The American Heritage Dictionary defines “authentic” as an item or a statement worthy of one’s trust. God has called us to be authentic in our Christian faith, to be true representatives of Jesus Christ as we walk in this world.
According to every evangelistic organization, those who know they are away from God are yearning to see a true, blood-bought believer, one who is a devoted disciple of Christ, one who will not waiver in their convictions, for while the harvest is ripe, the laborers are few, and the greatest hindrance to effective evangelism today is a false believer, one who can explain their version of the plan of salvation, but who has never had that personal experience with Christ as their Savior.
This Sunday morning, I will continue our new series of sermons on “How Should We Then Live?” – a study of the Epistles of Peter. The title of this sermon is: “In Search of Authentic Christianity,” # 2.

The most heartbreaking statistic to me is that 80% of evangelical youth leave the church when they reach adulthood, and that number has continued to increase since the youth ministry began in the 70s. According to the most recent survey, the main reason they leave the church is because they do not think Christianity is authentic.

Other words for “authentic” include, true, real, reliable, and genuine. The number one antonym for authentic is “fake,” and it should cause us to cry out in repentance to learn that the ways we are expressing our faith in Jesus Christ is not even convincing our own children and youth that Christianity is real. God forgive us!

In Philippians 4:9, the Apostle Paul told his followers, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Can you say that to those who are evaluating Christianity on the basis of your personal testimony? Can you say that to your Children? If we say we “believe,” it will be manifested in how we “behave!”

God help us if we, in any way, directly or indirectly, put a stumbling block in the pathway of those children and youth who are looking at our lives to find the answers to their questions about life and faith. Help us determine to develop a contagious faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and let our faith infect others with that same desire to know Him as we have. May every decision we make, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to us, be evaluated as to how it will glorify the Lord, and affect our witness to those who are watching us.

The most heartbreaking statistic to me is that 80% of evangelical youth leave the church when they reach adulthood, and that number has continued to increase since the youth ministry began in the 70s. According to the most recent survey, the main reason they leave the church is because they do not think Christianity is authentic.
Other words for “authentic” include, true, real, reliable, and genuine. The number one antonym for authentic is “fake,” and it should cause us to cry out in repentance to learn that the ways we are expressing our faith in Jesus Christ is not even convincing our own children and youth that Christianity is real. God forgive us!
In Philippians 4:9, the Apostle Paul told his followers, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Can you say that to those who are evaluating Christianity on the basis of your personal testimony? Can you say that to your Children? If we say we “believe,” it will be manifested in how we “behave!”
God help us if we, in any way, directly or indirectly, put a stumbling block in the pathway of those children and youth who are looking at our lives to find the answers to their questions about life and faith. Help us determine to develop a contagious faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and let our faith infect others with that same desire to know Him as we have. May every decision we make, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to us, be evaluated as to how it will glorify the Lord, and affect our witness
This Sunday, I will begin two new sermon series:
· The Sunday morning series is entitled: “How Should We Then Live?” – a study of the Epistles of Peter.
· The Sunday evening series is entitled: “Sermons from the Psalms” – a study of the prophetic implications of selected psalms.

Jonathan Edwards was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregationalist theologian. Edwards wrote, “It becomes us to spend this life only as a journey toward heaven . . . to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end and true happiness?”

In his early twenties, Edwards composed a set of life resolutions. One read, “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.” Unfortunately, even many believers find no joy when they think about heaven.

This Sunday, we conclude our doctrinal series of sermons: The Church: The Pillar and Ground of Truth.

· The Sunday morning sermon is entitled: “Our Hope of a Heavenly Home.”

· The Sunday evening sermon is entitled: “What Life is Like in Heaven.”

Jonathan Edwards was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregationalist theologian. Edwards wrote, “It becomes us to spend this life only as a journey toward heaven . . . to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end and true happiness?”

In his early twenties, Edwards composed a set of life resolutions. One read, “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.” Unfortunately, even many believers find no joy when they think about heaven.

This Sunday, we conclude our doctrinal series of sermons: The Church: The Pillar and Ground of Truth.

· The Sunday morning sermon is entitled: “Our Hope of a Heavenly Home.”

· The Sunday evening sermon is entitled: “What Life is Like in Heaven.”

