Agape Baptist Church

09/04/2026

Good Morning Agape,
I hope you have all had a great week and I trust you are looking forward to Sunday and our opportunities to gather and worship our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“Looking forward.” That is something we all do at different times and for different reasons. When we are young and in school, we are “looking forward” to summer vacation. When we are older and working for a living we are “looking forward” to taking a week’s vacation. At other times there are other things we are “looking forward” to doing. Perhaps we are “looking forward” to gathering with family or friends, the holidays, or some event we have planned.
As believers there is a major moment we are all “looking forward” to and that is being in heaven and being with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The hymn I would like to share with you this morning expresses the longing believers have for heaven and the joy we have in knowing that is our destination.
Phoebe Palmer Knapp was a prolific composer of music having written over 500 tunes. In 1873 she had composed a new tune and took it to a friend of hers. She sat at a piano and played it then asked her friend what she thought of when she heard the tune. Her friend, F***y Crosby replied, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. Crosby then went on to recite the entire first line of what would soon be a favorite hymn for many believers.
Later that same year Blessed Assurance was published in a monthly magazine Guide to Holiness. Then in 1887 after being published in Gospel Songs No. 5 by Ira Stanky it became a part of Moody Stanky revivals in the United States and Great Britain. Since Cosby was Methodist, it has been included in the Methodist Hymnal since 1889.
Blessed Assurance is an encouraging hymn to sing, bringing joy to the heart of the believer as they express the great hope they have waiting them.

Blessed Assurance
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Refrain

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Refrain

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

09/02/2026

Good Morning Agape,
God’s grace has blessed us with a new day. And a new day brings us opportunities to meditate on His great love for us. The greatest example of that love is seen in the cross and the work of Christ in securing our salvation.
This morning I would like to share with you another prayer from the Valley of Vision. I encourage you to read this prayer and throughout the day, revisit it and think through it, and allow these words to encourage you heart as it reminds you of the Savior’s love for you.

Love Lustres At Calvary
My Father,
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,
supply words that proclaim, ‘Love lustres at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on thy Son, made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of the justice smote the man, thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified, and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due, and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
groaned that I might have an endless song,
endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed His head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
closed His eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,
expired that I might live forever.
O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me,
All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise, my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my enemies crushed,
Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed, sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood, hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort, and save.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

09/01/2026

Good Morning Agape,
I hope you wake up well rested and refreshed. I pray for the Lord’s provision and strength for you. �Take a moment with me this morning and look at Psalm 29. This is a Psalm of David and is a hymn set in ancient Hebrew poetry. All throughout the Psalm David is highlighting the Sovereignty and power of the Lord.
He begins the Psalm by calling the heavenly host, (angels) to give glory to God. David concludes the Psalm by declaring God’s eternal sovereignty over judgement, (the flood) as well as His ability to strengthen and bless His people.
But it’s the middle portion of the Psalm that I would like you to focus on this morning. Seven times in verses 3-9 David refers to the voice of the Lord and speaks of its power. David compares the power of God’s voice to thunder. In these verses David says the voice of the Lord builds as a storm over the waters, it is powerful and majestic. The Lord’s voice is so powerful that it destroys, as it “breaks the cedars of Lebanon. God’s voice, says David shakes the earth, “He makes Lebanon skip like a calf.”
According to David, God’s voice is not just bound to one location, as its power can be seen from Sirion which is far in the north all the way to Kadesh way in the South.
But, God’s voice does not just destroy, it also creates, “The voice of the Lord makes the deer to clave.”
What power is invested in our great God. Power that is dispersed through His voice.
After reading this Psalm, I look forward to the next thunderstorm just to be reminded of the thunderous, powerful voice of our great God.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape, �Mike

08/28/2026

Good Morning Agape,
I hope this Friday morning finds you doing well. I pray that our Lord keeps you in His love and strength as we finish this work week. And I pray that as the weekend starts, He begins to draw your heart and mind to Him and to the wonderful opportunity we have for corporate worship this Sunday.

Singing is a great way to prepare the heart for worship and so I would like to share a little about a hymn we sing here at Agape.

Honestly, I had never heard this hymn until I came to Agape. I thought it was another new, theologically rich hymn that Amy had found and introduced to the church. It has a “new” sound like many of the Sovereign Grace or City Alight songs that we sing. Adding to my opinion was the fact that I could not find it in any of my hymnals. That changed this past Monday as I was flipping through my copy of Hymns of Grace, and there it was, hymn number 186 (Hymns of Grace was published in 2015). So, the “new” sound and its absence in my older hymnals convinced me it was in fact a newer hymn.

