When God Leads the Way - Part 4

Welcome to Right Beside You in the Pulpit with Dr. Stephen Rummage! 

During this episode Dr. Rummage leads a group conversation with other pastors from around Florida.  Hear more thoughts on their approach to the passage in a group format.  

Guests:
Mark Penick, Senior Pastor at FBC Brandon
Adrian Taylor, Pastor at Springhill Church in Gainesville
Louis Egipciaco, Senior Pastor at Elevate in Miami Lakes

Over a four-week series, we’ll focus on a single sermon—tracing the journey from initial preparation all the way to the closing invitation on Sunday morning. Each month, we’ll also gather around the table with pastors from across our state to hear insights from their unique preaching rhythms, contexts, and experiences. 

As you listen, our prayer is that you’ll find encouragement and practical help to strengthen your weekly preaching of God’s Word. 

This podcast is funded by the generous Cooperative Program giving of Florida Baptist churches.  

If you have any questions about this episode, please email communications@flbaptist.org.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Right Beside You in the Pulpit with Dr. Stephen Rummage, a series geared to help strengthen your preaching of God's Word and encourage us together along the way.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Welcome to Right Beside You in the Pulpit. And this podcast is created for pastors and for preachers, men who love God's Word, who carry the weight of preaching Sunday after Sunday, and who need encouragement and insight and fellowship along the way. And my goal in this as we begin this podcast is to walk right beside you in the pulpit as we open scripture together and as we learn from one another. This month we've been looking at Acts chapter 8, verses 26 through 40. It's an incredible message where God clearly guides the way. We see him guiding Philip and then preparing a seeker and then advancing the gospel through obedience and scripture culminating in baptism. I recently preached a sermon on this text called When God Leads the Way, and I'm really grateful to be joined by three faithful pastors, good friends of mine, pastors here in the state of Florida, who have studied this passage along the way and lived its truth in real ministry context. So I want to take just a moment to introduce our guests. Mark Pennock is senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Brandon. Mark's a great preacher of God's Word with a shepherd's heart, a deep commitment to leading a church toward gospel clarity, evangelistic faithfulness, and obedience to Jesus Christ. Mark, welcome. We're glad to have you here with us today. Thank you so much, Dr. Roger. And then also, Adrian Taylor. Adrian serves as senior pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in the Gainesville area. He's known for thoughtful, passionate, Christ-centered preaching with theological depth and a pastoral passion for helping believers live on mission under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Brother Adrian, good to see you today, man. Thank you for having me. And then my friend Lewis Agipsiako, who is the founding pastor of Elevate Church down in Miami Lakes. And Lewis has a heart for reaching people far from God and cultivating a culture of evangelism, discipleship, and bold obedience, especially helping new believers take their next step through baptism. And so, brothers, I am grateful for each of you, and I really want to thank you for being with us. Lewis, thank you for being with us. I gave everybody else an opportunity to say hello. Let me give you an opportunity to say hello as well.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

No, thank you so much, and I'm looking forward to this opportunity.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Well, listen, as we sort of delve right into Acts chapter eight, you know, Acts eight is full of movement. We just see God working and leading, first in Philip's life, and then in the life of the Ethiopian eunuch. We see an angel of the Lord speaking, the Spirit prompting, chariots rolling, scripture opening, and then lives being changed. And so let's just start right here. For for each of you, what stands out to you most about Acts chapter 8, verses 26 through 40 when you look at it as a preacher? Let me hear from Mark first.

SPEAKER_04 3:11

Sure. So um I I've had the opportunity to preach this passage, in fact, just not long ago. And um what uh stands out to me most is the the obedience that is exemplified in the spontaneity that is represented in the obedience of these figures. Certainly God's prompting and leading, um, but uh we see a a great simple message about uh both salvation and baptism and uh immediate obedience in that way.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Adrian, what do you see as you look at it? Yeah, so what leaps out to me is the sovereignty of God in the salvation process, that it is by God's providence and God's design that these two men are brought together at this particular place at this particular time for this uh, you know, unit to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Um, when you think about all of the things that had to happen and to fall into place for this moment to occur and the fact that it was uh God Himself that sent us to preach the gospel and sh share the gospel with this man, it just shows that um salvation is a work of the Lord and that he puts us um in the in the place where we have the opportunity to to do his divine will, but ultimately it's him that gets the salvation done. That's awesome. Lewis, what would you say, brother?

