First Baptist Shreveport

Jesus’ “I AM” statements are poetic declarations, helping us know who He is.  In John 10:7, Jesus says he is the gate for the sheep and whoever enters through Him will be saved.  Before this in John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind.  The Pharisees are upset about the healing and Jesus’ authority- THEY wanted to be the gatekeepers.  But Jesus says HE is the way to life.  He is the gate.  The blind m...

One of the ways God has revealed himself to us is through a litany of names and titles throughout scripture. These names and titles work together to give us glimpses of who God is.   We’re starting a new 7 week sermon series about God’s “I Am” statements: the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the...

In the 1720’s, a young educated man in Europe named Count Von Zinzendorf encountered a painting of Jesus by Domenico Feti that posed a question.  In Latin at the bottom of the painting, the question was “I have done this for you- what have you done for me?” This art and this question sparked to all-consuming devotion and a life long commitment by Zinzendorf.  Some years later, a group of Moravian...

Christians around the world face significant challenges and persecutions to gather and worship.  Today, we’re looking at the Freedom Path of the Baptist World Alliance’s 2033 Movement.   In the USA, we live with a remarkable amount of religious freedom- so much so that we can take it for granted.  But just because we don’t experience religious persecution here doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about...

We all desperately need connection with those around us yet we are on a trend to more and more social isolation.  Across the board, Americans report having fewer and fewer friends.  The impact of loneliness on mortality has been found to be as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!   Our 2033 Movement path focus for today is the NEIGHBOR path.   A strategy for obeying the Great Commission is that we...

Sometimes we have expectations of people, but we experience hypocrisy- the outside doesn’t match the inside.  This can happen to all of us- we can have high ideals but we can give in to sin and temptations.   This week, we’re focusing on the “care path” of our 2033 Movement initiative.   So many Christians live with an unseen faith.  In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us in the Great Commission us to teac...

We need hope more than ever.  How does hope spread?  From the time of Jesus until now, it has spread from life to life, from story to story.   In Acts 1, Jesus tells the disciples that they will be witnesses.  Are we muted when it comes to our faith?  Do we openly talk about how Jesus makes a difference in our lives?  Many times fear and rejection hold us back.   You don’t need a complicated formu...

What if we had an important letter from home but we never bothered to open it?  The Bible is God’s love letter to us!   Are we reading it?  Are we committed to God’s word?  Jesus’ Great Commission tells us to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28:19 We are called to the nations to spread the word.  We are called to ALL nations, not just one culture.   There are about 1,100 languages l...

There’s never a bad time to set a good goal.  Goals really can move and change us and challenge us.  Over the next six weeks, we’re going to be talking about goal setting, aligning ourselves with the Great Commission and the Baptist World Alliance’s 2033 mission.  Today we’re thinking about goals as in Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us th...

We are all prone to procrastination, but sometimes it helps to think through tasks and create smaller, achievable goals. What unfinished task has God given us?  In Matthew 28:18-20, we find The Great Commission: “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father...

We are like sheep and Jesus is like the shepherd.  We wander off the path a lot because we are prone to sin and this is why we need a shepherd.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.   Psalm 23:4 says “Even though I walk through valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  We WILL go through the valley of the shadow of death. There is...

What does Psalm 23 mean to you?  It’s a psalm of God’s protection, care and provision.  Sometimes we can slide into feeling like we can provide for ourselves.  Sometimes we’re too proud or too distracted to realize how desperately we need God as our provider.   The Lord is our shepherd.  Sheep need a shepherd.   The Lord is my shepherd.  This is a personal relationship.  God is available to us eve...

This week, we are considering what the Bible says about Hell and judgement.  Of the 23 times Jesus mentions it,  Hell is most often spoken of regarding the need for repentance.  Universalism is the idea that everyone goes to Heaven, but this runs into problems- there is no true justice and nothing matters.  Judgement is necessary for us to feel purpose.  Jesus has called us to non-violence, but th...

