Which Way

Many years ago after first becoming a fanatic of Jesus...I, with the help of my life mentor Tim Cooper...purchased my first candy apple red Ford F-150. I’ll never forget that truck and I’ll never forget those first days of being in love with Jesus. One of the symbols of the Jesus movement was the hand pointing heavenward and exclaiming One Way! I purchased a sticker and placed it dead center of my cabs back glass. Yes, I was so cool. Yes, I really believed what that sticker represented. However, I didn’t live like I did.  My actions in public did not reflect my true beliefs!

One of the great truths that Tim Cooper taught me was that believing and living life sometimes are two different things.  Man, if I knew then what I know now...I would have never looked another way for direction. I suspect many of us would say the same thing. You see, what I’ve learned, albeit the hard way, is that Jesus and His teachings are and have been the best way!  They really are the only way.

As I look back with my 20-20 vision, I can see how God placed Tim in my life at pivot points to help point me back to Jesus. Pointing me and encouraging me to follow the guidance of God...you know “the Way”. Many times as I have traveled the hi-ways and byways of this nation and come across the various signs on the road...I am clearly reminded of the best sign I have ever known...One Way Jesus!

With a smile on my face, I realize there is not a day in my life when I am not thankful for my life friend Tim Cooper and his gentle way of turning me again and again so that I would follow the right way. Obviously, even now, I am reminded...it’s time to give Him a call and express the thanks I have in my heart for his ever present influence.

I am reminded of a favorite passage of scripture that I learned while in fellowship at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in DeRidder under the pastorate of Bro. Logan Skiles. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6) Truth...He is “the only way” to love, joy, and peace! I suggest you choose Him and live these things...and all God’s children said Amen!

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information on GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

God is Calling You

Oh my goodness...do you remember the awesome bible story of Zaccheus. Now... I do, but I bet it may be for a different reason than you...or than most of you. You see growing up...I began to realize something...I was different than most of my friends. They were very tall, very big and would tower over me. Especially on the basketball court. You might say, I realized I was a wee little man. Or in the current vernacular...I was short. As a matter of fact today I top out at 5’5” and that’s usually on the colder days.

So Zack became one of my instant biblical heroes...mainly because I identified with his problem. As I grew older I realized I really was a lot closer to him than I first thought. You see I was a seeker of truth. I wanted to know this one they called Jesus. Once I met Jesus and repented...I sought to apologize to all those who I cheated or sinned against. This was Zaccheus! He needed salvation from a corrupt system that seemed to fit who he was. We know he was successful in it because the Bible says he was wealthy. Jesus, the savior, was seeking Him out....just like He is seeking you and me.

Zaccheus had no way of knowing that...I’m sure he thought he was seeking Jesus. Scripture tells us however that Jesus chose him from the crowd....remember the little Sunday school song...

Zaccheus was a wee, little man,

And a wee, little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree,

For the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior came that way,

He looked up in the tree,

And he said,"Zaccheus, you come down from there,"

For I'm going to your house today.

For I'm going to your house today.

Could it be He’s seeking you today....could it be he’s calling you out of the tree of circumstances you’re in...Could be! I love these two verses from the Bible...

“And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luke 19:9-10 Suddenly it occurs to me Zaccheus became a very big man because of his choice to follow Jesus...and so am I...and so can you be...if you choose Jesus...and all God’s children said Amen!

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information about GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

Taqa

Taqa is a Hebrew word I learned a long time ago. I was in attendance at a revival at First Baptist Church in DeRidder, Louisiana. Pastor Ken Freeman was preaching and man he was bringing the Word! This was always the way Ken preached...it made for a very uncomfortable service. Mainly because what he shared tore at the heart of a compromised Christian life.

That strange little Hebrew word has stuck with me for more than 20 years. Why you ask? The word means to “strike a blow” or “to pledge oneself”. The message was simple yet pointed...pledge oneself to Christ and strike a blow against the world. More to the point the word compelled one to strike a blow against their Devil! As I think about those days, I remember thinking how relevant, how timely, and how important that message was for me and for the world I lived in at the time.

I cannot help but realize that the same truth is very applicable today. As a member of the Church, I think we all need to recommit ourselves to Christ. We need to choose Him as our Lord and Savior. I would venture to say that those of us who have made that choice need to revitalize our commitment to Christ and intentionally strike a blow against the evil one.

God’s Word is not slack concerning this request. In 1 Peter 5:8-10 the instructions are clear and the result comforting. We are to be sober minded, be ever vigilant and to know thy enemy, resist the devil and stay firm in our faith! What’s so comforting is that our God who is so gracious, the One who has anchored our eternity, that same God will strengthen and establish us!

I’m not sure about you, but as for me...I’m convinced the time to strike is today!  Taqa!... say it with me... Taqa! ... and all God’s children said...Amen!

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information about GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

He is, He is, He is!

The storm was vicious in its wrath. Time and time again the wind, rain and lightning grew in its intensity as the minutes passed by. We were all concerned, the tornado was close by. Fear gripped our reality even though we knew we were in a sound and safe home. As the night passed...so did the storm. As things calmed down, I realized what I should have known all along that God is in control of the storm.

Time and time again the storms of life intensify and we become afraid and weak. It’s then that we must turn to the one who can truly help us in our time of stress and weakness. Some years ago one of the songs that helped me to handle the storms that come through my life with a bitter consistency was simply and powerfully titled “He is”.

 He is, He is, He is... was its purposeful theme. As the artists moved thru the books of the Bible, I quickly was strengthened as I was eloquently reminded of just who He is!

