Posted on March 12, 2021 at 01:04 PM in Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Preaching, Salvation, Video, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Posted on December 28, 2020 at 08:26 PM in Church, Salvation, Sermons, Video, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Day 1: Understanding this New LifeDay 2: Spend Time with God DailyDay 3: Learn about God, His Will & WaysDay 4: Live in VictoryDay 5: Connect with the BodyDay 6: Tell Your StoryDay 7: Plan and Take Next Steps
Posted on April 02, 2018 at 09:00 AM in Bible, Bible Study, Religion, Salvation, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0)
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If so, then you will appreciate the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus as presented by Dr. William Lane Craig. Dr. Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University.
Craig presents the "minimal facts approach." The approach uses the evidence that even the most skeptical historians agree to be true. Craig argues that the evidence points to the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Take a look at the 28-minute video below from the John Ankerberg Show which explains the essential evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
To dig deeper into the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus I highly recommend the following books.
Some of the links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust! (Ricky Powell is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)
Posted on March 28, 2018 at 10:00 AM in Books, Easter, Video, Witnessing | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Last year I wanted to buy a French Press coffee maker. I broke mine and needed a new one. I had an Amazon Gift card, so I did what any sane person would do—I visited Amazon.com! But I didn't simply look at the company's product description. I carefully read the customer reviews. Their positive reviews and five-star ratings convinced me to purchase a particular French Press.
Customer reviews are what we used to call "testimonials." They are personal stories about how the product affected a customer's life. Some experts claim that up to 85 percent of shoppers trust customer reviews.
Of course, Jesus is not a "product" for sale. But if thousands of people can offer their honest and heartfelt customer reviews, why are so many Christians reluctant to tell their story of how Jesus has changed their life?
If you had the cure for cancer or HIV/AIDS and kept it to yourself while millions suffered and died, would you be loving? No!
Love cares about the destiny of others.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the answer to man’s sin problem. We have the Good News of how a person can be forgiven by God and receive the gift of eternal life. We have the message of God's love. We dare not keep this news to ourselves.
But before you start preaching to people about Jesus, you may want to heed the counsel of the Apostle Paul.
In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul shares three ways we can become effective in introducing others to Jesus.
1. Be Prayerful.
"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. " (Colossians 4:2-4, ESV).
We ought to pray for opportunities to share the love and story of Jesus with others. Paul likened these opportunities to open doors. He wanted God to open the door for him to share the Good News of Jesus. When have you last prayed that God would give you an opportunity to clearly share your faith?
2. Be Careful.
"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time" (Colossians 4:5, ESV).
Everything you say or do is a witness for or against Christ. You will either be a help or a hindrance to people coming to faith in Jesus. The question is not IF you are a witness for Jesus. The question is what kind of witness are you for Jesus? Are you a help or a hindrance? Are you a stepping-stone or a stumbling block for those who need to come to Jesus?
Be careful how you live and speak. Don't be a disgrace to God's grace in the eyes of unbelievers. Make sure your social media posts don't hinder your witness for Christ.
We need God's wisdom to guide our steps, control our conduct, and direct our conversations. This wisdom comes from God through His Word the Bible. This wisdom is lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Making the best use of time” means we make the most of every opportunity God gives us to share a Word about Jesus. To do this we need to become sensitive and careful to notice the opportunities. Ask God to open your eyes to see the daily opportunities He gives to share a brief word about Him. Look for opportunities to share how Jesus is making a difference in your life.
3. Be Graceful.
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6, ESV).
Paul instructs us that our speech is to always be gracious. Our words should be kind, gentle, considerate, spiritual, fitting, truthful and loving. We are not to be PREACHY or PUSHY when talking to people about Jesus. We are to be pleasant and kind.
People are never argued into the family of God. People are never bullied or insulted into the family of God. Simply find ways to sprinkle the Gospel into conversations.
Begin each day with this prayer. “Jesus help me to love and see people like you do. Help me to share with someone today how they can trust you as their Lord and Savior.”
Comment below how you can apply these principles today?
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted on March 23, 2018 at 09:00 AM in Witnessing | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Corinth Baptist Church of Lake Park, GA invited me to Vacation Bible School. I was only twelve years old. My parents were not Christians, but I knew that in God’s eyes I had done many things He wasn’t pleased with. No one had to tell me that the lies I had told or the bad language I used was wrong. I realized I needed a change in my life. But I could not imagine how God could love me.
I was in a Bible class with other boys when my teacher, Mr. Winston Yingling, taught me that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). I realized that “all” included me and that the consequence of sin is spiritual death. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
I discovered a wonderful truth about God that night. He loves me in spite of my sin and provides a new way of living through Jesus! The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). I learned that my sin was the reason Jesus died on the cross. I felt such sorrow that Jesus took all my punishment on the cross. I was the one who deserved punishment, but Jesus took my place.
I learned that Jesus is God, and He became a man. The Bible says, "And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The Bible also says, “Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Jesus did all that for me! I realized that God had a purpose for my life. Jesus was the only way I could experience true forgiveness and spiritual life.
