At the end of last year, I put on the church calendar for us to celebrate the 134th church anniversary of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church on May 17. With so many things going on recently, I was not able to properly plan for it. I even failed to mention it yesterday. May the Lord help me make up for that next year. No, I am not into traditional church anniversary celebrations. But I am really into celebrating the faithfulness of God. Each week, churches around America shut their doors for the last time. And the fact that the Lord...

I am in Buffalo, New York. I am preaching the citywide revival hosted by the local Baptist Minister's Conference. President Daniels extended the invitation to me, after hearing me preach the Faith Seminary graduation at the WHW Expository Preaching Conference in Los Angeles some years ago. Isn't amazing how God works through us even when we have no idea what he is doing and who he is touching? The first three days have been great meetings. One of the local pastors, Pastor Blackburn, has been lecturing each night on saving our youth. There has also been a citywide mass choir...

“What made you move?” is the provocative question I was asked this afternoon. “I heard you mention that you recently relocated,” he continued. “What made you do it?” The inquirer did not know me personally. He has heard me preach and teach over the past several days, I presume. At the least, he had just listened to me lecture for an hour and a half, during which I compared my pulpit work in Los Angeles to my new work in Jacksonville several times. And without knowing anything about my story, he was curious. So he asked. He went on to...

I preached on the perseverance of the saints (eternal security) this past Sunday from Philippians 1:6. Here is the sermon skeleton. SERMON: “The Perseverance of the Saints” TEXT: Philippians 1:6 SERMON SERIES: PHILIPPIANS: PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL THEME: The perseverance of the saints POINT: The perseverance of the saints is enabled by the preservation of the saints by God. TRANSITION SENTENCE: Philippians 1:6 highlights two sovereign acts of God that guarantee the perseverance of the saints. OUTLINE: I.    God has begun a good work in you.      A.    It is a work of God.      B.    It is a good work....

Sunday was my family's first Mother's Day in Jacksonville and at Shiloh. And we were blessed to have a good day together as a family. I am sure Crystal had a good day. She bossed us around all day and totally had her way. Happy Mother's Day, Sunshine!I know all these mentions of "firsts" may seem redundant. But I can't help it. I am still easily shocked that I live in a new city and pastor a different church, even though I have been here for months. A year ago, I was just settling into our new facilities at MSMBC...

The hard truth: God cares more about the holiness of a congregation than He does the size of the congregation. Using numerical benchmarks to somehow size up the blessing God pours out on a congregation or to evaluate members' ability to stay faithful to the guidelines of Scripture lacks spiritual maturity and reveals our reliance on human understanding in our vain attempts to build the kingdom of God through our own methods. -Thomas White & John M. Yeats, Franchising McChurch, p. 63 Why has the church bought into the lie that only big churches can win in the battle against...

Can you believe it's May already? We had a wonderful Lord's Day celebration at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church yesterday. I believe the Lord was glorified. And I believe his people were blessed. I am truly grateful for the many members of SMBC who serve in various ways to honor God, encourage one another, and welcome the saints. May God bless you richly for your selfless service. And may your tribe increase! In New Members Class, I taught on the hindrances to effective or answered prayer. I listed five "prayer-busters":     1. Prayerlessness (James 4:2b)        2. Unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:1-2;...

Here is my sermon skeleton from Sunday's message. It is the second in a yet-to-be-determined series of expositions through the book for Philippians. This message is based on an introductory section on the letter, in which Paul offers thanksgiving to God for the church at Philippi. TITLE: “Partnership in the Gospel” TEXT: Philippians 1:3-8 SERMON SERIES: PHILIPPIANS: PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL THEME: Partnership in the Gospel POINT: The church of Jesus Christ ought to be lovingly bound together in partnership in the gospel. TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE: Paul’s thanksgiving in Philippians 1:3-8 teaches us three dynamics of partnership in the gospel. OUTLINE:...

Dr. Gary Williams is hosting a church institute May 5-7 at the First Baptist Church of Mandarin, a suburb of Jacksonville. And he has graciously invited me to be the keynote speaker for the opening session tonight. I am scheduled to speak at 7:30 PM. And the service is open to all. Please remember tonight's meeting in your prayers, as I stand to preach the word. And remember this entire institute in your prayers.

Like many Baptist congregations, the church I serve practices what is called open Communion, rather than closed Communion. This means that every professing believer who is present for our Lord’s Supper services is welcome to participate, whether they are a member of our local congregation or not. By extension, it also means that every true believer is welcome to participate no matter what his or her age may be. Any and every child who has received the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord and sincerely intends to follow Christ is encouraged to commune with us at the Lord’s Table. And...

As I drove to church this morning, I listened to Tunesha Crispell sing, "God Can Do Anything But Fail." My goodness, I really needed that reminder this morning. It set my mood for worship this morning. God is great!Our youth choir led two numbers at the beginning of our 10 AM worship service. They did a wonderful job. What a great encouragement it was to have our youth leading us in praise to God. Clifton Davis was our guest soloists this morning. He sung, "Jesus, The Center of My Joy." I  was deeply moved by the song. The congregation obviously...

Here is the sermon skeleton from my message yesterday. Title: "What a Fellowship!" Text: Philippians 1:1-2Sermon Series: Philippians: Partnership in the Gospel Point: True Christianity binds believers to Christ and to one another. Theme: The relational elements of a healthy church Outline: I. A healthy church is marked by servant leadership (1:1a).     Paul teaches a lesson about servant leadership through...     A. The omission he makes: He does not identify himself as an "Apostle"     B. The association he shares: and Timothy    C. The designation he embraces: servants of Christ Jesus II. A healthy church is marked by a...