Paul is writing this letter to Timothy to tell him to warn the Church at Ephesus against false teachers. And when you read verses (3) through (10) on the top side of verses (6) and (7) Paul says to Timothy keep in mind that there are false teachers who would want to suggest that the motivation behind godly living is material wealth. And Paul says that’s erroneous teaching because the motivation behind godliness has nothing to do with material gain. But the godly life we seek to live has nothing to do with anything other than our desire to please God.
1/16/2021
Celebrate With Me
1st Timothy 6:6-7
1/9/2021
I Live To Give Him Glory
Romans 12:1-2
The Apostle Paul is issuing a summons and a call for every believer to worship God with the totality of their life.
The 12th Chapter of the Book of Romans marks a significant shift in Paul’s presentation to the Christians at Rome. In Chapters 1 through 11 Paul has dealt with doctrine but when he gets to Chapter 12 he starts dealing with application.
1/2/2021
I'm Already Taken
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
The message this morning is taken from the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy means the reading of the second law. The theme of Deuteronomy has to do with loving and obeying God. It’s the reading of the law the second time. And it was Moses reading the instructions of the law to the New Generation of the Children of Israel.
12/26/2021
Have You Heard The News
Luke 2:8-14
This morning I want to focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of Christmas is a time of joy, laughter, happiness, and celebration. However, it could be possible that year after year if we are not careful our celebration could be misdirected and void of the true meaning of Christmas? Could it be possible that in the mist of all of our Christmas parties and expressions of jubilation that we are missing out on the revelation, strength, and power that we ought to gain from this Holy Season?
12/12/2021
I'm Liberated To Live
Galatians 4:21-31
Might I open this message this morning by giving affirmation to the fact, that one of the most powerful Scriptures in the New Testament is to be found in Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth where Paul says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature.” “The old has passed away behold the new has come.” This Scripture is impressive and moving to me because, it is an indication that whenever a person meets Jesus their life is never going to be the same.
12/5/2021
I Found My Strength In The Storm
Psalm 55:6-8; 22
The Book of Psalms is a book of the Bible that has personal appeal and attractiveness to us as the people of God. We love this book of the Bible because it’s recognized for the lofty praises that were lifted up to God as part of the worship experience of the Children of Israel. Whenever we read and study one of the Psalm it’s important that we remember that the Psalm was birth out of some kind of pain and pathos. The Psalm is giving expression to a revelation that has strengthened the Psalmist relationship with God that was manifested in the crucible of a crisis.
11/28/2021
Is Your Bush Still Burning?
Exodus 3:1-22
The story of Moses is one of the most inspiring and challenging stories in the Bible. It is a story that captivates our hearts and minds as we read and study about the life of a man who was chosen by God to become the deliverer of His people from Egyptian bondage. From the very outset of the life of Moses we recognize the fact that God moves in providential ways to shape the events of our lives so that we operate in the purpose for which we were born. There is nothing that will have a greater impact on your life than to know who you are in relationship with God.
11/21/2021
He Brought Me Back.
Luke 2:8-14; Romans 5:1-2
If God allows us to see the year (2022), how shall we enter into it? And what ought to be our spiritual mind set?
11/14/2021
Can God Trust You With Greatness?
Exodus 19:6; 1st Peter 2:5
The words of our text this morning are without question serious and significant because they speak to us about the purpose of our salvation. They remind us of the design and the calling that God has placed upon our lives.
11/7/2021
Somebody Ought To Praise Him.
Psalm 96:1-13
One of the most moving and meaningful hymns of the Church, that spiritually inspires us and lifts our hearts with wonder and awe, is entitled “Holy!” “Holy!” “Holy!” Whenever we sing this great hymn of the Church, it is as though the port hole of heaven has opened, and we stand there in the very company, of our God and our Christ.
10/31/2021
I Have A Quest For God.
1st Kings 8:27-30; 2nd Chronicles 7:11-15
The words of our text this morning constitutes a response on the part of God to a prayer that was prayed by Solomon as part of a dedication worship experience of the Temple. These words are not only inspirational but they are also spiritually insightful because they represent the voice of God for spiritual directives to those who are in covenant relationship with God.
10/24/2021
I Need God To Give Me A Breakout.
1st Chronicles 14:8-17
I open this message this morning, by affirming the fact that those of us who claim to be Christians, and who have belonged to the Church for some period of time. Would attest to the truth that there is a certain language, that is expressed as a part of Church culture. For example, “I am blessed and highly favored of the Lord. And the question that begs for an answer is when we make this statement “I am blessed and highly favored of the Lord. Is it simply religious linguistics or is it an expression that has validity from our life experience? Is it a statement we say simply because we have heard others say it, or is it a statement born out of the authenticity of our own walk with God?
