There Must Be More

I am a prenatal Southern Baptist. I am pretty sure that my first words were all stanzas of Victory in Jesus. I was in Sunday School, Training Union (later Church Training then Discipleship Training), RA's, years of VBS, attended hours of revival services, and was saved and baptized in a Southern Baptist church. I trained in Southern Baptist schools were I learned to minister among Southern Baptists. I was licensed to preach and ordained into the Gospel ministry at the Southern Baptist Church I grew up in. I now pastor a Southern Baptist church.

Still, there must be more to my life than an identity to a certain denomination. Before I am a Southern Baptist, I am a Christian - a child of God. Jesus Christ laid down His life as the perfect and final sacrifice to cover the penalty due me because of my sinfulness. He did not save me to be a Baptist or Methodist - He saved me to be His vessel to carry the Good News of His grace to the world. I pray we all will look beyond our denominational titles and together seek to reach this world with the One who makes us one body with one purpose.

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26-28

In His Grace,
Russell