Endurance
Last week I wrote about faithfulness. Closely related to that character quality is endurance or perseverance. To be faithful, you can’t...
Faithfulness
A crucial concept in scripture is “faithfulness.” It starts with the faithfulness of God. God is faithful to us. He never stops...
Minimum Objectives
Love for the Lord Jesus Christ can show up in numbers of different ways. It could take up every moment of every day. You could never...
First What or How, not Why
How do things go wrong? People very often like to emphasize the “why” they go wrong. I asked, How? Maybe people have a reason why it’s...
What Holds a Church Together
What holds a church together into a cohesive unit? It is the truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13). ...
Did God Tell You?
The Bible has been confirmed. It is God’s Word. A voice in the head or an impression that someone calls, “God told me,” is not...
A Church Growing in Numbers
How will Jackson County Baptist Church grow in numbers, what is termed, be built up? The main goal for church growth is evangelism. ...
Position and Practice
There are two ways that any one of us stand before God. We stand before Him positionally and we stand before Him practically. A good...
Joy and Sorrow
When people think of joy today, in general they think of things that will make them happy. They are having a good day, which means that...
The World An Obstacle Course
The world in which we live is somewhat like an obstacle course. Satan and the world system set up the obstacles for living for the Lord....
Bucket List
Perhaps you’ve heard the terminology, “bucket list.” The idea behind it is the list of things that you want to do before you kick the...
Individual Growth First, Then Church Growth
In a few short days, this church will begin, Lord-willing, the first full year in its history. I marked on our calendar the date of our...
Christmas: Jesus Submits to the Will of the Father
The Lord Jesus Christ had fasted forty days and forty nights, and he was tested by Satan himself to turn stones into bread. It was not...
What Is At Stake?
Here’s a question: What is at stake? A version of this question is asked by David before he became king, when Goliath was blaspheming...
The Submission of Jesus Christ As an Example
Matthew 3:13-17 is the section, as we have been seeing in our series through Matthew on Sunday mornings, is the “baptism of Jesus.” We...
Balm Of Gilead and Another John Newton Song
Balm of Gilead was a rare perfume used medicinally, mentioned in the Bible and named for the region of Gilead, where it was produced. The...
Thanksgiving for Truth
You could hopefully list many different things for which you are thankful this Thanksgiving week, but I want to give you one: the truth. ...
God Requires Holy Living
The angels in God’s throne room sing or chant, “Holy, holy, holy,” to God (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8). “Holy” means “separate.” God is...
Belly and Bowels
Paul says in Philippians 3:19 that enemies of Christ worship their koilia, their “belly,” their passions. In Colossians 3:12 Paul tells...
Purpose of Government and Voting
Voting for a Christian in the United States relates to the biblical purpose of government. God instituted government early on the Bible...