Becker Road Baptist Church

Becker Road Baptist Church Where the Son always shines.

03/29/2025

I am not sure I have seen more than a few minutes of any one episode but have you ever seen Undercover Boss? Its a TV show where the owner or boss disguises themselves and goes under cover to interact with his or her employees. It can be a very revealing interaction!

My message tomorrow at Becker Rd Baptist Church is about Christians entertaining angels unawares. Have you ever felt something unique or even spiritual when you interacted with another person. Maybe you just couldn't put your hand on it. As a believer we need to always treat people with courtesy, grace, and a gentle spirit, especially if we think we are meeting a "divine appointment."

Come hear the message tomorrow at 11am - 18006 Becker Rd, Hockley.

03/23/2025

Have you ever wondered why some people walk into a room and are immediately loved by everyone but some get the side eye? Do some people have an "attractive aura"? Is there something to all this?
My message today at Becker Rd Baptist Church is Daniel's Excellent Spirit.
Come and hear what the Bible has to say about Daniel. 18006 Becker Rd, Hockley. 11am.

03/20/2025

We are living in marvelous times. I call the times "marvelous" because I "marvel" at how society has allowed political correctness to rule the day. I grew up in simple times. Times when the lines between right and wrong were fairly clear cut. I was told where my parents drew the line between what was right and wrong and I paid the price for crossing that line. I was held accountable for conducting myself according to rules of what was right and wrong. If I crossed that line at school I paid the price with the school, then I paid the price again when I got home. I was expected to "act right" and obey the rules (of right and wrong) at school. My parents supported the teachers and the school administration in whatever disciplinary actions they took to correct my "wrong" behavior. Today is not the same "times" I grew up in.

Satan would like you to believe that the lines between right and wrong are blurred. He would like you to believe those lines are ambiguous and can be moved as it suits you. He would like for you to believe that it does not matter what you "do" just what you believe is right in your own heart. So just go ahead and indulge yourself.

God has given us His set of "rights and wrongs," the Bible (law). Cross God's line and you will pay the price. I did not say that, God did.

Rom 3:23 - The wages of sin is death.
Num 32:23 - Be sure your sin will find you out.
1 John 3:4 - Sin is the transgression of the law.
Heb 9:27 It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.

America is heading down a very dangerous path. It is a path which leads us further and further away from God. Our Father has graciously warned us of this in scripture when He inspired the prophet Isaiah to pen these words:

WOE unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. - Isa 5:20

05/11/2024

Sumthin's Gotta Hold-a-me!

The Bible quite frequently (and with good reason) uses warfare to describe the attributes of the Christian life. I am not talking about the life of someone who simply verbally claims to be a Christian. I am talking about about people who truly strive to live their lives according to the example that Jesus set for mankind. There is a difference. Please understand what I am trying to say before you get all self righteous and condescending.

Of course I know there are hypocrites in the faith. Of course I know you know who they are and take every opportunity to point them out and hold them up as examples of what modern day Christianity really is. That, my friend, is not the Christian I am talking about. There is no spiritual warfare involved with those who pretend to be one thing and really are something else altogether.

When the Bible talks about the Christian life and uses battlefield metaphors to describe it, it is talking about genuine Christ-like faith. Those who truly understand that on the one hand we are to love those around us and do our best to woo them with the good news of the gospel. Yet, on the other hand we are not to condone their sinful activities. To do this takes balance, courage, patience, humility, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit because we have an enemy that is constantly at war with those who try to live Christ-like in this broken down sinful world.

In 2 Cor 10:4, the Bible speaks of strongholds. Strongholds in the life of a believer is a place where a weakness has developed because of unbiblical thinking patterns. Satan exploits the believer in these areas because he knows it is the quickest way to cause the believer to act in a way contrary to the example Christ set.

No one ever sinned without first thinking about it. Sometimes a person will think long and hard about it, sometimes, the reaction time is very short. No one has ever sinned without first thinking about it. I know, I said it twice because I wanted you to catch that. The area of strongholds is the mind.

Allow me to give you a bullet list of some areas of unbiblical thinking that tends to cause the believer to act contrary to the example Christ set.

I deserve to be happy - no, God wants you to have joy
I can be a part time Sunday only Christian - no, you have been bought with a price, you are not your own
There is no punishment for sin - no, God chastens his children
Christian living is something we "DO" - no, it is what we "ARE" what we do comes out of what we are.
Living a holy life is just too hard - no, I can do all things through Christ. Christ liveth in me.
If I live the life of a sold out Christian I will not have any friends - no, you will have God as a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

The biggest reason so many Christians fail to live the life Christ expects us to live is because we think in an unbiblical manner. There are so many other things I could add to that list above and I am sure you can too. My point is that true warfare that tears down strongholds is a battle that rages in the minds of believers.

