There Must Be More

I am a prenatal Southern Baptist. I am pretty sure that my first words were all stanzas of Victory in Jesus. I was in Sunday School, Training Union (later Church Training then Discipleship Training), RA's, years of VBS, attended hours of revival services, and was saved and baptized in a Southern Baptist church. I trained in Southern Baptist schools were I learned to minister among Southern Baptists. I was licensed to preach and ordained into the Gospel ministry at the Southern Baptist Church I grew up in. I now pastor a Southern Baptist church.

Still, there must be more to my life than an identity to a certain denomination. Before I am a Southern Baptist, I am a Christian - a child of God. Jesus Christ laid down His life as the perfect and final sacrifice to cover the penalty due me because of my sinfulness. He did not save me to be a Baptist or Methodist - He saved me to be His vessel to carry the Good News of His grace to the world. I pray we all will look beyond our denominational titles and together seek to reach this world with the One who makes us one body with one purpose.

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26-28

In His Grace,
Russell

Run The Race

This past Sunday we were motivated by the cloud of witnessses in Hebrews 11 to run with faith the race set before us. We can also look around us at those who run this race today. Dick and Rick Hoyt have run in marathons, competed in triathlons and once even trekked 3,700 miles across America. What they have accomplished together is simply amazing when you consider that Rick cannot walk or talk. Check out this video on Tangle - make sure to put it on full screen.


http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c7f297818b844699ba47

In His Grace,
Russell

By Faith

This coming Sunday, I will complete my preaching series through the eleventh chapter of Hebrews - the faith chapter. We all know that God has called us to walk by faith and not by sight. Still, it would be so nice to see more than just a few feet in front of me. But I desire to be like Abraham who, by faith, left all that he knew for a place he had no knowledge of. He held firmly to the promises of God as if they had already come to be. Instead of existing in the familiar, Abraham chose to live the journey of faith. We show our faith in Christ by trusting Him with all that we are. It is then that He uses us as He used Abraham, Moses, David, Paul and so many others who yielded themselves to His will. The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who went from existing to living a life of faith. So, are you existing or living? You've never really lived until you live by faith.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

In His Grace,
Russell