Category Archives: Preaching

by | September 30, 2014 · 1:22 pm

4 Rules for the Race of Life

ironmanIRONMAN

Have you ever heard of the Ironman triathlon? This past weekend my town hosted the 11th U.S. Ironman race of the year. The following, from the official Ironman website, is a description of what the competitors would encounter…

“IRONMAN Chattanooga will begin with a point to point, 2.4-mile swim in the Tennessee River with ample spectator vantage points alongside the city’s famous Riverwalk. Athletes can look forward to a fast, down-current swim. The bike will be two loops of a 56-mile course (112 miles) with scenic farmland and mountain views. The two-and-a-half loop, 26.2-mile run course will showcase beautiful downtown Chattanooga, the South Side, Riverview and the North Shore. Overall, expect a fast, rolling course.”

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/chattanooga.aspx#ixzz3EojqNC6x

The race was a wonderful opportunity for Chattanooga to welcome athletes from all over and to spotlight our city’s beauty and hospitality.

But even more, this Ironman race was a great source of illustrations for the message I preached Sunday morning! Ha!

4 Rules of Training

In a piece by Roman Mica (for Active.com), I found the “4 Rules of Ironman Training.” They were so simple and enlightening that I determined to use them in my next Sunday sermon dealing with the different races of life.

See if you don’t see a strong correlation between training for a grueling triathlon and the life of a Christian.

Rule 1 – Train Every Day

According to the author, it takes a minimum of 13 hours a week of training to compete in an Ironman. Most of the competitors, already seasoned athletes, will train every day of the week for at least 6 months, if not a year, for just this one race!

How much training do we do for the race of life? How much time do we take to prepare for the up-hill climbs, the varying terrain, and the lonely stretches when few are there to urge us on to victory? Every day we should be working out the truths of God’s Word; swimming in the pool of God’s grace; and strengthening our endurance with the breath of God’s Spirit.

Rule 2 – Don’t Fake It

“There are few things more miserable in life than spending 17 hours on an Ironman course hating every painful swim stroke, bike pedal and running step. Sure, there are amateur athletes who’ve finished without putting in the hard work, but they just spent over $500 on the entry for a day of self-inflicted pain.” – Roman Mica

There are few things more miserable than a Christian trying to be a Christian in his own strength. Don’t fake it! Be real! Let God work through you, give you the grace and strength you need, and help you to enjoy the life you’ve been given.

Rule 3 – Be Disciplined with Nutrition

Roman Mica made it clear that the human body not only needs the proper nutrition to compete at such a high level of performance, but the also the right amounts to be able to withstand prolonged stress.

Sometimes in the Christian walk/run/race of life, there are times when we are forced to run without stopping for a break. It is only through regular, disciplined intake before a trial that we will have the internal resources from which to draw strength. In other words, there will be long stretches when Bible study and prayer will be hard to come by. Store up the nutrition while you can.

Rule 4 – Avoid Injury

One of the sad realities of training for a big race like the Ironman is that injuries do occur. Yes, even before the trials of the river, the bike ride, and the run, athletes get hurt trying to prepare for the competition.

Sadly, while training in what would be considered a safe atmosphere, church people get hurt and wounded all the time. We do it to ourselves and to each other. My advice is to love, live a life of forgiveness and grace, and keep training – the prize it worth it.

 

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by | September 22, 2014 · 9:08 am

Revival? What Is It?

Sore Throat

This morning my throat is on fire. Well, it may not be that bad, but it feels rather raw and painful. The reason for the pain is what I did yesterday – preach.

I don’t normally get behind the pulpit and become another Billy Sunday; I’m not that athletic. However, I do believe it’s a shame for a preacher to deliver the good news of God’s love and mercy, the message of the life-changing Gospel, in a dull, mono-tone voice. When one is truly excited about sharing something important, his mannerisms should reflect it. So, I do get excited when I preach, but not quite to the extent of what Abraham Lincoln preferred: a preacher who looked like he was swatting at a swarm of bees! I’m calmer than that, but I do flap around a little.

Anyway, I have had a cold for the last few days. The preaching I did yesterday has left my throat in need of recovery. But it was worth it.

The Message

Yesterday I preached a sermon dealing with what is needed before we have revival. But here is my question to you, dear reader: what is “revival”?

If you would like to take the time, there are various sources from which you can learn of the great revivals of the past. Some were call “awakenings.” But one of the general themes of revival is that the people of God, the Church, becomes revived, awakened, having their intimacy with and their vision of God renewed. This is what I want for myself, my congregation, my town, state, and country.

So, what is revival, and what do you think is necessary for it to take place? I am interested in your thoughts. Let’s discuss it.

If you’d like to listen to the actual service I preached, click on the link below.

“What We Need Before Revival”

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by | September 9, 2014 · 11:37 am

Depressing Speech

Another Computer

Last night my wife broke one of her big toes (ouch!). Aside from turning me into the sandwich-making, cool-aide making, laundry-carrying, dog-walking, and anything-that’s-downstairs-that-needs-to-be gotten-and-brought-back-upstairs getter, I am now the official chauffeur for my daughter, Haley.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to spend all day driving my little girl to different classes and co-ops (we homeschool, but we don’t lock our children in closets). At this moment I happen to be sitting in the waiting/free-coffee area of one of the stops. So, after doing some reading, after attempting to do some additional writing for my next book, I decided to write a post for this blog based on pictures in the hard drive of this old computer.

You see, I have used this computer many times in the past, but more recently my writing has been done at home on my desktop. From that computer I pull photos for posts after I download them from my phone. This computer, however, has nothing recent, only photos I’ve used in posts over 2 years ago, if not longer. Yet, after glancing over the files, I found a good one – one that could make a good post.

Tongue Depressors

depressorsThe picture to your right was taken by me a several years ago while sitting in a doctor’s office. I edited the photo with an app on my iPhone and then published to i4Daily (an old photo blog of mine). For some reason, maybe because being sick was depressing, I found the idea of depressing tongues a little humorous.

But sitting here, thinking about all that is going on in the world, especially with all of the attempts to silence free speech, especially the Christian type, I refuse to have my tongue “depressed.”

I hate it when a nurse or doctor inserts one of those nasty-tasting wooden sticks in mouth! They do it to hold my tongue out of the way, just enough to glance at my throat before I gag. But there are a lot of non-medical professionals out there who want to immobilize the tongues of any who would speak their mind, and the tools they use aren’t always wooden sticks. As a matter of fact, all they have to do is convince us that things are hopeless, that there’s no use in speaking out or speaking up, and the result is “depressed” tongues.

Don’t let anything depress your voice. If you feel you have something to say, say it. I don’t expect every one to agree with what I have to say, nor do I expect them to listen. However, I have to open my mouth and let my tongue fly to find out. In this case, my fingers are my tongue and I am talking as fast as I can type.

I am not mad…but speak forth the words of truth and soberness (Acts 26:25).

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by | July 27, 2014 · 7:34 pm

Recalling Sunday Morning

Dark and early this morning I was feeling discouraged, a little down. I needed to vent a little, to share my feelings in a vulnerable sort of way. Some of you let me know you would be praying, and I appreciated it.

The service went well, the sermon was from the Lord, and I felt the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit as I preached.

Many times, when I am at my weakest, the temptation to feel defeated overwhelms me. What I have a hard time describing is the weighty burden of the task ahead, a task with eternal implications. No one can convince me that in my own strength I can effectively expound the living Word of God and connect with a multi-generational congregation. To do so is akin to feeding 5,000 with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.

That’s why I rely on Jesus.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:21-23

 

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by | July 27, 2014 · 1:24 am

Sunday Morning Dread

It is Sunday morning…early Sunday morning. It’s after 1 am in the morning and I am sitting here at my computer not wanting to go to sleep…not wanting to face tomorrow…the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I must wake up.

Oh, you’ve got to be asking, “Anthony, I thought you were a pastor! Why don’t you want to face Sunday morning?”

Some of you…you know who you are…are reading this and thinking, “I can’t wait to tell somebody so they can tell somebody so they can tell his deacons, he-he-he.” I hope the Lord gives you an incurable case of the fleas.

Others know the struggles, the weariness, and the feelings of inadequacy a pastor endures. A few of you know what we’ve been going through, lately. A few of you understand it’s not about what we can do, but what God can do through us; therefore, encourage one another as you see the day approaching (Heb. 10:25).

But if I know that God will work through me, despite my weakness and frailty, why dread the morning? Why not look forward to the Lord’s day?

It’s because I’m human; I don’t want to fail. Many times the Spirit moves in ways we never see, but men want to see results, numbers, baptisms, etc.

Murmuring wearies me, too. Remember when Moses struck the rock?

But it’s not about me, is it? No, it is about the One who died for me, forgave me, called me, filled me, and wants to use this cracked, tarnished, chipped, and leaky vessel of clay to pour out a blessing unto His flock.

“If the Christian did not sometime suffer heaviness he would begin to grow too proud, and think too much of himself, and become too great in his own esteem.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

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by | June 11, 2014 · 6:00 am

In My Father’s Honor

A Strange Day

Today is a strange day. I am alive.

Now, being alive shouldn’t be that big of a deal for most people, but it is to me, especially on THIS day. Today is the anniversary of my father’s death.

