At the writing of this article I have just returned from the Georgia Baptist Convention and in this season of Thanksgiving I want to share with you some things I am thankful for in being a Georgia Baptist.
First of all, I am thankful for the leadership of our Georgia Baptist Mission Board and especially Dr. Robert White. Dr. White has served Georgia for 25 years now as Executive Director and was rightly honored at this year’s meeting. I have had the privilege of knowing him personally for almost 20 of those years and I am grateful that he has a sincere love for God, for pastors and staff, for churches and for the lost. Dr. White has consistently encouraged GA Baptists to be healthy churches and reach the lost around us with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Secondly, I am thankful for a convention that is not filled with a lot of controversy and feuding over things that should not even be given serious attention. The folks involved in our convention realize that over 7 million Georgians are lost and that should be the greatest concern we have and a unifying factor that causes us to work together to reach them. Even when we have two men running for the office of President of the state convention, both men are godly men and either one of them would have been good for the state. Pray for Rev. Mike Stone as he seeks to serve the state as President for the next two years.
Thirdly, I am thankful for a state convention that is supportive of Brewton Parker College, Shorter University and Truett McConnell University. The convention affirmed that each of these schools has good leadership and has insured that more funds would be provided the schools as they seek to prepare the next generation of leaders and missionaries for the spread of the Gospel across the state and across the world. Each school is raising up a generation of students that will be prepared to take the light of Christ into a dark world.
Finally, I am thankful that our convention brought in David Platt to challenge us to go and be what God has called us to be as His people. He challenged us to stay true to God’s Word and faithfully defend God’s truth. He also encouraged us that the International Mission Board is doing well financially and for the first time in years is working to increase missionaries in the mission field. That would not be possible without the faithful giving of people like you! Our giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has always been very good and I pray that this year we would give sacrificially to see the Gospel go to the very last tribe that all people would hear proclaimed that Jesus loves them and died for their sin. We can make that happen as we faithfully and generously give to this great offering.
Thank you for joining me in giving to see the Gospel proclaimed in places we will never see. God sees your faithful giving and He loves a cheerful giver! The greatest cheer this season is the cheer we can participate in by giving to advance the Gospel.
In His Amazing Grace,
Dan