What is the Victorious life?
When we think of overcoming the world, we think of a life where the victory is apparent for all to see. If we’re honest, we find ourselves asking: Lord, I have faith, but where’s my victory? And this is why the prosperity gospel is so tempting. It says we’ll have victory right here and now if we just have enough faith.
The problem is that the prosperity gospel defines victory down. The prosperity gospel is a worldly gospel. It’s all about what we can see here and now, about easy relationships and wealth. It’s a self-centered message that leads us to treat God like a means to an end. Prosperity gospel preachers love to promise the victorious life, but they’ve missed the victory. But there are ways that Christians can and should talk about living the victorious life, the life of faith. This victorious life is not a victory we achieve by our own efforts, but Christ’s victory in us.
Video Devotional on Ephesians 4:31-32
A video devotional by Pastor Geo on Ephesians 4:31-32.
Video Devotional 1 Corinthians 12:14-27
A video devotional by Geo Haines on 1 Corinthians 12:14-27.
Devotional on Isaiah 1:18
by John Young
“Out, Out damned spot I say…”
This line is from William Shakespeare’s play, “MacBeth.” It is the story of an ambitious man (MacBeth) and his wife, Lady MacBeth. They are hungry for power and have murdered and swindled their way past, around, or over anyone who stood in their way to get what they want.
This line comes from a point in the play when Lady MacBeth is sleepwalking and she’s lamenting this imaginary blood she has on her hands that she cannot get off no matter what she does.
I couldn’t help but think of this line as I read Isaiah 1:18:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Kyle and Larry Discuss Psalm 103
Pastor Larry and Pastor Kyle discuss Psalm 103 with an eye towards learning to pray through the Psalms.
Devotional on Romans 14:13-19
A video devotional on Romans 14:13-19 delivered on July 29, 2020 for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church by Geo Haines.
Devotional on Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Psalm 32:5 (ESV)
Admitting we’ve failed has to be one of the most unnatural things we can do. We try all kinds of ways to hide our sin. We may even lie to ourselves and try to convince ourselves we’ve done nothing wrong. We are great at justifying our sin; not so great at admitting it. Maybe you’re like me and one of your strategies for dealing with problems is just to ignore them in hopes that they go away. That’s a really foolish approach for any problem, but especially sin. But again, we’ll try almost anything to avoid coming face to face with sin, won’t we? Somewhere deep down we’re convinced that the good life is one in which you never have to say you’re sorry, where your pride goes untouched. What’s your reason for trying to cover up your sin?
Devotional on Psalm 65:2-4
This morning’s devotional comes from Psalm 65:2-4
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
I think every Christian goes through stages where we don’t feel like there is any purpose to prayer. We say things like, “I feel like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling.” Prayer just seems pointless.
Devotional on Romans 12:9-12
A devotional on Romans 12:9-12 delivered on July 15, 2020 for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church by Geo Haines.
2 Samuel 8 Devotional
A devotional message on 2 Samuel 8 for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church by Kyle Newcomer.
Discussion Questions
Devotional on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
by Tim Williamson
My family and I have recently started reading through 1 Thessalonians as part of our regular devotions. This is a wonderful letter that Paul sent to the church in Thessalonica to commend them and to encourage them to continue in faith, hope, and love. Unlike other churches where he was able to spend an extended amount of time planting and teaching (e. g., Ephesus), Paul was only able to spend a few weeks with the Thessalonian believers before he was forced to flee due to the outrage of the Jewish religious leaders in the local synagogue (Acts 17:1-8). His letters to this church reflect a desire to affirm them both in their doctrine and in their practice.
Unintended Consequences
by John Young
Good morning, Beloved!
My favorite book in the Bible is the book of Ephesians. It seems to be the book that always pops into my mind, with its rich theology, its succinct analogies that serve to boggle my mind with God’s eternal purposes in choosing us, and the way that Paul shows our relationships in the church and among other Christians are informed by, and built upon, these deep theological truths and divine actions.
Psalm 27:4 Devotional
A devotional on Psalm 27:4 by Geo Haines for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church
Devotional on 2 Samuel 7
A devotional on 2 Samuel 7 for Christ Our Savior Baptist Church by Kyle Newcomer
What is God Doing Through the Coronavirus?
By John Young
Good morning, Beloved!
I hope this email finds you well and healthy. Instead of giving you some devotional thoughts on a passage of Scripture this morning, I thought I would summarize a portion of a book I commended to you last week by John Piper, entitled, Coronavirus and Christ. By clicking on the link, you can download it for free either to read a pdf, or for your kindle, or as an mp3 to listen to. It’s a very short book; I read it in my devotional time on Sunday morning.
The second part of Piper’s book is entitled, “What is God Doing Through the Coronavirus?” I think this is a very good question for us to consider as we may encounter unbelieving family members that may think this shows that God is on leave or he is not good or he is not powerful or he doesn’t exist! Or we may ourselves may be confused as we trust that God is sovereign over it but don’t understand how we relate to it. This is a valuable exercise for us because if we consider God’s ways, we can be strengthened even in these frightening, disconcerting circumstances.
I don’t believe I am ruining the book for you by doing this…it may actually convince you to read it. Consider it a brief synopsis of a part of the book that will enable you to possibly summarize 6 ways that the Lord is working through the coronavirus.