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Um, I love the availability of of Philip. You know, he earlier in the chapter, he's preaching in Samaria, being faithful, preaching the gospel, and um, and the Lord chooses him and uh just takes him up and and puts him in a place where he can have an encounter uh with uh this Ethiopian eunuch who has a lot of influence who could potentially take the gospel even further. So you're seeing a little bit when you zoom out a little bit, it it's it's more than just Philip and the eunuch. Uh, you know, we're looking at Ethiopia and the gospel going to the ends of the earth. I I love to see that. But most importantly, I love how God chooses men who are already doing the work. You know, he was doing the work in in Samaria. Uh the Lord takes him to to have an encounter with the eunuch, and when he's done, he takes him now to another place. And the Bible says he just keeps on going, getting uh getting uh into the word and preaching the gospel. So I the Lord uses people who are obedient.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Well, and I think what you just said, and and and we've talked about the two major players in this text, you know, beyond what what God is doing through the angel of the Lord and through the speaking of the Holy Spirit, we see those two human actors in this text, first Philip and then the Ethiopian eunuch. And we're just seeing how God is working. We really see the theological theme that Luke sets out at the beginning of Acts in Acts chapter 1.8, where Jesus talks about being his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and then to the ends of the earth. We see that being expanded and really brought to life in Acts chapter 8. And as you said, uh, Lewis, you know, you see Philip preaching in Samaria at the beginning, and then God doing something unexpected and bringing him to this road that leads to nowhere, as far as he was probably concerned, and yet meeting someone who had a real need for Jesus, this Ethiopian eunuch, and then also expanding the gospel even beyond the the range of of Samaria to the ends of the earth, to Ethiopia. And so we see all of those things forecast in this passage. Now, here's something I want to just sort of ask you guys to talk about. Talk to me about what you see in this text in in the character of Philip, and then what you see in the character of the Ethiopian eunuch. What what stands out to you about those two those two people in this text?

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Yeah, I I would say um, you know, beginning with with Philip, as I said earlier, his availability, um, you know, and and you know, his availability and as as Tanner shared, uh his obedience to the Lord, um, you know, responding to the call, going up to the chariot, explaining his preparation. He was prepared to point Isaiah 52 and 53 to Christ. So that's what I see is preparation and his willingness to obey uh the Lord in his leading. And in the eunuch, what I see is a curiosity, a curiosity that is uh is placed in his heart by the Spirit of God, and it's it's evident that the Lord is is drawing drawing him near and he's curious and he's asking the right questions.

unknown 8:04

Right.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

Mark, you want to expand on that, Annie?

SPEAKER_04 8:08

Well, um I think curious is a good word to describe uh the the eunuch and something of a seeker in and of himself. We know that God sovereignly saves an individual that and uh is working to orchestrate in their life, but you know, likely he had been to the uh to Jerusalem and now is returning and has the scrolls, he has Isaiah and is trying to understand the scriptures and here um uh God had orchestrated for him to have uh the clarity of the gospel presented to him in Philip. And then Philip's availability is remarkable. He's following the Spirit of God and uh he has the word of God that's able to explain uh the Messiah to uh this man that was uh that was postured right in his heart and uh available and looking and God answered.

SPEAKER_03 9:01

Brother Adrian, what would you say, man, as you look at those two characters, what do you see?

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Yeah. So one one of my uh, you know, it's it's one of my favorite passages in the book of Acts uh because it um you know it you get to see what happens when we take an opportunity to share uh the gospel with people that we would, you know, likely not engage with. The eunuch is someone that is of uh you know uh of a different uh world uh from from Philip. And yet he recognizes that despite his title, despite his position, despite his wealth, that he has something that he needs that's greater than what the world offers. That's why he ends up in Jerusalem during a high celebration. It's because he he knows the God of the scriptures is the true God and he wants to know that God. And as he's leaving there, he's continually reading the scriptures because he recognizes a need for God. And wouldn't it be great if we had more people uh in the world today, and I believe there are, but we need to take the time to share the gospel that recognize that despite everything this world offers, the Lord and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the only thing that will satisfy a man's deepest need and desire.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

