First Baptist Church - Troy, TX - Audio

In Ruth 4, Boaz selflessly redeems Naomi’s land and marries Ruth, securing their future and showing loyal love beyond obligation. God blesses their union with a son, Obed, grandfather of King David. The passage highlights God’s providence, faithfulness, and ability to use ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary plans, rewarding sacrificial love with blessings that reach far beyond their lifeti...

In Ruth 3, God’s loyal love shines through Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz as they selflessly seek the good of others. Naomi courageously devises a plan for Ruth’s future security. Ruth boldly approaches Boaz, asking him to be her redeemer. Boaz responds with integrity, honoring God’s law even when it means waiting. Each act of sacrificial love in this morally dark time becomes a beacon of God’s grace. Thei...

In Ruth 2, God’s providence shines through what seems like coincidence. Ruth faithfully steps out to gather food and “just so happens” to end up in Boaz’s field—a man positioned by God to bless her. Boaz shows unexpected kindness, revealing God’s grace in action. This chapter reminds us to trust the Lord, obey today, and believe He’s working behind the scenes for our good. When we walk by faith, G...

In Ruth 1, Naomi faces devastating loss, yet God’s sovereignty and grace are already at work. Through Ruth’s bold faith and loyalty, we see a powerful picture of God's providence—turning pain into purpose. Even when life feels empty, we are called to wait on the Lord and trust that He is working all things together for our good.

Team members shared testimony and reflections on their recent mission trip to Honduras. They spoke of encouraging local believers, witnessing passionate worship, and forming deep relationships. The team was especially moved by the generosity and faith of the Honduran people. Ministry efforts included children’s programs, a work project at a church on the Island of Amapala, worship services, women’...

Daniel is one of the outstanding examples in the Bible of a faithful follower of the Lord. When he was a teenager, his people in the land of Judah were defeated by the Babylonians and Daniel, along with others, was taken to Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. Throughout his life, from one king to the next, Daniel remained faithful to the Lord in spite of the opposition he faced. The biblical acc...

Daniel is one of the outstanding examples in the Bible of a faithful follower of the Lord. When he was a teenager, his people in the land of Judah were defeated by the Babylonians and Daniel, along with others, was taken to Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. Throughout his life, from one king to the next, Daniel remained faithful to the Lord in spite of the opposition he faced. The biblical acc...

Have you ever had an experience in life where you just wanted to quit? Life gets hard, a relationship turns hurtful, your job drains the life out of you? Throw in the towel, bail out, adios, I’m gone. What do we do when we feel this way in our walk with Christ? How do we keep going when we feel like quitting? The bible is filled with accounts of peoples’ lives who had these kind of experiences but...

Why is obedience so important? Why is disobedience to God's commands so serious and what are some of the examples of such disobedience in the Scriptures? How can we as Christians be more obedient to a holy and just God as a way of life? We look at all of these things in today's message.

We all want to feel like we’re welcome. At home, at church, and with the people we work it’s important to feel that people are glad we’re part of the team. In this second part of our message in Psalm 23, we’re going to see that God welcomes His people with warmth and gladness. He honors those who trust in Him. If you’re following Jesus in faith, you need to know that God welcomes you into His pres...

Have you ever had a need that you could not meet on your own? All of us, at one time or another, have experienced circumstances where we needed God’s provision in our lives. Using the metaphor for a shepherd caring for his sheep, David wrote Psalm 23 to remind himself. and everyone who would read it, of God’s provision throughout his life. Psalm 23 is a powerful reminder to us of God’s gracious an...

As we end our “Forward” series it’s time to ask the question, “What about my place in God’s plan for realizing His dream for His church?” In the bible, God compares the church to the human body. As our bodies are one body with many parts, so also the church is one body of Christ with many different parts. Every believer has a place in Jesus’ church and every believer has a role to fulfill. We’ll l...

This is our final podcast on “discipleship”. Today we’ll take a look at some additional things that Jesus said about following Him. And we will look at some questions – Is becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ worth it? And will it be easy to be a disciple? And, if following Jesus is difficult at times, is there any help for us!? Let’s take a look at the answers to these questions.

This week we continue looking at how we go forward in the power of the Holy Spirit. God has given Christians His Holy Spirit to be with us and in us. When we submit to the Spirit’s control and guidance in our lives then we can find the strength and power to do the things that God wants and experience the life change that He desires. When a body of believers together are living in the filling of Go...

Have you ever tried to change something in your life but just lacked the power to get it done? Overcoming a sin habit, forgiving yourself for some wrong you did, forgiving someone who hurt you, sharing Christ with another person, making your marriage better? We all know what it’s like to be up against change we want to see without the strength to accomplish it. Where do we find the power to do the...

In our last podcast, we looked at the challenge that Jesus gave to the large crowds of people listening to Him. He challenged them to follow Him. And he told them what that meant as He discussed preferring Christ over all other people, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses daily… Following Christ requires a total commitment of your life to that end. He also talked about the narrow gate and the...

Between the crucifixion and Jesus’ return to heaven, His followers experienced a whirlwind of emotion. From absolute heartbreak and fear to unspeakable joy. The fact that Jesus was alive and promised to return changed everything for His followers. It has the power to do that for us also. The question we must answer is, “Am I living today knowing that Jesus is alive and will return?”

For Jesus’ followers, Resurrection Sunday was filled with wonder, awe, and confusion. Jesus had died and been buried. Now His body is gone. Angels told the women that He had risen and was alive. These same women saw Jesus and told the apostles that He was alive and was going to meet them soon. The apostles, still stunned by the death of Jesus and their broken expectations of Him, just couldn’t bel...

Did you know that the word “Christian” only occurs 3 times in the New Testament of the Bible? The word “disciple” appears much more frequently and, in fact, is the word that Jesus used for those who believed in Him. So what IS a disciple? And perhaps more importantly, are YOU a disciple? In today’s podcast, we’ll take a look at those questions.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus did the last week of His life before He went to the cross? What was He doing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, before He was crucified at 9:00 a.m. Friday morning? The Bible shares that with us. The Bible also describes in detail what Jesus went through before He was crucified and what He experienced on the cross. Listen in as we learn what our Savior endur...

Spiritual Growth. Every Christian needs to grow, but are we willing to do what it takes to see it happen in our lives?  As we continue our series, Forward: Moving into God’s Dream for His Church, we’re going to look at the importance of spiritual growth in our relationship with Christ. In this message we’ll learn that spiritual growth happens when we make a commitment to obey God’s command to grow...

From the very beginning, Jesus gave His church a special mission. His words in Matthew 28:19-20 state it exactly, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” For the church to go forward we must take the good news to the world that God has provided His Son as a Savior for a...

As we continue to look at overcoming the greatest hindrance to moving forward, we’ll see how sin crept into the church from the very beginning. God clearly revealed to the believers then that sin has no place in the church body. We’ll also ask and answer the question, “How does someone step out onto the path that leads to sin against God?” Learning to recognize the pathway that leads to sin can he...

A cavity begins beneath the surface of your tooth and, if not dealt with, can become a major problem. In the same way, sin in the lives of God‘s people can lead to disaster if not addressed. This powerful passage in Joshua 7 helps us understand God’s view of sin and its impact on God’s people.

What does it take to be able to do the things God wants us to? To go forward into His dream for our churches and our personal lives? Answer: The presence and power of God Himself. Today we’ll look at a well-known account from Joshua 6 where the Israelites would learn the priority of God’s presence and power as they went forward into the land God had promised them. It’s the same for us. If we’re go...