Our church’s Statement of Faith is the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. All our members sign this statement when they join the church. Some may not be aware how the BFM 2000 speaks directly to what is happening in our country after the killing of George Floyd. Article 15 in the Statement is on “The Christian and the Social Order.” It says this: “All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for [...]

As a preacher, I often struggle with knowing if the Word of God is changing people’s lives. My desire is to see God create, through his Word and by his Spirit, authentic people in our church.People with real and deep faith in God and real and deep love for others. The humbling reality is that I cannot do this. Only the Word of God can do this work. No preacher is able to change people’s hearts.This is God’s way of keeping preachers humble, and prayerful. Nonetheless, the struggle to know [...]

“In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” – Psalm 86:7We are living through something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.  The coronavirus pandemic has touched all of us in some way.  You or one of your loved ones may have the virus.  You may know someone who has the virus or someone who lost a loved one from the virus.  You may have had your hours cut back at work or lost your job.  You may be wondering how [...]

If the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16), then we need to know what the gospel is if we want to be saved. Where do we go to find out what the gospel is? As the inspired and inerrant revelation of God, the Bible is where we must go to find the message that can save us. The gospel is not found in any one particular Bible verse. The gospel is rather the overarching story and point of the entire Bible. The [...]

One thing all Christians agree upon is that Jesus will come back one day. There is, however, much debate about when he will come back, specifically in reference to the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14). In this article, I will argue why I think that Jesus will come back after the Great Tribulation. The position I’m going to put forward is called “posttribulationalism” and it differs from the “pretribulational” position in one primary way. The pretribulational position says that Jesus returns before the tribulation to gather the church, but does so [...]

When a scribe asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” (Mk. 12:28), Jesus answered with two different passages from the Old Testament. First, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5, saying that we should “Love the Lord your God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength” (Mk. 12:30). Then he quoted from Leviticus 19:18, saying that we should “Love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mk. 12:31). Jesus said that these two commandments are the most important commandment. They are [...]

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 Christmas is a beautiful season – probably my favorite time of year. The beauty of the season is found in the reason for the season. The coming of God into our world is a profoundly beautiful truth. Why did God come into the world he made? The Bible gives lots of answers to this question. One of them is in Mark 10:45, “The Son [...]