The Glory Of God (Jude 24-25)
Philadelphia Baptist Church has been in existence for over 85 years. The church has its roots near downtown Atlanta at the intersection of Cameron Street and DeKalb St. Today, you’ll find houses and I-20 on the land that once belonged to Cameron Street Baptist Church, as we were then known. We are not sure when the church actually began, but the earliest records we have on file are from 1931. By 1936, our name had been changed to McDonald Memorial Baptist Church. In October of that year, our total offerings were $21.46. $16.15 of that went toward the mortgage and $2.00 was spent to purchase coal to heat the building. By 1959, the church name had been changed to Philadelphia Baptist Church and the decision had been made to become an independent Baptist church. During the next few decades, the church saw many blessings. A new property was purchased and the church relocated to Conyers, GA in 1973. Also in the 1970’s, Philadelphia Christian School was started, which remained in existence until 2013. God’s blessing was evident as souls were saved and disciples were made. In 2007, another chapter was opened for the church when an old school building on 26 acres in Rutledge, GA was given to the church. Eventually, both church and school were relocated to Rutledge and we are still here today, continuing our mission of seeking the lost and training disciples. Throughout the history of our church, there has been only one constant. Our name has changed, our location has changed, our leadership has changed and our membership has changed. But there is One who has not changed the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is still the head of our church to this day. As we celebrate the history of our church, we want to give all the glory to Jesus, the only One who deserves it. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. (Psalms 118:23)
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- Aug 6, 2023The Glory Of God (Jude 24-25)
The Glory Of God (Jude 24-25)Philadelphia Baptist Church has been in existence for over 85 years. The church has its roots near downtown Atlanta at the intersection of Cameron Street and DeKalb St. Today, you’ll find houses and I-20 on the land that once belonged to Cameron Street Baptist Church, as we were then known. We are not sure when the church actually began, but the earliest records we have on file are from 1931. By 1936, our name had been changed to McDonald Memorial Baptist Church. In October of that year, our total offerings were $21.46. $16.15 of that went toward the mortgage and $2.00 was spent to purchase coal to heat the building. By 1959, the church name had been changed to Philadelphia Baptist Church and the decision had been made to become an independent Baptist church. During the next few decades, the church saw many blessings. A new property was purchased and the church relocated to Conyers, GA in 1973. Also in the 1970’s, Philadelphia Christian School was started, which remained in existence until 2013. God’s blessing was evident as souls were saved and disciples were made. In 2007, another chapter was opened for the church when an old school building on 26 acres in Rutledge, GA was given to the church. Eventually, both church and school were relocated to Rutledge and we are still here today, continuing our mission of seeking the lost and training disciples. Throughout the history of our church, there has been only one constant. Our name has changed, our location has changed, our leadership has changed and our membership has changed. But there is One who has not changed the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is still the head of our church to this day. As we celebrate the history of our church, we want to give all the glory to Jesus, the only One who deserves it. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. (Psalms 118:23)
- Jul 30, 2023He Hath Done All Things Well (Mark 7:37)
He Hath Done All Things Well (Mark 7:37)“And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” -Mark 7:37-
In the creation account of Genesis 1, we read that at the end of each day God reviewed what He created and saw that it was good. We learn a foundational truth in those brief statements. God is a doer, and everything that God does, He does well. Some believe that God is impersonal and disconnected. They do not think that He takes a personal interest in our lives or cares about the details. They imagine that He is more of a spectator than the sovereign Author of history. This is not true. God is a doer. He is actively working His sovereign plan in each of our lives. Everything that happens to us then is part of God’s perfect plan. There are no surprises to God. He is not reacting to plot twists as the main character of your favorite story might. Even when we are affected by the consequences of sin, everything is still under God’s sovereign control. Whatever God does, He does well. Because He is good, He does good. (Psalm 119:68). That is why we can confidently affirm that all things will work together for good. (Romans 8:28). God does not make mistakes, and He does not overlook details. You can trust God in every situation because “He hath done all things well.” - Jul 23, 2023The Tomb of the Unknown Prophet (I Kings 13:1-34)
The Tomb of the Unknown Prophet (I Kings 13:1-34)The mistake of the unknown prophet was to go against the clear revealed will of God. His story teaches us that no matter who we are and no matter what we are told, we must obey God's Word. While God may not strike you dead the instant you disobey, failing to obey God always results in tragedy.
