Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘freedom’
Christians Should Vote!
As Americans citizens we have been blessed – spoiled, in fact – to grow up in freedom. It is a freedom that few have enjoyed throughout history and many will never know. The blessings of God always come with a responsibility, a response of gratitude and obedience. Christianity is not American, and being American is not Christian. However, American Christians have much for which to answer to God. It is shameful to enjoy liberty and do nothing to exercise and defend that liberty. Our freedom grew out of strong biblical principles about individual soul liberty. When these are forgotten it is not long until all of the corresponding liberties are lost. The current attack on religious liberty will inevitably lead…
Read MoreChristians, the Constitution, and Our Country
A few days ago I put a copy of the United States Constitution in my briefcase as I left for a trip. On board a flight I determined to read it through at one sitting, slowly and thoughtfully. As a Christian I am a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). In the words of the old song, “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through!” Yet in the good providence of God the Lord allowed me to be born in the United States. I am very grateful for the privilege of living in a free land. I am glad to be an American. Every blessing is also a responsibility. We are stewards of each gift God gives us, and…
Read MoreJoin Us On This Important Call
“Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.” These were the words of President John Adams in 1812 and they express a truth that translates well into this generation in our nation. We are all concerned about the protection of religious liberty…or at least we should be. Adams, who knew something about the cost of fighting for independence, gave this advice: “Let the pulpit resound with the doctrine and sentiments of religious liberty.” This is not a political issue. It is a spiritual one, built upon the Biblical principle of soul liberty. Paul instructed Timothy to pray “for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”…
Read MoreA Spoiled Generation
Recently I drove through the cemetery where all of my grandparents are now buried. I paused for a few moments at each grave and thought of the heritage they had passed down to me. My Grandpa Pauley gets a great deal of discussion because of his ministry as a preacher of the gospel. The contribution of my Grandpa Martin was no less significant. He was an enlisted Navy man in WWII. How I wish that I could go back and ask more questions about those days! He helped with the clean up at Pearl Harbor just after the attack. He was a part of “the greatest generation” – a generation that understood both the privilege and price of freedom. My…
Read MoreRemembering
Just a few days ago I had the privilege of being back where I grew up in West Virginia. It was refreshing to walk around my grandparents farm again and enjoy a meal that only mom could make just right. I walked the halls of the school that I attended from the time I was four until high school graduation, and spent an extra moment in the classroom where I first trusted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour. Memories are precious things. My sister and I took a drive through the cemetery where all of our grandparents are now buried. I have never missed them as I do now. When we are young we do not fully realize the treasure…
Read MoreOur Theme for 2013
Today has been a wonderful Lord’s day – the last Sunday of the year. Some Sunday will be our last Sunday on earth. The dawn of a new year will be nothing in comparison with the dawn of a new age. Jesus is coming! Pastor Sexton unveiled the new year’s emphasis for Temple Baptist Church and Crown College to our people today. Hudson Taylor was famous for saying, “God is always advancing.” This is our motto for 2013. God’s people are not to “hold the fort”, they are to charge “the gates of hell” with the gospel of Jesus Christ. While it is easy to bemoan the sad decay of society and the moral cliff our own nation has gone…
Read More