Well, and Adrian, I I think you just highlighted what I think are the two major application points in this text, right? There's the application point for the believer to share the gospel, as we see Philip doing, and then there's the application point for those who hear the gospel to believe and then follow Jesus in obedience and baptism as the Ethiopian eunuch did. I want to talk a little bit about uh what you guys do as pastors to encourage your church, and it may have to do with this text or it may have to do with other texts that you're that you preach on or just your general preaching uh practice. What do you do to encourage the people in your church to share the gospel with others? How do you do that from the pulpit? I'd love to hear, Adrian, I'd just love to hear you share about some of the things that God has used in your life as a pastor to encourage your people to share the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Yeah. So we make it up uh extremely personal. We have this uh half sheet of paper that uh has a prayer for friends and family. And at certain intervals, we'll do it this coming uh Sunday, uh, you know, at least once a quarter, but we have them readily available to everyone, and we make sure everyone has them continually. We will stop and we will pray through that prayer. On the back side, we ask people to write down the three names of people that they they uh do not believe have um have repented and uh of their sins and accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And then we pray through that prayer and we make it a serious moment because I really believe that the Holy Spirit can touch people and move upon people's hearts no matter where they are, even if they are far from God and even if they are not proximate to us. So we try to make it personal because uh, you know, uh many people are intimidated about sharing the gospel. But many people won't do what Philip did. Uh they won't go up to a perfect stranger. But what if it's your mother, father, your sister, or your brother uh that doesn't know the Lord? Uh you should be have have a burden in your heart for that.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

That is that's an incredible thing. Very simple, but very practical and personal and specific. And I I love that. I think that's something that I I know would work in a lot of churches. I'm thankful to hear how it's working in in your church. Brother Markman, what would you say, you know, you're doing and you've seen God bless as you encourage your people to share the gospel with others?

SPEAKER_04 12:50

Um, well, one, it's so simple, but uh consistently from the pulpit in speaking and addressing and returning to the Great Commission and making sure that the congregation uh and the individuals of the church have a have a a a real understanding of that, that this is God's mission for the church. This is God's one plan for us as a uh as a group of people and as individuals. And then uh and then in the teaching ministry and the preaching ministry, reminding and um and talking about um the the importance of individualizing that, actually mobilizing it to putting it uh into action, uh that we are going and we are to know who it is that we are uh making disciples of. And then um and and even being a participant and leading somebody to a point where they're being baptized and having specific people, whether it's in their uh in their workplace or in their schools or in their families or across the street or in their communities, where wherever it is that they individually do it. And then on my part, you know, um try to consistently both uh tell the story of individuals that are being saved within the congregation and um within the church or through the ministry of the church or through individuals uh sharing the gospel with others and walking with them and uh showing the church the people that are being saved, and that tends to reproduce itself with others. So um it goes back to the Great Commission for us and then um also teaching our people to draw the net. Um not not only are we fishing and sharing the gospel, but we are willing to actually um put people in the the uh for lack of a better word, the transaction of asking, would you like, would you like Christ? Is there anything stopping you in um being able to uh share the gospel individually and ask people to be a part of the process and then showing them as other people are part of it.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Yeah, that's a that's a great word to talk about drawing the net. I I I love the terminology we use about having gospel conversations. I love that. I think though there's a there's a a danger sometimes if we just talk about having a conversation with someone about the gospel without giving the person an opportunity to trust Jesus as savior and to call on his name, then the gospel conversation isn't everything that the conversation needs to be. It's not just a conversation about the gospel, it's a conversation with an intention. And I love the way you talk about that, about bringing people to the place of drawing the net. Lewis, what would you say in your church, as you build a culture of evangelism and people sharing the gospel, what are some things you do to encourage your people to share?

