Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
May 18, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Romans 14:1-12 Freedom. It’s a word we all love. More than that, it is an experience we both enjoy and expect in our culture. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is free. For some, freedom is a distant dream. They long for the day when they […]
May 18, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: Philippians 2:1-5, 13-15 One of the basic building blocks of relationships is the ability to yield to others in humble submission to Jesus Christ. Whether it be in a marriage, a church, or a friendship, humility in considering the needs of others is paramount for […]
May 11, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Romans 13:1-14 Several years ago, my wife and I had a house built, but only the downstairs. I took the next year and a half to finish the upstairs. As I spent my nights and weekends working, there were times when my son, who was only […]
May 11, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: Galatians 5:13-15; 6:1-5, 10 As we continue this series on the six building blocks of relationships, we are seeing many businesses, churches and society in general begin to open up and gather together again. With this reopening and regathering comes a sense of freedom from […]
May 4, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Romans 12:1-2, 9-18 Not long ago I watched a documentary on the transformation that takes place inside a cocoon. With less than scientific language, let me explain it: a caterpillar is enveloped by a cocoon. While in that state the caterpillar literally dissolves into a pile […]
May 4, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: Matthew 18:21-28, 32-33 As we continue this series on building relationships, I remind you that the core building block of all relationships is love. Love as defined in I Corinthians 13:4 has two characteristics, kindness and long-suffering. Last week, we examined the importance of encouragement […]
April 27, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Romans 11:17-32 Adoption is something that is common. Families adopt children every day. What is unique is that these families have a bond of love as strong as families who have not adopted children. God’s love is like that. It is strong enough to love adopted […]
April 27, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: Acts 9:26-28; 11:21-26 Have you ever had a nickname? In my high school, one of the boys was nicknamed “Wrong Way” because he chose to run the wrong way with the ball in a football game. Sometimes a nickname lasts for years. For my friend, […]
April 20, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Roman 10:5-15 We were walking through Calcutta when we saw the temple for Kali. Curious, we walked to the gate and looked inside. A Hindu priest was holding a goat in one hand and holding up a knife in the other. To our surprise, he suddenly […]
April 20, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: John 15:9-14 The subject of most conversations during the past weeks has been COVID-19 and the social distancing requirements that have been established to attempt to curb its escalation. Prayerfully, in the coming weeks, we will begin to move back into closer social gatherings and […]
April 13, 2020
By Travis Biller Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Elizabethton Focal Passage: Romans 8:12-25 There is nothing like knowing you have a home. Many are familiar with the Christmas song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” I was a young soldier in the army as Desert Storm began in 1991. As the prospect of war became real, and as […]
April 13, 2020
By Tim Frank Pastor, First Baptist Church, Carthage Focal Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 54-58 It is no coincidence that the Lord has orchestrated this lesson for this time in our nation’s history. Most, if not all, churches are still in the online-only format following Executive Orders and States of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. […]