Jack Graham, president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), reminded Alabama Baptists to check their hearts through the SBC’s Empowering Kingdom Growth (EKG) emphasis.
As part of the traditional track of the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference Feb. 3, Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, said, “EKG is a good look, a check to the heart of Southern Baptists in these days, to see if our hearts are indeed the heart of God for this world.
“I’m encouraged about what I’m seeing, what I’m sensing in the hearts of our people in these days,” Graham said. “God is at work in incredible ways.”
Reading from Matthew 6, Graham preached on “Living for the Kingdom.”
Noting that “Jesus elevated our standard of living,” Graham said, “The ultimate elevation comes … when He says ‘do not lay up treasures on earth.’
“When we invest in the lives of people, we are laying up treasures in heaven,” he explained. “The place where your treasure is is the place you most want to be. If heaven is in our hearts, we will be living for eternity.”
“We are so earthbound,” Graham said. “Even God’s church is so connected to God’s planet. …. Don’t be absorbed in things right in front of you, but look up and be alert to what is going on around Christ. That is where the action is.
“We change the world when we live for eternity,” Graham said. “If we want to be more like Jesus then have a heart for His.
Seeking first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) requires having priorities in order and having an everlasting and eternal look to the future, Graham said.
To invest and live for eternity, Graham said a Christian must have:
–A believing heart
–An expectant attitude
–A worshipful spirit
–A confident hope and watchful eye
“Because God has set eternity in our hearts, … this earth will never satisfy the aching longing of the human heart,” Graham said.
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