About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Knowlege of God

(Article for publication week of April 14, 2010 AD)

Everyone knows there is a God. Although some people claim to be atheists, they and we know they are lying. Others claim to be agnostics. By the way, the Latin translation of agnostic is ignoramus. Both words mean "no knowledge." But the Bible says "atheists' and "agnostics" are both lying, for everyone knows there is a God.

In Romans 1:19-20 we read, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so they are without excuse". All men know there is a God because His creation clearly reveals Him. The handiwork of God leaves you without excuse. You know there is a God because only He could have created you and the rest of the universe.

In Romans 2:14-15 we read these words, "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." All men also know there is a God because of the conscience within us. God created us in His Image, and put within us a sense of right and wrong. Every time you judge another sinner you are proving you know there is a God. The fact that you call others to account shows you know right from wrong. And the reason all people have a sense of right and wrong is because God put a conscience within us. The most benighted heathens know that murder and theft and adultery are wrong because of this conscience.

In the Day of Judgment all men will be without excuse because by God's creation and the conscience within we all know there is a God. No one will be able to say to God in that great day, "Lord I would have worshipped You if You had only given me more information." No sir! You have all the information you need to know that there is a God and you ought to fall down and worship Him. If you do not seek God and worship Him, you will be excuseless in the day of Judgment and God will have every right to cast you into hell and He will. You have no excuse for not obeying God's law because your conscience tells you what is right and wrong. When you stand before God on the day of Judgment and He asks you why you broke His law, you will not be able to say you did not know His law, because it is written in your conscience.

Although all people know about God by His creation and their own conscience, the only way you can know what He is like and know Him savingly is through His inspired word. The word of God tells us of the Being of Jehovah and His glorious attributes. And only by the power of the Holy Spirit is that word opened to our understanding. I pray the Holy Spirit will take the word of God to our hearts so that we may not only know there is a God, but that we may know God.
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Sunday, April 4, 2010

The God of the Bible

(Article for publication week of 4-7-2010 AD)

Text: "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

Once a faithful and true man of God was preaching an evangelistic meeting at a certain church. After one of his messages, one of the deacons of the church came up to him and said, "preacher, my God is too good to send anyone to hell." The precious man of God replied, "I am sure you are right, but I wasn't preaching your god, I was preaching the God of the Bible."

Well, this is the problem we face in our day. People have a god of their imagination, but they do not know the God of the Bible. Like those mentioned in Romans 1:20-25, they have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image of their own device. The God of the Bible is too holy for most church members today, so they have taken their engraving tools and made them a god that they can get along with.

Every time I hear someone say something about "my god', I always think about what the good evangelist said to the deacon, and I wonder if they know the true God. I hear many people in our community talk that way- "my god", but they evidently do not know the God of the Bible. Back when I was in high school we used to have a football coach, and he was like many coaches, and he used to tell us before a game to ask "the man upstairs" to help us knock the devil out of the opposing team. I did not know the god of the Bible back then, even though I was a church member, so I always did like coach said and ask the "man upstairs" to help us win. My friend if you think God is the " man upstairs" you do not know the true God, the God of the Bible. The "man upstairs" is not thrice holy, but the God of the Bible is. The "man upstairs" isn't sovereign and unchangeable, but the true God is. "Your god" won't send any one to hell, but the God of the Bible will.

Now, I want you to read carefully the series of articles that I will (DV) be writing for the next several months, because I am going to declare unto you the God of the Bible. I am going to be telling you what God has told us about Himself in His word. And this is the only way you will know the true God and what He is like, by reading His word. You won't know the truth of God by your imaginations, or your feelings. The God of the Bible is not necessarily like your mama or your preacher said He was. I don't know- a few of you may have a mama and a preacher who is saved, but most do not. It is evident that most of the preachers and church members in this county are lost people by reading the silly things they put on their church signs. It is evident that most of you do not believe in a thrice holy, sin hating, sin avenging God. The true God is the God of the Bible, and eternal life, salvation, is to know Him. If you want to be saved and have eternal life and know the True God, I urge you to stay with me as we will (Lord willing) be writing on the doctrine of God for a good while. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God."

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