About 50 pastors and church staff from the area gathered at First Baptist today for a listening session with Dr. Gary Hollingsworth, the new Executive Director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He comes to SC from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Several friends around the country who know Gary are very high on him and think we are blessed to have him as our new leader.
He made a really good impression today and I’m looking forward to what God is going to do in our state through his leadership. He said many good things today, but one statement that caught my attention is: “The two things the devil hates the most and fights the hardest is prayer and soul-winning.”
Think about it for a minute. Easter is less than two weeks away. Have you invited anyone to attend one of our Easter services with you? Have you prayed for anyone to be saved during our Easter services? Have you made your lunch plans for Easter Sunday? Have you bought supplies for a family egg hunt on Easter Sunday afternoon? Have you purchased a new outfit for yourself or a grandchild?
There isn’t anything wrong with any of those. I’ve made plans for our lunch on Easter Sunday. I’ve also invited some people to attend worship that day. Yesterday I invited a waitress whom I see and speak with often. She said she would attend.
One of the ways the devil fights evangelism is by getting us to do everything but evangelism. He even gets us to do some really good, fun things – if it keeps us from inviting people to church.
Is the devil winning? It’s not too late for you to deliver a knockout blow. All you have to do is talk to someone and pray for them.
So go ahead and hit the devil hard. That’s what Jesus did that very first Easter when He conquered death and the grave. The least we can do is invite someone to worship with us on Easter. Like I said, “Hit the devil hard. He deserves it.”
Pastor Steve Hogg
Leave a Reply