, making a stop in each state. On these stops he encouraged Southern Baptists to be evangelists for the Kingdom. He has called upon all of us to do our part in reaching the goal of seeing one million people baptized in one year.

If we will commit together to be witnesses for Christ where we live, work and go to school, I believe we will see one million baptisms, and more, in a year. We have been on a plateau in baptisms as Southern Baptists for fifty years. It is time to do something about that. It is time to strengthen our efforts in all of our hearts, in all of our churches, to reach the lost.

In keeping with this evangelistic focus, our president has called upon Southern Baptists to show up for a dynamic evangelistic outreach throughout the Nashville metropolitan area on Saturday, June 18. He has announced that he is anticipating over 10,000 to come for this special evangelism effort. I will be there. I hope you will make your plans to be there as well. It's not too late to make your plans to be with us on June 18.

On Sunday afternoon, June 19, Dr. Draper, president of LifeWay, will be meeting with younger leaders from across the Southern Baptist Convention to discuss the long-term health of the Convention and our ministry. Our younger leaders are the hope for the future ministry and mission work of Southern Baptists. This particular meeting will be the culmination of a series of meetings that Dr. Draper has conducted across the country to bring attention to the need to involve our younger leaders more effectively in the life of the denomination in order to inform them and inspire them to move Southern Baptists forward in the 21st Century.

One of Dr. Draper's earlier meetings was held at North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. More than 300 were in attendance for a very positive and helpful discussion. Please pray for the continuation of this encouragement for our younger leaders. They are indeed our hope for the future. Their personal commitment to the Southern Baptist Convention is essential if we are to advance the cause of Christ through our denomination for years to come.

I hope you will be able to attend the Southern Baptist Convention meetings in Nashville. If you cannot attend, may I encourage you to pray for these meetings? Pray that the Spirit of God will permeate all that we say and do. Pray that many will be saved as we cover Nashville with the Gospel of Christ. Pray that all will return home with a renewed zeal for evangelism and missions at home and around the world.