What a Church Prays When Sending a Missionary

Missionaries don’t engage in missions because they decide to go. Missionaries engage in missions because they are sent by the church. Missionaries are chosen by the church, trained by the church, funded by the church, and sent by the church. The missions task is the responsibility of the church, which sends some of its best […]

Since You Aspire to Preach the Gospel

“Since You Aspire to Preach the Gospel”Romans 15:20-21September 13, 2026 W&N, I don’t remember the first time you mentioned your interest in missions to me. But I do remember that it has been a repeated conversation between us. You have always been interested in missions and taking the gospel to those who do not know […]

Our Missions Commitment

“Our Missions Commitment”3 JohnSeptember 6, 2026 Next Sunday we are sending out a family from GBC to serve as emissaries of Christ to SE Asia — W&N. They started preparing for this venture before they were even married (it was a desire they nurtured throughout their lives); and they began talking to us about it […]

Joy in Serving Christ

“Joy in Serving Christ”Luke 10:17-24May 24, 2026 What gives you joy? What stimulates you to be happy? When the children and grandchildren come over for the weekend. Enough rain and not too much sun (heat) in August to keep your yard alive. All green lights on 377 on your morning commute. One more diet coke […]

Sent with the Gospel

“Sent with the Gospel”Luke 10:1-16May 17, 2026 In 1786 a man named William was ordained for the pastorate and sent to a small church in the town of Moulton, England. Both he and the church were very poor, and it took three jobs for William to support his family: pastor, cobbler, and village teacher. In […]

The Best books I read in 2024

I enjoy books. I like bookstores — new bookstores, old bookstores, used book stores, and digital (online) bookstores. I spend a significant amount of time and money in bookstores each year. And I read, too (though not as much as I’d like, typically). Several years ago, I began keeping track of what I read each […]

Repentance and its Fruits

Repentance and Its FruitsLuke 3:1-14October 6, 2024 What is the beginning of the spiritual life? Martin Luther said in the first of his 95 theses of discussion against the Roman Catholic Church, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Repentance […]

The Enduring Word

The Enduring Word1 Peter 1:22–2:3September 29, 2024 This morning we have heard the rest of the story about the translation of the Feni Bible. We are aware of multiple other missions events in our church (Lebanon, Joyners, etc.). Why do churches invest tens of thousands of dollars to send missionaries to people they don’t […]

God is a Missionary God

Israel was called to do missions and the church does missions because God does missions. We love missions because God loves missions. We sacrifice in giving and going and we go to risky places because God sacrificed and gave and went to a “risky” place (Jn. 1:10-11). We long to see sinners saved by the […]

William Carey: an influencer of modern missions, Pt. 3

This is the third of a three-part series on the life of William Carey and his commitment to missions and his influence on the modern missions movement. (Part 1, Part 2) Two final lessons from Carey’s life may be particularly appropriate for the contemporary American church. The first is this: God uses “small people” from […]

William Carey: an influencer of modern missions, Pt. 2

This is the second of a three-part series on the life of William Carey and his commitment to missions and his influence on the modern missions movement. Biblical principles that guided Carey’s life To gain encouragement and wisdom from the life of this man, the question “What were the truths that sustained Carey in pursuing […]

William Carey: an influencer of modern missions

This is the first of a three-part series on the life of William Carey and his commitment to missions and his influence on the modern missions movement. It has been well-noted by a historian that “The history of Christian missions is the story of God employing individual believers to spread the Gospel message around the […]

Praying for Ukraine

Note: This article was updated on March 3, from its original post on February 25. I have been graced to be able to take several trips overseas to teach the Scriptures: Cambodia, Germany, Uganda, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Dubai. When the opportunity to travel and teach is given, my first response is to ask my […]

Sermon: Paul’s Missionary Prayer

“Pray Christ:” Paul’s Missionary PrayerRomans 15:30-33September 12, 2021 Early this year, we decided to replace most of the fencing in our backyard. It was rotting in several places and falling down in others. So we counted the panels and pickets and headed to the lumber yard to buy replacements. We were told that they only […]

Sermon: Paul’s Missionary Vision

“Advance Christ:” Paul’s Missionary VisionRomans 15:22-29September 5, 2021 William Carey has come to be well-known for his work in missions, but he started in relative obscurity. When he first sought ordination from the Baptist church in Olney, he was rejected by them in 1785, before being ordained the following year and taking the pastorate of […]