John Kyle, Author at Louisiana Baptists

Crowd Aversion

John Kyle — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 16:46:10 +0000

Some are calling it “Earthquake Game 2.” When LSU recently came from behind to beat Alabama in Tiger Stadium, the crowd went wild! It was unbelievable! The crowd’s roar was so loud it registered on the seismograph – for the second time – the first one following the Auburn victory in 1988. LSU won. The crowd roared and stormed the field. The celebration began.

We have a love/hate relationship with crowds. We like to be a part of big crowds at concerts and sporting events, but we hate crowds when we have places to go and people to see.

Many of us have “crowd aversion.” If we see a crowd, we start looking for a way around it. For example, we want the shortest line at the checkout lane. Despite my best guess, I usually end up in the slowest lane behind a lady who pulls out a checkbook – a checkbook! Crowds are a hassle at the stoplight, construction sites, the DMV, the gas pump, and the security checkpoint at the airport.

Jesus was no stranger to crowds. They followed Him everywhere. It’s amazing He found time to pray and train His followers when He seemed to be constantly surrounded by people. There were times when Jesus withdrew from the crowd, but there were also times when He engaged the crowd.

Matthew records such an instance in chapter 9 of his gospel, “When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” Notice that instead of ignoring the crowd, Jesus saw the crowd. He didn’t look past them or for a way to avoid them. He saw them. They were real and the sight of them triggered something inside Him. Matthew notes that Jesus felt for the crowds. He had compassion for them. They were not an annoyance. They were not keeping Him from His agenda. They were His agenda. He saw them. He felt for them. The word compassion in scripture literally means to be moved so deeply that you feel it in the pit of your stomach.

Jesus saw their true condition. He knew the crowd manifested and magnified the needs of the individuals. They were distressed and dejected. Various translations say they were bewildered, troubled and helpless, confused, harassed, worried, downcast, weary and worn out, abandoned. He didn’t see the crowds as a hassle, but a harvest. He didn’t see the crowd as something to be avoided, but people to be engaged.

The crowds represented the very people Jesus came to save.

On another occasion as a crowd surrounded them, Jesus asked His disciples “where will be buy bread so these people can eat?” (John 6:5)

Could Jesus be asking us, Louisiana Baptists, a similar question?

The crowd is real. Two million spiritually lost people reside in Louisiana and they are all around us. We have what they need – God’s truth. How can we get them what they need? This is the whole point of what we do as an association of churches. It’s one thing that separates us from social and civic organizations. We aren’t just concerned about how Louisianans will be doing in the next 10 years. We’re concerned about where they will be in the next 10,000 years. Marinade on that for a minute. Everybody is going to spend eternity somewhere.

This is why we invest in our multi-media outreach strategy, Here for You. By leveraging current communication platforms, we’re engaging the crowd and sharing the truth that can set them free. Since 2019, Here for You has seeded God’s truth in 94% of TV households across the state. We’ve also reached an average of 187,000 people per month via social media and streaming services and more than 3,750 people have indicated a decision for Christ through our partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Your gifts through the Cooperative Program and the Georgia Barnette Louisiana Missions Offering help us share the Bread of Life with the crowds who are distressed and dejected. Troubled and helpless. Weary and worn out.

The crowd is still there. In front of us. Beside us. Behind us. Don’t ignore them. Don’t look past them. See them. Pray for them. You don’t have to know their names. They may never come to your church. But that is not the point. The need is still there. Jesus sees them and feels compassion for them – and as His followers, so must we.

God Never Promised This

John Kyle — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 19:10:12 +0000

How many promises have you made in your lifetime?

I read about a couple who had been married for 45 years, raised 11 children, and were blessed with 22 grandchildren. When asked the secret for staying together the wife replied, “Many years ago we made a promise to each other…the first one to pack up and leave has to take all the kids.”

The Bible is full of promises. Books listing every promise in scripture have been published over the years. One such book highlights over 800 promises from God’s Word. If we’re honest, most of us have combed through a book of this nature and claimed promises that would help us get what we desired. I’m partial to number 858 on page 83.

Which of God’s promises stand out in your mind?

