One Great Truth by Pastor Steven Becker

Are You All About The Father's Busines?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 05:56:05 GMT

Much of what we read in the Gospels focuses on Jesus’ earthly ministry which is a relatively short period of His life. I’m not questioning God’s design. What He gave us is perfect and sufficient. Still, if I’m honest, I sometimes wish we had more detail about Jesus’ early years.

THE PERFECT CHILD

Imagine Jesus as a child. He never threw tantrums. He always ate all of His vegetables. He always chose carrots from his snacks instead of sour patch kids. He went to bed right when He needed to. He obeyed His parents without hesitation—“Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am.” He was, in every sense, the perfect child.

WHERE IS JESUS?

Luke 2 is often read during the Christmas season, but it also gives us the only glimpse into Jesus’ youth. In this passage, Jesus remains at the temple while His parents travel on without Him. Their trust in Him was complete—He had never given them a reason to worry.

After three days, they realized He was missing and returned to Jerusalem to find Him.

Any parent knows that when children are unusually quiet, something is probably wrong. Silence often signals mischief. But not with Jesus.

When Mary and Joseph found Him, He was in the temple—listening, asking questions, and engaging in serious spiritual discussion. This wasn’t surprising for Him, though it would be for any other child.

When questioned, Jesus responded, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” (Luke 2:49)

Ask yourself: Are you all about the Father’s business?

A WEEKEND HOBBY OR A WAY OF LIFE?

Our family enjoys a variety of activities on our day together—parks, bike rides, games, and projects. But that’s just one day. The rest of the week has a different focus.

Many treat God the same way—as a once-a-week priority rather than a daily pursuit. Church becomes enough, and spiritual seriousness is reserved for Sundays.

That wasn’t true of Jesus.

He was about His Father’s business every day. Can the same be said of you?

Whether at work or at home, God’s work isn’t confined to one day a week. It is a daily calling. Are you like a child left alone, drifting into trouble—or like Christ, faithfully engaged in the work of God at all times?

A key to being Christlike is living every day about the Father’s business.

Are You In The Family?

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:57:25 GMT

ARE YOU IN THE FAMILY?

If you were to ask the average American about their family tree, you might hear something like, “My grandparents came from England,” or “My parents came here from Mexico,”—something that ties them to another country a few generations back. The truth is, many people know where their family came from before arriving in America, but few really know the details or the full story of how their family got here.

JESUS’ FAMILY TREE

Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 and Gospel of Luke chapter 3 present two genealogies of Jesus.

Matthew traces Jesus’ line forward from Abraham to Jesus.
Luke traces Jesus’ line backward from Jesus all the way to Adam.

Matthew presents Jesus as a descendant of Abraham and a Son of David.
Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man and, ultimately, the second Adam.

When you read lists like these in the Bible, you may feel tempted to skip over the unfamiliar names. But imagine how differently you would feel if your name were included in one of those lists—even if it were the only time your name appeared in the entire Bible. You would likely take pride in the fact that Jesus is in your family tree. Or better yet, that you are in His.

The real question to consider is this— ARE YOU IN THE FAMILY?

MORE THAN A LAST NAME

Your last name has no bearing on whether you are part of the family of God. It is a matter of adoption. Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God chose to offer us this privilege, and He made that decision before you were even born. In fact, He chose to offer adoption before the world was even created. That is how important this is to God—and how special it is to be part of His family.

People often say, “We are all God’s children.” But that is not entirely accurate. We are all God’s creation, but we are not all God’s children. Here is the difference: Gospel of John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Becoming part of God’s family is not about being fortunate because of your bloodline. In fact, it begins with recognizing that our bloodline is affected by sin, and that receiving Jesus Christ is the only way to enter into His family.

A RELATIONSHIP BY CHOICE, NOT CHANCE

When you study the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, it is hard not to notice who is included. Names like Rahab, Tamar, and Ruth stand out. These women were not united by heritage alone, but by something greater—grace.

Your last name does not determine your future—your place in God’s family does. The key to being Christlike is being part of that family. Without adoption into God’s family, there is no true hope, no lasting belonging, and no real purpose.

When we consider the Saviour we are called to follow, God presented Him as the Son of God. It is His relationship with the Father that set Him apart as the only begotten Son. In the same way, it is our relationship with our Heavenly Father that gives us the ability to reflect the Son of God.

