First Baptist Church St. Paris

Who do you talk with? Jesus talked with many people at many different times. Jesus talked with religious people. John 3 reminds us that Jesus was willing to talk with people who knew the Scriptures but may not have had full understanding. Jesus was willing to challenge those who “sit in the pews”. Jesus…

When do you have your best conversations? What is the setting? For me, I love the evening setting with a cup of tea, yes I drink tea, in my hands. Scripture reveals to us who God is. Remember our passage, and all of Scripture is not meant to teach us about who we are. It is not a self-help book, it is…

Life has mountains. These are the good moments we long to have. Life is filled with valleys. Rarely is live a straight line. Do we believe Christ is interested in more than just saving our souls? Think about this for a moment. Is the church interested in more than just getting people “saved”. Signs point…

Relationships are important and crucial. Even in a digital and AI world relationships are key. Relationships are hard. This second truth is why we sometimes go to the easier ones of digital and AI, they are much easier and “cleaner”. The Gospel is shared primarily through relationships. This is my big…

We are in an identity crisis. Our nation. Maybe our community. Definitely our young people and some older individuals. If we want to share the Gospel we must learn to communicate effectively. This is no easy task. In a world filled with “talking heads” and “noise” we will not be able to compete if we…

We all want to soar to great heights. I know very few of us who do not want to do something valuable and meaningful. I am not talking about greatness as our world defines it, but we want to do more than just exist most of the time. The early Church saw the Gospel of John like an eagle. On the next slide…

The story of Christmas is pretty simple. Baby born to teenagers in a small town out of the way of life. People come bringing gifts and some people “had a religious experience” around this child. Yet, the Christmas is so much more. As simple as it is there is much more there for us to believe and consider.…

The KISS method: Keep It Simple Silly The other day I was watching a show on I think the History or National Geographic channel about hidden messages in the Bible. Scholars from ancietn of times to present look at scrolls and some have said the Pentateuch has predicted many other events based on spacing…

Accountability is a lost trait. This is my person opinion in many ways supported by others and the world. No wonder we have an issue with a lack of integrity. Accountability means I am not always a victim. I cannot blame others, the circumstances around me or that life is unfair. Accountability means…

Our God makes promises. To some extent this is pretty peculiar and unique to the God of Scripture. Some of these promises are known as “covenants”, a binding contract between two parties. I am not familiar with any other god making the promises our God makes, or any at all. Our God keeps His promises.…

The Holidays can be hard. This can be for many reasons but sometimes, as you know about me, I like to point out the obvious. Not everyone we run into this time of year will be jolly, happy, or in the “Holiday spirit”. We live in a world of noise. Sometimes we must remember to turn off the tv, radio,…

Not many of us are naturally wise. We may think we are but wisdom is not, at least Scripturally, something humans naturally have a lot of. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge & education. Wisdom can be gained by knowledge and education certainly but just because someone has the “right” degrees in a field…

There are many “trip hazards” in life. In life there are many things which may trip us up: literally and figuratively. I'm certain you are similar enough to me that you know how true this is. Sometimes we are tripped by major things but at least for me it is the small things. We all worship someone/something…

Our thoughts get worked out into behavior. I am not suggesting we always understand nor intentional in doing so. Sometimes our beliefs are unhelpful but we don't have the desire to change. I must admit that each year I become more and more aware of my “messed up thinking”. Yet, sometimes, if I am honest,…

How do you “win” with people? What does it mean to have influence with people? How do you gain influence? These are important questions. Some options: demand (typically because of position), manipulate, coerce, bully and shame. This seems to be the pattern of the world. If we are not careful this becomes…

We love information. Maybe that is an overstatement but we seek information and sometimes we seek information which confirms what we already know. This is called confirmation bias. What is the goal of the Gospel? This a question we must ponder regularly. It is a question which may challenge us the deeper…

4 Minutes a day=1 day a year=75 days a lifetime. Any idea what time this is being spent? It is brushing our teeth over our lifetime assuming we live to about 80 and start brushing at 5. We all waste time! None of us will every be 100% efficient. Let me also said this: our world is not going to get more…

How old are you? How mature are you for your age? I am not just talking about chronological age but that may be a start. I am talking mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Is there a crisis of maturity in our world? I wonder this because of what I see. This does not mean we should not disagree with…

We live in a polarized world. This is one major observation I can make from the past 5 years of ministry. “What may polarize the world does not or should not divide the church.” David Garland 1 Corinthians (Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament) i read this quote this week and it really hit…

Who is spiritual? Do certain people have greater access to God and Jesus? Are there different “statuses” as Christians? Not everything that “looks” spiritual is. This is part of the point of the beginning verses of our chapter. What matters is where the destination leads. True spirituality leads to Jesus.…

2025 Goal: Disciples who make disciples. Anyone remember this?! :D We need to think Biblically about all things. Walking through the book of Job we started to try and think through what the Bible really teaches about pain, suffering, hardships and who God is. Vocation-seeing our “jobs” as part of our…

We mean well. Our motives are good. If only we were judged by our motives. How would life change if we judged people on their intentions and motives? Job's friends did not speak “right”. This is not just about the words they used but the flawed thinking they had of God. We, too, can be like Job's friends.…

How do you view God? This is a primary question we must answer weekly. I know I asked this question to begin with last week as well. How do you view yourself? Our self-image, that which we think deeply about ourselves, influences how we view God and our path of healing. It is not always accurate nor…

How do you view God? What does God have to do in order to be God for you? What trait do we try to boil God down to? Suffering is complex. There is rarely ever one reason or cause of the suffering you and I experience. As we seek to help others let's not try to put their experience in a box or simplify…

Pain can become all encompassing. When we hurt our world can become quite small. It colors everything. We want to know “why”. This is admirable but sometimes, or should I say most of the time, we never get a good answer. Job was askign “why” and as we open up our chapters this morning he will get a reply.…

Sometimes our “helping” is actually hurtful. Through this series we have found “fault” with Job's three friends and we know that sometimes life happens not because of our sin but because of supernatural reasons. Job held onto his blamelessness. Job 31.5-6 helps us to see that even after all the speeches…

What is the most important thing you own? Interseting question to consider. I will give you a couple moments to think but this is a rhetorical question. A lot that sounds good, may not be good. This is why we must pray for discernment. Job 28 -A new voice speaks. I believe this is the “editor”, compiler…

We must be ready to spread hope. Look at the following verses. Hope is powerful, this is why I spoke on it early this year. I try to hold out hope for people because I also believe Jesus can change people, circumstances, organizations, communities and all things. where then is my hope— who can see any…

We all need help. This is not a surprise I hope. Sometimes our motives don't come through. We all want to help, most of the time, but sometimes it just doesn't work out well. We must be careful when helping. There is a book out called “When Helping Hurts” and though I have not read it I have had some…

Pain is not always seen. We cannot go around and “see” all the pain someone is in. It would make life easier. At other times it would make things way more complicated. Pain will come out eventually. I believe this to be true because we were not meant to carry the pain silently. If we do not process and…

Our world desire authenticity & community. Though we have a bunch of YouTube stars, social media influencers generally speaking people are quick to point out hypocrisy and “fakeness”. Suffering is inevitable. I wish it were not so. Some of us suffer greatly and others will get through life with minimal…

Listening is hard work. Listening well provides the foundation for healing and hope. This is I think a foundational principle of Scripture and life. But, I don't believe our world is typically good at truly listening. Listening is hard work! To answer before listening— that is folly and shame. We must…

Life is full of… How would you finish the statement? You don't need to answer it out loud but think about this. There is a lot of pain, stress, trauma and drama. These four things are absolutely true. Many of us will experience trauma and many individuals including our veterans experience PTSD. Drama…

What is your heritage? Sometimes it can be really neat to know where you have come from. Those who have gone before you and how they still influence your life today. The context: Feast of Tabernacles This was a reminder to the nation of Israel where they came from. It was a reminder of their ancestors…

