The Tide Is Rising | Dr. Kevin R. Johnson | Psalm 68:31 | The Abyssinian Baptist Church

Main message: God is at work in storms and seasons of change — the “tide is rising” — and believers are called to trust his timing, worship continually, and recognize signs of spiritual renewal in the church’s history and present life.

Key points:

• Preached from Psalm 68:31 (“Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God”) with the theme “The tide is rising,” connecting biblical promise to present renewal.
• Trials and storms can reveal God’s work in and through us; suffering can produce glory as “all things work together for good.”
• The congregation’s historical connection to Ethiopia (Emperor Haile Selassie’s 1954 gift of an Ethiopian cross) was highlighted as a sign of continuity and covenant with the Motherland.
• The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts) was invoked as the model for baptism; three candidates were baptized as evidence of church growth and movement of the Spirit.
• Exhortation to persistent worship, faithfulness in giving, and confidence that God will come “right on time.”

Scriptures mentioned: Psalm 68:31, Acts 8 (Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch)