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Free Indeed:

The Son’s Declaration of Independence

As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary—marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence—we rejoice in the hard-won blessings of liberty. Fireworks, parades, and reflections will remind us of the high cost of political freedom. Yet Scripture points us to a far greater freedom: freedom in Christ.

This summer we launch a three-part sermon series entitled, Freedom in Christ. Each message echoes our national milestone but anchors deeply in God’s Word, showing how Jesus offers eternal liberty that no earthly revolution can match.

Sunday – True Freedom from Sin’s Slavery (John 8:31-36). To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Many today live in invisible chains—guilt, habitual sin, fear, or shame—despite outward freedoms. Jesus confronts the illusion of self-sufficiency and offers true liberation through discipleship and truth. This message explores the condition for freedom, the slavery of sin, and the glorious promise of sonship in the Son. You will be challenged to move from bondage to belonging.

July 5 – Standing Firm in Gospel Freedom (Galatians 5:1-15) – Learn to guard your liberty and use it for love, not license.

July 12 – Freedom to Live by the Spirit (Romans 6 & 8) – Discover no condemnation and daily victory through the Spirit.

As we celebrate America’s 250 years, let us celebrate the greater freedom Christ purchased at the cross. Come expectant. Invite a friend who needs release. Prepare your heart by reading the texts in advance.

Lord, open our eyes to any areas of slavery and lead us into true freedom in Christ.

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!

The Father’s Heart:

Learning from the Father of the Prodigal

This Father’s Day, we turn our hearts to the greatest Father of all. In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story that reveals the compassionate, pursuing, and restoring heart of our Heavenly Father—and calls every earthly father to reflect that same heart in their home.

The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is far more than a tale of a rebellious teenager. It is a stunning portrait of divine grace. A younger son demands his inheritance—essentially telling his father, “I wish you were dead”—takes the money and squanders it in wild living. He ends up broke, hungry, and feeding pigs in a distant land. Rock bottom forces him to come to his senses: “I will set out and go back to my father…” (Luke 15:18).

But the real hero of the story is the father. “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). In a culture where dignified men did not run, this father sprints toward shame, embraces the broken, and interrupts his son’s prepared speech of unworthiness with full restoration: the best robe, ring, sandals, and a celebratory feast. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).

The story doesn’t end there. The older brother—dutiful yet resentful—stands outside, angry at such lavish grace. The father goes out to him too, pleading with patience and reminding him, “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31).

This Father’s Day sermon explores three aspects of the Father’s heart:

1. The Compassionate Father who watches the road and runs to the broken (Luke 15:11-20).
2. The Restoring Father who celebrates return with full acceptance, not probation (Luke 15:21-24).
3. The Patient Father who pursues the self-righteous as well as the wayward (Luke 15:25-32).

For fathers today: Your children may wander, but you can keep watching, praying, and preparing to run with open arms. For those who feel like the prodigal or the older brother: The Father is still waiting. For everyone: We are invited to reflect His heart in our families—pursuing, forgiving, and celebrating restoration.

Join us this Sunday as we celebrate earthly fathers while fixing our eyes on the perfect Heavenly Father. Whether you’re a dad, a son, a daughter, or someone longing for home, this message of grace is for you. Come experience the Father’s heart together.

Summer Strong:

Thriving in Faith When the Living Is Easy

As the days grow longer and the pace of life slows with summer vacations, back yard gatherings, and sunny adventures, it’s tempting to let our spiritual rhythms take a break too. But this season offers a beautiful opportunity to draw even closer to Christ and let our faith shine brightly amid God’s good creation!

This Sunday, join us for an encouraging message titled “Summer Strong: Thriving in Faith When the Living Is Easy.” Drawing from Colossians 3:23-24 — “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” — we’ll discover how every season, including summer, is an invitation to live wholeheartedly for Jesus.