But, A Debtor to Mercy Alone is certainly not a new hymn. As I looked at the bottom of the page in my copy of Hymns of Grace I saw that this great hymn was written by Augustas Toplady. You may recognize that name since Toplady also wrote Rock of Ages. Augustus Toplady was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer who lived from 1740-1778. He published A Debtor to Mercy Along in 1776 in a collection titled Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship. Toplady said this hymn was intended to speak about the believers assurance of faith.

So, if it was published by Toplady in 1776, why does it have this “new” sound? Well, my copy of Hymns of Grace was helpful in answering that question. At the bottom of the page where you find the author and composer I read, “Music: Bob Kauflin”! No wonder it has a “new” sound.

These old words and this new sound combine to make a thought provoking, beautiful song that is helpful in offering praise to God for His abundant mercy which has provided our eternal salvation.

A Debtor to Mercy Alone

A debtor to mercy alone,�of covenant mercy I sing;�nor fear, with Your righteousness on,�my person and off’ring to bring.�The terrors of law and of God�with me can have nothing to do;�my Savior’s obedience and blood�hide all my transgressions from view.

The work which His goodness began,�the arm of His strength will complete;�His promise is yea and amen,�and never was forfeited yet.�Things future, nor things that are now,�nor all things below or above,�can make Him His purpose forgo,�or sever my soul from His love.
My name from the palms of His hands�eternity will not erase;�impressed on His heart it remains,�in marks of indelible grace.�Yes, I to the end shall endure,�as sure as the earnest is giv’n;�more happy, but not more secure,�the glorified spirits in heav’n.
https://youtu.be/h1eB2Yhtyuc?si=gxttZOxaIJJ5-Wf_
If you are interested… Here is the “Old” sound. (I prefer the new. How about you?)
https://youtu.be/EitJ0J6WsmM?si=2SVo4srEDIEibHUa

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape
Mike

Titus 3:4–7 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our S...

08/27/2026

Good Morning Agape,
The sun is rising on a new blessing from the Lord. A new day to live, serve, and commune with our gracious Savior.
I have been taking some time this week and going over Jake’s exposition of 1 John 1:8-9 and trying to think about my sin and confessing my sin. Trying to do as Jake encouraged us to and to “think correctly” about our sin. I hope you have been doing the same.
I would like to provide you with a prayer to assist you in that process. This comes from The Valley of Vision and is titled “The Precious Blood.”
Take this prayer and make it your own as you think about your sins and the price that was paid for your salvation.

The Precious Blood
Blessed Lord Jesus,
Before thy cross I kneel and see the heinousness of my sin,
my iniquity that caused thee to be ‘made a curse’,
the evil that excites the severity of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by the crown of thorns,
the pierced hands and feet, the bruised body, the dying cries.
Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God, its worth infinite,
its value beyond all thought. Infinite must be the evil and guilt that demands such a price.
Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth, alive in my life,
strong in my character, dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow, intermingling with my ever thought,
my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.
Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light, the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread, its fruits nourish me, its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet thy compassions yearn over me, thy heart hastens to my rescue,
thy love endured my curse, thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation, bathed in thy blood, tender of conscience, triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

08/26/2026

Good Morning Agape,
As the sun rises this morning, so do my prayers for you. Praying for God’s peace and guidance through the day ahead.
This morning I would like to encourage you to think deeply on one verse of Scripture. King David writes, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1).
David was a man with many dangerous enemies. He was the king of a small nation with a small army. He was a man living among men and that in itself poses a danger because men can change affiliation. Those that were once close and trustworthy can quickly become dangerous enemies. And, let’s not forget that David was a man, which means he was susceptible to sickness and disease like all men.
Yet, the very first line of this Psalm is a strong proclamation of confidence. David is not afraid of anyone or anything. David is not anxious about anything the day might bring his way. How can a man be so fearless and worry free? Because “the Lord is his light and salvation.” The Lord lights the way, dispelling the darkness and exposing dangers. The Lord saves His own. Those who belong to God will live, even if they die. Those who belong to the Lord have no reason to fear and nothing to dread because He is!
As you head out the door this morning I encourage you to spend a little time reading and committing this truth to memory. We can make the same proclamation that David did, we too can say; The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

