Two Ordinances
The Lord has set up a simple way to worship Him. The two ordinances of the church are the Lord’s Supper and baptism. In this message, Pastor McCool examines the simplicity of these two ordinances. Keep reading →
The Keys to the Kingdom
In this message, Pastor Tim brings out the keys to God’s church. The starting point is a Biblical understanding of who Jesus is and what He did for us. Keep reading →
The Importance of Communion
Brother Neil Honea examines the Old Testament Passover feast to bring to light the holy significance and importance of New Testament Communion as commanded by our Savior. Keep reading →
Dress a Chicken
Practical Christianity
Tim McCool
Pastor Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church
If I tell you I am going to dress a chicken, if you are from this area, you know what I mean. I am going to prepare a chicken for cooking. Several years ago, when my good friend from Africa was living here, I took him to the farm and talked to him about poultry farming. At some point I mentioned to him that sometimes we would “dress a chicken” and then eat it.
In his mind he pictured me taking a chicken and dressing it with clothes. For many days he was confused as to why I would put clothes on a chicken and then eat him. Finally he asked me why I would put clothes on a chicken and then eat it. I almost doubled over laughing. When I explained it all to him, the light came one.
We can get in hot water if we don’t define our terms. If I walked up to a person on the street and said, “Do you know about election?” Nine out of ten (or maybe 10 out of 10) people would say, “Sure, it’s coming up in November.” Now bear in mind, in 1776, if you had asked that question, 3 out of 4 church goers would have known the answer from the Bible.
So let’s define the term. Election in the Bible is the sovereign act of God in choosing an innumerable host of people to be his children, and this occurred before the foundation of the world (Rom. 9:29-30). I Pet. 3:2 defines how God’s children are elected. It says they are elected by God’s foreknowledge, by the Spiritual new birth (being born again) and by the obedience of Jesus. What does this mean? It means that all glory only goes to God for our salvation.
Election is also part of the gospel. I Thes. 1:4 says that the people Paul preached to understood election. Do you? If not, I am so happy to be able to share this with you! A great majority of church goers once had a common working knowledge of this truth. Sadly today, it has fallen by the wayside. Did you know that Jesus is the primary Elect One of God? He was chosen by God (and He is God) to be the Choice sacrifice to pay for our sins.
And oh, by the way, election guarantees that more people will be in heaven than we could ever comprehend. The modern concept of the choice for heaven is up to you will leave so many out because they didn’t choose the right way! Thank goodness our salvation is not our choosing, but God’s! The number of God’s chosen is as the stars of the sky and the sands of the sea. It is a people out of every kindred (family), tribe (ethnicity), nation and people (Rev. 5).
Election is nothing to be afraid of. It is the root of our salvation. It is what God describes in the word as our first blessing (Eph. 1:4). May we glorify God for the good news of our salvation through His electing love.
Elder Tim McCool is pastor of Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church located on the Boyd Road near Echola. For inquiries email Pastor McCool at tim@timmccoollaw.com. Please join us each Sunday morning on the March to Zion Broadcast at 8 am on 100.1 FM in the Tuscaloosa area or 9am on 106.5 in the Fayette / Lamar county area.
The Joy of the Resurrection
In this sermon brother Luke Hagler contrasts the misery of thinking that this life is all we have, with the blissful joy that the resurrection of our Savior should bring to our lives. Keep reading →
Stepping Out
If you have ever experienced a wonderful worship service or spiritual high point, only to find yourself down at the bottom of the barrel in a short time, in this message Pastor Tim looks at the example of Jesus for encouragement during such times.
A Close Encounter
The Psalmist Asaph had a problem. He was falling away from fellowship with God because of his personal viewpoint. In this message, Bro. Luke describes the signs to look for when we suffer the same problem. And also how to find the way back to a spiritual viewpoint through the grace of God. Keep reading →
Don’t Follow Your Heart!
