“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.” (Galatians 5:13)

July is the month in which our country celebrates its independence. The colonists were seeking freedom, freedom from and freedom to practice “certain unalienable rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. “Freedom” as defined by the founding fathers was a “state of being not dependent; complete exemption from control, or the power of others; as the independence of the Supreme Being”. (Google Search) Isn’t it interesting how closely tied this definition of freedom is to that of our God. One definition of freedom “is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature”. (Heritage.org)  It’s impossible to escape the presence of God in the founding of our nation, but this is what our present-day leaders are attempting to do. No matter what we as mere humans do, man – God’s creation –  cannot escape his Creator. He is everywhere!

Biblical freedom is different from political freedom. Of course, many of our political freedoms come from our Christian faith, but it does not address the real problem. The real problem is man’s need to be liberated from the enslaving power of sin and its consequences. Through this liberation, Christian believers are free to love and serve Christ and live holy lives. It’s a true freedom not to indulge oneself which leads to self-destruction, but a true freedom to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. We are no longer entangled with selfish desires, but ones which lead us to Jesus and His purposes.

As we celebrate this Independence Day, may we also celebrate our “Independence Day” from the power of sin and its consequences to those of loving, serving, and living out God’s purposes in our lives.

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:5 ESV)

Vacation Bible School is upon us once again. With this statement, I realize that there is some excitement, and there are some “uuuggghhhs”.  I’m hoping that each of you see VBS as a great opportunity for your church to reach your surrounding community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The key verse is one which should be our motivation for VBS. As leaders, we are sharing God’s Word with our Kindergarten through 6^th grade children to know Jesus. As always, these are important ages to train our children in the way they should go. We must remember that God’s Word never, ever comes back void or empty. It accomplishes His purpose whether it’s now or later in the life of our children.

I saved these thoughts from an article I read in January about VBS. Here are 4 reasons why VBS is critical to the mission of our churches:

1. VBS is about Jesus.

89 % of those who attended VBS say that it was a positive influence on their spiritual growth. 95% of parents say that VBS was a very positive influence on the spiritual growth of their children. WHY? VBS has the dual purpose of “introducing children to Jesus Christ and providing valuable spiritual growth of more than kids than ever”.

1. VBS attracts all types of children.

It’s amazing to note that VBS crosses cultural and religious barriers. “More than 69% of American parents say they would encourage their child to attend VBS at a church they don’t attend if their child was personally invited by a friend.”(Lifeway) In other words, parents that are Christian, unchurched, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic or all socioeconomic statuses would send their child to VBS. Get your church kids to invite their unsaved friends!!

1. VBS energizes the local church and the community.

Why do I say this…because VBS gets the church out of their seats and into their community. VBS creates energy in the local church in order to show everyone the truth of God’s Word in a wholesome and new way that they may have never seen before.

1. VBS mobilizes a local church to reach its community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It takes the church of all ages to participate together to touch the lives of those who live in and around the local church. VBS is not just for children. It is for teens, college-aged students, singles, newlyweds, married couples, both young and older, those with or without children, empty-nesters, and senior adults.

As VBS is being promoted in your church, be a participant. Find your place and see what God can do through you at VBS.

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle

“I thank my God, I say, for your cooperation in spreading the Good News from the first time it first came to you even until now.”  (WNT)

May 13 will be the 100 year celebration of the Cooperative Program in Southern Baptist life. Some of you may say, “So, what does that have to do with me?” EVERYTHING! On May 13, 1925, our national convention made the decision to start a new system of mission support as well as support for education, benevolent ministries, and other partners like Guidestone and the Southern Baptist Foundation to expand our reaching communities, states, and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As our Pickens Baptist Associational churches designate what percentage of their monies are given through the association, they go towards the Cooperative Program.  Each member of our churches is participating in the advancement of God’s Kingdom. In other words, each member is educating college and seminary students, preparing and maintaining stateside and international missionaries on their fields of service, helping pastors and missionaries to retire with dignity, and making bold statements to our representatives in our state and national legislatures on how the SBC believes about certain issues which affect our lives.

