Pastor's Blog

Christians must stand firm, in love, shining the light of Christ brightly in a lost culture that is increasingly embracing violence and darkness. We cannot shrink back. We cannot compromise and we cannot respond with unholy anger. God has placed us here for such a time as this.

We live in a fallen, broken world where there is much suffering and pain. The terrible flood that (at this point) has killed thirty two people, at least twenty-seven young children raises questions for us as Christians. What are we to make of such things? What is God saying? What is our responsibility as His children?

This post is part two of a Blog series entitled "Embrace These Truths." The series seeks to address some of the cultural lies that often infiltrate churches and lead Christians astray. It is vital that we, as Christians, have a Biblical view of life and reality as opposed to a cultural view.

It is imperative that we, as Christians, know the Word of God so we might walk in Truth and not be deceived by lies.

The spiritual condition of our nation is dire. We are a nation of no God and at the same time 'many gods.' Historic Christianity is increasingly mocked and the culture is increasingly demanding that Christians and the Church conform to the culture, or else. We are in grave spiritual danger. No politician or party can reverse our course-but the Living God can if He so chooses. Christians must pray earnestly for an authentic Great Awakening and for authentic revival and reformation.

Christians are to have a Biblical worldview. A worldview is a basic understanding and concept of the world that is rooted in a specific belief system or philosophy. As Christians, our worldview is to be rooted in the Word of God, and our Christian worldview intersects with every area of life, including the Christian our relationship to the government, and, as we approach election season, how we vote.

God is Good to Stonebridge Baptist Church! Dr. Katie McCoy will be with us in person on Wednesday, May 22, to discuss gender dysphoria and a Christian response. Dr. McCoy's book 'To Be a Woman,' is exceptionally well researched with ample data that shows not only the cause for our current cultural confusion, but also the outcomes of the current cultural confusion. Speaking the Truth in Love, Dr. McCoy gives Christians a Biblical response to this issue and encourages us to speak the Truth in Love. This will be a wonderful time of equipping for the church and those seeking a church home.

This week we return to our verse-by-verse study of Romans. Understanding Romans is essential to our Christian life, and the truths we find in Romans are essential to us becoming true Christians.

As we enter a new year, we have a great opportunity as individual Christians, as Christian families, as a church family, to refocus and reorient our lives around the things that God says are priority.

The great need for our church, for all churches, for our communities, our city, our nation and our world is for God to show mercy to us, and to revive us and reform us, that we, His people, might glorify Him and reflect Him to a lost and dying world. Our great need is to be consumed with a passion for the glory of God and to love Him more than we love anything or anyone. Our culture desperately needs Christ as well. He is the only Hope we have. Now is the time for the people of God to seek the Face of God and to cry out for mercy.

We live in a culture that is increasingly hostile to historical, Biblical Christianity. As we approach the new year, how are we to live as Christians? What does God expect from us in a rapidly changing culture and world? How are we to live as a church? It is my prayer that 2023 would be a year of profound Christian maturation and growth for us individually and as a church, that we would be used by God for His glory, no matter the cost.

Our church is in a season of prayer and fasting. We are praying for revival in our church and for an awakening in our nation. As we entered this season of prayer, Russia invaded Ukraine. The world is watching in horror as an evil autocrat with a large nuclear arsenal seems prepared to do anything to regain the 'former glory' of the old Soviet Union, even to the point of threatening nuclear war. Many Christians have questions and wonder what these days mean and what they are to do. The answer is simpler than you might think, but it's difficult in that the answer forces us to deal with sin in our lives and our divided hearts. We must pursue Him in humility, in prayer, and we must be about His business.

Many people struggled the past two years with their faith and in their personal lives. As we enter into 2022, these things are necessary if we are to grow spiritually on an individual, familial and church level.

Reading good Christian books is a great way to grow in your faith. Here are a few books I am reading (and re-reading) for your consideration.

We said, as a nation, after 9/11, that we would 'never forget,' and yet, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we must ask ourselves if we truly have remembered, and, if we have truly wrestled with what it means for God to be Sovereign over all things, including 9/11. What is He saying, and how should we respond?

Following Jesus is an amazing adventure. It can also be an uncomfortable thing at times as He calls us far beyond our comfort zones. That said, don't miss the blessing of the abundant life He promised by shrinking back and not following!

It was a dark day for America today. The American withdrawal from Afghanistan has been a painful and terrible situation. What are we to make of such times? How can we pray? What can we do?

As the culture continues to buy and sell lies, and to demand conformity to the lies, Christians must be a people who walk in Truth, even if it is costly.

