By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:23-31 Very few things in history have been on a national level known by the world — 9/11/01, the eruption of the Mount St. Helens volcano in 1980, the surprise election of President Trump in 2016. There is only one event in human history where everyone was aware of it — the Noahic flood. Where the “fountains of
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 5:12-24 One of the main criticisms of Christianity is that of hypocrisy — too many Christians don’t live out what they say they believe. In essence, Christians don’t walk the talk. While these accusations may be unfair and a complete misunderstanding of the Christian faith, there’s enough truth in this characterization of Christians that we need
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:15-22 Nobody likes to be deceived — that moment when you realize you have been lied to and taken advantage of. It’s embarrassing. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised to discover in these last days Satan is truly deceiving the nations of the world. What will all of this lead to? Days of deception. Matthew 24:15 speaks about the
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 5:1-11 I once read a study noting that we may spend as much as four months out of every year waiting — we wait at stop lights and intersections, in traffic, in the fast-food line, at our doctor’s office, for friends and family to arrive and so it goes. We wait so much of the time
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:1-14 Destruction (vv. 1-3). The first few verses refer to King Herod who had taken the existing temple and completely refurbished and remodeled it. He doubled its size and doubled the land on which it sat. This was his finest building project of which he had many. Its grandeur was a wonder to behold. All of that changed
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 I want to make a recommendation: If Jesus has not been bodily raised from the dead, let’s close all the churches. Because if Jesus has not been raised from the dead there is no hope, no forgiveness of sins, no eternal life, no future, no Church. I Corinthians 15:12-19 notes that if Jesus has not
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 28:1-10 Many things in life are expected — the sun will come up, taxes will go up, inflation will go up, kids will grow up, and some days we want to give up. But there are some things that are not expected. The Resurrection of Christ is the world’s greatest “unexpectation.” The Pharisees and Romans expected the disciples
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: John 16:19-22, 27-33 It has often been said, ‘The greater the struggle, the greater the victory.’ Ask any mother with her newborn infant, any athlete after a last second win, any struggling Christian who receives an answer to a desperate prayer and most will say, “It was very difficult, but it was well worth the sacrifice.” Before anesthesia, a
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 4:13-18 Samuel Beckett’s 1948 bestselling book entitled, Waiting for Godet, tells the story of two men, Vladimir and Estragon, talking about life as they wait for a mysterious character to arrive named Godet, yet Godet never arrives. Many believed at the time that this was Beckett’s subliminal way of talking about the God who teases us with the
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 4:1-12 We are way past the point in our culture when Christians can get away with simply “saying” we’re Christians. There may have been a time in America where a person could label themselves a Christian because everyone identified as a Christian, true or not. Those days are gone, and good riddance. Cultural Christianity has nearly killed the
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:23-31 Very few things in history have been on a national level known
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 5:12-24 One of the main criticisms of Christianity is that of
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:15-22 Nobody likes to be deceived — that moment when you realize you
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 5:1-11 I once read a study noting that we may spend
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 24:1-14 Destruction (vv. 1-3). The first few verses refer to King Herod who
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 I want to make a recommendation: If Jesus has not
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: Matthew 28:1-10 Many things in life are expected — the sun will come up,
By Chuck Williams Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan Focal Passage: John 16:19-22, 27-33 It has often been said, ‘The greater the struggle, the greater
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 4:13-18 Samuel Beckett’s 1948 bestselling book entitled, Waiting for Godet, tells the story
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Focal Passage: I Thessalonians 4:1-12 We are way past the point in our culture when Christians can
