Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

Daily Nugget: Many doubted Paul’s apostleship. He asked if they needed epistles (letters) from the other apostles to verify his credibility (II Corinthians 3:1), as was done before. The preacher stated there was better proof than any letter right in the Corinthian church (II Corinthians 3:2) that God was using him. The evidence was the church itself. Salvations and the spiritual fruit that occurred in the ministry could only have come from God. Man can build a big ministry, with the fanciest of buildings, but the spiritual increase can only come from God’s hand: “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” I Corinthians 3:7. Too often people relate large numbers, size, and finances to spiritual success. That is not always the proper conclusion. Some of the fastest growing cults and the largest of churches may “have it all,” but “success,” as God sees it, is nowhere to be found. There may be many packing large auditor...

Daily Nugget: One reason people should daily read their Bible is to understand how to handle even the “little” problems. Here, Paul realized a principle from his experiences and was sharing it with his Corinthian friends. He did not want them to learn the same lesson he did the hard way. What he realized can be known by today’s Christians when the situation is also faced. Paul learned that if he griped, complained, and shared all his sorrows all the time, there would be consequences. When it came time for his friends to encourage him, there would be none left to help him (II Corinthians 2:1-4). They would all be too sorrowful and discouraged to console him. There is time to share one’s problems with friends and acquaintances, but it is not all the time! Everyone knows a constant griper. They complain about their job, parents, finances, politics, and much more. After the grumbler shares their load of concerns and worries, often their friends will also be depressed and discourag...

  Daily Nugget: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:” II Corinthians 1:1 In the introduction to his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul reveals part of the secret to his success. The preacher was used of God because it was the “will of God” (II Corinthians 1:1). I say “part of his secret” because there was another factor that was not mentioned here. However, Paul’s testimony throughout the New Testament makes it very clear what it was. It was God’s will that Paul, the one-time enemy of God and His people, got saved, become an apostle, and let himself be used of God. He did what God showed him to do. His obedience to God was his real "secret" of success. This distinction between “God’s will” and obeying God’s commandments is very important. After being saved by relying on Jesus’ sacrificial offering on the Cross for all sinners, most ha...

Daily Nugget: In concluding his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul included a fearful warning. His advice was the root of why Paul tolerated all he did to give the Gospel to whomever he could. His alert should be why we try to reach as many as possible with the Gospel truths that can save people from an eternal Hell. The preacher’s warning was, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” (I Corinthians 16:22) Anathema is Greek for “banned, excommunicated, or cursed.” The Chaldean-rooted “Maranatha” has to do with when “our Lord comes.” Ignoring confusing commentaries and their disagreements among each other over tenses and meanings of these words, the preserved English (KJV) gets across a clear message. The warning boils down to, “If you don’t love Jesus, you’re in deep trouble when Jesus returns and judges.” Throughout the Bible, a principle is taught. It is “… love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with al...

Daily Nugget: No one is perfect, or they would not need to be saved. All are sinners and bound for Hell unless something prevents that from happening. The only thing that can prevent one from an eternity in torment is by accepting Christ as Saviour. When one is saved, they are a new creature in Christ. A person is changed when they are truly saved. Paul was certainly proof of this. Before His salvation, Paul did all he could to serve God his way. In doing so, he unknowingly became an enemy of God and Christians. The man was responsible for killing many believers and did much to slow the spreading of the Gospel. After he was saved, his enthusiasm in opposing Christianity was rechanneled to tell many others how they could be saved. He became a sincere servant for Christ. No matter what he did after salvation, Paul still had a past. There was no way to undo what he had done. All he could do was go forward in doing the right things after being forgiven and do all he could for the cause ...

  In I Corinthians 14, Paul clarifies that the gift of prophesy is one of the most needed blessings from God. He remarked that speaking in a foreign language (“tongues”) was a special gift. However, it did not benefit many people. Prophesy enlightened many in the body of believers. This gift also encouraged (exhorted), educated, and comforted believers (I Corinthians 14:3). “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” I Corinthians 14:3 The gift of prophesy, because they did not have the entire Bible at the time, involved some futuristic predictions of God’s workings, but it met other needs. Prophesy included the ability to instruct, explain the Bible's teachings, and make others aware of what would happen. As Jesus was not with them at the time and not all the books of the Bible were readily available, people needed someone to tell them of future events and God's workings. They needed, and God provided, someone to info...

Daily Nugget: Paul continued teaching about the sign gifts in this chapter. Although he knew how the gifts could encourage early Christians and give the church a powerful testimony, he saw one spiritually inspired attribute of higher value. Paul saw how essential it was to have love for others. This love is not necessarily the emotion the unsaved understand. It is a love that only a Christian can truly understand and have. The indwelling Spirit of God can make it possible for one to love others in a way that is impossible without God’s help. Paul knew the gifts were either temporary or that they would be different in the future. The preacher knew that when “… that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” He knew when the entire collection of writings was put together in our Bible that the gifts would be no longer necessary for Christians. Many would know all God wanted them to know within the pages of the inspired Word of God. When prophecies, tongue...

Daily Nugget: I Corinthians 12 begins Paul’s discourse on spiritual gifts that were given to early believers. This church, and others at the time, did not have the complete Word of God, as we do today. Because they did not have His Words to guide them, God gave the early Christians special gifts. Others they ministered to would then know God was using the Christian. They were “sign gifts” as a sign that God was still with them. It encouraged all involved that God was still working in lives. The nine gifts (I Corinthians 12:8-10) for that era included: Wisdom: this gift helped the possessor to make the right decisions. Knowledge: Not knowing the past, present, and future as we can today by reading our Bible, they needed a person that could tell them spiritual truths. Faith: During this early dispensation, people needed people to help them trust God and live by faith. They needed one to encourage them about the things of God that they could not see or prove. ...