He is the Breath of life in Genesis, the rebuilder of broken walls and lives in Nehemiah and the Timeless Redeemer in Job. The song highlighted the truth of who He is to the follower of Jesus. It used the entirety of the Bible to illustrate all that He is to us.

He is God, Man, Messiah in the Gospels. He is the grace of God in Romans, our mediator in Philemon, and ultimately the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I encourage you my friends to find this song by Aaron and Jeoffrey. Listen to it and meditate on the truths about our Savior. Then remember when the storms of life come through a season in your journey that He is...He is...He is...all you need.

He is the answer to every question, every storm, and every problem you face. The last line of the song goes like this...”and when time is no more...He is!” “and all God’s children said...Amen!”

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information about GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

Kool Aid

I don’t know about you, but when I’m finished with a workout, I want a refreshing cool drink. Something to rejuvenate my physical body. There are so many drinks today that fulfill that need. However, when I was growing up...Kool Aid was the drink of choice for me. I loved it...craved it. I would go anywhere that would give me some. One of those places that had some Kool aid was a little mission church called Warren St. They offered it seemingly at every event.

I was invited several times as a kid, but when I was told I would get some cookies and Kool Aid if I would go. I said, “When do the doors open?” I went...and I went and soon after became a member of the mission church. On August 25, 1975...after a mission trip to Dallas, Texas...I gave my life to Jesus. You might say, Bro. Ronnie, that’s awesome! But, do tell...what’s the Kool Aid reference all about?

Kool Aid was a simple tool used by the small local mission church to try and reach out to the kids in the neighborhood. If it had not been for that simple ministry resource, who knows where I would be. May I suggest that we might do well in our modern setting to think outside the box when it comes to reaching our community for Jesus?

The Apostle Paul gave reference in the Bible of our need to think outside the box to reach the world we live in. He said 1 Corinthians 9:22”I have become all things to all people, which by all means I might save some.” There are lost souls that surround us every day! I say to you that that confession alone should compel us to make more Kool Aid. As Paul said in the next verse...”I do it all for the sake of the Gospel...”

I’m thinking....grape flavor...”and all God’s children said....Amen.”

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information on GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

Mission

“Your mission, Ethan, should you choose to accept it...”defeat the enemy” (paraphrase) ...this message will self-destruct in five seconds.” Do you remember that phrase from the hit movies starring Tom Cruise? The series was known as “Mission Impossible”. Those movies, as well as, the hit TV show was full of action and mystery. I really enjoy the whole series. I’m really anxious for the next one to be released this year.

I’m sure there will be no surprises...some rogue government will try to send the world into chaos and Ethan Hunt and his team will come to the rescue. The bad guys will lose and the world, at least for the time being, will be a safe again. Wow, is that not a cool plot...and no doubt with all the special effects it will be a blockbuster!

Do you realize we’re living in the midst of a blockbuster production? The exception we find here is that we’re not sitting down in a theatre to watch an imagined movie from a made up script. No, we are sitting down in the midst of our own lives and the plot is real! We have an enemy...a real enemy who is seeking to destroy us. He is in search of anyone he can destroy! 1 Peter 5:8 indicates that our”...enemy, the devil, is active...ready to attack.” Earlier in the New Testament, in the book of John chapter 10, it is written that our enemy is a thief and “...comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.”

Your mission and mine is to resist the evil one! Your mission and mine is to expose the evil one for what he is, the destroyer of lives! Your mission and mine, should we decide to accept it...is to follow Jesus the Christ! We should be on mission everyday sharing the Good News of Jesus with our world. We have received the tape recorded instruction from God. It is known as the Bible! Matthew 28: 19 gives specific instruction to us...we are to “...Go...make disciples...baptizing...teaching.” We are now on mission...we are indeed the called out ones! You and I are on mission to help guide our neighbor through the fog of Satan’s chaos and with the help of the Holy Spirit lead them to choose Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So all this begs the question...will you choose to accept the mission! I do! ....and all God’s children said...Amen!

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information on GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.

The Church

I was thinking yesterday about all the things I’ve learned coming home from church. I wanted to write a series of notes related to the main points of the Sunday sermons from the scribbling I took. That is usually what I do...I take notes of every sermon I listen to. Then on the way home my wife Sandy and I, almost without exception, have these great discussions about the truths of the message and how they apply to our lives. We’re either very happy or very sad by the time we get to our lunch.

Here are a few of the last messages that stand out to me.

·        

Thankfulness - We need a thanksgiving list!

·         The Truth from Daniel - Stuff ain’t enough but God is enough

                                         - The truth ain’t easy but it is necessary

·         God has three requirements - they’re simple but not easy...act justly...love mercy...walk humbly with your God!

·         Resurrection - the offer is too good! The resurrection was rational, personal, and intentional!

The Word of God is clear as to our approach to scripture...The Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy a clear encouragement about the Bible. Study he exhorted... meditate...to be able to understand the scripture correctly. I find the best way for me to follow that direction is to involve myself in the local church. Find a good bible study...a pastor who rightly divides the scripture...a fellowship of believers (church) that practice the whole of scripture.

Let it be said...that it is good for us to go to church! ...and “all God’s children said...Amen!

Our culture has changed and Social Ministry provides a great opportunity for you and your Church to reach more people than ever before.  Utilizing modern innovations with the GospelMaxx Social Media and Online Reputation tools your church body can spread the gospel message, as well as communicate your church's vision where your audience is looking.

With GospelMaxx you can increase member Evangelism, strengthen your online message, establish stronger participation, provide additional revenue for the Church, increase your membership, improve community relationships, and much, much more!

For more information on GospelMaxx please visit http://www.gospelmaxx.com or call (337) 396-8039.