I think all of us could testify of God’s faithfulness to His promises, but let me ask you this – what hasn’t God promised? Or, as the title of this blog states, “God never promised this.”

One of my favorite parables is the parable of the sower. It’s found in several places in the Gospels. It’s full of promises including:

Some of the scattered seeds find good soil.
The ones that do yield a return of 30, 60 or up to 100 times what was sown.
There is a harvest directly related to the seeds that were sown.

But that’s where it stops.

What is missing? What is the one thing God never promised? Laborers. Instead of promising the laborers, He tells us to pray for laborers. On one occasion recorded in John’s Gospel, Jesus, moved with compassion for the people he encountered, said to his disciples, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, to send out laborers,” Matthew 9:38. The harvest is there. The seeds have done their job. God has done what He promised to do. But the laborers – no guarantee. We must pray for them.

Could God provide the laborers? Certainly. But He has chosen not to do so. Instead, God’s calls us to pray for them. Why?

The short answer is God doesn’t tell us why. He simply tells us to pray for those who are needed to gather what He has prepared.

I’ll attempt to provide a couple of reasons why I believe this is God’s desired direction.

First, when we pray for something or someone, we’re assigning value. Think about it, when we value something or someone, we pray for them.

An old preacher once shared the 3 things God values the most:

People
People
People

Lost people matter to God. They have value to God. The question becomes, do they have value to us? Do we value them enough to pray for the laborers to bring them in from their fields of depression, disillusion and disappointment? Everybody will spend eternity somewhere. It’s a sobering reality!

Second, when we pray for people, it keeps them in what the marketing folks call “top of mind.” In other words, we pray for them because I’m thinking about them. If we’re going to glean what God has grown, praying for laborer’s should be in the forefront or top of mind. They are the missing link, if you will, to bringing in the promised harvest.

Promises abound in our culture. From politicians to products, almost everyone and everything promises to provide something that will make our lives better. But as Christ followers, our purpose is not to make our lives better, but lead others to experience the love, forgiveness and purpose God provides. God promises that they, the harvest, are there, waiting, watching to see if we’ll send people to bring them in.

The revival we talk about, the revival we long for, just might begin when we pray for and send laborers to bring in what God has promised.

Let’s pray for the laborers to go, and may we also be the first to hear the call.

See a Light – Sow a Seed

John Kyle — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 14:12:35 +0000

I fly on a regular basis. For you non-fliers, when you fly to most of the cities in our state, the planes transporting you are called “regional jets.” Sounds exclusive, but here is a spoiler alert, “regional” does not mean “spacious.” Overhead space for your carryon luggage is even more limited. If you have anything larger than your favorite study Bible, it probably won’t fit!

One of my favorite times to fly over Louisiana is at night. Since the goal of our multi-media evangelistic effort, Here for You, is to seed God’s truth inside every heart and every home almost every day, I’ve tried to make it a practice to pray over Louisiana as I fly over it. One thing I’ve noticed, as I’m thousands of feet above the ground, is that it’s not just mile after mile after mile of darkness (see below). Look closely and you’ll begin to notice light after light after light. As I was praying one evening, God brought this thought to mind “where there’s a light, there’s a life.”

Let that sink in for a moment.

Where there is a light it’s usually an indicator of life. Someone lives there, has been there, or is going there. The light is an evidence of life, of activity. It’s easy to fly over our major cities and see lights everywhere. We certainly need to pray over and strategize how we can reach those areas. But don’t believe Satan’s lie that there is no one to reach in rural Louisiana! The light, the evidence of life, dots the dark landscape of our flatlands, marshlands and bayous. There are people there. There are families there. There is opportunity there.

Light, no matter where it resides, always has the upper hand. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” The Apostle John put it this way, “And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness cannot overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Consider this: maybe, just maybe, God may light the fires of revival in our rural areas and allow them to surround and spread into our cities.

