May 5, 2016 | Wednesday
Have you ever wondered how Jacob could sleep with a rock for a pillow? The first twenty, or so, times that I read this scripture, that is exactly what I thought. Personally I like a hard mattress and a firm pillow. If we can remember, whenever Judy and I have to spend...
May 2, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
It might be said that last week’s subject – the churches of the Montanists – were a REACTION to the growing false doctrines and unbiblical practices in some areas of Christendom. While that is not altogether untrue, it must be emphasized that the Montanists considered...
May 1, 2016 | Sunday Morning
John’s gospel has a different nature to it than the other three gospels. It looks at the Lord Jesus from a somewhat different perspective. John shows to us Jesus – the eternal Son of God – in both His earthly and heavenly glory. I wouldn’t say that the others...
Apr 30, 2016 | Timothy Parrow
Dear Pastor and Brethren: Rejoicing in the Resurrection! On Resurrection Sunday morning, I preached on the subject “Consider Hirn!” from Hb.12:3 in conjunction with Jn.8:45-50. Most Easter season messages deal mainly with the suffering of the Lord on the...
Apr 29, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
With only a few exceptions, Baptists were the only religious “denomination” or people who were firmly interested in – and dying for – independence from England. It was their hope that independence would also mean freedom to worship according to the...
Apr 28, 2016 | Wednesday
Let’s pretend that tomorrow a moving van pulls up to the house next to yours. You go over and introduce yourself to your new neighbor, and he is carrying a copy of the Koran. “Hello, My name is David; I live next door; if I can help you, please let me...
Apr 25, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
Can we agree that at the time of the close of the Book of Acts, all the so-called “Christian churches” were true churches of the Lord? Can we agree that the only religious “ecclesia” using the name of “Christ” were assemblies of...
Apr 24, 2016 | Sunday Morning
This scripture describes the first sin committed by any member of the human race. And for that reason, it is valuable for teaching purposes. Without anything as a precedent, Eve sinned against her beneficent Creator. IF the consuming fire of sin came about in an...
Apr 22, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
Life often has its shipwrecks, but just because we loose one ship, it doesn’t mean that we won’t reach port. Thomas Spurgeon, son of Charles, pastored in Australia for a few years and told this story. James Voller and his family set sail from England, called to become...
Apr 21, 2016 | Wednesday
I cannot emphasize enough the absolute necessity of regular BREATHING. Breathing is a part of the bio-mechanical, bio-chemical processes essential to keeping you alive. If you choose not to breath you will die. Fortunately, that is a bodily function which God controls...
Apr 17, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
This is the third, and probably the last part of the transition in this series of messages. Our theme has been and will continue to be the names and titles which have been applied to God’s people. Up until two weeks ago, we were looking at a dozen or so which come to...
Apr 17, 2016 | Sunday Morning
How many times in the past 24 hours have you used the pronoun “my”? I am thinking of the pronoun – not the oath “my” or the exclamation “my.” “My, aren’t those politicians behaving badly?” That kind of language is a form...
Apr 15, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
This historical vignette will be different from my usual, because it deals with an extra-biblical Baptist organization – the sort of thing I usually shun or ignore. But this is slightly different, because it was not designed to usurp the authority of Christ or His...
Apr 14, 2016 | Wednesday
When James asked the question in this text there was a point towards which he was driving. His letter deals with people where were claiming to be Christians, but who perhaps were not. It deals with people whose mouths claimed faith, but whose lives disagreed. It deals...
Apr 11, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
I called last week’s message “God’s People are a Part of Society.” But tonight I want to turn that inside out with the title “God’s People are Outside Common Society.” Here in John 17 we have the true “Lord’s Prayer.” It is an...
Apr 11, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
God’s People are Outside Common Society – John 17:1-26 I called last week’s message “God’s People are a Part of Society.” But tonight I want to turn that inside out with the title “God’s People are Outside Common Society.” Here in John 17 we...
Apr 10, 2016 | Sunday Morning
Some of you have never been a part of Protestantism or Catholicism. You were born and raised in a Baptist church. As a result you may not know that two weeks ago much of Christendom celebrated “Maundy Thursday.” The Thursday before Easter is called...
Apr 8, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
The colony of Virginia was settled by Loyalist Englishmen – men faithful to King James and to the Church of England. Their first charter, dated on this day in 1606, said in part, “We do specially ordaine, charge and require (the residents of Virginia) that they...
Apr 7, 2016 | Wednesday
By the time we meet Job in chapter 7, he is a man wallowing in the depths of despair – for good reason. He has lost his most precious possessions – all the way from his wife, to his goats and everything in between. And now his four so-called “friends” are...
Apr 4, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
Tonight we are taking our study of the names and titles of God’s people and turning a sharp 90 degrees. This is a transitional message, and it might seem to be completely off the subject, but we will come back. This is where I intended to begin five or six months ago....
Apr 3, 2016 | Sunday Morning
This might be a fun exercise, or perhaps it could be developed into a message of some kind – If you were asked to describe Heaven in a single word, what would you use? “Glory” might be appropriate – “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of...
Apr 1, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
William and Joseph Murphy were brothers, growing up in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like their neighbors, they were raised as Anglicans, but unlike many of their neighbors they were wild and troublesome young people. They were known as “the Murphy boys”...
Mar 31, 2016 | Wednesday
The story has it that a scorpion wanted to cross the river, so he asked the turtle to give him a lift. “No way,” said the turtle, “You’ll get me out in river then sting me until I drown.” The scorpion retorted, “Hey, that is not...
Mar 28, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
Those of you who were able to stay awake through last week’s afternoon message, might remember that our scripture for this evening takes up where last week’s scripture left off. And I will begin with essentially the same introduction. Even though this epistle is...
Mar 27, 2016 | Sunday Morning
According to the calendar today is “Easter” – one of the “high days” of the religious year. This is one of those few Sundays when non-church-going people, for whatever reason, go to church. Now, I may be mistaken in this, until last Friday, but...
Mar 26, 2016 | Timothy Parrow
Dear Pastor and Brethren, Despite being sick, both Roxanne and I, with respiratory infections the first Sunday in February, we have had a busy month. The first week, I dealt with Pedro Lopez, Agustin Segura, Alvaro Castillo, Pablo Gonzalez, and Raul Barcenas. Raul...
Mar 25, 2016 | This Sunday in Baptist History
This little vignette is about two men who were double Baptists. On this day in 1828, a baby boy named Edward was born into the family of Pastor Edward Baptist. Edward Baptist Sr., was one of the leading pastors in Virginia at the turn of the nineteenth century. In...
Mar 24, 2016 | Wednesday
Some people say that James’ teaching here contradicts the doctrine of sovereign grace. Martin Luther, for example, didn’t want to include James in his German Bible, because he misunderstood what the brother of the Lord Jesus was saying. Unfortunately, not only did he...
Mar 20, 2016 | God's People Are ..., Sunday Evening
To whom was this letter – this epistle – written? There is no doubt but that it was written to the church in Corinth. I hope that you and I have no problem understanding that a church is not a physical building. This letter was not written and mailed to post office...
Mar 20, 2016 | Sunday Morning
Many believe that the conversion of Saul of Tarsus is second most important event in the Book of Acts. And there are many who feel that it is third most important event in all history. These people say that only the descent of the Holy Spirit on day Pentecost and the...