Are You Christ-like?

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:28:19 GMT

We are all born with certain traits that are given to us by God through our parents. These traits can include eye color, hair color, height, body type, and more. When a baby is born, you often hear someone say, “She has her mother’s eyes,” or something similar. I’m usually the one thinking, “I don’t think she looks like anybody I know.” But hey, let them have their moment.

The more time someone spends around you, the more they begin to form ideas about where you’re from, what kind of upbringing you had, and other clues about what makes you who you are. It may be your accent that reveals where you’re from, or your temper that makes someone wonder what shaped you that way.

THE BIG QUESTION

The reason for this introduction is to ask a simple question: Who are you like? Are you like your parents? Your friends? Your siblings? Your coworkers?

For most people, the answer would be “all of the above.” But for a Christian, it should be the goal of our lives that when people are around us, they think, “He or she is like Jesus.” They may not know much about the Saviour, but they should not be able to ignore that there is something different.

DEFINING THE TERM

The term Christian appears only three times in the Bible—twice in Acts and once in I Peter. In the first two instances, it was used by outsiders. Believers did not originally call themselves Christians; it was a name given to them by those who observed their lives.

In essence, they were saying, “These people are like Christ”—or even, “little Christs.” At Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians. Later, during Paul’s trial, King Agrippa said that Paul had almost persuaded him to become a Christian.

Moreover, the term Christian stuck. Followers of Jesus were marked by this term far before the denominational terms were given like Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc. This term didn’t make people think of the style of their church building or whether they had regular potlucks at their church. The name Christian made others think of Jesus that was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, died on the cross, and rose from the grave.

IT IS POSSIBLE

Ask yourself honestly: Am I Christ-like? When you read about His ministry, His teachings, and His example, how does your life reflect Christ? Convicting, isn’t it? I feel it too.

You may be tempted to say, “Of course not—that’s impossible.” But consider Acts 11:26 : “…And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” This name was given to those who believed in Jesus and followed Him. It was not just their inward faith, but their outward testimony that earned them this title.

What people saw was a group of individuals who followed the teachings and example of Jesus the Messiah. Because they reflected who He was and what He taught, they were called Christians. Names carry meaning, and the name Christian carries great weight—it connects us directly to our Saviour.

This is the standard that was set for true followers of Jesus.

Over the next several weeks, we will examine the teachings and example of Christ that so transformed these men that others gave them a name so powerful we still use it today.

Would the world have called you a Christian if you had lived in the time of Acts 11? Would those around you call you a Christian today? Are you truly Christ-like?

How To Make The Most Of Easter Sunday

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:25:38 GMT

New Year’s, Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s, Easter—and on and on it goes. Holidays bring excitement to our days of routine, but they can also lose their meaning and become just a day off from work, a time to fire up the barbecue and feast together, or simply a date to fill the calendar. There are many holidays that send us to Google each year, asking ourselves, “What is this day even about?” If there is one holiday we must not overlook—one we cannot allow to become routine—it is RESURRECTION SUNDAY . How can you and I do our part to make Easter a day set apart from the rest? Here are some practical thoughts to consider this weekend:

Spend time in God’s Word.

For several years, I’ve made it a habit to go to the end of the Gospels and read slowly through the last days of Jesus that led Him to Calvary and His resurrection. Google should not be our first instinct to learn about this day—God told us about it Himself. Take time this weekend to read slowly through the following passages:

Matthew 26–28
Mark 14–16
Luke 22–24
John 18–21

Spend time thanking, pondering, and worshiping God in prayer.

Easter Sunday is not just a day to be informed about, but a day that should bring transformation. Many know the facts about the resurrection, but their spirit is as dead as the Easter bunny. Ask God, “Please renew my passion and love for You as I consider what Jesus did for me on Calvary.” Tell God, “Thank You for what You did for me. I would be lost and without hope without the cross and the empty tomb.” Praise God for who He is and what He has done.

Talk about the cross and the empty tomb in your home.

If you have children, you should take this opportunity to teach them about the sacrifice and victory of Jesus. Don’t wait for them to hear it at church on Easter. They should be so familiar with it from home that Sunday becomes a review. It is not the church’s job to train your children—that is your responsibility, mom and dad. The church can be an aid, but children need to hear about God from their parents. Here are some ways you can do this:

Read the Bible together.
Ask questions to see if they understand.
Show videos that are safe and scripturally accurate—only after you’ve reviewed them. There are good resources available, but also much misinformation.
Have an older child teach younger children the Easter story.