When Jesus was beginning His public ministry, He often withdrew to isolated places for times of prayer. Towards the end of the opening chapter of his gospel, Mark notes that following one such time, Jesus’ disciples were looking for him. When they finally laid eyes on Him, they proclaimed, “Everyone is looking for you.” (Mark 1:37). I believe Jesus’ response reflects His desire to reach everyone, regardless of their location. “I must go to the nearby towns so I can tell the good news to those people …” (Mark 1:38, CEV). Notice, He didn’t make a beeline for Jerusalem or another major population center. He would get there soon enough. He went to those closest to where He was. He reminded his followers, “this is why I have come” (Mark 1:38).

My bayou brothers and sisters, this is the reason we are still here. If we’re going to follow Jesus’ example, we need to bring the light to nearby villages and towns, whether it’s a home in the middle of a field, back in the woods, or in the center of a small town or village. According to a report from our Missions and Ministries team, there are over 30 villages, towns and cities in Louisiana with no evangelical church. If you were to do a spiritual fly-over of these areas you would likely see only spiritual darkness. The people in those areas matter as much to God as those living in our largest urban areas and they should matter to us as well.

As you travel the highways and byways of Louisiana, here’s a challenge – “for every light you see – sow a seed.”

That seed may be a prayer as you drive through the area. It may be an opportunity to speak a word of witness or encouragement if you stop to rest, refuel or grab a snack. It could be an act of kindness if you see someone who needs assistance.

To learn how you can sow the seed of God’s truth wherever you reside, visit LouisianaBaptists.org/hereforyou

Remember, where there is a light, there’s a life. Where there is a life there is a person who needs to know the Jesus you know. So, for every light you see, sow a seed and let the seed of God’s truth do what only it can do.

Who’s Ready for a Mess?

John Kyle — Mon, 17 May 2021 15:06:14 +0000

Perhaps it’s happened to you. In fact, I’m sure it has. You’re driving down the interstate and right between the lanes there’s an egg crate, then a box and then something even bigger, like a recliner! Someone left a mess on the interstate. Something came untied in the back of the truck and a few things, large and small, came tumbling out for drivers to dodge like a live action game of Mario Kart. What a mess!

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably had a few moments when you came home from work and were greeted by a mess. You saw pizza boxes, toys, gym clothes, empty juice boxes and dirty dishes – everywhere. As you prayed for patience, you felt your blood pressure rising as your inner prosecuting attorney demanded accountability, “who made this mess?” and “who is going to clean up this mess?”

Mess-aversion is a generational issue. Your parents didn’t like it when you made a mess and you don’t like it when your kids leave a mess. Yet, it happens all the time – at the most inconvenient times.

But the truth is a mess indicates activity. A mess indicates life, in all its aspects. It’s evidence that someone was there, that something happened. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that life always brings a mess. And in today’s culture it often brings what is commonly called “a hot mess!”

Solomon shares some God-given wisdom in Proverbs 14:4 when he says “without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.” (NLT)

Reading though this chapter as part of my devotion time, this verse caught my spirit – especially the word harvest. I want to see a harvest – a harvest of souls. We need to see a harvest and better yet, God promises a harvest. Don’t miss what it takes for this desire to become reality – a strong ox. A strong ox equals a large harvest.

Let that visual sink in – a strong ox. More than likely this implies the ox is fairly large. An animal of this stature can be temperamental and stubborn. A large ox takes up a lot of space, requires a lot of attention, needs a lot food and yes – leaves a big mess, an unpleasant mess!

However, the question God left in my spirit was this, “are we willing to put up with a mess to see a large harvest?” A harvest of this magnitude is going to be messy. The harvest may make a mess of your schedule. You won’t be able to contain it to Sunday morning, Sunday evening or Wednesday night. A harvest of this nature may make a mess of your finances. It may blow your budget. You may have to stop doing some things in order to accommodate the mess of a harvest.

Clean. We like clean. Organized. Everything is where we put it. We can afford clean. There’s minimal preparation for clean and we usually feel good about everything being in its place. Clean. But don’t miss it – clean equals no oxen. No harvest.

It’s easy to be content with clean. It may not be perfect but, it’s clean. Showroom-ready. Messy on the other hand – messy demands attention. It can be ignored for a while but eventually, something has to be done.

