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It is always amazing to see how the Lord works in my life!

Over the twenty-five years I have lived and ministered in Illinois, I have been blessed by the Lord to lead several revivals. I do not know the exact number, but I can identify at least 125 different churches in Illinois in which I have preached a revival or conference or taught a multi-session Bible Study. And several of those churches have had me lead meetings for them more than once.

About five or six years ago, due to some frustrations in my life and ministry, I stopped taking such meetings. Since that time, I have not done more than one or two revivals. A few weeks ago I was invited to do one night of a two-week revival at Summit Avenue Baptist Church in Decatur. It was a real joy for me to be there, and I was quite surprised by how much positive affirmation I received over the following days.

The Church I serve as pastor, First Baptist of Atwood, is very generous to me in allowing me time away to conduct these types of meetings. As I said earlier, I have not taken them up on that offer over the past six years; but they allow me to lead as many as four such meetings each year. As I thought about this, I prayed and promised the Lord that if He wanted me to preach more of these meetings, I would happily do so.

“Out of the blue” in the last month, two pastors called me and asked if I could come and do revivals for their churches. I am thankful that the Lord has opened these two doors of service to me and I accepted both offers.

As the Lord allows, this coming Sunday through Wednesday, I will be with Pastor Jeff Loper and the Clarksville Baptist Church in Clarksville, IL. On October 7^th through the 10^th, I will be – as the Lord allows – with Pastor John Troutman at the Wears Valley Baptist Church in Sevierville, TN.

I, and the churches, will deeply appreciate your prayers for safe travel and the anointing of God upon the services. Pete Hopkins, former IMB Missionary, and member of our church will be speaking for us this coming Sunday. I know he appreciates your prayers for him as well.

If the Lord opens doors for more revivals, I will continue to accept up to two meetings each Spring and Fall. Again, let me tell you how very much I appreciate your prayers for me, my family, “The Greatest Church on Earth” and, for my ministry!

Thank You, LORD, for the opportunities You give me to serve You and Your people!

I am willing to start meeting on either two Tuesday evenings, or two Thursday evenings per month (whichever the group prefers) with anyone who is willing to read through a book on Theology and spend an hour twice a month discussing it. We will likely meet from 7pm to 8pm.

This will require that you read about 20 pages per week and keep notes on your thoughts and questions about what you have read. When we meet, we will go over a basic outline of the material and then talk about your thoughts and questions. This will be fun and very informative. It will be a great way to learn basic theology and grow in your faith.

We will begin as soon as we have enough interested people to form the Group. We will not provide a meal and no child care will be available. If you are interested in being part of this Group, please let me know right away!

One of the most difficult crosses a Christian is called to bear is unjust suffering! There are few things that try our faith and test our trust in God more than being falsely accused and then suffering in spite of the fact that we are innocent of the charges against us.

It should not surprise us when this happens. Jesus warned us in John 15:20a “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” A lost world that hated and crucified Jesus is not going to love – or even tolerate – those of us who follow Him.

Some of us may have already experienced some level of that in our life.

Many of our brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing that today. In the future, many of us – and certainly most of the next generation of Christ-followers – will experience levels of persecution in this Country that could not have been imagined fifty years ago.

As you read through and pray about these verses, think about the following questions:

1) Does changing Politicians always solve the problem of religious persecution?

2) How did unsaved religious people react of Jesus?

3) How did unsaved religious people react to Jesus in Paul’s day?

4) How do unsaved religious people react to those of us who follow Jesus in our day?

5) Why is it important for a culture to hold their leaders accountable to the law?

6) Should Christ-followers always merely suffer patiently, or is there an appropriate time for us to demand our legal rights?

7) What does the actions of Governor Festus in this passage tell us about whose interests our leaders really have at heart?

8) Do you think the future will bring more or less persecution  of Christ-followers in America?

Finally, regardless of who is leading our Nation – God is in charge! Think about the implications of His divine sovereignty in our life today and the life of our children and grandchildren in the future.

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

As the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning I will continue our series through The Book of Acts with a sermon covering the events of Paul’s hearing before Governor Felix. As I outlined for you last week, this is the next event in a series of seven key events that will culminate with his imprisonment and execution in Rome.

