SMBC Fall Church Institute

Today begins our first Fall Church Institute at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

The Church Institute will be three nights (Sept. 27-29) or Bible preaching and teaching, corporate worship, and spiritual renewal.

At 6 PM, there will be classes on various aspects of Christian discipleship, which will include classes for children, youth, young adults, singles, men, women, and financial stewardship. Several local pastors and professors will lead classes on Church History, and Old and New Testaments surveys.

At 7 PM, there will be a time of corporate worship. Our guest speaker will be the Dr. John Adolph of the Antioch Baptist Church of Beaumont, TX. Pastor Adolph was one of our guest speakers for our Wednesdays in the Word in February 2010. The Lord used him in a great way to bless and encourage our congregation. We trust that the Lord will use him over these three nights to minister the word.

Maurice Griffin from Chicago will be our guest soloist each night. Maurice was a contestant on BET’s Sunday’s Best competition. I did not hear him on the show, which I do not watch! But I had the privilege of hearing this young man at a conference in Dallas this past summer. And I was blessed by the two occasions I had to hear him sing. I am glad to have him as our guest.

I am really looking forward to these three nights. And I pray that our congregation will be enriched and edified by the ministry of the word.

Please cover these nights in believing prayer.

If you are able to attend, please join us for study and worship. If not, you can catch a live stream of the service through our website at www.smbcjax.com

Notes from Sunday - 09/11/11

It was a long but good day.

I praise God for all that he is doing in and through the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church!

Throughout the day, my thoughts have drifted back to the tragedy that took place 10 years ago today. Remembering. Grieving. Praying.

I had just fallen to sleep after finishing a sermon for a special prayer meeting we were to have that night. I was knocked-out on the coach. The phone kept ringing. It was my mom, calling to tell me to turn on the TV. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news that our nation was under attack?

For the record, I am proud to be an American!!!

During our Bible Study Fellowship hour we have a rally to introduce to new groups and pray for our new teachers.

Today’s Fighter Verse was 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. It was a good start to our new corporate Scripture memorization system. Next week’s verse is 2 Corinthians 9:8.

Grateful for all the guests in worship with us today.

Praise God for the one who was baptized today.

Our opening hymn was great today! I love hymns!

Our children’s choir sung today. It was the first time they have sung in several months. They did a good job, as usual.

The choir sung Richard Smallwood’s new song, “Trust Me,” before the message. It is a beautiful song.

I began a three-part series that I am calling “Real Church.” I preached today on “Real Worship” from John 4:19-24.

I strived to make the point that real worship is about God and not about you!

I preached all day with a sore throat. But his grace is sufficient and his strength is perfected in my weakness.

I plan to preach next Sunday on “Real Change” from 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

My family and I went to the Jaguars home opener this afternoon. The Jags beat the Tennessee Titans 16-14.

It was so unbelievably hot that I felt I was going to melt right in my seat.

The halftime tribute to the 9/11 victims, families, and first responders was moving and beautiful.

I am so glad that football is back!

I cannot believe the beat down the Indianapolis Colts received today without Payton Manning.

I am disappointed that Serena Williams lost in the US Open Finals today.

The Dallas Cowboys gave us a 4th quarter lead to lose to the New York Jets tonight. This is not the way we were supposed to start the season.

The USC Trojans defeated Utah 24-13 this weekend. You can put us on probation. But you cannot keep us down. Go Trojans!!!

From HBC2 to SMBC (09/07/11)

Good day, Shiloh family members.

Hope you are having a good week so far.

Here are several updates for this week that I want you to be aware of.

Midday Bible Study. Today begins our new Midday Bible Study, which will be led by Pastor Brodes C Perry. It starts at noon and will last for one hour. The study will be through “The Journey of a Lifetime,” a yearlong survey through the entire Bible. Pray for this meeting. Come out and participate, if you are able.

Midweek Worship Service. Tonight, I plan to continue our material on “How to Study the Bible for Yourself.” I hope to finish the material tonight. But, we’ll see.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast. Our Men’s Prayer Breakfast will meet this Saturday from 9-10 AM. We will share a meal together and then hear the word explained. I plan to teach this Saturday. I look forward to seeing our brothers out for this great time of learning and fellowship.

Fighter Verses. Our memory verse(s) for this week is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. We will quote it in worship together Sunday in both of our services. Praying for you as as you follow through your commitment to memorize scripture.

Real Church. This Sunday, I plan to begin a new, 3-part series entitled, “Real Church.” Sunday’s message will be on “Real Worship” from John 4:19-24. Invite a friend to join you for worship.

Back to Church Sunday. September 18 is National Back to Church Sunday. Invite an unsaved or unchurched person to worship with you in one of our services.

MADD Reloaded. Our Make a Difference Day Reloaded will take place on Saturday, September 24. Check in with your ministry or district leaders to find out how you can participate in blitzing our community with acts of love.

Fall Church Institute. Remember that our first Fall Church Institute will take place September 27-29. There will be discipleship classes available each night at 6 PM. Then there will be a time of corporate worship at 7 PM. Dr. John R. Adolph of the Antioch Baptist Church in Beaumont, TX. You do not want to miss one night of this great meeting!