SPEAKER_01 15:38

Uh I'll share with you three uh simple, simple things that we do. Uh, first, we it's three things. We we model it, we equip, and we mobilize. So uh when we model, uh, the way we model this, it starts from the pulpit. Um I am always bringing the text to Christ and to the gospel. Uh, we believe that every text points to Jesus, every passage of scripture can lead to the gospel. Um and I do an invitation every week. Every week I share the gospel presentation. Um, and I use similar passages, typically the Roman Road. Um, so that's modeling it. We do it from the pulpit every week. People in our church know that if they bring someone to church, they're gonna hear the gospel. Um, but as as the as the first time guest hears it, they're hearing it for the first time. But those who are part of our church and our church family, um, they're hearing it for you know every single week for for for years. Um, so what happens is now you're modeling it, and sometimes uh somebody from our church will say, Hey, Pastor, I want I shared the gospel with a friend, and I said what you said on Sunday, and obviously I'm saying what the scriptures say, so it's really God's word uh being echoed through the church and and written from the from the pulpit. That's modeling and equipping. We've created a gospel track, uh tracking that that is um personalized to our church. It's very basic, it's it's scriptures, it's pretty much Romans wrote, it has scriptures, it's just one sentence explanation because the scripture explains itself and an invitation to share the gospel, and we put a prayer there. Um, you know, and not that there's a specific, you know, sinner's prayer and all that, but it's it's a a guide to lead people to the gospel. And we hand them out uh to the church. And uh so people now are equipped to share the gospel. Either they hand it to someone on the street or when they're paying for their bill in a restaurant, or if they have a gospel conversation, that can serve as a guide. So that's equipping. And then the last thing we do, we we also uh mobilize, we we do community service outreach um all the time. We have one this Saturday coming up where we go out into the community and we intentionally give out these gospel tracts, or people will we've created these lanyards, right, that they're wearing with the gospel track, and it's a guide so they can share the gospel uh with them. Obviously, there are people who memorize it and they no longer need that, but this is a way to teach and educate and equip and mobilize. So you you give give us model.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

We model, we equip, and we mobilize. Model, equip, and mobilize. That's awesome. That's a great word. Well, hey, I want to move sort of to from Philip's witness to the Ethiopian eunuch's response. And one of the things that's interesting to me in this text, and I don't know whether it was something I brought out in the sermon or not, but something that's interesting to me uh there in verse 35 of the text, when the Bible describes how Philip witnesses, it says Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, the passage from Isaiah 53, beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. What's interesting to me there is that Luke does not choose to give us a verbatim of what Philip said. He doesn't tell us how he explained about Jesus and how he took that scripture. He just says beginning with this scripture, but he does tell us this. He tells us Philip opened his mouth. And I think that in itself reminds us of something that we, as we, as we think about our own witness and as we think about training other people for witnessing, if it starts anywhere, it starts with you opening your mouth and uh and telling people about Jesus. And then we see the uh the Ethiopian eunuch's response uh as they're there in the desert, and he says, Behold, here is water. See, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? And then, you know, he's baptized. So here's what I want to uh talk about next. And by the way, one of the reasons that I wanted you three pastors to be part of this conversation, one reason is, of course, because I respect you and admire you as preachers and I love you as brothers in Christ, each one of you. But I also know that for each of you, God is using you as you lead your church to see people follow Jesus Christ in baptism, to present the gospel and to see people get saved, and then to encourage people to be baptized. So as we think about the real practicalities of encouraging people for baptism, what kinds of things do you see God using in your church as you're helping people take that step of obedience and discipleship by following Jesus in baptism? And Mark, I'll start with you. Sure.

SPEAKER_04 20:25

Well, um this is one of the most exciting things to be a part of as a pastor with a congregation.

SPEAKER_03 20:32

Hey Mark, I'm gonna ask you to take that one start again. We got a lot of mic noise right at the very beginning. So just start from right here with your with your uh response.

