Fly high the banner of Jesus Christ, Tom Whatley told Alabama Baptists during the Nov. 14–15 Alabama Baptist State Convention in Montgomery.
In an impassioned sermon concluding the annual meeting, Whatley, pastor of Woodward Avenue Baptist Church, Muscle Shoals, told messengers they have a kite to fly in the form of sharing the gospel with the world.
Relating how as a boy he would make his own kite out of sticks, paper, flour and water, Whatley said it was one of his favorite childhood memories.
“Then, on a windy day, I would fly my very own kite,” he said.
Whatley said Acts 2 “chronicles for us one of the most significant events in the life of God’s kingdom.
“We call it Pentecost, but I call it the day God flew his own kite,” Whatley said.
The pastor said Jesus tells the gospel story of the power of God and the salvation to all who believe. Sharing the message is how Whatley said Christians are to fly a kite.
“I want you to understand that it is our purpose to take that message to the entire world,” he said.
Whatley said that in Acts, Peter relates how the people of Israel were filled with a holy wind and were subsequently blown out into the streets among people, where they shared about God.
“Do you think that the wind of God is powerful enough to lift this banner for the world to see Jesus?” Whatley asked. “Do you really believe it’s powerful? Then tell them (people) about it.”
Just as the wind’s resistance causes a kite to rise, Whatley said resistance to the Word of God is the reason we should raise the banner of God.
Pointing to the need for unity in lifting the banner, Whatley said Christians should stand together in focusing on the primary mission of God’s kingdom — taking the gospel to the world.
Christians should concern themselves with causes such as tax reform and abortion, Whatley said, but should stay focused on missions. He also warned against allowing worthy causes to divide Christians.
“Worthy causes have divided God’s people more than anything else,” he said at another point in his sermon.
He offered two suggestions for those who pursue different goals. Pray they will still be successful in sharing Christ and a responsibility for displaying the spirit of Christ toward them.
“We have never been given the right to be unChristian to another person, regardless of what their cause is,” he said.
The Christian life won’t always be absent of pain and Christians can expect heartache at times, he told the audience at another point.
“You see, God is suffering with us, in order that someone would be saved,” he said.
He said Christians should also consider if their unwillingness to do what God says often causes pain in their lives.
Stressing the need for Alabama Baptists to remain strong, Whatley said the unity and power they have demonstrated cannot be ignored.
Returning to the kite analogy and displaying a thick cord over his head, Whatley said churches and associations represent a cord that needs to be strengthened — flying the banner of God’s Word.
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