“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” (2 Cr. 4:16-18)

If there was ever a time in his life when Paul was ready to lose heart, it must have been when he was writing Second Corinthians. In the first chapter, we read of the interpersonal struggles he’d had in recent months. He dealt with rejection, with disappointment, with slander, and with persecution. How could he experience such things and yet continue with affirmations like the one quoted above? The answer is simple and is found in chapter one, verse nine: We “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

Personally, I confess that I’ve been in a season of struggling with these same things: With seeing and experiencing the faults of others, and yet trying not to “lose heart” or give up faith in other people. Surely I’m not the only one who has prayed about the question: “God, how can I see things and people as they really are and yet not become jaded? How can I continue to believe that your ways work and that people can be good when I’m facing so much disappointment and discouragement?”

The challenge is to let life experience make us wiser but to never let it make us quit. It is to continue encouraging others, speaking the truth of the word, and living godly and upright in this present age. It is to rely on “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cr. 1:3). Trust God always; trust people sometimes.

“So we do not lose heart.”

- Dan Lankford, minister

It’s no surprise that, in this church, we believe in the imperative of assembling for worship on Sundays. We believe in this model because the Bible teaches that it should be so. In consideration of the Lord’s resurrection, the apostles led his church to assemble on the first day of each week, and the Spirit preserved the knowledge of such things to be known and followed by saints in all places and times.

Consider three reasons why this is to be viewed as the authorized and prescribed day of worship:

First, in recorded New Testament practice there is certainly something special about the first day of the week. It was when the saints in Troas had assembled to break bread (Ac. 20:7-12), and it was the day on which Paul commanded the Corinthians to contribute for the poor in Jerusalem (1 Cr. 16:1-4). Taken together, these texts imply that first-day assemblies were a regular practice and that such practice was met with the apostles’ approval.

Second, the earliest Christian writings after the New Testament testify that our brothers and sisters observed the first day of the week as special. One, in particular, noted that Christians were “no longer keeping the Sabbath but living in accordance with the Lord’s day.”

Third, it is patently sensible that Christians would meet on the first day of the week, since this is the day on which Christ defeated death and effected our salvation! We celebrate this day, and we use it to worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—as well as Jesus himself—for his “grace upon grace” that saves us from sin.

- Dan Lankford, minister

I need to start by confessing a weakness: Jesus was so perfect that I sometimes feel incredulous toward him. It’s still hard to believe that he could be SO good. Whatever virtuous thing we desire to know, we should learn it from him. Such is the case with patience: he was so patient that I find it nearly unbelievable. 

He was patient with the disciples—the men who heard him day after day and yet who rarely attained to what he was teaching them. For three years, he taught, rebuked, corrected, and demonstrated the truth of God’s ways, often repeating the lessons for men with thick heads and dull hearts. And yet, as John said, “he loved them to the end” (Jn. 13:1). What patience!

He was patient in accomplishing God’s purposes. In may circumstances where we might be tempted to follow our impulses and rush something important, Jesus determinedly maintained his course. He stood his ground, slowly and steadily approaching the cross on which he would give his life, accomplishing his father’s purposes exactly as was intended (cf. Jn. 16:32). What patience!

He is patient, even as he waits in Heaven to bring his faithful ones to himself. As he told the apostles on the night of his betrayal, “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn. 14:3). He waits in Heaven with God—his father and ours—until the perfect time for his return. Indeed, he “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pt. 3:9). What patience!

And so, we learn from our Lord. Like the master who is patient toward us, his servants, we learn to be patient toward our fellow servants (cf. Mt. 18:21-35). We learn from his example, so that we too can teach with patience, face life’s suffering with patience, and lead others to repentance with patience. And hopefully, by the way that we add this virtue to our faith, the world will look to us and occasionally find themselves thinking with incredulity, “What patience!”

- Dan Lankford

Texas Hill Country residents are facing a scenario that would have been unimaginable to them just a few weeks ago. Flooding has destroyed facilities, ruined beautiful landscapes, and taken over 100 lives to date. The scale of the destruction—and the death toll—have staggered minds of people across the country, with the deepest impact obviously being felt by those who are closest to it. We care about all who’ve been affected, but we have many brothers and sisters in that area, and I think it’s right that we sympathize most acutely with the mourners among them.

As is often the case with natural disasters, for the past several days, people have asked questions like: “Who’s to blame?” “Did we have adequate emergency response systems in place?” “Who’s going to prevent this from happening again?” Questions like this illuminate a truth about humanity: We desperately long for control. We long to prevent all bad things. We long to create a world in which our name is great and our control is absolute—where nothing that we propose to do will be impossible for us. But reality remains: some things are forever out of our control. Years ago, in response to a similar flooding incident, a reporter asked a governor, “What could have been done differently to prevent this?” And the governor wisely responded: “Nothing. This was an act of God. We have no control over things this big.”

