“For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply...

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7 (ESV) Twenty-five years ago today, Islamic terrorists carried out a long-prepared series of suicide missions to hijack, then fly four commercial airliners into New...

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7 (ESV) Twenty-five years ago today, Islamic terrorists carried out a long-prepared series of suicide missions to hijack, then fly four commercial airliners into New...

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14a (ESV)   “He answered, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and...

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the...

he Story of Christianity Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day By Justo L. Gonzalez   Christianity reaches back 2,000 years and beyond. From ancient times, those who believed in the one true and living...

Today’s devotion can be heard here. Below, is the written transcript of the devotion:   “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and...

The Bible teaches that all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  We’re first introduced to this biblical truth in Genesis 3 where the crafty serpent distorts God’s Word by lying to Eve in convincing her to eat fruit from the one tree in...

The Exodus Narrative The Exodus is more than the story of what God did for Israel long ago. It also reveals something about the way He works in the lives of His people: He brings us out, carries us through, and leads us into what He has promised. God brings us Out...

As we look around our world today, there is no end to chaotic and discouraging news of every sort. Whether it falls into the categories of government corruption, economic woes, cultural disintegration, environmental degradation, conflict and war in virtually every...

I mentioned in our study of Exodus 4:17-31 last week, the sovereignty of God we see displayed in his dealings with Pharaoh should be a cause of great comfort for us. It is good news that our God is not limited in his power by any outside force. In Isaiah 40 the writer...

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother. Proverbs 19:1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. Proverbs 19:2-3 Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever...

The Story of Christianity Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day   By Justo L. Gonzalez   Christianity is not the invention of American fundamentalists from the 1920s. Christianity reaches back 2000 years...

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you …” Jeremiah 1:5a ESV These verses speak specifically about the prophet Jeremiah and the ministry that God ordained for his life before He was born, but it also carries on the...

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain...

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 ESV   Many decisions in our lives do not have an immediate clear right or wrong answer, or we cannot perceive a clear answer when...

This is the weekend we set aside each year as a Christian church to think on, remember, and celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the center point of our faith. We can have forgiveness of our sins because Jesus Christ paid the price...

The Triumphal Entry 1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie...

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture is a...

“And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.” Leviticus 25:10 ESV   Jubilee: God’s...

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 ESV   There’s a lot going on in the country and world this week! I encourage us all toward a few things. First, I...

Bless the Lord, O My Soul Of David.   1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life...

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:30-31 ESV  ...

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the...

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” Acts 4:29 ESV   As most of you are aware, a fellow Southern Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN was overrun by a planned political protest this past...

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 ESV   Every Christian should have a clear understanding of the Gospel message – the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ – and how to share that...

When He [Jesus] had washed their feet and put on His outer garments and resumed His place, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV   This passage records the blessed words of Jesus spoken by Him at the last Passover table...

“And, you, child will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us...

In light of the recent sermon series that Pastor Vic walked our church through, I felt compelled to share my story around my relationship with my father and how the Lord brought forgiveness and reconciliation into both our lives.  I hope this encourages others to...

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16   In the Aspire Monday night Christian leadership class, we are studying Christian ethics this semester. Part of the class involves student presentations. This past week John Sullivan...

Happy Thanksgiving week, dear church! We are so blessed by the Lord in countless ways, one of which is the joy of friendship and fellowship together in Jesus. Please take time this week to think directly on what you can be thankful for to God. May the gratefulness and...

In the Aspire class this semester we are covering ethics. Ethics is the study of actions that are morally right or wrong, and what makes those actions right or wrong. Ultimately, the Lord Jesus defines, from His very nature and character, what is right and what is...

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”   1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV In these...

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.   1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a...

God tells us in Hebrews that His Word is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,” and in James, He tells us that His Word is implanted in our souls. Alive and implanted, it stays with us.  It is not like a book we take off a shelf, peruse from...

The phrase “Kingdom of God” (or “Kingdom of Heaven” in Matthew) occurs about 100 times throughout the New Testament. The gospels are saturated with this idea, and Paul makes frequent use of it in his preaching (Acts) and throughout his letters. It has become common...

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:43-45a   “Blessed are the peacemakers, for...

“For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.” Romans...

The Sermon on the Mount 1. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.   The Beatitudes 2. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of...

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb a reward.” Psalm 127:3 ESV This week The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has been running a series of articles about the expense of raising children in America. These articles have looked at the expense...

1  Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will...

Romans 6:1-14 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried...

Genesis 38 – Judah and Tamar I have decided to not preach Genesis 38 from the pulpit this week but to address it here in the newsletter. It’s certainly a difficult passage to preach, but more concerning to me is the very sexual nature of the passage and the many small...

“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” Acts 5:2 Today as we celebrate our American independence; let us give thanks for the most important liberty that we enjoy – religious liberty! When our colonial American forefathers declared...

“Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it … How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Hebrews 2:1, 3a ESV I love boats! With my work I had the amazing opportunity to earn my 500-ton US Coast Guard...

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body … Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body...

“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13b ESV One of the things that jumps out at me concerning the narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ is...

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart...

A Living Sacrifice I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,...

“Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3b ESV   In his first epistle, John writes to his audience about having fellowship with our heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Fellowship is an interesting and important...

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39 ESV   Two summary commands are given to us by Jesus that summarize all the other commands of God: love the Lord and love your neighbor. Love is the master virtue of the Christian life. It is the virtue and...

Patience is a communicable attribute of God. This means that it is a characteristic of his personality that he exhorts us to emulate as the Holy Spirit empowers us to do so. Early - mid 20th Century theologian A. W. Pink defined Divine patience as “that power of...

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:14-15 ESV “The...

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to...

“… ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:6b-8a ESV “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest...

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV   Last week in Aspire...

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am...

“Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12   With the Super Bowl approaching this weekend I wanted...

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely,...

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” Philippians 1:29-30   The apostle Paul wrote these words...