Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

The idea of judgment usually doesn’t get people excited, usually judgment produces at least some fear. Peter connects fear and judgment for the believer as he writes. So, what does the coming judgment for the believer entail? Why is fear connected to it? We’ll talk about those topics and more as we continue our study through 1st Peter.

The world teaches us that what we do defines who we are. The Bible flips that around and says who we are ought to define what we do. As we continue our study in 1st Peter we’ll see that a firm understanding of our identity gives us the confidence to live right side up in an upside down world.

How do you react to thought of more pain or suffering? Many of us try to avoid that as much as possible. We place a high value on safety and comfort. While we know we are empowered to make disciples sometimes that calling seems too messy and makes us uncomfortable. Peter wrote two letters to encourage the church that there is strength in the face of trouble, that those troubles are temporary, and...

This Sunday we are wrapping up our Defining a Disciple series. We’ve defined a disciple based on how Jesus called and then commissioned his disciples. So, we’ve said a disciple worships Jesus daily, is consistently being changed by Jesus, and is increasingly committed to the mission of Jesus. This week we’ll discuss how to move from a clear definition to a practical plan for being the disciple-mak...

The Bible tells us that we were saved for good works that God prepared for us. Chief among those good works is the disciple-making mission that we’ve been called to. It’s really the Jesus mission. This week we’ll see that a disciple is increasingly committed to the mission of Jesus, and we’ll explore some strategies to increase our commitment to his mission.

You’ve probably heard the joke never pray for patience, because then God will give you situations that will really test your patience. The truth is we all have areas in our life where we need to grow or where change needs to take place. One of the marks of a disciple is that we are consistently being changed by Jesus. This week we will study from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy some common areas wher...

Dr. Ron Minton, a missionary to Ukraine and Bible scholar, will be leading a seminar titled, How We Got Our Bible.

As followers of Jesus, the command we are perhaps most familiar with is the great commission. We know that as we go, we are to make disciples. However, as energizing as that is, so few Christians actually make disciples. One of the reasons for that is if you ask 20 different people what makes a disciple – you will probably get 20 different answers. During our next series, Defining a Disciple, we w...

We’ve all had times when we know we should do something, we even tell ourselves we’re going to do something, but for whatever reason we don’t do it. As we finish our series, In Between, we will be talking about living in between knowing and doing. We’ll discover that while that’s a dangerous place to live there is a key that takes you from one place to the other.

God is our ultimate authority, but we live with worldly leaders. Often times earthly leaders and God have entirely different world views. How do we live between God and Caesar? We’ll explore what Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel to gain a healthy perspective on this important topic.

Have you ever been promised something, but you have to wait a while for it to come? We’ve all been there. The promise of marriage, the promise of Christmas, the promise of a vacation or a new job – big promises and great anticipation for their fulfillment. As Christians we live with a promise and we await the promised land. So, how do we live in between?

Life is full of questions. We all have lots of things we’d like to ask God that we believe one day those questions will be answered. But how do we live now – between the questions and the answers? That’s what we’ll be talking about this week.

Have you ever been in one place when you were supposed to be in another? As Christians, we are called to live in the world but not of the world. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross we are free from the power of sin, and yet still not free from the presence of sin. We are called to depend wholly upon Christ and at the same time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. On thi...

There are certain moments and feelings in life that we wish would never end and could keep on going. As we come to the end of our study in the book of Esther, we enter into a time like that. You won’t want to miss the finale as we’ll see the importance of remembering those good times and celebrating God’s goodness to us.

Recently, the NBA’s Boston Celtics had the opportunity to do what no other NBA team had ever done in the playoffs—turn the tables on their opponent to win the 7-game series after losing the first three games. Sadly, the Celtics were not able to join their city’s Red Sox, Major League Baseball’s only team to ever come back from a 0-3 deficit (and – Can you tell Pastor Steve isn’t writing this email...

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought you reached the end of the story only for there to be another twist in the plot? Life works that way. We think there is a resolution to a circumstance, but then something happens revealing the circumstance is not yet resolved. The same thing happens in the book of Esther. Haman is dead, Esther has identified herself with God’s people, Mordec...

There is something about human nature that really appreciates a real plot twist. It pushes us to the edge of our seat when something happens that you just don’t see coming. One of the most amazing plot twists in all of scripture occurs in Esther 7.

Have you ever watched a sporting event and you see the momentum shift? There is a feeling that comes over the crowd as the team that was behind is now turning things around. A sense of excitement or dread, depending on your point of view, takes over. As we continue our study of Queen Esther, The Weight of the Crown, we come to a momentum shift in the book. The world would look at this shift and ca...

As we continue our Esther series this Mother’s day, I’m so excited for you to hear Will Smith bring God’s word. He is a faithful brother who loves God, loves people, and loves God’s word. Our church family has benefitted by his ministry in a variety of ways and this Sunday we will benefit from his study and proclamation of God’s truth. So, whether this Sunday is a time of celebration or heartache...

Have you ever learned to play a sport or an instrument? As you play more and more you tend to get better and better. One of the characteristics of the Christian is growth. As our faith is activated we grow in relationship with God and the effect that has on our daily living. We’ll see and be challenged by that in the next scene from the life of Queen Esther.

As we look around the world and our own lives we see countless things that are not as they should be. Circumstances and cultural norms that should be different. When we read the story of Queen Esther we see a world not so different than our own – a world filled with sin. This week we will see some of those things that should not be, but we will also see an active God working all things together fo...

When we see movies play out on the big screen sometimes those stories can be romanticized. As we read the Scriptures, we can do much the same thing. We can imagine a fairy tale like setting, where the scenes and the characters are sanitized from the stain of sin. One character we often do that with is Esther. This week we’ll see that while Esther was not perfect and her life was far from idyllic G...

We live in a world of uncertainty with danger seemingly lurking behind every shadow. Many are trapped in a confused maze punctuated with misery. Esther could relate. She seems almost out of place in the Bible. The book of Esther contains no mention of God, no reference to faith or worship, no prediction of the Messiah, no talk of heaven or hell – there is almost nothing religious about it. At leas...

He is risen! The reality of the resurrection impacts every moment of every day. This weekend we get to celebrate that in a special way during our Good Friday gathering at 6:00 and our Resurrection Sunday gatherings. On Easter morning, we will see how Mark relays the good news of the resurrection. Here’s a hint: he doesn’t end his gospel in a way we would expect.

As we approach our celebration of Resurrection Day, we’ve been studying through Mark’s gospel. Particularly, the passion week. This Sunday, we’ll look at the crucifixion. Mark leaves out detailing the horrific pain of the crucifixion, instead he highlights the obedience of Jesus. I hope you’ll join us this week as we join with the church around the globe proclaiming Jesus is the Son of God.