Its time that true believers stop allowing themselves to be the victim and start being the conqueror God expects them to be. Our Christian lives are unfruitful and boring because we are not thinking with a biblical worldview. Reject those thoughts that oppose the centrality and supremacy of Jehovah God. Get yourself out of the middle of the universe and put God Almighty in His rightful position.

04/30/2024

It Is Well

"All things work together for good..."

In troublesome times, whether it be a physical trial, a financial crisis, an accident, disease, or another difficult circumstance, Christians often quote this verse to try and bring some comfort, If it is not given in genuine spirit filled concern or received with genuine spirit filled humility, it can come across as a trite cliche. Of course that would never be one's intention.

As is so often the case some people rip verses out of context or ignore the surrounding verses completely and come up with a misunderstanding of the proper interpretation or application of the verse altogether. This is one case where it really pays to keep reading. The above quote is part of Romans 8:28. Lets take a look at both verse 28and part of 29 and see if there is not deeper truth that will help us understand this verse better.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son..." Rom 8:28-29A

All things work together for good in order that we might be conformed to the image of Christ. There are a lot of ways that we can be Christlike. One that stands out in my mind is that we have a passionate desire to do the will of God, as did Jesus. When he was in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me." Some may argue the proper interpretation of that phrase. Was Jesus afraid to die? Was he asking the Father to let him out of the impending crucifixion? Its not my purpose to discuss this here because of the subsequent dialogue. In Luke 22:42 Jesus goes on to say, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

Jesus was absolutely determined to live according to the will of the Father. He came to earth as a man in order to fulfill the Father's will. He was sinlessly obedient to the Father's commandments all his life in order to fulfill the Father's will.

I might goes as far as to say that we are never more in the image of Jesus Christ than when we are fulfilling the Father's will.

In our church we sing a wonderful hymn titled, "It Is Well." The story behind this hymn is repeated often in our churches. It is a wonderful and convicting story of Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna. As the story is normally told, with Horatio delayed in America Anna and their four daughters were on a trans-Atlantic voyage to Europe when their ship sank. Anna survived but their four daughters tragically perished. Horatio set sail for Europe to get his wife. When his ship reached the area of the Atlantic where it was thought Anna's ship went down Horatio penned the words to the famous hymn, "It is Well."

Often the story stops there and no other details are offered. Please allow me to give you a few more details surrounding the story of the Spaffords. Prior to the shipwreck Horatio and Anna's four year old son Horatio Jr. died from Scarlet Fever. They lost nearly all their fortune due to the Great Chicago Fire. After the loss of their son and four daughters God gave them three more children. They named another son Horatio but he too died at four years of age with Scarlet Fever. Talk about tragedy. These events would have destroyed most people, but not the Spaffords. They moved to Jerusalem and started a ministry to the poor and orphaned children.

Can you imagine after all they had been through and they desired to serve God. Out of such tragedy they still desired to do the will of the Father more than anything else. They truly were the image of Christ.

04/16/2024

Mothers

Soon, we will be celebrating Mother's Day. For many of us our mothers are no longer with us. We sure do miss them. It is especially hard this time of year when so many pay tribute to their moms and post pictures and so forth. We share their joy. Those of us without mothers who are parents get to enjoy Mother's Day from the other side, the receiving side. Though I am a father I enjoy the celebration of my wife and her children. She truly is a great mother. The things that make her a great mother are a reflection of God's relationship to His children.

Isa 66:13 - As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you. (Never a truer statement)
Hos 13:8 - I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps. (Don't mess with a mother's children)
Deut 32:11-12 - As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh ten, beareth them on her wings: (Mom to the rescue)
Isa 49:15 - Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget. (A mother's love never wanes)

These verses are not saying God is feminine. We do not call him God the Mother. The bible clearly refers to Him as our heavenly Father. Rather, these verses teach us that whether we are male or female, mothers or fathers, we are to conduct our lives living out the image of God. Mothers are to be Godlike in their relationship with their children.

We celebrate all mothers, especially so those who are living their lives to the glory of God. So if your mother is still living, give her a hug, tell her much she means to you.

03/13/2024

Words - Be Careful
It's been nearly a month since I last posted on the blog. There has been so much happen since then. I really have only one excuse, procrastination. Can that be an excuse? Oh well, at least it is a reason.

