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...

Tonight begins our Wednesdays in the Word Revival at Mt. Sinai Church. Rather than meeting consecutive nights which we typically do, we are meeting consecutive Wednesdays in February for the first time. The idea is not original with us. But I am praying that the Lord will honor this meeting with his blessings in a special way. We are not a large congregation. And this meeting is a real step of faith for us in some ways. Yet, we are honored to have some great men of God to minister the word to us over the course of these weeks....

Title: “The Freedom of Forgiveness” (“Resolved to Forgive Others”)Series: “Resolved! Taking Advantage of a New Beginning”Text: Matthew 18:21-35Theme: Being forgiven and being forgivingPoint: You are not really free until you forgive the ones who have wronged you.Probing Question: Why forgive?Transitional Sentence: In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus gives three reasons why we who are Christians must forgive others from the heart.Outline:I. I must forgive because God has forgiven me.A. Sin is a debt that you owe to God.1. It is an incalculable debt.2. It is an unpayable debt.B. God has forgiven your sin-debt through Jesus Christ.1. The forgiveness...

Here is the sermon skeleton for my Midweek Worship message last night:Title: “When Your Life is on the Line” Text: Psalm 119:153-160 (Resh)Theme: A prayer for revivalPoint: God is able to revive you when your life is on the line.Probing Question: What do I have to do to move God to revive me when my life is on the line? A godly attitude.Transitional Sentence: God revives the one who has a godly attitude toward self, toward sin, and toward scripture.Outline: I. God revives the one who has a godly attitude toward self. (119:153-154).A godly attitude toward self is demonstrated in...

My plan is to resume the exposition of Psalm 119 in our Midweek Worship Service tonight. I have three more stanzas to go. Tonight, I will preach verses 153-160, God willing. And the plan is to finish the last two stanzas over the next two weeks. Pray for this final leg of our journey up this “Mt. Everest of the Psalms.” May our view of God be enlarged, our confidence in the word strengthened, and our passion for holiness intensified as a result of this study of the sufficiency of scripture.

It had been a long weekend. So I decided to sleep in Monday morning. My plan was to take my time waking up and going through my morning routines, have breakfast with my family, and get to office about midday to prepare myself to preach. I was scheduled to speak at the MLK celebration for the Orange County Minister’s Conference Fellowship. The president, Dr. John McReynolds and the Second Baptist Church of Santa Ana hosted the meeting. I have been preaching in the Santa Ana area since I was fifteen years old. And the various pastors of that community have...

I found a cassette tape yesterday of a sermon I preached on Wednesday, June 14, 1989. The sermon is entitled, “The Day Man Prayed for Jesus to Leave,” based on Mark 5:15-17. The recording is from Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. The late Dr. Roy Allen was the pastor. I was preaching their youth revival, which went from Sunday morning through Friday night. I was only sixteen-years-old. And it was the furthest and the longest I had ever been away from home to preach. When I told my wife about the tape last night, she immediately asked if...

Our first Midweek Service of the year at Mt. Sinai is designated as “Vision Night.” No, I do not reveal to the church the “fresh word” I have received from the Lord for the year (Think, “It’s your year; slap your neighbor, turn around three times, praise him to you get your... pull it down…” Sorry for that. I couldn’t resist). In fact, we really don’t do a church theme for the year. We try to let both the preaching and periodic special emphases guide our planning. What we do on Vision Night is pray for the upcoming year of...

I exhorted the congregation of MSMBC to be thankful this past Sunday. As I walked to my car after church, my heart and mind were filled with gratitude for the privilege of ministering the word each in week in such a great pulpit. The Lord has truly blessed me to serve him at a place that fits my gifts, sense of calling, and personal convictions. I feel a great sense of freedom to preach my heart and to lead as I believe the Lord is leading me. And MSMBC always prove to be a prayerful, supportive, and edifying team to...