I am a product of the Cooperative Program. It began when I served you as Southern Baptists in Waterbury, Connecticut at a Puerto Rican Community Center. Believe it or not, I wasn’t even Southern Baptist at the time. From there, you’ve helped educate me in Southern Baptist colleges and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Then, you provided for Claren and me as we served both the North American Mission Board as well as the International Mission Board for 30 years. Of course, now, we receive CP monies as your Associational Missionaries.

I thank you for faithfully praying and giving to the Cooperative Program. In my humble opinion, it is the best financial system to meet the needs of any convention in the world. May the Lord continue to bless the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention! Please don’t take it for granted!

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”   (Matthew 27:22 – 23)

Everyday people scream, “That’s unfair!”, “This is unjust”, “This ain’t right!” And they have a point, there are situations in our world that have never been fair, that have never been just, nor have they been right. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” While Bishop Desmond Tutu stated, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Living and growing up in the South, I’ve seen the unfairness, the injustice, and the unrighteousness. However, we must understand as Dr. King and Bishop Tutu, any type of injustice is wrong. It is not just a black/white, poor/rich, and male/female issue. It permeates our societies in every culture, every nation, and every people group. I find it interesting that you can go to the most remote of people groups in the world, and they practice injustice. Why? They are sinful people!

I find our verses interesting this month. As I read through them, I noticed that several days earlier many of these same folks were praising Jesus saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9 – 10) Wow, what a change! I’m sure we’ve never acted like that. (Honestly, I do it every Saturday during football season.)

Poor Pilate, he did everything in his power to release Jesus, but he could not. He realized that crucifying Jesus would be the greatest injustice ever. However, to keep the peace in Jerusalem, Pilate was forced to kill him, but he did attempt to wash his hands of the incident. Unfortunately, the guiltiness of Jesus’ crucifixion is one thing that water cannot wash clean.

As I pondered those verses, I realized that I wasn’t present to crucify Jesus, but I did crucify Him through my sin. It was as though I was in the crowd yelling, “Crucify Him!” It shook me. I was guilty of killing Jesus! Immediately, I asked forgiveness for my participation in His death. I thanked Him for His forgiveness, and I’m not guilty any longer because of Jesus’ shedding of blood and dying for me and all mankind. What a Savior! What a Lord!

As we move through the Lenten season to Holy Week and Resurrection Day, may we not forget that all of us stand guilty of putting Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Nevertheless, Jesus has paid the price of our sin through the shedding of His blood, His death, and His resurrection from the dead. AMEN! May all of you have a great Resurrection Day celebration in your local churches!

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”   (Genesis 8:22)

As much as I love the transition from winter to spring in Alabama, it brings with it dangerous thunder storms, drenching rains, and tornadoes. I don’t mind so much the storms and rains, but the tornadoes can be a little nerve racking. I remember as a kid in the fifth grade when the entire school had to move to the hallway to take cover from a tornado that was nearby. As I got in the hallway, I did all I could to find my brother to make sure he was okay. Of course, he was, but I was his older brother.

As the tornado passed by, many of us went back to our rooms to see the it on the other side of town. Everything outside was dark and green, I’ll never forget it. So, when watches and warnings come, I look to see what the sky and the air feel like. I’m not James Spann, but I have learned a few things to prepare myself for the worst.

Our passage from Genesis demonstrates God’s promises to Noah after the flood. He let Noah know that the natural cycles of the earth would return as before as long as the earth remains. We see two points very important for us about God’s character. First of all, God never changes. Our seasons go from “seedtime to harvest, cold to heat, winter to summer, and day to night”, they will never cease. Malachi 3:6 states, “I the Lord do not change.” In a constantly changing world, Our Lord does not change which means we can count on Him always.

Next, God is faithful. He reassures believers that we can trust God’s unchanging nature and His covenant promises. What a God we serve. May you know that God never changes and is faithful to us always.

Until next month,

Bro. Lyle

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

(I John 3:18)

As I began thinking and praying about this article, I read one on Christianity.com which was very interesting on “What is Love: A Biblical Definition”. Of course, it went to the different Greek uses of love, and there were more than the traditional four mentioned in most commentaries, teachings, and sermons. The traditional four are: storge – affection; phileo – friendship; eros – sexual; and agape – unconditional, self-less.

