http://www.calvaryforjackson.org/

Calvary Baptist Church, 1300 W Capitol Street, Jackson, MS (2026)

10/20/2026

Unbelief is serious business. Flip through the Scriptures, and you will see it. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about a nation like the children of Israel in the wilderness or even Jesus’ own hometown. Unbelief carries consequences. Israel’s refusal to trust God left an entire generation dying in the wilderness. And in Nazareth, we read these sobering words:

“Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58, NKJV).

Think about that. Jesus was right there among them. They heard His teaching. They recognized His wisdom. Yet they could not get past what they thought they knew about Him. Wasn’t this the carpenter’s son? Didn’t they know His family? They knew His background so well that they refused to believe who He really was.

And I wonder if we can do the same.

We know the stories. We recognize the verses. We have heard the sermons and sung the songs. But when God calls us to trust Him with something difficult, suddenly we have questions. Surely He doesn’t expect me to forgive that person. Surely He understands why I cannot take that step. Surely obedience can wait until I know how everything will turn out.

I have been there. I have called it being practical. Being cautious. Waiting for the right time. But sometimes, underneath all my explanations, the truth is much simpler. God has spoken, and I am reluctant to trust Him.

This passage does not mean that every unanswered prayer reveals a lack of faith. Nor does it mean our belief gives God power. The people of Nazareth weren't struggling to understand as they reached for Jesus. They took offense at Him and rejected Him.

That is what makes unbelief so serious. It turns our hearts away from the very One we need.

Perhaps the question today is not how much we know about Jesus, but whether we trust Him enough to respond to what He has said. Is there a command we keep explaining away? A step of obedience we keep postponing? A place in our lives where we have quietly decided that our judgment is better than His?

Unbelief is serious business. Especially when the heart resisting Him is our own.

CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Stewpot Community Services, Inc. Mississippi Christian University

10/19/2026

Ever noticed how two Christians can sit in the same church service but be miles apart? They sing the same songs. They bow their heads during the same prayers. They shake the same preacher’s hand and thank him for the wonderful sermon. But when they pass each other, well, that’s a different story. You see, someone said something. Something was done. At one time, love and encouragement flowed between these two as easily as a gentle breeze on Sunday morning. But now, only the icy stare of a bitter heart remains.

Perhaps you know what I mean. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, because I have walked into worship many times with a chip on my shoulder, daring the person across the pew from me to knock it off.

But Paul writes something interesting in 2 Corinthians 5. He reminds the believers in Corinth that anyone in Christ is a new creation (v. 17) and that God has given them a ministry of reconciliation (v. 18). We love the new creation stuff, but asking forgiveness and being reconciled with the person sitting in the same sanctuary, well, that is a taller task.

I know what you are thinking. “But you don’t know what they did!” You’re right. I don’t. But I know how easily I can hold tightly to someone else’s wrong while thanking God for forgiving mine.

Paul reminds us that God “has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ” (v. 18, NKJV). God took the initiative to bring us back to Himself. The ministry of reconciliation means carrying that good news to others. But shouldn’t that message also shape how we treat each other inside the church? When we tell people about the love of Jesus, they ought to see that love among us.

Maybe there is someone in your church you find difficult to be around. Maybe they said something that wounded you. Maybe you said something that wounded them. Perhaps gossip broke the trust you once shared, and neither of you knows quite how to begin again.

Our resentment does not reflect the grace Christ has shown us. And our bitterness can keep us from enjoying the fellowship God wants us to share. Perhaps before we ask Him to change the other person’s heart, we need to pray, “Lord, begin with mine.”

Some hard conversations may lie ahead. Trust may take time to rebuild. We cannot choose another person’s response, but we can listen, acknowledge our own wrong, and offer an apology without an excuse.

We may be sitting in the same church, still miles apart. But by His grace, I can start the ministry of reconciliation God desires. I just have to rise up from the pew I've chained myself to.

10/17/2026

We'd love to see you at church tomorrow! We’ll continue our series, “What We Have,” by looking at the wonderful gift of our salvation.