I was able to perform a wedding yesterday. As I spoke to the young couple and gave them my "charge," I said something that resonated with me in a particularly striking way. Yes, God even speaks to the preacher when he is in the pulpit. I said, "You both are starting with a clean slate today. You have the opportunity to make your marriage whatever you desire it to be. What your marriage will become will be determined by the choices you make." I know, not really profound, right? What struck me so strongly though is the fact that many of the little decisions we make ultimately work together to change the course of a marriage. Little choices can make major directional shifts. The Bible says says in James chapter three that great ships are turned about by very small helms. The little choices in life can make major directional changes.

The other day I was floating around in our backyard pool. The pool is not big enough to swim in but the kids enjoy it. I was lying on a float and just drifting around with the currents from the pump. The gentle breeze would push me one way or another. I found that if I stroked the water one time I could change the direction that my float was going. It did not take a lot of force. I was not thrashing around. Just a little push of the water and I was going in a different direction.

This reminded me of our marriages. We often say or do something while in an emotional state that we later regret. Sometimes we react (in an ungodly way) rather than respond in accordance to the Spirit and we later regret that reaction. It does not take much to change the attitude and atmosphere of the home.

I often remind our church family that once words flow from our mouths no matter how sorrowful we are, we cannot take them back. Our spouses may choose to ignore them or forgive us but the damage is already done. Be careful what you say and how you say it. The Bible teaches us that "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." What this means is the right word, at the right time, given with the right motivation ministers grace and blessing.

We all could use a little more temperance and self control in our relationships. Remember, the Bible also says that it is the little foxes that spoil the vine!

03/11/2024

By God's Grace - NO!

There was a man named Paul. He was a mighty man who experienced miracle working power. He was a chosen vessel to be a specially called man to do some very important work for God. He raised the dead, healed the sick, was miraculously swept away and saved from certain danger. There were many things about his life that we would perceive as favored of God.

This man was struck with a malady that he termed a "thorn in the flesh." It troubled him deeply. So deeply in fact he prayed specifically three times for God to remove this thorn from him. God's answer to him was a very blunt - NO. God said that His grace would have to be sufficient for Paul. This very important man who at times selflessly and sacrificially served humanity was told that God would not heal him of this thorn.

As we look at this story with a Biblical viewpoint we learn somethings about the grace of God.

By God’s grace he gives us what we need.
Perhaps Paul heard those words - NO - he remembered the Psalmist when he said, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psa 84:11) God is a good God that wants us to live abundantly in this world. God blesses his children with all they need live that abundant life.

By God’s grace he withholds what we do not need.
Most of us in America have far more than we need. Most of us in America are trying to get even more than we got! Most of us in America have so much that it weighs us down and keeps us from being used of the Lord they way He would like us to be used. I am reminded of that verse in 2 Tim 2:4 - "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." Too much stuff tangles us up to the point that we are not ready soldiers.

By God’s grace he withholds that which is not good for us.
We often see things that we really would love to have. Often these things are not necessarily "immoral" or "bad" things. These things can be good things in and of themselves but not be good for us. You see, God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. He sees the big picture while our perspective is limited by time and vantage point. We are here on the earth while God is high above the earth. We are finite (limited in time) while God is infinite. A college professor of mine once made this statement that has stuck with ever since. He said, "To God history is an eternal present." God sees all of eternity at the same time. He knows what we need. He know what we do not need. He knows that if he gave us something (even a good thing) it would adversely affect us and thereby denies that thing to us.

You see, God answers our prayers with a NO because of His grace. God wants the very best for us and by denying our requests he lines things up so that we can receive that very best. So the next time we receive an answer of NO from God - be thankful for His grace in your life.

02/26/2024

Breaking News

Breaking News: There is a definite and aggressive spirit in this world that is trying to take you captive! This spirit wants to dominate every area of your life. This spirit wants to cause you to think with a worldly mindset and not a spiritual one.

Think about this. Most people live with the basic premise that the world revolves around them. I think I can prove it to a degree. When things go wrong financially how do you initially react? "O man, what am I going to do?" "How am I going to fix this?" "This really upsets ME." You see when problems or crises arise it reveals our true character. It reveals our truest thoughts. Life is about us.

Egocentric living (ME as the center of the universe) is the first opening a person gives to this spirit that is trying to capture him.

The Bible repeatedly tells us to be more concerned for others than ourselves. A few references will suffice. This principle is one of the foundational principles of the faith.

Php 2:4 - Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Romans 15:1 - We who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.
1 Cor 10:33 - Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Second, the Bible teaches us that God is to have the preeminence in all things.

Col 1:18 - That in all things he might have the preeminence.

Everything we do should be about Christ and his glory.

