September 20

Sep 17, 2020 | This Sunday in Baptist History

Unlike New England, the Colony of Virginia nodded towards the Church of England as the only legal religious denomination within its borders. But the priests and prelates in Virginia arrived with the same hypocrisy and licentious behavior which drove the Puritans from...

Separation – Nehemiah 9:1-5

Sep 17, 2020 | Wednesday

The book I am currently reading is entitled, “An Anthology of the Early Baptists in Rhode Island.” It is 600 pages of historical documents from 17th and 18th century. To say the least, it is difficult, but sometimes interesting, reading. As you should know, Rhode...

The Feast of Tabernacles – Nehemiah 8:13-18

Sep 14, 2020 | Sunday Evening

This chapter begins on the first day of Tishri – the Jewish New Year according to one calendar – and the seventh month of the year according to the other. It was also the first day of three important Festivals – Trumpets, Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement. On this...

September 13

Sep 10, 2020 | This Sunday in Baptist History

John Taylor Jones was born into a Massachusetts Congregational family. While he was attending Andover College in preparation of becoming a Protestant minister, the Lord taught him the truth, and he began to attend the Baptist’s Newton Seminary. He was baptized and...

The Congregation in Worship – Nehemiah 8:5-6

Sep 10, 2020 | Wednesday

This evening, we are dealing with a couple things which have always confused me. We have all heard good Baptist people refer to the Sunday morning service as a “Worship Service,” but I’ve often wondered where the worship is. My preference is to think of the 11 o’clock...

August 6

Sep 4, 2020 | This Sunday in Baptist History

At the close of the Revolutionary war Robert Carter was one of the wealthiest men in Virginia, owning 70,000 acres. He was a friend of other rich and powerful people including Thomas Jefferson. On this day (September 6) in 1778, Carter faced an audience of about 400...

Joyful Strength – Nehemiah 8:1-12

Sep 3, 2020 | Wednesday

Our text this evening are the famous words of verse10 – “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Let me begin with a warning, I run the risk of making a few people slightly angry with me. How can I anger people by talking about joy? By destroying their misconceptions....

The Feast of Trumpets – Nehemiah 8:1-3

Aug 31, 2020 | Sunday Evening

This will be a relatively short but somewhat convoluted message this evening. I approach it with some trepidation, because I’m venturing into territory in which I have never felt particularly comfortable. But I’m hoping that it will be a blessing to you. Prior to the...

August 30

Aug 27, 2020 | This Sunday in Baptist History

Historians are pretty-well agreed that an Anglican from Gloucester, England, named Robert Raikes, started the first Sunday school.  It is also well-known that it had nothing to do with the Bible.  At a period when there were no child labor laws, Sunday was the only...

Ezra, the Scribe – Nehemiah 8:1-6

Aug 27, 2020 | Wednesday

We are now introduced to Ezra the scribe – at least as far as our study in Nehemiah is concerned. Of course, he has a ten chapter book of his own, which immediately precedes Nehemiah. I’ve referred to him in passing several times, but here in chapter 8 he stands front...