Anniversaries of deaths are not uncommon, either. But what makes today unique is that I am the same age that my dad was when he died. He was 46 – I am 46!

I woke up this morning and saw the sun, which is something my daddy never experienced on June 11, 1991 (well, I’m writing this ahead of time, so I hope I will). He woke up and saw the Son, which is something I still long to do.

Tough, Yet Humble

My dad.

My dad.

Those who knew my dad before he became a Christian would testify to the fact that he was no wimp. He knew how to fight, fish, and fire a weapon. Between him and my uncle Don (his brother), there weren’t too many men willing to go toe-to-toe with them.

Yet, once he accepted Christ, he became the perfect example of gentleness, kindness, grace, and compassion. I know of no one any more humble than he was. (Oh, and when his brother finally became a believer in Jesus, the same transformation took place)

Preachers

My dad was a preacher. He might not have been the most eloquent, but he loved the Word and loved telling people about Jesus. Had he been alive today, he would have wept at the state of our nation and where we are going. Above all, he would still be preaching, even harder.

Still Fighting the Good Fight

Still Fighting the Good Fight

I am proud to say that I am carrying on my father’s legacy. I am proud to say that should the Lord allow me to live much longer than my dad, I will continue to preach the Gospel and stand for Truth. As a matter of fact, here is something I recently posted on Facebook.

Backbone, preachers…now’s the time for some honest-to-goodness, strong-as-steel, George S. Patton and John Wayne-like BACKBONE!

I don’t care if you’re Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Nazarene, Methodist, or whatever…MAN UP!! Stand in the gap! Quit being a politically motivated, crowd-pleasing, purse string-tying wimp and PREACH THE WORD!

Check out what’s going on in the world and what’s coming to America. Do you think things are all going to turn out like a big Hillsong praise service if you keep preaching like Joel Osteen?! Folks, what we need now more than ever are some Elijahs, some John the Baptists, some old-school Billy Grahams, some D. L. Moodys, etc. We need more men of God who know the difference between the Word of God and a motivational speech!

Don’t try to be popular. Don’t try to be “cool” and “hip” with the younger generations. Quit fighting over the styles of worship if your congregation doesn’t even know HOW to worship! Forget trying to become more “seeker-friendly,” and just SEEK THE LOST! The world is going to Hell and we are greasing the skids.

Be real. Be humble. Be yourself. Love your enemies. But for the love of God, pastors and preachers, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). In other words, take off the liberal mom jeans and put on some prophet-worthy overalls and get to work. 

His Voice

I wish all of you could have met my dad, Terry L. Baker. Like my wife noted when she heard a recording, he was about “as country as they come.” Fortunately for all of us, I still have a few recordings of his preaching.

Below is an edited version of a message my dad preached back in 1981. At that time he was doing a radio program on WMOC for a local children’s ministry.

Fittingly, the sermon from my dad, based on Deuteronomy 6:4-7, concerns how to raise a godly family. Tell me if you think he sounds a little like me 😉

All honor and glory be to my Father in Heaven, the One who graciously gifted me with an earthly father who loved Jesus and taught me how to do the same.

 

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by | June 10, 2014 · 6:00 am

Dealing With Temptation (the movie)

I had a whole post all written up, but then I erased it. Ever done that before? Sometimes it’s better to start over from scratch if what was written in the first place was forced.

So, here’s the deal: I can’t justify spending 20 dollars on a WordPress upgrade right now, so I can’t upload any audio directly to my blog. Yeah, it’s only $20, but since school let out for the summer, and since I don’t get paid when I’m not driving a bus, $20 is better spent on the electric bill.

Two Sundays ago I preached a sermon from 1 Corinthians 10:13 entitled, “How to Deal With Temptation.”

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Since I could not upload the audio, I did something different – I made a video and posted it to YouTube. No charge to link a YouTube video 😉

So, if you’d like some suggestions on how to deal with temptation (I hope you know what that is), then watch and listen. Sure, the video is not the greatest, but I tried (and misquoted the Bible, no less).

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by | May 18, 2014 · 8:37 am

Five Objectives

Ministry Objectives

Some people take a sentence or two, or even a paragraph, to describe their ministry objectives. I decided to divide mine into five points and put them right up front for everyone, including myself, to read.

My desire is…

I.    To bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ in all that I do (Ps 19:14) and go through (1Pet 1:7).

bibleII.   To “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim 4:13) and “to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).

III. To be known as a humble and consistent husband and father whose household serves the Lord (Josh 24:15; 1 Cor 15:58); a forgiven sinner who understands grace (1 Tim 1:15); and a fearless soldier of the Cross (Mark 8:34) who never compromises the truth (1 Tim 4:16).

