Your Voice

Easter reminds us — Jesus did His part.

Jesus did not have to die on the cross. He did not have to suffer the terrible agony.

He could have avoided returning to the capital city of Jerusalem. He could have left those desecrating the temple alone. He could have avoided confrontation with His critics.  He could have gotten rid of His betrayer. He could have escaped arrest. He did not have to proclaim and reiterate He was the Son of God, Messiah.  He could have kept a low profile and celebrated Passover with His friends.

He could have completely destroyed His opposition. He could have called for rescue, and received an immediate overwhelming response.

He could have made all His pain stop. He could have abandoned this sin-drenched planet to die in all its evil proclivities. He didn’t have to let His death pay the penalty for all your sins. He didn’t have to do it. But He did, because He loves you. The rest is history.

Now it’s time for you to do your part. Jesus willingly died a horrible death to pay the penalty so that your many sins might be forgiven, but you must put your full trust in Him to receive this gift. You don’t have to do it, but time is short, and your eternal life is at stake.  Here is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need You.  I open the door of my heart and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life.  Forgive my sins; I turn away from them now. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. As an expression of my faith, I now thank You for coming into my life and for hearing my prayer. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please share your decision with someone.

May God bless you!

Bob Cosby, M.D.
Birmingham, Ala.

Personality, pomp and all the rest is as sounding brass … if the breath of God is not on it.

Terry Long
Choctaw Baptist Association

“Hospitality means we treat outsiders like insiders. It’s just the opposite of saying, ‘Come in if you want to be like us.’ … Jesus taught in the parable of the unjust steward that we who have received the master’s grace must live his grace,” said Scott Cormode, Hugh De Pree professor of leadership development at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, speaking at a seminar hosted by the Center for Congregational Resources of Samford University in Birmingham.

“People want to come up with all kinds of theologies that take the pressure off us [in evangelism]. But I’m going to tell you something: it’s still on us — the pressure to share. The pressure to be saved, that’s the job of the Holy Spirit. But if I’m not sharing, that’s on me,” said Lawrence Phipps, senior pastor of First Baptist Gulf Shores.

“I don’t want to make it appear that teaching is the easiest thing in the world. It isn’t, but it certainly enhanced my walk with the Lord, knowing every Sunday that I was going to be responsible for a lesson,” Mary Jo Looser, who recently was recognized by Five Points Baptist Church in Northport, for teaching Sunday School for 60 years.

“Marketing and evangelism are both trying to get a message out. If we can leverage the tools of marketing for the church, it helps us get the message of the gospel out,” said Joel Southerland, lead pastor of Peavine Baptist Church in Rock Spring, Georgia.

“They had emptied their piggy banks into these envelopes to send to my friends who were trying to get west,” said Erin Boswell, a former IMB missionary whose daughters wanted to help. “They also said, ‘Can we open our baking business again to raise money for Ukraine?’ And they were just so earnest about it, so I put on Instagram that they were doing that and said if you’d like to combine forces with us to help some friends we know in real life, Claire will make you cookies or banana bread.”

From the Twitterverse

@jaroland74
Blessings a former coworker gave me … It means the world to me:

“From now on, wherever you go, wherever I go, the ground is holy between us. As you leave, you stay within the hospitable solitude of my heart.” @HenriNouwen

@AdamGreenway
“When you preach, somebody is going to be the star of your sermon — Jesus or yourself. … Make sure your aim is that folks will walk out saying how great Jesus is rather than how great the preacher is.” —@Matt_Carter preaching from 1 Corinthians 2 in #SWBTSChapel @SWBTS

@ElijahMBrown
Today as I entered into the Republic of Moldova, I was overwhelmed to learn that for the first 10 days of this war, 70% of all Ukrainian refugees to Moldova were first welcomed and helped by a Baptist church. Would you stand with these frontline leaders at BaptistWorld.org/prayforpeace?

@MAusberry
Sometimes life comes at you hard, sometimes life hurts, but through it all, God is with you.  Whatever your circumstance, take everything to the Lord in prayer.  Be encouraged today — God is with you.

@richardblackaby
You cannot orchestrate an encounter with God. You can only prepare your heart and mind so you’re ready when He encounters you.

@FitHog
Lots of things going on in the world over which I have no control. Here’s what I can do: pray, follow Jesus, love my neighbors, serve those in need, meditate on God’s word, draw strength from God’s people. Worship helps me with all of this. I will be in worship today. Will you?

@DrTomSchreiner
“The LORD your God is among you, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in His love. He will delight in you with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)

@shane_pruitt78
Being a “good person” doesn’t get you into Heaven. being saved by a good Savior does!

@nathanafinn
Everyone is religious, though some deny this fact. Humans are hardwired for eternity. But true religion is found only in covenant relationship with King Jesus, which only comes by grace and through faith, on the basis of His life, death and resurrection. This we proclaim.