- Jul 16, 2023Humble Faith
Humble Faith
The Lord Jesus Christ was known for his gracious speech. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." (Luke 4:22) But there were a few times that Jesus' words appear to be harsh and unkind. Such is the case with Jesus' conversation with a Gentile woman, recorded in Mark 7. This woman had a problem she couldn't solve. Her daughter was possessed by a devil. She heard that Jesus had come to town, so she went to Him because she knew that Jesus could heal her. When she found Jesus, she fell at His feet and begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter.
Jesus' answer seems cold and callous.
"Let the children first be filled: for it
is not meet to take the children's
bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."
Did Jesus call her a dog? Was He
refusing to answer her prayer?Many people would have been so
offended by that kind of an answer
they would have turned around
and left, but not this woman. She
knew who she was and that she
did not deserve anything help
from Jesus. But she also knew who
Jesus was. Just a crumb of his
power was enough to deliver her
daughter, and that's all she asked
for. In response to her humble faith,
Jesus healed her little girl.True faith is always humble. It does
not demand of God what it wants,
nor does it think it deserves to get
what it wants. Humble faith admits
that for God to help us, He must
stoop to where we are. It realizes
that whatever good thing God gives
us is better than we deserve. The kind
of faith that honors God is humble faith. - Jul 9, 2023The Sins of the Elder Son
The Sins of the Elder SonThe story of the prodigal son is one of the most well-known parables that Jesus ever told. Most people are familiar with the prodigal’s part of the story. He was discontent with living and serving in his father’s house, so one day, he demanded his inheritance early. The father gives it to him, and he leaves home and wastes all the money on wicked living. After some time, famine came to the land, and the prodigal had to find work feeding pigs to survive. Finally, he comes to his senses and returns home. Instead of being angry and holding a grudge, his father happily receives him back into the family. But the prodigal son had a brother, also mentioned in the story. The story concludes with an exchange between the father and the elder son. The elder son never left home. He was hard-working. He obeyed his father’s instructions. All of these are admirable traits, but there was something wrong with the elder brother’s heart. He was proud, bitter, and envious, and he proved it by refusing to join in celebrating his brother’s return. How we react when the lost are found reveals what is truly in our hearts. If we are unmoved by a sinner’s profession of faith in Christ or cynical about a backslidden Christian getting right with God, we are acting like the prodigal’s big brother. We must confess our pride, bitterness, and envy and rejoice with the Father when a prodigal returns.
- Jul 2, 2023Giving As An Act of Worship
Giving As An Act of Worship“Give unto the LORD the glory due
unto his name: bring an offering,
and come before him: worship the
LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
(1 Chronicles 16:29) Everyone is
worshipping something. Even the
most irreverent, ungodly atheist
engages in worship. Webster
defines “worship” this way: “To
adore; to pay divine honors to;
to reverence with supreme respect
and veneration.” Worship is when
you demonstrate your devotion to
someone or something by giving the
most and the best of your time and
treasure to it. The idea of giving is
so connected with worship that we
cannot even imagine a form of
worship that doesn’t involve some
aspect of giving. Even those who
do not worship the true God
understand that worship involves
giving of offerings and sacrifices.
They do it to appease their false
gods and earn their favor, but it
shows that God has put into the
conscience of man the knowledge
that giving is a part of worship. As
Christians, we too should give as
an act of worship to the Lord. We
should give thanks, we should give
praise, and we should give money.
