By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: John 11:17-27

Jesus tells the disciples that He is going back to Judea because Lazarus has fallen asleep (died). The disciples are surprised that Jesus would want to go back there, because in John 10:31 the Jews tried to stone Him on his last visit to Judea. Jesus is teaching the disciples that they should not be afraid of death. People still respond to the death of a loved one with the same question that Job once asked: “If a man dies, shall he live again?” Jesus is going to use this occasion to answer that question.

Jesus shows by resurrecting Lazarus that He has power over death. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. The first of the resurrections that Jesus performed was the widow of Nain’s son. Then Jesus also showed His power over death by raising the young daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader. Resuscitation is a return to life, but eventually physical death comes again. [Read more…]

By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: John 10:7-15, 27-30

Jesus said, “I am the door.” A door basically is an entrance or an exit. When you walk through a door, you enter into one place and exit another one. When we walk through the door named Jesus Christ, we exit a meaningless life and enter into a meaningful life. What do we find when we walk through the door called Jesus?

(1) God will give me direction in my life. A flock of sheep with no shepherd is totally helpless. Sheep have no sense of direction and they wander aimlessly. They will stray from the flock and will lose their way. During World War II the English government knew that Hitler was planning to invade England so they asked each community to take down all the road signs which would cause the German army to lose their way. Today we can read His Word for guidance, we can talk to Him and ask for direction, and He promises that He will lead us to the place where we need to be (Psalm 23:2). [Read more…]

By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: John 8:12-19

While attending the Tennessee Baptist Convention annual meeting back in the early 1990s, a storm approached Memphis knocking out the electricity as everyone was making their way across the parking lot. Without street lights, it was very difficult to find your way to your car. I needed light to help me find my way.

The setting of our text is so important. Remember it was at dawn (John 8:2) that the Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. Jesus used that backdrop to teach a lesson about light and darkness. What light is to the physical world, Jesus is to the spiritual world. [Read more…]

By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: John 6:26-27, 35-40

Today people want more. Think of all the luxuries we have today that we did not have 50 years ago. We have cell phones for instant communication. We have bigger televisions with more than 500 channels. The problem with society is many are convinced that more is always better. The more prosperous we are, or the more money we have, the more satisfied we think we will be. However, Jesus never promised prosperity. [Read more…]

By Michael Crandall
Senior Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg

Focal Passage: Matthew 5:43-48

How can a person walk through life and learn how and why we love things, places, and people? When we think about what love is, we understand that love is not just something we say or a surface feeling. When we realize what the Bible tells us that is and how and why we must love, we can then grasp a better understanding!

When I was a young boy I “loved” playing out on that little farm I grew up on! I “loved” when we had homemade ice cream! I “loved” riding the tractor with my grandfather! The question now becomes why did I love those times? Why would I love to play, eat, and have fun? When we look at the Scripture for this week we see what Jesus said love is and how we should apply that love to our lives! [Read more…]