By the Book: A Collection of Faith Columns, Sermons Notes and Speeches

By

The

Book

A collection of faith columns, sermons notes and speeches

Pastor and Anniston Star managing editor

Anthony Cook

Copyright © 2011 by Anthony Cook

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-2729-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2727-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011917468

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/11/2011

Contents

In the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses

Enough is enough

The good shepherd

Reasons to be thankful

Farewell, dear friend… until we meet again

Our first ministry is at home

The Lord is my shepherd

The Tiger in me

The true gleaning of Christmas

They that wait upon the Lord

A Man of Character

Husbands, love your wives

Dealing with our doubts

One-armed bandit

Ye cannot serve God and mammon

Christians do it best

Going where the people are

How Great is Our God

Nothing more than feelings

I shall wear a crown

If I Had Known Then What I Know Now

Jesus:

If you love me, keep my commandments

Beware ministers who twist

the word of God to their own devices

Mighty Men of God

Appreciating the pastor

Politics from the pulpit

The prayer warrior

Pursuit of joy, not happiness

A changed life

Once and for all

Birth is amazing; growth is better

‘Nativity’ gets an A for authenticity

Convictions, compromise may not mesh

Spanking law smacks of Big Brother

Christianity revealed

‘Other’ f-word’s

foothold in our culture troubling

Studying the Bible:

Classroom or living room?

Jesus—the common denominator

Put faith in Christ, not in preachers

Dangers of distraction

We used to ‘have church’

Why ask why

The Reverend—Priceless and rare

Sticky notes from God

Can’t beat God giving

Faith and religion

The gift that keeps giving

Appreciating the message

One God, one race

A better body

Jesus—The whole in one

Is Jesus a Democrat or Republican?

Power to become the sons of God

Running the race

Blessed assurance

Come out from among them

Where are we?

What’s your name?

It’s not what you do

Unto us a child is born

With faith healers, keep surfing

Earn your wages or accept the Gift

In one generation

What difference does it make?

Recognize your Blessing

My brother’s keeper

Jeremiah 3:15

Hang in there

You can’t have your cake

Don’t be a Yuck Mouth

Many ways to God?

For better, for worse

Are you a contender?

Wait ’til next year

He’s still a God of miracles

Revive us again

God loves a cheerful giver

Jesus loves the little children

Keep the first thing first

God is in control

Christian connections

Sealing the deal

I’ll take my chances

Small-town hero

A prayer for the New Year

When you’ve done all you can

Heaven help him

A charge to keep

The urgency of ‘followship’

No excuses

Our greatest ability

Greater is he that is in you

Doing the right thing

When abortion ceases to be an option

The sanctity of life CAPSIZED

Untethered

Spiritually sound

I John 4:7-11

Who is your soulmate?

One silly Christian

The greatest miracle

A church by any other name

Christ died for that

Red and yellow, black and white…

Swimming in peanut butter

My first revival

Pass this on to 10 people

A reminder of who you are

Count your many

blessings, name them one by one

‘Thanks be to God

for his unspeakable gift’

Tell it like it is

A matter of discipline

Christian rules for fighting

To pray, or not to pray

God gave us grace

In the beginning

Is it in the Bible, or isn’t it?

Understanding the wrath of God

Honor thy fathers

Is Hell really real?

Is heaven really real?

This joy I have

Living temples

Greater things are yet to come in this city

The day love came to town:

Would-be protesters should take

a lesson from the Comfort funeral

Oh, c’mon, everybody else is doing it

Receiving grace instead of justice

Controversial ‘burn a koran day’

is an exercise in frustration

She brings me my plate

Vanishing point

Proverbs 18:24—There is a friend

who sticks closer than a brother

I’m FOR Jesus

An apology to the last generation

A glimmer of the old spark

The 95 Theses (updated)

Paging all fathers: Jesus Christ

(and his followers) are not weak

Have you studied for your final?

Grads, don’t forget to remember

Nobody knows

Unplugged—It’s OK being a prude

The message of the beauty

Weeping may endure for a night,

but joy comes in the morning

Why I don’t hide eggs

Get back up again

Life more abundantly

Just go for it

What is man?

