Southtown Baptist Fellowship

09/06/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_x4D7PLMQs

Sin must be dealt with and Jesus it the only one worthy to pay for it.

08/31/2026

You Need a New Heart
I only remember my grandpa Miller with one arm. He lost his left arm in a farming accident. I knew multiple people who were missing a hand or arm, but it was still not common.
When addressing the seriousness of sin, Jesus said, “And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30) He said the same thing about an eye or a foot, yet I have never actually meet a Christian that cut off any of these body parts because of their sin. I am thankful for that because Jesus did not say to cut off your hand if your hand was used for sinful activity. Instead he said to cut it off it it was the cause of the sin.
If you use your hand to steal, it was not your hand that caused you to steal. If you use your eye to lust, it was not your eye that caused you to lust. The cause of those sins was much deeper than the hand or the eye. The problem is the heart. Mark 7:21-23 clarifies, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
Jesus was teaching that we need to cut off what causes us to stumble. It is not the hand or the eye that makes us sin. It is the heart. The heart that makes us sin is not the organ that pumps blood, but rather our inner seat of desire that is connected to our minds. Therefore the solution is not cardiac surgery or a brain transplant, but rather a change of heart and mind.
Scripture addresses this clearly in Ephesians 4:22-24 where it says, “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” To get to the root cause of sin, instead of cutting off a hand or eye, we need to set aside our old selves and renew our minds. We need to cut off our old way of thinking and put on a new way of thinking that lines up with God.
What we really need are new hearts. God promises us just that. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).
This has a very practical application when it comes to struggles like po*******hy. Going blind will not get rid of the sin if you still think about what you already saw or what you would like to see. It is not your eye that is causing the sin, but your heart. Too many people want to get rid of their eyes or what passes in front of their eyes before dealing with the root cause of the heart. Jesus was teaching that you need to get rid of what causes you to stumble. Although it is wise to remove images can be a stumbling block, the first step is to remove the corruption in your heart that longs to lust.
Blindness or lameness will not remove sin that has not been dealt with in the heart. It is hard hearts that keep people from coming to Jesus. That is why it is so important to deal with the root cause of sin in order to avoid hell. Without Jesus you cannot avoid hell. If your heart is standing in the way of coming to Jesus, you need a new one. He can give it to you when you call on him.
Image by Miguel Ángel Rojas Higuita for pexels.com

08/30/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUsbvEgHlGc

We should pray and trust God enough to give up comfort and security...

08/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19Bbnocg6Y/

08/23/2026

https://www.youtube.com/live/KR6CpPDI2CE

Let us pray that our leaders would allow us to live peace godly lives.

08/17/2026

What is Your Name?
There is a bald headed muscular actor with a last name that sounds Scandinavian, even though that is not his heritage. He is well known by his nickname, “The Rock” even though his real name is Dwayne Johnson. His given name is about as ordinary and common as my own, but his nickname is much more impressive than anything I have ever been called.
He, however, is not the only famous person who was given that nickname. So was the Apostle Peter. Peter's real name was Simon Barjona, but the name Peter meant, “The Rock.” Jesus told him in Matthew 16:18, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” Ephesians 2:20 shows us that Peter was not the only rock the church was built on- all the apostles were. Ephesians 2:20 says, “having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,”
It was important for Peter to know he was part of that foundation because so much of his time with the the Lord had been characterized by him being overzealous and acting before thinking. Remember he was the one who joined Jesus on the sea to walk on water until he began to sink. Then he rebuked Jesus when he was told that Jesus must suffer and die even though that was clearly God's will. He also volunteered that Jesus should pay the temple tax when that was not required of the Lord. Eventually he even cuts off a servant's ear when the temple guard comes to arrest Jesus. In all these things, he was actually living like his name Simon would imply.
The name Simon came from the Hebrew name Simeon, who was one of Jacob's 12 sons. In the Old Testament, Simon along with his brother Levi acted rashly and avenged their sister Dinah by killing all the men of a city. So much of Simon Peter's life was characterized by him acting rashly just like Simeon- just like his name would imply.
But Simon Peter also had another incident that clouded his character. He is know for denying Jesus. His first name was Simon, but his last name was Barjona. Barjona means “son of Jona.” It is kind of like Johnson, which means “son of John.” Jonah was also an Old Testament character. He was given a mission to speak to the Ninevihites on behalf of God, but ran away instead. Peter acted a lot like Jonah when he ran away from the chance to identify with Jesus and instead denied him.
So we have Simon Barjona, with both of his names reminding him of how short he had come from the glory of God and of how much he must have disappointed his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But we also have Jesus telling him that instead of being remembered as Simon Barjona, he will be remembered as “The Rock”- as Peter.
All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, yet when we come to Jesus our sins are washed away. Instead of being remembered for our past failures, we can be given new names like Peter was. Revelation 2:17 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
In order to have our sin dealt with, we must trust Jesus Christ as we surrender to him as our Lord and savior as we trust his payment on the cross. Then he welcomes us like he did Peter. “A good name is to be more desired than great riches, Favor is better than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1) No matter what happened in your past, you can have a good name by getting a new name from Jesus. Trust him.
Image by Lorenzo Manera for pexels