This is a busy month. Please cover these events in believing prayer. Be marked present. And invite someone to join you for worship.

God bless,

HBC2

Notes from Sunday - 09/04/11

What a great day of worship at Shiloh!

I love the Lord Jesus Christ! I love the word of God! And I love the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church!

I led a Q&A session during our Bible Study Fellowship hour today. I had a great time teaching my congregation in dialogue.

We had a special time of worship and fellowship during our Lord’s Supper observance today.

I am grateful for all of the guests who were in worship with us today, including friends from Detroit and the Williams family reunion.

God be praised for all our volunteers who served today.

The choir sung one of my throwback favorites – God Will Take Care Of You (by Edwin Hawkins).

I initiated a corporate scripture memorization program for our church today. We will use the Fighter Verses established by the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis. I pray the Lord uses our commitment to memorize scripture to cause us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I preached on “Spiritual Warfare through Scripture Memorization,” using Ephesians 6:17b as by base scripture.

I gave the church five basic reasons why we should practice the spiritual discipline of scripture memorization:

1. It will draw you closer to God.
2. It will lead you to spiritual victory.
3. It will strengthen your prayer life.
4. It will make you a better witness for Christ.
5. It will equip you to minister to others.

Pulpit monitors: 2 – HBC2: 0. The loser gets a sore throat.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services today.

I plan to begin a new series next week that I will call “Real Church.” The first message will be on “Real Worship” from John 4:21-24.

The college football system began with a bang this weekend. USC defeated Minnesota 19-17. You can unfairly sanction us, but you cannot keep the Trojans down!

Happy Labor Day! Be safe. Have fun. God bless.

On Memorizing Scripture

He was in the wilderness. He was exhausted. He was hungry and thirsty. He was alone. He was attacked by the Devil. He was armed with the word of God. He was victorious. With confidence in the sacred scriptures, Jesus prevailed against the tempter's deceitful schemes (see Matt. 4:1-11). The Lord defeated Satan with three verses from Deuteronomy. How much more can you and I resist temptation, live obediently, and endure hardship if we get the word of God into our hearts and minds through scripture memorization?

There are very few spiritual disciples that are more beneficial than scripture memorization. It arms you with truth to resist temptation. It renews your mind as you meditate on scripture. It shapes and strengthens your prayer life, enabling you to pray the scriptures back to God. It makes the wisdom of God readily available for decision-making. It arms you with biblical authority for counseling fellow-believers or witnessing to lost people. It gives comfort in times of grief, sorrow, and persecution. And it fills your mind and mouth with truth to offer as grateful praise to God in worship.

Here are seven steps you can take to begin and stay on track down the narrow but life-giving path of scripture memorization.

1. Have a plan. When left alone, good intentions suffocate spiritual progress. Godly desires must have the fresh air of practical commitments in order to breathe and live and grow. So establish a definite plan for scripture memorization - a plan that works for you. Decide when you will do it. Select what verses you are going to memorize. Have a plan and establish measurable, challenging, attainable goals.

2. Start small. Don't begin by telling yourself that you are going to memorize a chapter a week. No you’re not. And your failure will only discourage you in the future. Remember, each victory will help you another to win. So start small and build on your successes. One or two verses a week is a good place to begin.

3. Select verses that are meaningful to you. The Bible is filled with hundreds of verses worth memorizing. Many profitable Bible memory systems are also available. And pastors and teachers may encourage you to memorize certain passages. Draw from all of these sources for ideas. But also select your own memory verses. Choose passages that are meaningful to you and that you find helpful.

4. Make memory cards to keep with you. Write out the verse on a card that you can take wherever you go. And when you have spare moments – on a break, in a waiting room, or between activities – you can read, review, and recite your memory verses.

5. Get a Bible memory partner. Do you have a prayer partner? If not, you should. A good prayer partner can give you support, hold you accountable, and celebrate victories with you. A good Bible memorization partner can do the same. Iron sharpens iron. So consider partnering with someone for mutual support in memorizing scripture.

6. Keep practicing your verses. Scripture memorization does not come easy for most of us. But don’t be too quick to blame it on a poor memory. Scripture memorization is spiritual warfare. But our spiritual enemy cannot prevail against the word of God. So keep practicing your verses until you get them down. Then constantly review them. Remember, repetition is the key to memorization.

7. Pray for God’s help. Do you fear that you cannot memorize scripture? Tell God about your fears. Do you need strength to remain focused? Ask the Lord for it. Do you need wisdom for selecting verses or managing your quiet time? Pray with confidence for these things. God is glorified as you learn to think and behave biblically. So labor and pray and trust the Lord to help you to make the word a treasure in your heart, so that you might not sin against him (Ps. 119:11).

Notes from Sunday - England Edition

I am writing these words from London, where it is Monday morning. When I finish typing this post, I will help to the airport for my flight home.

I had a great day of worship with the Loughborough Baptist Church in Loughborough. The city is about an hour’s train ride outside of London.

Saturday evening, I stayed with Michael and Katie in their home. Michael is the secretary for the church.

Michael and Katie were wonderful hosts. They have been married for 47 years, having met at a Christian youth camp. I enjoyed the conversation.

