Should you be interested, I’m posting links to the Facebook Live recordings made last Sunday morning and evening.
We are still working out the bugs. I didn’t have a mic in the beginning of the first service when I greeted everyone.
By the way, did you hear that Churches broke the internet last week? 🙂
Blessing to you all.
Anthony
Filed under Christianity, Church, Preaching
This week I was supposed to be in Jamaica preaching in revival services. Of course, as you are aware, nobody is going anywhere for a while because of COVID-19 and closed borders.
So, since some of you may have not read this, here is the story of my trip to Zimbabwe. Be sure to listen to the sermon at the end!
It has been four years since I went to Zimbabwe. I went there to preach in a series of revival services in two different Baptist churches, both of which were started along with several others by Chinhoyi Baptist in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Of course, preaching wasn’t all I did; I went with different pastors into various villages, visiting and praying with Christians, evangelizing those who’d never heard the gospel.
The other reason I went to Zimbabwe was to get revived myself. I needed this trip! And, praise be to God, it was life-changing!
Here are some photos from different services.
People starting to show up for church. River of Life met in a tent in a member’s front yard.
Worshiping Sunday morning at Dolomite Baptist.
Lively and energetic African worship at Chinhoyi Baptist.
Being introduced at Chinhoyi Baptist.
The final service in which I preached was at Chinhoyi Baptist Church. It was a celebratory farewell service where all of the churches which had hosted our team of three (Dr. Eddy Rushing, Marshall Kellett, and myself) came together as one. And man, was it a service!
The honor was mine to be selected to preach the final service, and what an honor it was. Dr. Rushing and Bro. Kellett were responsible for personally leading scores of people to Christ during this trip, so who was I to be the one to preach? Nevertheless, they asked me, and I jumped at it!
The beginning of the service was full of extremely lively music and dancing – not something the average Baptist in America is used to 😉 When all of that was over, the music shifted to hymns. Dr. Rushing and Bro. Kellett both gave stirring testimonies before the final hymn “Higher Ground” (sung in the native language of Shona) set the tone for the sermon to follow.
Oh, Rev. Luckmann Chiasaru was my interpreter for this service, and man was he good! He even sang with me! Awesome!
Chinhoyi Baptist Church in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. This congregation hopes to plant a total of 50 new churches in 10 years. They’re well on their way!
The following was recorded on an iPhone 6s, then edited on Audacity. I wish it could have been a better recording, but it was all I had. I pray it is a blessing 🙂
As of this moment, alone in my quiet office, having just finished my preparations for Sunday morning’s sermon, I have only 15 days till I’ll be in Jamaica!
Yeah, for some of you that’s no big deal; you’ve probably been there multiple times. But for me, this is my first time going there, and I think I have a right to be excited. Don’t you think?
I will be flying out of Atlanta on the 20th, a Friday evening. Unfortunately, flying is the worst part – I have a love/hate relationship with it.
If you are curious, I will be preaching in a week of revival services at Leith Hall Baptist Church, along with ministering at several other locations throughout the week. Lord willing, I will also be speaking to the local police officers (please pray about that).
To my surprise I found a video on YouTube that shows the very street I will be traveling and the church in which I will be preaching! How cool is that?
I’m told this area of Jamaica is considered the poorest in the country. Those who do have jobs likely drive all the way to Kingston to work. For the rest, the unemployment rate is near 80%
Most of the children where I will be eat only one meal a day, and that’s their lunch at school.
As the days get closer, I’ll keep you guys updated.
Also, if you feel led to help support this trip, what I don’t use for personal items, food, fees, and all that junk, I will be leaving in the hands of those whom I can help. Simply click on the PayPal tab and designate what the funds are for.
Today marks one month until I will be in Jamaica finding a “lucky egg” to kiss (that’s a Cool Runnings reference)! That’s right, next month I am going to Jamaica for bobsled training!
Not really… no bobsled training… but if there’s anybody with a lucky egg, then…
Seriously, I will be going to Jamaica next month to preach in revival services and minister in the community of Morant Bay. (I wonder if my friend David Welford has been there? Probably)
This will be my first trip to Jamaica and my first trip to any Caribbean location.
One thing you need to know is that this is not, for me, a “short-term mission trip.” I am not going to Jamaica to see the sites, hang out with the locals, get some cool pictures, and come back pretending I was Apostle Paul.
My intention is to encourage, embolden, and bless the Christians who will gather to hear the Word of God preached. They are the ones who will be doing the work of the Church long after the team I’m with will be gone. Therefore, I want to be sure to give them what they will need to prepare them for the future.
Now, I will be doing more than just preaching in church services; I will be doing other ministry while I am there, including visiting schools, hospitals, maybe a jail, and who knows what else. So, it will be busy, that’s for sure.
I know it’s not on the schedule, but I would really love to be able to speak as a chaplain to the local police. Please pray that opportunity will become available.
I haven’t mentioned this until now, but I have been tremendously blessed to have my travel expenses covered! What a blessing and a relief! If for no other reason than that, I want this trip to be a resounding success.
But beyond the funds to get there and back, it takes money to cover personal expenses, such as baggage fees, clothing (that I don’t normally wear around here), small gifts for the local elders, transportation, food, and any unforeseen incidentals.
IF, and only if, you feel led to donate any amount to help cover the incidental expenses, you can click on the PayPal tab on my blog and give that way. Or, you can send your gift to the church address: Bethlehem Baptist Church, P.O. Box 85, Warthen, GA, 31094.
Lastly, if you actually live in Jamaica and read this blog, I’d love to meet you in person next month! Again, I will be in Morant Bay, so let’s get together over a cup of Blue Mountain 🙂
God bless!
“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”
It’s a pretty well-known idiom. It’s been credited to everyone from John Steinbeck to John Wayne. But who said it first? I have no idea. I’ve searched the internet – which is the fountain of all knowledge, correct? – and have found plenty of opinions, but no definitive answers.
What I do know for a fact is that my own father used to say, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do when a man’s gotta do it.” That’s where I first heard it. My dad was my source.
But you’ve gotta admit, it sounds like something John Wayne would say.
I think the reason the “A man’s gotta..” phrase sounds so much like John Wayne is that it’s a statement only a real man would make. It’s the kind of thing a tough man, a rugged man, the kind of man that takes responsibility for his actions would say.
It’s also the thing a preacher might say. Not the milk-toast, yellow-spined, liberal, crowd-pleasing hireling of a preacher or pastor; he wouldn’t dare ruffle a feather. No, it’s the thing a John Wayne, Sam Elliot, Jack Bauer, of a preacher would say. It’s the thing my dad would and did say. It’s what I’m saying.
And if you’re a preacher worth you’re salt, you’d better say it, too…or a least a variation of the theme.
“A man’s gotta preach what a man’s gotta preach when a man’s gotta preach it.”
Real men do what they have to do. Real men do what’s necessary, even when it’s not pleasant. Real men look a challenge in the eye, grit their teeth, and plow forward. Real men do things others are not willing to do, even when it hurts – because it’s gotta get done.
The Prophet Malachi was a man who had to preach what needed to be preached, even though no one wanted to hear it. It was the “burden of the word of the LORD” that he had to deliver to a people who’s worship was tainted, second-rate, and offensive to God. But it wasn’t pleasant; it wasn’t nice; it was the least seeker-friendly thing a man could say.
“How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings.” – Malachi 1:10 NLT
What??? What did he say??? Yes, he said it. With true grit the prophet essentially proclaimed, “It would be better that we close the church doors and go home than continue with the worthless stuff we’ve been doing – God ain’t happy!”
Preaching the tough stuff isn’t for wimps. People may get mad at you. They may even try to shoot you – no joke. But if there was ever a John Wayne-like preacher, it was the Apostle Paul.