Whether you join us every Sunday, haven’t been in a while, or would be coming for the first time, you are welcome. Bring your Bible, bring a friend, and come worship with us!

10/16/2026

My wife and I are foodies. We love traveling to new restaurants to see if they live up to the hype. Sometimes they do. Many times they don’t. After years of travel, I have learned to keep my praise to myself until I have actually sampled the menu.

A restaurant can have wonderful reviews. The pictures can make your mouth water. Everyone you know can insist that you simply have to try it. But until I have taken that first bite, I am reserving judgment.

There is a difference between hearing that something is good and experiencing it for yourself.

Perhaps that is why David’s invitation in Psalm 34:8 speaks to me: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (NKJV).

David had experienced God's goodness. Earlier in the psalm, he says he sought the Lord, and the Lord heard him. He cried out, and God delivered him. Now he invites us to discover that goodness for ourselves.

Taste and see.

Some of us have spent years listening to other people talk about God. We remember our mother’s prayers. We have heard a friend describe how God carried them through a difficult season. We listen to a pastor explain Scripture's promises. Those testimonies encourage us. But at some point, we need to trust Him ourselves.

So this morning, bring whatever is weighing on your heart to the Lord. Open His Word. Take that step of obedience. Trust Him with the outcome.

I may reserve judgment about a restaurant, but I have experienced enough of God’s grace and faithfulness to recommend His goodness.

Mississippi Christian University CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Stewpot Community Services, Inc.Mission First Restoration Ministries - Recovery Ranch New Horizon ChurchFellowship Baptist Church

10/15/2026

We’re looking forward to 2027 but we still have plenty of great things coming up in 2026
Stewpot Community Services, Inc. CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Mississippi Christian University Mission First

10/15/2026

I have decided that reward programs are from the Devil. Now, before you question my theology, hear me out. Everywhere I go, someone asks if I am a rewards member. Do I have the app? Have I activated the offer? Would I like to earn points toward my next purchase? Apparently, buying a sandwich now requires a password, a verification code, and a working knowledge of my phone. Frankly, McDonald's is demanding too much work for me to get a quarter pounder.

All this earning and redeeming has me thinking about how easily we approach God the same way. We pray. Read our Bibles. Go to church. Help someone in need. And somewhere in the back of our minds, we begin keeping track. Surely all that faithfulness ought to count for something. Surely we have earned a little extra favor from God.

Then we have a bad day. We lose our patience. Say something we regret. Neglect something we know we should have done. And we wonder how far our balance has dropped. The enemy knows that if he can get you to earn your salvation, there is no need for God’s grace.

But listen to what Paul writes: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NKJV).
A gift. Sorry, McDonald's.

Grace asks me to come to God empty-handed and receive what I could never earn. Jesus has already done what I could never do for myself. Through His death and resurrection, He has provided the salvation I could never purchase with a lifetime of good behavior.

So this morning, spend time with Him. Open His Word. Talk to Him about your day. Let gratitude move you to love someone well. You have a Savior to thank for Grace.

No points required.

CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Mission First Stewpot Community Services, Inc. Mississippi Christian University

10/13/2026

You have something in common with a rock. That may not sound like much of a compliment, but hear me out.

In Luke 19:40, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, His disciples began rejoicing and praising God for the mighty works they had seen. Then some Pharisees wanted Him to silence them. Then Jesus declared, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40, NKJV).
Imagine that. Every blade of grass. Every flower that blooms. Every leaf on every tree. Even the rocks have something to say about God.

I wonder if I have grown so accustomed to God’s handiwork that I hardly notice it anymore. I walk beneath a sky He stretched into place while thinking about everything I need to get done. I pass trees dressed in autumn colors with my eyes fixed on my phone. Beauty surrounds me, and I hurry right past it.

I don’t want no rock stealing my praise. Even if it is a simple “Thank You, Lord” for the beauty that surrounds me every day. I don’t want to become so busy with the life God has given me that I forget to acknowledge the Creator of it all. No, today, I want to linger over a sunset. To notice the color of a leaf. To remember the grace that has constantly surrounded me and borne witness to who God is.

