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In: Commentary

On 03 August 2019, two crazed gunmen killed a combined total of nearly 30 people in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH. The largest loss of life was at an El Paso Walmart, where the gunman murdered 20 people. The killer posted an insane manifesto shortly before the attack characterized by white nationalism. He railed against Hispanics, and apparently believed they were part of an orchestrated plot to destroy “American values.” The Washington Post explained:[1] The manifesto appeared to be written as a “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas” with denunciations of “race mixers” and “haters of our collective values.” The depth of evilRead More →

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I love Bible questions! A few of them recently came up in teen Sunday School, regarding 2 Thessalonians 2:6. Here were the questions: Was Old Testament salvation by faith, or by works? Did the Holy Spirit indwell believers in the Old Testament? Will the Holy Spirit indwell believers during the Tribulation? In order to answer these, and to understand why these questions even came up in 2 Thessalonians 2:6, you need to read the passage. It’s probably the clearest chronological account of what will happen in the end-times. Read it and see for yourself! Paul was reassuring the Christians in Thessalonica that they shouldn’t payRead More →

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In: Pastor's Letter

This past Sunday, I shared my thoughts about what our congregation needs to do to meet its obligations before God, in the spirit of Acts 1:8. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this came at precisely the one-year mark of my “official” ministry at SKRBC. In trendy terms, this is “my vision” for what the congregation ought to be doing. This is the road map I believe the church needs to take in order to be obedient to the Lord in this particular geographical place, in this particular cultural context, at this particular time. I’ll summarize my thoughts, and provide an exciting updateRead More →

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In: Book

Have you ever wondered how we got the Bible? Did a group of people gather around a conference table and “decide” which books would be in the Old Testament? What about the New Testament? Was all this decided at the Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D.? No. No. No. To paraphrase the great theologian Luke Skywalker, every single word in those questions was wrong. That’s why we’re giving away the book How We Got the Bible on 07 April, at church. It’s a short book, at 103 pages. It answers four questions: How did we get the Old Testament books? How do we know whatRead More →

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In: Pastor's Letter

Today, there’s a lot of confusion about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. In broadly conservative Christian circles, it’s common to have an “open, but cautious” view towards the miraculous sign gifts the apostles had, in the years after Jesus’ resurrection. This means many Christians are cautiously open to the idea that these miraculous gifts are available today, and some even seek after them. This is a mistake. It’s not fashionable these days to be dogmatic about much, except the Gospel. It isn’t trendy to have firm beliefs about something. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with me about the workRead More →

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I mean for this article to accompany this morning’s sermon, entitled “Worshipping God in the Home.” You’ll have to see that sermon (or the accompanying notes) for some context. It’s enough to say that God wants us to worship Him in our homes, the other six days of the week. So, I want to recommend some good resources that can help. Using the Bible If you’re walking through the Bible book by book, you might need help. Here are some suggestions: Family Worship Bible Guide. This wonderful book has challenging devotional thoughts for each chapter in the Bible. It will help you as you study the Bible asRead More →

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In: Commentary

This past Sunday, I preached perhaps the most depressing sermon of my life, entitled, “What Should a Christian Think About Abortion?” It was depressing to study and prepare for, and even more depressing to deliver. It’s necessary to talk about this topic, because it is act of terrible wickedness. However, God is rich in mercy and grace, and can forgive anyone of any sin – including abortion. That was an important focus of my sermon, as I said here: Today, both legislative houses in the State of New York passed a bill entitled the “Reproductive Health Act.” You can find a good article on thisRead More →

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It’s good to be learning, to be growing. God has blessed us with so many great resources. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of really bad resources. Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to go is the local Christian bookstore. It’s full of bad teaching, from well-meaning but unstable people. This is one reason why we give away books every month at SKRBC; we want to get good material into your hands! Stuff that can help you, stretch you, help you grow in your faith, challenge you to think about something maybe just a little bit differently. So, on that note, I offerRead More →

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In: Commentary

This article was written by Debbie Ewald, who served in pregnancy center ministry for 14 years, in Texas and Washington. Abortion. Roe v. Wade. Pro-life or pro-choice. What do these terms have in common? They raise questions surrounding the sensitive issue of abortion. Should the baby be allowed to live when the parents are so young, and unmarried? Should a Down Syndrome diagnosis determine the fate of the unborn child? Should the rape victim choose to terminate the product of an evil crime? Where do we find the answers to our questions when facing these life issues? The law of the land tells us thatRead More →

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In: Pastor's Letter

I’ll probably send out a more comprehensive letter this week, but I have a few quick things for now: Please pray for Arlene’s son-in-law. He has been unexpectedly hospitalized because of fluid build-up around heart, which has impeded his breathing. His name is Cody, and he is only 33 years old. Needless to say, this is unexpected and he needs prayer. I chatted with George and Shirley this evening, by video. They’re doing well, and they’ll be back with us in seven short weeks! As far as the proposed revisions to the doctrinal statement go, I have a short video where I chat about theRead More →