Jesus has repeatedly told Paul since the moment of his salvation that he would witness, “before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15b) In these verses, Paul is allowed of God to share his personal testimony before the Roman Governor of Judea.

As you read, study, and pray over these verses in preparation for hearing the sermon on Sunday, I want to encourage you to think through six specific questions:

By what kind of means does God “normally” protect and provide for His people?

If God is all-powerful and completely good, (and He is!) why is it that He does not always deliver His people “out” of the very real storms they face in their lives? Cf. Jeremiah 29:11-14

Should a Christian defend their honor when they are unjustly accused, or should we just patiently suffer through it?

Should a Christian take “every” possible opportunity to share, or are there times we need to remain quiet?

When God’s people are faithful, God will always deliver them from persecution. Right?

When God uses our witness to bring sinners under great conviction, He will certainly use that conviction that to bring them to repentance and faith. Right?

These are very contemporary and vitally important issues! I believe that they are immediately and fully relevant to our daily living. I hope you will pray over and work through these verses and questions and come to worship next Sunday ready for God to work in your life!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

We have come to an interesting place in our study of The Book of Acts. As we come to the final third of Chapter 22, we come to what can be called, “The Beginning of the End” of Paul’s life and ministry. After being attacked by the Jews in Jerusalem and taken into custody by the Romans, Paul (as a Roman Citizen) appeals to Caesar and begins his journey to Rome. This event and his appearance before the Jewish Council are followed by a series of six major events that make up the outline of the remaining six Chapters of Acts:

First, he is taken before Antonius Felix, the Roman Governor of Judea who ruled from 52 to 59 AD.

Second, during this time Paul appeals to Caesar, and begins his long and difficult journey to the Capital City of the civilized world.

Third, Felix leaves Paul bound over for the new Governor, Porcius Festus, who ruled Judea from 59 to 62 AD.

Fourth, Festus takes him before King Herod Agrippa II before sending him on his way to Rome.

Fifth, Paul is placed on a ship heading to Rome but encounters a great storm and is shipwrecked on the island of Malta.

Finally, in Acts Twenty Eight, Paul arrives in Rome where he is put under house arrest and begins his ministry there. Later he is transferred to the Mamertine Prison where he will be sentenced to death by beheading by Emperor Nero.

As the Lord leads, it is my present intention to take a sermon for each of these major events which will allow me to complete our study in Acts in a total of sixty-eight sermons! These are large “bites” of Scripture, so I may take one or two more sermons, but either way, we should complete this study by early to mid-October.

As you prepare to hear God’s Word on this coming Lord’s Day, let me give you some questions to contemplate that I will cover in the sermon:

How do you expect people to react when you share your personal testimony of salvation? What has your experience been?

Are you afraid to share your testimony? If you are, why is that so? Do you believe that God is able to protect and use you when you share?

If those in authority oppose us sharing our testimony, how should we react to them?

Can God use our trials and our failures for His glory and the good of those who hear us? Is Romans 8:28 applicable to those who share their testimony and face opposition?

Does opposition and suffering drive you toward God or away from Him? Do you believe that God becomes closer or more distant during these times?

Why do people oppose us when we try to share the facts about our salvation with them? How did they treat Jesus when He told them about salvation?

Should we fear people and do what they want; or, should we fear rather God and obey Him?

These are some deep and soul-searching questions! I pray that the Lord will use these verses to bless, challenge, and disciple us as we seek His will for our lives.

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

Over the years, I have had the great joy of hearing many great sermons! While some of them have not stuck in my mind, there have been a few that I have never forgotten and can almost quote verbatim:

In 1976, on the island of Guam, I heard Bruce Wring, who was the church planter and pastor of Harvest Baptist Church preach a message from Luke 23 that he called, “What is Essential for Salvation?” I thought about it over the years, tweaked it a bit, and preached it under the title “Dr. Luke’s Prescription for Life.”

While I was a student at Tennessee Temple University, I heard Dr. Lee Roberson preach a sermon he called, “One Saving Gospel, Only One!” While I have to confess that I do not remember most of that message, the title has stuck in my mind and I have shared that idea in several sermons and in my personal witnessing for years.

When I was serving as the Associational Missionary for Central Baptist Association, I often had the blessing of hearing our pastors preach. On a Wednesday night, I heard Pat Pajak preach a summary of the entire Song of Solomon in a single sermon! As dignified as I always try to be, I about jumped up out of my seat! (I did, in fact, stand up at the end of the sermon and began to applaud loudly. When I got “the looks” from the crowd, I simply told them, “I hope you appreciate what you are hearing here!)

It is likely true that the most profound series of sermons I have ever listened to is, “The Holiness of God” by Dr. R.C. Sproul. Dr. Sproul is one of my favorite Bible teachers and that series in particular has blessed – and continues to bless – my soul. I have the sermon, the series, and the book. On Father’s Day 2011, we gave out 100 of the books at our church!

If it is possible to say that a single sermon has done more for me than any other sermon ever, I would say that Dr. John Gerstner’s sermon on “Regeneration” would be that one sermon. I had been struggling for some time to settle (at least in my own mind) the Doctrines of Grace and just exactly how God saves sinners.

During that message, Dr. Gerstner said three words that opened all of the windows of heaven for me! He said, “regeneration precedes faith.” The instant I heard those words, I yelled, “Of course it does!” From that time to this, my fresh understanding and the clear teaching of Scripture on this subject has blessed me every time I think of it.

I have no illusions about asking a member of my church what I preached on one month ago. Usually, I cannot remember what I preached on one month ago – except that it was likely in The Book of Acts.

*Actually, one month ago this Sunday was VBS Family Day and I preached on, “Successful Parenting.”

Whether or not our members remember my sermons from week to week or even month to month, or, if they have a memorable sermon memorized from the past; there is one sermon that every Christian knows by heart, and that is their own personal testimony!

As the Lord allows, I will continue my verse-by-verse exposition of Acts next Sunday with a sermon from Acts 22:1-21 on the subject of Paul sharing his personal testimony. God inspired him to record his testimony three times in Acts. (9:1-9; 22:1-16; and 26:1-18)

You may not think that you know much about theology or any of the rules of homiletics, but, you know the most important thing in the world if you are a Christian – you know how to become a Christian! And since there is only one way to become a Christian, you know the only way anyone can be saved.

As you read over these twenty-one verses before Sunday in preparation for hearing the Word of God, think about these questions:

What two facts about your belief are vitally important for you to defend to those who ask you about your faith?

Paul spoke to the crowd in Hebrew. What does that choice of his teach us about the kind of words we need to use when we share our testimony with others?

Where did Paul start when he told his story? Where should you and I start when we begin telling people our story?

Paul took most of the time giving them some very important facts. What facts did he share, and how does what he did relate to what you and I must do?

How did Paul end his testimony? Obviously, his presentation of his salvation story is a great model for how we ought to share our story. What can we learn from how he ended his testimony?

When Paul was saved, what did he see?

When Paul was saved, what did God command him to do?

When Paul was saved, how did he react?

What does all of that have to do with how you and I live our lives?

Verse 16 is a controversial verse. If you are good with grammar, think about what Paul was to do that would, “wash away your sins.”

OK, so as you read these verses, think about three key lessons:

When we share our personal testimony, we need to start by telling people about our life _________ we met Jesus!

When we share our personal testimony, we need to tell people ________ we were saved!

When we share our personal testimony, we need to close by telling people how our life has ___________ since we were saved!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

As we return to our series, “Understanding Acts: body #2 Takes Over!” we find Paul in the early part of the final stage of his life and ministry as he gets to Jerusalem and immediately begins to be attacked and falsely accused.

He had been warned several times and heard the prophecy of Agabus about what awaited him there. He would face five very serious difficulties in Jerusalem:

(1) false accusations

(2) people ganging up on him

(3) physical violence

(4) public humiliation

and, (5) rejection!

While many of us face these specific difficulties from time to time, very of us have or ever will face them as intensely as did Paul.

God allowed these difficulties to come into Paul’s life for many reasons including teaching us – through the preserved biblical record – how to deal with our difficulties as well.

As you prepare to hear this sermon next Lord’s Day, read over these verses and think about how these truths enabled Paul to deal with his difficulties and how they can enable us to better deal with ours…

Romans 8:28; Philippians 1:12-14; 1st Kings 8:54-57; 2nd Timothy 1:8-12; Romans 8:18; 2nd Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:7-10; Acts 22:24-29; and 25:9-12

As the Lord allows, I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side…

On Tuesday, June 19^th, at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Messengers voted by about 53% to 47% to allow SBC Churches and Entities to use an “Official Descriptor” (Great Commission Baptists) as an alternative to the name, “Southern Baptist.” This decision has been a really “hot” topic among those who care about such things.