Sing songs about the cross and the empty tomb.

God made us to love music, and music is also a teacher. During our family’s Bible time, we’ve sung songs this week about the resurrection. Go through your hymnal together as a family. Hum the words throughout the day. Music is an expression of the heart, but it also leaves an impression on the heart. Some songs to consider:

He Lives
There Rose a Lamb
He Arose
Because He Lives

Tell others about Easter by going soul winning.

Easter and Christmas are, by and large, the easiest times of the year to talk to people about church and Jesus. People almost expect it, and many are open to attending church—whether out of obligation, culture, or family tradition. We should take every opportunity to share the Gospel and the true meaning of Easter.

Invite people with church tracts.
Talk to your neighbors.
Carry tracts with you and pass them out throughout the weekend.

Attend church and be involved.

One of the greatest ways we can honor the Lord’s resurrection is by being in God’s house on this Sunday. This is a day you shouldn’t miss. You may already know the story, but Easter Sunday is always special. Here are some ways to make the most of it:

Prepare your clothes the night before.
Spend time with God before church.
Arrive early.
Find a place to serve.
Take family pictures.
Look for visitors to welcome and witness to.

Spend time with family and friends.

I love that we gather together on days like this—it should be special. While the celebration should never replace church, it is a wonderful thing to share a meal and enjoy fellowship. Humanity has always connected meaningful occasions with food and togetherness. And if there’s a day to celebrate in this way—it’s EASTER SUNDAY !

Another Book?

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 06:49:03 GMT

In 2017, God placed it on my heart to write a daily devotional for the new converts in our church. Over the course of that year, my desire to write continued to grow. The blessing of hearing people express how much it helped them fueled my passion to keep writing. Through a godly lady in our church—whom God used to help make that desire a reality—my first book was published in 2018.

Since then, the world has changed rapidly. We live in the age of information. For a while, we thought we had reached the pinnacle of access with Google only a click away. Then AI entered our world, and access took on an entirely new meaning. Computers, phones, televisions, and even refrigerators now keep us connected to information, content, and entertainment around the clock—a 24/7 dopamine diet. Is this truly for our good? Only time will tell.

There is no competing with the sheer volume of content the world produces. YouTubers, social media influencers, and news sources on X dominate the digital space. So, the question arises: is there still a point to physical books? Furthermore, we might even ask whether there is still a reason to write, to read, to study, or to learn—or whether the entire pursuit is becoming obsolete.

The answer is yes. We must still have writers. We must still read. We must still memorize. And we must still study. The seasoned apostle Paul told the young and ambitious Timothy, “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (I Timothy 4:13). We cannot surrender simply because of the age in which we live, and we must not throw in the towel when it comes to fighting the good fight of faith.

The book I have written is directed toward our youth. My desire is that teenagers and young adults will read it. If there is any group we must continue striving to influence, it is the next generation. The youth of today have grown up knowing only a world of social media and constant entertainment. They do not remember when Facebook began; they simply remember watching their parents scroll endlessly—and the day finally came when they could create accounts of their own.

Young people still need books. Adults still need books. Everyone still needs wise counsel from godly voices—counsel that engages the mind rather than merely entertaining it. My prayer is that this devotional will impact young people far beyond my lifetime. That is what books do. Books outlast lives.

Blogs will fade (this one included). Digital content may eventually be lost in the cloud. But books remain. They may sit on a shelf and collect dust for a time, but they will still be there—ready to be opened, read, and to pass their influence on to future generations.

If you have a young person in your home, I hope you will consider this resource. God has strongly impressed this work upon my heart, and it is my prayer that He will use it to be a blessing.

Let's Build Something For God

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:12:55 GMT

A COMMON GENE

There are a few common traits in each of us, placed there by God, that give us common ground. We ask the same questions: “Why am I here?” “Where did I come from?” “What is my purpose?” We share similar fears: “Will I die soon?” “Do I have what it takes?” And I believe we have similar desires. You often hear people say, “I want to make a difference with my life.”

