President Jason Burden calls Texas Baptists to daily faithfulness

Jason Burden, Baptist General Convention of Texas president, urged Texas Baptists to be “wash, rinse, repeat” Christians in his Tuesday morning address at the final worship and business session of the 2021 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting.

“The ‘Wash, rinse, repeat’ kind of Christians rejoice in the Lord no matter what the weather is on the outside, no matter what has afflicted them on the inside, no matter what cultural obstacles are around them in their society,” he said. “‘Wash, rinse, repeat’ kind of Christians get up, go to church, they offer their praise, they rejoice in the Lord because they recognize they’ve been loved by the Lord.”

No matter what’s going on in the culture or society, the church can rest in the knowledge that the gospel is unchanging.

“Times are going to change, but God’s Word remains the same,” he said. “Jesus will always be sufficient for our salvation. We don’t add anything to Him. We come here to celebrate the values that bind us on a spiritual level.”

He quoted Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

“When Hurricane Harvey tried to wash us away in 2017, we as a congregation chose to be a ‘wash, rinse, repeat’ kind of church so we might preach Jesus all the more clearly to a world that was suffering devastation,” Burden said, speaking of First Baptist Church in Nederland, where he also serves as senior. Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the church decided to open their doors as a shelter and hub for disaster relief teams.

When disasters strike and chaos is all around, the world sees obstacles, but the church should see opportunities, he said.

“We see opportunities to love one another, to call on one another, to be present to one another,” Burden said. “It requires us to be ‘wash, rinse, repeat’ kinds of Christians.”

Christians must follow in Christ’s footsteps and make disciples, Burden said at the conclusion of his address.

“God will not give us the privilege of making disciples unless we’re proficient at being disciples,” he said. “Our followership of Jesus Christ is paramount.”

He encouraged listeners to seek out the accountability that comes from being in community with one another.

“I’m a better follower of Jesus when I'm in your presence,” Burden said. “I’m a better follower of Jesus when I'm in your prayers. I’m a better follower of Jesus when I'm following the example of those who are proficient in following Jesus. We’re all better together when we come to the task of following Jesus Christ our Lord, and God will grant us the privilege of making disciples as we focus on being disciples.”