Thanks for praying for our Wednesday in the Word Revival meeting last night. Our guest speaker was Dr. Ralph Douglas West of The Church Without Walls in Houston. He preached last night from the classic passage in Hebrews 12:1-2, which calls the believer to run the race of faith with determination, without impediments, and with focus on Christ alone. It was a rich, timely, and powerful message that I trust was edifying for the congregation. I cannot begin to describe the great blessings Ralph West’s visit was to me personally. I believe that the Lord sent him to Los Angeles...

Sunday, I preached the first of two messages on prayer. It's a two-part series on the parables of Jesus about prayer that I am simply calling, "God Answers Prayer." Here is the sermon skeleton from Sunday.Title: “God is not a Sleepy Friend”Text: Luke 11:1-13Theme: Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray (Luke 11:1).Probing Question: What is the most important lesson about prayer that you should learn?Point: God answers prayer. Outline: I. Pray with reverence for God (11:2-4). The Model Prayer teaches us three fundamental lessons about how to ray God-centered and God-exalting prayers.A. Pray directly to God.B. Pray about things...

Tonight, we will continue our Wednesdays in the Word Revival series at Mt. Sinai. We have really been blessed so far by the preaching ministries of William Curtis and Maurice Watson. Our guest speaker tonight will be Dr. Ralph Douglas West, who pastors the Brookhollow Baptist Church in Houston – a.k.a., “The Church Without Walls.” I first met and heard Pastor West when I was in my early teens. He was one of the keynote speakers each year in the Oklahoma City Simultaneous Revival, which my father would participate in. And Pastor West’s ministry shaped my view of preaching in...

It happens after prayer! I truly believe that. The things we desire God to do for us – and the things that we desire God to in and through us – happen after we pray. There is much we can and should do about about situation after we pray. But there really is nothing we can about a situation that will matter, ultimately, until we pray. I believe the two primary tools God gives us for Christian life and ministry are prayer and the ministry of the word. So I want to use the ministry of the word to challenge...

We continued our Wednesdays in the Word Revival series last night. Dr. Maurice Watson of the Beulahland Bible Church in Macon & Warner Robbins, Georgia, was our guest speaker. And Maurice Watson did what Maurice Watson does. He preached up a storm. The message was from 2 Corinthians 12:6-9, where Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh. He entitled it “The Painful Side of Grace.” It was very timely message. There are members of MSMBC who are struggling with various challenges, delays, and trials in their lives. I know those who heard that message last night left with their...

I spoke last night at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfield, CA. The church is celebrating Dr. Claybon Lea Jr's 8th pastoral anniversary. The celebration will conclude this coming Sunday. Dr. William Curtis of the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh will bring the messages. Lea and I have mutual friends who have encouraged us to know each other. In fact, last summer a brother pastor took me by the Mt. Calvary campus to meet Dr. Lea. He was not present. But his staff was very kind. They even gave me and my family a tour of the facilities...

Tonight, we will continue our Wednesdays in the Word Revival series at Mt. Sinai. And I am really excited about tonight's speaker. One of my favorite preachers, Dr. Maurice Watson, will be bringing the message. Watson pastors the Beuhlahland Bible Church in Macon & Warner Robbins, Georgia. This is the first time Pastor Watson has been to MSMBC since he relocated from Nebraska. He really did take a great step of faith in leaving the historic Salem Baptist Church in Omaha. But the Lord has honored this step by blessing Watson's work at Beulahland in a great way. Since his...

Yesterday, I finished the six-part Sunday series I have been preaching, entitled, "Resolved! Taking Advantage of a New Beginning." These weeks (Doesn't time seem to just fly by!) have been an enriching study for me. However, I must admit that I really didn't expect the messages to be so hard. When we selected the passages and themes, it all seemed to fit together so smoothly. But I don't think I really considered how challenging passages would be. For instance, yesterday's text, Luke 17:1-10, was really stern. I don't mind this. But I just didn't expect it. I have been confronted...

I spoke at the chapel service for the Los Angeles Bible Training School tonight. It was my third time speaking at the schook, I think. It is a honor for me to be asked to minister the word at LABTS. First or all, I have the utmost respect and admiration for President Paul Felix. His kindness to me is a great encouragement. Likewise, Felix and LABTS zre doing a great work in our city, coming alongside of pastors and local churches to train men and women in the scriptures. George Hurtt, my associate pastor at MSMBC, is also one of...

My mother, Ellen Louise Charles, turns 65 years old today. And I am glad to be able to celebrate it with her. As many of you know, the Lord called my father, H.B. Charles Sr., to glory while I was in my middle teens. But the Lord has graciously given me these years with my mother. She has been able to see my development as a man, my growth as a Christian and a pastor, and my life as a husband and a father. And my mother has been my biggest cheerleader every step of the way. I praise God...

Last night, we began our Wednesday in the Word Revival series at MSMBC. Dr. William Curtis of the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Pittburg was our guest speaker. And he kicked off this series in a great way. The Lord really did use Pastor Curtis to deliver a timely, challenging, and uplifting message from the word of God. I don’t like to attach a lot of descriptions to the term “preaching.” I think the word ought to stand on its own – either one preached or he did not. But there are two terms that I think are appropriate to...

This Sunday, between our two morning worship services, I will begin my spring 2007 small-group. Well, I don’t know it if is really a “small-group,” as thirty-two people have signed up for it so far. Each semester, I tell myself that I am not going to lead any Sunday school class (we call them “small-groups” or “Bible study fellowship groups”). But I end up changing my mind each time. This semester is no different. I just enjoy it too much to let it go. And I am excited about this upcoming semester. I like (and seem to need) the opportunity...