Procrastination is a habitual pastime for many of us. In fact, many would agree with the statement, “Why do today what you can do tomorrow!” Others live by the motto, “Don’t get in a big rush-there’s always tomorrow.” But is there?
Scripture makes it very plain that we are not promised “tomorrow.” Indeed, we are not promised another second. We are to live as if our next breath will be our last-because it just might be. It is easy to procrastinate, but procrastination is often costly to us and to others around us. This truth is clear when we consider the spiritual needs of people.
Today is the day of salvation! God calls us to join Him in making today the greatest day in the lives of people around us. We can provide ministries that touch them with the love and Gospel of Jesus.
When a flood fills a home, a tornado tears off a roof or an ice storm causes giant trees to topple onto a house, those in need do not call Procrastinators Anonymous for help. Their hope is that the trained volunteers of the Oklahoma Disaster Relief Ministry are available. Our volunteers do not wait for disaster victims to call for help. They show up with cooking units, chain saws and mud out equipment. They work hard to help relieve the crisis. The charge? Nothing! But before leaving a home, they offer spiritual help and often find ready hearers who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People are glad for the physical help, but the joy comes from an eternity changed by Jesus Christ.
Emerging generations of young people don’t need God’s people to procrastinate. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 have left the church in droves because the church has procrastinated in finding ways to engage them. They are not hostile to the church-they are looking for authentic faith that connects them to the living God. The old Gospel is as new to them as the latest tune on their iPods. But churches must intentionally seek to touch them in ways relevant to their culture. Cris Lowery is committed to help Oklahoma Baptist churches take the Gospel to the vast mission field of emerging generations of young people who are yet to be reached.
Today is the day to plant a church. The facts are clear. New churches reach people faster than older churches. Churches that present the Gospel in the heart language of the people they are seeking to reach have a greater opportunity for success. The same has proven to be true of churches that “break the code” of the people they are trying to reach. This often requires different approaches. That is why church planting remains a priority among Oklahoma Baptist churches. We cannot procrastinate. If we planted 200 churches today, we would still have fewer per thousand population than we did in the 1950s.
An old adage states “plan your work and work your plan.” Associations are bringing their churches together to plan evangelism and missions projects. The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma joins them by providing funding to help impact their areas for Christ. Whether a small rural town or a city church, together we are able to help them work their plan to reach people for Christ. Strategic Focus Communities is a plan designed for us to work together to grow the Kingdom across our state.
We do have a choice. We can take the Gospel to the people of our state today or we can procrastinate. Procrastination will cost us dearly. It may cost our sons and daughters leaving the church, and it may cost the eternal destiny of a neighbor or ethnic person in our community.
I think the choice has already been made for us. If we are obedient to Scripture, the time to engage the people of Oklahoma with the Gospel is TODAY! So I ask you to join my wife Polla and me in giving generously to the OKLAHOMA STATE MISSIONS OFFERING. TODAY!
