{"id":48765,"date":"2024-11-12T15:45:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T20:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/?p=48765"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T21:23:18","slug":"rummage-urges-florida-baptists-to-make-jesus-known","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/rummage-urges-florida-baptists-to-make-jesus-known\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Rummage urges Florida Baptists to \u2018make Jesus known\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO\u2013At the 2024 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting, Stephen Rummage, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention,<\/a> delivered a call to action rooted in the conviction to \u201cmake Jesus known.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his first sermon to messengers since his election to his new Florida Baptist role,<\/p>\n

Rummage outlined a mission-oriented framework inspired by the Apostle Paul\u2019s ministry in Athens, drawn from Acts 17:16-34. He urged Florida Baptists to adopt a similar zeal and strategy in spreading the gospel.<\/p>\n

Rummage began with the story of a man traveling through a desert who, after discovering his dates were infested with worms, opted to eat the last date without checking for worms. \u201cSome things we are better off not knowing,\u201d Rummage noted, emphasizing, \u201cBut dear friends, there are some things that people must absolutely know.\u201d Chief among these is the message of Jesus Christ. He affirmed, \u201cGod has placed you where you are that you may know Jesus and that you may make Jesus known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through Paul\u2019s example, Rummage shared six key principles for fulfilling this mission.<\/p>\n

Rummage encouraged Florida Baptists to live with a constant mission. He highlighted Paul\u2019s time in Athens, noting that while Paul was initially waiting, he remained mission-focused. \u201cA lot of people come to Florida to see the sights,\u201d he stated, \u201cbut we are not here to sightsee; we are here to win souls to Christ.\u201d For many, he emphasized, Florida might be \u201cthe closest to heaven they\u2019ll ever be,\u201d so Florida Baptists must be serious about making Jesus known.<\/p>\n

He also urged those gathered to \u201ccultivate burdened hearts.\u201d In verse 16, Paul\u2019s spirit was \u201cprovoked\u201d by the idolatry saturating Athens. Rummage challenged the audience to examine their own hearts. \u201cDo you have a burdened heart?\u201d he asked, suggesting that modern-day idols\u2014anything people fear or trust more than God\u2014are equally as pervasive.<\/p>\n

Share a strategic witness, advised Rummage, detailing Paul\u2019s approach to sharing the gospel strategically in the synagogues and marketplaces, going to where the people were rather than waiting for them to come to him. He related this to campus ministries that engage students directly. \u201cThis fall, 53 students made professions of faith in Jesus Christ,\u201d he shared, encouraging Baptists not to shy away from speaking about Jesus in secular spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cProclaim an unwavering message,\u201d Rummage said. He observed that Paul\u2019s message remained firm despite encountering opposition from the leading philosophies of his day, which were proclaimed by the Epicureans and Stoics. \u201cThere comes a time when we must proclaim Jesus and Jesus alone,\u201d he stated, encouraging an unwavering commitment to the gospel despite challenges.<\/p>\n

Citing Acts 17:22-31, Rummage called Florida Baptists to cultivate an evangelistic passion and zeal that drive believers to engage with those who don\u2019t yet know God.<\/p>\n

Rummage closed, asking Florida Baptists to \u201cbe confident and trust in God\u2019s use of us.\u201d Closing his principles with the importance of trust, Rummage reminded the audience of their callings and prayed that God would use Florida Baptists to make Jesus known across the state, just as Paul did in Athens.<\/p>\n

Rummage concluded with a prayer, inviting Florida Baptists to trust in God\u2019s guidance and respond to the call to \u201cmake Jesus known\u201d in every corner of their communities, wherever He may lead them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the 2024 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting, Stephen Rummage, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, delivered a call to action rooted in the conviction to \u201cmake Jesus known.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":48766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,778,45,25],"tags":[850,392],"class_list":["post-48765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-annual-meeting","category-dr-rummages-blog","category-statewide","category-stories","tag-dr-stephen-rummage","tag-fbsc24"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69356,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48765\/revisions\/69356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}