IV. To affect future generations yet to come as children are grounded, parents become responsible, singles are emboldened, and the aged get a second wind (Josh 4:21-24; Pro 22:6).

V.  To promote the preaching and teaching of the Gospel in every part of the world (Acts 1:8).

Dear Heavenly Father, make them more than objectives… make them reality.

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by | May 16, 2014 · 12:08 pm

Onward Christian Soldiers!

The Funeral

Today, I will be speaking at a funeral where Ben Nelson, a Navy veteran and Christian, requested only one song to be sung, and therefore my daughter, Katie will be singing it: “Onward Christian Soldiers.”

330px-Onward,_Christian_SoldiersI don’t think I have ever been to a funeral where this song was sung. As a matter of fact, it has been a while since I have heard this song sung at all. So, believe it or not, Katie and I had to look up the words in order to practice it. When I did, unlike times in the past, the lyrics hit me like a kick in the gut.

The Fight

I know that using words like soldier, army, marching, and war, especially in a religious context, can make many people nervous, if not stir up the boiling vile surely to spew from the rabid atheists and God-haters.

However, whether we want to admit it or not, soldier is term for the Christian we cannot ignore.

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. – 2 Timothy 2:3-4 KJV

The difference between the way the modern militant Islamist and the apostle Paul use this word are of paramount importance. The first spills the blood of the conquered as they move onward, the second moves forward in battle for a Kingdom built on the once-for-all shed blood of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

The Song

Some hymnals have removed it; others have reworded it. I’m all for rescuing this old song from the ash heaps of Hollywood stereotypes and parodies, especially the liberal, tree-hugging, non-confrontational types who want to trash it, and start singing it again withing the congregation.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12 NLT

 

Onward Christian Soldiers

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

Refrain

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.

At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

Refrain

Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

Refrain

What the saints established that I hold for true.
What the saints believèd, that I believe too.
Long as earth endureth, men the faith will hold,
Kingdoms, nations, empires, in destruction rolled.

Refrain

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.

Refrain

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor unto Christ the King,
This through countless ages men and angels sing.

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by | May 3, 2014 · 10:28 am

Not My Power

Thanks, folks, for the time away. No, it was not that long, but it was a little difficult to stay away from the keyboard. So many things begged for my comments, but other issues were more important.

Let’s face it, my primary responsibility is not to this blog.

So, let’s start back slowly, shall we? Let’s get back into the swing of things with a short thought about an advertisement I received.

Email Ads

I don’t know how it happens, but somehow my email gets flooded with “half-off” offers and all such craziness. Even though I delete cookies, unsubscribe to stuff, and threaten friends, people still send me links to things I can’t afford.

Now, honestly, not all of the ads are worthless. As a matter of fact, if I had the money, I’d take advantage of some of the Groupon offers. With a 20th anniversary coming up, I could use a break on flowers, candy, fake jewelry, etc.

Once, on Facebook, someone sent me a link to a company selling t-shirts. The one that caught their attention was one that read, “I’m a School Bus Driver. What’s your superpower?” I thought that was cool! Alas, I didn’t have $20 to spend on a t-shirt, even though I wanted it.

However, it was not long after the offer for the first t-shirt that I got another offer. This time I wasn’t so happy.

Super Pastor

Dear reader, dear friend, dear occasional stalker, etc., I am not a super hero.

photoFor those of you who may be having this read to you, to the right is a picture of the advertisement as it appeared on my cell phone. It shows a black t-shirt that has printed on the front: “I’m a PASTOR, what’s your SUPERPOWER?”

When I saw this t-shirt, unlike when I saw the one about being school bus driver, it didn’t make me laugh, smile, or even grin; it ticked me off.

Folks, I don’t even joke about this. Pastors are already placed on unwanted pedestals, live in glass houses, and are thought of as superhuman. We, along with our families, are expected to have special powers of some kind, almost like Baptist wizards, impervious to the spells of the dark.

But, we are not special, only our calling is. Pastors are not gifted with superpowers, and to suggest that only adds to the expectation that we can do everything perfectly, never getting tired, never mouthing off to our kids, and always having the right answer for everything.

Super Savior

Folks, the only thing I can say is that God called me to a humbling “profession.” I did not choose to do what I do; He put the desire in my heart. And unlike other careers, like bus driver, fire fighter, school teacher, etc., no amount of education, training, or experience can make us successful at what we pastors do; only the living presence of Jesus can do that.

I have no super power other than the power of Christ within me. As a matter of fact, the weaker I am, the more the “kryptonite” affects me, the more He is able to work through me (Phil. 4:13).

I am only human. I have no super power. All I have is a Super Savior.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 KJV

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