Mark 2:13 says that Jesus went out by the sea again, and the crowd came out to Him. But it is instructive for us to see just what He did when they came out. It says: “And He was teaching them.”
We often think if we are going to be like Jesus, we need to heal people, or meet their physical needs — and Jesus did plenty of that for sure. But it is also significant that on this and on many other occasions, Jesus TAUGHT the crowd. Continue reading
One must admit, Paul didn’t make much of a “positive confession” in Romans 1:10, when he told the church at Rome: “if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”
Those words “if perhaps now … by the will of God, I may succeed …” are significant. They express a humble uncertainty, and a willingness to submit to the will of God, which he admitted was unknown and uncertain to him just then.
It is also significant that Paul didn’t seem concerned with trying to make a “positive confession” by saying: “I’m claiming it; I AM going to be coming to you!” Continue reading
In Romans 1:11 the Apostle Paul writes: “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established (strengthened).” Paul wasn’t speaking of “spiritual gifts” here in the technical way that many of us have come to think of them. He didn’t want to see them so that he could give them the gift of tongues, or preaching, or administration, etc., in that sense of “spiritual gifts.” Rather, he was saying that he wanted to be of spiritual benefit to the members of the church at Rome; to be a blessing to them; to pass along spiritual things which would be of help to them in their walk with God and in their service to Him. He makes this clear in the next verse (:12) which continues: “That is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith …”. Continue reading
It’s been a busy few weeks since we hit the ground running at my new pastorate, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Morganton, North Carolina. People have asked how Cheryl and Michael especially like it here, and the answer is that they absolutely LOVE it! It would be difficult to find a prettier place — nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just a few miles off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. And you will find no sweeter, more loving and accepting people anywhere than those at PRBC. From our perspective, this was indeed a match made in heaven!
Here’s a picture of some of our church family at my first-ever Easter sunrise service:
And although I have been too busy to record all of our family “antics” the past couple of whirlwind months, we have had a great time settling in, and have had plenty to chuckle about:
Many contemporary Christians are looking for something “new” to share from their pulpits and classes — but they are making a huge mistake. In Romans 1:15 the Apostle Paul writes: “So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” It should be instructive to us that many (and perhaps most) of the people to whom Paul was writing here were already Christians. But he was still going to “preach the gospel to you.” That reminds us that we never lose our need to hear the gospel. Continue reading
(Preached at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 5-03-15
Not long ago, someone posted on Facebook that they wished they had a 30-hour day, so that they could get everything done. In the comments section, I posted a link to one of the best articles I have read, “The Tyranny of the Urgent” by Charles Hummel. In it he writes that many people often wish for a 30-hour day. But Hummel asserts that if we had it, we would soon be filling it up with more of the things which are already squandering our present 24-hour day! His solution? Do what Jesus did, and get up early and spend time with His Heavenly Father in prayer to begin the day. Get HIS direction and priorities, and then follow that. But the whole plan hinges on spending time with God before you get into your day.
A couple of weeks ago we started a series of messages which have I entitled: “The Disciplines of Disciples.” Last Sunday we saw the importance of spending time every day in what I Peter 2:2 calls “the pure milk of the word” — just you, your Bible, and the Holy Spirit of God speaking to your heart each day, and you writing down what you learn in that time. I hope you’ve been exercising that discipline this week. Today we are going to look at another discipline, closely related to it, and that is the discipline of morning prayer. Psalm 5:3 will be our text:
“In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice. In the morning I will order my prayer to You, and eagerly watch.”
To give this a little context, David is in a difficult spot in this Psalm, reflected in :1, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my groaning.” He is “groaning” about something bad which is going on. We may not know exactly what it is, but we get hints of it later in the Psalm, where it says in :5, “the boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity”; and :6 “YHWH abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit”; :9, “there is nothing reliable in what they say”, etc. So evidently some wicked people had arisen who were proud, and who were slandering David. He responds by calling out to God in prayer. Notice the special commitment of his prayer in :3, and what it teaches us about the discipline of morning prayer:
“The LORD will give strength to His people.” (Psalm 29:11)
The last verse of Psalm 29 is a very encouraging one — but it is even more so when you consider what the Psalm had taught earlier.
Psalm 29 begins with :1 exhorting God’s people to “ascribe to YHWH glory and strength.” Then :3-10 describe how powerful the voice of the Lord is: it “breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon” (:5); it “shakes the wilderness” (:8), and makes a well-known local mountain peak (Sirion) skip like a young animal! (:6) Verse 10 reminds us that God sits on the throne of the universe, and always will. Continue reading
Christianity is all about sharing truth — most of the time. But there are times when we should just keep our mouths closed. Proverbs 23:9 indicates one of those times: “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.” Continue reading
Was Jesus Christ the Son of God, or man? The answer of traditional orthodox Christianity is: BOTH! The witness of the scriptures affirms this truth. One of these scriptures is Romans 1:3-4, “Who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.” Here we find scriptural affirmation for the the full humanity, as well as the full Deity of Jesus Christ: 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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