THE WATCHMEN’S REPORT By Wayne J. Edwards, February 15, 2025 wnledwards@gmail.com My Fellow Watchmen, WHEN THE DOCTRINAL SHIFT BEGAN FOR BAPTISTS In the early days of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), pastors and churches widely used catechisms to educate children. The founder of the first Southern Baptist seminary, James Boyce, was a passionate advocate for…….Read More
Read Luke 2:1-20 Of all the characters in the Christmas story, the lowly shepherds were the most amazing to me. Why? Shepherds were outcasts among the people. They were considered “unclean”, and therefore not welcome in the temple services – other than to bring the lambs, of course! But God used them as the first…….Read More
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20 In this obscure passage from Zephaniah, God made an incredible promise to His people when He said: “I will bring you home.” He was referring to the days of King Josiah in Judah. But if we will allow them, they can give us a fresh promise for today. “Rejoice and exult with…….Read More
Read John 3:16-17 Someone said John 3:16 is the whole Bible in one verse! No doubt it still is the most quoted verse in the Bible, and it does contain the essential elements of God’s plan for our redemption. When it is read in the context of our Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus, we can get…….Read More
The Lighting of the Angel Candle – (purple) the candle of love – John 3:16-17 As we re-light the two purple candles and the pink candle, we remember the meaning of Advent is “coming” or “visit”! We are preparing for the Advent of Christ at Christmas, walking through those historical steps, and taking our time…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:19-21 When Herod died, God called Joseph to bring Jesus back to Israel. So, Joseph and Mary loaded the donkey again, and moved to Nazareth, where Jesus lived until He began His ministry. Everyone in the Christmas story had to decide what to do about the Messiah who had come. While they certainly…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:16-18 When the Magi didn’t return to tell Herod where they had found the new-born King, Herod was furious. He was so filled with anger and rage, he ordered all the baby boys, age two and under, living in or near Bethlehem to be killed. Since he couldn’t find out which baby was…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:13-15 Not only did God warn the Magi about Herod, but He also sent His angel to warn Joseph to leave Israel, go to Egypt, and remain there until the Lord told him to return. Joseph put Mary and Jesus on the donkey again and left for Egypt, and they stayed there until…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:12 The Scriptures are silent regarding how long the wise men stayed with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, and we will respect that silence. However, Matthew leads us to believe that once their discovery was made, and the gifts were given, perhaps not wanting to interrupt their humble dwellings with their regaliant presence, they…….Read More
Read Matthew 2:11 Undoubtedly, the wise men were astounded to see this new-born King in such humble surroundings. No doubt they had expected Him to be the Son of royalty, perhaps a reigning monarch with all the splendor and wealth He would deserve. But even though they found Him in a common home with common…….Read More