Islands Christian Church Podcast

Do I have to be baptized to be saved? It’s a question Christians have wrestled with for a long time, and in the final message of our Raised with Christ series, Stephen Saxton addresses it directly. Looking at Acts 2 and the response of the earliest believers to the gospel, we explore the relationship between faith, repentance, and baptism and why the New Testament holds them so closely together. M...

What if baptism is not something we do for God, but a gift God has given to us? In the first message of our Raised with Christ series, Stephen Saxton looks at Romans 6 and invites us to slow down and consider the way the New Testament talks about baptism. What does it mean to be baptized into Christ, to be joined with him in his death, and to be raised with him to new life? Whether you were baptiz...

Finding your way back to God is not just about leaving the distant country behind. God brings us home so we can discover what it means to truly live. In the final message of our Finding Your Way Back to God series, we return to the younger son in Luke 15. When he comes home, his father does more than welcome him back. He restores him to the family and invites him into a new life. That life has thr...

What do you expect to find when you finally make your way back to God? In the final message of our Finding Your Way Back to God series, we return to Luke 15 as the lost son finally comes home. He expects to plead his case and earn his way back into his father’s household. Instead, he discovers something far better than he imagined. The father moves toward him, accepts him, and celebrates his retur...

Have you ever reached the point where you realized, I can’t do this on my own? In part three of Finding Your Way Back to God , we continue through Jesus’ story of the lost son in Luke 15 and discover another important awakening on the journey home: recognizing that we need help. The son had tried to fix his situation himself, but eventually he had to get up and return to his father. You do not hav...

Have you ever looked back at a decision, a relationship, or something you said and thought, I wish I could start over? In the second message of our Finding Your Way Back to God series, we continue through Jesus’ story of the lost son in Luke 15. When the younger son finally comes to his senses, regret helps him see clearly where he is, how he got there, and where he needs to go next. Regret does n...

Have you ever looked at your life—even a good life—and wondered, Is this really all there is? In the first message of our Finding Your Way Back to God series, we begin walking through Jesus’ story of the lost son in Luke 15. Like the son who left his father’s home searching for something more, we can slowly wander from God without even realizing how far we have drifted. Sometimes that wandering le...

This week's message wraps up our Life Together series by exploring why meaningful Christian community is worth the effort. Looking at Colossians 1:24–2:5, Pastor Stephen reminds us that the church is far more than a place we attend—it's the body of Christ, where we grow together, encourage one another, and help each other mature in faith. Paul's example challenges us to see church diff...

Prayer can often feel intimidating. We wonder if we're saying the right words, praying long enough, or doing it the "right" way. But what if prayer isn't about mastering a skill at all? What if it's about growing a relationship? In this message, we discover that prayer is one of the greatest gifts God has given His church—not just for our own spiritual growth, but for carryin...

Faith isn't meant to be lived alone. In this message from Ephesians 4:1–16, Pastor Stephen explores what it truly means to be part of a healthy church community. While it's easy to think that great churches are built through better programs or polished services, Scripture points to something much deeper. Discover how God grows His church as believers protect unity, serve one another with t...

What is the church, really? Is it a building, a weekly service, or something much deeper? In the opening message of the Life Together series, Pastor Stephen explores Ephesians 2:11–22 and reveals God's beautiful design for His people. Through Jesus, those who were once far from God have been brought near—not only into a relationship with Him, but into a new family. The church is more than a pl...

Faith was never meant to be a private journey. As James concludes his letter, John Lamaison explores why prayer, confession, encouragement, and authentic Christian community are essential parts of a faith that works. In a culture that prizes independence and self-reliance, James reminds us that God often brings healing, strength, and restoration through other believers. Discover why isolation can...

John Crosby continues our Faith That Works series with a timely message from James 5:7–12, reminding us that faith isn't revealed only in what we believe—it is revealed in how we respond when life becomes difficult. When stress, disappointment, or suffering comes, our first instinct is often to look for quick fixes or changed circumstances. But James points us to something deeper: patient endu...