Though we learn to make cars safer each generation, lethal accidents still happen. Though we protect our fortunes with insurance and contracts, thieves still break in (or hack in) and steal. Though we learn to control the flow of some rivers, floods still wash away people and things that matter to us. The reality of natural disasters is just that: they are natural, and they are disasters. We simply cannot exhibit enough control to stop all heartbreak, loss, and death. We are fools if we think that we live in a world which is immune to this sort of thing or if we believe that some cosmic power—even God himself—owes us such immunity.

If anything, the Texas flood and its accompanying loss of life reminds us of the oft-repeated idea from one of our hymns: “tomorrow may be too late.” Jesus told several parables to the effect that no one knows the day or hour of either our Lord’s second coming or of our own deaths. If a surprise like a flooding river could come at any moment, shouldn’t we be ready for eternal judgment at every moment? That’s why there is such urgency about believing and obeying God’s Gospel. While we still have the chance to believe in Christ and know with confidence where we will spend eternity, we must obey it.

Let these two lessons settle on our hearts today as we talk to God: 1)That when tragedy strikes, God’s people are the ones who will share in others’ grief. 2) That life and death are in his hands, and he makes us no guarantees about their timing, so we must be ready for his day of judgment.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt. 25:13)

- Dan Lankford, minister

“So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’” (Gn. 22:14)

On that day, Abraham could well have said, “The LORD has already provided.” 

The narratives of Exodus 13-18 (the pillar of fire, the Red Sea, bitter water made sweet, the bread of heaven, water from the rock, and Jethro’s advice) show a pattern of life that holds true for all saints of all time. The path that Israel had to walk forewarns us that our faith will never remain untested, assures us that in the midst of troubles and trials which seem meaningless there are deep purposes of God at work, and calls us to the obedience of faith. The stories also illustrate the comforting truth of a God of providential care; foreseeing our needs, planning ahead for our welfare, and awaiting us with his solutions and sufficiency. In a word, the trials of the pathway may take us by surprise, but never him. They may catch us unprepared, but never him. Left to ourselves, they would be more than we could bear, but we are never left to ourselves. By ourselves, we would not know which way to turn, but we are not by ourselves. God has planned the course we are to take and walks with us. 

Particularly in the story of bitter water made sweet, where the solution was to cut down a tree and cast it into the water, we readily observe that the remedy had been in preparation long before the need arose. This ‘anticipatory providence’ on God’s part shows just how much he cared for them, and it reminds us with certainty that he cares for and provides for us too.

- adapted from Alec Motyer's commentary on Exodus, p. 176

We’ve just passed the halfway point in the year, so I think it’s time for a spiritual check-up for all of us. Here are a few questions to consider to gauge your own pursuit of the kingdom of God:

• To what or whom have you given the bulk of your time this year? To what or whom have you given your mental energy this year? To what or whom have you given charity this year?
• Who have you taught this year? Who have you corrected in a spirit of gentleness? Who have you grown close with? To whom have you shown hospitality? Who have you encouraged? Who have you served?
• In what ways have you become more whole (or more balanced [cf. Lk. 2:52]) this year?
• How well have you achieved the spiritual goals that you made at the beginning of this year?
• What can you do to maximize your spiritual pursuits through the remainder of 2025?

These aren’t meant to be guilt-trip questions: they’re just for honest self-assessment. Maybe you’re having the best year of spiritual growth that you’ve ever experienced. Maybe you realize that you’re drifting away from God, either antagonistically or apathetically. Maybe you’re struggling against some great suffering or discouragement. Maybe you’re just lukewarmly ‘going with the flow’ of life and not being really pursuing spiritual things at all. Maybe you're doing so well that you're fostering great spiritual growth in others.

I don’t know how you are with God right now. But you can know that. And God does know that. I just think that mid-year is a good time to take stock of our faith, pray about it, and decide what’s truly best to do next.

I love you, and I prayed for you today. God bless you, my brothers and sisters.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Make no mistake: the world is set against Christianity. There is a version of Christianity which the world likes, but it lacks the core elements of the one true faith—namely, Jesus Christ and his word. “The world”—that term which the apostles used to describe people living under the slavery of sin—is set against Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

So what are we to do? Since they are against us, does that mean that Christians should be against the world too?
No. In fact, if we follow Jesus, we are not against the world, but we are in fact for those same people—we want what is truly good for them.

Like our God, who loved the world enough to send his son for their everlasting life (John 3:16), we are to show love to evil people toward the goal of teaching them about everlasting life. Like our Lord Jesus, who opened not his mouth when he was reviled, we are often regarded as sheep to be slaughtered (Psa. 44:22, Rom. 8:36) because we do not return blow for blow when the world attacks. And like our ancestors in this faith, we remember the words of the apostle Peter, who told persecuted Christians, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Pet. 3:9)

The world is working to bring death to us, but we are working to bring the good news of life to them. They are against us, but God is for the salvation of all (2 Pet. 3:9).

