By: Waylon Bailey The cross of Jesus Christ is the central event in all of history. I am thankful to have the opportunity to preach through Easter Sunday about the cross. In the past, I have often preached from the Gospels relating the actual events of the crucifixion. In the coming weeks, I plan to preach from other texts in …
Must I Love My Enemies?
By: Waylon Bailey The greatest commandment is for me the most difficult command. When Jesus told us to love those who hate and despise us, He gave an amazing commandment. How do we do good to our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44)? How do we bless those who curse us, and pray for those who …
What Will Church Be Like In 2044?
By: Waylon Bailey I spent several days this week joining with other pastors of similar size churches across the Southern Baptist convention. As usual with these kinds of gatherings, we networked, fellowshipped, and discussed common problems. While most of the problems are exactly the kind that you could think of, there were several that you might be surprised that we …
Does Church Make A Difference?
By: Waylon Bailey Sometimes we wonder if what we do each week is doing any good. To hear some non-Christians speak is to assume that our evangelism, discipleship, and service ministries are useless and without merit. Does going to church week by week make a difference? You can make a very strong case that the casual church goer (someone who …
Ministries That Make A Difference
By: Waylon Bailey Over the last two weeks I have written about the ministry of deacons and about the ministries of First Baptist Covington in general. Today I want to get specific about several ministries that make a difference. The place where I live and minister is blessed with a number of ministries which are making a real difference. From …
It’s Been A Good Year
By: Waylon Bailey Martha and I had a blessed 2013. We have so much for which to be grateful, not the least of which is getting to serve with First Baptist Church, Covington, Louisiana. We are blessed to be members of this congregation and to have the joy of serving with you. 2013 was a good year for the church. …
Thank God for People Who Serve
By: Waylon Bailey Last week I had the joy of spending time with a young (younger than me) pastor from north Louisiana. We had a delightful time talking church. I’ve done this over the years. Sometimes I am the one asking questions and sometimes I am the one answering questions. This time I answered the questions. The questions were simple …
Where’s Your Safety Net?
Rick Warren recently wrote about a person’s safety net, but he wasn’t talking about social programs or even money in the bank. For him, a safety net means people you can count on when life is tough and times are hard. He spoke of having people to sit with you when a relative has surgery or help you pick out …
Trending–A New Sermon Series
This may be one of the most difficult sermon series I have attempted to preach. Not difficult because the text is obscure or difficult to interpret. And not difficult because the message is complex. Actually, the text is simple and easy to understand. Children easily understand the message from this passage of Scripture. All of us will get the immediate …
It’s Time to Start Over
I love the new year. I love most any opportunity to start over. Sometimes I simply feel a need to change things up. Part of that need is because like you I am always looking for better ways to do things–more efficient, more effective. What about your life with God? Isn’t this the perfect time to find a deeper, more …