10/17/2021
You Can't Touch This
Hebrews 7:11-25
As we stand this morning within two months of the closing of 2021 and the dawning of 2022. I give affirmation to the fact that there is manifested in Biblical faith the most trans-formational and radical change that any person could ever experience in their life. Biblical faith is centered in the person of Jesus Christ. Whenever a person comes into a relationship with Jesus there is going to be an amazing alteration in their life that will present to them new potential purpose power and possibilities. No one ever meets Jesus and stays the same.
10/10/2021
The Man That Wouldn't Stop Praying.
Mark 14:32-36
The text that is the basis of our preaching this morning reveals our Christ’s great need for prayer.
10/3/2021
It Ain't Worth It.
Genesis 25:21-34
It’s been said that everyone has a price. That is everyone has something that they are willing to forfeit or give up if the price is right. They’re willing to sacrifice time, effort, good judgment, family, friends, future, and even willing to sacrifice in some cases their relationship with God.
9/26/2021
What Road Are You Following?
Matthew 7:13-14
The text that serves as the basis for our preaching this morning is a text that serves as the opening of the closing statement that Jesus gave to the teaching that you commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount. And in a very real way you could refer to this teaching or this sermon as the Christian Manifesto. For in this teaching Jesus lays out the principles and the values or the ethical morays of those who would be citizens in the Kingdom of God.
9/19/2021
I'm Not Always Going To Be Where You See Me.
1st Samuel 21:1-15
Anyone who has lived for any length of time and who has developed to some level of maturity understands that one never knows what they are going to have to deal with in life. For life is often times characterized by unexpected trouble disruptive moments and chaotic circumstances. No one sojourns through life without having to face challenges, difficulties, and hard questions. Therefore what we need to be effective and diligent in our living is the capacity to hold on to the vision and purpose of our life in spite of every hindrance and hardship that we grapple with on the way.
9/12/2021
It Was Nothing But Grace.
Daniel 9:1-8; 17-18
I open this message this morning by raising our sensitivity to the issue of failure. For without question all of us have experienced failure in our lives. As a matter of fact there have been some episodes where we fell so far down in degradation and the circumstances that we found ourselves in were so critical that recovery seemed to have been impossible at that moment.
9/5/2021
God's Got His Hands On Me.
Ephesians 1:3-14
This marvelous passage of Scripture that serves as the basis of our preaching this morning has been recognized across the years as Paul’s hymn of praise to God on behalf of God’s redemptive work.
8/29/2021
What's Going On?
Job 23:1-10
I want to open this message by declaring that sometimes our relationship with God is a difficult matter. For there are times, or seasons, or episodes, in our lives when neither life nor God makes any sense. Would you not agree with me that life is marked so much by uncertainty, and often times it is characterized by hardship and heartache?
8/22/2021
Where Is The Love?
Psalm 116:1-2
I love the Lord. He heard my cry and pitted every groan. Long as I live, and troubles rise. I’ll hasten to “His” throne. It’s evident that when our elders wrote the lyrics to that song, they were directly echoing the sentiments of the psalmist.
8/15/2021
There Is No Substitute For Jesus
Colossians 1:9-14
One of my favorite hymns of the Church was written by Fanny Crosby entitled Blessed Assurance. This hymn is a favorite of mine because it reminds me of how completely and satisfying the salvation is that God has given to me through His Son Jesus Christ.
8/8/2021
Makes Me Want To Holla
Mark 10:46-52
Many people today are trapped and are contemplating the bleakness of their future while reflecting upon the mistakes of their past and being depressingly disappointed in their present. Their condition reminds me of a song performed by the high priest of pop culture during the 70’s Marvin Gaye. The album is “What’s Going On” and the song I’m remembering is “Inner City Blues.” Marvin Gaye put worry to words, and penned this song. It describes the frustrations of trying to get ahead in the world, the struggle to make money, only to have it taken by the bitterness of inflation that negates the incremental increases in hard earned wage, the debts and bills that pile up while the next generation is dying. The stranglehold of crime combined with police known to have itchy trigger fingers. Life is choked with uncertainty panic and even chaos. “It Makes Me Wanna Holla and Throw Up Both My Hands” the songwriter declares in the refrain.
8/1/2021
I Had To Trust God.
Psalm 94:16-19
If we are to know God’s love; God’s trust and worship God then we have to believe in the Reign of God even when there’s no evident purpose to our pain.
