West Salem Baptist Church

(Mark 10 43-44) “... but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” Jesus spoke these words to his disciples after they were inquiring about their glory in heaven with Christ. They like most of us did not understand that the purpose of our salvation is not about what we can get out of it but rather what we can do to help others with it. Therefore, to be great in the kingdom of God we must learn to be a “servant of all” first. So, i f we truly desire to be used of God, we must ; 1) Be willing to “Suffer” all . Jesus asked James and John if they were willing to drink of the cup of his suffering, questioning them concerning their willingness to suffer and even die for all men. Teaching that the blessing of doing so would be great, but also the suffering. 2) Be willing to “Surrender” all.   The surrender that Christ alluded to was their willingness to ...

(Mark 10:1) “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”  The “one thing” that Jesus is talking about above is the very same thing that hinders not only a man’s salvation but also God’s ability to  work in his life. That “one thing” is “faith .”  1) Faith is needed for Salvation .   This rich young ruler was trusting more in his wealth than he was in God. His answer to the above command was to walk away rather than repent and trust solely in Christ. The things of this world can never save; not possessions, not religion, not even good works. So, to be saved a man must humbly place his faith and trust in the person of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. Nothing of this world ought to be more important.  2) Faith is also needed f...

(Mark 9:23) “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Sometimes we think that we have to be this perfect and great Christian to receive answers to prayer, but that is not always true. It is true that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” but when it comes to God answering, He can answer whosoever He so determines to answer. However, there are three ingredients that cause us to expect answers to prayer; 1) Faith . Jesus said in  (Matt. 17:20) “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” 2) Fellowship with God . A Christian who expects answers to prayer will pray often, one who does not pray, does  not have the same fellowship. Prayer demonstrates our faith to God, and so we believe and expect an answer. (Heb. 11:6) says “ But without faith it is imp...

“...And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” The term “Christian,” is used very loosely  in the day in which we live. It can include anyone from a true Bible believer to someone who identifies themselves with the name of Jesus but not God’s Word. The true meaning behind the word “Christian” identifies a true believer with the following; 1) A Denial of Self . (Mark 8:34) “ Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself. ..” A true Christian therefore is s omeone who puts God first, and who is totally submissive to the will and Word of Jesus Christ. 2) A Death to one’s old life .  Someone who has surrendered to the will and way of God, “takes up his cross , ” or in other words dies to the way he/she used to live to now live a new life patterned after the manner and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. 3) A Decision to follow . Jesus said very clearly in (v.35) “For whosoever will s...