Thanks to the folks at SBCLife for printing my SBC sermon in their most recent issue.
Preaching that message was a challenge... Honestly, I was quite nervous. But, I felt that I had a message that God had laid on my heart and tried to be faithful, honest, and encouraging. But, it was a bit intimidating to preach to such a great group of pastors and leaders.
I am not the greatest preacher in the SBC... not even close. But, I do care deeply about this denomination, its churches, and its mission. Hopefully that came through in the message.
If you want to watch the message on line, you can do so at 316 Networks by clicking here or just click on the frame below. There is also a bootleg version posted on youtube and I believe more people have downloaded the message than were left in the room that night!
I think the response shows that the rank and file in my denomination want to be done with the fighting and are ready to get on mission.
They see that God can and does use all kinds of scripturally sound churches. They are ready for the Great Commission to be our focus as a movement. They want our conservative resurgence to lead to a Great Commission resurgence.
But, I guess I should not re-preach my sermon in a blog post...
Did I mention we need all kinds of scripturally sound churches?
If you are interested, you can download a cleaned up transcript of the whole message here.
If you go over to SBCLife, be sure to read:
The Unifying Mission: Make Disciples by Ken Hemphill
Thy Theology Matters with Danny Akin
Alos, the editor, John Revell has a multipart series on sins we find "acceptable."
So far, he has addressed issues of temper and slander. Sounds like good topics for SBC life and I admire his courage for tackling them.
Comments (3)
Thank you for this sermon. I was unable to go to the convention this year. I appreciate your message and thank you for pointing out the need to look around and see the culture that surrounds us. Too many churches are stuck inside the church and fail to look out to see the mission fields outside their doors are indeed white unto harvest.
May the Lord continue to bless your ministry.
Posted by Charles Rambeau | September 7, 2007 6:23 AM
Posted on September 7, 2007 06:23
Ed, I just want to add my voice of appreciation for the message you delivered at the SBC. It was truly a message that all corners of the SBC need to heed and embrace. Great job! And sitting on the stool was a great move. Were you wearing socks? Grins.
Eric
Posted by Eric Thomas | September 7, 2007 3:47 PM
Posted on September 7, 2007 15:47
Thanks to you, both.
Eric, I was wearing socks, but my shirt did have hawaiian patterns on it. You can't see them on the tape, though.
Posted by Ed Stetzer | September 7, 2007 8:01 PM
Posted on September 7, 2007 20:01