Hell hath no fury for a girl reborn

Today’s Christians need to

learn to have a soft heart and thick skin

And justice for all

By the Book:

A guide to writing, and to living

Fundamentally Christian

The Great I Am

Gov. Bentley’s ‘brothers,

sisters’ comment draws a line

Can’t Touch This

Advice for a new minister

Quit looking for the

perfect church; you won’t find it

How to Teach the Bible

When the end comes

Who Is Your Father?

A Word of Encouragement

The last word

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.—2 Tim. 3:16-17

The Lord God has blessed me all my life, even when I didn’t realize it.

Immediately after I graduated from Auburn University in 1993, God blessed me with a job at The Anniston Star, a newspaper near my hometown of Munford, Ala.

He blessed me with a beautiful wife and three precious children.

In the meantime, he blessed me with a Bible-teaching pastor at my home church who opened my eyes to the Scriptures in a way that made the Bible new and alive and relevant to me for the first time in my life.

God blessed me by being patient with me as he waited for my heart to be pricked by his word.

And then it happened.

I decided to make Christ my Savior in 2000 while listening to a radio minister as I drove down Interstate 20 on my way to Tuscaloosa to cover a story. (I often joke that the only way it could have been better is if I’d been on my way to Auburn.)

God blessed me with salvation!

God gave me a taste for his word, and my understanding of the gospel increased. In 2002, I accepted my call into the ministry. To this day, my calling remains one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced.

In 2004, he led me to a small Bible church in west Anniston, Ala.—Christian Fellowship Bible Church—where I became the pastor.

Then, in December 2006, he blessed me with the opportunity to write a weekly faith column at The Anniston Star.

For almost six years, I wrote the column with the full intention of glorifying God. What you are holding is not only a collection of those columns, but also sermon notes and speeches that I’ve written over the years.

My hope, dear reader, is that something here might encourage you in your walk with Christ. And if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I pray that the words in this book would open your heart to the words of the Bible, the masterpiece that God has used for hundreds of generations to reveal himself to the world.

I pray you allow him to reveal himself to you and that you begin to live your life… By the Book.

Dec 04, 2010

In the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses

About 11 years ago, my wife and I flew down to Florida for a job interview I had with the West Palm Beach Post newspaper.

If we had been compelled to write separate accounts about the trip as soon as we got home, the two versions would likely be very different.

My version might make mention of the editors I met, the layout of the newsroom and the discussions I had with the reporters.

My wife’s version might include references to the lizard-like creatures that creeped her out, her opinion of the hotel where we stayed and the turbulence on the flight home.

But anyone reading both versions would have to acknowledge that the trip happened, that it happened about 11 years ago, and that we got there by plane.

No one would deny the overwhelming truth of the basic facts. No one would say that, because I didn’t mention the turbulence, then one or both of us must be lying, and the trip, therefore, never happened.

And yet, it’s on such shaky ground that many people dismiss the central truths of the Bible.

A young man at my church recently raised a hand when I asked during Sunday school if anyone thought there were contradictions in the Bible. There are many, he said.

I asked him to name just one.

Moments after being unable to come up with anything, he quietly left.

He hasn’t been back yet, but the following week he sent me a handwritten list of Bible verses pointing to almost 50 supposed contradictions. It was clearly copied from a Web site.

I wasn’t surprised. I’ve seen most of them before. Many books have been written with the purpose of revealing the Bible’s so-called inconsistencies. Do a Google search for contradictions in the Bible and you get more than a million hits.

Want an example? The young man included Genesis 6:19 and Genesis 7:2 on his list.

In the first verse, God instructs Noah to bring two of every kind of animal onto the ark. In the second verse, God instructs Noah to bring seven of every kind of clean animal and two of every kind of unclean animal.

There’s no contradiction. It’s the same instruction, only with greater detail in the second verse. The other supposed contradictions are mostly explained away just as easily.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Cor. 13:1)

It’s the same standard used to establish truth in today’s court of law.