The original idea of officially changing the name of our denomination proved to be practically unworkable and terribly expensive, so the idea of having an alternate descriptor became the change of choice. SBC Churches are (of course) autonomous and we can call our church whatever we please, but this gives us the option of how we refer to the denomination.

Let me be clear… I would be very much in favor of changing the regional “Southern” in our denominational name. While I believe it is a good name in the Southeastern US where most of our present churches exist, it is a problem outside of that geographical area. It also carries a lot of cultural baggage that makes our witness more difficult in many places.

BUT, we all need to recognize that just changing a name does not change us! My one great issue with being called “Great Commission Baptists” is this: is that statement true? Are we really devoted to, and participating in, the Great Commission?

Most SBC or GCB (if you prefer) churches are somewhat involved in the Great Commission through our support of our Local and State Associations and the Cooperative Program. But the vast majority of our churches are not very much involved in the Great Commission within our own local area.

So, if all that “Great Commission Baptists” amounts to is a more user-friendly name, it will be (as Will Shakespeare says in “Romeo and Juliet) just “a rose by any other name.” If we, the members of SBC churches, do not get personally and sacrificially involved in reaching the lost around us; whatever name by which we are known will be just that: a name.

I don’t care if we, (or anyone else) calls us “Southern Baptists” or “Great Commission Baptists.” What we must care about is obeying the command of Jesus Christ to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

As we worship this coming Lord’s Day, we ought to be thankful to God for gracing us with this free Nation in which we live, work, and minister! This is not now, and has never been, a truly “Christian” Nation; but, it has been and still is one of the freest Nations on earth. That freedom has allowed people to love, worship, and serve God – and He has blessed us because of it!

The great fear of my life is that by the time my Grandkids are my age that this may no longer be true. In fact, I believe it is quite possible that this Nation will no longer exist in any form that we would recognize.

Here are the facts:

Following the Reformation, (which began in 1517) true believers in Western Europe began to experience fierce persecution. Our Baptist Forefathers and Foremothers suffered greatly during this time. So, many of them fled for the new world.

After arriving here in 1620, Christians determined that this Nation would be a land of religious freedom and tolerance and that it would be governed by biblical principles.

That was our history for about 300 years! Sadly, after World War 1, things began to radically change in our Nation. Soon we became a Nation that repressed biblical Christianity and celebrated sin. Over these past ninety or so years, things have gotten steadily worse.

Today, we are a Nation awash in sin! Practically everything that God condemns is not merely tolerated, it is celebrated. Of all of the different religious groups in the world, bible-believing Christ-followers are among the most hated and marginalized.

And, YES, much of this is self-inflicted. When religious and philosophical liberalism began to become mainstream in the 1880’s and into the 1920’s, American “Christians” were very happy to welcome this godless garbage into our churches, schools, and our governments.

The results are as clear as they are tragic! We live in a Nation that has legally aborted nearly 50,000,000 babies; re-defined almost every form of deviancy as an, “alternative lifestyle” legitimized the illegitimate, spent our Nation to the brink of financial oblivion, and dumbed down an entire generation of our children.

Other than that, we seem to be doing well.

As you get ready to listen to God’s Word on Sunday morning, read over, think over, and pray over these verses: Psalm 9:17; Romans 1:21-27; Proverbs 14:34; and, 2^nd Chronicles 7:14.

Ask God what we must do to see revival in our land!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

T.N.T. stands for, “Thursday Night Theology”

If anyone would like to spend some time reading and talking about Theology with me on Thursday Nights, I would be willing to lead such a group.

We will work through some great books on Theology, (one at a time) which you will have to purchase at cost…

We will read and think through one Chapter per week and spend one hour on Thursday nights talking about it and doing Q&A!

No theological pabulum or happy talk here… just real “meat” for those who hunger to know God and His Word more deeply than ever before.

If you want to be part of this, let me know and as soon as we have enough people committed to have a group, we’ll get started!