Yesterday I was in Columbia to receive the Impact the World Award from the South Carolina Baptist Convention for the work that our church has done in the area of social and moral concerns in order to impact people with the gospel.  As I sat there on the stage, I listened to them list a number of ministries in which we have been involved. It was a great experience. Some of them I hardly even remembered and I was reminded what a powerful purpose they served. Others are ongoing and I was also reminded of how they are touching the lives of people on a regular basis with the gospel.  It turned out to be a very exciting experience.

As I walked off the platform, I realized that no one in our church even knows this award exists. You do what you do because you love the Lord and because you want to see the world impacted for Christ. I can assure you that your presence, your time, your efforts, and your gifts make a tremendous difference. In the midst of great opportunities and great challenge, this is not a time for us to backup, individually or collectively. We should be standing strong and increasing our efforts to spread the Good News. God will continue to honor our faithfulness as we seek to honor Him.

One of the things that excited me the most yesterday was to think about the numbers of people who have served so faithfully. God has given to this family of faith a very special attitude of service. I can assure you that is not present everywhere. So we must remember to whom much is given much is required. A number of people stopped me yesterday and said “congratulations,” but I assure you that I understand that those words of affirmation don’t belong to me, but they belong to those that are so faithful in our fellowship.