Five Gifts I Pray Guests Will Find at Our Christmas Services
Over the next three weeks, our church will hold many special Christmas services—including “The Journey of Christmas” event with live drama and a gospel message. And we’re not alone in this. All around the world, churches are holding special services and events with...
Trust and Obey—A New Gift Devotional Book
Faith is a pretty incredible resource for the Christian life. Not only are we saved through faith, but faith is the way we grow in our relationship with God. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)—2 Corinthians 5:7 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for...
Six Characteristics of a Disciple-Making Church, Part 2
In the previous blog, we noted that while it is easy to give lip service to the Great Commission as the mission of the local church, it is also easy to get distracted from it. We saw that a disciple-making church is actually a Christ-centered church. Our goal is not...
Six Characteristics of a Disciple-Making Church
The Great Commission of Christ is to share the gospel and make disciples. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,...
Two Comforts God Gives Grateful People
Four of the ten shortest verses in the English Bible are found in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16. Rejoice evermore. 17. Pray without ceasing. 19. Quench not the Spirit. 20. Despise not prophesyings. —1 Thessalonians 5:16–17, 19–20 And nestled right in the middle of them is...
Two Ways to Cultivate a Truly Thankful Heart
As we approach Thanksgiving, our hearts turn, perhaps more than usual, toward God in thanks for His many blessings. Indeed, our lives are full of His blessings. As Psalm 68:19 tells us, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our...
Five Disciplines for Building a Strong Family in a Busy Ministry
All of us who are passionate about ministry recognize that we can have competing interests when it comes to balancing our ministry and family responsibilities. If we’re not careful, we can yield to the addiction of busyness in ministry to the neglect of our own...
Ready for Either
Bible commentator William Barclay wrote of an old Roman coin which bore the picture of an ox facing an altar and a plow. The inscription read, “Ready for either.”1 This is the spirit in which our American military members enlist for service. They are ready—ready to...
11 Post-Election Reasons I Am Grateful to Be a Christian Living in California
The results of an election can reveal the character and heart of a people. And this most recent election, at least in the state of California, didn’t reveal a heart for God or loyalty to Christian values. Our newly-elected governor was, fourteen years ago, the first...
The Resilient Life
Overcome the Crises and Anxieties of Life through Christ
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Pastor Paul Chappell
Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over forty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry.
