First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

For Paul and Silas, nothing dished out by angry Pharisees or ignorant Romans or shipwrecks or starvation could take the place of who he saw and what he heard on that Damascus road. Jesus Christ had gone through all Paul had faced in the area of suffering and mistreatment, and far worse – to the point of crucifixion. Jesus had Paul's heart, and nothing – no fear or anxiety of any kind – would be able to move that.

For Paul and Silas, nothing dished out by angry Pharisees or ignorant Romans or shipwrecks or starvation could take the place of who he saw and what he heard on that Damascus road. Jesus Christ had gone through all Paul had faced in the area of suffering and mistreatment, and far worse – to the point of crucifixion. Jesus had Paul's heart, and nothing – no fear or anxiety of any kind – would be able to move that.

The story of a girl who has been possessed and exploited but the victory is hers through Christ.

The story of a girl who has been possessed and exploited but the victory is hers through Christ.

In the strange places into which God may send you, in the small starts that tempt you to disappointment, in every area of life be comforted that your God numbers your days, he counts your tears, and he's close enough that he numbers every hair on your head. No one can thwart his purpose in the world and nothing can thwart his good purpose for you.

In the strange places into which God may send you, in the small starts that tempt you to disappointment, in every area of life be comforted that your God numbers your days, he counts your tears, and he's close enough that he numbers every hair on your head. No one can thwart his purpose in the world and nothing can thwart his good purpose for you.

Our primary mission field is our daily life. That's where we're sent. Sent into our families. Sent into our schools. Sent into our work, our neighborhood, our clubs, the shops, the restaurants as agents of Christ. We carry his name and his love everywhere we go. This is the point of life. What exactly are you supposed to say and do this week? You can ask the Lord to show you. And when he answers, when he prompts, remember the right reply of Ananias, “Lord, here I am. Send me.”

Our primary mission field is our daily life. That's where we're sent. Sent into our families. Sent into our schools. Sent into our work, our neighborhood, our clubs, the shops, the restaurants as agents of Christ. We carry his name and his love everywhere we go. This is the point of life. What exactly are you supposed to say and do this week? You can ask the Lord to show you. And when he answers, when he prompts, remember the right reply of Ananias, “Lord, here I am. Send me.”

Men, we have hearts for Jesus. Younger men and boys want to see and share such a heart. They see all around them people who live for revenge, for respect, for taking, for grabbing. They need to see some men who are living a different way. They need to hear us have the courage to name the name of Jesus and give God the glory for what he's done in our lives. Are you building into a young man? Are you offering to be a father in the faith? Because someone is just waiting for you. Just let someone see your heart for Jesus and his world.

It works like this. We bring that part of us that is pierced or pulverized to Jesus and find a channel opens in his speared side to take us in. Blood to blood. Humiliation to humiliation. Scar to scar. We come and he receives us. 

It works like this. We bring that part of us that is pierced or pulverized to Jesus and find a channel opens in his speared side to take us in. Blood to blood. Humiliation to humiliation. Scar to scar. We come and he receives us. 

A trajectory was being set in the early church of the 1st century, and God was protecting his church from hypocrisy because the mission is that important. God takes sin seriously because the world desperately needs a sanctified church. Sin doesn't have to be dramatic to bring about death. A little bit of poison getting into one's digestion system over time will bring about the same. Death is death, no matter if it comes about prolonged over time or instantaneously.

A trajectory was being set in the early church of the 1st century, and God was protecting his church from hypocrisy because the mission is that important. God takes sin seriously because the world desperately needs a sanctified church. Sin doesn't have to be dramatic to bring about death. A little bit of poison getting into one's digestion system over time will bring about the same. Death is death, no matter if it comes about prolonged over time or instantaneously.

The name of Jesus is the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. For millennium, countless Christians can testify that when they called on his name in faith, the Holy Spirit moved, and the power of God began work in their lives. The gospel continues to go forth. It began in Jerusalem, quickly overflowed into Judea and Samaria, and has now impacted you and me 6,880 miles and 2,00 years away.

The name of Jesus is the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. For millennium, countless Christians can testify that when they called on his name in faith, the Holy Spirit moved, and the power of God began work in their lives. The gospel continues to go forth. It began in Jerusalem, quickly overflowed into Judea and Samaria, and has now impacted you and me 6,880 miles and 2,00 years away.

The more we daily release our minds and hearts to Christ, the more we will change. Someone may ask, “What happened to you?” We will say, “This Jesus of Nazareth came into the world with signs and wonders and teaching like never heard before. He came to save humanity. But we put him to death. We couldn't stand that much light. But God's plan would not be thwarted. I crucified Jesus. The Spirit raised me from the dead with Christ. Nothing has been the same. It can happen for you more and more as you repent, change your mind, and believe the gospel.

The more we daily release our minds and hearts to Christ, the more we will change. Someone may ask, “What happened to you?” We will say, “This Jesus of Nazareth came into the world with signs and wonders and teaching like never heard before. He came to save humanity. But we put him to death. We couldn't stand that much light. But God's plan would not be thwarted. I crucified Jesus. The Spirit raised me from the dead with Christ. Nothing has been the same. It can happen for you more and more as you repent, change your mind, and believe the gospel.

To the Christian struggling with compromise and sin, the Spirit was given that you might be made holy, to refine you like gold. To the Christian who fears for her salvation, the Spirit was given that you might be held fast in the grip of God the Father and to testify in your weakness that you are his. The one who perhaps doubts the existence of God, doubts the existence of this God, or doubts that God could in any way be for you, the Spirit was given that dead bones might live. He can do that today.

To the Christian struggling with compromise and sin, the Spirit was given that you might be made holy, to refine you like gold. To the Christian who fears for her salvation, the Spirit was given that you might be held fast in the grip of God the Father and to testify in your weakness that you are his. The one who perhaps doubts the existence of God, doubts the existence of this God, or doubts that God could in any way be for you, the Spirit was given that dead bones might live. He can do that today.

The path of Christ is uncomfortable, but you do not walk on that path alone. For he prays for you that your faith may not fail and he gives you his Spirit beyond measure. He has not run the race to bark at you to run faster. He has given you all you need.

The path of Christ is uncomfortable, but you do not walk on that path alone. For he prays for you that your faith may not fail and he gives you his Spirit beyond measure. He has not run the race to bark at you to run faster. He has given you all you need.

His heart beats.He breathes in.He took one breath,And put death to death.

There is no freedom from fear without surrender of our wills. There is no strength to carry on in the face of the worst if we have not bowed the knee of our hearts to our King. There is no guidance through the valley of the shadow if I insist on following my path not God's. We are called to entrust ourselves completely to Christ.

There is no freedom from fear without surrender of our wills. There is no strength to carry on in the face of the worst if we have not bowed the knee of our hearts to our King. There is no guidance through the valley of the shadow if I insist on following my path not God's. We are called to entrust ourselves completely to Christ.