God did not call believers to bring the world to the church, but he called for believers to take the gospel message to the world, Jerry White, president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, reminded messengers during his Nov. 15 address, urging them “to get outside our buildings and do it.”
Jerry WhiteObserving that some in the audience may be discouraged, going through difficulties, ready to quit, and longing for something to renew that fire, the pastor of Riverside Baptist Church, Greer, offered good news: “You are not alone; God is with you.”
Like Paul in Acts 18, on his journey from Athens to Corinth, White said that pastors and other church leaders also may experience the strain of work that leads to fatigue, may see so little success that they feel like a failure, or may feel loneliness that causes frustration in ministry.
“But if we are serving Jesus, you need to understand, if you are preaching the gospel, teaching, witnessing and serving where he has put you, doing what he has called you to do, you’re not a failure,” White said.
“You see, he didn’t tell me or you to save anybody. If he did, they’d be in trouble,” he quipped. “He has told us to go and confront them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Affirming that “just when we need Jesus most, he’s always there,” White noted that Paul was laughed out of Athens, sought after in Berea, chased out of Thessalonica, and asked to leave Philippi. “At least most of us haven’t faced that kind of opposition,” he said.
Yet when Paul was at his lowest, he understood that he couldn’t quit, White asserted. “A vision of the Lord came to him and said, ‘Paul, don’t keep silent, but speak.’ He understood it’s too soon to quit, too soon to stop preaching,” White said.
“As long as there’s a lost soul out there, as long as there’s someone out there who needs the Lord, it’s too soon to quit,” White urged.
“There may not be anyone else with you, but God wants you to understand that he is with you,” he said. Stressing that Jesus was called “Emmanuel,” White affirmed, “In the cradle, he was God with us; on the cross, he was God for us; in my heart, he is God in me. And it’s Christ in you that is the hope of glory.”
Prior to his address, convention staff members and the choir of Riverside Baptist Church presented a drama that depicted persons outside the church desperate for a message of hope. Alluding to the drama, White declared, “That’s the only hope, and these people outside the church walls who need a savior have been trying to get us to realize that we have got to present it to them. We’ve got to let them hear about it.
“Yes, family and friends may let you down and forsake you, and there’s no one around who seems to care, but I want to remind you, ‘Jesus cares’ for you -. He will be with you,” White said.
Recalling how God was with Moses on the backside of the desert, with Abraham when he needed a sacrifice instead of Isaac, with Daniel in a den of lions that were ready for a meal, and with three Hebrew children in the fire, White said, “You need to be reminded that he never promised the cross would not get heavy and the hill would not be hard to climb.
“Whenever we are standing in the valley of decision and the devil comes along and says, ‘Give up and quit,’ God reminds us that he will show up just in time to take us through that fire,” White proclaimed.
Just as God showed Paul the potential of many in the city waiting to hear the gospel, God has shown believers the same potential. “We need to get busy getting outside those walls and see those hungry, lonely, hurting people,” he urged.
“If it’s about his kingdom, it is not about us. It’s about him,” he said. “We’ve got to forget about worrying about ourselves and get outside the walls of the church. We need to realize people need the Lord. Our commitment has got to stop being for our own comfort and convenience; it’s got to be for those who are out there,” he said.
“I don’t understand how a brown cow eats green grass and gives white milk, but I sure enjoy a glass of it with an Oreo cookie,” he quipped. “I do understand that when Jesus died on the cross, he died for the sins of the world. He died for the drug addict, – the alcoholic, – the skeptic, – the businessman, – the abused woman, – the unwed mother, and he died for the person out there who wonders what am I going to do to put food on the table and pay the bills that are coming due,” White affirmed. “When I see the potential of the folks out there, it’s too soon to stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.”