Someone hears or sees my name, somewhere. They Google me. Whatever pops up, including several YouTube clip links. They click the links. There I am, probably in revival somewhere. It is the last few minutes of the sermon. I am happy and in mid-whoop. They read the comments below - good and bad. An opinion is formed. Sometime later, they meet me in person. They tell me they have heard me preach. "Where?" I ask. Answer: "On YouTube."  I reply, "Don't believe anything you see on YouTube." They laugh. I laugh, too, even though I wasn't making a joke. Good...

I recently received a message from someone who heard me speak at a conference on Bible exposition. He thanked me for my ministry. He also asked a question: What advice would you give to help me become a better expositor? What a great question! I am a student of expository preaching, not an expert. But I relish the opportunity to answer questions like this. My heart's desire is to be a better preacher. I trust that my preaching is clear and consistent. But I still have much to learn about the great task of Bible exposition. I pray this will...

Another good day of worship today at Shiloh. I finally finished my lesson today on the sovereignty of God in my Bible Study Fellowship class. I have enjoyed teaching on this great subject. I am grateful for all of our guests who joined us in worship today. Praise God for those who were baptized as followers of Christ today I sung "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" before I preached this morning. Both services! I preached from 1 John 2:15-17 about "A Love That Hates." Sermon Point: Children of God must not and should not love the world. Sermon Outline:...

Paul instructed Timothy to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2). What does this solemn charge (2 Tim. 4:1) mean? At the least, it means that our preaching should be focused on and filled with the truth, wisdom, and message of the scriptures. Of course, just because a man reads, quotes, and talks about the Bible in his sermon does not mean he is preaching the word. Many use the word of God as a springboard to proclaim a self-styled, man-centered message. But it is clear that you cannot preach the word if you do not actually use the word in...

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You have heard of C.M.E. Christians, haven't you? This has nothing to do with a particular denomination. C.M.E. Christians are in every church. They are people who only come to church on Christmas, Mother's Day, and Easter Sunday. Get it? Ironically, C.M.E. Christians are usually not true Christians. They are nominal Christians, at best. They have enough religion to come to church  on these special occasions on the Christian calendar. But you most likely will not see them again... until the day Christian holiday. During weeks like this, we pastors are prone to complain about the many C.M.E. Christians who...

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. - 2 Peter 1:2 Good day Shiloh! I pray you are having a great week. Here are a few reminders for Holy Week. 3-1-6 Cards. We asked you to join us this week in praying for 3 persons for the 6 days of Holy Week with the goal of bring one unsaved/unchurched guest to worship with you on Easter. If you haven't done so yet, you still have time. Start praying today. Invite someone in your life who needs Jesus to be...

I am in Detroit. I am preaching three nights for Pastor Nathaniel Caldwell at the Greater Burnette Baptist Church, where he has served as pastor for seven years. I first preached at Burnette when I was seventeen-years-old. Dr. J. Allen Caldwell, the late, founding pastor, invited me to fill in for his regular speaker. He continued to invite me every year during Holy Week until his death. I have many friends and adopted family at Burnette. It is a joy to see familiar faces and to have the opportunity to preach the word of God to this great congregation again....

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. I am very excited! Saturday was our Make a Difference Day. Our members participated in various service projects to show the love of Christ to our community and city. It was a great day of service. Thanks to all of our volunteers. You make it happen! In my Sunday school class, I continued my lesson on the sovereignty of God. I still did not finish the lesson. And I haven’t even got the best part yet! It was great to have all of our guests in worship yesterday. The Appalachian State...

Today is Make a Difference Day 2012 at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. MADD12 is a special day of "servant evangelism," in which we blitz our community and city with good works that demonstrate the love of Chirst in practical ways. Here are some of the projects we will be participating in: Ride With Me for Autism Hubbard House Domestic Walk Duval County Public Schools Multiple Pathways Project City Rescue Missions IM Sulzbacher Center Hope Totes for the homeless Clothes collection/give-away Free car wash Cleaning up trash in several neigbhorhoods Passing our gospel tracts and fliers And more... We believe the...

We had a good day of worship and fellowship at Shiloh today. Yesterday was Hailey’s birthday. She turned four-years-old. You would think she turned twenty-five. In my Bible Study Fellowship class, I continued my study of the attributes of God with a lesson “The Sovereignty of God.” The lesson argues the truth and scope of divine sovereignty. I was not able to finish the lesson today. But I really had a great time study this important subject with my “class.” I am grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us today. Praise God for those who were...

Today is my baby daughter’s – Hailey Breanne Charles – fourth birthday. I use the word “baby” for my own sake. She is not a baby anymore. Ask her, and she will quickly tell you that she is a big girl. But, of course, she will always be daddy’s baby. I begged for Hailey. Literally, begged. More specifically, I wanted another son. But I could not be more happy to have this been given a precious little girl. Hailey is Crystal. So is Natalie. But while Natalie has more of my personality, Hailey is Crystal. On steroids! But this is...