It was a Sunday School teacher who sowed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my heart. It took around 10-12 years for that seed to sprout, leading me to salvation at 19. Since then, Sunday School teachers have significantly impacted my spiritual growth and well-being. We appreciate all our teachers for their tremendous contributions to our churches, society, and future generations.   The following are some thoughts on teachers and teaching... The Ability to Effectively Teach Others

2 Chronicles 7:14, " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land ." You do not have to be around the Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church very long to realize that we love our country dearly.   With our great love for our country comes a great concern for the well-being of our country.  As Bible believers,

One of the greatest blessings God has given to His people is the blessing of prayer.  Nevertheless, it is this matter of prayer that we so often neglect.  Below are a few of the blessings of prayer.  Perhaps these thoughts will prompt us to be more diligent and consistent in our prayer lives.  Prayer Brings the Blessing of Knowing I am Obeying God.   God doesn't simply invite or suggest to us to pray; He commands us to pray!  When we pray, we are being obedient to God.  There

Romans 8:14, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God ." Having spent over forty years in the ministry, I've frequently heard Christians claim that the "Holy Spirit led" them to take certain actions.  My question to this is, "How can you be sure it was the Holy Spirit guiding you?"  Some of the things people say the Holy Spirit "led" them to do are very troubling.   Let me share with you three things the Holy Spirit will never do. I believe the

" And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour ." Judges 6:11-12 The phrase, "little is much when God is in it ," has not only been a great encouragement to many folks (especially smaller churches), but has b

The following are 12 reasons I love Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church Our Founder Is Right - The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the founder of the church, no man or organization.  Our Foundation Is Right- The Word of God.   The Word of God is our sole authority for faith and practice.  Every lesson and sermon Our Focus Is Right - The Lord Jesus Christ. We are continuing to learn that we must look to our Lord Jesus for direction in ministry and to supply o

" All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works ." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Some of my earliest memories of attending church involve a Sunday School class I attended as a young child. In that class, my Sunday School teacher emphasized the importance of knowing Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Her devotion to the

James 5:16, " The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. " In recent years, God has been intensely challenging me in my prayer life.  My burden is to be much more fervent and effectual in prayer.   Here are 12 challenges related to prayer. Note: Many of these I have discovered through my personal prayer experience and Bible study, while others I have picked up from others over the years.   The Greatest Ingredient In Effectual Prayer Is Faith In God.   Mar

Winter has settled in here in Garrett county and, though I am not a big fan of the snow, cold, slush, ice, frostbite and everything else that goes along with it, the first few snows of the year can be exciting.   However, the cold and snow do present some challenges to the ministry.  Being faithful to church services and getting out on visitation and soul winning require greater effort and commitment.   The harsh weather of winter definitely takes its toll on "convenience" Ch

" And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled ." Luke14:23 Back in the 1990’s, God led our church to begin running buses on Sunday mornings to bring in children & families who wanted to come to church but did not have transportation.  Now, for all these many years, God has blessed this ministry with hundreds (actually, more like thousands) riding the bus and many, many coming to know Jesus Ch

" This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. " -   Joshua 1:8 " Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his l

" But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself ." Daniel 1:8 In Daniel 1:8 we read that Daniel " purposed in his heart " that he would  not defile himself. This was Daniel's resolution. He determined that he would not, under any circumstances allow himself to be corrupted. Though he was wise and tactfu

This has been a rallying cry from many corners of Christianity for many years.  The idea is that our witness to the world would be stronger if we all laid aside our differences and united together under the name of "Jesus."    This may sound good on the surface, but as fundamental Baptist, our authority is the Word of God, and all of our actions and positions must fall in line with the principles of God's Word.   The more I study God's Word, the more I see the doctrine of "se

" O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever ." 1 Chronicles 16:34 This time of year our emphasis is always on thanksgiving and we certainly have much to be thankful for. In spite of many disappointments in our country, we are very grateful for the privilege of living in America.  Following is a short outline that helps me be thoroughly thankful in my daily prayer life... Thank God for Spiritual Things .  Such as, salvation, forgiveness, the

On a sad note, I am getting more and more reports of churches that are no longer holding church revivals.  I believe this is a tragic mistake on the part of the Pastor and his leadership.   Let me give you a few reasons we hold revival meetings throughout the year (and have for many years) A concentrated week of Bible preaching has a powerful effect on the hearts and lives of God's people. God says in Isa_55:11, " So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall

I am thankful for God's Word and the impact it has had on my life and mankind throughout history...   T - TRUTH ( John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth .)   H - HOLY ( 2 Timothy 3:15, And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus )   A - AUTHORITY ( Matthew 4:4, But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every

1 Peter 5:8, " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour :" Please don't misunderstand me, I am not commending the Devil in any way, but there are three characteristics of our enemy that can have positive applications.   HE ISN'T STUPID . What I mean by that is, he is pretty smart at what he does.  He has obviously studied the Scriptures diligently and is very clever at twisting God's Word to suit his

Mark 5:19, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee."     Through leadership of Dr. Lee Roberson and others, God taught me the importance of personal, door-to-door soul winning.   Here are 12 reasons I believe we should seek to win souls door-to-door... God has commanded us to preach the Gospel to every creature.   We must go to them, we cannot simply wait for them to come to us. Door-to-door soul win

(Mark 5:1-20) Someone has said that, " Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay ."   This is no doubt true about this poor maniac in our Scripture passage. How did he end up a naked, devil possessed man, rejected by society & living in a graveyard? I'm not sure, but perhaps his downfall began with little indiscretions, seemingly innocent compromises, "harmless" disobedience, and certainly flir

"I question whether anyone is more orthodox than the devil; for the devils believe and tremble. Satan is no skeptic; he has too much...