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Blog (Page 40)

Is God Against Interracial Marriage?

Sam had for some time had his eye on Monica.  She was stunningly beautiful and had the sort of personality that people gravitated toward.  She just made the people around her feel good with her cheerfulness and laughter.  They had worked together for some time now, and Sam had been trying for a few weeks to muster the courage to ask her…

Observations Regarding the Shepherd and the Sheep

On October 20th, I had the privilege of delivering the doctrinal message at the Salem Baptist Association annual meeting.  Lonnie Wilkey, who’s the editor of our state Baptist newspaper “Baptist & Reflector,” was in attendance and later asked me to turn a section of my message into an article for the “B&R.”  The following is what I submitted to him.  The article was subsequently…

Can Salvation Be Lost?

Can true Christians lose their salvation?  In other words, can a person be truly saved and then truly lost later? This question is, of course, very important but has been a controversial point throughout the ages.  Many have believed and do believe that true Christians cannot lose their salvation while at the same time many have believed and do believe the opposite.…

Additional Thoughts on Judgment Houses

First, please read the article posted by Dr Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (my alma mater), called “Seven Reasons Halloween Judgment Houses Miss the Mark,” and then come back to read my two additions to the seven reasons below the Judgment House logo. In the past, I have been part of putting on a…

Zachariah’s Pumpkin Prayer

Zachariah and I made this recording last year as an audio track to play during our Trunk or Treat.  He had just turned 4-years-old, and we decorated our S-10 with a Pumpkin Prayer theme.  Now that Halloween has rolled around again, I was reminded of it and thought I’d share it with you all.  It’s too cute!  But don’t take my word for…

Tried and Failed

Do you ever look at some of the heroes of the Bible and think to yourself, “I could never do that.  I’m a failure,”? Maybe that’s how you feel in the face of amazing stories of victory like the one experienced by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego when they stood before King Nebuchadnezzar, who had given them the option of bowing down to…

The Kingdom of God: Already But Not Yet

Given Tuesday night’s message at the Salem Baptist Association annual meeting, it’s ironic that I had already prepared to post what I’m about to share with you.  Bear with me a moment so that I can set up what I’m about to say from the context of the book of Daniel, which I am currently preaching through on Sunday mornings… In the…

Exercise Your Humility By Praying

Prayer is one of God’s precious graces to us.  It has many purposes for our life and growth, but have you ever thought about how prayer is meant to be an instrument of humility in our lives? In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus, by example, teaches us how to pray.  Of course, this passage is best known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it’s probably…

Why Is Church Membership Important?

Church membership is on the ropes.  Anecdotal evidence abounds as our church literally has been knocking on every door here in the city of Alexandria.  So many times we’ve heard, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t need to ever go to church.” Compelling evidence also exists in the statistics of our denomination.  The Southern Baptist Convention boasts a membership of over 16…

A Glimpse

I caught a glimpse of something terrible Monday night.  The imagery came straight from the pages of Scripture, but what the Scripture says affected me.  Suddenly I felt what was being described.  And it scared me.  It broke my heart. The Scripture passage was Malachi 4:1-3: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer…