As we embrace the theme of Intentional in 2025, I am committing to greater intentionality in my preaching. This includes ensuring every sermon is rooted in Scripture, centered on the gospel, clear in communication, focused on transformation, practical in application, relationally connected, Spirit-led, and guided by an eternal perspective. I invite you to join me in prayer and accountability as we strive together to glorify God and fulfill His Great Commission.
Moving at the speed of obedience isn't about striving or struggling. It's about surrendering to God's timing and purposes. It's about being so in tune with His heart that when He says "go," we go; when He says "speak," we speak; and when He says "wait," we wait.
Christ is making the difference in our hearts at First Baptist Starkville. The Spirit is stirring our affections, leaving us with a desire for more and more of him. Let's continue to plead for his presence. We have yet to see how far he wants to take us or how deep he wants us to go.
March 22, 2024, marks 15 years since my ordination at First Baptist Atlanta. This special occasion marks my first ordination without having my ordaining pastor, the late Charles Stanley, who died in April of 2023. As far as I know, I stand last in a long line of men ordained into the gospel ministry under Dr. Charles Stanley's time at First Baptist.
As strange as it sounds to speak,
Christians say there is an eighth day of the week.
Of course we know our calendar has seven,
But Christians say eight to suggest there is a heaven.
The first day of the week refers to the beginning of something new
But when Christians say eighth we are looking ahead to all that God will do.
Perhaps the most dramatic rescue mission of WW2 is one you've never heard of. Towards the second half of the war, American bombers were sent over Southern Europe to cripple the oil production of the Nazi war machine. Flak from the German anti-aircraft guns cut through most of the American planes forcing many of the airmen to bail. As the crews parachuted down, many expected to be captured or killed.
Criticism usually comes when someone with a bold new idea tries to implement that idea. Those who are brave enough to try something new should be ready to receive criticism. Often, how we receive criticism can expose areas of weakness. Perhaps this is the reason more of us are fine plodding the well-worn paths.
Those were the times of heroism, not of words; an age not of writers but of soldiers; not of talkers, but of suffers. Curiosity is baffled, but faith and love are fed by these scanty relics of primitive antiquity. Yet may we well be grateful for what we have. These writings come down to us as the earliest response of converted nations to the testimony of Jesus, They are primary evidences of the Canon and the credibility of the New Testament.
A Legacy church is one that has existed for some time (preferably a century or more) in the same town or district who, since its beginning, has consistently served its community by reminding them of Jesus. The legacy a church has is a gospel legacy.
From a study of 2 Timothy, I give 20 characteristics of a legacy church.
"I have never done anything that terrible," some might say. They’d be right. We have all done worse. We were responsible for the death of the only perfect one who ever lived – Jesus the spotless lamb of God who came to take away our sin. And this one taught us to pray for forgiveness, and he who taught us to pray for forgiveness will forgive.
This weekend saw the opening of the pro-life movie, Unplanned. This movie recalls the true story of the conversion of a woman who grew up pro-life, but who became pro-abortion in college who then took a job working for planned parenthood. The weekend also saw a firestorm surrounding the abortion culture in America.
This past Sunday, the Saints called First Baptist Church of Newnan, Georgia passed a historic budget. What this means is we have decided to put more of our sail in the blustery direction of God's relentless gospel. The budget increase represents a concerted effort to be more engaged in the life of our city and county and to encourage them with the message of salvation in Christ alone. Our 2019 budget is an outreach budget.
The conclusion to our celebration to the Reformation at 500 - God's Glory Alone!
“Why did God create the world?” Have you ever considered such a question? Why did God create the world? Why does God cause the sun to come up each morning and the stars to follow at night? Why does God allow the mountains to sit silently in place and the ocean to roar and foam? Why do newborn babies cry? Why does the butterfly come to rest on a flower and drink its nectar? The answer – All for the glory of God alone!
The most important question of your life is, How can I be made right with God? Think about that question for just a moment. There are many presuppositions that undergird that question. First, there is an acknowledgment of God and that your desire is to be in right relationship with him. Second, a person who dares ask such a question acknowledges that they are not right with God. So, after all of those presuppositions have been covered, we come to the question., How can I be made right with God? What is the answer?
© Timothy Andrew Brown, 2025.
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