By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor, Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: Daniel 1:3-5, 8-13, 17-19

Think about it! Will anyone remember that you lived in 1,000 years? Will anybody remember that you lived in 100 years? Sad for some, only a fraction of one percent of the people who have ever lived will survive in the memories of future generations. In our world, halls of fame have been established to help remember the best of the best. How do people make it into the hall of fame? They make it because they are the best in their field.

The greatest and most long lasting “hall of fame” is the Word of God. Why? The Word of God is the living and eternal record of the lives of the best of the best of those who obeyed God’s Word and lived with an unshakable conviction of the same. Daniel, along with his three friends, are members of God’s Hall of Fame. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor, Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown.

Focal Passage: Revelation 21:1-8

Some of my older retired friends talk about never wanting to move from their homes. They do not want to think about moving all of their stuff (junk). They are settled in for the remainder of their days. They have everything placed or piled where they want it. Their house may not be the biggest or the best but it is their home. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor of Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: Romans 8:28-39

Many fathers and sons hunt or fish together for fun and relationship building. With me and my dad, we watched football and cut firewood. He would run the chain saw. He could “fall” a tree on a dime. At the time, I had more raw strength than ability to run the saw so I would pull the limbs and split the logs. I must confess, because I do not want to get into trouble, this was most of the time a family activity. That being said, with all of the practice I developed a skill in splitting logs. The log would be put on one end exposing its rings and cracks. The skill was to find the best crack in which to place the wedge, which was a v-shaped piece of metal that would divide the log into two pieces when hit with the sledge hammer. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor of Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: Luke 11:5-13

With names like: bag, brick, flip, slide, and smart, cellular phones have come a long way in a few short years. Today’s smart phones are handheld computers that can do just about anything. Besides talking, smart phones are our calendars, cameras, flashlights, photo albums, to-do lists, maps, internet access and constant companions. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor of Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: Psalm 34:4-14

When I was in middle school my parents, my twin sister, and I traveled, with our church, to Brookings, S.D., on a missions trip. Our team stayed in the dorms at South Dakota State University. We worked with the local Baptist Student Union. The BSU building was off campus. The BSU was an easy walk on the flat and straight streets of town. We had permission to walk from campus to the BSU building. One day I decided to walk to the BSU by myself. It didn’t take long for an East Tennessee boy to get lost in this strange place. I couldn’t remember the building’s address and I began to hopelessly wander the streets looking for my destination. After several hours of walking and ready to give up, I saw a familiar car turn the corner and drive in my direction. It was my father’s black Ford. Never in my life have I felt more helpless before being found and happy after being found. I knew that God had provided for my rescue. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor of Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: I John 5:6-13

It is believed that the purchase of the first life insurance policy can be traced back to London in 1583. The buyer’s name was William Gybbon. The seller’s name is not known but the beneficiary was Richard Martin. When Mr. Gybbon died, his claim was paid after a dispute was settled in court. [Read more…]

By Terry Kirby
Senior Pastor, Alpha Baptist Church, Morristown

Focal Passage: Psalm 89:1-2, 5-8, 15-18

The Bible says in II Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” What does that mean? It means that every word of The Word of God is from God. God wants us to hide every word of it in our hearts. Most of God’s Word is God speaking to His called ones. He gave His people instructions, warnings, and prophesies among many other timeless words. Although written thousands of years ago, this truth continues to speak to us today. Among all of the books of the Bible Psalms is special and unique. Some people say that Psalms is a hymn book. In this study, we will take it a step further; it is God’s instructions on how His people are to praise Him. [Read more…]

By Randy Harmon
Pastor, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Greenbrier

Focal Passage: Luke 14:12-24

In Luke 14, Jesus participates in a conversation that had begun over 700 years earlier (Isaiah 25:6-9). While the religious elite are refusing to accept Jesus’ preaching of the Kingdom, spiritual outsiders are responding with faith and acceptance. To the Jews, this story would be inconceivable. [Read more…]

By Randy Harmon
Pastor, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Greenbrier

Focal Passage: Acts 4:31-37

I have often heard people associated with churches make statements like, “We need to get back to the church of Acts.”

That is an interesting concept, but it is chronologically impossible. We cannot travel backward in time. I do understand what is meant by this statement and appreciate the intent behind it. Though we cannot go back there, our churches may experience the same spirit and unity of purpose that made that first church so effective for the kingdom of God. There are several principles mentioned in this Scripture that can help lead us to (or back to) that same unity. [Read more…]

By Randy Harmon
Pastor, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Greenbrier

Focal Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-8

The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The writer of Hebrews says of the Word of God, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

There has been discussion among our Southern Baptist family about revival lately. One of the important elements of genuine spiritual revival involves a return to God’s Word and a response to its divine truth. Not just talk, opinion, or even passion for God’s Word, but the labor intensive spiritual discipline of knowing, reading, studying, memorizing, and applying God’s Word. [Read more…]