Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason
Focal Passage: Luke 1:11-20, 63-65
Years ago I stood before the church and announced that my wife was expecting. The church members asked, “Do you want a boy or a girl?” After pausing for a moment, I said, “I would gladly take one of each.” Little did I know that nine months later I would become a father to twins — a boy and a girl. [Read more…]
By Ken R. Speakman
Member, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory
Focal Passage: Acts 8:26-31, 35-39
The mandate of Acts 1:8 which Jesus gave the disciples is about to begin. Following the martyrdom of Stephen, persecution of the Jerusalem church intensified. Believers (except the apostles) flee Jerusalem for their lives into the nearby regions of Judea and Samaria. [Read more…]
By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason
Focal Passage: Numbers 12:1-11, 13-15
Do you remember the words to the old western ballad, “Home on the Range?” The range was a place “where never is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.” Words are how we communicate. Words can build up or words can tear down. Today people will say things on social media that they could never say to someone’s face. In our passage we see the outcome of destructive criticism. [Read more…]
By Ken R. Speakman
Member, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory
Focal Passage: Acts 6:1-10
The Jerusalem church was experiencing growing pains that impacted the apostles’ ministry. The membership of the church had grown into the thousands and the staff of only 12 found it difficult to attend to the needs of so many. The first dissension in the church arises.
There were two kinds of Jews in the early church. Our text names them as Hellenistic Jews and Hebrew Jews. The Hebrew Jews were descendants of the faithful Jews who left Babylon under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. They endured the difficulties of rebuilding Jerusalem. They were committed to the Hebrew Scriptures and spoke Hebrew and Aramaic. The Hellenistic Jews descended from Jews who had chosen, for whatever reason, to live outside the land of Palestine. They were still Jews, but they spoke Greek and absorbed some of the Greek culture into their lifestyle. [Read more…]
By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason
Focal Passage: Genesis 27:41, 33:1-11
Conflict is part of life. It is never a pleasant experience. Conflict can and does occur even among believers. We see conflict in marriage, in churches, and in the work place. In our text, we find conflict between two brothers who happen to be twins — Jacob and Esau. It was customary for the oldest brother in a family to receive the birthright. Jacob, the younger of the two brothers, tricked his older brother, Esau, out of his birthright. Being deceived, Esau, full of bitterness and anger, determined to kill Jacob when their father Isaac died (Genesis 27:41). Jacob decided to put some distance between him and Esau so he went to live with his mother’s brother, Laban. [Read more…]
By Ken R. Speakman
Member, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory
Focal Passage: Acts 5:25-35, 38-42
As word about the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira spread, a wave of godly fear swept over the church, which now has great power and great fear. Growth continued and believers were now meeting regularly at the Temple and house to house. God gave the apostles power to perform great miracles and many believed, both men and women. Crowds came from villages surrounding Jerusalem and began to bring their sick to the apostles for healing (vv. 15-16).
The center of the apostles’ message was the Lord Jesus Christ, the very name the Sanhedrin had condemned and the person they had crucified. Because of the great success the apostles were having, the high priest and the officials were filled with jealousy. They had commanded Peter and John not to mention the name of Jesus but they obeyed the Lord and not man. They arrested the apostles and put them in jail, but an angel miraculously delivered them without unlocking the doors or alerting the guards. [Read more…]
By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason
Focal Passage: Genesis 15:1-6, 16:1-5, 17:18-19
People often will make promises. However when it comes time to fulfill that promise, they neglect to follow through on their word. Who has not been hurt by having a promise made and then broken? For instance, “I promise I will not tell another person. I promise to be on time. I promise I will pay you. I promise to love, honor, and cherish.” What good is a promise if someone does not keep their word?
Abraham was a man of faith. Back in chapter 12, God had already promised Abraham that He would make of him a great nation. Now the years have gone by and Abraham and Sarai are getting older and still do not have a child. Abraham’s faith was strong enough that he left his homeland and his family to follow the call of God. But now looking from a human perspective, God’s promise of a child appeared to be impossible. Even though God restates His promise and shows Abraham the stars, he really offers him nothing more or new. Instead, once again, God reiterates the promise of His Word. Abraham, like many other biblical characters proves that even people of faith will have times of doubt and weakness. [Read more…]
By Ken R. Speakman
Member, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory
Focal Passage: Acts 4:36-37; 5:1-11
In our last study we observed Peter and John standing before the Sanhedrin with the healed beggar. They had been commanded not to speak of Jesus. They went to the church and told their story. The church broke out in a spontaneous time of prayer (Acts 4:23).
The church was growing in spirit and number and encountered the first dose of persecution when Peter and John healed the lame beggar. The apostle’s display of courage before the entire counsel of Jewish religious leaders greatly encouraged the church. The church was joyful and their contagious spirit attracted many to join them. [Read more…]
By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason
Focal Passage: John 15:1-8
Jesus and His disciples had left the Upper Room. They had partaken of the Lord’s Supper and now they were on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus would pray and later be arrested. Along the way, Jesus used an object lesson from the garden. By looking at the grape arbor, the signs of a vinedresser were obvious. The vines had been tended and pruned. It was obvious that someone had spent time with the vines intending to have a good harvest of grapes. The purpose of this analogy from the lips of Jesus was to remind believers of their purpose in following Jesus. Our purpose is very simple — Jesus expects us to bear fruit for Him. Often people will ask, “Why was I born?” Now Jesus answers that question. In a believer’s life, there will always be times of discouragement. Situations and circumstances will enter into a believer’s life that will hinder in the production of fruit. During these times, our life’s purpose can seem a little fuzzy. [Read more…]
By Ken R. Speakman
Member, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory
Focal Passage: Acts 4:1-13
We begin our lesson in chapter 4 by turning our attention to events of chapter 3. Peter and John are about to enter the temple when they encounter a lame beggar who has been lame since birth. In the name of Jesus the beggar is healed and begins to leap and jump. This story weaves its way through the middle of chapter 4. As a result of this beggar’s conversion, the persecution of the early church begins.
Just as the Old Testament prophets were able to authenticate themselves through miracles, so the New Testament church period opened with apostles whom Christ has given power to heal (Matthew 10:8). These miracles were performed to demonstrate the power of the gospel and bring glory to the Lord Jesus. After seeing the miracle of healing the lame beggar, more than 5,000 believed. [Read more…]