Reaching those far from Christ is often messy. Sin has wrecked their relationships, their finances, their reputations and even their health. Messy people sometimes scare us because we’re not sure what to do with them. We definitely don’t want to step in their mess!

But the larger truth is if we are going to see a harvest – the harvest that God promises exists, we will have to get in the middle of messes. Our hands will get dirty. Our schedules will be interrupted. At times it may be unpleasant – even costly. However, we need to remember Jesus is with us and He’s the Master over the messes.

A clean stable requires little effort, but a messy one requires constant attention.

A clean stable will cause less issues. A messy one forces us to our knees as we ask God what to do with those making the mess.

A clean stable keeps the people content. A messy stable causes the angels to rejoice.

Watch the news. Check your social media feed. How much longer can we stay in our clean stables and watch the lost pass by?

Where is that big ox? Who’s ready for mess?

THEM

John Kyle — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 23:42:42 +0000

I was eating with a friend and the subject of Here for You came up during our conversation. We talked about the creativity and quality of the commercials, the great response to the Super Bowl, Final Four and digital components, and the way we were using the campaign to reach people who have never set foot in a Louisiana Baptist Church. My friend said, “I hope it goes well because I know how important Here for You is to you.” Their sentiments and wishes were greatly appreciated – but as I pondered that comment over the next several days I thought, “Here for You is not about me. It’s not for me. I know where I’m going. I have a relationship with Jesus. Here for You is about them.”

Them. Let that sink in for a few seconds … Here for You is about them…

In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren begins with this statement, “It’s not about you.”

In our self-focused, narcissistic culture this truth often gets lost. It’s not about us, it’s about them.

As was their practice, the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus. Whoever drew the short straw that day was tasked with their latest attempt. He confidently approached Jesus and blurted out his question. “What is the greatest commandment?” Without hesitation Jesus responded “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength” and before the Pharisee could insert his cleverly-devised follow up question, Jesus continued “and the second one is like it – love your neighbors (them) as you love yourself.”

Think about that for a moment – Jesus listed them (your neighbor) number two, right behind loving God. In politics and sports it’s often “us” versus “them.” But Jesus is clear, the church, “we,” need to make loving and reaching them a priority.

Jesus always kept the focus on THEM!

He came to seek and to save that which was lost – i.e. them
When He saw them (the crowds) He had compassion on them.
For God so loved the world (them) that He gave his only son …
Go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations – them.
And you will be my witnesses to – them!

Even as He was dying on a cruel Roman cross, He thought about them– “Father forgive them for they do not realize what they are doing.”

Somewhere during this 2,000 plus year journey we’ve subtly, but consistently transitioned our focus from them to us (we):

We don’t like the music
We don’t agree with a certain decision
We don’t like the schedule change
We don’t like what the pastor did/didn’t do.
We don’t like the temperature in the building

The “we” list is “we-ally long” – pardon the pun.

Don’t misunderstand, we know about them. Them is a topic of frequent dialogue within the walls of the church.

We talk about them
We research them
We’ll occasionally pray for them
We’ll even give money every now and then to help reach them

But we rarely go get them– even though Jesus said the fields are full of them.

What’s wrong with them? Or – should the question be what’s wrong with us?

Have we left our first love? Do we not believe Jesus? What keeps us from obeying Jesus? Are we afraid of them?

I’m not sure, but I do know this – Jesus loves them and we’re called to follow His example.

Them is so important that in one of his parables Jesus instructed us not once, not twice, but three different times to go into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in (Luke 14).

Understand this, them is one the reasons you’re still here – why we’re still here. As long as Jesus delays His return, we have the opportunity, the responsibility and the assignment to reach them.

You can begin reaching them by regularly praying for those you pass every day even though you may never meet. You can begin reaching them today by going to HereforYou.org and sharing your favorite Here for You commercial via social media. You can begin to reach them by identifying your “one.”

No matter your age, health, experience, vocation or location, there is something you can do to reach them– and them is counting on us!

