Pastors experience ‘old-fashioned revival’

Steve Gaines, pastor of First Baptist Church, Gardendale, challenged those attending the Pastors Conference in Orlando, Fla., to “sow the Word through preaching.”
   
Gaines was among several speakers delivering messages based on themes relating to a harvest in personal lives, homes, churches and the world at the June 11-12 event. The conference adopted the Cooperative Program (CP) theme, “Partners in the Harvest,” in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the CP.
   
Another Alabamian making news during the Pastors Conference was Jerry Spencer, pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Dothan, who was elected president of the 2001 conference.
   
Developing his sermon from Mark 4, Gaines said, “Preaching is one of, if not the most important, part of the ministry of every pastor,” he said, noting four ways to look at preaching.
  
First, consider the priority of preaching, he said.
   
“Jesus said … ‘I was sent for this purpose — to seek and to save that which was lost,’ ” Gaines explained. “You don’t have time to do everything [everybody else] wants you to do, but you have time to do what God wants you to do — prayer and preaching.”
   
The second point is the pervasiveness of preaching, Gaines said, noting that Christians are to sow the seed far and wide.
   
“I’m tired of hearing about target-group evangelism,” he said. “My Bible said Jesus died for everybody, and everybody deserves to hear the Word of God.
   
“It would do some pastors and some deacons good to sit next to a tattooed, motorcycle-riding, beer-drinking, tobacco-chewing sinner,” Gaines said. “I don’t care what (they do). I want them to come to our church to meet God.”
   
Third, Gaines noted the process or pathway of preaching is through sowing God’s Word in the head, in the heart, in heaven by praying using Scripture and in the home.
   
Fourth, one has to consider the product of preaching, Gaines said.
   
“God will do something with the seed we sow. He will do something when we preach,” Gaines said.
   
The fifth element of the paradox of preaching is that the sower is also the soil, Gaines concluded. While there are four kinds of soil — hard-hearted, shallow-hearted, half-hearted and whole-hearted — “work to be whole-hearted.” Receive His Word with joy, he said.
   
“Make preaching the priority of your ministry,” he said. “Preach the Word.”
   
Jerry Sutton, Alabama native and pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church, Nashville, Tenn., served as president of the 2000 conference.
   
“We wanted to create a family atmosphere at the conference,” Sutton said. “This was like a good, old-fashioned revival, and the spirit of the Lord moved through the place.”
   
Along with a host of musical guests, speakers included Ken Freeman, evangelist from San Antonio, Texas; Rodney Gage, evangelist from Fort Worth, Texas; Jim Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church, Orlando; Johnny Hunt, pastor of Woodstock Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta;
   
James Merritt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Snellville, Ga., and newly elected SBC president; Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn.; Jay Strack, evangelist from Orlando, Fla.; Jerry Vines, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.; Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.; and Hayes Wicker, pastor of First Baptist Church, Naples, Fla.
   
Spencer said his role as president of the next Pastors Conference becomes a family affair. His wife, Sue’s, great uncle was M. E. Dodd, founder of the Pastors Conference in 1935.
   
“I’m honored to be chosen and look forward to putting the program together,” Spencer said.