Sermons on Mufti Ebrahim Smith:

The Father: Reaching Into The Pockets

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 9, 2010

The waiting father reaches deep into the reservoirs of love, extending compassion to his wayward son. So we also as parents must seek not to control but to guide and then be ready for forgiveness.

I shall not soon forget the image he presented, this father of the bride. He had smiled all through the vast and elaborate preparations for the wedding; his daughter was a kind of elegant princess, he knew it, she knew it, everybody knew it – and so the princess must have a grand occasion. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Baptist

Go Tell It On The Mountain

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 10, 2010

Celebrates the literary insights of James Baldwin, who had died shortly before; the privilege of redemptive suffering on the part of a person or a people participates in the suffering of Christ and of His victory. Includes readings from Baldwin’s writing

Nothing is more full of mystery than this – that the suffering of .a few who are oppressed and injured acts to redeem the many, including the oppressors. And yet nothing is more true than this – that from time to time a person, a people, a race receives the awesome privilege of suffering in such ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:12-17

Denomination: Baptist

Grow To Care, Care To Grow

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 11, 2010

A church that wishes to grow must "get over" negatives about evangelism and must tell the truth about the human spiritual condition; must present a full diet of worship and study and preparation; and must be a source of radical community.

We have a garden at our house. Or should I say, we had a garden. It was carefully planted, lovingly tended for a time, it was nurtured through the searing heat of July and watched over during the thundershowers of mid-August. But something happened to that garden, something awful and terrible, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:37-47

Denomination: Baptist

Life Without Rules

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 14, 2010

Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-ab

I’m struggling with Colossians this week - not with the ancient people of Colossae of course but with St Paul’s letter to the Colossians, and not with the whole letter either but with one word in one verse that really has me bamboozled: Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Heart Transplant

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 21, 2010

God works in our lives much as a surgeon does in our bodies: cleansing thoroughly of old idolatries, assisting us in the transition, and then giving us a new indwelling presence, that of Christ.

I remember the corny old song that says, "They've gone just about as fur as they can go." And it seemed just about right, too, at one time. They've gone just about as fur as they can go, when airplanes were invented and we could soar as on eagle's wings. They've gone just about as fur as they can ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 36:22-27

Denomination: Baptist

Twittering Ourselves To Death Series

Contributed by Joel Smith on Jul 8, 2009

Put on the new self by getting your mind right with God.

An article appearing in the August 11, 2007 edition of World Magazine entitled, “Sex and the evangelical teen” suggests evangelical teenagers on the whole may be more sexually immoral than non-Christians. “Christian parents and churches need to face up to a problem long hidden in the dark: ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Denomination: Baptist

Return The Favor Series

Contributed by Joel Smith on Jul 8, 2009

If you’ve received the grace of God return the favor to everyone else.

Let’s begin this morning with a little check of your vocabulary. Can someone give me a defining of the word nag? If someone accuses you of nagging them, what are they trying to tell you? Nagging is when you tell someone something that they already know. And you tell them over … and over … and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-32

Denomination: Baptist

Joy On The Line Of Scrimmage

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 11, 2009

Even though we seem to be too few and too ill-prepared, if we engage this community for Christ there will be some victories and therefore joy.

This afternoon, when the saints come marching in, there will be several grades and degrees of happiness. Those ladies who remain football widows, who have not yet learned that if you can’t beat ’em, you have to join ’em – those who are football widows may be unhappy about the temporary loss of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

Up And Down And In And Out

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 12, 2009

Calverton Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD: Worship involves four dimensions: UP toward God, our help; DOWN from our pride; IN toward a caring unity; and OUT toward a world in need.

When I was in college, I had a math professor who would write a problem on the board, and then with a few deft strokes of his chalk, write the answer: X equals 12. Somehow, no matter what the problem, it seemed as though X always equaled twelve. But how did he get that? From long and complex ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

Coup De Moi Series

Contributed by Joel Smith on Jul 13, 2009

If you want to know if you’ve truly been born again answer the question: "Who is your spiritual daddy?"

I guess it’s a sign of the times in which we live, but a couple of years ago I saw a billboard on I-85 in Charlotte that said, “Who’s the daddy?” There was a picture of a baby and an ad for a genetic testing lab beneath the picture. It’s sad that young folks are so promiscuous they have to have a ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Mary's Instructions Series

Contributed by Jerry Smith on Jul 13, 2009

Focus on the dialogue between Mary and Jesus and principles we can learn from it.

Series ---- People Jesus met as recorded in Gospel of John Title: Mary, the mother of Jesus Text: John 2:1-11 Introduction: We continue our series of messages on people Jesus met as recorded in the Gospel of John. Today we shall study about Mary the mother of Jesus. Obviously, Jesus met His mother ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Peter And Cornelius: From Pronouncements To People

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 14, 2009

Prejudice deals only with groups, not with persons. Peter had to get beyond outworn principles, and both he and Cornelius had to learn to give and receive what was needed. All need Christ.

If you have to choose between principles and people, choose people! Do you agree? If it comes down to deciding whether to adhere to certain principles and thereby injure people; if it comes down to violating your beliefs or violating another person, what will you choose? The principle or the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 10:1-43

Denomination: Baptist

Trusting God Who Can Give You Peace Series

Contributed by Clinton Smith on Jul 14, 2009

Peace is God holding you together while everything else around you is falling apart.

Jehovah Shalom – The Lord Who Is Peace Judges 6:22-24 Martin R De Haan II in his booklet: “Surviving the Storms of Stress”, tells a story of a woman named Nancy. Nancy’s glass of stress is full and overflowing. Wedged between the demands of single-parenting, a rebellious son, and managing an ...read more

Scripture: Judges 6:22-24

Denomination: Baptist

Snapshots In An Autumn Album

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 15, 2009

Contrasting Koheleth and Paul in the later season of their lives: one blames the young, the other gathers them; one mourns broken things, the other invests in ideas; one is anxious, the other trusts God for every need.

This past weekend, as a part of our brief getaway, my wife and I spent two nights in an old farmhouse. The farmhouse dated from 1704 and was partly furnished with antiques. Now my wife loves antiques; I guess that’s why she puts up with me. So we took the tour of the house, especially the parlor ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Father To Pharaoh

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 16, 2009

There is pain in family relationships. Jacob’s emptiness created Benjamin, the zero. Judah repeats parental manipulation. But Joseph shows that God’s grace can turn family pain into accomplishment.

The emotional scene we are about to confront comes out of a long history of deals and double deals. When this man stands before his brothers and weeps, his tears flow out of a whole reservoir of pent-up feelings. When this man, this strong, savvy, sophisticated official, cries out in a pain so ...read more

Denomination: Baptist