“How can they hear unless someone tells them? Romans 10:14

This Christmas let’s offer people something that will last beyond the holidays …

Sweat Equity

John Kyle — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 21:29:45 +0000

It all began with the stark reality that you need more space. Your family grew and your house seemed to shrink. On a sleepless night, you binge-watch HGTV and you see the allure of open-concept living complete with shiplap, marble countertops, and lots more room. Suddenly, you remember a term your dad talked about, “Sweat Equity!” It came like a sudden eureka! “I can self-contract and build my dream house!” All you need to do is watch some DIY videos on YouTube, invest a little good old-fashioned sweat equity and voila – you’re doing a live broadcast with Chip and Joanna Gaines on the front lawn of your new home. However, you soon discover it takes more than a little sweat equity – it takes barrels of it. And there’s no way to avoid it – no sweat equity – no dream house.

Jesus tells us the harvest is plentiful but the laborers – not so much. By definition labor implies sweat equity. It will take effort, lots of effort, to gather the promised harvest. It’s not always fun. We have to be willing the get our hands dirty. It takes time, usually more than we planned. We have to understand that we will never gather the harvest Jesus has prepared unless we’re willing to invest some sweat equity. No sweat equity – no harvest.

Without question our numbers are down. Most, if not all, of the major indicators tell us we have fewer people in worship. Fewer people in Sunday School and small groups. Fewer people being baptized. However, the issue is not the people who are not coming – it’s the lack of people who are going.

Why is sweat equity so important?

Sweat equity indicates value. When you believe that something or someone has value, you’re willing to invest your time and effort to secure them. Your sweat equity tells them they are important. If we want to see people saved, baptized and set on the road to discipleship, it’s going to cost us something.
Sweat equity requires desire.The old sports adage says “you have to want it.” We talk about the harvest. We study the harvest. We gaze at the harvest. But do we really want it? If so, this God-honoring desire will drive us to invest our sweat equity to bring in the ready harvest.
Sweat equity yields an exciting reward. All of the prayers, all of the effort is worth it when the harvest responds to God’s gift of grace! The angels celebrate. Hearts are changed. Families restored. The pews begin to fill up with new people. It’s rewarding to those who go as well as those who come.

In February 2019, Louisiana Baptists launched a statewide effort to seed God’s truth inside every heart and every home almost every day. Literally hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens have had a seed of God’s truth sown in their hearts through Here for You, Louisiana Baptists multi-media evangelism strategy. Scripture-based commercials have aired during the Super Bowl, the Final Four and on broadcast TV. Social media and our partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Internet Evangelism strategy are engaging people on their smart phones, tablets and computers. Billboards dot the landscape of some of our smaller cities and rural areas letting people know Louisiana Baptists are “Here for You.”

Only one question remains, are we willing to invest the sweat equity required to gather the harvest these efforts can generate? God will not waste His Word so let’s not waste this opportunity.

Visit HereforYou.org and share your favorite commercial with your “ONE” and others via your social media platforms. Pray for people to see the billboards, the commercials and visit the website and view the gospel presentation. Discover how your church can connect with Here for You by visiting LouisianaBaptists.org/HereForYou and entering the password, luke1432. There you’ll find specific ways, ideas, and resources you can use to help your community make the connection with your church and ultimately, the Gospel.

You can also dig deep and give some “lagniappe” to the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering (GeorgiaBarnette.org/Giving). A portion of this offering goes toward the Here For You multimedia strategy.

The harvest is waiting – just as Jesus promised – for those willing to invest the sweat equity to bring them in. Who’s up for a little perspiration?

The Power of the Regift!

John Kyle — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 17:43:29 +0000

We’re already well into the New Year and you may not have done so yet, but sometime this year you probably will.

I’m not talking about exercising or dieting. I’m referring to regifting.

Apparently regifting has become commonplace. According to Wikipedia, the term became popular when it was introduced on the 80’s sitcom Seinfeld. There are even rules or etiquette related to regifting and you can discover them in The Art of Regifting, Regifting 101 and 12 Rules for Regifting Without Fear. Some environmentally and budgetary conscious people consider regifting a “green” practice. There is even a National Regifting Day which falls the Thursday before Christmas. Talk about perfect timing. Who needs Amazon when you can simply regift!

Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus commanded us to regift? He has gifted us and because of His love for all people, He wants us to share the gift of spiritual transformation and rebirth everywhere we go.

Jesus said as we’ve freely received, we should freely give. Paul challenged Timothy to pass along the things/teachings he received to faithful men who in turn would do the same. James reminds us that every good and perfect gift is from above. And Peter exhorted his readers to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you. In other words – be prepared to regift what you’ve been gifted with – hope!

There are two gifts that we desperately need to regift. The first is truth. The absence of truth in our culture is stunning. Rarely has there been so much information and knowledge but so little truth. Jesus reminds us that God’s word is truth (John 17). So, when you share God’s word with someone, you’re sharing truth. You’re regifting, if you will, the truth you’ve experienced.

Eternal Life is the other gift that needs to be regifted whenever and wherever we have the opportunity. Eternal life is not ours to give, it comes from God (Romans 6:23); but, it is ours to share. If receiving the gift of eternal life is all there is to our journey, then our life after rebirth would be rather pointless. We are still on this earth to share, to regift, what Jesus died to purchase – eternal life and all that accompanies it: forgiveness, peace, hope, comfort and so much more.

Here for You is all about regifting. In fact, Here for You actually delivers God’s gift of truth. We are delivering it to hearts and homes across Louisiana using current communications platforms. We regift truth so we can encourage those viewing the messages to receive God’s gift of eternal life.

How can you get in on this regifting?

Realize the gift inside of you was never intended to stay there. God is not into hoarding. He’s into sharing. He wants you to regift what you’ve been gifted with through His Holy Spirit.
Repent. This means to turn around and start doing what you’re currently not doing. I believe if more Christians would repent, we’d see more non-Christians do the same. If you’ve received God’s gift of eternal life and you’re not sharing it, you need to repent of your sin of omission (James 4:17) and start regifting what you’ve been gifted with.
Restart your efforts. Odds are when you first experienced God’s grace, His gift of eternal life, you told someone. You shared it. I would suggest that when you did that, you regifted. God brought someone to mind who needed the same gift you just received. But over time you began to keep the gift to yourself. Oh, you’re grateful for it, you just stopped sharing it. Jesus told the church in Ephesus to go back and do the things they did at first (Rev 2:5). We need to do the same.

We have a simple way you can regift! Go to hereforyou.org and share the videos on your social media platforms. As you share these messages, you’re regifting God’s truth to all your friends, family and others who view your posts.

Some gifts are meant to keep, to cherish. Others are intended to be shared. I believe people are waiting for us to regift what we’ve received from God. The gifts they’re receiving from the world are perishing and unfulfilling. But the gifts God gives us to regift can meet the deepest longings of their heart.

That’s How Winning is Done

John Kyle — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 21:17:40 +0000

I have a confession to make – I’m a HUGE Rocky fan. I’ve seen all the movies – multiple times. I own all the movies. A perfect day for me would be binging on all things Rocky – including a HUGE bag of popcorn and a case of Diet Coke as I watch one Rocky movie after another … I can only imagine (oh wait – that’s already a song)!

The common thread in the Rocky franchise is unrelenting determination. Quitting wasn’t in his vocabulary. During his classic battles, on more than one occasion, more than one person would yell, “Stay down! Stay down!” They’d see him take an incredible beating and they didn’t want it to continue.

Yet somehow, Rocky manages to get to his feet and get his fifth, sixth or seventh wind and make a final surge that would knock his opponent, and sometimes himself, to the mat.

In one of the final installments in the series, Rocky is talking to his grown son and says, “… It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward – that’s how winning is done.”

There is no quit in Rocky. He is the picture of determination and an unwillingness to accept defeat whether it is from Clubber Lane, Apollo Creed or the entire Soviet Block Empire!

Luke 14 paints another picture of determination. The master prepares a great feast and when everything is ready, he instructs his servants to bring in the guests. One after one they make excuses as to why they can’t attend. He doesn’t cancel the banquet. He doesn’t sulk over the rejection and nurse the wounds of low self-esteem. Instead, the master tells his servants to go to the streets and bring in the disadvantaged and outcast of society – yet there is still room. In one final effort to fill his house he directs his servants to go into the highways and hedges and compel people to come in so that his house will be full.