SPEAKER_04 20:41

Okay. So um this is one of the passages that's been most exciting to us um as a church and as a pastor um for several years now, many years, seven or eight years. I've worked with this passage and when I preach it, at the end of our service, I will actually uh just open up a direct appeal for a spontaneous baptism. And um of course, uh remarkably, um, whenever the eunuch responds, um he looks out on the horizon and sees water and he asks the question, what prevents me from being baptized? And so uh immediately uh make the same sort of appeal to the those that are that are hearing the sermon that day, and um give them the opportunity to actually, during the altar call, simply make their way to our baptistry changing rooms and we have everything prepared and ready for them. We'll have a change of uh clothes and uh t shirt for them, and uh we just give them the opportunity right then. And, you know, I'm always careful to make sure that we uh that we uh teach that um you know, it's not baptism that saves us, um, but this is an outward expression of the inward reality and the salvation that Christ works in us that comes by. By God's grace and faith. And um, but they there's nothing that prevents them. If they've prayed to receive Christ in the service that day, or if they have been prayed they've prayed previously and they just simply haven't taken that first step of obedience of being baptized, uh, today's a day that you can respond. And we've done everything we can to be prepared and uh make this uh an opportunity for you to be able to immediately respond. And we've seen uh we've seen many people uh will take that step. They they uh they respond to immediate obedience. And you know, I build I build the case for baptism in the in the teaching part of the sermon as well, related to, you know, Jesus' example. And um he was baptized himself with John the Baptist, and uh he told John the Baptist, you know, this is necessary to fulfill all righteousness. And so in that, of course, Jesus didn't need necessarily be baptized, he was a sinless man, but he was uh he was baptized as an example for us to follow and uh and and to fulfill what is necessary for all righteousness. And then um I also uh show throughout the the New Testament how uh the followers that followed Christ were baptized, and they would uh the disciples as they're journeying with Christ are baptizing one another, and then in the Great Commission, it also is a command to be obeyed. Uh Jesus said, Go into the world, make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so uh baptism's both Christ's example to be followed, but it's a command to be obeyed, and we know that we're to do that, and then on top of that, immediately throughout the rest of the story, if you will, throughout the book of Acts, um, you have each of the different um uh people and households for that matter that are following Christ. Every single one of them throughout the book of Acts, when they believed in Christ as their Messiah, they would be baptized as an outward expression of the inward reality of their salvation. And um that uh course uh really is uh exemplified in this passage with uh with the eunuch. And his his question is what prevents me? And the answer is is nothing. Uh and even you know, I love the application being able to do it right there in the service and let people respond and take uh take a take a step of obedience and act on their faith, to put feet to their faith in that moment.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

And that's been very truthful to us as a church, too. And that's a great word. Lewis, what about you? What in in terms of encouraging people to be baptized and and helping them to move in that direction? What things have you seen God use in your church?

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Well, I love I love how how the the eunuch he asked this question. What prevents me from being baptized? And we all know the right answer. The right answer is nothing. So I'll flip that question to all of us pastors. What prevents people in our churches from being baptized? That's a good question. Right? Could it be that it's not on the calendar? You're not scheduling it, you don't have a, you're not having an invitation, you're not um, you don't have a baptism class where I guess people can go to and be educated on what this is, or you know, I love how Mark shared uh spontaneous baptism. That's biblical. So um so that's something that I wrestled with uh years ago. Years ago, um I realized that a lot of people want to be baptized, but they just don't know how to be baptized in the church. Um and I realized that I had to make it uh crystal clear process on how to be baptized. And I asked, what if we put a huge sign in our lobby saying baptism signups right here? What if we included a baptism call like you did so well in the sermon? You not only did a gospel presentation and invitation, you also had an invitation for those who have trusted in Christ to be baptized and to take that step of obedience. So I was like, what would it look like if we had an invitation uh to baptism, you know, uh it as part of a calling? And then I I also had the, I also asked, what if we put it on the calendar every other month and people know that there's baptisms every other month? If we have one or a hundred, glory be to God, right? But people know how to be baptized. And what I discovered is that people want to be obedient, they want to follow the Lord. But sometimes if we don't correct or if we don't establish systems that allow people uh to express their faith and obedience through baptism, then we're putting something that will prevent them from being baptized. And the answer should be nothing. But sometimes the answer is it's not on the calendar, or I didn't make an invitation, or I didn't guide them to that.

SPEAKER_03 26:47

I was not expecting that response. That is a great response. For us as preachers to say, what is there in our church that prevents people from being baptized? And and as you're talking about that, I'm thinking to myself, was it easier for a man in a chariot who just heard the gospel 10 minutes ago in the desert? Was it easier for him to get baptized than sometimes it is for somebody to get baptized in a, by the way, a Baptist for most of a Baptist, there's the word is in the name of the church. In a Baptist church where we've got a part of our architecture, is the Baptist church. We've got all this stuff, and yet sometimes it's hard. There's things that prevent people from being baptized that we put there. That is a great question for pastors to ask, and then just to think through okay, how can I get rid of any of those barriers that might keep somebody who's trusted Jesus from being baptized? Thank you, brother. Amen. All right, brother Adrian, same question. What are you seeing God do in your church to encourage people to get baptized?

