Texas pastor urges focus on local church commitment; Viral valedictorian speech preaches Gospel; 3 reasons to study the Bible.

One of the most challenging obstacles pastors face in congregations large and small is getting people to prioritize local church commitment over the activities constantly competing to fill up their weekly schedules.

“People are so busy with different things like sports, school, and other activities. They get pulled in 80 different directions, and they don’t prioritize being in church,” Mikey Pesqueda, pastor of First Baptist Church in Archer City, Texas, said.

As more young couples join the church, Pesqueda tries to show them he doesn’t just want them there; he needs them there.

“We need you to be here just as much as you need to be here,” he tells them. 

“Our schedules really shouldn’t revolve around all the other things that we do. Our schedules should revolve around Christ. When our schedules revolve around Christ and going to church and being involved in a local body, then all the other things will find the right balance.” 

Before Friday, May 26 the largest group Campbell Lino had spoken to about Jesus was the 75 or so at her church during a prayer meeting.

Ascending the stage as valedictorian for Atascocita(at-a-sco-cita)  High School, she was going to once again talk about the Gospel. This time, it would be to a graduating class of 905 from a high school of almost 4,000 in front of a crowd of 10,000 in the building where the Houston Texans play on Sundays.

Since her earliest days of attendance in the Humble Independent School District, Lino had the goal of becoming valedictorian. The motivation to get there had nothing to do with pointing to herself, however; it was about pointing others to Christ. 

While the graduation program contained a disclaimer distancing the school district from the content of student speeches, Lino still used her two-plus minutes to talk about everyone’s need to repent and turn to Christ and how His forgiveness has changed and is changing her life.

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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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In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, William and Howard Hendricks share three benefits from regularly studying God’s Word.

First, they say Bible study is essential to Christian growth.

The next reason is that Bible study is essential to spiritual maturity. They write, “The Bible is the divine means of developing spiritual maturity. There is no other way.”

Finally, they write, Bible study is essential to spiritual effectiveness. In the piece, they write, “The reason God can’t use you more than He wants to may well be that you are not prepared. Maybe you’ve attended church for five, ten, or even twenty years, but you’ve never cracked open the Bible to prepare yourself for effectiveness as His instrument. You’ve been under the Word, but not in it for yourself.”