If your from Alabama, you have no doubt been inundated with talk of electronic bingo gambling over the past few weeks. Its been all over the evening news and has been the focus of a number of stories in the state Baptist paper “The Alabama Baptist.” Yesterday, a friend and fellow pastor of mine pointed out the irony of the latest issue being filled with information on gambling, while also publishing statistics which show that many of our churches baptized no one during 2008.
We are studying The Gospel of John at Creola First Baptist on Sunday mornings. Today’s message was on John 4:34-38, and was titled “The Time Is Now.” Jesus is telling us that we can’t sit around waiting, we have to start making disciples now.
My first point was that one of the excuse we use for not evangelizing, for not making disciples is that “other things are more urgent.” Right now, in Alabama, it seems that we have decided that eliminating bingo machines is more important, a more urgent matter, than reaching people for Jesus Christ.
I have been invited to “urgent” meetings to discuss the issue, one with the governor. I’ve received numerous emails from fellow pastors. This morning I even received a DVD, with a message from the governor about bingo machines, from the Alabama State Board of Missions. The State Board suggested that we show this almost six minute video during the Sunday morning worship service, instead I showed a video about people reaching bikers for Christ in Myrtle Beach.
I have to confess, I’ve been distracted. I’ve been doing everything but making disciples during my first to months as pastor at Creola FBC. I’ve been doing church, casting vision, studying for sermons, spending time in fellowship with members, everything but going out in the community and telling people about Jesus.
I challenged my people this morning to go out in the community and help me share the gospel. I asked them to lead so many people to Jesus that I have to stay in the baptistery until my fingers get pruny. My prayer is that the spirit would move at Creola FBC, and that we would be filled and take Him out into our city.
If we want the people of our church to be distracted from their mission, making disciples, than we should show these videos, go to these meetings, write these articles, and continue to fight the culture war. If we want these issues to be in the past, than we need to teach our churches to make disciples, to “preach Jesus and him crucified.” When people come to Christ, and his church disciples them, we will see heart change. They’ll worship Jesus instead of money. With money know longer an idol, they’ll have no desire to gamble, the machines won’t make money, and electronic bingo machines will be a thing of the past.