That desire wasn’t created by some nonbelieving Hollywood writer. These thoughts and feelings were given to you by God, and they have a purpose. Everything God has placed within you is meant to draw you to the knowledge of His existence and His grace. Recognizing these truths—made clear to us all the way back in the Genesis account of Creation—helps us understand that these feelings and desires were planted by Almighty God and should be nurtured as we seek His purpose for our lives.

Let's Build Something for God!

A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

For many churches, the beginning of January is a time to share vision, present future plans, and renew commitment. For our church, on Sunday night, January 11, we presented a prayer that exceeds our ability. The theme for 2026 (and beyond) for Regency is “Let’s Build Something for God!”

This prayer reflects a burden that has been on my heart for some time. God has allowed us to develop plans to prepare for a potential building on our property. Our desire is to build something for God that will facilitate the goals of our ministry and enable us to minister to people for generations to come. Would you pray for us?

We want to build something for God!

GOD IS FOR BUILDING PROJECTS

Re-read that statement—but don’t think about a building. Think about your life. You are God’s project. Ephesians 2:10 describes us this way: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works...” God has a work He wants to do in each of us. Here’s what we must realize: everything God is doing in our lives is for the purpose of building us into the person He created us to be.

When I presented this project to our church, I said, “Building projects build people.” That’s what excites me most—both personally and for our church. Whatever God is putting in your heart to do for Him, do it by faith. There is something God is trying to build in your life. Problems arise when we lay down the hammer and set aside the tool belt. A stagnant project is a dead project.

Let's Build Something for God!

What are you going to do for God in 2026? Maybe your witnessing needs to be revived. Surely, we all desire a deeper relationship with God than ever before—through His Word and in the prayer closet. Perhaps your commitment to God needs to be reignited. Christians across the world who determine to build something in their lives for God could bring about a revival unlike anything we’ve ever seen. This is a matter of personal responsibility.

Will you pick up the hammer in your life and get to work?

How Should Christians Deal with Halloween?

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:22:26 GMT

Our family was driving home from church the other night and as we pulled on to our street, our kids commented on the Halloween decorations that covered houses in our neighborhood. For Christian kids, their comments were interesting. They said, “They have Halloween decorations. They are bad people”. My wife and I quickly chimed in and explained to our kids that most of our neighbors are not saved, and while they may not necessarily be good people, they simply do not understand the truth about God and the devil and that we should pray for them to be saved.

Interestingly, Christians are quite divided on the issue of Halloween. Churches have their “Trunk or Treat” events. Some dress in costume. Some do not. Some treat any fellowship on October 31 ^st as a union with the worship of the devil’s day with non-believers. Some provide alternative fellowships like fall festivals that do not have costumes, ghouls, and skeletons, but provide activities like hay rides, apple bobbing, and corn hole. Not all religions are as divided on this issue, but Independent Baptists seem to especially have a variety of stances on how to treat this holiday.

Disclaimer

An important disclaimer to this subject must be said. This is not necessarily a gospel issue. As Christians, we live in the world, but we are not of the world. How we operate and live in the world will preach a message, and we are going to differ on many issues in this life. Grace should be readily given to a number of these issues. While I do not give grace to false preachers of the gospel, I’m also not going to demonize a church for holding a “Trunk or Treat” event that does it in good taste. I personally don’t promote that with our church. For years, we’ve held a “Harvest Party”. People don’t dress up and we have a sweet time of fellowship. I am more opposed to those that use the liberty excuse to dress up as R-rated horror movie characters though. Moreover, I do personally give a measure of grace to my fellow believers on this issue.

However, the reason for this article is to highlight the fact that we must be vigilant. Too many of our decisions have been flippantly exercised to appease our conscience when indulging in worldly pleasures. “It’s not that big of an issue” is too often shrugged. What your church did on Halloween may not be the subject of contention on your death bed, it is worth noting.

Where did Halloween come from?

It really is a melting pot of traditions and practices. Some say it is from a Celtic belief and practice where the God of death would come and gather the dead souls together around this time. Some say it is from certain European traditions where a visitation from the dead would be around this time. Some say that Catholics have a part in the origin. The one thread that continues throughout these sources is that they are all connected to the dead in some way. In some origins, it was pagan beliefs and practices. In others, it was prayers and rituals for the dead. The reality is that what is practiced in modern America with Halloween is loosely, if at all, connected to these origins. With a select number, there may be. With most, these origins are unrealized. Origins don’t always dictate how practices continue. Several holidays would have this truth as well.