In James 4:13–5:6, James confronts a challenge that is surprisingly common among believers: living as if God exists while making plans, managing money, and making decisions as if He doesn't. Pastor Stephen explores what he calls "practical atheism"—the tendency to trust ourselves, our resources, and our ability to control the future rather than depending on God. This message challeng...

Everyone is living by a kind of wisdom—but not all wisdom leads to the same destination. In this message from James 3:13–18, Pastor Stephen explores the two competing wisdoms that shape our lives: earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. James challenges us to look beneath our words and actions to the values and beliefs driving them. Earthly wisdom is fueled by envy, comparison, and selfish ambition, o...

Words may seem small, but James teaches that they carry incredible power. In this message from James 3:1–12, Pastor Stephen explores how our words influence relationships, shape the lives of others, and even affect the direction of our own lives. While many of us try to control our speech through willpower, James points us to something deeper: healing. Discover why our words matter so much, how th...

What does real faith actually look like? In this message from James 2:14–26, Pastor Stephen explores one of the most challenging passages in the book of James and confronts the tension between claiming faith and living faith. James reminds us that faith is more than words, emotions, or right beliefs alone. Living faith eventually becomes visible. This sermon unpacks the difference between simply a...

In James 1:19–27, we’re reminded that faith is more than something we talk about. Real faith shapes the way we listen, speak, love, and live. James challenges us not to confuse hearing truth with being transformed by it, but instead to tend to the faith God has planted within us. This message explores what it means to stay teachable, honest before God, and guarded against the things that quietly s...

In this message from James 1:12–18, Pastor Stephen explores what temptation really is and why it is ultimately a battle over trust. Temptation is not just about doing bad things. It is the pull to trust something other than God to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts. James reminds us that temptation often begins with small compromises and subtle lies about who God is. We start believing thin...

Life is not free from difficulty. Trials, confusion, and hard seasons are part of the human experience. The question is not whether we will face them, but how we will walk through them. In this message from James 1:2–8, we begin the series James: A Faith That Works , exploring a faith that actually shows up in everyday life. James challenges us to see trials differently. Instead of viewing them as...

Who’s telling your story? In this message from Daniel 1, Ernie Banks explores what it looks like to trust God when life feels confusing, painful, or unresolved. Daniel’s story reminds us that even when we can’t see what God is doing, He is still at work—faithfully writing a story bigger than the moment we’re in. If you’ve ever wrestled with doubt, struggled to understand your circumstances, or won...

What does it really look like to trust God in everyday life? In this message from 1 Peter 1:13–16, we explore how a future hope in God’s grace transforms the way we live right now. Trust is not just something we say. It shows up in our thoughts, our desires, and the way we surrender our lives to God. This message walks through three key ideas: setting your hope on what is to come, living as a chil...

When life gets difficult, what happens to your trust in God? In this message from Exodus 16, we see how quickly the Israelites forgot God’s faithfulness when their circumstances became hard. Their story reflects something in all of us. When life feels uncertain, trust can feel fragile. Yet even in their doubt, God continued to provide, to teach, and to draw them closer. This message reminds us tha...

What if the freedom we feel isn’t real freedom at all? In this Easter message, we explore how Jesus redefines freedom and why His resurrection is the proof that freedom has already been accomplished for us. Scripture: John 8:31–36 Series: Easter Speaker: Pastor Stephen Saxton Location: Islands Christian Church, Savannah, Georgia Key Theme: Freedom is not found in ourselves, but in what Jesus has a...

In this message, Pastor Stephen walks through one of the most powerful and personal moments of the cross. When Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” it can sound like a cry of breaking, but it reveals something deeper. This was not a random death. It was purposeful, intentional, and deeply personal. Jesus was not being judged for His own guilt, but for ours. He experienced...