The Open Door

I believe the Evangelism Conference we just completed at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins was the finest we have had in the thirteen years I have been with the Convention. It was one of those meetings where you feel the presence of God in such a dynamic way that it is an awesome experience.

At one point in the conference I leaned over to Mark Sterling, who was seated next to me, and whispered, “There is a sweet spirit in this place.” It was indescribable, but very evident. I extend my special thanks to Mark Sterling, David Mills, Jonnie Brown and Lynn Miller for the incredible job they did both in organizing the conference and seeing it through.

Gary Morton and all of the staff at Second Baptist went the second and third miles for us. The church choir and orchestra were truly outstanding in every way. My first day back in the office I noticed that everywhere I went and throughout the day I was singing. When I realized what I was doing I stopped and asked myself, “Why am I singing?” The answer was that my heart was filled to overflowing and the joy was just spilling out over the top in singing. Having your heart filled to the brim is a wonderful feeling!

The only thing about the conference that had a sad note to it was the fact that so many missed the experience. I looked around the room for those that I thought surely would be there and they were not. It made my mind flash back to when I was a pastor. We would have a dynamic, never-to-be-forgotten worship service and the next week people would come up to me and say, “I had no idea we were going to have that kind of service. I’m sorry I missed it. I wish I had been here.”

All you can say in a moment like that is, “I am so sorry you missed it. By the way, why weren’t you here?” That is the question that can only be answered by the absentee. I am so sorry that those who missed the Evangelism Conference missed a great spiritual revival experience. Many did come, but so many missed the blessing. I longed for you as a pastor longs for his congregation to get in on the blessings that God makes available at special moments.

Evangelism is a matter of the heart. The associations, the state conventions, the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board baptize no one. The churches baptize. This does not absolve those of us who serve in the denomination, however. In our roles we bear some responsibility for the plateau in baptisms that we have been sitting on for fifty years. Our role is to equip and inspire. Our role is also to be effective soul winners within our own churches.

Evangelism is a matter of the heart in regard to the local church pastor, staff and church membership as well. If we take seriously Christ’s command to reach the lost, to baptize and to make disciples, then we cannot feel comfortable with business as usual in our churches and across the Convention. If we are committed to evangelism, we will be full of a burning compassion for the lost and refuse to rest until we have done all we can to reach those within our sphere of influence and geography.

This kind of spirit was reflected in a recent email that I received from one of our pastors, David Chancey. David wrote: “Thought you’d be interested to know that last Sunday we had a lady accept Christ at our invitation time. One of our FAITH-trained people counseled her. This past Sunday we had two students pray to accept Christ during counseling at invitation time, and had three others make professions of faith requesting baptism. Four of these six who came Sunday are African-American. Our Sunday morning worship attendance has grown to be about 10% African-American over the past year.

“We have baptized 20 so far this year and have six waiting to be baptized. Of these, only three are children below age 12. The rest are adults and students. We are about to finish a new student ministry building/Christian activities center, along with some interior renovation. God is certainly working. Pray for us.”

Yes, it is evident that God is working. It is also evident to me that David, his staff and his church family are working as well. Reaching people for Christ, evangelism, is a matter of the heart. If you are excited about seeing people come to faith in Christ, if you join the Lord in His desire that none would perish, then interest in evangelism and a commitment to do evangelism will be the result.