The others article are: ludus – flirtatious, playful, uncommitted; pragma – committed, long-standing; philautia – self-love; and mania – obsessive, possessive, addictive, dependent. These later four are not necessarily commonly used in the Bible, but we do see them lived out in our world. Also, we see how each can be harmful to both the one loving and the one being loved.

When John the Apostle wrote his words of how NOT to love, we notice that this seems quite common today, too. How many times have we or others just flippantly said, “I Love You” without thinking of the commitment required to demonstrate that love? Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrated His love for us: while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us.”   One person said that biblical love is a ‘selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love that is demonstrated through actions’.

How can we demonstrate that ‘selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love’? First of all, we can demonstrate these characteristics through our daily interactions…the way we speak with others and the way we act toward others. Notice in Jesus’ life, he spoke lovingly toward unbelievers and spoke harsher toward the religious leaders and his own disciples. We should do the same. Unbelievers don’t know to speak, think, or act correctly because they are under the control of their father, Satan. Whereas, followers of Jesus must reflect Him, and we need to be rebuked and rebuffed lovingly by Jesus and his followers. 

The second way to demonstrate biblical love is by loving our true enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Do believers have enemies? Are believers persecuted in the United States? Sure, they are! It might be subtle, or it might be overt, but it happens. What should be our reaction? It should be that of Christ, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. (Luke 23:34)  Stephen reacted similarly as he was being stoned to death, “Lord, charge not this sin against them”. Can we pray this way for our enemies and persecutors?

May we during this month of February demonstrate biblical love toward those with whom we come in contact!

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs, do you not perceive it?”  (Isaiah 43:18 – 19a)

As a child, I remember vividly the symbols of the old and the new  year. The old year was symbolized by an old man with a beard, and the new  year as a baby. Of course, the idea was the dying away of all the things which took place the previous year and the looking forward to the new year with all of its potential and expectations.

As we move from  2024 into 2025, it would be good for us to review our lives to see where our they came up short of what we had planned at the end of 2023. Some of you might be like I was at one time in my life. I would just go with the flow. However, even Jesus Himself was on a time schedule. It is quite obvious that He was to be in Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover during His last year of physical life, but He didn’t let his time schedule hinder him from changing his daily schedule. When He said, ” It is finished”, it was . There was nothing that Jesus left undone. He had healed thousands. He had resurrected from the dead dozens. He had given sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. Plus, he called and discipled  12 men to carry on His ministry after His death and resurrection. Nothing was left to chance!

How about you?  Are you ready to go forward from 2024 to 2025? Or are you stuck in 2024, 2020, 2000, or farther back? Are you saying, “I wish I could go back to…?” Many of us as believers wish for the “glory days” or “better days”, but we must not have this attitude. The Lord has given us one day to live at a time. Every day is the opportunity to live and serve Him.

Our biblical passage from Isaiah is very clear that we should not remember nor consider the things of old. Yet, we get stuck in the past. Does this mean that thinking on the past is bad? NO, but living in the past is. God through Jesus was about to do a new thing. Okay, it took 700 years, but it would and did happen with the birth, life, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again, God accomplished what He set out to do.

Again, I ask you, “Are you ready to go forward with a new thing? Or are you going to live in the past wishing for the glory or better days to return?”  I hate to burst your bubble, but they will NOT return. Christ has made us to be people of the present and the future. May we live that way in 2025…reflecting Him as we fulfill His will in the world!

Happy New Year!

Bro. Lyle

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

(Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 10a)

The words of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes are important ones for believers to put into practice. So many times, we try to serve the Lord as isolated “islands” rather than as “chains” linking us together. In other words, we have the tendency to do ministry by ourselves rather than seeking others. Notice how Jesus put together his team. He called men from different backgrounds, different cultures, and different social classes to join Him. There were times when they bickered among themselves (Matthew 20:20 – 24). However, after the Day of Pentecost, the apostles were working together more and more. Yes, there is the exception of Philip, but my point is … we very rarely see the apostles, Paul, Barnabas, and others ministering by themselves.