Imagine old Paul, dusty from a long cattle run, sitting on the ground and leaning back on his saddle, cleaning his Colt six-shooter. It’s late in the evening, the fire is crackling, beans are simmering, and Paul clears his throat.
“Timothy…” he begins, then after a pause, “Boy, let me give you some advice: ‘Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine‘” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Timothy tilts his hat back a little to expose his forehead, then leans in and asks, “What will people think? It could get tough doing that all the time.”
“Yeah,” replies the old Apostle with a nod and a painful, grimaced look that came from years of experience, “But sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Filed under Life Lessons, ministry, Preaching
I just want to take a quick moment to blog. By that I mean that I want to do what blogging used to be meant for: a web log of thoughts; a diary of sorts.
What thoughts do I want to record and share with the world? Politics. Specifically, pastors and the subject of politics.
The reason I want to simply “blog” is because I have not done any research, sourcing, or anything like that in order to craft a professional opinion piece. This is not meant to be an article worth publishing in a news paper or magazine. I have no links to news stories or pictures to share.
No, all this is meant to be is me sharing my thoughts off the cuff, unprepared, and dangerous.
You see, I have political opinions. I have my opinions about our President. I have strong opinions about the government and the direction we should be going as a country. Yet, as a pastor, my thoughts on these issues are considered taboo, off limits, no matter if they are spoken from the pulpit or elsewhere (and I’m speaking generically, not specifically about my current congregation).
It’s a strange situation to be in, actually. I mean, here we are, pillars in the community, men tasked with preaching truth without compromise, yet if we mention anything about conservative policies we think might better the community, we’re in danger of alienating people and running the risk of splitting a congregation!
It’s pretty sad, isn’t it? Shouldn’t the gospel apply to every area of life? Shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles find application in the voting booth? It would seem so. However, I could preach about anything, even against same-sex marriage, and aside from the vitriolic response I might get from friends of the rainbow, the average church member would support me in my pastoral, prophetic role. Yet, talk about anything political that might hint of my personal persuasions and I’d likely be censured.
Do you ever wonder why this is? Do you ever wonder why it is that a pastor cannot talk about politics that same way he can about adultery, lying, anger, murder, hate, hypocrisy, abuse, weighted scales, and bigotry?
Think about it… there are people in Christian media and print, along with nationally-known religious personalities, who are taking full advantage of their platforms to say anything negative about our President, even to the point of calling for his impeachment. Yet, if the average pastor stood behind the pulpit and said, “I think we ought to pray for Donald Trump, that he should succeed and become a great President, for our country and the world’s sake,” he’d likely be labeled a fascist, racist, evil Nazi sympathizer.
Oh, I forgot. It’s OK to admit you pray for the President, but only if you’re Nancy Pelosi and your ultimate goal is his imprisonment.
Here’s the thing, though. In every congregation of believers in Christ there are going to be people who are members of different political factions, and that goes for everywhere. Yet, when it comes to issues of right and wrong, good and evil, and how we should live out our faith in the public arena, which includes the voting booth, if God’s sufficient Word cannot find application that should guide the Christian, if there are areas in life that cannot be addressed by Scripture for fear that it might offend the Christian or bruise his personal sacred cow, then is the revealed Word of God really all it claims to be?
Prudence soaked in love; wisdom granted by the Spirit; and a keen contextual awareness are key when considering when, where, and how we should address these topics. However, fear should never be the motivating factor that intimidates us into silence when God has a Word to say.
Those are my thoughts on this Friday afternoon.
God bless.
Filed under America, blogging, Christian Unity, community, General Observations, politics, Preaching
If there was only one thing I had to say I honestly miss about living in Chattanooga, it’s the INTERNET SPEED!
On the other hand, our internet speeds in this part of the state of Georgia are dreadfully slow compared to what I’ve been used to:
To refresh, that’s a GIGABIT, as opposed to a max of 25MB per second here in Warthen!
Hey, Governor Kemp! The Kaolin Belt needs fiber optics!