Summer doesn’t pause our walk with Christ; it gives us fresh ways to express our love for Him. In this practical, joy-filled sermon, we’ll explore six key behaviors that help us remain diligent and faithful — not out of duty or guilt, but from hearts overflowing with gratitude:

• Keep Giving Generously, even while traveling, because cheerful generosity supports God’s work year-round (2 Corinthians 9:7).
• Stay Rooted in God’s Word and Prayer, turning porch mornings and vacation moments into rich times with the Lord (Psalm 119:105; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
• Prioritize Faithful Fellowship, making worship and connection with God’s people a priority whether at home or away (Hebrews 10:24-25).
• Serve Others with Christ’s Love, transforming cookouts and free time into opportunities to bless neighbors and point them to Jesus (Galatians 5:13; Matthew 25:40).
• Dress Modestly as an Expression of Christlike Character, choosing attire that honors God, values others, and highlights our inner beauty in Christ (1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4).
• Rest Well and Renew Your Strength in the Lord, embracing true soul-rest that comes from time with Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 46:10).

You’ll leave encouraged with simple, actionable ways to make this your strongest summer of faith yet. Whether you’re hosting family, heading to the lake, or enjoying staycations, these biblical principles will help your life reflect the joy and consistency of following Jesus in every season.

Don’t miss this uplifting time together! Invite a friend, neighbor, or visiting relative to join you. Summer is a perfect season to grow deeper in community and faith.

What’s the Deal with

The Lord’s Supper?

Mission

We are involved in a sermon series entitled, What’s the Deal with the Lord’s Supper? This series seeks to explore the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and illustrate how this should affect our Christian walk.

In our first lesson, we demonstrated that in the taking of the Lord’s Supper, we experience the presence of Christ. In the second week, we learned the Lord’s Supper is a demonstration of the unity and fellowship Christ has provided in his church. Last week we examined the Past, Present, and Future dimensions of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of a past event – the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is an experience of the presence of Jesus in the here and now. It is both a reminder and renewal of the healing, forgiveness, and newness of life provided by Jesus. Finally, the Lord’s Supper is an anticipation of the new creation which is yet to come.

Sunday, we will learn that the Lord’s Supper is a part of God’s equipping of the church for its mission to the world.

1 Corinthians 11: 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the Lord’s death. To proclaim means to preach or teach and I see at least three ways we proclaim the Lord’s death in the observance of the Lord’s Supper.

1. We Proclaim the Lord’s Death to our Fellow Christians. Every time we take communion we share together and invite one another to meditate on the past, present, and future implications of the Lord’s death (as we discussed last week).
2. We Proclaim the Lord’s Death to the Principalities and Powers. Paul makes it clear that the church in its practice announces to the principalities and powers that they have been defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

   Ephesians 3:10-11 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. Finally, we Proclaim the Lord’s Death to the World through our message and service. The sacrifice of Jesus motivates and equips us to serve the world as he did.

I’ll say more in my lesson! Joey

What’s the Deal with

The Lord’s Supper?

Past, Present, Future

We are involved in a message series entitled, What’s the Deal with the Lord’s Supper. We seek to explore the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and illustrate how this should affect our Christian walk.

The taking of the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper is a means whereby we experience the presence of Christ and a pledge to assure us of his continuing presence within the church and throughout our lives. We also have learned the Lord’s Supper is a demonstration of the unity and fellowship Christ has provided in his church. This is vividly illustrated by Paul’s rebuke in 1 Corinthians 11. The Corinthians were humiliating the poor by their elitist attitudes; Paul said this hindered their participation in the Lord’s Supper; their behavior was directly opposed to its meaning.

Sunday, I will examine the Past, Present, and Future dimensions of the Lord’s Supper. Paul alludes to these in 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of past events – the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We have done well in our participation to emphasize this important memorial, but it is more than just a memorial, it is a celebration!

The Lord’s Supper is an experience of the presence of Jesus in the here and now. We discussed this in our first lesson. In this participation, we experience the new creation of God anew. It is both a reminder and renewal of the healing, forgiveness, and newness of life provided by Jesus. Paul said if we eat and drink in an unworthy manner, we eat and drink judgment unto ourselves. How much more should the proper participation bring blessing!

Finally, the Lord’s Supper is an anticipation of the new creation which is yet to come. Like the Children of Israel who were allowed to partake of the grapes of the promised land, before the actual conquest, so the Lord’s supper is an anticipation of our eating the Supper with Jesus himself in the Great Messianic Banquet (Mark 14:25; Revelation 19:9).

I’ll say more in my lesson! Joey

What’s the Deal with

The Lord’s Supper?