And it reaches beyond creation. How often do I pause to rejoice in His forgiveness? His patience with me? The privilege of bringing my concerns to Him in prayer? These gifts have become so familiar that I sometimes receive them without stopping to thank the One who gives them.

Nope. Not today. No rock will steal my praise.

CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Restoration Ministries - Recovery Ranch Prison Fellowship Mississippi Christian University

10/12/2026

As a communicator, I am always looking for a way to engage an audience. I want to start a sermon and instantly grab a listener’s attention. Sometimes it’s through a story. Sometimes I share an interesting bit of trivia, begin with a question, or even use a prop as an object lesson. The goal is to engage for impact. To shake people awake and give them a reason to listen.

That’s why I am struck by the way Matthew introduces Jesus’ preaching. He records no opening story. No interesting bit of trivia or engaging anecdote. Just a direct call that demanded a response.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17, NKJV).

Repent.

Now, there’s a hard word. The truth is, I would much rather hear about something I am doing right. Wouldn’t you? Give me a word of encouragement. Remind me that I am loved. But tell me that something in my life needs to change, and I may start explaining why it doesn’t. I can come up with a whole list of excuses for holding on to the very thing God is asking me to surrender.

Why such a direct word? Because where we are headed matters. Jesus announced that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. That called for a response. And it still does.

Repentance begins with agreeing with God about our sin. We stop making excuses. We ask His forgiveness. We turn from our sin toward Him, trusting Him to help us walk in obedience. We can feel bad about the road we are on and still keep going in the same direction. Repentance means we turn around.

Grace is in that invitation. The Lord who knows our sin calls us to come to Him. We do not have to keep defending it, hiding it, or carrying it. We can confess it and find forgiveness in Him.

Is there something you have been explaining away that God is asking you to confess? An attitude you keep justifying? A wrong you need to make right? I have to ask myself those questions, too.

Repent may not be the word we want to hear today. But it may be the word we need most. Clear. Direct. Personal.

As a communicator, I want my words to get someone’s attention. But Jesus calls for something deeper.

He wants his listeners to change direction. So today, forget the fluff. Let's get right to the point. One word. One thought. One heart change. Yours. Mine. Repent. The kingdom of God is at hand. It can't get any more powerful than that.

10/08/2026

I got my hand stuck in a jar the other day.

I reached in to get something from the bottom, but once I wrapped my fingers around it, I couldn’t pull my hand out. I pulled. Shifted my hand. Tried another angle. As long as I held on tight to what was consuming my attention, I stayed stuck. But the minute I let go, my hand slipped free.

Sometimes our hearts get stuck that way, too.

We hold tightly to a worry about someone we love. A decision we do not know how to make. We keep turning a situation over in our minds, hoping one more thought will somehow produce an answer. We carry it through the day. Take it to bed at night. Pick it up again the next morning.

Some things get heavy because we keep holding onto them.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you” (NKJV).

Today, I noticed the connection between those two words: cast and sustain. Cast. Sustain. David invites us to place our burdens in God’s hands and trust Him to uphold us. How often do I ask God for peace while still gripping the very thing I have asked Him to carry?

Letting go can be hard. We care deeply about the people involved. The outcome matters. We want to know how everything will work out. Yet there comes a moment when we have to pray, “Lord, I cannot control this. Help me trust You with it.”

That does not mean every difficult situation will disappear today. There may still be a conversation to have, a responsibility to fulfill, or an answer to wait for. But we can trust God to sustain us through it. We can ask for the strength we lack and the wisdom we cannot seem to find.

What are you holding tightly today? Tell Him about it. You do not have to find impressive words. “Lord, help me let this go and trust you with it."

That jar taught me something. Sometimes the next step begins with opening our hands.

CareCenter Ministries Mississippi Stewpot Community Services, Inc.

10/07/2026

In our Worship Series called "WHAT WE HAVE", our message this week is: We have the WORD OF GOD...so we want y'all to bring your physical bibles (not digital ones} to Calvary this Sunday. See you soon.

Calvary Baptist Church

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