PASTOR’S CORNER, Chuck Scroggs, Central Christian Church, Liberal

I am one of the oldest full-time ministers in Liberal. I shared that distinction with my friend Rex Petty until his retirement recently. I have been sharing Jesus for more than 50 years! Rex had pastored the same church for more than 40 years!

The passing of time does several things to our spiritual hearts and physical bodies. I think every minister who is worth their salt (old saying) hopes and prays they have made an eternal difference in the lives they have touched. After five-plus decades, there have been many folks who found Jesus and gave their heart to Him. More people than I can remember found healing in their bodies, followed the Lord in baptism and received answers to prayer. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many miracles in the lives of people around me.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Chuck Scroggs, Central Christian Church, Liberal

Ephesians 6:10-18 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rex Petty, Faith Tabernacle Church, Liberal

A pastor once had a member of the church tell him a good sermon needs a good beginning and an excellent ending with the start and the finish being as close together as possible. Even the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus, which is the greatest sermon ever preached, can be read in Matthew Chapters 5-7 in less than 15 minutes!

It is amazing how God can speak with such brevity. Psalm 23 is only six verses and contains only 118 words. The Ten Commandments have 300 words and were later condensed by Jesus into only two commandments with only 21 words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37,39) The Lord’s Prayer given in Luke 11:2-4 is also brief with only 58 words.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rex Petty, Faith Tabernacle Church, Liberal

Several years ago, a friend of mine, Andy Stewart, asked me if I wanted some Bibles he had purchased at an auction. He thought I might use them to give away to people. I accepted his generous offer and a couple of weeks later he gave me some of those Bibles. One in particular was a small black leather-bound Bible with a zipper and a gold cross attached to it. When I unzipped the cover and began to peruse through this Bible, I surprisingly discovered it had a personal message inside the cover from a grandmother. She had written a warm and loving message to her grandson and had given this Bible to him. It was dated November 22, 1959, nearly 67 years ago!