Beginning January 20th, 2013 I will be teaching an open Bible study on the Gospel of Mark.
The class notes and handouts will appear here after the class meets. I hope you are edified by the helps provided here, and as always, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment.
To download handouts and teaching notes, go here!
A sermon from Romans 8:16-30 on the topic of suffering.
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Like many others, I am still processing the deadly outburst at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14th, 2012. God helps me as I write. I hope He helps others through my writing to be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. God, help us to hope in You.
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Is the Southern Baptist Convention really debating the Sinner’s Prayer? Yes, and no.
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The burden of leadership is placed on the few, to result in the obedience of the many, for the joy of all!
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Jesus, Apostle Paul, Martin Luther, and J.D. Greear help me compose a helpful study on the Gospel, our first love and, beginning again.
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My name is Ken Nichols. I pastor a local church in Georgia, and I want to see God glorified among the nations.
I have been given the tremendous opportunity to travel to South Asia in January, 2012 for the privilege of teaching and training pastors and leadership of a burgeoning Church Planting Movement among Hindu and Muslim background believers. Our goal is to train pastors, and thereby affecting the hundreds of new local churches that have sprung up in the last 18 months. The impact of our ministry to them will be hard to quantify, but the potential for great Kingdom impact in an area where God is moving is tremendous.
I will be travelling with three other men from our local Baptist Association and we will be joining forces with a local IMB missionary. The trip, spanning nearly 2 full weeks, will cost approximately $2,000.
If you are able, please consider supporting this mission adventure by sending check or money order, with the notation #8 MISSIONS FUND, to:
SARDIS BAPTIST CHURCH
PO BOX 280
SARDIS, GA 30456
Your contribution is Tax Deductible and you will receive a giving statement from our church.
Thank you for your consideration!
Ken Nichols
An exhortation to fellow sinners, like me. We need to remember that sanctification (i.e. growing in holiness and Christlikeness) is all the work of God in us. But, we also need to remember that we play an active part, in yielding and placing ourselves under God’s means of grace.
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What kind of damage is done to our souls with the type of entertainment we subject ourselves to? How can we equip parents to beat back a world system that is increasingly immoral and ubiquitous?
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How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?
Read this review on David Platt’s new book RADICAL TOGETHER.
From “if-only” to “All this and Christ, too!”
A review of Stephen Altrogge’s new book, “The Greener Grass Conspiracy.”
Do you have a problem with letting God lead? Do you contend with God for supremacy? Do you find yourself getting in the way?
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Leaving a church should be a last resort. Find out why you may need to stick it out in a church where you’re not completely happy. It may just be the time to re-commit yourself and get to work!
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I am a big believer in the old adage “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.” For that reason, I try to set goals for growth each year. Because I pastor a local church, and I have a family, and I live life daily, I don’t always achieve my personal goals, but I don’t allow that to stop me from setting them.
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I recently preached a message on the Parable of the Soils from Mark 4. As much as I could, I tried to get the congregation to understand that we all, even believers, are susceptible to various levels of resistance to the Word of God. Continue Reading…
It’s Thursday evening and I’m waiting for a counseling appointment to show up. I thought I’d pass along some articles I encountered the past few days. They are here because I found them interesting, and/or very helpful. I hope you will, too! Enjoy!
Saturating Your Children With God’s Word – Aaron Menikoff posted this helpful summary of a little booklet by Andy Davis. This is helpful for all parents who need to be reminded of their mission to teach their kids about the God of the Bible, using the Bible.
The Grace of God in the Bible – Dane Ortlund posts a helpful review of the grace of God as seen in every book of the Bible. You may not see some of these items as grace, but grace is a thread throughout the Bible.
The Church That Disciplines – Jim Eliff provides a front lines look into the need for Church discipline. It is one of the most loving acts a church can do in seeking to restore wayward members. It requires a long-range view, and a desire to please God. Read and be blessed.
X-Ray Questions – David Powlison is a gift to the church. This link takes you to a link to a pdf where Powlison provides this helpful document rife with heart-searching questions that help you diagnose the “functional gods” in your life, those things you are really depending on, loving, and trusting in, more than God.
The recent scandalous accusations against Bishop Eddie Long have expectedly resulted in the flood of talk and news shows devoted to this issue. This article does not address the Bishop’s issues, but an issue that it reveals in the heart of so-called “American Christianity.” Continue Reading…
One of the essentials of my ministry is communicating the importance of meaningful church membership. It has been on my radar since before I entered the pastorate, and has been the subject of many posts, sermons, newsletter articles, committee discussions and private talks since becoming the Pastor of a local church. Continue Reading…
Some articles I encountered this week. They are here because I found them interesting, and/or very helpful. Enjoy!
Jim Elliff, always a good read, reminds us the depth of God’s love in this touching post on the CCW website.
On Covenantal Church Membership
Nathan Finn writes an informative and touching article blending church history and personal testimony on the beauty and meaning of Covenant Church Membership historically espoused by Baptists.
4 Resources for teaching church history to young children
Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY posted this helpful guide to recommended resources for children’s ministry. As a Pastor looking to expand the theological and historical depth of our children’s curricula, I really appreciated this post and look forward to browsing some, or all, of these resources.
A few months back I took a poll via the Twitterverse and Facebook asking whether or not my friends/followers supported the role of women deacons. I asked this question for two reasons: (1) I was working on a sermon on biblical church government, and (2) had recently overheard some pastors in my local Baptist association referring to the concept of deaconesses with no small amount of derision.
The responses I received were not wholly unexpected. Continue Reading…