Michael and Katie were shocked that I did not use milk in my tea. I was equally shocked that they did.

Their home was built in 1740. Of course, it has been fully refurbished. It was beautiful.

Across the street from their home was a sign commemorating the fact that John Wesley had preached in that stop from his horse. Way cool.

Gert Sassius is the pastor of the Loughborough congregation, where he has only served for nine months. But the congregation is very excited about the prospects for the future under its new pastor.

Several members of the congregation had watched the streaming of our services at Shiloh over the past several weeks. So they had a sense of what to expect from my preaching.

When I asked how long I should preach, the answered was, “It is not for me to say. We are here to hear the word of God. It is not our place to say how long or short the ministry of the word should be.” The best answer to that question I have every heard!

I preached from Psalm 23, hoping I would be able to connect through a familiar passage. My exposition of the passage seemed to be received well.

I quoted Charles Haddon Spurgeon and John R.W. Stott – two famous English pastors/preachers – in the introduction. The congregation smiled.

Though very quiet during the sermon, the members were eager to share with me how they were helped by the message after the service was over. There were many specific references to thoughts in the message. It was obvious they were listening well.

There was no choir. Only congregational singing. Rich hymns. It was great!

There was no invitation to discipleship extended in the service, even though the church obviously has a commitment to evangelism. I did not ask by what means new members are received into the church.

They thought it was novel that we have Sunday school for adults, as well as children.

The congregation has a pipe organ that was donated to the church by Dale Carnegie in 1908. The congregation celebrated its centennial in 2008.

Several members expressed how troubled they were by the riots that had been taking place in London. Different perspectives; mutual concern.

I really missed being with my congregation today. It was the first Sunday I have not been at Shiloh all year.

Brodes Perry preached at Shiloh on “Friends Don’t Let Friends Die Lost” (Mark 2:1-11).

Over the evening, I received several reports about how great the service was. Praise God!

I met up with several colleagues here who had preached in different places. All seemed to have had a good experience. Very encouraging.

Ready to go home.

A Unique Preaching Opportunity

I am writing this post from London. The Proclaimer’s Place preaching conference in Oxford ended yesterday. Part of the conference this year a festival of African-American preaching, in which preachers from the conference have been assigned to preach in local Baptist churches in the area.

It will be my privilege to preach in the morning at the Loughborough Baptist Church in Loughborough, where Michael Tebbatt is the pastor. It is about 150 miles away from where I am presently. So I will be taking the train there soon to preach in the morning.

Please remember me in prayer as I prepare for this unique preaching opportunity. Likewise, this is will really be the first time I have travelled here by myself. And I am chronically “directionally challenged.” This should be interesting.

Over the past day or so, we have traveled freely around London. But we have not encountered any of the riots firsthand. However, there are constant reports and warnings about the riots breaking out in different places. And there is some obvious level of anxiety in some places.

Please pray for this city. And thanks for your prayers for our safety.

I cannot wait to go home!!!

The Proclaimer's Place 2011

I am in Oxford, England, participating in the Proclaimer’s Place, led by Dr. Joel C. Gregory. It is four days of study for preaching, with about twenty-five ministers from around the United States participating.

Each day, we take a text of scripture and study it together, with a view toward preaching. Yesterday, we studied Exodus 13-17-22. Today we will study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-11. Malachi 3 and Luke 1 will follow in the days to come.

I am being refreshed by the study and the fellowship.

In baseball, hitters take batting practice and constantly work on their swing. The same is true in golf. Unfortunately, preachers can go to the pulpit week after week, without taking time to work on our swing, so to speak. So I am finding this time to be very refreshing.

As you can imagine, my body is in Oxford. But it is still acting like it is in Jacksonville. All of my patterns are thrown off.

If you have watched the news, you know that there are riots in London. I am not scheduled to be there until this weekend. I pray things will quiet down before then. Last night, we received warnings that there may be riots here in Oxford. But that really did not come to pass.

Thanks for all your prayers.

Notes from Sunday - 08/07/11

What a great day of worship today at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville!

I had a good time teaching my new members class today. I have “ditched” teaching the past few weeks. It was great to get back into the saddle.

It was our privilege to deliberately remember the Lord Jesus Christ through the celebration of the Lord’s Table today.

I led the corporate singing in our services today. We sung “Glory to His Name” and “There is a Fountain.” Two of my favorite Communion hymns!

As always, grateful for all of our guests who joined us in worship today.

The choir sung one of my favorite songs – “I’m Encouraged,” by the late Thomas Whitfield. I would have loved to get me some of that song. But it would have only made it harder for me to preach. Next time!

I concluded my three-part series on 1 Peter 1:3-9 that I called “Real Hope for Difficult Times.”

Today’s message was on 1 Peter 1:8-9: “The Believer’s View of the Unseen Christ.”

I outlined for marks of a true relationship with Jesus Christ:

1. Personal devotion: “Though you have not seen him, you love him.” (v. 8)
2. Abiding trust: “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him…” (v. 8)
3. Abundant joy: “and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (v. 8)
4. Confident assurance: “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (v. 9)

I have really enjoyed preaching through this section at 1 Peter. I am tempted to go just keep going in 1 Peter. But I will resist that temptation. Other subjects beckon me.

