Genuine Faith: Moving Beyond the Motions

This coming Sunday, at Southern Calvert Baptist Church, I have the privilege of preaching during the morning service. Last Sunday, I preached a sermon on the importance of gratitude. This week, I want to talk about Genuine Faith. Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions? I have been there. It can happen at work. It can happen with family. It can happen with relationships. It can even happen with your spiritual life. Does the Bible address this state, this feeling, this reality? How is it that two people can sit under the same teaching in the same church and yet one grows spiritually and the other does not? The Apostle Peter addressed this issue almost 2,000 years ago. Grab a Bible and open up to II Peter 1:1-11.

True, Biblical Friendship

What comes to mind when you hear the word, “friendship“? We all have images that come to mind, based on our life experiences. What about Biblical friendship, what does that look like? I want to answer that in this article. I am teaching this lesson tonight at Southern Calvert Baptist Church during our AWANA program. I get to work with the high school students tonight. We are going to dig in to this subject and I wanted to think through it with you here before teaching tonight. According to the etymology of this word, “friendship” means the quality of being attached to another for the good of that person. We tend to think of friendship as being a relationship with another person who makes me happy. The original intent of the word is a relationship for the benefit of the other person. Isn’t it interesting how words and concept change over time? The original intent of friendship is closely related to the Biblical description of friendship. Let’s dive in and see what we can discover.

Jesus: Our Lord and Savior

I have the honor of meeting with our elementary aged kids this week during our AWANA program at Southern Calvert Baptist Church. The kids have been learning about Jesus over this past quarter. Tonight will be a review where we put several passages together and get a clear view of who Jesus is. Many people in the Western world grow up hearing something about Jesus. Some of what they hear comes from the Bible while other aspects come from popular culture. I have ministered to a tribe in Myanmar where the majority of the people had never heard the name Jesus.

Born again to holiness

I am so excited about this week’s lesson in our Connect Groups at Southern Calvert Baptist Church! In our three year journey through the Bible from cover to cover, we are finishing up Israel’s time in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. This was a very difficult period in the history of Israel. The children of Israel were battling their sin nature just like we battle our sin nature every day of our lives. It is easy to look at them on the pages of the Old Testament and ask, “why were they like that“? Are we not the same today? I am excited about this lesson because we are going to talk about being born again. It’s a phrase that we do not use as often as we should in the Protestant world. We talk about getting “saved” but we do not mention what we are saved from, how we are saved, what it means to be saved in a literal sense. I think we try to keep it vague on purpose because when we get specific, we become accountable. When we use the phrase “born again” explanation is needed and that is a good thing. The Apostle Peter really liked the phrase “born again” and he used it often in his writings.

Apologetics 101

Last night I had the privilege of meeting with our highschool students at AWANA and teach a lesson on apologetics. According to the etymology of the word “apologetics” is defined as:

“branch of theology which defends Christian belief,” 1733, from apologetic (which is attested from early 15c. as a noun meaning “formal defense”)

The idea is to give a verbal defense of faith in Jesus Christ. The original Greek term can be found in Peter’s first epistle.

Walking with the Son in 2021

The famous year, 2020, is finally coming to an end. On one hand, it seems like this year has lasted a decade, yet on the other hand, this year has flown by. As we walk into 2021, the Apostle Peter reminds us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling as followers of Jesus Christ.

Searching for Peace, Faith, and Love?

What thoughts come to your mind when you hear or read the words peace, faith, and love? I am sure that if you asked 100 different people you would get 100 different answers. Most of us are searching for peace. All of us want to experience love. It’s human nature. Songs have been written about peace and love. Movies have been made about peace and love. Books and poems have been composed about peace and love. Everyone seems to be looking for these two things yet, so few seem to be able to find them. God knows that we are all searching for peace and love because He created us to be that way. That is why it is important to turn to the Word of God while we are on our quest for peace and love. In this article, I would like to focus on two chapters from the Gospel of John, chapters 20 and 21.