We live in angry times. There is much anger in our culture over many different issues. There is a great sense of fragmentation taking place. In addition, those who are leading the culture's moral and spiritual revolution, see Christians who are committed to the authority of Scripture as 'the opposition.' As such, there is greater hostility toward the Biblical worldview and those who hold to it. How then are we to live? We must not become like the culture. We must be like Jesus, and that will only happen if we are abiding in Him and taking up our crosses to follow Him.

Much has changed in our culture over the past year. Many have isolated themselves over the past year and many experts report increases in cases of depression, anxiety and loneliness as a result. In addition, many report a general sense of fear, anger and frustration as they have tried to navigate the past year of Covid-19 as well as the economic uncertainty, social upheaval and rapid social changes that have (and still are) occurred. Christians have very real choices to make in these days, and because of Christ, we can make those choices. We must choose faith and joy in an age of fear and anxiety.

The coming cultural storm is ultimately a spiritual storm. Christians in America have not seen anything like it in our history. Are you prepared? How are we to live and what do we need to do?

If Jesus rose from the grave, He is exactly who He claimed to be and is worthy of all praise, glory and honor. He is worthy of our everything. If He did not rise from the dead, then He is of no importance whatsoever.

To follow Jesus means the world will not like us. We have a choice to make: please God or man. The great danger for Christians in America is to believe the lie that we can both be liked by the emerging culture and approved by God at the same time. We must choose

Trials and tests (and suffering) are a part of our Christian life. Jesus calls us to trust Him, even if we do not always understand what He is doing (or why). Our Lord is Sovereign and Good and is working in our circumstances for His glory and our ultimate good, therefore we can rest in Him, and, we must.

If you found yourself drifting in 2020, the new year offers a wonderful opportunity to refocus on the One who truly matters. As a church, we have an opportunity to refocus on Christ's mission.

There are many problems with the emerging trend of 'progressive Christianity,' but the root issue is a fundamental denial of both the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Lordship of Christ

Our culture is experiencing a war of ideas unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetime. There is much darkness and anger in the culture. As the Cancel Culture expands, will Christians stand in faith or compromise?

America is fragmented. There is anger in the streets and there is fear, accusations, hatred and mistrust and pain. As Christians, we believe the gospel changes everything. We believe that Jesus truly saves and changes us and our life trajectory. Instead of retreating from the cultural chaos, we must lovingly engage with the gospel of Christ. Instead of clinging to secular (godless) ideologies and ways of addressing our culture, we must speak the Word of God lovingly and boldly and we must be willing to act. We cannot and must not abandon our post to the secularists. We have the Better Story to tell, the True Story,and we have the Cure for the sin virus that has spread across the soul of our nation-the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

These are uncertain times, and people are justifiably concerned, but the Lord is at work! We must stay in prayer and in the Word and fix our eyes on Christ to run the race before us.

Young men (and even men in their 40's) are turning to a group of men who have much to say about manhood, some of it good, some of it slightly off base, some of it the gospel of self-help as opposed to Gospel, and most of it a form of Stoicism because they were not taught what it means to be a man in the home, did not see it modeled, are taught by the culture that manhood is toxic, and deep down inside, these young men know they were made for more and they want answers. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many fathers have either abandoned the family or have abdicated their role as spiritual leader of the home.

We must implement a comprehensive discipleship platform that impacts families if we are to build strong disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and if we are to make disciples in this ever changing culture.

Jesus' primary concern is not our comfort, rather our becoming more like Him. He desires our ultimate good which means our sanctification and intimacy with Him, and that God is glorified in our lives. There are times in which those primary purposes are accomplished through trials, troubles, hardships and pain.

Everything in Christianity hinges on the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is a lie and irrelevant. If Jesus did rise from the dead, Christianity is true and the most important issue in life is how one responds to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

We are not free to edit out the parts of Jesus that make us uncomfortable. We are not free to worship a Jesus made in our image. The only Jesus who can save us is the Jesus Who Is.

Evangelical Christians can learn much from our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Western Europe. As America slides into a Post-Christian culture, there will be new challenges for most believers in the culture. We can learn from those who stand firm overseas.

With recent events in the states of New York and Virginia, and calls for more similar legislation in more states, Christians must have a clear, Biblical understanding of the sanctity and value of human life. And, Christians must be willing to lovingly but clearly and firmly articulate Truth and take redemptive, positive action to minister to the unborn to save lives.

If you're going to grow in Christ, you must be stretched. Trials and tests are God's ordained means of growing our faith.