Halloween Today

Without the label and the date stamp of Halloween, most of the practices that people participate on generally seem to be positive from the outside. People gathering together, kids getting out and talking to their neighbors, candy and goodies being passed out to strangers in a fun way – on the surface, these are all pretty harmless. Now, when you add the blood, guts, gore, and severely inappropriate pieces to this, it changes drastically, but the sheer nature of what people do on this day certainly seems to have a great disconnect with some of the possible origins in other cultures with Halloween. This is not a shrug to the obvious evil, darkness, violence, and immorality present on Halloween. The kids version of Halloween seems pretty harmless, church’s fellowships and events seem to be very positive, but there is clearly another side to this day that involves immoral parties and wicked practices (whether genuine or not).

The Day of the Dead

I John 4:1 – “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

There is a clear connection with Halloween and the Day of the Dead. This is practiced widely in Central & South America. They believe that the spirits will come visit them on this day. Rituals are performed to contact their relatives in their homes and in public places. The Disney movie, Coco, (which I have not seen or allowed our children to see) is a clear whitewashing of this day to draw innocence to this pagan practice. The Day of the Dead is a bit of a mixture of Catholic and Aztec practices, while Catholic church bells are often the ones that are used to announce the arrival of these spirits of the dead family members and saints that are “arriving”. It is a clear damnable practice that should be completely opposed as Christians. I’m glad for the missionaries that we have in Mexico and in other places that we pass out thousands of tracts during these parades and festivals to give the truth of the gospel in the face of this abominable wickedness.

Principles & Truths to Consider

Not all practices that were practiced by pagans are pagan and sinful . This can easily be abused. Pagans going around singing does not mean that Christians going around singing during a certain holiday are sinful. Many of those that dress up and walk their neighborhoods on Halloween are not indulging in pagan practices clearly.

The appearance of evil should be avoided at all costs . I Thessalonians 5:22 states, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Cue the spider webs, skeletons, vampires, pop culture figures, and ghosts. None of this should be excused are accepted as Christians. You can argue whether a princess dress is appropriate for a five-year-old girl because it happens to be October 31 ^st , but dressing up as Frankenstein should be a no-brainer as a believer.

The end doesn’t justify the means . Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” This Proverbs gives a principle that can apply to a myriad of scenarios. We are wise to consider if our methods are Christ-honoring. I don’t personally ever see our church having “Trunk or Treat”, but I’m not really against those who do. I do believe there is a line we are careful not to cross on these days, and we should be careful to be mindful of our methods just as much as our results.

Separation doesn’t make you a Scrooge . Forgive the Christmas reference. You are not a downer because you refuse to put up skeletons in your front yard. Many opportunities arise in the world that give Christians a clear way to shine for Christ while the herds move in an opposite direction. Halloween would certainly be one of those examples.

Offer grace and stand firm. I believe in holding firm and true to convictions while also being gracious to other believers. I have no problem with calling out the debauchery and evil that takes place on Halloween, but I also have no problem offering a measure of grace (that I hope is reciprocated) to those that don’t follow every standard that I hold to. Strive to honor Christ and to be gracious to fellow believers.

Digital Infidelity

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 06:42:15 GMT

Focus on the Family published an article that dives into the link between the modern social media world and the unfiltered, hyper access for married people to cross emotional and soon physical lines in their marriages. It reads, “Licensed marriage and family therapist George James, president of communication group George Talks, adds that people often use the virtual aspect of social networking and digital communication as justification for starting these relationships. That’s reason to take caution, James says, because this blend of physical separation and instant connectivity enables people to disconnect from everyday life and engage with another human being.

"The screen feels like a boundary," he says, "where people can feel like they are not doing anything wrong because the person is not there with them."

K. Jason and Kelli Krafsky, joint authors of Facebook and Your Marriage , warn about how quickly former emotions can reignite online. "With access to an old flame’s profile, contact info, pictures and private ways to communicate with one another, a brief trip down memory lane can turn into camping out, reminiscing over memories and rebuilding the emotional bonds that once existed," the Krafskys say.

