TEXT: John 15:1-5 TOPIC: The Four Spiritual Disciplines of Christian Growth Pastor Bobby Earls, First Baptist Church, Center Point, April 30, 2006 Today’s sermon asks a simple question. Are you a growing Christian? Are you? If I offered you a measuring device designed to measure spiritual growth in a…

God’s Great Plan for Our Lives Jeremiah 1:4-10 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - Sept. 9, 2012 *The second Sunday in September has been important to me for a long time. It took over 5 years for me to answer God’s call into the ministry. But when I said “yes,” He almost immediately started…

Christianity Where the Rubber Meets the Road Part 4: Moving Forward in Christ James 1:16-27 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - March 4, 2012 *Years ago Paul Harvey told about a biker riding down the highway on his motorcycle, and he had this message printed on the back of his leather jacket:…

While I was preparing for this morning’s message, I had a weird flash of insight. I suddenly wondered what it must have been like to be one of the younger brothers or sisters of Jesus. We know from the Gospels that Mary and Joseph had a number of children together. There were four brothers. Their names…

THE BAPTISM AND FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 1 CORINTHIANS 12:13 I want to begin by asking each of you as question; actually two questions. (1) Would you say that you have reached as high in your growth as a Christian as you can go? (2) Or, would you agree that God has infinitely more for you that you…

Be an Encourager for God Acts 11:19-26 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - Nov. 17, 2013 *Everybody needs encouragement. The night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre, he was carrying: two pairs of glasses, a small velvet eyeglass cleaner, an ivory pocketknife, a large handkerchief…

None of us are born in Christ as fully mature Christians. All of us are called to grow in Christ. To grow the Church of God we must Grow ourselves to be more Christ-like.

Paul’s Old Man and New Man in Ephesians Paul writes to the Ephesian Christians that they are to take off the old man and put on the new man (Eph. 4:20-24). The purpose of this paper is to define what the old man and new man are in Ephesians and why it is important to know about them. Perhaps the single…

God wants our church to grow! 1. So He stresses that no one is saved without Jesus (vs. 1-2). 2. He seeks to save the lost (vs. 3-8). 3. He stretches us to reach new people (vs. 9-16). 4. He sets-up divine appointments for us (vs. 17-23).

Jude #3 Jude 17-23 Responding to Apostasy Last week I addressed the fact that not everything that seems to be “Christian” by title or by claim is true to the faith. The New Testament is full of warnings against apostasy. Jude, John, Peter, and Paul all addressed apostate Christian religious expressions…

Peter’s Plea: Be Diligent to Grow in Your Faith 2nd Peter 1:8-11 August 12, 2007 Sun Oak Baptist Church Introduction A. Please turn with me in your Bibles to 2nd Peter 1:5 and I encourage you to take out your sermon notes as well. B. As we are getting started this morning I want to give us fair warning…

Grace, Gratitude and Growth Phil 1:1-11 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - July 29, 2012 *Philippians is a tremendous book of the Bible. Here God gives us some great words of comfort. For example in Phil 4 He tells us: 6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,…

Weathering the Storms Galatians 6:17 As I walked over the rocky crags of our Island paradise, I noticed the carved out holes and crevices the constant pounding of the surf has produced over the years. From far off they look the same, never changing. But up close they show the effects of a relentless…

Don’t Quit Philippians 3:10-16 Introduction: 1) The record for the shortest major league baseball career probably belongs to a member of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, a pitcher named Harry Hartman. He was a gifted young ballplayer whose day of glory arrived in 1918 when he was called up from the minors to…

The series of lessons called Neither Barren, Nor Unfruitful will look at things we should lay aside from 1 Peter 2:1-2, and things we should take on from 2 Peter 1:5-8, in order that we should be neither barren, nor unfruitful for our Master. This lesson looks at the idea of laying aside malice, and getting our mind right.

Text: Proverbs 29:18 Title: Catch a Fresh Vision for Your Life ETS: Spiritual Vision is vital to the Believer ESS: The Christian must be guided by vision from above. OSS: Christians will seek God for spiritual vision. PQ: What is spiritual vision and how can I receive it? UW: Points Introduction: I.…

“Put On Your Game Face!” IN THE ZONE Most football games are won or lost before one second ticks off the game clock. Watch this clip from the movie, Facing the Giants. The Shiloh Eagles have not had a winning season in six years under the leadership of Coach Grant Taylor. This is a game against a team…

The Power of God’s Word 1 Peter 1:17-2:3 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - June 27, 2012 *As you’ve already heard, our theme for VBS this year is “Amazing Wonders Aviation,” and it’s all about the amazing power of God. Against the backdrop of some of the world’s great natural wonders,…

God’s word and Growth Jer. 15:16 9/3/06 Most of us know someone who hasn’t matured as they should. Maybe they’re 20 years old with the mind of a 5 year old. Their bodies grow but their minds don’t. We say there is something wrong with them. Almost as disheartening is Christians who don’t grow. John MacArthur-…

God’s Ultimate Excellence for Us - Part 2 2 Peter 1:1-11 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - March 10, 2013 *Sometimes people get down when they compare themselves to other people: Somebody richer, smarter, stronger or better looking. Have you ever been there? Maybe you think of yourself…

Music Matters! Colossians 3:16 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - Aug 27, 2014 *Think of some of the things we tend to take for granted. There are many things, but with the focus on music tonight, I want to mention the music program of our church. Our Sanctuary Choir rehearses every Wednesday.…

God's Word has the power! 1. To give us Christian growth (vs. 32). 2. To inspire Christian giving (v. 33-35). 3. To soothe Christian grief (vs. 36-38).

How can we eliminate our stinking thinking? 1. We must grow in the grace of Almighty God (vs. 3). 2. We must humble our hearts (vs. 3). 3. We must understand our unity in Christ (vs. 3-5).

What to Do Until the Lord Comes Back - Part 3 2 Peter 3:14-18 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - May 5, 2013 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: *Do you believe that Jesus Christ is coming again? If we believe what the Bible says about Jesus, then we know that the Lord is coming back. What should…

The People of God 1 Peter 2:1-10 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - Nov. 11, 2012 *Our oldest daughter, Becky, graduated from the New Orleans Seminary in 2005. We tried to go down whenever we could. And one time we went out to eat at the Piccadilly Cafeteria near the school. *As we were…