Monthly Archives: March 2012

Empty Bottle Membership

Posted on March 30, 2012 by russellmckinney

The story is told of a man who hopped from church to church, never remaining long in any one place as a member. One day he asked his current pastor, “What would you think if I joined another church?” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, Discipleship | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Be Wary of Hay

Posted on March 28, 2012 by russellmckinney

One Sunday morning a pastor noticed that a certain farmer wasn’t in church. Because the farmer never missed a service, the pastor figured that something must be wrong. So, after church he drove out to visit the man and found … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Church, Church Attendance, Faithfulness, Giving, God's Work, Prayer, Preaching, Sunday School, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Wonder of Being Childlike

Posted on March 26, 2012 by russellmckinney

My oldest son, Ryan, was a freshman on his high school’s j.v. baseball team, and the team had an away game against a school that was located an hour and a half away. So, I made the drive to watch … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Belief, Children, Desires, Faith, Fatherhood, God's Love, God's Provision, God's Will, Grace, Needs, Parenting, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Sports, Trusting In God, Worry, Youth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 6)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by russellmckinney

For the past several posts, I’ve been explaining what all is involved with praying “in Jesus’ name” (John 14:12-14). Thus far we’ve covered the following ground: 1. Praying in Jesus’ name can only be done by a Christian. 2. To … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Salvation, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 5)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by russellmckinney

Perhaps the simplest thing I can say about what it means to pray “in Jesus’ name” is this: Praying in Jesus’ name means praying the kind of prayer that Jesus would pray. As we study the four gospels, it isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 4)

Posted on March 16, 2012 by russellmckinney

I want to use this post to deal with yet another aspect of what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. The new aspect goes like this: To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray with an understanding of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ's Miracles, Desires, God's Omnipotence, God's Provision, God's Will, God's Work, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 3)

Posted on March 14, 2012 by russellmckinney

“And we ask these things in Jesus’ name.” As a pastor, I’ve said those words at the close of prayers in church services more times than I can remember. Even more than that, I’ve said them at the close of … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaven, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 2)

Posted on March 12, 2012 by russellmckinney

I used my previous post to explain that Christians are the only people who can rightfully close their prayers with the words “in Jesus’ name.” Now, with this post, I want to offer a second fact about praying in Jesus’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Desires, Dying To Self, God's Will, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name", Submission | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Praying in Jesus’ Name (part 1)

Posted on March 9, 2012 by russellmckinney

If you’ve spent much time in church, you’ve no doubt heard someone end a prayer by saying, “And we ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.” But have you ever wondered what all is involved with praying “in Jesus’ name”? … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Prayer Requests, Salvation, Series: "Praying in Jesus' Name" | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Just Do Your Best TODAY

Posted on March 7, 2012 by russellmckinney

I’d like to use this post to offer some good thoughts from a couple of well-known Independent Baptist preachers who have gone on to be with the Lord. The first one comes from Tom Malone. After quoting Deuteronomy 33:25, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Aging, Attitude, Commitment, Contentment, Depression, Desires, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faithfulness, Perseverance, Personal, Problems, Service, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment