<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" version="2.0"><channel><title>Searchlights from the Scriptures</title><description>"The unfolding of Your words gives light" Psalm 119:130</description><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</managingEditor><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 23:09:21 -0500</pubDate><generator>Blogger http://www.blogger.com</generator><openSearch:totalResults xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">763</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">6</openSearch:itemsPerPage><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/</link><language>en-us</language><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><copyright>Copyright, 2017, Rev. J. Russell Reaves. Material may be downloaded, copied, and distributed without permission, so long as no charge is made for it, and no change is made to the content. Please contact Russ Reaves for information on usage, copying and distributing.</copyright><itunes:image href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1270/554812107_60585636f7.jpg"/><itunes:keywords>Immanuel,Baptist,Church,ibc,Greensboro,Russ,Reaves,Pastor,Bible,Baptist,Expository,Gospel,Jesus,Christ,Greensboro,NC,Southern,Baptist,Pastor,Russ,Russell,Reaves,Immanuel,Greensboro</itunes:keywords><itunes:summary>Pastor Russ Reaves of Immanuel Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC (www.ibcgso.org) delivers expository messages every Sunday morning in our 11:00 am worship service. The church website is www.ibcgso.org. Pastor Russ's blog is found at russreaves.blogspot.com .</itunes:summary><itunes:subtitle>The Preaching Ministry of Russ Reaves, Immanuel Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC</itunes:subtitle><itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality"><itunes:category text="Christianity"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Education"/><itunes:category text="Kids &amp; Family"/><itunes:category text="Government &amp; Organizations"><itunes:category text="Non-Profit"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Health"><itunes:category text="Self-Help"/></itunes:category><itunes:author>Russ Reaves</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:email>noreply@blogger.com</itunes:email><itunes:name>Russ Reaves</itunes:name></itunes:owner><item><title>Moving Forward By Faith (Joshua 3-4)</title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/12/moving-forward-by-faith-joshua-3-4.html</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Dec 2017 08:53:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-3347426986612849937</guid><description>

About a month after my resignation from Immanuel Baptist Church, I was invited back to preach. So, in keeping with my usual practice, we just picked up where we left off and moved forward to the next of the Essential 100 series: Joshua 3-4. The text of the sermon is below. I'm not sure about audio. If I run across it, I will link it.&amp;nbsp;

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For better
or worse, I am </description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author></item><item><title>Keep Moving Forward (Joshua 1) </title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/08/keep-moving-forward-joshua-1.html</link><pubDate>Tue, 8 Aug 2017 17:00:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-9110529243704630243</guid><description>
On August 6, 2017, I preached my final sermon at Immanuel Baptist Church as pastor. Lord willing, I hope that it is not my final sermon, or even my final sermon at Immanuel, but it is my final one as pastor.

As I considered what I should say in my final address, I concluded that the best thing I could do was "keep moving foward" in my Essential 100 series, and as God would have it in His good </description><enclosure length="0" type="audio/mpeg" url="http://ibcgso.org/MP3s/Joshua%201.mp3"/><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>On August 6, 2017, I preached my final sermon at Immanuel Baptist Church as pastor. Lord willing, I hope that it is not my final sermon, or even my final sermon at Immanuel, but it is my final one as pastor. As I considered what I should say in my final address, I concluded that the best thing I could do was "keep moving foward" in my Essential 100 series, and as God would have it in His good</itunes:subtitle><itunes:author>Russ Reaves</itunes:author><itunes:summary>On August 6, 2017, I preached my final sermon at Immanuel Baptist Church as pastor. Lord willing, I hope that it is not my final sermon, or even my final sermon at Immanuel, but it is my final one as pastor. As I considered what I should say in my final address, I concluded that the best thing I could do was "keep moving foward" in my Essential 100 series, and as God would have it in His good</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>Immanuel,Baptist,Church,ibc,Greensboro,Russ,Reaves,Pastor,Bible,Baptist,Expository,Gospel,Jesus,Christ,Greensboro,NC,Southern,Baptist,Pastor,Russ,Russell,Reaves,Immanuel,Greensboro</itunes:keywords></item><item><title>The Destructiveness of Idolatry (Exodus 32)</title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-destructiveness-of-idolatry-exodus.html</link><pubDate>Sun, 30 Jul 2017 18:51:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-4750459135688791361</guid><description>
Audio&amp;nbsp;