08/25/2026

Good Morning Agape,
I hope the dawn finds you all well. I trust our Lord’s provision for all your needs based on His faithfulness. And I pray for your witness as you seek to glorify His great Name.
This morning I would like to reflect on something Jake said several times in his sermon Sunday morning. He was encouraging us to think about denying sin and confessing our sin while considering our sin from God’s perspective. He stressed how important it is to “get Jesus (or God) right.” To get what He says, to get what He has done, to get His character right.
This is an eternal matter. If a person doesn’t get Jesus right, the consequences are eternal. Sadly we encounter many today that claim to know Jesus, but the Jesus they know is a Jesus of their own making. He is not the Jesus of the Bible. He is a Jesus that overlooks their sin, He is a Jesus that changes with the times, a Jesus that adapts to the culture. He is a Jesus that is little more than a genie in a bottle on stand-by, waiting to provide whatever they wish for. This Jesus, a Jesus that does not exist cannot, doesn’t bring salvation.
This has been a problem for “religious” people for a long time. John records for us a rebuke by Jesus to the Jews in the 5th chapter of his gospel where Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” The Jews did not know Jesus rightly and it cost them salvation. Those who get Jesus wrong today, regardless of their sincerity do so at the cost of salvation.
I am thankful that Jake exhorted us to “get Jesus right,” and I encourage you to follow Jake’s example and graciously encourage others to “get Jesus right” too.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

08/07/2026

Good Morning Agape,
It is Friday morning. Time to finish the work week strong to the glory of our Great God. Let’s start that effort by offering Him praise.
This morning I want to share a little information with you about a hymn I’m willing to say that most of you have memorized, and you probably know it so well, if you heard the first few notes played, you would be ready to burst forth in song.
Twenty-five words! That is all this song contains, twenty-five words.
The Doxology was written by Thomas Ken and first published in 1709. Interestingly, it did not start off as a “stand alone” hymn. Ken was writing music for the students at Westminster College at Oxford University in the late 1600’s. He wrote three hymns for them. One to be sung in the morning, the second one during the evening and the last one to be sung by those struggling to sleep and awake at midnight. Each hymn was a confession of faith and a request for divine blessing corresponding with that particular time of day. All three songs shared the same last stanza, what we know today as The Doxology.
The tune to which we sing The Doxology was not the tune for any of those songs. It was composed by Louis Borgeois and is called Old One-Hundredth. It first appeared in the Geneva Psalter in 1551 and was intended to be combined with Psalm 134 and then Psalm 100. Louis Borgeois served as head of choirs and music alongside a famous pastor and theologian named John Calvin.
The Doxology is short and simple yet very profound. It provides believers with an easy way to enthusiastically express their praise to God for all that He has done. To call others to join them in praise of the One God in three Persons.

The Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;�Praise him all creatures here below;�Praise him above, ye heav’nly host;�Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

08/06/2026

Good Morning Agape,
I hope you are well and I pray with great confidence that our Lord and Savior will be true to His word and provide you daily bread.
One of our daily needs is time in His word and with that in mind, I invite you to visit 2 Timothy 3:16-17 with me again. Paul writes, “ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Today I want us to briefly consider the next work of the Scripture, correction.
We have already seen that Scripture is profitable for teaching us true and making us wise. We also know that it is good for reproof. For confronting our wrong thinking and actions.
This morning we see that Scripture takes it one more step. If we were simply told what the truth is, and our wrong thoughts and actions were identified, yet we were not also told what to do, Scripture could be more frustrating than profitable. Paul tells us it is good for correction. This is the word you would use to refer to restoring something to its proper condition.
Man needs this work because sin has destroyed his ability to think and act rightly. He needs something or someone to tell him what is the correct way to think and the proper way to act. And we all know that our world is full of people willing to offer their opinion about how others should live. But once again, we consider Paul’s words and we understand that Scripture points us to the truth and to God’s standard and God’s way.
When we study our Bibles one of the things we should be looking for is guidance in living, how we should think and how we should act.

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike

08/05/2026

Good Morning Agape,
Our glorious God has graciously blessed us with a new day. I pray that we bring honor and glory to Him as we go about our day.
Let’s take a few minutes this morning and go back to Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Moving at a snail's pace, let’s move forward two more words. Paul writes, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, ‘for reproof.’”
Scripture not only provides us with truth, it also exposes sin, false beliefs, and ungodly behavior. Scripture exposes sin in thought and deed.
Richard Trench once said the Greek word translated “reproof” (elegmos) refers to rebuking “another with such effectual wielding of the victorious arm of truth, as to bring him not always to a confession, yet at least to a conviction of his sin.”
Regular exposure to Scripture, whether that be through personal study or listening to sermons or lessons will often bring the reader/listener under conviction.
One of God’s purposes of His word is to tear down, to completely destroy false ideas, impure motives, and wicked actions. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Sometimes, God’s intent with His word is not to build up but to tear down. In fact, before someone can be saved that work must be done. Our worldly ideas, our personal desires, our ideas of “God” must be destroyed, “reproofed,” before being replaced with truth.
As believers we should never fear, dread or avoid the Scripture’s work of reproof. Instead, we should pray like the Psalmist when we approach Scripture praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23–24).

I love you all. Go in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus and be Agape,
Mike