Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted its seventh annual collegiate conference on the theme “go for the glory of God.”
Approximately 620 students heard from featured speakers Daniel Akin, H.B. Charles Jr., J.D. Greear, Tony Merida and Russell Moore at the SEBTS campus on Feb. 6 and 7.
Breakout sessions gave attendees the opportunity to hear other SEBTS professors and local leaders speak on the glory of God in a variety of areas such as spiritual formation, suffering, seeking justice and vocation.
Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, reminded listeners from Acts 8 that the Holy Spirit is the source of a Christian’s strength and power. “The gospel goes forward faster through lay people than apostles,” Greear said. “Jesus has a prime spot for you in the starting lineup regardless of what your gifting is.”
|
SEBTS Photo Conference speakers (from right) Daniel Akin, H.B. Charles Jr., J.D. Greear, Tony Merida and Russell Moore at the SEBTS campus on Feb. 6 and 7. |
Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that “every Christian is embedded in the public square,” and each one should use his or her arena to manifest the glory of God, even if it seems “scandalous” to others at times.
Friday evening, a panel featuring several of the speakers offered personal insights into what it means to live faithfully for Christ in dating and marriage relationships.
Conference attendees received a sermon from Akin, president of SEBTS, on Ephesians 5:21-33 where he outlined a biblical view of marriage as between one man and one woman – “equal in essence and made in the image of God.”
“Marriage is a great gift from a glorious God that should point the world to Christ and the gospel,” Akin said.
Charles, pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, emphasized the glory of God in diversity from Ephesians 2:14-18.
“Jesus Christ is the only One who can bring peace with God, with self and with others,” Charles said. “To find peace, you must run to the cross and repent of your sins. The real issue that separates us is sin.”
Charles exhorted Christians to tear down walls of hostility. “Christ didn’t Christianize the Jews, or Judaize the Gentiles. He instead created an entirely new race,” he said.
Merida, one of the pastors of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh and associate professor of preaching at SEBTS, said “The ordinary people of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, armed with the Word of God, can accomplish the mission of God.”
“God saves people by sharing the gospel through ordinary people. Do you believe this?” he said. “You might be surprised who says yes when you preach the gospel.”
To view photos from the Go conference, go to flickr.com/southeastern.
To watch the messages online, go to multimedia.sebts.edu