As the word goes out that Baptists will be gathering in Atlanta January 30-February 1, God willing, to affirm a New Baptist Covenant it is clear that all that goes into the preparation for the meeting and all that happens in the meeting should be covered by prayer.

The theme of the meeting comes directly out of the pivotal words of Jesus as he is invited to read the Scripture in his home town synagogue. He could have chosen any text, but he chose Isaiah 61:1-2. He had come to the certain conviction that God had called him to be the messiah spoken of in Isaiah. So he reads: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor….” After rolling up the scroll, he looked at them and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:21.