But the point of this post is not internet speeds – it’s about New Year resolutions and a sermon I preached this last Sunday morning … of which I only managed to record 1 second of the audio!
So, what I did was go to my office, today, and record a “recap” of the sermon, thereby replacing the lost sermon for my archives.
You can watch the video (only 11 minutes) or look at the outline, or both. Regardless, here are some “Questions to Ask When Making a New Year’s Resolution.”
Questions to Ask When Making a New Year’s Resolution
(Isaiah 50:7; Luke 9:51, 12:50; Acts 20:24)
1. Do I NEED to make any resolutions?
“There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks.” – David Lloyd George
2. What has God called me to do? (John 6:38)
“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” – John 4:34
3. Where will I be at this time next year if nothing changes?
“You don’t drown by falling into water. You only drown if you stay there.” – Zig Ziglar
4. Will I be willing to be held accountable? (Ecc. 4:9-12)
5. Will my determination be visible?
Samuel Adams – “We have proclaimed to the world our determination ‘to die freemen, rather than to live slaves.’ We have appealed to Heaven for the justice of our cause, and in Heaven we have placed our trust.”
6. Will I rely on my own strength?
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble – Psalm 46:1
7. To WHOM will the glory go when I succeed?
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” – Col. 3:23
8. Is the JOY worth the PAIN?
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2 KJV
Will Rogers – “Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin every enjoyment.”
William Penn – “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”
Filed under Christian Living, Christian Maturity, Church, Future, ministry, Preaching
If it was this easy!
If I have been asked once, I have been asked a thousand times: “Are you ready for Christmas?”
Well, if by “ready” you mean “have you purchased gifts for every relative and friend, cleaned your house, wrapped everything in red foil, watered the tree, mailed the cards, etc.,” then NO! I’m definitely not ready!
On the other hand, if you’re asking if I am ready for Christmas to get here, then yes, I am.
Am I the only person in this situation? I would suspect most people probably wish they had at least another month to get everything on their lists done. On the other hand, I hope that we are always ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, which is, of course, the point of the whole day.
But aside from getting ready for the Christmas celebrations, there are other things for which we should be prepared.
As a matter of fact, below are three things we all should be prepared for, maybe even more so than Christmas.
Paul said, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel…” (Romans 1:15). I should be able to say the same, for, just like the apostle, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” (1:16). I should, and YOU should be ready to preach/teach/share the gospel at any time with anyone.
But you may say, “I am not a preacher, though.” Really? Well, the words of Jesus apply to all of us. He said,
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. – Mar 16:15
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. – Mar 16:15 ESV
Even though you may not be a pastor or Sunday School teacher, if you are not ashamed of Jesus, then it is still your responsibility to “proclaim” the message Christmas, the gospel (“good news”) of Jesus coming to save.
Be ready to preach.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer [a reasonable defense] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” – 1Pe 3:15 NIV
If Jesus is the “reason for the season,” are we able to defend the Reason based on reason and evidence, not hollow, empty faith?
There are so many who are quick to attack Christians and the God of Christianity. They claim Christmas is based on a myth no more verifiable than the existence of Santa Claus himself. These same folk who deny Jesus was the Messiah then choose to follow some other pagan god or no god and say their “reasons” are more logical. Really? Where is their evidence?
The Apostle Peter, when he said to “always be ready,” knew that there would be those who would question us and ask, “why do you have so much hope?” There are still plenty of people who are without hope in this world. They are looking for answers. What they are not looking for is a fairy tale to make them feel good; they are looking for Truth that will make a difference in life, both on this earth and in eternity.
Be ready to give an answer.
I know that Christmas is just around the corner, but who can assure me I’ll be around to see it? There are no guarantees about tomorrow; one day life on this earth will be over and eternity will begin. However, for many of us, we believe that Jesus is coming back one day.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. – Mat 24:44
I want to be ready for His return. I want to be ready to go with Him. Being ready for that day, I believe, is a lot more important than getting everything wrapped just so, or cleaning house. If any “cleaning house” is done, we should always make sure our spiritual “house” is clean and ready. One day, someday, a trumpet is going to sound…
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Are you ready to go? If not, then there is good news: You can be!
