Praying for Salvation

Theologians argue with non-theological evangelists whether prayer is a part of the “formula” for salvation. The Bible says such things as: “For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: it is the gift of God, not of works...

September 24 in Baptist History

It has been said that Baptists don’t, or didn’t, believe in an educated ministry. While there have been a small minority bearing the Baptist name who believed that ministers should rely on the Holy Spirit alone, to the exclusion of teachers and reference books, and...

A Psalm for the Sons of Korah (Part 1) – Psalm 84:1-4

Most of you know my inclination to comment, from time to time, on the hymns that we sing. Sometimes there is a bit of criticism; sometimes I simple raise a question; sometimes it is to highlight something that I think is good. I rarely interrupt our singing to make...

The Watch which Jesus Wore

I would like to piggy-back off Bro. Fulton’s message last Sunday night. If you’ll remember it was titled: “How to Watch.” Hopefully I wont be contradicting anything Austin said, but I’d like to take his message a step farther, emphasizing for what things we should be...

An Interrupted Exequy – Luke 7:11-17

I read the story of a gospel minister whose sister lived with him and his family. The woman loved the Lord and would often go out in the evenings to listen to various people preach the Word. One night, when she came home, her brother asked, “Did you hear a good sermon...

September 17

Brother John Kerr was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia. Even while serving his state as a member of the United States Congress, the Lord blessed his church with at least two periods of great revival. In 1831 the church recorded 555...

These Things we Know  – II Timothy 1:7-12

Half a century ago, when I first arrived at Bible school, I entered its doors as an impressionable teenager.   Three years later, as I graduated, I was not quite so pliable and malleable.  I had a tiny bit of education; I was married by that time; I could almost grow...

September 10

I have often referred to the religious persecution which was legal in many of the first American colonies and which was then carried over into some of this country’s first states. Over time, and with much hard work, eventually religious liberty became a matter of law....

The Good Place – Psalm 73:21-28; James 4:8

At our prayer meeting last Saturday, I shared James 4:8 with the men who were there. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” After a few of my simple remarks, one of the men asked: “How do we draw nigh to the Lord?” Quickly I fired off a couple more shallow...

An Extremely Valuable Gift – II Timothy 3:14-17

Let’s say that a man drove up and parked a brand new Lamborghini Urus automobile in your drive way. Then he walked up to your door, rang the bell, handed you the keys and some paper work and walked away. Let’s say some extraordinarily rich person gave you a $250,000...