- Dan Lankford, minister

Saturday’s news that the US had already bombed targets in Iran has heightened everyone’s attention to the world stage. Iran is on a short list of the world’s most dangerous countries, and so it’s a time a to watch their movements (and those of their national friends) very closely. Couple this reality with Israel’s war against Iran, and it seems that this is one of the most volatile times our country has faced in several decades.

I know no more than anyone else about how things like this will turn out. I just try to remember the words of the Holy Spirit for guidance in how to think about such times. So, here are a few reminders:

1. In a passage that is often quoted by premillennialist thinkers to make many people alarmed by supposed world-ending scenarios, what Jesus actually says is, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed…” (Mt. 24:6) He goes on to say in the same context: “...the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Words from this passage are often quoted in a way that unnerves many because of the purported ‘signs of the end.’ But the Lord’s words are meant to have exactly the opposite effect. He spoke these things to quiet our hearts and redouble our discipleship commitments; not make us fearful of some kind of cosmic come-apart.
2. In Romans 9-11, Paul explains in no shortage of words that God does not hold himself under any obligation to the nation of Israel or to any Jewish ethnicity. He has fulfilled his promises to them, and he has embraced the Gentiles, grafting them into his kingdom as wild olive branches grafted onto the roots of a cultivated olive tree. By his own word, he has no further promises to keep to that nation. Should their nation be expanded or destroyed, I believe that God has no more or less pleasure in that than he does in the success or any other nation on his footstool.
3. In one the closing paragraphs of his letter to Rome, Paul asked his brothers to pray for his safety as he went into hostile territory (Rm. 15:30-31). As is always the case with such a heavy military presence in our area, we’re likely to know friends, neighbors, or church members who are directed toward involvement in world conflicts. Pray for them. Pray for them by name. Pray that God will deliver them from harm. Pray that their objectives will be successful if they be righteous. Pray that they will keep faith in God through whatever rigors and horrors of war they must face. Pray for them.
4. “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Pray for our national leaders and military leaders. Give thanks for them. Pray that they will lead in a way that a peaceful, quiet life can be preserved for as many people as possible.
5. Remember the Lord’s command, both the prohibitive side and the affirmative one: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28). There are some things that are absolute constants for us because of our belief in Jesus Christ. No matter how much the sandy ground of this life may seem to shift, we stand on bedrock truth that he has overcome the world, that he will overcome the world, and that he cares for us.

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rm. 8:38-39)

- Dan Lankford, minister

“So what are you going to do about it?”

That question hits us hard sometimes. It compels us to make a decision. When the facts have been stated, the arguments and counters have been considered, and the evidence has been submitted… a decision must be made. Life brings us to such tipping points and compels an answer of us: “What are you going to do?”

David, while he was still a young man, saw the conflict between his people and the Philistines for what it was. He saw Israel’s weakness, heard Goliath’s taunts, and knew of God’s power. He faced the big question: ‘What are you going to do about it, David?’ And unlike his brothers and their countrymen, he tipped the scales toward action and became his king’s unlikely champion.

So what about you? When you see a need, will you fulfill it? When you learn the truth, will you believe it? When you realize your sin, will you repent of it? When you have an opportunity to serve, will you take it? When you need a hard truth, will you hear it? When you observe a friend’s pain, will you bear it?

I catch myself and many other believers holding back from what we ought to do for fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, or fear of the unknown. James said, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (Ja. 4:17). I couldn’t begin to count the number of times that I have sinned by indecision. I knew to do good but ignored what I knew and found a way to justify doing so. I pray that I’ve grown. And I pray that for all of us: that we’ll have answer rightly when faith compels us with the question: What are you going to do?

- Dan Lankford, minister

As a follow-up to this past Sunday’s class on trees as 'types and shadows,' consider this short, impactful exchange from the book of Judges. These events took place after the death of Gideon, when his son, Abimelech, who was born to one of Gideon’s concubines, had murdered his half brothers and proclaimed himself king. One brother escaped and proclaimed divine judgment on Abimelech. His use of the ‘trees’ metaphor fits well with our Sunday discussion, and the whole thing reminds us just how important justice and life are to our God. As Jesus said, “all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Mt. 26:52)

- Dan Lankford, minister

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“[Jotham] went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, ‘Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.” But the olive tree said to them, “Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?” And the trees said to the fig tree, “You come and reign over us.” But the fig tree said to them, “Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?” And the trees said to the vine, “You come and reign over us.” But the vine said to them, “Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?” Then all the trees said to the bramble, “You come and reign over us.” And the bramble said to the trees, “If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”

Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved— for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, and you have risen up against my father's house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative— if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” (Judges 9:7-21)