And I really, really enjoy preaching to my congregation. What a church!

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services today!

I regularly pray for members after the services. It was so encouraging to have members praying for me today.

I was basically on my feet on morning long. Thank God for granting me physical strength and physical energy today.

Just think, our Sunday afternoons will be soon filled by National Football League. How ‘bout those Cowboys?!?!

I am writing these notes from the JAX airport. I am on my way to Oxford, England, for the Proclaimer’s Place preaching conference. And I am scheduled to preach in London next weekend. Please pray for my travels. And remember my family and church in your prayers.

As I was writing this, they just updated my flight information. My flight to Dallas is now one hour and ten minutes late. It will be interesting to day if I make my connecting flight to London.

Pray saints!

Reflections on Preaching through the Epistle of James

Several weeks ago, I completed a verse-by-verse exposition of the Epistle of James for my congregation at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. My faith was enriched by this personal study. And I trust my congregation was built up in their faith, as a result of hearing these messages.

I have been thinking about this series over the past several days - not necessarily the spiritual experience of studying James, but the practicalities of preaching through it. Here are some of my reflections.

Why James? I love the Epistle of James. I think it is James’ “in your face” style of writing that endeavors me to this letter. I have read it countless times devotionally. I have memorized sections of it. And I have preached several messages from it over the years, mostly from chapter 1. But I had never done a complete study of James. Likewise, I find portions of James challenging – both spiritually and homiletically. So I wanted to take up the challenge. And, above all, I believe that it would be a good study for our congregation. That belief proved true.

Preaching long sermon series. I was recently in a setting where the argument was being made that people will not listen to long sermon series anymore. When the discussion got to me, I admitted that I was preparing to preach my final sermon in James. It would be twenty-second sermon!

The prevailing notion is that a sermon series should be between 4-6 messages, no longer than 8. But many of my preaching heroes are men who preach long series, consecutively through books of the Bible. Rather treating this idea of short series as an inviolable law, I think it should be emphasized people adapt to what you feed them. I am grateful to serve a church that is willing to endure long series through Bible books.

Stop-and-go through James. If I had followed my schedule, I would have completed James months ago. But toward the end of 2010 and in the beginning of 2011 I found myself facing congregational pressures. With God’s help, I was able to preach each week. But, admittedly, it was all I could do to drag myself to the pulpit. Some weeks I pulled a file of sermon I had preached before. Other weeks I preached from passages that I found encouraging. But many of those weeks I just did not feel like talking about faith without works is dead. Or the power of the tongue. Of whatever was next in James. So I worked through James in fits and starts. But the congregation was very patient and understanding through this. Only once did anyone say anything to me about abandoning James. I was preaching through a storm. And the congregation did not mind what I was preaching, as long as it was the word of God. Praise God!

Technical difficulties. I read several solid introductions to James before I began my studies. But they did not prepare me for the textual difficulties I encountered. Many weeks, I would be faced with challenges in the Greek over which the scholars sharply disagreed. And I would have to make an interpretative judgment call. This forced me to prayerfully work through the texts with my thinking cap pulled down tightly on my head. Of course, I tried not to bring these matters to the pulpit. I believe that the sermon should reflect the fruit of your studies more than the process of it. So I did not share most of these challenges with the congregation. But being forced to consider them stretched me. Difficult texts make strong preachers!

My favorite commentaries on James. I have collected quite of few commentaries on James over the years. And I picked up a few more before I started my study. And a few more over the course of my study. My favorite, above all, is D. Edmond Hiebert’s commentary on James (Moody). It is everything a commentary should be. I also appreciated Peter’s David’s commentary. I surprised myself by using the NIV Application Commentary by David P. Nystrom throughout the study. I consulted Ralph Martin’s well-respected commentary on James. But it was not one of my favorites.

I read the Holman NT Commentary religiously each week. And, of course, I read John MacArthur and R Kent Hughes and Warren Wiersbe every week. They are old friends. I had to consider what they thought about the text. I likewise listened to audio messages by Kent Hughes, John MacArthur, Gary Inrig, and Alistair Begg each week. I also read some popular works on James by O.S. Hawkins, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and Joel Gregory. I found them all useful in seeing how preachers handled the texts of James.

A lot of weeks I kept reading late into the week, when I should have stopped and started writing the sermon. And it put me behind in my sermon preparation. I think this hurt the quality of some of the sermons. But at least I knew the text well.

Texts I enjoyed preaching. I enjoyed studying and preaching every text of James. Really. By the time I got out of chapter 1, I was convinced that no matter how difficult the text seemed at first glance, it would yield great treasures. I was not disappointed once. And it just got better as the study progressed. I praise the Lord for James and for the privilege of spending months immersing myself in its message.

The Lord be praised for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ!

Notes from Sunday - 07/31/11

Saturday morning, I taught a seminar at our church on “How to Study the Bible for Yourself.” It was well attended. And it was great to see the enthusiasm of the members about study the word of God. In typical H.B. fashion, we did not complete half of the twenty pages of notes I prepared. So we will plan a follow session for sometime soon.