From entertainment to sports, we are told across the board to follow our heart and pursue whatever dream our heart may desire. But there is a tremendous problem with this, because God tells us our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Pastor Tim preaches a sermon about trusting in God and not our deceiving hearts. Keep reading →
Created for His Glory
In this sermon, Bro. Neil preaches about the fact that the universe, the creation and even we ourselves are created for the glory of God, not for our own glory. Keep reading →
A Basic Presentation of the Gospel
Depending on who you talk with, there are varying opinions on what is a basic presentation of the gospel. Some will say you must accept Christ. Others will say you must pray the sinner’s prayer. Still others affirm that Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, and you need to let him in. But what do the scriptures reveal as a basic presentation of the gospel. In this message, Pastor Tim relates what the scripture tells us is a basic presentation of the gospel. Keep reading →
The Scrip and the Purse
In a beautiful analogy taken from Jesus’ instructions to his disciples on the night before the cross, Elder Luke Hagler deals with the spiritual food and riches available to the child of God as we travel through this world.
Worship
Have you ever given much thought to what the Bible says about worship? In today’s time what churches across the country consider worship can vary tremendously. Some churches have very simple, family-integrated worship. Others have elaborate worship services that are certainly impressive. The purpose of this article is to look at what the Bible says about worship and to answer questions like ‘Is all worship pleasing to God as long as it’s sincere’? Keep reading →
Mr Renzo, Part 2
Practical Christianity
Tim McCool
Pastor Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church
Last week I wrote about Mr. Renzo Abrams. (Thanks to all of you who pointed out how I misspelled his name!). There are probably a 100 stories to tell about Mr. Renzo. As I mentioned, he always referred to himself as “such a worm as I” when he prayed. Keep reading →
The Place of the Skull
By showing the complete victory that we have in Jesus, Elder Branan Hooven presents a message of encouragement to God’s children when facing giants in this life. Keep reading →
Craving the Body of Christ
In this sermon by Pastor McCool, he draws comparisons about how we should be craving the church body of Christ from the example of the rich man who sought to obtain Jesus’ body after his death on the cross. Keep reading →
Old Mr. Rinso Abrams
Practical Christianity
Tim McCool
Pastor Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church
Some of you in west Alabama may remember Mr. Rinso Abrams. He was a stalwart in the Zion community and a great sawmiller and timber man his whole life. He was blessed to build a life from the natural creation of God. Mr. Rinso loved the truth of salvation by grace alone. As a child attending church, I will never forget every time he was called on to pray. He had a high-pitched, unique voice that once you heard it – you would never forget it. Keep reading →
Will Jesus be Satisfied with the Number of People in Heaven?
Will Jesus be Satisfied with the Number of People in Heaven?
Ever thought about that? Will Jesus look down from Heaven when it is all said and done and say I am satisfied with the amount of people that are here, or will he walk the streets of Heaven gazing into Hell, heartbroken over the ‘near misses’ and ‘could of beens’? Keep reading →
An Old Log House
Practical Christianity
Tim McCool
An Old Log House
Recently my family was blessed to visit the old log house where my granddad was born. The house was built in the 1830s and Granddad was born there 100 years ago. The old house was built of heart pine and the axe marks on the hewn logs are still visible. It has a middle breezeway and 12 foot ceilings- still a spectacle of history and workmanship. Keep reading →
Regard Not Your Stuff
We have a lot of stuff: Cars, houses, lands, clothes – the list of stuff the average American accumulates is endless. But we also have emotional “stuff” that we carry around. In this timely message, Elder David Crawford, from MacClenney Florida, speaks about the Biblical way to deal with all the stuff we have. Keep reading →
A Gripping Account of Romans 10 Salvation by Both Sure and Steadfast
Though I will never gain a full understanding of it until I see Him in glory someday, my appreciation for how great and mighty the Lord really is has grown immensely over the last year, so I’ve written this post to talk about the things that led me to this understanding. I know it’s long-winded, but I hashed out the details of it all because I know that many people in my social circle have never heard the things that I believe, and I figured that it would make more sense if I told the whole story. The last few years have easily been the hardest of my life, but I would not trade the trials in them for anything now.