The word of God has not just two, but dozens of witnesses who were inspired to write the Bible, many of them thousands of years apart. It makes sense that different versions of some stories aren’t exactly the same, word-for-word.

But they’re all true, and they all agree on the person and purpose of Jesus Christ.

Any attempt to dig up inconsistencies in the Bible is an attempt to deny its overwhelming truth.

Consider that, and read it again.

Dec 11, 2010

Enough is enough

I’ve tried to keep quiet.

But it’s been headline after headline, scandal after scandal, and the hits keep coming.

Minister after minister keeps landing himself in hot water and making headlines in local and national media.

I’m weary of it, and I’m guessing you are, too.

In recent years, we’ve seen Ted Haggard resign from the pulpit after being accused of buying drugs and having sex with a male prostitute.

A south Alabama preacher was charged with killing his wife and stuffing her in a freezer after she caught him molesting their daughter.

Earlier this year, four young men accused mega-church pastor Eddie Long of luring them into sexual relationships when the four were teenagers. After vowing to fight the charges, Long now plans to settle the civil lawsuits, according to CNN reports. The legal strategy was no doubt the advice of his attorney and doesn’t necessarily indicate guilt, but it sure doesn’t look good.

Pastor Cecil Newton, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s dad and Georgia pastor, admitted to seeking pay last year in exchange for his son playing football at Mississippi State. The deal, obviously (and thankfully for us Auburn fans), fell through, but such solicitation is against NCAA rules and, therefore, a departure from Christian standards.

It’s not my place to condemn these men—and they do always seem to be men. I know that but for the grace of God, there go I.

God’s forgiveness, though, is available to all, and some of these men already have moved on in the ministry. (God will judge whether they were right to do so.)

However, I regret the way the scurrilous headlines reflect on Christianity. Many people—churched and unchurched—will turn away from God, or never come to him, because of the failings of men. With so many headlines in recent years, it seems as though the fallen minister is a pervasive phenomenon. The truth, though, is that most of these men were prominent in their rise to popularity and, therefore, prominent in their fall from grace.

But, for every male minister who lands himself on the front page under claims of less-than-godly behavior, there are hundreds, even thousands of God-fearing men who quietly go about the business of preparing Christ-centered sermons, faithfully caring for their flocks and leading by example.

Men like Bob St. John, Carlton Weathers, Bob McClain, Rick Searle, Marcus Dunn, Mack Amis, Billy Springer, C.O. Grinstead, Dennis McKinney and others are local examples. On a larger scale, men like David Jeremiah and Charles Stanley have been faithful to the gospel and their flocks for many years.

We don’t worship these men; we worship Christ. But we do appreciate these men for not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.

If yours is that kind of pastor, e-mail or call me with his name, the name of your church and a few words about him, and I’ll mention him in this space.

I know there are many pastors out there who honor Christ. They just don’t get the media attention.

I’m weary of that, and I’m guessing you are, too. Let’s do something about it.

Dec 18, 2010

The good shepherd

In St. John chapter 10, Jesus describes the difference between godly pastors and those who are not.

He calls ungodly pastors hirelings, or those who desire to be pastors simply for what they can get out of the position—money, authority, prestige, control, power.

He said those shepherds not only do a poor job of guiding and feeding the flock, but when the wolves come, they run away and leave the flock unprotected.

Not so with the good shepherd.

The good shepherd loves and cares for and feeds the flock, and when trouble comes, he stands against the wolves and protects the flock, even to the point of laying down his life to save theirs. (John 10:11)

In the last column, I wrote about how disappointing it is to have so many ministers making national headlines for behavior unbecoming a pastor.

In my mind, it presents an opportunity, not to condemn those men, but to acknowledge those good shepherds who consistently and lovingly guide and feed their respective flocks. I asked those of you who believe you have a good pastor to send me their name, church name and a few words about them.

Here’s a sampling of what I received…

Andra Cunningham

Erlisa Cunningham wrote: "[M]y pastor, Apostle Andra Cunningham, is one of those pastors. He is the head of New Life Christian Cathedral here in Anniston… . Yesterday, in giving the benediction, he… let the parishioners know that his only purpose was to please God, to do His will, and to preach His word. He routinely lets us know that there is no ‘sugar coating’ of the Word.

