CORDOVA, Tenn. (BP)—Adrian Rogers spoke of many defining
moments in his life during his final message as pastor of
Bellevue Baptist Church March 6.
He talked about his salvation experience as a boy in Florida
and his courtship and marriage to his wife Joyce. He talked about
his call to the ministry and about becoming Bellevue’s
pastor in 1972.
But mostly—as he usually does, reflecting the passion
that has marked his life and ministry—Rogers talked about
Jesus and pleaded for any unbelievers to come in faith to Christ.
“I am what I am by the grace of God, and we are as a
church what we are by the grace of God,” Rogers said. “God
has saved me by His grace. God has secured me by His grace. And
God has seen us through by His grace.”
Rogers pleaded with the lost to place their faith and trust in
the saving work of Jesus Christ. He warned them that good works
and ritualistic religion aren’t enough for salvation, that
only the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient.
“Jesus on the cross suffered, bled and died to take your
sin debt and mine with His precious blood,” he said. “I
promise you on the authority of the Word of God, if you will
trust Christ as your personal Savior, He will save you.”
Even though he was retiring as senior pastor at Bellevue,
Rogers said that was not the end of the line for him or the
Memphis-area congregation.
“It is a new day for Bellevue Baptist Church,” he
said. “I intend to keep my membership here. I’m going
to be sitting on the front row shouting and saying ‘amen’
to our new pastor. God has one for us. I don’t know his
name, and you don’t know his name. I don’t think the
pulpit committee knows his name. But God knows his name, and in
God’s time we’re going to have a dear man of God to
lead us.”
In summarizing his ministry, Rogers said he was merely like
the donkey that carried Jesus into the city of Jerusalem.
“Jesus is the One we praise,” he said. “I am
the donkey. God has given to me the privilege of just bearing the
name of Jesus.”
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