This Sunday will be the fourth Sunday of our By His Grace, For His Glory, To The Nations campaign, as we focus on "Celebration." Our text, Nehemiah 8:1-12, resounds with joy. What is the source of this joy? It is God. As Philippians 4:4 says, we can "rejoice in the Lord always." Specifically, we can rejoice in God as we understand and trust in the promises of God's Word. ...

The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around l...

Someone once said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you can't see the whole staircase." That applies to the second chapter of Nehemiah, which we will study this week. Last week we saw that Nehemiah, a Jewish exile living in Persia, received devastating news: Jerusalem, God's special city, the city that was supposed to be a beacon of light for the nations, was in...

This Sunday we are going to begin a five-week break from Mark to study the exciting Book of Nehemiah. We will then resume our study of Mark, finishing chapter 10 before the holidays. After that, we will have some special Thanksgiving and Christmas messages, and then we will pick back up with Mark 11 in January, finishing the series on Easter Sunday! That's the road map. B...

This week we will dig into Mark 9:30-50, as we see what God's Word says about "True Greatness." Perhaps on no other subject is the Christian worldview so diametrically opposed to that of the world. Then and now, "greatness" in the eyes of the world is all about power, position, status, and rank. We are taught to head for the top in all those ways. But Jesus says we are gr...

This week we will study Mark 9:14-29 and talk about "Connecting Our Inadequacy To God's Adequacy." Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John, are coming down from the mountain, where Jesus has been gloriously transfigured. But immediately they are hit in the face by the brokenness of this world. There is a boy who is suffering terribly, afflicted by a demon who is using a...

What a wonderful blessing this past Sunday to celebrate 15 years of ministry among us on the part of Michael and Mary Jane Turner! We are all so thankful for Michael's heart for the gospel and for excellence in the praise of God, and it was great to be able to celebrate with them and show our appreciation for this precious couple. Thank you, Michael and Mary Jane!! This w...

It was wonderful to be back in the pulpit this Sunday, and to look at Peter's confession of Jesus as "the Christ" with you. As we talked about Sunday, "Christ" means "Messiah." So Peter was saying to Jesus, "You are the Messiah." Now, this week, we will see that Jesus is going to say, "Here is what that means." And it didn't mean what Peter (or any of the disciples, or an...

It has been a blessing to have a season of rest and refreshment for the past couple of weeks, and a blessing for our church to hear others proclaim God’s Word. I am thankful for wonderful lay teachers like Corby Amos, and for missionaries like Joe. Hearing one of our own laymen preach is such a healthy thing for a congregation, because it shows that the gift of teaching...

It was wonderful last week to host VBS at First-Suffolk! Aren't you thankful for all the wonderful volunteers who give of themselves to make VBS possible? And our Children's Ministry Director, Jeanette Hampton, does such an awesome job. Be praying for the seeds of the gospel to bear fruit for eternity in the lives of the precious children who attended. Also be in prayer f...