Thanks for your prayers for Cutting It Straight!  Yesterday was the closing day of Cutting It Straight. Gary Williams Jr., a faithful, longtime pastor in Jacksonville started the day by challenging us to stand and fight when things are difficult, rather than giving up.During our final round of workshops, I taught a class on the basic tips for effective sermon delivery. I am not an expert on sermon delivery. But I take the subject seriously. There are three types of preachers: ones you can listen to, ones you cannot listen to, and ones you must listen to. You...

  Day 2 of Cutting It Straight is the longest, fullest day of the conference. It was a long but blessed day! The day started with a message by Daniel Henderson on gospel-driven prayer for gospel-driven work (Acts 4:23-31). Henderson leads the 6:4 Fellowship, a ministry that encourages pastors to base their leadership of the church on prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). In his message, he reminded us why it happens after prayer! During our first breakouts of the day, I led a class on the principles of interpretation. To cut it straight, you must know the...

Cutting It Straight 2019 is off and running! We off of to and blessed start Tuesday (9/17). The conference kicked-off with a challenging and encouraging message from 1 Samuel 14 by  Breonus Mitchell, who leads the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church in Nashville. General sessions on preaching, worship & arts, and women's ministry followed. Tony Merida model gospel-centered preaching from Romans 8:31-39. Brian Croft talked to pastors and worship leaders about what it means to gather God's people for worship. My wife, Crystal Charles, gave a talk to the ministers' wives and women's ministry leaders. Crystal loves to lead outreach efforts. She...

  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15   This week (September 17-19, 2019), the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference will take place at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, Florida, while I serve as pastor. The purpose of Cutting It Straight is to train, model, and promote faithful and clear Bible exposition in the preaching and teaching of God’s word. It also seeks to help ministry leaders develop a biblical philosophy of ministry as they do...

   Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15   Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference exists to train, model, and promote expositional preaching. Expository preaching is that preaching in which the point of the sermon is rooted in, is in alignment with, and flows out of the selected scripture. It is preaching in which the sermon in shaped by the content and intent of the sermon text. In short, expositional preaching is biblical preaching Expository preaching...

  A friend and I had a long conversation. It was a typical discussion that happens when pastors get together. We tried to fix all of the problems in the church and the world before we got up from the table. As is typical, nothing changed when we finished our conversation. After an extended debate about transitions and succession, we considered our own future retirements from pastoral ministry, God willing. “When I retire, I’m not going to church anymore,” my fried joked. “I will do like my members and just watch the services via livestream.” My friend assured me that...

  And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”– Mark 6:31   Jesus sent the twelve apostles on a short-term mission trip to preach the word, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). After some unspecified time, the disciples return to Jesus and report to him all they did and taught (Mark 6:30). The ministry of Jesus consisted of words and works. The apostles continued Jesus’ ministry by proclaiming truth and performing miracles. This is...

  “Unchurched Christian” is not a biblical category. Ask Paul, John, or Peter what they think about unchurched Christians and they would have responded, “Why are you calling them Christians, if they are not a part of the church?” The New Testament does not have a vision of the Christian life outside of the church, the local church. But there are many professing Christians today who seek to be commited  to Christ with no commitment to the church. They do not believe in organized religion. They claim the church is full of hypocrites. They have experienced church hurt. They cannot...

  How can Christians experience victory over temptations to sin? Here are ten dynamic steps you can take to gain victory over temptation… Think clearly and correctly about temptation. Paul writes, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). You are not immune to temptation. You are not unique when tempted. You are not alone in your temptations. James writes,...

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20   Galatians 2:20 is the best-known and most-quoted verse in Galatians. It is one of the great statements of the apostle Paul recorded in the New Testament. This mystical statement is a clear explanation of what it means to be a Christian. Christianity is more than dissent to a doctrinal statement. It is...

  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. - Romans 8:34   Romans 8:31-39 is about the eternal security of the believer. No person can take away our salvation: “What then shall we say to these things. If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) God the Father will not take away our salvation: “He who spared not his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will...