Are we going to retreat from the mission, or are we going to risk everything for it?"
This was the question posed by David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, during the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference Feb. 26. He was one of three Alabama Baptist pastors on the program.
"Eight thousand people in Pakistan were lost to an earthquake — they never even heard the name of Jesus. In Indonesia, a quarter of a million people died in natural disasters — tsunamis, earthquakes and floods. In the world, there are over a billion people, a billion people who haven’t heard the name of Jesus," Platt said. "I see that and then I look back and see that we have retreated."
God’s people retreated from His mission several times in the Old Testament, and in each situation, God responded with forgiveness but also a harsh judgment, he said.
For instance, in Numbers, when the Israelites decided against following Joshua and Caleb into the promised land, God said they would wander in the wilderness until the faithless generation had died off.
"If we retreat from this mission, God may just look upon us and leave us in the wilderness to wander until we die," Platt said. "He has done it with thousands of churches across our nation. Why would we think He wouldn’t do it with one of us?"
When it comes to God’s call, Christ followers have two options, Platt said — to retreat into religious formalism or to risk it all.
"What would compel you to go into the most difficult places to reach the people there? You go to the tough places when you know Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could enjoy the pleasures of Alabama," he said. "Let’s risk it all for the sake of [others’] eternity."
Lawrence Phipps, senior pastor of Vaughn Forest Baptist Church, Montgomery, also addressed retreating, noting the need to reverse the "biggest retreat in history."
In order to win the lost and the battle against hell, we have to be quitters, he said, preaching Feb. 25 during the opening session of the conference. First, quit listening to those individuals who denounce knocking on doors. "If we’re going to win people for Christ, we have to get out where the people are."
Next, quit listening to people who are discounting the simple gospel. Some criticize gospel presentations like FAITH and Evangelism Explosion because they are short, but in Acts, Peter preached short sermons and thousands were saved, Phipps pointed out.
To win, "we must put on our witnessing shoes, tighten our intercession straps and head into battle."
"I would love to say that we’re charging hell with a water pistol," Phipps said. "But we’re in the middle of a big retreat."
Preaching during the Feb. 26 morning session, Roger Mardis, pastor of Agape Baptist Church, Scottsboro, said we’re also in the middle of a big drought.
"Even here in the blessed Bible Belt, there’s a drought of unparalleled proportions," he said.
Our churches are like the lake houses in Alabama that because of this past year’s literal drought are useless and sitting on dried-up lakebeds. "But we don’t need a new house or a new church or a new ministry — no, we need rain," Mardis said.
Our resources as a church are drying up, he said. "Look at our empty buildings, monitor our selfish budgets, run your finger through our dusty baptistries. We’ve replaced our convictions with conveniences and replaced missions with meetings."
Preaching from Genesis 29, Mardis said we’ve been given a well to drink from when we’re dry. "What water and fluid are to our human body, Jesus … is to our soul. Friend, if you’re dry and thirsty, come to drink."
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