Before most people start their day, our Weekday staff welcomes bleary-eyed children and parents for another day of education. They teach the love of Christ and lay a foundation that some children share with others for years to come. We hear frequently from families how much they love their experience at First Baptist. One child […]
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Mark 14:50-52 features the second eyewitness in my sermon series in Lent: a fugitive. Unlike the faithful woman with an alabaster box, this eyewitness reflects a realistic picture of a disciple. He’s the young man running away naked when Jesus is arrested. Our word “fugitive” comes from the Greek word used here: “fuego” or “to […]
Read More » This morning, we began a new series: Eyewitness. So many people were watching Jesus, but few were following. Today we noticed an unnamed woman from Mark 14:1-9 who knew more about Jesus than those closest to him. She walked in to a banquet, anointed his head, and “performed a beautiful service” for him (Mark 14:6). […]
Read More »What would it look like for the gospel to be unleashed in your life? Over Disciple Now Weekend, our students learned how to let God’s word change their lives. By following Paul’s example in 2 Timothy 4, they have given their lives to Jesus and recommitted to “fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and […]
Read More »Over the weekend, reports surfaced that 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded in Libya. Our thoughts and prayers are with these families and churches. The word martyr is a Greek word that means “witness.” Some witness in life, others in their death. Christians are not alone, of course. Depending on what part of the world you […]
Read More »I’ve been blessed to be a tither for as long as I can remember. Admittedly, I’m weird compared to most people. I was taught by parents, church, and school to give 10% of everything to the church because that’s what they said to do. When Kelly and I married, we just built tithing into our […]
Read More »This weekend, over 200 people gathered for our fourth annual Connections Weekend. Dr. Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, taught the gospel from the scriptures. Although most of us grew up thinking this good news was a plan, the gospel is simply telling people about Jesus. When we share His story, Jesus […]
Read More »Most of us started following Christ, and sharing our faith, using the “plan of salvation.” We responded and repeated a variation of the A-B-C’s. Admit you’re a sinner. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess your faith publicly through baptism. Most evangelism training manuals today are an expansion on this theme. As we go through […]
Read More »When we were in Israel last year, our guide told us that the Israelites were given two choices before entering the promised land: life or death. He told us that the choice for life was much more complicated than choosing to deal with death. It’s easier to prevent the end than it is to try […]
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Shame affects every Christian. Sometimes shame can be healthy and turn us toward God’s mercy. Most adults, however, suffer from unhealthy shame. We feel unhealthy shame usually for who we are, or we are ashamed for becoming the kind of person we never thought we would become. Unhealthy shame is like the moving box of […]
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