"We are not anointed."

As most of the readers of this blog know, I am a graduate and current director for a local center of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  I love NOBTS and even the city of New Orleans (ouch to some of you).

Dr. Chuck Kelley was my teacher of Evangelism as a student.  He is now the President of NOBTS. March 3 he preached in chapel "Are Southern Baptists Becoming the New Methodists?"  You may hear the full message here.  If you prefer video, here

He says the crucial issue is discipleship.  While I disagree with that initially (because of what I sensed he meant by discipleship), what he said after that I totally agree.  He said, "We are not anointed.   The conversions of a soul to Christ is the work of the HS.  The stirring of a church and community in revival and awakening is a work of the Holy Spirit.  Neither of these works of the Spirit are typical in Southern Baptist churches today. We are not anointed. That we...that would be you and that would be me.  That would be all of us in places where there is little evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit.  We are so not anointed, we have come to accept as not being anointed, as normal."

He also said that reaping and sowing are inseparable and Southern Baptists are not sowing; thus not reaping.

Then he said, "Southern Baptists are becoming the new Methodists."   Methodists made holy living a core value, but now they are debating the normalcy of homosexuality.  There are experiencing the fastest loss of membership in the history of the United States.

He went on to say (my paraphrasing) "We watch the same movies and TV shows.  It is as likely for drunkenness to appear at a Baptist wedding as any other."

Well, praise God Dr. Kelley for.  Thank God for saying it.

Dear CrossRoads, as you know from my email to you this morning that this Sunday I am preaching in my going through Romans 8 as "Who is the Holy Spirit?"

We must have the Holy Spirit.