My family returned home from Los Angeles Saturday afternoon. Yes! The suicide watch is over. Thanks for your prayers.

We had a great day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

Our Men’s Chorus led the music in both services. It was great to have our men leading in worship.

Our Bible Study Fellowship group meets did not meet yesterday. During our BSF hour, we have a mass baptism service.

I actually got in the water, for the first time in at least 15 years. Or more.

We baptized more than 40 new members.

It was my great privilege to baptize my two oldest children – H.B. & Natalie. I praise the Lord that my children have made a profession of faith in Christ. And it was a speechless privilege to baptize them this morning.

I could not help but think today about the day my father baptized me, when I was six years old. I remember my baptism and am grateful to God for saving me.

Shout out to Pastor Mike Rodgers for his assistance during the baptisms. I am not sure I would have been able to do it alone.

As always, I am grateful for the guests who were with us in worship. There was a special group that joined us from Savannah. I am glad they chose to worship with us and pray they were blessed.

I continued a brief, three-part series on 1 Peter 1:3-9 that I am called, “Real Hope for Difficult Times.”

I preached from 1 Peter 1:6-7: “The Truth About Your Trials.”

I sought to make five points about the trials of life we face as Christians:

1. The proper response to your trials (1:6a)
2. The limited duration of your trials (1:6b)
3. The spiritual necessity of your trials (1:6c)
4. The painful reality of your trials (1:6d)
5. The intended results of your trials (1:7)

It is not often that I attempt to a five-point outline, for obvious reasons. I have enough trouble as it is preaching a three-point outline in a reasonable amount of time.

I am preaching this series out of my pastoral desire to say something encouraging to my congregation. I pray that these messages have been comforting and encouraging so far.

Next week’s sermon: “The Believer’s View of the Unseen Christ” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our services today.

Slow afternoon. Really slow afternoon. No complaints. Needed the rest.

Breaking News: Football is back!

Notes from Sunday - 07/24/11

It was a long week. Followed by a long weekend.

I preach for our district association Friday afternoon, which met at our church for its Congress of Christian Education. And I preached Saturday afternoon for the national convention of the Church of the Living God that was meeting in Jacksonville this past week.

Have sermon, will travel.

It was a great day of worship at the Shiloh Church today.

Our ensemble, “Forgiven,” led the music in both of our services. They did a good job, as usual.

Grateful for the guests who were in our worship services today. Several pastors from different parts of the country joined us for worship. I was encouraged by their presence.

Still praying for our members who are traveling on vacation over the summer months.

Today I began a 3-part series entitled, “Real Hope for Difficult Times” (1 Peter 1:3-9).

William Barclay began his commentary on this passage by saying: “It will take us a long time to appropriate the riches of this passage, for there are few passage in the New Testament were more of the great fundamental Christian ideas come together.” I fully agree.

I gave three reasons why we should praise God for salvation:

1. We have experience a new birth (1:3).
2. We have received a guaranteed inheritance (1:4).
3. We have obtained an eternal security (1:5).

Next Sunday’s message: “A Theology for your Trial” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

I absolutely cannot wait to get back to my pulpit next Sunday.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to this church in our worship services.

Quiet afternoon. Too quiet.

My family is still in Los Angeles. They will be home this week. Suicide watch continues…

I am scheduled to speak for Pastor Timothy Fleming at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Atlanta this Monday through Thursday night. Please remember this meeting in your prayers.

Are you ready for some football?

Speaking @ the E.K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference 2011

The E.K. Bailey International Conference of Expository Preaching is taking place this week in Dallas (July 11-14). It is a great week of study, fellowship, and good preaching!

The conference is named after its founder, the late Dr. E.K. Bailey, founding pastor of the Concord Church in Dallas. Dr. Bailey was a noted African-American expositor. And God used his ministry and this conference to introduce many to the principles, tools, and disciplines needed to preach what the text means by what it says.

I was drawn to expository preaching by divine conspiracy. I was hearing preachers, reading books, and having conversations that were all calling me to it. But hearing Dr. Bailey sealed the deal. I walked out of the service after hearing him for the first time and said, “That’s what I want to do.” I was not talking about his style or delivery or anything like that. I was talking about how he simply explained the meaning of the text.

This preaching conference is now lead by my friend, Pastor Bryan Carter, who now leads the Concord Church. In his capable hands, this conference continues to be a premiere meeting on biblical preaching. At the same time, Dr. Sheila Bailey leads the Stand Women’s Conference, and continues to honor the legacy of her late husband with her love for ministering to the word of God to women.

The conference kicked off last night in a great way. Dr. Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching Magazine, lectured on the conference theme – Preaching Under Pressure. It was a very thoughtful, challenging, and encouraging message. Pastor Jeffery Johnson delivered the evening message.

I am scheduled to teach on expository preaching this afternoon, teach and preach Wednesday evening, and teach and participate on in a panel discussion Thursday, along with other commitments. It will be a long week. But I am looking forward to it. May the Lord give me strength.

Crystal is here! She flew in yesterday from Los Angeles, where she and the kids are spending several weeks with family and friends. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see her. When she arrived, I shaved for the first time since she left!

