March 31st, 2022
by Robbey Smith
by Robbey Smith
Who Would Listen Anyway
Have you ever thought, who would listen?
My church is 200ish people, so who would listen to me. I didn't go to seminary, so who would listen to me? For 17 years, I've been focused on seeing people saved at Redemption Church, so who would listen? Why would other Pastors listen to me? They have more experience, more education, so why would they listen? Even though our church is now 600 people, baptisms are at an all-time high, though they probably won't listen.
It turns out pastors do listen.
One evening before preaching at a small gathering of men, the Lord convicted me to share with three pastors what the Lord was doing at Redemption in 2021. There had only been two weekends we hadn't baptized someone, and it was March. That evening I encouraged the pastors to never preach without the baptistery filled with water.
One month later, one of those pastors asked me to preach the first night of their revival. I did so with the condition of a full baptistery. Even though we had no one signed up to be baptized that evening, The Lord called 8 people to be baptized.
It was a pivotal moment for me. At that moment, I realized that my voice could be heard. At that men's gathering, the pastors I challenged all filled their baptisteries and are still baptizing more people today than ever. Last Sunday, while having lunch, a man told me they baptized one more this morning. He said, "It hasn't stopped since you came!"
This led to the creation of the soIL Network, which is still in its infancy but is helping pastors see God move again in their services.
I am so thankful that the Lord changed my heart. Let me encourage you with this. You, too, can be heard. Never let church size or education levels stop you from being heard! There is one bride of Christ, and she is growing by leaps and bound because of people like yourself.
My church is 200ish people, so who would listen to me. I didn't go to seminary, so who would listen to me? For 17 years, I've been focused on seeing people saved at Redemption Church, so who would listen? Why would other Pastors listen to me? They have more experience, more education, so why would they listen? Even though our church is now 600 people, baptisms are at an all-time high, though they probably won't listen.
It turns out pastors do listen.
One evening before preaching at a small gathering of men, the Lord convicted me to share with three pastors what the Lord was doing at Redemption in 2021. There had only been two weekends we hadn't baptized someone, and it was March. That evening I encouraged the pastors to never preach without the baptistery filled with water.
One month later, one of those pastors asked me to preach the first night of their revival. I did so with the condition of a full baptistery. Even though we had no one signed up to be baptized that evening, The Lord called 8 people to be baptized.
It was a pivotal moment for me. At that moment, I realized that my voice could be heard. At that men's gathering, the pastors I challenged all filled their baptisteries and are still baptizing more people today than ever. Last Sunday, while having lunch, a man told me they baptized one more this morning. He said, "It hasn't stopped since you came!"
This led to the creation of the soIL Network, which is still in its infancy but is helping pastors see God move again in their services.
I am so thankful that the Lord changed my heart. Let me encourage you with this. You, too, can be heard. Never let church size or education levels stop you from being heard! There is one bride of Christ, and she is growing by leaps and bound because of people like yourself.
If this article has encouraged you or you would like to hear more about the soIL Network, please let me know.
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