Author: preacherphilstevens

Tragedies in our lives have a way of bringing out the best, or the worst, in us. Recently, a friend of mine was shot and killed. A family, a church, and a community were deeply affected and one might think a senseless act like this might tear people apart. Quite the opposite has happened, and what I saw this week was nothing short of a miracle.

I know that many people have negative feelings when they think about “Church” in general. Many people have been victims and hurt very deeply by “church members” and have left because of those hurt feelings, that is the “church” at its worst. However, this past week I have seen the true Church at its best. I have seen an outpouring of love for one another like never before.

As I witnessed what the Church can do at its best, it made me wish that everyone who had given up on this God-given institution could have seen what I saw. See the healing between relationships. See the outpouring of love from family, churches, and the community. From this moment, I want to do my part to erase and rewrite the reputation that the Church has been given. The Church is to valuable to just “give-up” on. The Church is still God’s means of working in this world to restore our broken relationship with Him.

May believers everywhere stand with me to renew our love for the Church and reveal the power a Church can have when we are obedient to Jesus.

I know we all believe we know the reason for the Christmas Season because we have seen the bumper sticker that reads “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” but is He really? Is Jesus really the reason for the season? I look around and I see hurt and pain everywhere. Families all over the world are suffering from the affects of sin. Death separates us from those we love and without real Hope we are people most miserable.

Thankfully, we do have real Hope. There is a God who can destroy the work of sin in this world. God can bring unity in our broken families. God can fill the emptiness in our heart and the void that brings despair. All of the healing we need is found in the gift that Jesus provides to the entire world. “He who has the Son, has life.” (John 3:36) The greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus, but the real reason for the season is our sin. Without sin there would be no need for a Savior and no need for the first Christmas.

Sin is a reality and God sent His only Son into the world to save us from our sin. “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin.” (Mat. 1:21). If you want to be free from sin then Jesus is the only solution. May this Christmas be more than just presents and food, but true freedom from sin.

Today the TV will be filled with political predictions concerning who will ultimately win the position of President of the United States of America.  Today citizens will go and vote for the candidate they believe is best fit to run the nation. At the end of the day, no matter who wins, there will be people on both sides who believe our country made a huge mistake. Many will believe our country is doomed.

As a believer and follower of Jesus my hope is not found in who holds the top office in the land. My hope is not controlled by the House or Senate floor. Throughout the history of the world, governments have been able to do some great things, but true change and true hope have never been generated with a government.

This brings me to my prediction. On Wednesday when all of the votes for the President have been counted and the winner is determined one thing will still be true, Jesus Christ will still be King of all kings and Lord of lords even the President of the U.S. My hope and faith aren’t found in whether the American people choose the right candidate, my hope is found in Jesus, the One who loved and died for me. My faith is found in a resurrected King who defeated and was/is victorious over every government.

Maybe this election cycle will wake up a sleeping and complacent church. May the Church of Jesus rise to the occasion and show the world there is something so much greater than who wins the Presidential prize, the true prize is having a relationship with the True King.

Many years ago I was invited to a unique worship service. This worship service was specifically designed to reach people of all ethnic backgrounds. I practically went solely out of curiosity. During the praise and worship time I looked around and I saw a woman dancing in the aisle in a way that a Baptist should only do with medical supervision. A man holding a flag with the continent of Africa and a cross on it was running around the large auditorium like he was celebrating a touchdown at a football game, and in my moment of worship all I could do was raise my hands and thank God for His goodness. On a worldly level, I probably had nothing in common with the men and women around me, but we clearly had one thing in common, Jesus and the power of the gospel had changed our lives. When it came down to it, after that, all of the other “differences” melted away.

The problem with so many “remedies” to racism is they don’t account for the root issue of racism. So many believe the issue is ignorance so we educate and there is still racism. Many believe the solution is to burn every offensive flag and tear down every monument, but there will still be racism. The reason these actions won’t work is because the problem of racism is sin. The only cure for sin is found in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Show me a church with racism and I’ll show you a church whose focus is not on the gospel. Show me a nation with issues of racism and I’ll show you a nation who has disregarded their need for the gospel to find other means that will only end in failure.