7/25/2021
It's Time To Break The Curse.
Psalm 116:12-14; Malachi 3:6-12
Psalm (116) is a psalm of thanksgiving. The psalmist is expressing his gratitude and appreciation to God for the blessings and the benefits that God has brought into his life. Whenever someone is good to you whenever someone is kind to you whenever someone does something for you that they didn’t have to do to say thank you is in order.
7/18/2021
Can You Pass The Test?
Ephesians 1st John 2:1-11
The text before us this morning focuses on the connection between obedience in our relationship with God and it is a stern reminder it is not enough just to say one is a Christian but one’s manner of living ought to provide equal evidence.
7/11/2021
Don't Miss Your Blessing
Ephesians 4:11-16
The thesis of this message today is centered in the idea that God purposes to make us strong by showing Himself strong on our behalf through others. Therefore the Church must be understood as a place of blessings. It’s through the life and ministry of the Church that we are nurtured, shaped, strengthened, and come to realize our purpose for being.
7/4/2021
Playing The Fool
1st Samuel 26:21
Some three thousand years ago there lived a man who came to a conclusion about his own life. His name was Saul. And in less than a half dozen words Saul summarizes his life. He said, “I have played the fool!”
6/27/2021
I'm Going To Live For God.
Numbers 9:15-23
In our text today the Children of Israel are at Mount Sinai. They are making preparation to go through the wilderness as they make their way to the Land of Canaan. We are told in this text that as they are preparing to make their way through the wilderness of the Land of Canaan that the pillar of cloud settled over the top of the Tabernacle.
6/20/2021
The Price Of A Good Father
Luke 15:11-31
Today we celebrate Father’s Day in tribute to our fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and friends who have been there for us in our time of joy as well as difficulties. Men who have shown us that there is some good in the world. Men who have taken the time to invest a portion of themselves back into our lives. Men who have made sacrifices on our behalf.
6/13/2021
Don't Fracture The Fellowship.
Philippians 2:1-4
The Epistle to the Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul to a congregation that was dear to his heart. The Church at Philippi was established during Paul’s second missionary journey. The primary theme of this Epistle has to do with joy that believers experience because of their relationship with Christ.
6/6/2021
I Ain't Scared No More.
1st Kings 17:1-16
This passage of Scripture that serves as the bases for our preaching this morning is made up of two separate stories that in of themselves carry their own revelation. And yet while it is made up of two separate stories these stories are combined because these stories have relationship with each other. And there is a larger revelation for which God wants us to understand His purpose for our lives.
5/30/2021
Who Are You?
Galatians 2:20
This letter from which our text is taken this morning is a letter written by the Apostle Paul. Paul has more letters in the New Testament than any writer of the New Testament Records. And when you read Paul’s letters here and there you will come across statements that could be referred to as Confessional Statements that speaks of his conviction that gives manifestation of his relationship with God.
5/23/2021
I'm Going To Live For God
Ephesians 6:10-20
Whenever we study the Epistles of the Apostle Paul there are two things that we take note of in his letters. There are two aspects or two dimensions of Paul’s letters. These two aspects or these two dimensions are that he opens his letters speaking to us about Christian Doctrine or the Doctrine of God. Then in the second part of the Epistle he speaks to us about Christian Doctrine. In one part he talks to us about what God has done. And in the second part of his letter he tells us what we ought to do in response to what God has done.
5/16/2021
She Saw Him First
Mark 16:9-11
Our text this morning is about another notable first. And in my opinion Neil Armstrong’s maiden walk on lunar soil pales in comparison with this notable first. It happened on that initial Easter Sunday morning some 2,000 years ago. And what an event it was Jesus had been raised from the dead. I mean there is no greater and more controversial event in human history than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the bedrock belief of the Christian Faith and it is the sign or seal of that great work that He came to earth to do.
5/9/2021
Mother's Who Love
2nd Timothy 3:12, 14, 15; 2nd Timothy 1:5; Acts 16:1-3
On this day that we honor mothers it’s good for us to think about how much you really do. Being a mother isn’t a walk in the park. By the time a child reaches 18 years of age a mother has had to handle some 18,000 hours of child generated work. In fact women who never have children enjoy the equivalent of an extra three months a year in leisure time.
5/2/2021
Who's Occupying Your Space?
Colossians 1:24-27; Romans 8:9-11
I want to encourage you in your Christian walk, by informing some and reminding others, that as Christians we are people who live our lives filled, with the presence and the power of God. For once you have come to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, God comes to live within you. God occupies your life. God sets up residency in your life.
