First Baptist Shreveport

There is a four word question that Jesus often asks people he encounters: "What do you seek?" What about you?  If the Resurrected Lord were here and asked you that question, what would you say?  What is your expectation of Jesus?  There are many layers to the story of the Triumphal Entry, a sort of misnomer in itself.  Jesus was embracing all the Old Testament imagery of Messiah and the...

Weekly Devotional 4.14.2025  Hosanna in the Highest: The Triumphal Entry “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday, when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. When Jesus enter...

This is an important season in the life of the church as we make our way to Holy Week.  Lent is a journey toward death.  When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he was trying to sidetrack him from death.  But in being faithful to God, Jesus was moving toward death.  We take up our crosses as well.   Death is not something to be avoided at all costs, but because we are resurrection people, we a...

In our scripture passage today, we see Moses dealing with the Israelites complaining. To be fair to the Israelites, they have left the only home they ever knew and have been wandering in the desert for a long time.  But here they complain about the manna God has given them. They describe the different types of food they had in Egypt and they long to return to slavery! Moses has had enough of the p...

Have you ever been changed by a friendship?  In Exodus 33, after Moses had received the commandments and the golden calf incident, Moses began meeting with God "as one would speak with a friend."   Moses asks: "Please let me know your ways so that I may know You."  (Exodus 33:13) and "Please, show me your glory!"  (Exodus 33:18) After the Lord answered Moses, it chang...

Ryan McCoy, FBC Shreveport Minister of Discipleship, delivered a powerful and artful sermon yesterday in the form of a soliloquy from the point of view of Pharaoh from the stories of Moses in Exodus.  In looking at it from this point of view, we were able to connect with the ways in which the postures of Pharoah's heart might mirror our own. He expounded upon the way Pharoah reacted to Yahweh...

Do any of you talk to your plants? Moses had a significant conversation with a plant (tree) that had consequences throughout the entire world. Moses went from a Prince to a slave and at age 80 spoke to God. The sermon bullets: A Suffering people. Egyptians beating Hebrews A compassionate God. Exodus 2:24-25            How does God respond?  A mysterious meeting. Exodus 3:1-3 An unexpected calling....

What do we do when we are brought low in life? In our text today, Moses experiences a sudden fall. After he kills an Egyptian slave driver he is expelled from his life of luxury in the Egyptian palace. He flees Egypt and heads east.  Everything in Moses’ life changes. He marries a shepherd’s wife and becomes a shepherd himself. The prince becomes an exile - he finds himself in the lowest of lows....

A Beautiful Thing: Anointing at Bethany Weekly Devotional 3.3.2025 “But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:7-8 Mary, Lazarus’s sister, used an e...

For the next few weeks we'll be looking at the life of Moses. So much of Moses' life echoes the life of Jesus and we're looking forward to diving in.  Moses is born in a time of genocide and suffering.  The Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians.  Moses' mother had to resort to sending her baby down the Nile.  At that point, Moses' life hung on the compassion of others for...

Power Over All: Jesus Raises Weekly Devotional 2.24.2025 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 This week, we continue to explore Jesus’ miracles and His power and authority over death! The two miracles we will focus on today are Jes...

Can you be lost at home?  Can you be in a new and unfamiliar place and still not be lost?  Jesus consistently welcomes and spends time with outsiders and sinners, garnering criticism from the very religious.   In the story of the prodigal son, we see the father selling the family land to give the inheritance in advance in response to the younger son's request. This son went off and quickly sq...

Power Over All: Jesus Forgives Weekly Devotional 2.17.2025 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 Jesus desires to heal the whole person, both from physical ailments and sin. Jesus’ healing in Matthew 9 reveals that His mission was not solely about calming sto...

What does it feel like to realize that you’re lost?  Let’s look at maybe the most famous story of being lost - the story of the Prodigal Son. In our text today from Luke, the story begins with the father - “There was a man who had two sons”.  The younger son wants to make his own way. This is a common desire in our culture today - the world tells us to “live our true life” and “follow our heart”. ...

Power Over All: Jesus Heals Weekly Devotional 2.10.2025 “Jesus bore the sins of people in his body on the cross, so that people could be healed through his stripes” 1 Peter 2:24 This week, we continue our mini-series on Jesus’ power and authority over creation, disease, sin, and death. The miracles in Matthew 8-9 show Jesus’ power and authority while simultaneously exposing the disciple's ins...

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21  The church is a miracle because of God's work within us, doing more than we could ask or imagine.   Studies have found that people who are activel...

Power Over All: Jesus Rescues Weekly Devotional 2.3.2025 “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 Faith requires us to put our full trust in Jesus, even when everything around us doesn’t make sense. Following Jesus doesn’t mean everything in our life will be perfect; it means we have hope and confidence...

Like instructions for putting together Legos, the Bible gives us instructions for how we can grow in Christ.  What does greatness look like? ⁃Is it like a sports where statistics prove an athlete is great? ⁃Is it like Billy Graham with the most sermons preached? ⁃Is it size of a church? ⁃Is it good works like Mother Theresa? The disciples were very concerned about being great and who and how. How...

Lord, Teach Us: Jesus the Teacher Weekly Devotional 1.27.2025 “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:16-17 Jesus is a master teacher who teaches the truths of the Kingdom of God through parables. He teaches that p...

When would it be good to be a broken wall Baptist Church? What are some barriers to Christian community and Christian belonging?  Walls that keep people out and the walls that keep people in. Sometimes walls need to be broken. Jesus entered humanity and broke the walls of his time and for all time. Through Jesus, the church became a new and unique thing. God called Abraham to be the father of all...

The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Jesus Inaugurates Weekly Devotional 1.20.2025 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 Today marks an important day in the history of America. Donald Trump, the 47th president-elect of the United...

There are so many forces around us these days pulling us apart.  We spend more time than ever at home, but Christian community is essential. Loneliness is at epidemic levels.  Belonging, friendship, and care is more important than ever. The trends are toward isolation, but we are better together.   “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead...

Worship the Lord Your God: Jesus is Tempted Weekly Devotional 1.13.2025 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 Cutting corners in hopes of achieving our goals, especially when we think nobo...

Where do you feel like you belong?   There has been a decline of social connections over the decades.  We are more isolated, inside in our lives of air conditioning and Netflix.  And we’re not just isolated but also divided- in a pandemic of loneliness.  But we were made for community.   How can we share the gift of Christian community more fully this year?  The book of Ephesians goes deep in look...

Opening Heaven: Jesus is Baptized Weekly Devotional 1.6.2024 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 At the start of Matthew 3, Matthew moves from the birth narrative to John the Baptist preaching the baptism of Jesus. In the gospels, John the Baptist and Jesus are paired t...