Likewise…

My brother, Pastor Kevin Willis and his wife, Linda, are here.

Four of my pastoral staff members – B. Perry, D. Beckwith, A. Robinson, and A. Letson – are here.

My pastor from Los Angeles is here. My adopted dad from Oklahoma City is here.

Several of my closest friends from around the country are here.

There are quite of few preachers from both Los Angeles and Jacksonville here.

And this all up and what you get is very little sleep for H.B. Charles, Jr. this week. But I should be a great time of fellowship.

Please remember this meeting in your prayers.

Notes from Sunday - 07/10/11

What a great day of worship at Shiloh today!

We began the service this morning with several praise choruses that I really like to sing. One of them had I had been singing to myself all week. It was great to sing it together in worship with the saints.

As always, I am grateful for all of our guests in worship today.

As I sat in our second service today, I began to give thanks to God for all of the volunteers who serve in our congregation. The service of so many others make what I do possible. And I am grateful to God for all who serve.

I preached today from James 5:13-18. I entitled the message, “Handle with Prayer.”

I wrote seven pages of the manuscript. But I knew that I several pages to material in my head. So I just quit writing. I knew that I was going to go over time this morning. But there was nothing I could do about it.

There is so much in this text. But I hope that I did a fair job of keeping the main thing the main thing.

In both services, in skipped a portion of the text. And it was the same portion – the second dealing with mutual confession and prayer in verse 16a.

I spent a portion of the message dealing with “the elders of the church” (James 5:14). After the service, someone asked me about the relationship between elders and deacons. It never crossed my mind to address that. But here are my understanding of the relationship of elders and deacons in two sentences:

1. The elders serve by leading.
2. The deacons lead by serving.

I have one more passage to preach in James. I intend to conclude my study of James next Sunday with a message entitled “Rescue the Perishing” (James 5:19-20).

For the record, I love preaching to my congregation!

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our services this morning.

We went home singing, “Trouble In My Way.” I don’t know what brought this old song to my mind. But I sure enjoyed singing it! Could you tell?

Our 2011 Vacation Bible School will begin tomorrow and last all (7/11-15). Please pray for our Children’s Pastor, Lucius Johnson, our staff and volunteers, and all the children who will participate in VBS this week. May they grow as Jesus grew (Luke 2:52).

Crystal and the kids are in Los Angeles with family and friends for several weeks. I have been here on suicide watch without them. Sure, I leave them to go preach all the time. But I am not used to them leaving me. Let the church say, “Spoiled!”

It’s time for the E.K. Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching in Dallas!

Notes from Sunday - 07/03/11

I had a great time teaching on the good news of Jesus Christ in my new members class.

We had many guests in worship yesterday. Grateful for it.

We had several families, celebrating their family reunions, in worship with us yesterday. It was good to host these guests. Hope they were blessed by the service.

Dr. William Lawson, founding pastor of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston (where Dr. Marcus Cosby now serves as pastor) was in worship with us yesterday. His family was one of our special guests. It was an honor to have him worship with us.

Thinking about and praying for our members who are traveling and vacationing over the holidays. May the Lord bless them and bring them home safely.

We celebrated the Lord’s Supper in both of our services yesterday. What a wonderful time of worship, as we remembered the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanks to our Deacons and Deaconesses for your service yesterday. You make it happen!

I preached from James 5:12 – “Tell It Like It Is.”

I believe the Lord gave me a good understanding of this verse. But, boy, did I have to wrestle to shape it for preaching!

I stood up to preach at my 8 AM service with only 20 minutes to preach. I think I took about 30 minutes… with a 45-minute message.

Next week’s sermon: “The Power of Believing Prayer” (James 5:13-18).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to our church family yesterday.

My memory verses these week are Ephesians 6:12-13: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

In just a month, more than 4,000 people have downloaded out Shiloh Church app. Way cool!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July! God bless.

Midyear Tune-Up Tonight at Shiloh

The Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church family will meet together for its Midyear Tune-Up Service tonight at 7 PM.

We will praise God together for all that he is done for us – personally and corporately – during the first half of 2011. And we will pray for God’s guidance, strength, and favor for the second half of the year.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. A.B. Sutton, Jr., who is the Pastor-Teacher of the Living Stones Temple in Birmingham, Alabama.

If you do not have a commitment at your church, please join us for this for this special time of worship. Or join us online at www.smbcjax.com.

Notes from Sunday - 06/26/11

Last week, I participated in the National Baptist Convention USA Inc.’s Congress of Christian Education in Indianapolis. It was the first time I have participated in the meeting for the full week. I had the opportunity to teach in the Laymen’s Department each day and to speak in the general session Wednesday afternoon. I was an exhausting but enriching week. Grateful to Harold Simmons, president of the Laymen, for all his kindness.

Our new Car Care Ministry began this past Saturday! More than twenty men will volunteer their services to do free basic car repairs for seniors and single mothers in our congregation. Shout out to Pastor Letson for his oversight and Donald Brooks for his leadership.

We had a great day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

I taught a new lesson in our new members class – a new version of “What Shiloh Expects From You.” I really enjoyed the time with our new members.