Click here to read the rest of this blog post.
Space for Grace
In this message, Pastor McCool examines the spaces, or gaps, in our lives that are caused by thorns in the flesh. There are many things we can try to fill those spaces with, but God instructed Paul that grace was sufficient to fill those spaces. Keep reading →
Revival
In this message, Elder Luke Hagler preaches about the Biblical ingredients for revival, which includes ministers with the courage to preach the truth of God’s word and an embracing of that word by God’s people.
Blessed to Be Chosen
The glorious truth of being chosen is often misunderstood. When understood properly, the electing grace of God’s love is the starting point for the child of God to properly glorify their Savior. In this message, Pastor McCool observes the positive effects of being chosen in Christ. Keep reading →
Trouble in Paradise
By examining the trouble that came to the very first marriage, pastor Mccool brings out truths about handling our own problems today in our relationships.
Connect the Dots
In the average contemporary, religious worship service, there is much activity. However, in reality, Jesus instructed that only two things are necessary to worship Him: Spirit and truth (John 4). In this message, Pastor McCool engages in little connect the dots, using the Spirit to represent one “dot” and the truth to represent another “dot”, showing how these dots “connect” to produce worship that is both satisfying to the disciple and pleasing to God. Keep reading →
Ready, Set, Go!
In this sermon, Elder Neil Honea displays the astonishing truth that our Savior revealed when He made His appearance here on earth. Keep reading →
Sitting Down in the Kingdom of God
In this message, preached at the annual meeting of Zion Primitive Baptist Church near Gordo Alabama, Elder Neil Honea preaches about the blessings that we have today in God’s church. Keep reading →
Humility
Pastor Tim takes Matthew 18 as a text to demonstrate who God views as the greatest in His church and what it takes to present ourselves as humble servants.
Waiting
Elder Josh Winslett, of Birmingham, delivers a message about the advantages to the Christian who waits upon the Lord. Keep reading →
A Testimony to Christ and a Memorial to God
There are many opinions today about what God expects us to do in our Christian service today. In this message, Pastor Tim examines the first non-Jewish member of the New Testament Church – Cornelius – and what he was doing in Christian service that is a model for us all today.
Launch Out into the Deep
Everyone has burdens. And we are often told to “cast our burdens on the Lord.” Using the example of Jesus telling Peter to “Launch out into the Deep”, in this message, Pastor Tim brings out what it means to truly cast our cares upon the Lord and what to expect when we do.
Seed Sowing
A sermon in which Elder Luke Hagler examines the various types of reactions we can expect when we share the gospel, and how that should encourage us with zeal to continue to sow seed everywhere we go.
The Hedges of God
There are great misconceptions about the sovereignty and providence of God in the religious world. In this sermon, Elder Luke Hagler examines the Biblical truth of how God is not to be blamed with the results when He removes a hedge of His protection.
The Full Expression of John 3:16
A sermon preached by Pastor McCool in which he presents the full expression and context of John 3:16, which is probably the most widely known Bible verse of the ages. Keep reading →
The Garments of Christ
A sermon preached by Elder Neil Honea, in which he observes the various clothing of Christ while he was here on this earth. Keep reading →
Getting the Most from the Holy Ghost
Pastor Tim McCool presents a Biblical summary of what pleases the Spirit of God and what doesn’t. Keep reading →
Little Johnny Gets Saved
A sermon preached by Elder Luke Hagler about Who deserves the ultimate glory for our salvation. Keep reading →
ROY G. BIV
A sermon preached by Pastor Tim McCool on the true meaning of the Rainbow. Keep reading →
The Great Shepherd
A sermon preached by Elder Luke Hagler about the security we have in our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Keep reading →
Are you There in your Prayers?
The first message of a series of sermons preached by Pastor Tim McCool on the model prayer found in Matthew chapter 6. Keep reading →
Key Verses
Speaker: Neil Honea
The Providence of God
Speaker: Tim McCool
Freewill and Predestination
Speaker: Luke Hagler