Fellowship

Last week I began a new series on What’s the Deal with the Lord’s Supper. This is similar to and a companion to my series recently on Baptism. Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper were given by Jesus to the Church. Baptism was given as a reenactment of his death, burial, and resurrection to illustrate our conformity with his death, resurrection, and new life. The Lord’s Supper is also full of meaning for Christians. This series seeks to explore the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and illustrate how this should affect our Christian walk.

In our first lesson, we demonstrated that in the taking of the Lord’s Supper, we experience the presence of Christ. This is no more a mere symbolic participation than being immersed in water is a mere symbol of our union with Christ. No, the taking of the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper is a means whereby we experience the presence of Christ in that moment and a pledge to assure us of his continuing presence within the church and throughout our lives.

Sunday, we examine how the Lord’s Supper is a demonstration of the unity and fellowship Christ has provided in his church. This is vividly illustrated in Paul’s rebuke to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11:17-29 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it…. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk…. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

The early church celebrated the Lord’s Supper as a part of a fellowship meal (as Jesus, himself instituted it). As with most churches, Corinth was composed of many different socio-economic classes. In their celebration, individuals within the Corinthian church brought their own meals. The rich would dine on the best of foods, while the poor had little or nothing. Further, they would not wait on each other which may also be indicative of the rich not wanting to eat with the lower class. Paul condemns this division as not recognizing the body of the Lord. Body has a two-fold meaning. It means the actual body of Christ as represented in the Lord’s Supper, but it also means the body of Christ which is the church.

By their actions the Corinthian church was invalidating the very unity and fellowship provided by Jesus in his sacrifice. Jesus presence with all Christians in the Lord’s Supper demonstrates our equality before him and our fellowship with him and each other.

I’ll say more in my lesson! Joey

What’s the Deal with

The Lord’s Supper?

Presence

Sunday, I begin a new series on What’s the Deal with the Lord’s Supper? This will be similar to my recent series on Baptism.

While we usually use the terms The Lord’s Supper or Communion to describe or denominate this memorial, it is also true that the Lord’s Supper can be described (along with baptism) as a sacrament. Sacrament (as defined by the Anglican Book of Common Prayer) is

“An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.”

We traditionally not been comfortable using sacrament in our faith tradition, but you must admit, when it comes to baptism, this definition is more than accurate. As we begin our present study of the Lord’s Supper, I believe the term, sacrament, so defined, is also an accurate description of our Communion with Christ.

In the taking of the Lord’s Supper, we experience the presence of Christ. The outward and visible signs are the bread and the wine (juice in our tradition). The spiritual grace is the presence of Christ in that special moment of participation. This is no more a mere symbolic participation than being immersed in water is a mere symbol of our union with Christ. No, the taking of the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper is a means whereby we experience the presence of Christ in that moment and a pledge to assure us of his continuing presence within the church and throughout our lives. Paul explained this to the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 10:16-21 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

I know language such as this may be uncomfortable, especially for those familiar with the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. What the scripture affirms has nothing to do with this false view of what happens to the bread and wine. However, the Lord’s supper is also not merely a memorial of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Among other things, it is an invitation to participate in the presence of Christ himself.

I’ll say more in my lesson! Joey

Mother’s Day Reflection:

Courage in the Crisis

This Mother’s Day we celebrate the protective love of mothers, and we find a powerful example in an unlikely hero from Scripture: Jochebed, the mother of Moses (Exodus 1:15–2:10).

In a time of brutal oppression, Pharaoh ordered the death of every Hebrew baby boy. Yet two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, “feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Exodus 1:17). Their courage opened the door for Jochebed’s even greater act of faith.

When her son was born, “she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:2-3). Imagine the tears as she entrusted her baby to the very river meant to destroy him.

What happened next is pure divine irony. Pharaoh’s own daughter discovered the basket, felt compassion, and—through the quick thinking of Moses’ sister Miriam—hired the baby’s own mother to nurse him. Jochebed was paid to raise her own son in the palace of the enemy!

Jochebed’s story reminds every mother that courageous protection does not mean perfect control—it means doing everything you can and then releasing your child into the hands of a sovereign God.  Whether you face cultural pressures, health challenges, rebellious teens, or the ache of empty arms, God sees your quiet faithfulness.

