The Bible often talks about freedom. That we are indeed free in Christ. Free to be the people he wants us to be, to grow in his grace, and even to make mistakes. Our freedom in Christ is a rather dicey subject. I say that because some Christians believe we can go too far with our freedom, that if we allow people to really believe that they are free, they will take advantage of the grace of God. I ...  Read More

This week we are going to return to and complete our series on the Apostle’s Creed. So far, we have briefly introduced the Creed and covered its discussion of God the Father and Jesus. This week we will look at the final section that confirms belief in the Spirit, the Church, and several other core tenants of the Christian faith. The final section of the Creed says this:I believe in the Holy Spiri...  Read More

This summer we are journeying through the book of Psalms. We are just into week three of our study. The book of Psalms is a beautiful book, one that has blessed, encouraged, and challenged the hearts of believers for centuries! If you don’t regularly read in the book of Psalms, I want to encourage you to start! If you do, then I know you have been incredibly blessed by the way these songs speak to...  Read More

          Today we wrap up a series that we have been working on as pastors for the last few months all about “next steps”: some of the simple acts, traditions, and sacraments that make up the Christian life. We’ve touched on salvation, baptism, and joining the church body, but today, things get a little bit broader. We are wrapping up with the idea of service. You have been saved, baptized, and e...  Read More

This week’s blog is the third installment in a four-part series on next steps in our faith. The first two posts covered salvation and baptism. Today we are going to look at church membership.Unlike the other next steps we have covered and will cover, church membership isn’t explicitly discussed in Scripture. At least not in the context that we mean it here. Salvation, baptism, and service (that’s ...  Read More

This week is the second post in a four-post series about next steps we take in our faith. We’ve  looked at salvation.  Later we’ll consider membership and service. This week we start with the very first next step after salvation, baptism.What is baptism and why do we do it?It is a public profession of faith – It’s an outward expression of the inward reality of already having been saved.  It’s a ph...  Read More