“And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14)
When Jesus appointed His 12 Apostles in Mark 3, the Bible says He had two specific purposes in mind: 1) “so that they would be with Him”, and 2) “that He could send them out to preach.” The order of these two purposes is surely not accidental, and has something important to say to us: Continue reading
In 1910 Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech in Paris, France, on the kind of people that is needed to make a great society. A paragraph from that speech has become famous:
“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Roosevelt was saying that part of what it takes to make a society great is a people who do not merely sit back and watch what their leaders are doing, but rather who each actively serve and help make the country what it should be. The same thing is true of a church. A healthy, successful church is one where the people do not just sit back and expect the ministers to serve, but where each church member is actively using their gifts to serve God. Continue reading
“Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God.'” (Mark 3:11)
It is striking to read here that the demons shouted that Jesus was the Son of God. Many people take comfort in their religious condition because they have confessed a belief in Jesus as God’s Son. Perhaps their faith should be shaken, since the demons made the same confession in Jesus’ day! Continue reading
The past couple of weeks have been busy at “the cottage”; with all of the kids and grandkids coming in. We had a lot to celebrate — and then to recover from!
ARE YOU MY MOTHER?
Adding to the typical “melee” in the household is that our family has a new little “addition” — not another grandbaby (yet) but a baby kitten that someone rescued from outside their rent house. Not long after we got her, we noticed that she loved to sit cuddled up next to the refrigerator. Was it the warmth, or the humming of the motor? Cheryl had another theory: “I always get her milk and dropper from the refrigerator whenever I feed her. I’m afraid she thinks it’s her mother!”
One of the newer monuments in Washington D.C. is the one commemorating our men who fought and won the Second World War. Among other elements, the memorial contains panels with bronze engravings of scenes from the war: soldiers loading artillery pieces, paratroopers jumping out of an airplane, troops landing at D-Day, etc., all of which serve to remind us of the sacrifices which were made to preserve our freedom.
Tonight we are observing a similar memorial, as we participate in the Lord’s Supper. This “supper” is indeed a memorial, which helps us remember that the cost of our salvation was the body and blood of The Lord Jesus Christ. Before we share in the observation of the Lord’s Supper this evening, let’s look at some important things that Jesus explains about its meaning, in Matthew 26:26-29, when He inaugurated this memorial with His disciples: Continue reading
“A great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came …”. (Mark 3:8)
This is a good reminder of how “a great crowd” comes in the Lord’s work. We do not have to plan some “innovative” outreach activities; people come when when they hear the great things that Jesus is doing. Continue reading
We should take pains to make our prayers as scriptural and effective as we can — but thankfully, God’s word tells us that their efficacy does not rest with us. Romans 8:26 says: “We do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Continue reading
Are you really saved? Several passages of scripture offer us tests of salvation; indicators of whether one has genuinely been converted. One of those texts is Romans Chapter 8. Multiple verses in the chapter describe the person for whom “There is therefore now no condemnation … in Christ Jesus”. Among them are: Continue reading
(Preached at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 6-07-15)
Cheryl & I are fond of assigning “chapter titles” to different episodes of our life together, like “The Dark Year”, “Just Then It Began to Snow” or “The Girl in the Purple Bikini” (I’ll have to tell you about that one some time!) About a year and a half ago, I gave the title to a several-months-long period, “How Trinity Baptist Saved Our Lives.” As I shared last week, I had served as pastor in Southern Baptist churches for almost 30 years before stepping down from our church in Louisiana with an illness. We sold our home, 2/3 of our possessions, and moved to Norman, Oklahoma, with little hope of a future. It was a difficult time for us. But in the middle of that, we had found a church home, Trinity Baptist in Norman, where pastor, staff, and people ministered to us, and really helped us through those dark hours. I remember one particularly bad day, when I was in bed with a migraine headache, a rag over my forehead, no job or income, and I was just calling out to God for help. Just then, the phone rang, and it was the pastor of Trinity, Ronnie Rogers, calling to offer us help and prayer. And that church did help us: financially, spiritually, with friends and fellowship and so much encouragement. I later sent the staff a note and said, “If I were to entitle this chapter of my life, ‘How Trinity Baptist Saved Our Lives” it would not be far from the truth.” I have come out of this experience of my life with a greater appreciation than ever before for the important place of the church in our lives as believers. Continue reading
It’s an old question: If “once saved always saved” is true, wouldn’t people use it as an excuse to sin? Romans 6:15 addresses that issue: “What then, shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace?” The Apostle Paul shows us here that this question has been one which has followed justification by grace from the beginning of Christianity. Continue reading
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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