JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 24, 2016 — Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said evangelism needs more emphasis in churches and organizations. Luter was the keynote speaker at the West Tennessee Evangelism Rally Feb. 21 at 51社区.
鈥淲e need to understand how critical, how important it is that we make evangelism a priority in this state,鈥� he said.
More than 800 people attended the rally, which included eight breakout sessions in addition to Luter鈥檚 address. Luter shared stories of the church in the book of Acts. He said the believers in the early church were so effective in carrying out the Great Commission that the Bible says they turned the world upside down.
鈥淣ot only their neighborhood, not only their community, not only their city, not only their state, not only their nation, but these believers have the reputation of turning the world upside down,鈥� Luter said. 鈥淚n other words, they shook some stuff up.鈥�
Luter said the small group of believers could not have pulled off such a mighty task on their own. They were able to do it because they waited on the promise of God, the Holy Spirit.
鈥淭hey simply were empowered by another,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey had received the power of the Holy Spirit, and now they were able to do in him what they could not do of themselves by themselves.鈥�
Luter said there is a blessing in waiting. He said if people wait on God, God will empower them to do what they cannot do by themselves. The believers in Acts were small in number and limited in resources, but they accomplished great things.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 have any of that stuff that we claim we need to reach people with the gospel today,鈥� Luter said. 鈥淏ut they turned the world upside down.鈥�
He said when believers wait on God, they become new people. The people who were turning the world upside down were the same ones who were timid and hiding when Jesus was crucified. Luter said the power of the Holy Spirit gave them new boldness, strength and courage.
He said the believers also had a new purpose.
鈥淥nce you鈥檙e empowered by the Holy Spirit, you begin to realize it鈥檚 not about you,鈥� Luter said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about your agenda. It鈥檚 not about your ideas. It鈥檚 not about your title. 鈥heir purpose was to witness to the lost about another.鈥�
Luter said the purpose of a believer is to lift up Jesus and let a lost world know that he is the answer. He said if Christians are to be effective evangelists today, they must follow the example set by the apostles in Acts.
鈥淲e must be filled by the Holy Spirit,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e must be led by the Holy Spirit. We must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. 鈥� The same power that God gave to the disciples on the day of Pentecost is the same power that he鈥檚 given us tonight.鈥�
The breakout sessions at the rally were hosted by Darrell Robinson, Steve Gaines, Michael Ellis, Brian Mills, John Powers, David Evans, Hal Poe and Jerry Drace. They spoke on various aspects of evangelism, including evangelism strategies, prayer, evangelism in pop culture, revivals and giving invitations.
Evans, evangelism specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention, spoke about how to evangelize today鈥檚 millennials. He said millennials are not typically anti-church, but they also do not understand the church.
He said millennials are overwhelmed, overconnected, overprotected and overserved. They are not worried as much about how the church will serve them as they are about how it will serve others.
鈥淭hey are value-driven,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we as a church are serving the community and being the hands and feet of Jesus in the community, that鈥檚 something they can get behind because, again, they aren鈥檛 anti-church, they just don鈥檛 really see us as relevant.鈥�
Evans said previous generations had an expectation that young people who drifted away from churches would eventually return, but millennials are the first generation that was not primarily raised in church.
鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 coming back to us because they were never with us to begin with,鈥� Evans said.
He said when millennials enter churches, they often ask questions not to antagonize, but because they are trying to understand the church鈥檚 values. Evans said evangelism for millennials has more to do with living the Word than preaching the Word.
鈥淓vangelism has got to be organic,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or me, organic means that it鈥檚 natural and irregular.鈥