THE WHOLE WORLD, INCLUDING AMERICA, LIES IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS… AND, TRAGICALLY, IN THE MIDST OF AMERICA, MULTITUDES OF professing CHRISTIANS ARE ALSO GOING WITH THE FLOW INTO DEEPENING DARKNESS.

THE EARLY CHURCH WAS not hindered by circumstances; INSTEAD, THEY remained FOCUSED ON GOD’S AGENDA: GOD'S AGENDA is the saving of a NUMBERLESS MULTITUDE of sinners out 3 of every nation, (Revelation 7, Jew and Gentile!); AND those whom He saves, team up as soldiers of Christ in HIS saving work, (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Too often these critical decisions are made without truly walking in the light with one another! NORMALLY, no one is intentionally lying! We just don’t bother to tell the whole truth about who we really are; where we have been; and/or what scars in our lives might still be fresh, etc.

One of the most fundamental principles of Scripture is that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. While godly maturity and Christlikeness should be the goal or target of every believer; and one of the goals of every ministry and its leadership should be to bring its people into higher and higher stages of godly maturity, (cf. Col. 1:28).

Worship that is "in the Spirit" will manifest and promote (1) Holiness, (2) Loyalty to Biblical Truth, and (3) Will exalt Jesus!

Satan has a great ambition to inject disharmony in Bible believing homes, friendships, and churches; and he has a powerful ally in our natural, self-focused carnality!

DID YOU KNOW? AS TO the Old Testament book, Deuteronomy — the Holy Spirit has New Testament writers quoting Deuteronomy, nearly two hundred times. It was our LORD’S favorite book to quote. In fact, JESUS quoted it during one of the most intense and significant spiritual battles of all time— when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days!

PSALM 106! In ONLY 48 verses we are given a HISTORY of (1) Israel’s sinning; (2) some of the consequences of their sinning; (3) and breaking through all this DARKNESS is the prevailing long suffering and MERCIES of God toward His people.

WE MUST FIRST understand that the Bible makes a clear distinction between “the world” and “the church” or what 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 calls “those who are inside” and “those who are outside.”

LOVELESSNESS RAGES IN CHURCHES and HOMES in 2026 — NOTHING COULD BE MORE SERIOUS! FOR JESUS HAS DECLARED: “BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER!”

Philippians 1:29, reveals a SPECIAL GIFT FOR ALL CHRISTIANS: “Unto you it is given (as a free gift) in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake!” 2 Timothy 3:12, reminds us, “… all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

The Result of a Genuine Worship Service will be that we go forth into OUR world living lives of love, purity, compassion, forgiveness, joy, peace, and more. We will go forth on mission to make Christ visible and known to the lost world around us.

Romans 1:22-32 unfolds a deep downward spiral into even unspeakable sins. HOWEVER, IT MAY BE that verse 32 is most stunning of all: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Jesus ignored the opinions of the “religious” authorities; and Jesus went back to Genesis when answering marriage/divorce questions. This is no surprise, for as John 1:1-3 reminds us — JESUS is the Creator God who is revealed in Genesis! So, of course, Jesus would go back to His original intention!

MIRACLES HAPPEN when we simply do our own God given assignments as acts of worship to JESUS (WHO IS ALWAYS WORTHY!) ... and we lay down everything else!

Multitudes are unnecessarily enslaved to resentments, bitterness, and deepening hurt because of FORGIVENESS FAILURES! In life bad things are done to us. We do bad things. FORGIVENESS BREAKS THE BONDAGE FROM THESE BAD THINGS.

WHEN ADAM and EVE sinned, their communion with God was broken, destroyed. THUS, when they heard God walking in  the garden, (Gen 3:8), they hid. (Gen 3:23–24). SIN brings hiding from God.

This article is an effort to draw foundational concepts of church life FROM THE WORD OF GOD — to be used/applied to any local, Bible-believing, Christ-focused Congregation; and especially for those of us at Southside!

The resurrection of Christ demonstrates historically that the sacrifice of Christ for sin was sufficient and accepted by God. Or as others have said: THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST was / is God’s, “Amen,” to Christ’s, “It is finished.”

EASTER — in a waiting room, on a golf course, or in a restaurant, etc. ... through the years, when various folks would see me, (and knowing that I was a pastor), the question was OFTEN something like this: “So, I guess you have lots of big plans for Easter at your church, right?” My usual response: “Actually, we just focus of JESUS, His death and resurrection; and, so we simply observe the LORD’S SUPPER!”

The observance of Easter is so powerful that even sincere Christians can get highly offended when anyone points out the Bible truth that Easter is in no way connected to Jesus Christ, His life, His death or His resurrection; and that New Testament Christians did not observe it.

All over America by means of websites, Church SIGNS, and various MEDIA promotions — many CHURCHES are, as usual, PROMOTING EASTER EGG HUNTS; AND ALSO, as usual, preparing for grand musical/dramatic presentations about JESUS! (These all ‘come and go’ ... making a ‘big splash ...) SEDUCED by traditions, multitudes do not know, (and/or cannot accept the reality), that the GOD ordained and GOD orchestrated miracles at Bethlehem and Calvary, (Philippians 2:6-8), have ZERO CONNECTION to or place for the manmade traditions of Christmas and Easter— which is why they are totally absent from the BIBLE!

Let us come to HIS TABLE, fully embracing our BIBLICAL PREDESTINATION! The Bible is clear: “… He, [GOD], chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will …” (Ephesians 1:4-5)— HE PREDESTINED us to be “adopted” as His own children (Ephesians 1:5); HE PREDESTINED us according to His own purpose (Eph. 1:11); and HE PREDESTINED us to the goal of Christ likeness! (Romans 8:28-29)

CHRISTIAN! You are FLOODED with the Love of God! “God’s love FLOODS OUR HEARTS by the Holy Spirit who has been given unto us!" (Romans 5:5, Moffatt) This love is described in 1 Cor. 13:4-8a. This love is THE EVIDENCE which reveals to a watching world that we are GENUINE Christians! (Jn. 13:35)

This was asked by a pastor who was serving the LORD in his native African nation — where, at times, there WAS SEVERE persecution of Christians, (even  unto death!)

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has stated:  “Christians are followers of Christ; and a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous, and Biblical homeland. ... It’s not a commitment to a particular government or government policy, but to the Biblical revelation as given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." OK, BUT IS THAT THE WHOLE TRUTH? ‘PARTIAL TRUTH’ is NOT truth! SO, LET’S RESEARCH!

A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF MEMBERS and VISITORS WHO walked in the doors of a church service in America today ... are battling AND/OR ARE ENSLAVED with some sort of  dysfunctional family problems and/or addictions.

Genuine Christianity is rooted in RELATIONSHIPS!

SURPRISING!? THE FEARFUL [The COWARDLY!] — ARE First in the Roll Call of those who will be in the Lake of Fire!

REALITY: [1] ‘Storms’ have been here since the historical moment when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3)!  [2] ‘Storms’ have continued and are  with us today! [3] ULTIMATELY, THE ‘STORMS’ will come to a climatic end!

We are in a world that is on course for, “... the removal of those things that [CAN BE] and are being shaken!”

I KNOW OF NO GREATER NEED THAN TO BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!