"He encourages us in our walk with the Lord, to spend time alone with Him, and to let Him be the head of our lives.

"There are so many things that he and his lovely wife have done for us, but the biggest and most important is the amount of time he spends in prayer for each of us and bringing us the ‘pure and unadulterated’ word.

For the past seven years, I have known this man of God to not stray from the truth, to live by the Bible, to preach from the Bible, and to stand on the truth of God. In doing so, many lives have been changed, healings and deliverance have taken place, and many have given their lives to Christ.

Johnnie McKinney

Kenneth Milner called me about his former pastor, Minister Johnnie McKinney of Rocky Mount Missionary Baptist Church in Talladega. He exemplifies what he preaches and teaches. He’s a man of great character and great integrity. He preaches the word and lives the word.

Michael Truss

Milner also had positive things to say about his current pastor, Bishop Michael Truss of New Birth Christian Center in Oxford.

He also is a man of character and integrity. He loves his family, and he stands for God.

Bill Snow

Ken and Kathy Kennedy e-mailed me about their pastor, Dr. Bill Snow, at Edgewood Church in Anniston. He worships with reverence, he fears God, he honors men and their families, he ministers to his flock, he prays for his people, he sets an example in his daily walk, he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, he preaches the Word honestly, the Kennedys wrote.

Michael Oliver

Les Honts is a member at First Baptist Church of Williams. Our pastor, Dr. Michael Oliver… not only talks the talk but truly lives a Christian life. He inspires not only our congregation but the Pleasant Valley community as a whole, by not only his words but more importantly his actions. Mike and his wife, Mary, and their four boys are an inspiration to the church, school and community.

Timothy Smith

Marcel Emigh sent me a Face Book message about her pastor, Timothy Smith, at Dailey Street Baptist Church in Piedmont. "He deserves to be recognized for the fact that he is surrendered to God and lives to serve God… . Brother Tim does all the things that we’ve come to expect of our Pastors: visits the sick; comforts the hurting; and rejoices with the saved. But he also goes beyond that, he is so dedicated to studying God’s Word and expounding on it every service he conducts, it is evident to anyone that will listen that he is bringing God’s Word to the table for us to feast on.

As he was preaching Sunday, I noticed the Bible in his hands. It must be one of his favorites for it is held together with duct tape, and the edges are so frayed they look like they have fur on them. I was blessed to see this for it tells me that his Bible may be coming apart, but he’s not. He is truly a man of God, and he is standing in the gap.

Richard O’Connor

Joey Haynes attends Betta-View Hills Church of Christ in Oxford, where Richard O’Connor is the minister. He has been a wonderful influence as a minister for close to 25 years. I consider him a mentor and credit his leadership and guidance for helping me to make the decision to enter into ministry on a full-time basis. I’m thankful for him and all that he has done for so many of us!

Theoangelo Perkins

Online reader Deborah Scott e-mailed about her church, Liberty Christian Church in Harpersville, where the pastor is Theoangelo Perkins, who is also the first black mayor of Harpersville. Pastor Perkins is a man of God that is anointed in preaching and teaching God’s word and, not to mention, he’s a singing pastor. Most of all, he has the heart of a pastor, meaning he has a love for his church family and especially the gift to work with the young people. Jeremiah 3:15 states ‘I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding,’ and he has given Liberty Christian Church that in Pastor Perkins.

John Roberson

Vanessia Barry, the church clerk at United Freewill Baptist Church in Anniston, had kind words for Pastor John E. Roberson. Bro. John is very special to our church family. He preaches the truth no matter who it may hurt, as he sometimes says, even himself. It does not bother him that he has no formal education or degree. His desire is strictly to preach the word of God in spirit and truth. There is never criticism of anyone from the pulpit, just the word of God. Through the past 12 years as pastor, he has seen the church go from a larger congregation to a few, and then to a growing congregation again. He never gave up that God could still use our church during the tough times. Our church has also been vandalized numerous times since he has become our Pastor. He encouraged us to pray for the vandals involved. I feel the leadership of the Lord through our pastor and the prayers of the saints is what have made our church what it is to this day.