Do you sense his determination? He wasn’t going to take, “No.” for an answer. Not once, not twice, but three times he sent his servants to bring in the people.

Why was he so determined?

The master knew those that who would come into his house would experience joy (see the end of verse 24). They would be fed. They would enjoy the company of others. They would escape the elements of living on the streets and much more. Likewise, Jesus knows we will be blessed if we accept His invitation; therefore, He’s determined that His house, the church, be filled.

So where do we find ourselves in the story? Contrary to societal norms we are not the master. That’s obviously Jesus. We are the servants. We play a pivotal role. We are the messengers inviting people out of the streets of loneliness, hopelessness and fading pleasure and into an everlasting feast of joy. But are we being obedient? Are we really searching the back streets and cul-de-sacs for people who need what Jesus offers?

As His messengers, do we reflect the passion of the Master? I believe in many cases we have forgotten the message we were commissioned to share and we’ve gone out into the streets to fill our time with other pursuits.

We need to recapture that holy determination, if you will. A determination driven by our own walk with the Lord and spurred by our love for people. Somebody will come, if we’ll continue pray for them. Somebody will come if we’ll continue to invite them. Somebody will come if we keep asking, seeking and knocking.

I’m not talking about harassment, but I am talking about a passionate persistence. A holy determination that does not give up even when faced with rejection after rejection after rejection.

God does not quit inviting those He created to experience His love and forgiveness. God is determined to search for people who will respond to His invitation (2 Chron 16:9).

As we intentionally scatter the seeds of God’s truth across Louisiana via our Here for You multimedia outreach initiative, let’s be determined to share the messages in any and every way we can. Let’s be determined and be prepared to take advantage of the spiritual discussions that will surface as more and more people are exposed to these message spots. Let’s be determined to extend the invitation again and again and again.

God is determined that His house be full. Let’s not settle for anything less. That’s how winning is done (Gal.6:9).

The Sum of the Some

John Kyle — Tue, 15 May 2018 20:56:28 +0000

Sticker shock … I’m sure you’ve experienced it on many occasions:

You need just a few things from the store. You grab a cart and mysteriously you find yourself with lots of stuff that you didn’t have on the list and your bill equals a car payment!
You buy that new truck and the reality of the payment sets in. You’ve got another mortgage for the next 5-8 years!
You lower your thermostat in July, then the bill arrives in the early part of August. Ouch!

There is a thread of truth in the old adage, “It all adds up!”

This is true in all other areas of life.

You make a routine of enjoying the free donuts in the break room every morning and snack through the evening news. You didn’t mean to gain weight; it happened by snaccident!

Little things add up in bad ways and good ways!

On one occasion as Jesus was addressing those who gathered around him, He said, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it all up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep. But when the sun rose, the plants dried up, because they did not have deep roots. Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and produced a crop. Some plants made a hundred times more, some made sixty times more, and some made thirty times more.” Mt 13:3-9, NCV.

The truth of this parable remains. Little things, over time, produce big results. I call this the “sum” of the “some.”

Wherever your feet take you today, you have the opportunity to scatter seeds. Some will make no difference. They simply bounce off the soil and lie there unnoticed. Some appear to take root only to quickly die. Some start showing potential only to be choked by the distractions of life. But some, just some, land in good soil that has been waiting for the right seed to be scattered at just the right time. Theses seeds spout roots, break through the soil and become visible for all to see.

The “sum” of the “some” has great potential – even up to a hundred times more than what was scattered.

Louisiana Baptists are scattering seeds through our multi-media evangelism strategy, Here for You. These are not church seeds (“Come to our building”). They are not spiritual seeds (“You need to be a better person.”). These are seeds of God’s truth that have the potential to changes lives here and hereafter. They are seeds that lead to true freedom (John 8:32).

You can scatter this life-changing seed.

You don’t need a seminary degree. You don’t have to be a public speaker or an extrovert. Simply go to HereForYou.org and share the Here for You spots using your preferred social media platform.