What is our vision and idea of heaven?  Many pop culture misconceptions about what heaven is can flood our imagination, but what does Jesus say about heaven?  In the Gospels, heaven is mentioned 126 times.  Many times the concept of “Kingdom of Heaven” is used-  sometimes it is a reference to God’s presence.   What Jesus says:   What we experience after death is like coming home.  (John 14:1-6) Th...

Last week’s sermon was about how God interrupts his people as individuals to call us into deeper trust.  This week, we look at the church and see how disruption is a consistent part of our story.   The Body of Christ is alive and dynamic.  She has a mission that requires us to go and to do, to stretch and to change.  When the church experiences disruption, it’s never meant to destroy, but to deplo...

Nobody likes to be interrupted. Interruptions remind us that we’re not in control. But one thing we see clearly in Scripture: God interrupts. From creation, to Joseph, David, the disciples, and ultimately the Incarnation—God steps in, disrupts, and redirects. He interrupts to change us, to invite us into deeper trust and a greater life. The story of Paul is a story of interruption. Raised in a sys...

Listening is essential to our relationship to God.  The Hebrew word for listen is SHEMA.  In Hebrew culture, there is an expectation to respond to what one hears.  It was a listen AND obey scenario.  Listen AND act.  In fact, in ancient Hebrew, there is no separate word for listen and obey- they were just two sides of the same coin.   In today’s passage in Isaiah, we see what happens not only when...

Let’s start with what the Kingdom of God is not.  It is not any modern nation, not Republican or Democrat.  It is not Christian Nationalism. We don’t build, bring, or extend the Kingdom of God.  But instead:  Jesus’ coming brought the Kingdom of God The Kingdom of God starts small and spreads everywhere  The Kingdom of God is where God sets things right  The Kingdom of God is here… but it is also...

There Was Darkness: Jesus’ Death and Burial Weekly Devotional 6.30.2025 “Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn?…In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” Amos 8:8-9 When Jesus was crucified, several cosmic events occurred that underscored the significance of that moment and helped those who wi...

June 22, 2025 - Dr. Jeff Raines What is the Gospel? - Romans 1:1-7 What is the gospel? In Greek gospel means good news and here in the book of Romans Paul is laying out this theology in a systematic way. So how does the gospel, this good news, come and how is it shared? According to N.T. Wright in his book, “Simply Good News”:  1.  It comes to a historical context of need, despair/hopelessness. Je...

Mocking the King: Jesus’ Trial and Crucifixion Weekly Devotional 6.23.2025 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Galatians 3:13  Towards the end of Jesus’s earthly ministry, the religious leaders’ plan was always to swiftly condemn and execute Him (Matt. 26:1-5). The late evening trial and false witne...

Today we’re looking at a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth.  The Corinthian church was like a rebellious teenager- they thought they knew it all and that Paul wasn’t measuring up.  Corinth was a thriving metropolis and they thought highly of themselves.  They were very superficial- just like us.  We judge people for their looks and what they have.  We are image obsessed.   It’s easy to los...

My Betrayer is at Hand: Betrayal and Arrest Weekly Devotional 6.16.2025 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10  This week, we look at Jesus’ betrayal. Judas doesn’t regard Jesus as the Lord, Messiah, or Savior, but merely a religious teacher. The Lord of Judas’ life i...

Today is a big day on the church calendar: Pentecost.   There are two groups in Acts 2, the early days after the resurrection.   The first group is the disciples of Jesus who were asking “What’s next?”  “Is this the end?”  Jesus tells them the timing of the end is not for them to know, but they are to be witnesses and to make disciples, to wait and to pray.  That is also our job as disciples of Je...

Your Will Be Done: The Garden of Gethsemane Weekly Devotional 6.9.2025 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was so anguished by His impending betrayal, crucifixion, and death that He too began to sweat blood. The anguish and turmoil weren’t just about...