For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. – Psalm 84:11 Psalm 84 is about the heart of a true worshiper. It reads like a Song of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). But it is actually a song of trust. It is a psalm of the Sons of Korah. But we do not know who wrote this psalm. And we do not know the occasion that moved the psalmist to write it. But the message of is clear: Nothing in the world can...

What does the Bible teach about hell? To ask this question is to acknowledge that hell is a biblical teaching. That is an appropriate starting point for considering the doctrine of hell. A discussion about hell is not like a discussion about purgatory. Scripture nowhere states, affirms, or implies purgatory exists. It is a construct of Roman Catholic tradition, not a teaching of scripture. The doctrine of hell, however, is clearly a biblical teaching. You may not like what the Bible says about hell. You may not agree with what the Bible says about hell. You may not believe what...

  And a leper came to Jesus, imploring him, and kneeling to him said, “If you will, you can make me clean.”– Mark 1:40   The last passage of chapter 1 (verses 40-45), records the miracle of Jesus cleansing a leper. It is also recorded in Matthew 8:1-4 and Luke 5:12-15. Leprosy was the most dreaded disease in the Bible. The term “leprosy” was used to describe anything from a skin rash to Hansen’s Disease (the modern name for leprosy). Luke 5:12 says this man who came to Jesus was “full of leprosy.” This was no skin rash. It was...

It was a joy to serve as President of the 2018 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Dallas this past week. The conference theme was, “Fulfill Your Ministry." Our goal was to challenge and encourage pastors and church leaders to be faithful to their calling to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in and through local church. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:5 I am deeply grateful for the Southern Baptist Convention body electing me as president of the Pastor’s Conference in Phoenix last year and for the...

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:5 We are only a few days away from this 2018 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Dallas (June 10-11), which kicks-off the Southern Baptist Convention each year. It has been joy, honor, and privilege to serve as conference president this year (The pastors’ conference presidency is an annual appointment. A new president will be elected at the end of this year’s conference.) With all the controversy swirling around the Southern Baptist Convention this year, I appeal to you to pray earnestly that...

Fulfill Your Ministry!   As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Timothy 4:5   It is a joy, honor, and privilege to be the president of the 2018 Pastors’ Conference at the Southern Baptist Conference. The conference will meet in Dallas, Texas, June 10-11. The Pastors’ Conference kicks off the Southern Baptist Convention each year. It is geared toward pastors. But it is a blessing and benefit to all who attend. You are welcome to attend, even if you are not a pastor or a member of the...

This past weekend, I was scheduled to fly home to Los Angeles to join the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in celebrating 75 years of Christian witness and ministry. But flight delays and bad weather prevented me from even leaving Jacksonville. I was greatly disappointed. I was grateful for the invitation to speak at the anniversary banquet and looking forward to the opportunity to preach to the Mt. Sinai family I preached my first sermon at Mt. Sinai, as an 11-year-old boy. I preached every year after that, as an associate minister under my father. Then I preached to the...

What is expository preaching? Expository preaching explains what the text means by what it says, seeking to exhort the hearers to trust and obey the God-intended message of the text. It is preaching in which the point of the message is rooted in, aligns with, and flows from the primary meaning of the sermon text. I believe expository preaching is the most faithful way to preach the word of God. Understanding and practicing expository preaching helps the preacher rightly handle the word of truth. But it is also important to understand what expository preaching is not, as well as what...

This summer, the Worship & Arts and Children ministries of the Shiloh Church partnered to record a children’s choir CD. That worship project is now available on iTunes, and all other digital platforms. Shiloh Kids Live and In Worship, Most High King, was produced by Gospel music veteran, Joe Pace. Pace is the Pastor of Worship & Arts at the Shiloh Church and leads our infant label, Shiloh Worship. Our desire is to produce biblically sound, Christ-exalting, and gospel-saturated music that will serve the local church. This recording targets local church children choirs and ministries, who are underserved. This project...

Guest Article by Pearl Winslow In 2014, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Cutting It Straight (CIS) Expository Preaching Conference, hosted by my friend H.B. Charles Jr.  It was absolutely phenomenal! It quickly became a mandatory date on my calendar, as it gave me an opportunity to hear from a diverse combination of  some of our multiethnic elder statesmen, young word-centered up-and-comers and some names I didn't previously know, but was so glad to have heard. Each year, CIS gradually grew. Not only did it grow numerically, it also grew in the richness of its content. Additional tracks...

The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference held on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. had a great ending! We enjoyed wonderful breakout sessions throughout the day. My father in the ministry (who just recently retired from faithfully pastoring the Mt. Moriah Church in Los Angeles for 42 years) Melvin Wade preached the general session. We were encouraged by Pastor Moise Napon who joined us all the way from Burkina, West Africa! He shared how he came to be encouraged and strengthened in his teaching and preaching of the infallible word of God so that he can insure that he “Cuts...

The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is still underway on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. Yesterday Bryan Loritts, Derrick Thomas. David Helm and Maurice Waston preached the word of God and we enjoyed wonderful breakout sessions throughout the day. I pray that you have been richly blessed and that you leave encouraged and inspired to “Cut It Straight”. We are excited about what God has in store for us for today. Shuttle service from the Omni Hotel and Hyatt Hotel to the church campus will be provided throughout the day. Lunch will be provided today after the first Breakout...