08/10/2026

Sunday 10 a.m.
Monday 7 p.m.
Sunday Morning: Ezra 7:21-28
Monday Night: Matthew 17:14-23
Songs for the week
444 I Love to Tell the Story
56 To God Be the Glory

08/09/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzlXf8LiJgQ Know God's word, live God's word, and teach God's word.

We should know God's word, live God's word, and teach God's word.

08/03/2026

Paul Revere & Elijah
Pastor Jerry Miller
One night in April of 1775, a 40 year old silversmith named Paul Revere rode his horse to send a warning that the British were coming. Now, imagine that a tornado were heading for a small South Dakota town and that the storms had already knocked out the electricity. That meant that the tornado sirens could not be used. Imagine that a man from that town was out riding his motorcycle when he spotted a tornado and he raced back into town. He then drove his motorcycle up and down the streets shouting through a bullhorn that a tornado was coming. Many people were able to get to their basements before massive destruction hit. No lives were lost.
Now imagine the news reports the next day. The headlines read: “Modern Day Paul Revere Saves Lives in Small Town.” He is interviewed by the local news station and the reporter says, “We are standing here with Paul Revere.” As the interview gets going, the reporter asks the man's name. He replies, “Well, I am not Paul Revere,” before giving his actual name.
For the rest of that man's life, he is referred to as Paul Revere, yet he is not actually Paul Revere. Still it is not a mistake to call him Paul Revere. Everyone in his community and the surrounding area understands why he received that title.
This helps to explain why Jesus would refer to John the Baptist as Elijah, yet John the Baptist himself said in John 1:21 that he was not Elijah. Before John the Baptist was born, his father was told,
“And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17) In this passage an angel reveals that John will go in the spirit and power of Elijah. This is not the same as him being Elijah. It is very similar to the man in our example riding his motorcycle and giving a warning in the spirit and power of Paul Revere.
Malachi 4:5 had actually predicted that Elijah would come again some day. "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.” (Malachi 4:5) Some think this is a prediction that Elijah will return again before the end of the Great Tribulation of Revelation, but Elijah has already returned since he was with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration. Both Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus as the face and garments of Jesus glowed. Peter, James, and John witnessed this. Luke tells us what they talked about. “And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:30-31).
If the great and terrible day that Malachi spoke of was Jesus death on the cross, then Elijah did appear before that. So did John the Baptist. He too was able to give the message of Elijah (Elias) and to proclaim Jesus and make a way for him. Thus Elijah literally appeared at the Mount of Transfiguration, and another man, John the Baptist, was able to reinforce all that Elijah stood for as he ministered in the spirit and power of the earlier prophet.
Thus we have two men working together for the same purpose of glorifying Jesus and there is no contradiction in the scripture. II Kings 1:8 and Matthew 3:4 show they even dressed similar. We have a beautiful picture of faithful prophets serving Christ and being compared to each other. May we follow their examples and recognize that the Lord can give us the power to serve Christ as well.
Pexels Image by Chirag VIru

08/02/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuMHu7T0SQE

Trust and Obey