Last week at the Alabama State Convention in Daphne, two of our Pickens Baptist Association ladies were honored with the Alabama Baptist Volunteers of the Year Award. They are Mrs. Debra Abston and Miss Kimberly Posey (KP to everyone else). They were recognized for the way in which they minister together in their home church – Highland Baptist Church, in the Pickens Baptist Association, and in US and International missions. It was a blessing to watch them receive these awards. I understand this now this is the third time that the PBA has received this honor. The first ones were Mr. Buddy and Mrs. Emily Kirk in 2009, followed by Mrs. Cynthia Colvin in 2012.  WOW! For a small Baptist Association, what great examples we have of persons laboring together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world.

I couldn’t finish this December newsletter without saying something about Christmas. The apostle John wrote: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (1:14a) Jesus, the Word, left all of His authority and power in Heaven beside His Father to reside and live among us. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost”. (Luke 19.10) All of us, His Creation, was lost and needed a Savior, a Redeemer. He chose to become man. He chose to eat, drink, and get to know us. He chose to teach and show us how to live for Him. Then, eventually, he chose willingly to give His life to redeem us. How can we cheapen the significance of the Christmas season with only the giving of presents, spending time with family and friends, and watching football until our eyes bug out?  Christmas is so much more. May we keep Christmas special by remembering, honoring, and praising the Lord Jesus Christ who was not only born, but also died for our salvation!

Until next month,

Bro. Lyle

“Since then you have been raised with Christ…”  (Colossians 3.1a)

As I write you from month to month, I normally don’t preach in my articles. However, this time might be different. I’ve been reading in the book of Colossians, and I’ve gotten stuck on several phrases in this third chapter which is prefaced by “since then you have been raised with Christ”. That phrase right there should be enough for us to “camp out” for a while. Since we have been raised with Christ, it must mean that we were buried by some means. I’m physically alive, so Paul is not talking about my physical resurrection, but he’s speaking of my spiritual resurrection. So, all that know Jesus as Savior and Lord are new persons. (II Cor. 5:17) It’s like Lazarus when he walked out of his grave. We’ve walked out of our spiritual graves into new lives in Christ.

As I continue reading the next verses, these phrases appear, “set your hearts on things above”, “set your mind on things above”, and “your life is now hidden with Christ in God”.  It’s pretty clear that Paul wants the believer as well as the body of Christ to understand the direction in which our lives should take…fixed on Christ. Are we fixed on Christ every second, every minute, and every moment of every day? To be honest with you, I have my moments when I’m not as focused as I should be. This leads me to set my mind and heart on earthly things. When my mind and heart are set on earthly things, that’s when I begin to falter in my faith and my walk in the Lord.

So, as we move toward the days of Thanksgiving, yes, enjoy time with family, enjoy the food, but do not set your mind and hearts on earthly things. Set your mind and hearts on things above remembering that our lives are now hidden with Christ. As Colossians 3.4 states, “Christ, who is your life”, let’s allow Christ to be our lives!

May the Lord bless you all as you celebrate this special Thanksgiving time of the year!

Until next month,

Bro. Lyle

“After you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days;”   (Leviticus 23:39)

Last month,  I focused my article on the importance of celebrating the milestone of the 200^th Anniversary of Ethelsville Baptist Church, but we need to celebrate any milestones that our churches experience during the year. Many times, we overlook not only our churches’ anniversaries, but we don’t celebrate our new buildings or structures, baptisms, new members, the return of older members, new Sunday School or Discipleship classes, or anything that has occurred differently during the year.

The scriptural passage that I’ve quoted speaks of the celebration of the “Feast of Tabernacles” where the people of Israel live in temporary shelters for 7 days to remind them of the ones that He provided for the nation as they left out of Egypt and went to the Promised Land. There are at least 7 known feasts that the people of Israel celebrated annually. Do we take the time to celebrate what the Lord has done for our churches even once a year? I believe that’s the point I’m trying to make.

The Lord has blessed us in so many ways as His people and His church. However, we seem to be oblivious, non-caring, or entitled to what we have. This should not be. As God’s children, we must understand that God through His mercy, love, and grace has blessed us. He didn’t have to redeem us, nor bless us, but He does because of His great love for us.  John says it best, “We love because He first loved us.”  (I John 4:19)

As we move in to the harvest or fall season, let us be grateful for the salvation, the blessings, the churches, the families, and even life itself. Let us not take anything for granted. Why? Because God, our Father, has given it to us for His glory!

Until Next Month,

Bro. Lyle