You may say that you are not good enough. You may think that you have done too many things to be forgiven. You may think that if God is real, then there is no getting right with Him because you’re just too bad. Well, if you are willing to put your faith in the Christ of Christmas, the good news is that God is also ready…ready to forgive.
For thou, Lord, [art] good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. – Psa 86:5
Get ready for Christmas, but make your heart ready for Christ. The Savior born in a manger wants to give new life to you.
Are you ready?
Questions about faith in Jesus Christ?
Call 1-800-NEED-HIM
Filed under Apologetics, Christmas, Culture Wars, Preaching, salvation
Earlier this week I posted a question on Facebook:
If I could offer you your choice – if you’d just come to church just once – of either $1,000 or a blessing from God, would you come?
I got a few responses, but one friend, Michael Wheeler, decided to probe a little, asking if I could define what a “blessing” actually is.
The answer seems obvious, but how do you define “blessing”? That word is thrown around with no real meaning. – Michael Wheeler
I gave a typical tongue-in-cheek response:
True. I know a thousand dollars would surely BE a blessing right now
Michael followed that response with how that he had asked “countless pastors and laypersons who overuse that word to define it, but have never gotten a satisfactory answer.” He then went on to say that the use of the word “sounds good,” but carries with it “no real meaning.” “Other than salvation,” he proposed, “we have no other ‘blessings’ or promised things over what unbelievers experience.”
Well, in fun I replied to Michael Wheeler’s question with:
Do you even own a box of crayons?
As expected (because Michael is usually a very serious kind of guy), he answered with:
Nope… Is that the extent of your definition of “blessing”?
That is when – after a brief distraction – I wrote the following:
No, not hardly. I got distracted by other things. I only asked that because sometimes I feel like you see things only in black and white – not as in truth claims, but in what you see. For instance, I never read fiction, but then I read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”…it added color to the pallet of my spiritual imagination. Lewis didn’t teach me any new truth, but he added shades of color to what I could already see.
Much of what I would call “blessings” are those moments when the Spirit opens the eyes of my understanding and allows me to see the beauty of a Truth in a new shade. In some ways, it’s like God takes me into His art gallery and amazes me with a new painting of the same scene. I’m speaking in terms of spiritual imagination, of course… the box of crayons.
We are blessed every day by the goodness of God. That goes for everyone who enjoys the providential care of the Creator (it rains on the just and the unjust). But we are also blessed in that we have a Father who not only gave us salvation but continues to give us bread instead of stones. He is the one who will one day bring us close to Himself and share with us that little white stone with a name on it only the two of us will know – that’s true intimacy. So, many blessings are no less than those moments when we enter into worship – corporately or privately – and sense the real presence of the Holy Spirit reassuring us of the truth that He will never leave us or forsake us, that His grace is sufficient for every need. I could go on and on.
If I had the time to sit down do a more meticulous study of the definition of “blessing,” I’m sure you’d find the result more satisfying to your particular taste. However, what I’ve just described for you is the practical and real-world look at how I see it. Simply put, many times getting a “blessing” may be nothing more than being brought the realization of how good, merciful, and gracious our Father is. If He throws in a thousand dollars, well, that’s a bonus.
“Excellent answer,” wrote Mr. Wheeler.
That’s why I thought it would be worth sharing with you!
What do you think? How would you define a “blessing”?
Filed under Church, Love of God, salvation
“Simple Preacher”
What I am is just a simple ol’ preacher.
And what I know’s been s’ficient so far.
But when I get around some of them scholars,
They go and act like my knowin’s sub par!
They impress with their didactic polemics
And their proofs of amanuenses,
But at the risk of sounding simply solipsistic,
I just know that I know I have Jesus.
– Anthony Baker
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The Recovering Legalist 