- Baptist Press - https://www.baptistpress.com -

FLOYD: This is our time

[1]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas.

ST. LOUIS (BP) — This is our time to come together now more than ever before, refusing to let anything separate us. In the perilous times we are facing in America, we must be found strong, faithful and unified.

Our testimony as Christ-followers in this hour needs to be: that we are like Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus said it this way:

“May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me” (John 17:21).

As we are hours away from the beginning of our 2016 Southern Baptist Convention [2], we need to resolve now that we will stand together in love. We will stay together in love. We need to believe in one another.

[3]

The need for unity [4] in the body of Christ is more pressing now than ever before in our generation. As we meet to agree, unite and pray, let us not forget the increasing lostness of the world around us. As this lost and needy world watches what we do and the evangelical world awaits our decisions and actions, we need to understand the stakes are high in this hour.

Communicate hope and love

Quite honestly, the stakes are higher than ever before. As our hearts break for the people of Orlando, we call upon each of us in our nation and beyond to rise up and pray for the families of the victims and the entire city of Orlando. Through this tragedy, we will have opportunities to communicate hope and love like never before.

In these desperate times in America, we are reminded again of our great need for Jesus Christ and for spiritual awakening in America. As we move our entire convention into a massive call to prayer [5] on Tuesday night in St. Louis, if you live in this region or within driving range, please adjust your schedule and join us at 6:30 p.m. Central.

This is our time to remind the churches of America, the leaders in America and the entire nation that the hope that awaits us is not in a political party or a vibrant economy, but in God for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America.

If you have already planned to join us in St. Louis, do not miss Tuesday evening. Our National Call to Prayer for Spiritual Leadership, Revived Churches, and Nationwide & Global Awakening will be a powerful time to seek the Lord together.

Finally, please pray for me and for the delivery of my presidential address around 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

Join us in person or via live stream. Friends, do not miss what God is up to at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Go to SBC annual meeting [6] to find the full schedule and watch live online. Or download the SBC annual meeting app for your mobile device.

These are exciting days even though we are living in perilous times. Now is the time to lead and pray.