I believe the Holy Spirit is God, the third member of the holy, undivided Trinity. Therefore, I believe the Holy Spirit is sovereign. God the Holy Spirit has unimpeachable authority over the times, details, and circumstances of our lives. He (not “It”) operates with perfect wisdom, eternal purpose, and infinite goodness. With this confidence, I plan my preaching in advance. Well in advance. In the name of honoring the Holy Spirit, some inadvertently dishonor him by thinking and acting as if the Spirit’s work is someone quenched if he is not free to work spontaneously. They treat the Holy Spirit...

A national Gospel Music conference begins here inJacksonville today. It will meet for the next several days.I have not been invited to speak at this conference. Infact, it would be a safe bet that virtually no one who will attend thisconference even knows that something called H.B. Charles, Jr. exists. But I have something important to say to the hundreds, maybethousands of Gospel music artists and attendees who are influenced by theirrecordings. I have a message to deliver. I have a class to teach. I have a wordto give.Here it is: Please, please, just sing! I say this in the...

People have short attention spans. You cannot preach long series any more. It is best to keep sermon series short – six weeks at the most. Many who preach and many who teach preaching have concluded that society in general and congregations in particular have short attention spans. Churches cannot endure long sermon series anymore, they say. This conclusion is stated as an irrefutable fact. And it goes unchallenged. But is it true? Every pastor must make a personal decision about how long to spend on a particular book, theme, or biography. And there are many factors that go into...

I am a husband, a father, and a pastor. These are my primary responsibilities. And these central roles, and all that go along with them, do not include the other responsibilities and opportunities the Lord has entrusted to me. I have a full and busy life. But there is one responsibility that is the more demanding than them all. Bar none. Without question. Sermon preparation! The wonderful privilege and terrible responsibility of weekly preparation is bondage. A sweet, rewarding bondage. But bondage nonetheless. Most other things in my life are shaped by this primary task. That is, I am convinced...

“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...

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...

A certain woman who jumped from church to church decided that she was not at the right place. She informed her pastor, “Well, I believe it’s time for me to move again.” Mustering a rare forthrightness, he replied, “That’s okay. It does not matter that much when you change labels on an empty bottle.” Of course, there are legitimate times and reasons to move your membership from one church to another. Conscience and conviction may require you to leave a church. In most instances, relocation results in the need to find a new church home. And there is a list...

Over the years, I have been most embarrassed about the fact that I have not completed my formal ministry and theological training. I began my first pastorate during my senior year in high school. By the time I graduated, I was immersed in my pastoral work. It was not until a year or so later that I continued my studies. I found a new Christian college in Anaheim (CA) that I attended. During my time there, I learned the principles of inductive Bible study and expository preaching. I studied biblical theology, pastoral leadership, and Christian counseling. It really did lay...

It's hard for me to believe it. But I have been writing this blog since the summer of 2005. Like many other would-be bloggers, I began a blog... well, just for fun. I did not have a "voice" or cause or message. I just wanted to write. And I can still remember the exasperated look TaVon gave me when I told her to link my blog to the MSMBC website. But several years later, here I am - for better or for worse. I am still writing. In fact, I wrote more posts in 2008 than any other year -...

What are personal devotions? Personal devotions are intentional appointments in which you spend private time with God. Scripture warns us not to neglect the corporate meetings of God’s people (Heb. 10:24-25). But your faith will be shallow and your growth will be stunted if you only pay attention to God during public, corporate gatherings. In fact, you may need to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith if you have no desire for God outside of attending church services. After all, salvation is not just “fire insurance.” It involves a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ....

This morning, I had a conversation with a trusted mentor and cherished friend. I called him to seek his advice. Little did I know, he was planning to call me on an unrelated matter. As always, this friend's advice proved to be insightful, challenging, and encouraging. He listened. He spoke carefully about the subject, but freely about his view of me. It was just the kind of conversation I needed to have today. God is good! By the way - and I know this is absolutely none of my business - but I hope that you have godly, trustworthy people...

A friend of mine called me last week to check on me. During the conversation, he affirmed that he was and is covering me with believing prayer. Specifically, he said that he was praying that I would be able to hear "the next word." Of course, I asked what that statement meant. He then referenced Genesis chapter 22. He went on to explain. But I already knew the point he was trying to make. I have another friend who has often used Genesis 22 to warn me not to kill Isaac prematurely or unnecessarily. Genesis 22 records the story in...