Thanks to the wonders of autoplay, I found myself listening to a podcast with which I was unfamiliar. The algorithm at least understood I like to listen to things with the words “church” and “Christ” in the title. When the host announced the title of the show as, “Why You Can Trust Your Bible?” I… Read More »
I Did Not Know How To Have Faith
In June of 1987, I found myself in the Panama City Rescue Mission with one day left before I would be back on the street. The mission only housed you at night. After breakfast, you had to leave until six o’clock in the evening when dinner was served and you could check in for the… Read More »
The Dyn-O-Mite Of The Gospel
The 1970’s is a very difficult era to explain for people who did not live during the time between the Beatles and Blondie. That brings us to Jimmie Walker. In 1974, he played a character named, “J.J.” on the television show Good Times. The sitcom was a spin-off from another show entitled Maude and was… Read More »
Would I Be Baptized Today?
I love new Christians. Nothing excites a church more than watching a person surrender their life to Christ. Jesus says baptism is a new birth (John 3:3-7), and you can see the transformation when a person rises to, “walk in newness of life.”-Romans 6:4. The effect is even more dramatic when the new Christian comes… Read More »
Why Am I Forsaken?
“from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”-Matthew 27:45-36 While studying for today’s morning sermon, I kept running across this… Read More »
Suicide, Sin, Hell, and God’s Grace
[Editor’s Note: At no point am I saying it is acceptable or pleasing to God to commit suicide. Your family does not deserve to live in the aftermath of taking your life. Reach out, please.-JS] Matthew Bassford posted a thoughtful article on suicide to his Facebook page last week1. I expressed my thoughts on an… Read More »
A Few Thoughts On Control
“you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom… Read More »
Nets, Hooks, And Jesus
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”-Matthew 4:19 The word of God has much to say about the humble profession of the fisherman. Our Lord’s first four apostles were harvesters of the sea. When Jesus called Andrew and Peter, he told them he would make them fishers of men. For the Jews… Read More »
The Last Waltz
I do not know Matthew Bassford. As you read this, he is preaching his final sermon for the Jackson Heights church in Columbia. It will almost certainly be the final sermon of his life. I do not know why Matthew and I are friends on Facebook. One of us made the poor decision to accept… Read More »
There Is One God And His Name Is YHWH
“I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth;”-Isaiah 44:24 (ASV). Have you ever had one sentence or one idea influence your thinking on a subject? A few years ago, I heard a Bible professor (his name escapes me) comment on the creation account in the… Read More »