SPEAKER_02 27:49

Yeah, we make it a big deal. It is a big deal. So we are a you know a historic uh Baptist church, you know, 140 years old, I think, this uh year. And um, and so what happens is people look at baptism and they kind of you know get apathetic about it. It's it's you know not as big of a deal. And so, you know, we moved it to the middle of our worship rather than being at the at the top end of the worship, so we moved it right into the middle and we make a big deal about it. So we will uh even before baptism happens. So uh first thing is with my staff and all of our leaders, we have a dashboard report, and that the pre primary uh goal there is baptisms. We set a 10-year goal for baptisms, and I talk about it in every meeting, in every staff meeting, in every deacon's meeting, and everything that we do, we celebrate that number. We'll we'll actually start showing the infographic uh every week uh here just to keep it in people's uh mindset. So we make a big deal about it from a reporting standpoint uh so that everybody knows it and feels it, not just the pastors. Then when we get to then when we get to uh Sundays, every third Sunday is Baptism Sunday. I expect there to be a baptism every third Sunday. And if it's not, they know pastor's gonna have an attitude and I'm not gonna be we must be baptizing, right? So we'll do it any other Sunday. So, you know, if if a third Sunday doesn't work for somebody, you know, because people have different schedules. Uh, you know, I tell them we keep water in the pool, and if they have a willing heart, the water is wet. We'll dunk them anytime they want to go. But third Sunday is the expectation for baptism. So we start out and we read through Romans chapter 10, verse 1 through 13, and then we begin the baptism celebration. And during that moment, instead of us reading the card of the name of the person, we handle the mic and they declare, My name is, and I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot imagine the goosebumps that get on my arms and neck every time that happens, and the joy that floods the house when people hear those that declare their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a big deal uh here, but you know the problem in North America and in the deep south, we're just so used to baptisms, and we don't realize that in other parts of the world, when people go into believers' baptism, they are literally putting their lives on the line saying, I am trusting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We take it as ceremony, but it's actually a sermon declaring belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. This Ethiopian eunuch, when he said, What prevents me, he's literally saying the life that I've known before, which was a good life, a great life, is nothing to me. Forgetting it, he did like Paul, forgetting those things which are behind me and looking forward to those things which are before. He is literally putting a line in the sand and saying his life is on a different trajectory. And that's what people are declaring in believers' baptism. And we need to speak to that and preach to that. And so that's what we do here. And and uh it has been a great experience over the last uh few years when we changed our heartset and mindset that it's not just an act we're going through, but it is a meaningful moment uh for people to declare uh their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll close with this. I tell people that was the those baptism candidates give the best sermon of the day. Whatever I do after that, it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_03 31:21

Well, man, that's a that is just a great word. And I agree that baptism preaches a sermon. That's part of why God uh gave us that that uh example and that ordinance in in the church. It's preaching a sermon about dying to our old life and coming alive to a new life in Jesus Christ. And so as I'm listening to you and sort of putting together what all of you said, we talked about setting a goal. Pastor, it is so important to have a goal for baptisms and to talk about that goal and and to have special days. Mark talked about, you know, spontaneous baptism days, and and Adrian talked about having a regularly scheduled day every month, every Sunday, or one Sunday a month when you're saying, hey, this is the special day that we're really looking for baptisms, and then to celebrate those baptisms, and then again, uh what Lewis said, just to remove barriers so that people who have trusted Jesus, and I agree, there are a lot of people who are who have trusted Jesus as Savior, who need to be baptized, who want to be baptized, they're waiting for us to give them the invitation and to remove any barriers and to show them how. Well, brothers, thank you so much for being a part of this conversation today. This has been rich, this has been encouraging to me. It's been deeply pastoral. And so to the pastors listening, I want to remind you, you're not alone. God is still leading, the Spirit is still working, the gospel is still powerful, and obedience, simple, faithful obedience, still bears fruit. This is right beside you in the pulpit. I'm Stephen Rummage. Until next time, keep preaching Christ, keep following God's lead, and know that we're walking this road together. God bless you.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

Thank you for listening to today's episode of Right Beside You in the Pulpit with Dr. Stephen Rummage. This podcast is made possible through your faithful cooperative program giving. For more resources, ministries, and upcoming events, and Florida Baptist life, visit fblbaptist.org.