We do not give to earn God’s favor,
nor do we give expecting God to
bless us with great and greater
wealth. We should give to the
Lord because God means so
much to us. When we give tithes
and offerings in obedience to
the teachings of God’s Word, we
are showing that we take God
seriously and that He means
enough to us that we are willing
to part with our hard earned
dollars to honor Him. - Jun 18, 2023What’s In Your Heart?
What’s In Your Heart?There are two sides to every person: the inside and the outside. Or in the language of the Bible, there is the “inward man” and the “outward man.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) Each of us chooses which will receive our focus and attention. Either we will focus on the external things that other people can see and notice or on the internal things that may go unrecognized. Which one we make a priority determines the direction of our life takes. If you believe that perception is more important than reality, then your focus is on the outward man. If you believe that if you fake it, you can make it, then the outward man is your priority. If you do what you do “to be seen of men,” then external things are paramount to you, and that is a problem. It is a problem because Jesus said that what is in your heart is more important than what people see on the outside. The heart is the real you, and it determines what will come out of your life. The most religious people in Jesus' day were consumed with maintaining an appearance of godliness, but in reality, their heart was far from God. Their heart was evil, and the result of an evil heart will be an evil life. They were meticulous about ensuring that nothing went in their mouth that would “defile” them, but they ignored the corruption that was in their heart. The inward man is the most important part of us because that determines who we really are. We must be sure that we keep our hearts clean, and when we do that, our whole lives will be pure.
- Jun 11, 2023Tradition!
Tradition!A tradition is a ritual or belief handed down from one generation to another. Many people like traditions because they can give a sense of stability, consistency, and connection. Not all traditions are bad. In fact, many traditions are very good and helpful because they are based on Biblical principles. If, however, a tradition is at odds with God’s commands, we must reject that tradition so that we can obey God. Sadly, many people confuse traditions and God’s commands. They assume that because something has “always” been done, it must be right. They are not humble enough to admit that they and those who have gone before them might have been wrong. This was one of the glaring problems of the Scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day. To them, keeping the traditions of the rabbis and elders of bygone days was more important than truly obeying God’s word. Their teaching was particularly tricky because those traditions were often loosely based on the scripture. They were traditions of men presented as the doctrines of God. In Mark 7:1-13, Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders about His disciples not keeping the tradition of ritual hand washing before meals. Jesus turned the question back on them, pointing out that they were breaking the commands of God to keep their traditions. But it is not just the Scribes and Pharisees who have been guilty of elevating tradition above the commands of God. If we are not careful, any of us could fall into the same trap. We like to think that we have had it right all along, but only God’s Word is infallible. When our traditions contradict the Bible, we must give up those traditions and obey God.
- Jun 4, 2023Secret Sins (Psalm 90:8 KJV)
Secret Sins (Psalm 90:8 KJV)
- May 28, 2023Growing Pain
Growing PainOne of our church themes this year is growing. God created us to grow physically. But with that growth often comes times of pain. We call it growing pains. A baby might experience teething pain. We may feel pain while lifting weights to build muscle. Muscles grow stronger by working them harder. Our church should be exercising its spiritual muscles to grow as well.
Christians can expect to experience growing pains in spiritual growth as well. God allows these growing pains of hardship, suffering and even hurt because He loves us and according to Romans 8:29 He is conforming us to the image of His Son Jesus. As God allows our church to grow, we can expect growing pains. The early church dealt with hardship, persecution, and suffering as part of God’s plan to build His church. We are going to have growing pains, by living our life God’s way, times of pain will bring the growth God desires to see in our church. - May 21, 2023A Godly Influencer
A Godly InfluencerIn the last few years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people using social media to build a business around themselves and their ability to gain a following. These people are known as “influencers” because they use their platform to influence the purchasing decisions of others. God has called Christians to be influencers, but not like the world thinks of an influencer. We are to make a difference in the world, to be salt and light by living according to the truth of the gospel and sharing the message. Social media influencers persuade people to follow them. Christians should persuade people to follow Christ. The Apostle Paul was a great example of this kind of Godly influencer. His influence was so strong that people said he had “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6). As a godly influencer, Paul did not live for himself. He had a taste of fame, fortune, and a following of men before he was saved, and he knew that they weren’t worth living for. Paul’s goal was to make Jesus famous and not himself. Paul lived to “preach…the unsearchable riches of Christ,” not to gain a fortune for himself so that he might live a comfortable life. Paul did not strive to build a following for himself. He only invited people to follow him as he followed Christ. The result of Paul’s selfless, sacrificial, servant-hearted influence was the glory of God through his life and ministry, which should be the goal of every pursuit a Christian undertakes. We must use whatever influence God may give us to magnify God.
- May 14, 2023The Virtuous Woman
The Virtuous WomanWho can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
-Proverbs 31:10, 25-31 - May 7, 2023Two By Two Part 1
Two By Two Part 1Jesus did not attempt to proclaim the gospel to the world singlehandedly. Instead, He recruited others to spread the message of salvation. In Mark 6:7-13, we read of the first time Jesus officially commissioned His disciples to go out and preach. Notice first how Jesus called and commissioned the twelve disciples to go out as His representatives. They went out by the authority of Jesus. In so doing, they went out in total reliance on God for provision and success. Note how the disciples responded with obedience. “They went out and preached….” Some would receive the message they were to deliver, and some would reject it, but they were not responsible for the actions of others. They obeyed and their obedience would honor God. The content of their message was simple. People needed to change their minds about sin and their need for a Savior and turn to Christ. That is the message of repentance. It is the message that John the Baptist preached, that Jesus preached, and that all followers of Jesus should preach. We also see how God worked through them to confirm their message. God gave them miraculous abilities that proved that the gospel they preached was of God. While we do not have the same miraculous abilities today, we do have the same Holy Spirit working through us to confirm God’s word in the hearts of those who hear. Believers today are in a similar position to those apostles. We have been commissioned to go forth and preach the message of the gospel. We are not responsible for how people respond, but we will answer to God for our obedience. We go out by the authority of Jesus and preach, relying on God to work through us.
- Apr 23, 2023A Disappointing Homecoming
A Disappointing Homecoming
In “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy famously said, “There’s no place like home.” Returning to the place you grew up after being gone for years is often a happy experience, with fond memories and reunions with old friends as you visit familiar sites and reminisce. For many, returning home after a long absence is a joy and a relief. Sometimes we forget that Jesus had a childhood home and a hometown that He grew up in. Though little is recorded of it, the first thirty years of
His life were spent primarily in one small town called Nazareth. But when, in Mark 6:1-7, Jesus returned to His hometown to do for them as He had done for so many others, the reception they gave Him was anything but warm and friendly. Their rejection of Jesus limited His ministry to that community. “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6) Perhaps the old adage “familiarity breeds contempt” explains why they did not believe on Jesus. Jesus was not a new and exciting figure to them like in other towns. Their rejection of Jesus resulted in their missing out on miracles and blessings because they would not believe. We can limit God by doubting. We do not limit His actual power, but we limit what He will do in our life, just like the Israelites when they doubted God in the wilderness. They “limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalm 78:41) Don’t limit the work of God in your life, and don’t let familiarity with God erode your faith in God. - Apr 17, 2023Five Faith Facts
Five Faith FactsFaith is believing what God says. When you think of it this way, you realize that faith is not complicated. It is not always easy to have faith. Sometimes it is very hard, because life is complicated and confusing. But having faith is simply choosing to believe what God says, even if you don't understand how that makes sense in your current situation.God rewards faith. He rewards saving faith (faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ) with eternal life. He continues to reward the saved who walk by faith with the blessing of answered prayer and extraordinary blessing. If you want to see God solve big problems and meet enormous needs in our life, then you must have faith that God can and will do it.
