Last week I spent five hours with Dr. Richard Jackson. It was a true blessing to my soul. Dr. Jackson pastored the First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs from 1964 to 1967. He left our historic pulpit and vibrant, small town church for the sunny skies of Phoenix Arizona. People called him crazy.

At the time, North Phoenix Baptist Church was in dire straits regarding finances and membership. Yet, God sparked a revival with Dr. Jackson’s arrival. When he resigned 26 years later, the church had grown from a few hundred people to 22,000 members, with more than 20,000 adult baptisms.

Dr. Jackson kindly shared pearls from a lifetime of ministry faithfulness. One statement stands above them all, “Jeff, reproduce your burden in the heart of your people.” He went on to say, “When God places something on your heart, give it to the people. Reproduce your burden in their heart.”

Dr. Jackson had a burden for evangelism and it was reflected in his pulpit, his ministry, and his people.