There are many wonderful spiritual nuggets that are found in the Biblical account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. One spiritual nugget that sticks out like a flashing light is found in Luke 1:38. The angel had just explained to Mary how she would give birth to the Savior of the world though…
Proverbs 2:10-11 says, “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.” I am sure that you have heard it said before that there is a right and a wrong way to do things. Sometimes we have the right idea concerning a matter,…
Often times we speak of having a clear conscience. Oswald Chambers says the conscience is “the eyes of the soul which looks either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard.” Everyone has a conscience. However, the question is: to what standard do we hold our conscience? As Christians, our standard…
Acts 2:41-47 describes the life of the local church. When you look over that passage you also see a description of First Baptist Church of Decherd. Verse 41 says that they “continued steadfastly…” The ministry of FBC Decherd has continued for over 110 years. Throughout those years there has been many ups and downs. However,…
There is a television commercial where a man is standing at his front door trying to keep the mailman from putting another bill in the mail slot. He is then seen sitting in the shower with his arms around his legs sobbing and crying. This comical commercial gives a picture of real life. Paying…
Our local association newsletter had a section recently that listed six secrets of a turnaround church. Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, conducted a survey of churches that were in decline and experienced a great turnaround. From that survey these six things were evident in every church that made a turnaround: They became highly…
Ronald Reagan said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” America is a nation made of families. The God ordained institution of the home is the fabric that knits America together. I have often said that as goes the family so goes the church and as goes the church so goes the…
I have heard of pastor’s who have the attitude that they do not visit people because that is the deacon’s job. I have heard of pastor’s who get angry when someone tells them that they should visit someone. This, I believe, is a lack of having a pastor’s heart and perhaps even having a calling…
We talk a lot about the need to grow spiritual. We encourage one another to read our Bibles everyday and to engage in a meaningful prayer life. We challenge one another to be involved in the work of the church. We put a strong emphasis on witnessing and engaging our community. But, what if…
Around this time in the month of January, churches across America has a special emphasis on the Sanctity of Life. On January 13, 1984 President Ronald Reagan made a proclamation that proclaimed Sunday January 22, 1984 as Sanctity of Life Sunday. From the time of President Reagan’s proclamation Sanctity of Life Sunday has been…
Pastor Chris Noland 