Over the last thirty years or so, the world of banking has
changed tremendously. I can remember when the use of ATM machines became
prominent. No longer did you have to go the branch during business hours and
deal with a teller to make your transaction. You could make transactions 24
hours a day, and many times somewhere other than at the bank. Then we started
using debit cards </description><enclosure length="0" type="audio/mpeg" url="http://ibcgso.org/MP3s/Ex32.mp3"/><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>Audio&amp;nbsp; Over the last thirty years or so, the world of banking has changed tremendously. I can remember when the use of ATM machines became prominent. No longer did you have to go the branch during business hours and deal with a teller to make your transaction. You could make transactions 24 hours a day, and many times somewhere other than at the bank. Then we started using debit cards</itunes:subtitle><itunes:author>Russ Reaves</itunes:author><itunes:summary>Audio&amp;nbsp; Over the last thirty years or so, the world of banking has changed tremendously. I can remember when the use of ATM machines became prominent. No longer did you have to go the branch during business hours and deal with a teller to make your transaction. You could make transactions 24 hours a day, and many times somewhere other than at the bank. Then we started using debit cards</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>Immanuel,Baptist,Church,ibc,Greensboro,Russ,Reaves,Pastor,Bible,Baptist,Expository,Gospel,Jesus,Christ,Greensboro,NC,Southern,Baptist,Pastor,Russ,Russell,Reaves,Immanuel,Greensboro</itunes:keywords></item><item><title>Encountering the God Who Speaks (Exodus 19-20) </title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/07/encountering-god-who-speaks-exodus-19-20.html</link><pubDate>Sun, 23 Jul 2017 15:02:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-2562663619158792100</guid><description>
Audio&amp;nbsp;


Why are you here? I suppose that there are a variety of
reasons that people come to church on Sunday morning, so what is your reason?
Have you come out of a sense of duty or tradition? Have you come to socialize
with your friends? Have you come because you had nothing better to do? Or have
you come because you realize that man does not live by bread alone, but by
every word that </description><enclosure length="0" type="audio/mpeg" url="http://ibcgso.org/MP3s/Ex1920.mp3"/><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>Audio&amp;nbsp; Why are you here? I suppose that there are a variety of reasons that people come to church on Sunday morning, so what is your reason? Have you come out of a sense of duty or tradition? Have you come to socialize with your friends? Have you come because you had nothing better to do? Or have you come because you realize that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that</itunes:subtitle><itunes:author>Russ Reaves</itunes:author><itunes:summary>Audio&amp;nbsp; Why are you here? I suppose that there are a variety of reasons that people come to church on Sunday morning, so what is your reason? Have you come out of a sense of duty or tradition? Have you come to socialize with your friends? Have you come because you had nothing better to do? Or have you come because you realize that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>Immanuel,Baptist,Church,ibc,Greensboro,Russ,Reaves,Pastor,Bible,Baptist,Expository,Gospel,Jesus,Christ,Greensboro,NC,Southern,Baptist,Pastor,Russ,Russell,Reaves,Immanuel,Greensboro</itunes:keywords></item><item><title>See the Salvation of the Lord (Exodus 13:17-14:30) </title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/07/see-salvation-of-lord-exodus-1317-1430.html</link><pubDate>Sun, 16 Jul 2017 15:03:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-2447842721121159511</guid><description>
Audio&amp;nbsp;




From the very first verse of Exodus we have been moving
toward this climactic event from which the book derives its title. This is the Exodus! The word “Exodus” means
literally, “the road out.” And the road out of Egypt for the Israelites leads
right through the middle of the sea. 



Imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites. Egypt was a
place of suffering and </description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author></item><item><title>Announcement of My "Resignation" </title><link>http://russreaves.blogspot.com/2017/07/announcement-of-my-resignation.html</link><pubDate>Sun, 16 Jul 2017 14:57:00 -0500</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463560.post-2430493136128193726</guid><description>

Following is the announcement I made on Sunday, July 16, 2017 at Immanuel Baptist Church. I used quotation marks around the word "Resignation" in the title of this post, because I prefer to think of this as a "Reassignment," for reasons I explain below ...&amp;nbsp;



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On Wednesday night (July 12), I announced that I have accepted an
offer to serve as the </description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">2</thr:total><author>noreply@blogger.com (Russ Reaves)</author></item></channel></rss>