NAMB Trustees: 10k new churches, visit Vegas missionaries; CP talks on Great Commandment/Commission; Bible Study on Jesus as Messiah.

Trustees for the North American Mission Board (NAMB) celebrated a milestone of more than 10,000 churches planted by Southern Baptists since 2010 as 745 church plants were added in 2022. They also saw first-hand the work of church planting and compassion ministry missionaries who are reaching people for Christ and meeting needs in Las Vegas, a city where life’s extremes are on display more openly than perhaps anywhere else in North America.

Ezell reminded the group that NAMB’s focus is more on quality than quantity, pointing to a strong four-year sustainability rate that church plants have seen in recent years.

A lineup of speakers and guests on the Cooperative Program Stage will point attention toward what should be at the heart of all Southern Baptists.

That platform, said Interim Executive Committee President and CEO Willie McLaurin, will “provide an opportunity for messengers at the SBC annual meeting to hear relevant conversations on how the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are advanced.”

Sessions on campus ministry, prayer, and more will highlight the panel discussions during the SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

More information is available at sbcannualmeeting.net.

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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

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The waiting seasons of life can be difficult. Oftentimes we become so hyper-focused on a specific desire that we miss God’s answers that are right in front of us. Unfortunately, many people in Jesus’ day, including those closest to Him, missed the long-awaited Messiah and His message. For over 400 years, the Jews longed for God to break His silence. But when He did, it was not what they expected.

Jesus began His public ministry in Luke 4 in the insignificant village of Nazareth, His hometown. Here an incredible moment occurred. Jesus attended a local synagogue service, as He had many times before. But in this particular service Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, claimed to be the long-awaited Savior, the fulfillment of Spirit-inspired prophecy. His declarations turned Nazareth on its head.

People who had longed for God’s presence rejected the incarnation of God’s Son in their midst. He claimed to be the fulfillment of God’s promise of Good News to the poor, brokenhearted, captives and prisoners; but His acquaintances, neighbors, friends, and even family members found this declaration too fantastical, too good to be true.

The reality is Jesus is too good not to be true. He was rejected in His hometown, and later He would be rejected in Jerusalem, resulting in His crucifixion. But even this, coupled with His resurrection, is the Good News people the world over have longed for. Jesus offered salvation from sin and the gift of eternal life. May we refrain from rejecting Christ in disbelief and instead embrace Jesus in faith. He is the promise and fulfillment of the Good News we all need.