South Decatur
Baptist Church

The continued existence of true churches today bears witness to their origin in the first church in Jerusalem under the Lord Jesus Christ and to the truth of the New Testament. Jesus Christ declared, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). This promise requires that His church would not cease, but continue from its beginning in the days of Christ’s earthly m

The atmosphere in Jerusalem following the Ascension was a potent mixture of trembling awe and “singleness of heart.” For Peter and the new church, the world had shifted on its axis; they were no longer mere followers, but witnesses charged with a celestial fire. They dwelt in a city that had recently crucified their Lord, yet they walked its streets with “great boldness,” fueled by the promise that they received power after the Holy Ghost had come upon them. Life in this bra

The concept of a mission evokes images of deployed and disciplined soldiers and the Great Commission mirrors that with its revolutionary objective. A military mission seeks the subjugation of territory through physical force, but Christ’s mandate focuses on gaining ground through transformation of souls through the sword of the Spirit. In the military, an order is absolute. Similarly, the Great Commission asserts its Commander: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in ea

Few tasks may be as humbling as sending out a mass mailing. The act involves a significant investment of time, resources, and hope. When the response to that effort is silence, it can feel like a failure. However, through a theological lens, this silence is not a void; it is a space where the principles of faithfulness, the free exercise of the gospel, and the divine law of sowing and reaping converge. In a results-driven culture, we often confuse faithfulness with effect