Submission: the Mission – II Samuel 12:15-23

  Paul Azinger was, for several years, a successful golfer in the Professional Golfers Association. He won 16 tournaments, including the 1993 PGA Championship – he was the best of that best that year. Then he was diagnosed with cancer – Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma....

Love, Perseverance and Joy – John 15:9-11

According to a number of sources, 47,500 people took their own lives in the United States in 2019. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in this country – 2½ times higher than the homicide rate. Among people up to 34, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death. In...

July 4

I have mentioned pastor and evangelist John Waller many times, but you probably won’t remember him until I remind you that his nickname was “Swearing Jack,” due to his very worldly former life. After his conversion, Waller became an highly successful Baptist preacher...

Office of Deacon (#7 – Installation) – Acts 6:1-7

As you may have surmised, we began this study of the Office of Deacon based on the fact that our church doesn’t currently have any deacons. Amidst a number of questions swimming around in my mind, are these…. Should we have deacons? Do we need deacons? And does...

Office of Deacon (#6 – Duties) – Acts 6:1-7

Believe it or not, I can read some of your minds. Some of you have been thinking, “The pastor is saying that our church needs to have some deacons. But after five lessons, I have yet to figure out WHY we need those deacons. All of this is much ado about nothing.” This...

May 2021

Dear Pastor and Brethren: Much Activity in May We were delighted when Bro. Justin Fulton and wife called to say that they were in the Oklahoma City area and asked if they could visit with us on the first Sunday of May. I invited them to come and asked him to preach to...

June 27

History records many unusual events which ultimately lead to people’s salvation and the beginning of their service of Christ. We have one here today. Roger Holland was raised in the affluent home of Sir Robert Holland. Eventually the family fell on hard times, and...

Office of Deacon (#5 – I Timothy 3) – Acts 6:1-7

Since beginning this series a couple weeks ago, I have a tiny, latent fear in the back of my mind. You’ve probably figured out that I would like to implement the Biblical principle and install two or three deacons in our church. I’d like them to look after our...

Office of Deacon (#4 – THE Qualification) – Acts 6:1-7

As we have seen, the Jerusalem Church was having problems. Like a teenager growing too quickly, its bones and muscles weren’t keep pace with one another. There were so many new converts – many of whom were extremely poor – that some were being missed in the daily...

June 20

On this day in 1768, a Baptist church was formed at Gorham, Massachusetts. Joseph Moody was called as pastor, but soon after his installment the tax assessors visited him, demanding that he pay the parish tax for the support of the Congregational state church. The tax...