Randy Postell

Jo Ann Boyette wanted to include her pastor, Dr. Randy Postell of First Baptist Church Saks. Brother Randy has gathered us together and led us back to being a church ‘family.’ She also wanted to mention the church’s former pastor, Dr. Cecil Sewell. Brother Cecil healed our church and tenderly placed it in Brother Randy’s arms.

Michael Cox

My Pastor, Michael Cox, of Cornerstone Worship Center, is among those who hold up God’s standard for moral behavior, wrote Donald Cote Jr. in an e-mail. "I have known him for over 18 years, and have seen his decision making up close. I know God’s Word is tantamount in all his decisions, difficult or not.

"I have observed him administer loving, biblical correction on numerous occasions. I have traveled domestically and internationally with him, and he is the same person wherever he is. He will never hold you to a standard he himself does not uphold.

He is my pastor and my friend.

Everett Kelley

Beverly Wills is a member at St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Lincoln, and she called about her pastor, Rev. Everett B. Kelley. I’m blessed to be under his leadership. He’s a true man of God. He’s a great leader. I feel like he stands behind what he preaches. He preaches the gospel and he does try to live it.

Gary Rivers

Mrs. Robbie Pink wanted to honor and thank her pastor, Gary Rivers, at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Oxford.

He prays and agonizes over every message before he preaches pleading with God to give him the right message to reach the unsaved and motivate the saved. Due to several unfortunate circumstances, I’ve been unable to attend church much recently, and our pastor has sent numerous cards, made visits and sent Sunday bulletins to keep us up to date on church activities. These are all hand signed and addressed by the pastor and not someone on his staff, a rarity in these days. So to Pastor Gary Rivers, my family and I say, ‘Thank you for being such a great pastor and for being our pastor.’

Nelson Ray Skinner

Bertis Phillips wrote My pastor, Nelson Ray Skinner, of Who So Ever Will Worship Center… is truly a man of God. He isn’t in it for the money, he loves the Lord, and the only thing that he wants to do is share the word of God and help bring lost people to salvation. He loves and cares for every member of his church. He worries about the ones that don’t come to church on a regular basis. He will even go and pick people up if they don’t have a way to church. It would take me forever to list all his attributes. Suffice it to say that he is a good man, loves the Lord, and I feel that our church is blessed to have him.

Leslie Bailey

Leslie Bailey’s job as the pastor at Tredegar Chapel Holiness Church near Jacksonville warranted a call from parishioner Gerald Johnson. Brother Bailey preaches the word, and he lives the word. He’s deep in the word, and he’s a great man of God.

Truman Norred

Mary J. Daniel wrote: We have a great pastor at our church, Blue Mountain Baptist, Rev. Truman Norred. I believe he is one of the best all-around leaders in the ministry. He is like the older preacher but with enough twist to make it interesting for everyone. Since we are having so many dropping from the faith with unfaithfulness, I believe Bro. Norred to be above reproach. Another one on my list is Rev. Roy Cordle, who is at New Haven Baptist now but had been at Blue Mountain Baptist at one time.

David Phillips

Beverly Davis e-mailed me about her pastor, David Phillips, at Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Weaver. "Our pastor is a man who believes in and preaches ONLY the BIBLE, and he not only preaches it, but he walks it. He is surely a shepherd of God.

These are just a few, and I know there are others. Be sure to let your godly pastors know they are appreciated. Embrace them, love them and support them.

But never forget that ANY and EVERY man—even your pastor—has the ability to stumble and fall.

Ultimately, only Jesus Christ is THE Good Shepherd.

Nov 20, 2010

Reasons to be thankful

I’m thankful for Thanksgiving.

If this coming Thursday wasn’t set aside, many of us would never pause a moment to consider all the reasons we should be thankful.

I’m thankful for my mother-in-law’s cooking. We’ll have