Our ensemble led the music Sunday. And, as usual, they did a great job.

Thanks to all of our Greeters and Ushers for your service. You make it happen!

We had quite of few guests in worship Sunday. After the services, I had the opportunity to meet several families who have recently moved to Jacksonville and are looking for a church home. They were blessed by the service and said they would consider returning. Very encouraging.

I am praying for our many members who are on vacation. May God’s blessings be on them and bring them home safely.

I preached from James 5:7-11. I called the message, “What to do in the Meantime.”

James 5:7-11 teaches three disciplines to practice when you are forced to spend time in God’s waiting room:

1. Be patient (5:7-8).
2. Do not grumble (5:9).
3. Follow godly examples (5:10-11).

For some reason, I did not say much of what I mapped out to say and ended up saying much that I did not map out.

I have three more sermons to preach to conclude my study of the Epistle of James.

Next Sunday’s message: “Tell It Like It Is” (James 5:12).

Praise God for those who were added to the church yesterday. (Particularly, thank God for adding Brodes and Danielle to our church family.)

We had a pretty quiet evening. Just the way I like it. Now for a busy week.

A Testimony: My Journey to the ESV

The Bible has always been a central part of my life. And the translation of my youth was the King James Version. My home church was not “King James Only.” But the KJV was the only translation we were exposed to. I had a children’s story Bible that I loved. But I knew it was not THE Bible. The KJV was. I assumed it was the Bible Jesus and the apostles read.

My father – who was my pastor – studied and preached from the KJV. But he often read devotionally from the Moffat Translation, I later discovered. It was the default version from which he would quote Psalm 23:1: “The Eternal shepherd’s me, I lack nothing.” This introduced me to the world of multiple Bible translations.

Then I got a copy of Kenneth Taylor’s Living Bible paraphrase. I was fascinated that it was written to help his children understand scripture during their family devotions. And I understood that it was a paraphrase, not a translation. But I enjoyed reading it. On one occasion, I was studying Psalm 1. I knew the psalm by memory. But I struggled to make sense of it for preaching. So I pulled down my Living Bible. The first verse read: “Oh how happy are those who do not take advice from ungodly people.” That paraphrase caused things to begin to click for me and showed me that different translations can help you see a text with fresh eyes.

I remember in the early days of my pastorate, I was in a jam and stole a sermon from a book. It was called “Other Little Ships” based on Mark 4:35. Jesus was on the ship, but there were other little ships with him… like worship, fellowship, discipleship, and stewardship… Get it? I thought I nailed it. But after the service, a member showed me her Bible, which read “other little boats.” I was embarrassed. And I determined not to steal again (Until the next time!) and not to have a sermon trumped because I did not compare translations.

At some point, after young people and new believers kept mentioning their difficulty in understanding the KJV, I started using the New King James Version. It was basically the KJV, with some words translated more accurately and the archaic language updated. It used “You” rather than “thee” and “thou.” And it did not use any words that end with “eth,” like “maketh” or “cometh.”

I used NKJV for personal study and public teaching for about ten years. But I constantly read from various translations. For an extended period, I would study from the NKJV and do my devotions from the New International Version – memorizing scripture from both translations. But this proved to be more than I could maintain.

One day, I drove out to my favorite Christian bookstore. I slowly perused every section of the store, looking for anything new or of note that I had not read. Scanning the Bibles section, I picked up the English Standard Version. As I began to read it, I was hooked. It had the accuracy of the New American Standard Bible, the readability of the New International Version, and yet maintained much of the poetry of the King James Version/New King James Version. It became my personal Bible, even though I was still preaching from the NKJV.

When I finished a book series I was preaching, I decided to try out the ESV for a few weeks. I have been preaching and teaching from it every since. I never made an announcement of my change. I just would just state the translation I was using before I read my text, which I had always done and still do. Many followed me to the ESV, in order to have the same Bible the pastor was preaching from.

I continued to compare translations. And I am sensitive to the fact that there are many different translations sitting in people’s laps when I stand to preach. But the ESV has proven to be sufficient for my personal devotions, in-depth study, and public ministry. And the growing number of reference resources linked to the ESV only increases my confidence in it as a fitting Bible for both personal and corporate use.

I actually think that there are too many translations on the market. Publishers are producing new Bible versions for economic gain rather than spiritual benefit. Thankfully, there is a “survival of the fittest” dynamic that renders unworthy translations extinct. But it is my prayer that the ESV will gain readership and influence among Bible readers and students. May the Lord use this wonderful translation to spark a revival of love for the word of God!

Notes from Sunday - Father's Day 2011

Friday night, a large group of us traveled to Savannah, Georgia, to worship with Pastor Matthew Odom and the Temple of Glory Community Church. It was great bus ride with our members. Our choir really showed out! And I finally got to preach a sermon that has been on my heart for several weeks now.

Note: Whenever someone reads a long bio about me before I preach, I feel like at sitting in my own funeral as someone is readying my obituary. I am just waiting for them to say, “He lives behind to mourn his passing… and a host of family and friends.”

Saturday morning was our annual All-Male Round-Up. Our theme was “Finishing Strong.” I taught on the theme from Hebrews 12:1-2. We had sessions on health, marriage, parenting, and financing, as well as classes for our boys and young men. Then there was plenty of food and fellowship! It was a great day. Thanks to Mitch, our Men’s Ministry team, and all the brothers (and sisters) who volunteered to make it a great day. You make it happen!

Yesterday was a great day of worship and fellowship at Shiloh.

Throughout the day I was grateful for the blessing of a great father – H.B. Charles, Sr. – and for the blessing of three great children – H.B. III, Natalie, and Hailey.

Grateful for all of the guests who were in worship with us, including the members of the Rebault High School Class of 1991.

The Bakers, friends from New Jersey, dropped in for worship at 10:15. I had just asked a mutual friend about them last week. And there they were. It was good to see them.

Sister Mildred Brown was present yesterday for worship. If I am correct, she is our oldest member. She turned 101-years-old today. What a blessing!

Special thanks to all who serve on our Security Ministry.

Praise God for those who were baptized yesterday in faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Women’s Chorus led in musical praise, giving the brothers the day off. Thanks for your service, sisters.

Before the sermon, they choir sung “There Is No Way.” I love this song. And the choir really blessed us with it in both services.

I ditched my study of James this week and preached a Father’s Day message from Ephesians 6:4 – Why Fathers need to be Spirit-Filled.

I endeavored to give three reasons why fathers need to be Spirit-filled:

1. Fathers have been placed in a special role: “Fathers”
2. Fathers must practice self-restraint: “do not provoke your children to anger”
3. Fathers have been given a special responsibility: “but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

I said some big things to and about fathers. But I hope that my tone was not too harsh.

Yesterday was actually the first time I had preached a Sunday morning message on the family since I have been at Shiloh. I need to rectify this situation soon.

Next week’s message: “Be Patient” (James 4:7-11).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday… including Keecia.

Between services, I came up with the bright idea of giving free copies of the message to all of the fathers who were present. It was a blessing to the fathers. But it was a nightmare for the media workers. Yet they served our men graciously and patiently. Thanks to all the media/tape room team members who helped out. You make it happen!

Of course, I got in trouble for giving CDs away to the fathers, because I did not do the same for the mothers last month. I knew that was coming.

By the way, in about two weeks, more than 2,000 people have downloaded our new church app. Way cool!

I had a great dinner with my wife and kids. I don’t remember much after that.

Remember H.B. Charles Sr. (Father's Day 2011)

It has been a long weekend for me. And I am not just talking about my hectic schedule over the past several days. I am referring to my consuming thoughts about my father.

My father was funeralized Father’s Day weekend, 1989 – twenty-two years ago.

I trust I will see my father again in glory. This is a comforting assurance for me. Yet there are still times when I still grieve his passing. It happened to me again this weekend.

I think being at my grandmother’s funeral this week did it to me. There was a slide show at the end of the service. And there was a picture of my dad, standing outside my grandparents’ house. There were several other people in the picture. But I did not pay attention to them enough to tell you who they were. All I saw was my father’s big smile. I have been consumed with thoughts of my dad the rest of the week.

Most of my weekend has spent studying and preparing myself to preach. And it has made me think much and long about how my father taught me to love books.

I do not think that my affinity for reading and research came naturally for me. I made friends with books trying to be like my father. He was an avid reader, with a library that consisted of thousands of books. We moved several times over the years. And I remember the biggest priority was always whether a potential home had a suitable place to store his books. I think he would be impressed with the library I have developed over the years.

I do not know what happened to most of my father’s books. But I still have my father’s Bible. It is filled with the study notes in the margins. When I see it, I think about the countless hours my father sat reading and studying that Bible. And it challenges me to spend much time in the word of God.

One evening, I asked my father to help me find a scripture. I quoted it to him: “If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves…” I knew the verse. But I did not know the reference. He told me to go get a book off his desk called a “Concordance.” He told me he would show me how to find the verse. I did not want to do that. I just wanted him to tell me the reference. He gave me a choice. Either I could get the concordance of his desk and let him show me how to find the verse or I could get his phone book off his desk and call to ask his assistant pastor, Rev. Russell Banks, where it was. I chose to call Rev. Banks. But I was rebuked by how patiently my father dealt with his prideful son. I later asked him to show me how to use a concordance. And it began a friendship with reference books that has taught me the word and help me to prepare to teach others.

My father taught a minister’s class on Tuesday nights. One night, before class, I showed the other guys several new books of sermon outlines I had bought. He sat and listened. Then he started the class by warning the other guys not to be like me. He says that I was looking for short cuts and that guys were making money writing sermon outline books for lazy preachers like me. I was challenged to dig my own wells so that I won’t have to steal other people’s water.

As I was preaching my early service this morning, I thought about how my dad used to tell people that raising me was like raising a champion horse. He was trying to discipline my ways without breaking my spirit. I do not know if he died with a sense that he succeeded. But I hope he would be proud of the man, Christian, husband, father, and minister that I have become.

I truly miss my father. And I thank God for sharing him with me as long as he did. And I pray that the Lord will keep me from dishonoring the good name my father passed on to me.