Repentance and its Fruits

Repentance and Its FruitsLuke 3:1-14October 6, 2024 What is the beginning of the spiritual life? Martin Luther said in the first of his 95 theses of discussion against the Roman Catholic Church, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Repentance […]

The Enduring Word

The Enduring Word1 Peter 1:22–2:3September 29, 2024 This morning we have heard the rest of the story about the translation of the Feni Bible. We are aware of multiple other missions events in our church (Lebanon, Joyners, etc.). Why do churches invest tens of thousands of dollars to send missionaries to people they don’t […]

On the completion of a Bible translation

Last year, one of our church members completed the translation of the New Testament into a Papua New Guinean language — a project that took two decades. The Bibles were printed, shipped, and recently arrived on the island of the people for whom it was translated. Our member and his family recently traveled to PNG […]

How Luke told the story of Jesus

The gospels are not just a succession of stories — they are one story of one Man — the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Yet each of the gospel writers tells the story of Jesus in different ways with different emphases. As we begin a study of the Gospel of Luke — the story of the Son […]

Praise God for your salvation

When suffering, it can be hard to give praise. It can be hard to worship. It can be hard to be thankful. The pull of our hearts towards disappointment, complaint, discouragement, lament, and even despondency can preclude the desire to honor the Lord with our praise. How might we stimulate praise when we are in […]

The Song of God’s Glory

The Song of God’s GloryRomans 11:33-36June 9, 2024 On more than one road trip, Raye Jeanne and I have lamented the countryside we would miss while driving before dawn or after dusk. The night sky was going to obscure the waving grasslands, or the rolling hills, the mountain peaks, or the waves on the seaside. […]

God’s Love for MIssions

God’s Love for MissionsSelected ScripturesJune 2, 2024 John Paton was a missionary to the Hebrides (19th C.). Late in life he recounted the 40-mile walk he took when in his early 20s to go from his home to the train station where he would find transportation to go to seminary to prepare him for the […]

One Thing…

One Thing…Psalm 27May 26, 2024 I have read that in Deadwood, SD there is a sign in a museum that had been left by a beleaguered prospector in the area: “I lost my gun. I lost my horse. I am out of food. The Indians are after me. But I’ve got all the gold I […]

The Persistent Care of the Great Shepherd

It is undoubtedly the most well-known song in the world. If asked, “what follows these words, ‘the Lord is my…’” even most unbelievers could quote, “…shepherd, I shall not want.” The song, penned by David and placed in the psalter as the 23rd song, has served as a comfort to mothers cradling ill children, husbands […]

Singing the Shepherd Song

Singing the Shepherd SongPsalm 23May 12, 2024 Where do you go or what do you do when you are uncomfortable — when you are discouraged, sad, hurting, uncertain about the future (or even today)? You could go to the internet for some suggestions: Comforting Smells — Scents from lavender to rose, cinnamon to vanilla, delivered […]

The Godly Life in an Ungodly World

The Godly Life in an Ungodly WorldPsalm 15May 5, 2024 Gracie Allen, an actress from a couple of generations ago and the wife of comedian George Allen once received an alligator as a gag gift. What do you do with a gift alligator? Who knows? So she put in the bathtub and left for […]

God’s Glory in the Pinnacle of His Creation

God’s Glory in the Pinnacle of His CreationPsalm 8April 28, 2024 How has your week been? Do you ever have weeks or days when you stop reading the news alerts on your phone and email because it just is too distressing for your spiritual heart? I have some good news for you: Worldwide, there […]

Standing on the Word

Standing on the Word in a Shaky WorldPsalm 1April 21, 2024 What’s on your music playlist today? Or better yet, what kind of playlists do you have on your music app? If you’re like me, you have different playlists for different times of the day and different activities: I have a list of quiet […]

Christ, Resurrected

Christ, ResurrectedMatthew 28:1-15March 31, 2024 Every Easter we talk about the resurrection. We gather on resurrection morning to read the story, be reminded of Christ’s life, rejoice in the good gift we have been given through His resurrection, and meditate on the essential nature of the resurrection. For the believer in Christ, nothing is more […]

Why Christ Wept

Imagine a young man who is in love with a young lady. He has been saving and planning and one evening he pulls a box out of his pocket and asks the young woman to spend the rest of her life with him and exposes a gleaming ring in that box. And she bursts […]