All News

All News

Locked In (Series Introduction)

Do you ever wonder if you are really saved? What does scripture say about the security of our salvation? Are there any habitual sins that cause you to doubt your salvation? In this series we are going to take an in depth look at the security Christians can have in their salvation. We will tackle those four scriptures that seem like they might question the security of or salvation if you take them out of context and don’t look at…

Suffering Can Lead To Blessings

What connects more with non-believers, achieving prosperity or surviving adversity, emotionally and mentally whole? Philippians 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord…

When And How Do We Stand Against Authority?

When all the officials and people were commanded to bow down and worship a statue when they herd the music playing, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused at a great cost to their own lives. Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will…

Our Anger Doesn’t Have To Control Us

Ephesians 4:26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. How did your family deal with anger? We often stir in self-righteousness as we think about what made us angry, with just a hint of blame and condemnation, until our angry stew is fully ready to serve our new situational enemy. Now we are ready to share with our transgressors what…

Choosing God’s Path Despite The Rocky Terrain

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The word “Blessed” means, to be on the right path. Persecution will accompany obedience to God, but the rewards are eternal blessings. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest…

Jesus Holds The Keys To The Treasures Of Heaven

John was led by the Spirit to right to seven churches. Only one church was praised for doing many things that honored God. Revelation 3:7-10 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door…

Fighting The Right Battle

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We all face opposition because of our faith in Jesus. It’s important to understand that the source of this opposition isn’t a coworker, a competitor, a political party, or another religion. The real source of the opposition we face is Satan and the demonic…

Salvation Is God’s Work

John 15:1-5 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither…

God Is Our Refuge And Our Strength

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Twenty-five years ago, my wife Julie and I started a baby’s house deep in the Ugandan jungle with seven babies, all less than a year old. It didn’t take long for people in the area to reach out for help in many ways. Hope was a newborn who…

Prayer That Transforms

Daniel 9:1-3 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and…

Even At The Last Supper, The Disciples Missed It

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. The scriptures tell us, don’t be like the world. Don’t treat people differently according to how much they can help your own situation. Don’t promote yourself, allow the Lord to lift you up in His timing and in His way. Our hope isn’t in what…

Rebelling Against God Has Consequences

When Jude wrote about ungodly people, who pervert God’s word to get what they want, Jude, James’ brother, wrote Jude 1:11 about three men, Cain, Balaam, and Korah, who rebelled against God’s authority. Jude 1:11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. Being religious without faith is the “way of Cain”. It is the way of pride, establishing our own righteousness, and…

Obeying The Lord Leads to Peace Of Mind

Galatians 2:19-21 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ…

A Challenging Blessing

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I had only been in Uganda for about ten months. As Missionary Matthew, I had all those romantic ideas about what it meant to serve the Lord deep in the jungle. I was prepared for everything, or so I thought. Rose was…

Hearing The Right Voice

How can we hear God’s truth in a world full of opinions? With all that’s happening around the world, wars, natural disasters, political hatred, is there any healthy way to deal with all our stress, anger, and frustrations? Alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and suicide are at an all-time high and climbing, while online bullying is becoming the norm for soccer moms and high schoolers. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own…

You Are Not Alone

2 Timothy 4:16-18 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.…