Add comments.
Click share.
Tweet and retweet them.
Message the spots to friends.
Post them from YouTube onto your page.
Pin them.
Make these seeds a part of your prayer list.

Every time you do, you are scattering “some” seeds of God’s truth with those who view your posts. Some will scroll past your post. Some will stop for a second, but move on. Some will watch the spot and possibly click “like.” But some will watch the spot then go to HereForYou.org and watch similar spots. Some will click on the gospel presentation and decide to follow Jesus.

It all begins when “some” people take a moment to scatter “some” seeds of truth.

Will you scatter some seeds with us? The sum of these efforts could change thousands of lives for eternity.

Truth Decay

John Kyle — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 20:30:45 +0000

“Have you brushed your teeth?”

You’ve heard that question since you were young.

Sometimes the answer was, “Yes,” other times, “No.” But the truth would be somewhere in the middle. As kids we’d have lots more important things to do. Ten strokes back and forth on the front teeth and most kids think they’re good to go. Others figure that brushing every other day works fine for them. And still others believe the weekdays are enough. Weekends were made for halitosis.

Our parents, and TV commercials, drilled into our minds that we didn’t want the dreaded tooth decay! Instead, our parents longed to hear, “Look, Mom, no cavities!” (And then they rewarded us with candy!)

Tooth decay is painful. When the dentist says, “You’ll only feel a slight pinch” – they lie! They also know it’s expensive.

I read about a guy who received a bill three times the amount he typically paid for visit to his dentist. When he inquired about the charges, the dentist replied, “You yelled so loud you scared away two other patients!”

Today our society suffers from “truth decay.” Our courts require us to place our hands on a Bible and “Promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God,” and yet the truth eludes us.

“You can’t handle the truth!” is an often-quoted line in a popular movie from the 1990’s but today, the truth is we don’t want to hear the truth. Educators and scholars lecture that there’s no such thing as “absolute truth.” “You can’t handle the truth” has been replaced with “I don’t want to hear the truth” as we place our hands over our ears (and our hearts) and in effect saying, “I’m not listening!”

During his mock trial, Pilot asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

According to an ad I saw in a major national newspaper/trade publication, the writer/designer said in part:

The truth can’t be glossed over.

The truth has no agenda.

The truth can’t be manufactured.

The truth doesn’t take sides.

But there’s another even more astounding truth about truth: It will set you free! (John 8:32)

Paul warned Timothy, “… there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 (TLB)

That time has arrived.

Truth decay wreaks havoc in our culture, in our relationships and even in our churches. It’s piped into our homes and devices through the internet, through television and through social media.

How do we combat “truth decay”?

The only remedy for “truth decay” is to return to the One who said I am the way, the truth and the life. The implication of Jesus’ declaration confounds the culture. It remains the only hope for the world. This is the unaltered, unfiltered, unapologetic truth. Jesus declared God’s words are truth (John 17:17). It needs to be applied generously and frequently. Truth should be presented creatively and consistently using current communication platforms. Most importantly, the truth must be delivered with love (Eph 4:15). That’s the sole purpose of Here For You.

Here for You is a multi-media evangelism effort designed to scatter the truth of God’s word inside every heart and every home almost every day. Since it’s launch in 2014, more than 325,000 people have seen these “truth spots,” if you will, in three test markets. During the most recent Super Bowl, an estimated 849,000 people across Louisiana saw the Here for You spot two or more times and an additional 300,000 people were engaged via social media.

Pray for these seeds of truth to find good soil in the hearts of those who’ve seen the spots. Ask God to protect and nourish those seeds and continue the process of drawing people to Himself.

The people in Louisiana, and our entire country, desperately need a “truth infusion.” No legislation coming out of Baton Rouge or any parish office can stop the cultural decay. Only God’s truth can change a heart and correct the course of a culture.

You can be a part of this “truth infusion.” Go to HereForYou.org and share these spots on social media platforms for yourself and your church. Every time you share, you’re helping seed God’s truth in the hearts of those who view your posts.

Let’s pray together, let’s work together and let’s give together to take God’s truth into the highways and hedges of people’s hearts and homes.