1 out of 5 adults experience “formal” anxiety. These are those who have a formal diagnosis. These are the ones where a PCP, NP, or counselor has given the diagnosis. This is based on research from 2008 roughly. Up to 50% of adults experience anxiety of some sort. This is a preliminary study form 2023.…

We come to this MOther's Day and I hope to share this message in a way which honors the ladies of our life but also challenge us to live out the faith our world desperately needs in a counter-cultural way. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Though this is a commentary on…

Hope during dark times. Think of the darkest times of your life and also think about where hope may or may not have been. Peter is writing to people who need reminded of hope. The same is true of us today. Hope because of WHO Jesus is! I know this is review, but on Palm Sunday this is the point, He is…

Hope is essential. Without it we are just existing. Yet hope is hard at times. There are many of us in this world walking around like the walking dead. We have no life in us. Hope must be grounded in reality. If it is not then we just have flimsy optimism which though may do us well will not create life.…

There is a lot of uncertainty in our world. I have my list of things I wish was a little more clear and “decided”. There are the “big” uncertainties dealign with our world, government and such. Then there are the personal uncertainties which rightfully so become our world. It is hard to live when you…

Maundy Thursday is counter-cultural. This day goes against much of what our culture celebrates. Power. Strength. Possessions. Individualism. Personal Freedom. We need Maundy Thursday in the Church. If we are not careful we can easily slip into the pattern of our world. We need it because I believe Maundy…

Our world is fully of bustle and hustle. Many things vie for our attention. Our world is filled with conflict. Personal and within communities. Our world is filled with expectations. Spoken and unspoken. So did the world of Jesus! This is good news. We are not that much different than them. Israel was…

What does discipleship look like? The past four weeks, finishing today, I hope I have been answering this question. But beyond that how would you answer it. What does generosity look like? How have you been on the receiving end of generosity? Relationships are key for discipleship! As our passage reminds…

Life is not always easy. We know this to be true and yet, we strive to making easier for us. I know I am always looking for ways to simplify and make things a little easier. Work smarter not harder, is a phrase we have that encompasses this. Sometimes easy is not always healthy. It is much easier to…

Change is inevitable. It is not a matter of if things will change but when and how quickly. Traditions can help teach & ground our faith. Traditions are useful in many ways. Sometimes, traditions get in the way of faith. The problem CAN, emphasis on CAN, become that tradition stops faith from growing…

Deja vu-feeling like you have already experienced something but haven't. Today may be like that. We have a passage that is very similar to our text from last week. But please, don't check out just yet. Jesus transforms life. The normal way for someone to follow a teacher and rabbi in those days was to…

Personal Ministry Goal: Make disciples who make disciples. Hopefully, unless you are new to our ministry in the past month this phrase is not a new one. This year I want to be intentional, more than usual, at developing disciples in our church. Walking with Jesus is a journey. It is not something that…

What is progress? Greatness? As i finished prepping this morning I read a quote by C.S. Lewis What age is someone “old”? Now be careful if you answer out loud, which I do not recommend. :) “Now I care far more how humanity lives than how long.” C.S. Lewis Genesis 4 & 5 -the blessing is seen. We see mankind…

God is… Fill that blank in to some extent. What are the “key” traits you would highlight? The way we view God will determine how we live and share Christ. It is important we understand this. When, as we will, emphasize one trait over another there are behavioral consequences to those belief. Choices…

Expectations are… How would you finish the sentence. Where do you come from? Once again another tricky question. My answer will give insight into what I thought you were asking. The Biblical world is different than 2025. I know some may want to say “Thank you Captain Obvious” but we must always remember…

Life is a journey! I know this sounds cliche', and it is, but we must remember this. Developing disciples in 2025 As I stated a couple weeks ago this is a major theme I have this year. It is nothing flashy no edgy and trendy. Yet, it is rooted in the words of Jesus. Then Jesus came to them and said,…