Ephesians 5:15 commends, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” The kind of interactions, posting, and viewing on social media has opened up the devil’s attacks towards men and women alike. Circumspectly is not how I’d define most of what we see online. Many view their interactions through their screen often as harmless because conversations and interactions are not in person but behind a screen. Lying in bed liking pictures of someone that isn’t your spouse, being alone late into the night texting the opposite gender and secretly messaging those that aren’t your spouse are just a few examples of the dynamite that many play with in the social media world.

PRECAUTIONS

Most of the dangers and temptations that come from inappropriate social media use could be greatly avoided with simple precautions that Christians can and should take.

1. Do not message the opposite gender in secret.

Teens should absolutely not be messaging the opposite gender. Married people should not be messaging those that aren’t their spouse of the opposite gender in secret. Rather to be overboard in this area than to be vulnerable to temptation or even slander. Group messaging is not difficult. My wife and I include each other in messages with other people all the time. I’ll either text a husband and wife together or I’ll message someone with my wife in the message. I have never found anyone to be offended by this, and it is an easy and obvious option to keeping communication above board in the comfort of your own office, vehicle, home, or bed with someone that you need to be on guard with.

2. Consider not following those of the opposite gender.

I didn’t get social media really until after I was married. Like most people, I started to follow pretty much anybody and everybody I knew that would accept my “friend request” . That quickly changed. I know not all platforms are the same, but most platforms provide some way to post pictures. I remember opening my phone one morning and seeing some woman posting her new hair style or outfit or whatever it was, and I felt wrong (it wasn’t even that it was an inappropriate picture). It felt like that woman sent a selfie of herself to my phone for my viewing. I made a decision that day that I would not follow women that were not family. The only exception that I’ve made to this would be some political or new individuals (these cases are rare or more about following an organization, not an individual).

POTENTIALS

There are potential dangers that one should be aware of when it comes to messaging the opposite gender:

1. You can be accused for what you cannot deny.

The quality of being blameless is a wise route for someone that wants to be clear of the #metoo headlines. While many ungodly people have been revealed for the hypocrites and evil people they are, I also believe many have been slandered in ways that are almost irreparable because they were accused for something they could not deny. Guardrails not only keep you safe from falling into temptation, but they also keep you safe from slander. My wife is included in this as well. She won’t have to worry about my eyes and my communications if these guardrails are put in place.

2. You can be opened to what you cannot resist.

Sober and vigilant are the terms that God uses when He tells us about the roaring lion that is the devil that is out to destroy our lives. A burglar doesn’t need every door and every window open to get into your home, and Satan doesn’t need every area of your life open as well. He just needs one weak point of entry. The flesh is weak, and you need to come to grips with what your flesh can be capable of.

Be wiser than those who scoff and defend, “You’re reading into this too much. It’s just a friend. I would never…” I’m sure those that ended their marriages in ruin thought and said the same thing at times. Your purity and the integrity of your name are worth the extra precautionary steps to put yourself on guard in the area against digital infidelity.

Living In Fantasy Land

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:42:41 GMT

NEVERLAND IS A FANTASY

The old cartoon Peter Pan was about a fantasy land where kids never grow up and they never have anyone telling them what to do. It’s no wonder why this movie and other Disney films that captured the minds of so many kids around the world. Families gather around to watch an “innocent” cartoon, but when the TV turns on, those children are reminded that Neverland is not a reality. If a child told his parents, “I want to live like Peter Pan where kids never grow up and never have to listen to anyone”, his parents (if they are good parents) will tell their child that they can believe in a fantasy land if they want, but it’s not going to make it a reality. Kids do grow up and we do have authority and responsibilities in life.

LIFE IS NOT A COMPETITION

Social media can be a breeding ground for covetousness. What social media really presents is the personal highlight reel of someone’s life. If we’re not careful, we compare the reality of our lives to the highlight reels that pop up on our devices every day. The result is a spirit of comparison. Comparison is the enemy of contentment. How someone looks, how their life seems, how fun their stuff seems – all of this can stir the wrong kind of spirit in a believer.