4/25/2021
What's Your Excuse?
Exodus 4:10-17
The Bible is a book filled with stories and episodes of how God engaged and called persons to participate with Him in His plan to reconcile and redeem the world.
4/18/2021
Shout It Down
Joshua 6:1-7;12-16
It’s my honor and distinct pleasure to assure you that God is calling you to a new place of Spiritual Operation. And so take delight in knowing that God purposes to bless you and to do something so grand and great through you for the sake of the Kingdom that’s going to blow your mind and cause others to stand in amazement.
4/11/2021
Don't Count Me Out
1st Samuel 17:19-58
What kind of vision do you have for your life? What worthy challenge are you ready to conquer? Are you in touch with the gifts the talents and the abilities of your own life? Do you see yourself making a major contribution to the world? If you live with a sense of self-affirmation do you see yourself as being credible? Questions like these are introspective and searching and they cause us to do a self-evaluation of how we see ourselves and what kind of value we place upon ourselves.
4/4/2021
The Third Dimension
Acts 1:1-11; Acts 2:1-4;14-21
Christianity is not a religion based on abstract ideas and fairy tales. Rather it is a religion that is grounded in experiences and personal encounters with God.
3/28/2021
Set The House In Order.
Matthew 21:1-16
Today is a wonderful day of worship as we celebrate Palm Sunday. In this message and on this day we begin to give particular attention to that time that moment in the life of Jesus as He would make His way to Calvary for a crucifixion on a cross.
3/21/2021
It Was Greater Than I Realized.
Numbers 17:1-17
The Word that God has for us this morning is taken from one of the books of the Old Testament records. It speaks to us about the experience and the sojourn of Israel in the wilderness and the activity of God in the life of the nation whereas God was preparing them for the purpose that would be perceived in the Land of Promise called Canaan.
3/14/2021
Don't Play God Cheap
1 Samuel 4:1-11; 7:2-6, 10-14
It is a wonderful feeling and a great joy for one to live their life knowing that they are blessed with the presence and the power of God. This assurance of living with God’s presence and power in one’s life is based on the relationship that one has with God.
3/7/2021
Can God Use A Person Like Me?
Matthew 3:1-6
A vast majority of us would refer to ourselves as Christians. And perhaps the question that we need to ask ourselves is What does this mean to us personally? And how is this portrayed before others?
2/21/2021
Are You Praying In The Holy Ghost?
Jude 1:20
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Ghost.
2/14/2021
Can Depend on God.
Psalm 23:1-6
We are reminded that often times the context of our lives is descriptive of hardships and trials of every kind. We live in a world where chaotic circumstances and senseless situations can show up without notification. But whatever the circumstances or situations of your life might be you need not live in fear nor with worry for you can depend on God.
2/7/2021
It's Your Time To Be Blessed.
John 5:1-9
As parents of small children one of the unfortunate responsibilities that we often encounter is that of sibling rivalry. I found out that children will fuss, fight, push, pull, grapple, and jockey for position. And in a very real sense it seems that this was the situation that Jesus encountered one day.
1/31/2021
You Can't Stop Me Now
Colossians 3:1-4
I want to raise some questions that I perceived to be critical and crucial for a dynamic life. What do you believe in? Who do you believe in? What do you believe about yourself? These questions are significant because the answers to these questions become the determining factor between a life that is shallow, empty, weak, vision-less, and defeated, in-comparison with a life that’s deep, full, strong, purposeful, and marked by victory.
1/24/2021
We Have What It Takes
Matthew 5:13-16
The text that serves as the basis of our preaching today is taken from a teaching that was delivered by Jesus during the early days of His ministry to His disciples in what is commonly referred to as The Sermon of the Mount.
1/17/2021
I'm Going To Live For God
Ephesians 5:15-21
I open this message this morning with a Word that is both profound and it is powerful. It is profound and it is powerful because it speaks to us about the practical application of our lives as the people of God.
1/10/2021
Get Out Of The Boat
Matthew 14:22-33
The text that serves as the basis for our preaching this morning is one of the most challenging and yet inspirational stories that you could read in the biblical record. It’s a story that is inspirational and challenging because it dares us to believe that God would purpose to do something magnanimous and magnificent even miraculous in our lives.
1/3/2021
God Is Willing To Change You
2 Kings 5:1-14
The story of our text this morning is a story that involves a miracle and a mystery. As such it is a story that is spiritually captivating and encouraging. Particularly when one considers the fact that God can show up in unpredictable ways to work out His purpose and plan for one’s life.