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 55% of US adults believe Jesus will return to Earth, and 75% of Christians believe this will happen, but not in their lifetime. However, 39% of US adults believe humanity is “living in the end times”.  
We believe that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, that is, His return could occur at any moment. Like the apostle Paul, we are looking for “the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). We also believe the rapture of the Church will occur seven years before the return of Jesus Christ, and that it is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar.
The apostles also believed in the imminent return of Christ, but rather than sitting down and waiting on that blessed day, they seized each day and dedicated themselves to the Lord’s work. In effect, they lived each day as if it were their last, and if we truly believe in the imminent return of Christ, so should we.
This Sunday, we continue our doctrinal series of sermons under the title: The Church: The Pillar and Ground of Truth. The title of this sermon is: “The Imminent Return of Jesus Christ.”   

As we look at the “churches” in the world today, not only are they weak and worldly, but they are also disobedient, and deceived, and therefore, devoid of the Spirit of God. As Jesus wrote to the church of Laodicea, “You say you are rich and wealthy and have need of nothing, when, in fact, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.”
However, when the Lord Jesus looks at His Church, His Bride, not only does He describe her as beautiful, but “altogether beautiful.” (SOS 4:7) Why? Because she has been washed in His sin-atoning blood and clothed in His righteousness. Wow! What a contrast.
Discouraged saints do not need to become more discouraged by the delinquency of their local assembly, for such is according to the Scriptures in these last days. True believers need to remember, “He chose us in Him” (Eph. 1:4), and because we are in Christ and Christ is in us, that worldwide assembly of believers; our brothers and sisters in Christ, is “altogether lovely.” And very soon, beloved, we will understand the wonderful truth of Matthew 24:34, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father. “
This Sunday, we continue our doctrinal series of sermons under the title: The Church: The Pillar and Ground of Truth. The title of this sermon is: The Church: The Bride of Christ.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul referred to the church as the body of Christ several times. He used the metaphor of a “human body” to relay significant truths about the church and to help believers understand the need for both unity and diversity within the church.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

The church is called the body of Christ because Christ is the head of the church, and those He called to be saved He also called to serve. The Holy Spirit enables each believer with a unique spiritual gift, and when those gifts are merged together, the mission of “The Church” reflects the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.

This Sunday, we return to our doctrinal series of sermons under the title: The Church: The Pillar and Ground of Truth.

Beloved, while their efforts may have been well-intentioned, I hope you now see the mistake our church fathers made in 325 B.C. when they merged the sacred events of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the secular events of what we might call a spring festival. In Leviticus 23:2-4, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.”
The Hebrew word for “feasts” (moadim) means “appointed times.” God carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal a special story. These times were “appointed by God,” and it is not within our purview to adjust God’s Divine calendar to fit our secular schedule.

· It was no coincidence that Jesus was crucified the day the Jews celebrated Passover; He was our Passover Lamb.

· It was no coincidence that Jesus rose from the dead on the feast of First Fruits; for He gave us the pattern of the harvest of souls that will soon be resurrected.

· It was no coincidence that the Holy Spirit empowered the Church on the Feast of Pentecost, for it is through His power that our witness is effective.

· It will not be a coincidence when Jesus returns to earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and after celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, we will enter into the Feast of Tabernacles – our eternal rest.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant event in human history. Let’s not cling to secular celebrations or even religious traditions that aren’t supported by the Scriptures. Let’s be sure our beliefs, practices, and methods of worship are firmly rooted in the Bible and not in human tradition.
This Sunday, we will set the record straight regarding the final days of our Lord’s life on this earth. In this sermon, we will walk with Jesus, step by step, from Golgotha, the place of the skull, to the Mount of Olives, from which our Lord ascended back into glory.

This is the most significant week in human history: the time and the place where Jesus proved Himself to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And yet, in 325 A.D., the religious leaders decided it was okay to adjust the timing of the most important event in human history to fit in with the worldly celebrations of the first day of spring. That very unwise decision diminished the spiritual significance of the resurrection to the point that the celebration became more important than the resurrection, which is why that holy event that purchased our eternal salvation is connected to a worldly event called “Easter.” Really?

This Sunday, we will break from our sermon series on the Pillar and Ground of Truth to set the record straight regarding the last week of our Lord’s life upon this earth. In this sermon, we will walk with Jesus, step by step, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Hill called Golgotha.