I could ask if you have ever made a spiritual decision after a church service, only to break it within twenty-four hours. But every honest Christian would answer that question the same—yes.

So what makes the difference between the decisions we keep and the decisions we let fall by the wayside?

This time last week, we were hosting the West Coast Baptist Youth Conference. Many teens who attended made significant decisions for the Lord. It was an incredible week in which we saw the Holy Spirit at work in many hearts.

After the closing service, I challenged the teenagers to follow through on the decisions which they had just made. The three pointers I shared with them are vital for Christians of any age who desire to experience fruit from their spiritual decisions. We could add more thoughts to this, but plain and simple, here are three ways to keep a spiritual decision: (more…)

Christ’s Resurrection provides so much more than a future home in Heaven. His victory and salvation through His blood puts me in a spiritual position—“in Christ.”

Galatians 2:20 declares, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

But what does “in Christ” mean? Both Romans 8 and the book of Ephesians provide a wealth of answers to that question. I hope the lists below are encouraging to you as you rejoice in the impact of the Resurrection in your own life! (more…)

Jesus didn’t just tell us to love our neighbor. He did it Himself.

In the darkest scene of utter injustice, Jesus was stretched on a cross between two thieves: “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left” (Matthew 27:38).

But even in that hour, Jesus loved the thief—His “neighbor”: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

What a glimpse into the compassion of Christ!

Our tendency is to focus on our own burdens and look past the people near us who need the Lord. And yet, in the very throes of His crucifixion agony, Jesus cared for the eternal soul of the man next to Him. (more…)

Saturday and Sunday were two days of intense outreach and giving at Lancaster Baptist Church. On Saturday, our church family knocked on almost 25,000 doors, sharing the Gospel and inviting people to our resurrection musical. On Sunday, we gave a special offering for the Elevate & Magnify building project. God blessed both days in a miraculous way.

Any pastor or spiritual leader who has been involved in such an intense week of outreach and giving knows that the time leading up to it is a predictably intense season of spiritual warfare.

What do you do to prepare for the spiritual drain and satanic attack during these times? (more…)

The spiritual, political, cultural, and economic landscape at this point in American history is unfriendly toward forward momentum for God.

Yet I believe that the greatest works of God are accomplished during the most limited times humanly speaking. In fact, some of the most financially intense projects recorded in Scripture took place during lean times.

• The wilderness tabernacle was constructed by laid-off brick layers.
• The second Temple was constructed by refugees.
• The first century church was funded by poverty-stricken Christians.

The economic insecurity, political instability, cultural turmoil, and spiritual upheaval of today makes a very large platform for God to be magnified! When significant works of God happen against this backdrop, the glory obviously goes to God. (more…)