Want to influence Texas? Love your neighbor, pastor urges in convention sermon

FORT WORTH—The best way to take care of Texas is by taking care of others, Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, told Texas Baptists.

Lineberger preached the convention sermon at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Fort Worth.

“Loving our needy neighbor, that’s how we will influence Texas,” Lineberger said.

To meet the needs of people, Texas Baptists must love, serve and give, he stressed.

Referring to Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, he said people are never more like Jesus than when they love someone by meeting their need.

“The prosperity gospel wants us to do everything in our power to get and consume more. But the kingdom commands that we give what God has given us to those who don’t have,” Lineberger said.

“The Samaritan did two things that we should also do for our state. He was willing to give what it took then, and he promised to give what it would take to get that man back on the road to recovery.”

To illustrate sacrificial love, Lineberger shared the story of a man who saw a girl with three younger children who looked like her younger siblings. The man was holding a banana, and he offered it to the girl. The girl crossed the road to take it, thanked him and then returned to the three younger children. She split the banana into three parts, and licked the peel.

“We have to overcome the barrier of being unaware,” Lineberger said.

“We also need to overcome the barrier of short-term memory, because one time, someone reached out to help us. …

“We need to overcome the barrier of selfishness. We need to deny ourselves to serve those in need.”