To every mother, step-mother, grandmother, spiritual mother, and woman who nurtures others: your hidden acts of faith matter. The same God who turned a basket into a palace nursery is still at work today.

And for all of us, this story points forward to Jesus Christ—the greater Deliverer drawn out of death so that we might live. May we fear the Lord more than any “Pharaoh” in our lives and trust Him with the children—biological and spiritual—He has entrusted to us.

Happy Mother’s Day! You are loved, seen, and never alone in the crisis.

What’s the Deal with… Baptism?

(Part 3)

Sunday will be the final lesson of a three-week series entitled, What’s the Deal with Baptism? These lessons examine our emphasis on baptism in a question/answer format.

In week one we discussed Acts 2:36-41 as a foundational text in the understanding of the place of baptism in salvation.

Last week we addressed:

1. Q: Why do we still baptize today?
   A: Because Jesus commanded it;
2. Q: Who can administer baptism?
   A: Any disciple, male or female. The authority lies with God not the baptizer or the church;
3. Q: What does God do when we are baptized?
   A: He justifies, sanctifies, forgives, gives the Spirit, regenerates our hearts, grants new birth, begats us as his children, includes us in his inheritance, joins us with Christ and the benefits of his death & resurrection, breaks our bondage to sin, and saves us.
4. Q: Who should be baptized?
   A: Anyone who believes in Jesus, acknowledges their sinfulness, repents, and is willing to commit to him as Lord of their life (we noted that this excludes infants, who are safe and do not yet need salvation).

In this final lesson, we will discuss

1. The age of accountability,
2. Why Jesus was baptized,
3. The baptism of John vs. Christian baptism,
4. The mode of baptism, and
5. Who, if anyone, should be rebaptized.

Again, I’ll restate my thesis: “Water baptism is the final act in an unbeliever’s initial journey of FAITH. That journey leads them from unbelief to complete trust in Jesus as the source and basis of their salvation. Baptism has no power in itself. It is the place and time at which God’s promised justification (forgiveness) and sanctification (reception of the Holy Spirit and regeneration—new birth) is received.”

Have you begun this faith journey?

What’s the Deal with… Baptism?

(Part II)

Last week we began a three week lesson series entitled, What’s the Deal with Baptism? We, in the churches of Christ, are known for our emphasis on baptism. These lessons examine whether this is just an idiosyncratic doctrinal oddity or whether its emphasis comes from an accurate understanding of God’s word.

Last week we discussed Acts 2:36-41 as a foundational text in the understanding of the place of baptism in salvation. Acts 2 records the first proclamation of the Gospel (Jesus is Lord and Christ), the first response (what shall we do?), the first gospel invitation to salvation (repent and be baptized), the first promised remedy offered to those who believe, repent and are baptized (forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit or justification and sanctification), the first gospel exhortation to obey (save yourselves!), and the first obedient respondents (3000 baptized). Not only is this pattern repeated throughout Acts, the theological discussions of faith, repentance, and baptism are all consistent with this throughout the remainder of the New Testament.

I’ll restate my thesis from last week’s article, “Water baptism is the final act in an unbeliever’s initial journey of FAITH. That journey leads them from unbelief to complete trust in Jesus as the source and basis of their salvation. Baptism has no power in itself. It is the place and time at which God’s promised justification (forgiveness) and sanctification (reception of the Holy Spirit and regeneration—new birth) is received.”

Baptism is not a meritorious work. In fact, it is the only passive pre-condition of salvation. We believe with the heart (active work), we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (active work), we repent of our sins (active work), but we are baptized (passive submission). It is all motivated and energized by our faith.

In this series we will follow a question/answer format in which I will ask your questions and answer directly from the Scripture.

Some of the questions we will address include:

1. Why do we still baptize today?
2. What does God do when we are baptized?
3. Who can administer baptism?
   Can women baptize?
   Must there be church authority for baptism to be valid?
4. Who should be baptized?
5. At what age?
6. If Jesus had no sins, why was he baptized?
7. What mode of baptism is evidenced in the Scripture?
8. How many baptisms are there? Water? Spirit? Fire?
9. Should I be rebaptized?