December 9, 2024
STATESBORO, Ga. — Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, told Georgia Baptists that because we have a limited amount of time on this earth, “We must talk about mission with a sense of urgency,” he said, “because you don’t know how long you have.” Ezell referenced a popular country music song by Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying,” saying that living that way makes you focus on the things that matter.
Ezell, who spoke at First Baptist Statesboro on Sunday on the eve of the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention, said the one reason we plant churches is so that people will come to know Christ. He told those gathered that Southern Baptists planted 740 churches last year, more than two and a half times those planted by the next largest denomination in church planting.
That work must continue, he said. “God has given us a unique opportunity, but we must have a sense of urgency,” Ezell explained.
Using the life of Paul as an example, Ezell explained how the apostle made the most of his opportunities. Paul planted 14 or 15 churches in his lifetime, that we know of, Ezell said, “but he planted churches that planted churches that planted churches.”
Preaching from 1 Corinthians 16:7-9, Ezell told his listeners that Paul learned that “difficulty was not something to run from, but often to lean into. Because sometimes God will do the greatest work through you during difficult times.”
Living on mission, Ezell said, requires that believers be intentional. He exhorted those gathered to be “constantly looking for open doors, looking to make disciples.”
When faced with challenges, Paul didn’t quit. When Paul was driven out of the synagogue, Ezell recounted, rather he rented a hall and taught the Word of God for five hours a day, six days a week. Out of that teaching, “the gospel literally exploded through the whole Roman province of Asia,” Ezell said. “Never underestimate what God can do through you. God often calls us to do things greater than our ability to accomplish.”
Second, Ezell said, expect challenges. Paul, he explained, considered adversity as a reason to stay, not as an excuse to leave. Those challenges can sometimes come from within the church. Ezell encouraged listeners to persevere, saying “it’s in those times God can refine you.”
Finally, believers should stay faithful and focused to the finish. In Acts 18 verse 9, the Lord tells Paul to stop being afraid. The reason, Ezell declared, is found in the next verse, when the Lord says, “For I am with you.”
Ezell laughingly described the way in which he watches University of Kentucky basketball games. He said he records them, and if the Wildcats win the game, then he watches it. Knowing the end, he said, removes the anxiety and worry from the game. Regarding one specific game against Michigan, Ezell said he’s watched it 30 times and Kentucky wins every time. Even as the announcers bemoan Kentucky’s inevitable loss, he is secure in the knowledge that they will come back to win the game – every time. The last-second three-pointer to win the game goes in – every time.
Ezell used this example to declare that as believers, we are secure in knowing that “in the end, we do win.”