In Revelation 5 John (the author) witnesses a crowd that he couldn’t number. This crowd was made up of people from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” all standing around the throne worshiping the One who had redeemed us to God through His blood. The reason this meeting is possible is because of the gospel which had/has the power to overcome every issue of race, government, status, and anything this world put in its way. It is this gospel alone that can save every soul who believes. On that day I will be there, and if standing next to me is my African brother holding a flag I could ask him, “How did you get here?” His reply, it is because the Lamb redeemed me. We all stand level at the cross no matter what your race.

In the book of Ruth chapter 1 some say that the author was making a play on words. In the first few verses the author comments that there was a famine in Bethlehem. The very name “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread.” Ironically, in the “House of Bread” there was no bread. Imagine if you lived in the city of “Cowville” and yet, you had no cows. Sounds pretty awkward. What makes this even more awkward for Bethlehem was that the famine could have been avoided. God had made a covenant with Israel, if you will follow my commands, then you will never hunger and there will be plenty of food. The reason there was a famine in Bethlehem was not because the farmers miscalculated the seasons or because the rain wasn’t sufficient. The reason there was a famine is because Israel did what was right in their own eyes and the consequences resulted in a devastating famine which caused a family to move 70 miles away and live in an enemy nation, Moab.

Have you ever run into someone who calls themselves a Christian and yet Christ is clearly absent from their lives. These people can talk however they want, push away whomever they choose, and essentially live life as they please. Like not having “Bread” in the House of Bread, and like not having any cows in Cowville, a Christian who doesn’t have Christ in their life is more than just awkward, it is a shame.

If you claim the name of Christ then I pray that Christ will truly be the center of your life. It doesn’t mean you are perfect by any means, it just means you have made Him the goal and the love of your life. May you truly live up to the Name of Christ.

” I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” Revelation 6:9 I realize the verse above refers to a fut…

Source: Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His Saints…

My phone has an incredible ability. I push a button, ask a question, and literally within seconds I have an answer. I even have an app on my phone that will “listen” to a song and tell me who sang it and when it was released, I love it. “Who was the Prime Minister of Britain in 1969…… James Harold Wilson.” Totally irrelevant information in my life, but it is truly amazing the information we have at our disposal here in 2016. With all of this at our fingertips you would think we would all be closer to God, who is the ultimate Truth, but that clearly isn’t the case.

It happens in politics more than anywhere else; people believe what they want. It is never about the “truth,” instead, it’s about what is comfortable. “Truth” is what we believe to be logical. “Truth” is what popular opinion deems it to be. Now we are so “creative” with the truth there is no absolute truth. Two people can believe diametrically opposing views and both are somehow correct. I think it is safe to say that it was never really about finding the truth.

The only real truth we can find in this world is found in Jesus. He is the Way, Truth, and Life. He proved this by dying and rising from the dead, just as He predicted. I like how C.S. Lewis described Him. Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or He truly is the Son of God and He was/is telling the truth.

How will you determine truth? Will you allow the popular polls to determine what is true for you? Will you allow your own pride or even your political party to determine what is true? Or, will you in humility come to God’s Word and allow Him to determine what is true in your life? The choice is yours, but the consequences of believing a lie are much greater than you can ever imagine.

Isaiah did it and was killed for it. John the Baptist lost his head (literally) over it. Paul was condemned for treason, he believed that Jesus was the True King of kings not Caeser. All of them had this in common, they had no problem speaking against the corruption that was revealed in their governments. Today I grow weary when we are told that “church and government don’t mix”. We are told there are political issues and there are religious issues, but (in my opinion) this is just another way for leaders to remove guilt from the decisions being made in Washington and State legislators.

Politicians try to convince us abortion is a political issue, but truthfully it is a moral issue. God has spoken. Not only is it my right as an American citizen to speak out about evil, but it is my responsibility as a believer in Jesus to call sin, sin. I am truly growing weary of the growing attitude that believers need to keep their views inside the church building. Dr. Falwell, Sr. used to say as preachers we can preach on sin, we just can’t say what sin is without causing a storm. This has never been more true then in the world we live in today.

Make no mistake, I believe Christians need to speak the truth in love. We should never be disrespectful of others, but by no means should we water down the truth so that others are less offended. I know that Jesus loved the Pharisees as much as he loves me today. He died for them as He died for me, but He called them vipers and graves filled with dead men’s bones. Pretty harsh words for sure. Today, I stand for the truth of God’s Word, and will not apologize for preaching “in season and out of season.” Whether people want to hear it or not. I can do no other.