BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-TREASURER
FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION

The Cooperative Program translates intention to reality

The church must deliberately decide to deliver the gospel to the lost world. Intentionality in our witness must treat all persons as lost without Christ.

I believe the Cooperative Program allows us to translate intention to reality.

Much of our culture believes that civilization has an interest in the gospel. Yet, an interest in the gospel is different than the gospel demand of outreach to the poverty pockets and the prosperity pockets. There is no way God, who is good, and man, who is flawed, can come together except in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Great Commission is not an option--it is a command. “How will we ‘missionize’ our world?” is a critical question.

The only way to reach or change our world is through our churches. While we can be encouragers and equippers at the institutional level, the state convention level and the association level, the church is the basic unit God ordained for the reaching of mankind. I am supportive of all we seek to do and share in this responsibility. But no institution will make an eternal difference that is not channeled through the local church—God’s basic unit of missionary advance.

If we are to reach our world, we must have consistency in our outreach and ministry.

People can and should be added to the church on days other than Sunday, but that day is the first day of harvest. On the Lord’s Day, we add those who have been won in the home, the office at school, neighbors and friends. We extend the public invitation on the basis that someone has been led to Christ during the week who needs to publicly confess it and become part of the fellowship of the church.

For many years, Eastern Europe was closed to our missionaries. But then God opened the door. In Bulgaria a man was allowed to go to his first Baptist meeting in 47 years. He was heard to say, “When communism took over, all churches were thought to be CIA agents. They took our wives and our property. But we did not complain because that is what it means to ‘live in Jesus.’”

Many have forgotten what it means to follow Christ. We have allowed our culture to shape our Christian commitment. We have allowed our culture to shape our churches. I am convinced that more people will die if we do not go than will if we get killed on the road to service. I am not afraid of what the Florida Baptist Convention will do if I preach, but what God will do if I don’t!

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You may contact Dr. John Sullivan at 1-800-226-8584, ext. 3015, or by e-mail.