Keahbone Delivers Sept. 8 Chapel Message

September 8, 2021

Mike Keahbone, lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, Oklahoma, delivered the chapel message Sept. 8 in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium.

Keahbone is a well-known speaker, having spoken at Falls Creek and many other venues. In addition to his role at FBC Lawton, he serves on the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention as well as the board of directors for Oklahoma Baptists. He has traveled the country as an evangelist and speaker since 1991.

Keahbone opened with a story about how he proposed to his wife during Super Summer on the very steps he was preaching on in Raley Chapel. He then began his message, taught from 2 Peter 1. He told the audience the truth he hoped they would fully believe by the time he finished speaking was that God loves them.

He then described how in this passage, God is speaking to a tired and oppressed group of people through Peter to rally them to press on so they can participate in the love and nature of God. He stated that this was to help them, “Walk in a way that is powerful, strong and right and escape the mess of this world.”

He then noted what he believes to be the primary issue Christians face as we struggle through the difficulties of the world.

“What I see is a lack of effort,” he said. “The problem I think primarily for believers now is a lack of effort.”

He described how we live in an age where people are focused on deconstructing their faith, looking for reasons to walk away from it. He contrasted that with people who take the leap of salvation but then never take another step. He explained that this is exactly what 1 Peter 2 is instructing against.

He encouraged the students to spend time studying the Bible to grow in their knowledge of God. He likewise urged them to not only study the Bible, but also to put what they learn into practice. He then admonished them to press on whenever troubles arise and to persevere in their faith. He noted that when they do these things, godliness will begin to enter their lives.

Keahbone grew up in Elgin, Oklahoma, as the son of a full-blood Cherokee father and a Comanche and Kiowa mother. Though part of a proud Native American heritage, he lived in a household torn by alcohol and drug addiction. With an absent father and a young mother that was in and out of his life before passing away at age 40 due to an alcohol-related illness, he somehow managed to find hope in God at Vacation Bible School. After spending the remainder of pre-college life in the Sunday School provided by that VBS church, he gave his life to the Lord Nov. 1, 1990, at Cameron University after someone told him God loved him.