The Bible has always been a central part of my life. And the translation of my youth was the King James Version. My home church was not “King James Only.” But the KJV was the only translation we were exposed to. I had a children’s story Bible that I loved. But I knew it was not THE Bible. The KJV was. I assumed it was the Bible Jesus and the apostles read! My father – who was my pastor – studied and preached from the KJV. But he often read devotionally from the Moffat Translation, I later discovered. It was...

Jesus sensed their ambition for power. He said, 'Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). This power will not be military or economic or political. You will not have titles of office. "Ye shall be witnesses." You shall have a testimony. Testimonies are more important than titles. A title is a rank, office, or an attainment bestowed by people. These titles and offices may be canceled by the act of people. Testimonies are more important than titles. Pharaoh had a title, Moses had a testimony. Nebuchadnezzar had a title, Daniel had a...

The Progressive National Baptist Convention is meeting this week in Memphis. The PNBC was established in the early 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement. Black Baptists were divided on the role the church should play in the struggle. Those who supported the efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr. established a new, "progressive" convention. My father was a part of this movement. He was also a part of the group that established the Progressive Convention in California. This picture is the cover page of a newsletter from my father's presidency of the Constitutional Baptist Convention of California and Nevada dated April...

It rained pretty hard this weekend. It scared many of the saints away from church today. But we still had a great day of worship at Shiloh. In spite of the rain, we had many guests today. A family reunion. And the football team from Edward Waters College. We observed the Lord's Supper in both worship services. What a blessing! Praise God for the new members who received the right-hand-of-fellowship today! I was politely warned today that I need to get back to teaching Sunday school soon. Warning heeded. I finally made it back to 1 John. Long story. Really...

Thanks to all the new readers of this blog. I am glad to have you. And I hope you find much that is useful here. It is August already! In just a couple of weeks, the kids will return to school here. Boy, the summer went by fast! I am planning to resume my study of 1 John this Sunday. Can't wait! A big shout-out to all who have been praying for me and my preaching. Much appreciated. Please, don't stop! As I prepare to lead our congregation in the Lord's Table this Sunday, I am grateful for the deacons...

In the physical real, when a baby is born, he is at once endowed with all the faculties of the human race. He has eyes, hands, feet, and brains. He never gets these later. Although they grow and develop, the whole person is there at the first. So it is when a person is born again. He has at that moment all the faculties that he will ever have, although there will be endless possibilities for developing them. - William MacDonald, The Believer's Bible Commentary (NT), p. 1130

An antichrist is a religious teacher who proclaims a Christ who is not the Christ of the Bible. He may be a Christ who is not quite God and never quite saves (as the cults teach), a Christ who offers health and wealth (as proclaimed by many television evangelists), a Christ who is repeatedly sacrificed in the mass (as Roman Catholicism teaches), or a Christ whom you invite into your life to make you feel good (as so much of modern evangelicalism teachers). For all their variations, those are the teachings of religious antichrists. We need to be aware of...

The sermon title is not the most important part of a sermon. And choosing a title is not an essential part of sermon preparation. Some preachers slap any title on the sermon after the hard work of preparation. Others decide not to give the sermon a title at all. This is understandable. It is also unwise. Your sermon needs and deserves a good title. To present a sermon without a title is like trying to sell a book with no title. The title promotes the content. It is the first impression the congregation will get of your message. It gives...

“I’m taking back everything the Devil stole from me!”  Have you ever heard this statement? Have you ever made this statement? Have you ever thought about what this statement means? Spiritual catchphrases. Theological sound bites. Pulpit ear tickling. Harmful error set to beautiful music. Nonsense. These things are the order of the day. Consequently, many of our lives and churches are preoccupied with superficial things, rather than the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered, life-transforming, and culture-engaging mission and message of the gospel. For instance, there is a popular "Gospel" song that declares God to be faithful and holy. But the response to...

During his tenth anniversary, Garrison Keillor told a story (he said it was true) about an experience he had as a teenager. Walking down the sidewalk one day, he saw this unbelievably beautiful woman coming toward him. A stunningly beautiful woman. What could he do? He spied a large, white Cadillac parked next to the sidewalk. Strolling over to the Cadillac, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a dime, put it in the parking meter, and leaned confidently against the Cadillac, smiling at the approaching woman. To his delight, she returned the smile. She moved toward him, spoke to...

I am reading Journeying Through a Jungle by Sandy F. Ray. The late Dr. Sandy F. Ray, who served the Cornerstone Baptist Church in New York for 31 years, was regarded as one of America’s most dynamic pulpiteers. He was also president of the Empire State Baptist Convention and vice-president of the National Baptist Convention. I have known of Dr. Ray vicariously. He and my father were colleagues. I have heard that Dr. Ray and my father had similar preaching styles. But I have never been exposed to the preaching ministry pastoral biography of Dr. Ray until now. Dr. Ray...

Thanks, again, to all who served in our Vacation Bible School last week. You made it happen! 5th Sundays are Missions Emphasis Day at Shiloh. Today we highlighted the work of our own Outreach Center, under the leadership of Pastor Reginald Bryant. As always, grateful for our guests in worship today. I did not preach 8 AM. Was not physically up to it today. Pastor Al filled-in for me. At the last-minute, no less. I am glad to have ready and available help. I pressed my way to preach and lead worship at 10:15. It felt like I stood there...