The apostle John had the remarkable privilege of gazing into Heaven and seeing the myriads upon myriads surrounding the throne of God. He records that they sang a new song of praise to the Savior, “Worthy are You . . . for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” What a scene! Red and yellow, black and white from every part of the world standing around the throne praising the risen Savior.
I am glad Oklahoma Baptists have taken seriously the challenge to carry the love of Christ to all peoples in Oklahoma. Indeed, our state, like our nation, has become a melting pot of people groups. Few of our towns—even the very smallest—do not have residents from other nations.
Our heart’s desire is that Oklahoma Baptists will resemble the scene that one day will be reality in Heaven. It is already happening. We are the most ethnically diverse denomination in Oklahoma. Every Sunday we worship the Lord in 40 languages. Wow!
Because of your gifts to the Oklahoma State Missions Offering, we have the joy of impacting these people groups through special events and church planting. Without question the largest and fastest-growing people group in our state is the Hispanics. Every year, the largest number of church starts has been Hispanic. It has been suggested that one day Hispanics will be the largest people group in America. Frankly, when they become the majority, I want them to be born again followers of Jesus Christ—and Baptist besides!
Your gifts to state missions provide the opportunity to conduct special events that attract large crowds and the opportunity to engage them with the Gospel. Hispanic Family Festivals are a proven methodology for carrying the love of Jesus into the lives of these precious people.
We rejoice that God gives us the privilege of carrying His love to people of many nations who live in our state. We want to participate in sharing the good news so one day a multilingual and multiracial people will sing a new song to our Savior around His throne.
The State Missions Offering touches people with the love of Jesus in multitudes of ways. Your gifts make a difference. I hope you will join Polla and me in carrying the love of Jesus to all peoples in our state through giving.