Mr. Yingling said God had done everything to make things right between Himself and me. It was up to me to make a choice to accept or reject God's offer of forgiveness. Mr. Yingling asked if I wanted to know how to be forgiven of my sins and receive God’s gift of eternal life.
He shared that the Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). On the following Sunday night, I received Jesus by faith and asked Him to forgive me. And He did! I was baptized as a public profession of my faith on July 13, 1980. Jesus has given me a life free from the condemnation and guilt of sin.
Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? You can place your trust in Him right now. Talk to Him. Here is a suggested prayer to help express your desire to trust Jesus.
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to forgive me of my sin, make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."
If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then I would love to hear from you so I can rejoice with you an pray for you. Leave me a comment below.
Are you a Christian who wants to share your faith in a simple way? Check out this resource for help.
Posted on March 02, 2018 at 09:35 AM in Salvation, Vacation Bible School, Witnessing | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Barna Research Group just released a study of the top 100 post-Christian cities in America. Sadly, Jacksonville made the list at number 74. Barna introduces the results of their survey this way:
It may come as no surprise that the influence of Christianity in the United States is waning. Rates of church attendance, religious affiliation, belief in God, prayer and Bible-reading have all been dropping for decades. By consequence, the role of religion in public life has been slowly diminishing, and the church no longer functions with the cultural authority it held in times past. These are unique days for the church in America as it learns what it means to flourish in a new “Post-Christian” era. https://www.barna.com/research/post-christian-cities-america-2017/
Does this break your heart? It does mine. While the results are heartbreaking, they are not surprising. I have noticed for quite some time that the rates of church attendance in our city are on the decline, along with religious affiliation, belief in prayer and Bible reading. This is all the more startling when you realize we are located in the proverbial Bible-Belt. Yet even to the casual observer our community is more unchurched and post-Christian than ever before.
I agree with Barna in that our church must learn what it means to flourish in a new post-Christian era. We cannot put our heads in the sand and assume that what worked in the past will work today. We must be willing to step back and recommit ourselves to the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ and the mission of taking that message to the world. But we must not allow man-made methods or personal preferences to get in the way of communicating the Gospel to our community in a way they will understand.
Before the world was post-Christian, it was pre-Christian, and the early church went out with the Gospel message in the power of the Holy Spirit, and turned their world upside down for Jesus. I believe our church can be a part of a new revival among God’s people, and a new outpouring of God’s grace upon sinners who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus. I do not believe we need to give up on our city. Instead we must love our city enough to do whatever it takes to claim it for Jesus Christ! Many of the decisions we have made as a church that shape how we do things here have been influenced by our desire to reach a new generation with the gospel of Jesus. I’m going to ask you to join me in body, mind, and soul in doing whatever it takes, short of sinning, to reach one more person for Jesus! We must have the mindset of a missionary. America is one of the largest mission fields in the world. And like the
Many of the decisions we have made as a church that shape how we do things here have been influenced by our desire to reach a new generation with the gospel of Jesus. I’m going to ask you to join me in body, mind, and soul in doing whatever it takes, short of sinning, to reach one more person for Jesus! We must have the mindset of a missionary. America is one of the largest mission fields in the world. Like the Apostle Paul, we are going to use whatever methods we have to in order to relate the Gospel to people who are far from God in a way that they will understand. This will include everything from music styles, attire, church structure, and communication methods.
Before you push back on my suggestion, please consider what the apostle Paul did in his own ministry.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19 – 23)
Paul meant that he was willing to change methods to reach different groups of people for Jesus. He was willing to do what ever it took, short of sinning, to reach people for Jesus. May we be willing to do the same!
What are some ways Jesus related to different types of people with the message of God's love? What are some of the ways Paul adjusted his missionary methods to reach different groups of people? What are some ways missionaries like Lottie Moon or J. Hudson Taylor sought to be relevant to the people they were trying to reach? Leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
Posted on June 28, 2017 at 04:09 PM in Church, Church Unity, Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Lottie Moon, Missions, Salvation, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. Ninety-eighty percent of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year. –Dr. Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
Posted on March 18, 2015 at 08:00 AM in Easter, Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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A couple of weeks ago I asked our members to write a note of appreciation to the person who led them to faith in Jesus. Even if they could not mail it, I wanted them to be reminded of how we were all once without faith in Jesus. We should be grateful that someone cared enough about us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with us. Below you will find the letter that I wrote to the man who led me to faith in Christ. He is with the Lord now, but I think of him often. To whom would you write your letter? What would you say? I would love to hear how you came to faith in Jesus. Leave me a comment below.
Continue reading "Have You Thanked The Person Who Led You To Jesus?" »
Posted on August 10, 2014 at 08:00 AM in Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Witnessing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted on May 13, 2013 at 10:31 AM in Bible Study, Church Unity, Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Missions, Music, Preaching, Sermons, Video, Witnessing, Worship | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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