Col 3:17 - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Col 2:8 - Beware lest any man spoil you…

In the King James version the word "spoil" is a military term meaning to take captive. When a conquering army won a battle they would "spoil" the defeated enemy, many times taking all their wealth and making them slaves. That is exactly the intent of this spirit in the world today. This spirit wants to make you its slave doing its bidding. Take a look a round and observe how many people you know who are addicted to something. It could be pleasure, substance, power, material possessions, TV, etc. Addictions are everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes! These addictions prevent man from allowing God to have preeminence in his life.

The way this spirit gains inroads into a person's life is through his mind. We must practice biblical thinking in order to not be taken captive. Jesus was our example while he was on the earth. He fought off the spirit by keeping his mind focused on scripture and the words of His father.

Php 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...

We need to have the mind of Christ in order to have a biblical mindset.

02/17/2024

Kim was recently listening to the radio while working in her craft room. She heard a man speaking on the subject of humility. He defined humility in a way that really spoke to her. When she shared this with me I thought this would be a good subject to put in the blog. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun. We seldom have original thoughts anyway so I am "stealing" this thought in order to share it with you.

How often have you heard people say about themselves that they are worthless, no good, or just plain awful? I have heard many people live their lives with this cloud surrounding them echoing the Biblical words, "I am a worm." This is their attempt to be humble. Humility is a grace that we should attempt to convey. But what is humility? Jesus was our best example of this virtue. He certainly would be a good one to follow. So how did he portray humility? Did he go around telling everyone how worthless he was? Did he have a dark cloud around him? Not at all.

What the speaker on the radio said that day was, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less" - CS Lewis.

Humility is putting others and their benefit ahead of your own. I recently got a flyer in the mail for a youth conference. They were calling it "iConference." Taken from the term the iGeneration where we obsess about our iPads, iPhones, iMacs, anything social media driven, etc. The play on the word "i" was obvious. We are living in a me first generation. Rev 3:14 is an address to the Church at Laodecia. This church is characteristic of the church in our historical timeframe. The word Laodecia means "rights of the people." Boy does that ever make sense. We are certainly living in an ego-centric, “Me first” generation.

Jesus came to "give himself a ransom for many." He demonstrated the greatest degree of love by dying on the cross for the sin of mankind. The Bible says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jesus demonstrated the greatest degree of humility by putting others ahead of himself. He died so we might live.

01/27/2024

Rom 3:23-26 teaches a wealth of doctrine that is ultimately important to our faith. Verse 24 says, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Verse 26 says that God justifies those that "believe in Jesus." Comparing other scriptures we understand that simple belief in the fact that a man named Jesus once existed does not justify anyone. The devil believes in Jesus but he most assuredly is not saved. The belief that saves, that the Bible teaches, is a transfer of trust onto the finished work of Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus' death paid the demand of God for payment for sin. God was "propitiated" (debt satisfied) by Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the cross. Because Jesus redeemed us, we stand justified before a holy righteous God.

What a tremendous thought. Thank you Lord!

01/02/2024

Choose Well My Friend

A few years back there was a cute commercial by a cable tv company. It showed a person that made a bad choice to switch away from the cable company that sets off a chain reaction of events that ends up with a catastrophic result. The commercial is cute, yet poignant.

Has there been a time in your life when you kind of woke up to the realization that things are not going too well? Maybe you are having financial or health problems. Maybe relationships have fallen apart. Have you ever wondered, "How did I get here?" I want to tell you that it probably just didn't happen suddenly. We are a product of the choices we make.

Seldom do things come crashing down around us for no reason. I am aware that sometimes it happens that way. A car accident can change a life. A company can go out of business. There is nothing premeditated or planned about that. Most of our trouble in life, however, stems from bad decision making. Our health falls apart because we choose to eat poorly or engage in other activities that foster health problems. Our finances crumble because we have never learned the discipline to make good financial decisions. We choose to not humble ourselves and walk away from arguments and strife. When we layer bad decision upon bad decision the result can often be catastrophic.

Maybe right now your life is ok. Maybe you are not in crisis mode. What can we do to prevent future crises? Well, you can't make decisions that have not been presented to you. In other words, you can't do anything about the decisions you will make tomorrow or the next day or the next day. You can only make good decisions at the present moment.

So here is my solution. Make a good decision with the next opportunity. Start now making decisions that will foster better circumstances. Decide right now that you will make a healthy choice in your eating habits. Make a choice that will build a relationship rather than bring strife and division. Choose to be financially responsible. If you start making good choices now you will reap the benefits down the road.
Matt 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be gadded unto you.

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18006 Becker Road
Hockley, TX
77447

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