Nehemiah Sermon Series
Posted by Stephen C. Rice in Discipleship, Preaching, Sermons on January 29, 2012
I’ve been preaching for about 32 years now and some books of the Bible have gone virtually untouched in my preaching. Until the beginning of 2012, that was true about the book of Nehemiah. I may have preached one or two sermons from Nehemiah through the years, but I’m not even certain of that. Last year I felt prompted to preach through the entire book of Nehemiah, but I wasn’t sure about the timing. I continued to pray about it and finally began the Nehemiah sermon series on January 1, 2012.
As anticipated, Nehemiah is full of practical, Godly leadership principles. Nehemiah’s quest to lead the Jews to restore the crumbled walls and burned gates of Jerusalem in 52 days was one of the greatest leadership ventures in history. Did you know that originally Ezra & Nehemiah were on one scroll. Later when the Jews divided the scroll they called them 1 & 2 Ezra. The chronological setting for the Books of Ezra & Nehemiah stretches from 537-433 B.C.
Over the next weeks, I will continue to work through this great book. Here are links to the video of each of the sermons in this series:
Resolutions for 2012
Posted by Stephen C. Rice in Discipleship, Evangelism, Ministry, Worship on January 6, 2012
My friend, Dr. Paul Chitwood serves as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He recently published a very well-written challenge that I would like to share with you. I echo the following words of Dr. Chitwood as we seek to magnify and honor the glorious name of the Lord Jesus in 2012:
With this first 2012 post, I’m hoping a New Year’s resolution list for Kentucky Baptists will be well received. I offer no earth-shattering new insights. I simply challenge us to be faithful to the basic call of Christ upon our lives and obedient to the fundamental teachings in God’s word. If every Kentucky Baptist would commit themselves to the following resolutions, our churches would flourish, every lost person in the Commonwealth could hear the gospel, and the cause of the Great Commission would be rapidly advanced.
First, would you resolve to walk closely with Jesus through concerted prayer and daily Bible reading? Our Lord exhorts us in John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” The first call of the gospel is the call to be in Jesus Christ. He is the source of spiritual life and spiritual power. Apart from him, we will remain powerless.
Second, would you resolve to obey Jesus in all things? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). Matters like sexual purity, financial stewardship, personal honesty, sobriety, and refraining from gluttony are not negotiable for those who have confessed Jesus as Lord of our lives.
Third, would you resolve to share Jesus with at least one lost person each week? The command to be witnesses and the promise of the Spirit’s empowerment to that end are clearly stated in Acts 1:8. As for the lost, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard” (Rom 10:14)? Yet, multiple studies and surveys reveal most of us never take the initiative to tell lost people how to be saved. Pray that God would give you the opportunity to share the gospel with just one person each week.
Fourth, would you resolve to love and serve Jesus’ bride with more passion than ever before? Your church isn’t perfect but it needs you. And you need the church. We simply cannot be faithful followers of Jesus apart from his church. Love and serve her.
Fifth, would you resolve to commit more of your resources to Jesus’ Great Commission? The sin of greed has captivated us. Rather than starting with a tithe and giving generously beyond that, the average church member gives less than 3 percent of their income. If we merely gave a tithe, church ministry budgets and the Cooperative Program mission budget would triple, resulting in an exponential harvest of souls in Kentucky and around the world.
New Member’s Class Video
Posted by Stephen C. Rice in Church Chat, Discipleship, Ministry on December 13, 2011
Dr. Mike James, Director of Discipleship for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, asked me to join him in a video discussion about the logistics of a New Member’s class. Click on the picture below for that video:
The Holy Land Changes You
Posted by Stephen C. Rice in Holy Land on November 23, 2011
Laura and I just returned from our first trip to the Holy Land. We were privileged to travel there with 21 other Christians, 9 of them were from our church. The best way I can sum up the trip is that it changes you. I am not the same guy I was when I left. I will never read the Bible the same, I will never preach the same, and hopefully, I will never live the same!
We scheduled the trip with Jerusalem Tours out of Columbus, Ohio. David and Sara Chay, the owners, are a wonderful couple who know how to put together tours to their homeland. Our guide, Kobi Kimhy, has been voted the #1 tour guide in Israel a number of times. His knowledge, personality, and genuine love for Israel cannot be matched.
One of the highlights of our trip was our time around the Sea of Galilee. We traveled to several of the places near Capernaum where Jesus lived and ministered. We walked on the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount and we dipped our hands in the Sea of Galilee where he reinstated Peter after his denial (John 21). We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee on Sunday. While on the boat, I read the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14) and we sang songs of praise.
While we were in Israel, God confirmed that He has called me to lead people to the Holy Land to experience what we experienced. As a result, I have scheduled my next trip in late October, 2013. Plan now to join us! You do not have to be a member of Shelbyville First Baptist, just contact me at srice@shelbyvillebaptist.com if you want to go or if you have any questions.
