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Last Updated: May 31, 2017 - 9:37:17 AM |
 Nassau, Bahamas - Remarks By Hon. Philip Brave Davis at the Annual Baptist Convention Tuesday May 30th, 2017:
I am very pleased to personally celebrate with you tonight. I have the distinguished honour, though, to bring prayerful greetings of the leadership, officers, stalwarts, and members of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
I congratulate all of you who celebrate this Eighty-Second (82nd) Annual Assembly of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention. Many are your fruits since Reverend A. C. Symonette served as your inaugural President in 1935.
As you work toward the unification of Baptists all over The Bahamas, your gift of labourers in the vineyard – many of whom have passed to their eternal reward – has done much to ensure the preservation and promotion of our people.
The Bahamas is fresh from a gruelling electoral period. Romans 13:1 gives us opportune advice as it declares: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” So, for our results, we say that the people have spoken and “Amen”.
There are few countries around the world that are blessed with peaceful and, for the most part, friendly elections. Politics is a sport such that there is no medal other than gold.
So, the PLP takes on Isaiah 9:10 in that “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”
As an amazing evidence of Divine Providence, while retaining our core values, we now are inspired by your theme of “Rebuilding, Rebranding, [and] Renewing”.
The PLP holds fast to the abiding belief in service of all Bahamians, not a privileged few. Therefore, while we may be down, we are certainly not out. There is no option for retreat…no option for surrender.
As we approach the celebration of Pentecost on Sunday, now is a good time to direct our attention to the seven marvellous gifts of the Holy Spirit. With them, Christians are beneficiaries of super-human powers that enable us to faithfully live in ways that would be otherwise impossible.
The Word of God is unchanging and always relevant. In fact, we find that it is even more relevant in today’s world. As a Community of Christians, you lift up the Banner of Jesus Christ as the Church Militant. For His sake, the Church is called to responsibility and to action. You can never remain silent on key issues.
Many of your communities have responded with impressive programmes of service and advocacy. Many of your communities are reaching out to victims of crime and those touched by crime, to those in prison and their families, and to ex-offenders.
Many of your communities have long-standing records of intervention efforts directed towards families and individuals at risk. Yet more is needed.
The Church is called to teach right from wrong, respect for life and the law, forgiveness and mercy. The Church is called to stand with victims and their families.
The Church is called to reach out to offenders and their families, and to provide for the pastoral needs of all involved. Simply put, the Church is called to build community.
I challenge all of you to particularly join efforts to prevent crime, offer ministry and rehabilitation in our prisons, re-integrate ex-offenders, and advocate for new approaches for a better Bahamas.
Like the majority of you, I have nowhere else to go. This is our Bahamas. Let us do all that we can to preserve it for many more generations.
As we rebuild, rebrand, and renew, for you as the Church, for us as the Progressive Liberal Party, we must always keep in full view the admonition of St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 11, to be careful of false apostles and deceitful workers. Paul reminds us that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
As we rebuild, rebrand, and renew, let us recall the requirement to “Clear out the old yeast, so that [we] may become a fresh batch of dough”. So, we go forth to our various congregations and communities.
As we go, we are all encouraged to lift our voices for right by clearly rejecting the intrusion of things that negatively impact our minds, hearts, and souls.
Earlier I referred to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. With you, I pray tonight
· for wisdom so as to direct our intellect and our will, to moderate our passions, and to check our affections;
· for understanding to enlighten us;
· for counsel so that we readily follow God’s plan even when it is the hardest choice;
· for fortitude so that we have the strength to avoid evil and do good without becoming discouraged;
· for knowledge so that the emptiness and deception of the world would be exposed;
· for piety so that we are disposed to serve God with tenderness and devotion; and
· for fear of the Lord such that we would dread offending God by our sin.
A good gauge of our receptiveness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the degree to which their fruits are exhibited in our daily lives.
These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are sorely needed in our Bahamas.
Before I resume my seat, I must salute your President, Rev. Dr. William Thompson. You have a champion among you! He continues a tradition of excellent servant leadership. To God be the glory! His patient love for people is demonstrative of his love for God, acting as a medicine to heal the wounded and encourage the faithful.
With that, the Officers, Stalwarts, and Members of the Progressive Liberal Party and my dear wife Ann Marie with our children, join me in wishing you a wonderful celebration!
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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