The historical account of the life of Deborah is found in Judges chapters four and five. The book of Judges describes a time in Israel’s history that was very tumultuous to say the least. It was a roller coaster ride of falling away from the Lord and returning to the Lord. This cycle repeated itself…
Recently Time Magazine released a list of the 100 most influential people in 2023. Exactly 50 out of 100 listed were women. I am certainly not a fan of the women’s lib movement and I firmly believe in what the Bible teaches concerning the roles of men and women. However, one good thing that has…
There is much confusion today regarding the roles of men and women. As a Southern Baptist pastor, I hold to a complementarian view. Meaning that men and women are equal in worth, and value and their various God-given roles complement one another. As you study scripture, it is clear that both men and women are…
The missional strategy of the local church is founded upon two key Bible passages. The first is what we know as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to…
Listen very carefully: Your life matters. Your life counts. You have a purpose. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. In Jeremiah 1:4-10 we have the historical account of God’s call on the life of the prophet Jeremiah. In verse 5 we see a very powerful statement from the Lord. “Before I formed thee in the…
When God came down to man as a baby, He came with a purpose. As the incarnate of God, Jesus lived out His life on earth fulfilling the mission that He was sent to accomplish. That mission was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets and started with His birth and culminated in the cross and…
“God is a missional God.” What do you think about that statement? What does it mean to be missional and how is God a missional God? The word mission means to send. It also means to go or to engage. A mission is something that we purpose to do. To be missional is to live…
There are seven basic categories of spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church. Those categories are: leadership, missional, service, sign, encouragement, wisdom, and teaching. The final category of spiritual gifts is the teaching gifts. The teaching gifts are the gifts of prophecy and teaching. All of the spiritual gifts are needful in…
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Every spiritual gift is given to us by the Holy Spirit as He wills. Though it is not our choice as to what spiritual gifts we have, we should pray for and seek to develop…
“George Truett was a tremendously effective pastor for decades in Texas. His heart was broken when he accidentally killed his best friend while they were on a hunting trip. His daughter said that she never heard him laugh after that day. Truett had a radio program, and each day when it came to a close…
Pastor Chris Noland 