Wondering About judgment • John 8:12, 15-18, 23, 42-47 • Nov. 3 Introduction: It is sad to me to ask different people if they know they are going to heaven and hear them say no one knows for sure they are going to heaven. I always quote or show them 1 John 5:13. I tell them God wants them to know and not to go around Wondering about judgment. 1. Wondering About Judgment and Our . . Walk. 8:12 The Old Testament promised the Messiah would be light in a dark place. He is that light … [Read more...]
Old church celebrates new life during anniversary
Bethany Bashioum/Democrat Missourian HARRISONVILLE – He’s a man on a mission. Pleasant Ridge Church senior pastor Malachi O’Brien, 30, wants new life to be breathed through his rural Harrisonville congregation. The gathering is the second-oldest church in the area with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention. “I want to be at a place where God works and is changing lives,” he says. The church recently celebrated it’s 145th anniversary on Sept. 15, but the journey hasn’t been … [Read more...]
Doubting Jesus’ power; feeling insecure
Dr. Jim McCullen/contributing writer Doubting Jesus’ Power • John 9:8-11,13-17, 35-41 • Nov. 10 Introduction: About 25 years ago I was reading in a theology book and was stunned by this thought: No one in the New Testament healed the blind but Jesus. It further implied this healing was reserved for the Messiah. At first I rejected that thought but later learned it was correct. While in Jerusalem on a Bible Lands Tour I asked a knowledgeable shop owner if he knew the Messiah was going … [Read more...]
Developing an attitude of gratitude in children
Pat Lamb, Educator and Author “O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” – Ps. 30:12 Recently, while visiting the family of our youngest son, our three-year-old grandson wanted to play with my iPad. As I helped him wiggle his little warm body up on the couch and pulled him in close, I bent down and kissed him on the top of his head. I was surprised when he quickly reached up his little hand and gave me four soft little love pats on the front of my shoulder. I was so … [Read more...]
‘The throne reclaimed the mission given’
Phil Bray, President Pastors' Conference The mission of the church, the purpose of our existence, is founded upon the universal sovereignty given to Jesus Christ. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). We know this Scripture well. We know that Christ has commanded the church … [Read more...]
Send N. America sparks Alabama-St. Louis church plant
Eric House, Senior pastor First Baptist Church, Hokes Bluff, Ala. Like thousands of other Southern Baptist churches, First Baptist Church of Hokes Bluff, Ala., has a long and treasured history of missions involvement. Several of our families have served as foreign missionaries. We have given substantially to missions through our local association, the Cooperative Program and special Southern Baptist Convention offerings. Yet despite that long history, it has been nearly 15 years since … [Read more...]
Hearing His word and following the Master
Mary Leigh Snowden While in St. Louis one day a missionary asked me why I did all the driving around Missouri? I told him I drove so that my husband who is the state evangelism/discipleship strategist could do his emails, answer and make phone calls, and catch up on his writing. “Makes sense,” he said. I like to think of my driving as a small contribution in helping Mark to be the most effective he can be in serving Missouri Baptists. They have entrusted him with a great task, and he … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists catch NAMB’s Send Kansas City vision
Eva Wilson/Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists KANSAS CITY – As the hot August sun beat down outside, a group in the basement of the stately stone church building here enjoyed Cuban food for lunch and heard testimonies of how God is at work. The Multiethnic Church Planting Center, housed in the former Presbyterian church building at 217 Benton Blvd., was one of the stops on the first “Catch the Vision” tour held Aug. 27-28. The tour was part of Send Kansas City, an effort to … [Read more...]
A former minister’s heartfelt candor about the church where he once served
I left First Baptist Church, (FBC) Bolivar, just over three years ago. I had had enough. I was tired of inefficient committees. I was tired of worship wars. I was tired of what I perceived as passive leadership. I was tired of the infighting. I was tired…of the church. To be clear, I was not just tired of FBC; rather, I was tired of the institutional church. I grew up at a rural Baptist church in central Missouri that, while smaller, operated much like FBC, the first church I’d really … [Read more...]
Being like armadillos, we must cross the road
Driving from Springfield to Poplar Bluff late one afternoon I counted seventeen dead armadillos along the way. Now this was quite exciting to me since I have always lived on the eastern side of this great country of ours. Armadillos are one thing we didn’t have. Counting them was a way to stay awake and alert. I was intrigued by them. I told my husband, Mark, that I was going to stop the car and inspect one closer if I could find one that “looked fresh.” This task proved impossible. What is … [Read more...]
GuideStone going to court over contraceptive mandate in controversial Obamacare
NASHVILLE (BP) – GuideStone Financial Resources has renewed its vow to fight the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive/abortifacient mandate, now looking to court action alongside efforts in Congress and before federal agencies. The need to fight arises from the Obama Administration’s requirement that all employers who provide health benefits also must cover contraceptives. The mandate covers all FDA-approved contraceptives, including those that cause early abortions. “Our plans have strict … [Read more...]
A vision of Christ – evangelism’s motivation
Why do we have to be guilt-tripped into evangelism? I have been to countless conferences and conventions throughout the course of my ministry and the prevailing theme in all these venues is the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and rightly so. Making disciples is the mission and reason for the church’s existence. We exist to glorify God and the chief way we do this is through the making of disciples. So, if this is our chief strategy for fulfilling the purpose of our existence, why is it … [Read more...]
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