Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
March 7, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Matthew 8:5-13 Hope. Everyone craves it. The little leaguer says, “I hope we win the game” but has no way of knowing the outcome. Hope to this little hitter is little more than a dream. But a believer’s hope is broader and wider still. […]
February 27, 2017
By Charles Earl Former Director of Missions, Holston Valley Baptist Assoc., Rogersville Focal Passage: Matthew 16:13-28 Since all of our lessons are taken from the Gospel of Matthew we need to look briefly at this man who wrote the book. The name Matthew means “gift from God.” Matthew, of course, was a Jew, and he […]
February 27, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Revelation 1:12-20 What does Jesus look like in your church? Some might picture a benevolent lover of children, with a large lap and a tender heart. Others might envision a healer, frequenting the hospitals, or a teacher, majestically ensconced in the pulpit. The apostle […]
February 21, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Ruth 3:8-13; 4:13-17 I love the story of the traveler who pulled his car into a gas station in Kentucky and asked the attendant how far it was to Glasgow. “28,465 miles,” was the reply. “I didn’t mean Glasgow, Scotland. I meant Glasgow, Kentucky!” […]
February 21, 2017
By Justin Randolph Pastor, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Sevierville Focal Passage: Philippians 4:10-20 More is the word that perhaps best characterizes our society — more wealth, more luxury, more significance, more gizmos, and more love. Sometimes we do not even know what we need more of, we just know we want more. It seems we […]
February 13, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Ruth 1:6-18 In seminary we learned to think in terms of “doctrines.” When we studied a passage, we were asked, “what doctrine is being taught here? Is the doctrine of God? Perhaps of atonement?” It’s a helpful approach when studying Ruth 1. We often […]
February 13, 2017
By Justin Randolph Pastor, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Sevierville Focal Passage: Philippians 4:4-9 Do you worry excessively about things you cannot control? Is there a cure to worry? In the conclusion of his letter, the Apostle Paul turns to practical living. His desire is that they move toward holiness in their walk with the Lord. […]
February 7, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Judges 16:4-6,13-20 Cornelius Plantinga wrote a delightful little book called Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be (Eerdmans, 1995) that every one of us should read. It’s about sin and sin’s opposite, shalom with God. There, he states, “… shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness […]
February 7, 2017
By Justin Randolph Pastor, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Sevierville Focal Passage: Philippians 3:12-21 How beautiful, sweet, and innocent is a newborn baby. For many, we would keep them as babies perhaps for a little longer, and yet we take them to their first doctor’s visit hoping that their measurements and weight indicate growth. Later in […]
January 30, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passage: Judges 6:11-16, 25-32 My wife Cynthia once was arranging a table decoration in the house and asked me, “Is this okay?” It seemed a silly question because no one on the planet is less qualified to approve table decorations than me and she knows […]
January 30, 2017
By Justin Randolph Pastor, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Sevierville Focal Passage: Philippians 2:1-11 There once was a slave in ancient Rome who heard his master was on the liquidation list. Upon learning this news, he quickly put on his master’s cloak and quietly awaited the arrival of the political assassins. When they finally arrived, they […]
January 23, 2017
By Mark Proctor Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia Focal Passages: Judges 4:4-10, 12-16 Even a cursory examination of Israel’s history in the book of Judges will reveal a glaring theme: Israel had been given the land, every inch of it, and “no man shall be able to stand …” (Joshua 1:5 ESV). This was […]
4017 Rural Plains Circle
Franklin, TN 37064
2025 © The Baptist and Reflector. All Right Reserved.