REJOICE WITH THEM

Sadly, our response to those that we see on social media can grow resentment in our hearts as well. Instead of rejoicing at the blessings of others, our competitive flesh kicks into hyperdrive. And if we don’t get to the picture that they’re presenting, then we not only get discouraged, but begin to resent their successes and blessings. If someone is able to take a vacation, rejoice with them. Don’t subtly imply, “It should would be nice if I was ever able to get away like you”. There will always be someone online that will one-up whatever you have, wherever you went, or however you look. Don’t resent them for it. Rejoice with them. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice” .

WEEP WITH THEM

Mourn with others. The sadness and gloom that we are told about because of the lightning-fast news source in our hands can make a sunny, beautiful day into a dreary one. It is a challenge in the day that we live in to have the knowledge that we have of specifics details, faces, and examples of wickedness and hurt, especially if people don’t know what to do with their hurt. Romans 12:15 continues, “ …and weep with them that weep ”. If we’re not careful, we can become desensitized to the hurt because it’s constant. You don’t have to show someone that is hurting the story of someone else you follow that has it worse. Just be there for them. You may not be able to be a comfort and a friend to everyone in the world, but if there’s an opportunity that social media provides it is personal access to the hearts of billions. Use it for good in any way you can. You may not get noticed by commenting on a celebrity’s post, but there are Christians and lost people all over that you may be able to reach and be a friend to.

Live in the real world, even when you’re looking into the fantasy land that is often represented by social media.

Keep It In The Family

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:08:35 GMT

Privacy Protection Needed

One of the glaring errors of the social media, everyone-is-connected society that we live in is the voluntary surrender of personal privacy. From photos of what people are eating for lunch to documenting every square inch of our homes for the public to prey upon, there is a great amount of wisdom for our generation to gain in this area. To put it plainly, there are some parts of our lives that should be kept out of the public eye.

The Greatest Gossip in the Church

Do you know where to find good gossip in the church? Go to the children’s classes during prayer request time. You’ll hear little Johnny and Susie tell their teacher all about how mommy and daddy raised their voices at each other. They’ll tell you how many spankings their little brother got, and they’ll open the closet and gladly share every skeleton they’ve seen.

Airing Dirty Laundry

Unfortunately, there are many childish Christians all over social media airing the dirty laundry in their marriages and in their churches. If you don’t believe me, go to your local neighborhood app and see the display of meaningless gossip going on with your neighbors. I get saddened, and that pity turns to frustration quickly when I see wives complaining about their husbands online, even if it’s supposed to be humorous. Then we see church people pulling out the clothesline of all the church drama and every scandal that’s gone on all across America. The comments section welcomes everyone to “speak out” in the mask of being virtuous and courageous.

The Bible Has the Answers

The Bible gives a model for how we deal with problems in the church in Matthew 18. 1) Go to the person directly. 2) Take witnesses if they won’t listen the first time. 3) Take it before the church. Yes, there are the Minor Prophets who addressed national issues publicly before the people, and that will have it’s place. However, I’d argue that we err way to far on being too public opposed to being too private.

Bloodthirsty Wannabe Prophets

Dealing with private problems privately is not sweeping sin under the rug. I fear that we have become bloodthirsty savages when it comes to dealing with the sin of others. Until we see pain and blood, we are not satisfied. YouTube videos are made. Then response videos are made. Posts are shared. Comments are flooded. And before you know it, there is an archive full of videos, blogs, and posts for parties that are not involved, have no reason to be “in the know”, and many of whom are lost with a front row seat on the action.

Let me offer some wisdom regarding dealing with problems in our social age:

1. Private problems should be dealt with privately.

If a Christian is struggling with a sin and they go to a spiritual leader for help, that leader is good to help that fellow in a private matter. Most of us wouldn’t argue this, because we’ve all been there.

2. Public humiliation can remove the possibility of restoration.

When personal problems become public merely because of gossip, it humiliates people. Now, I do believe there is a good side to this. This kind of shame can also lead a person to real repentance. The wisdom that is needed is to know when it is necessary to deal with a private problem privately and when to deal with it publicly.

3. The testimony of Christ and the church is harmed.

Public fighting online is like have a guest over for dinner while mom and dad are arguing over the dinner table. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and makes that person that is not a part of the family wish that they wouldn’t have to come back into that arena again. What do we expect the world to feel and respond when they see our comments in California on the scandals going on in a church in Florida?

4. The church is a place of authority and help.

Matthew 18 and the model of the New Testament is a clear indicator that God has given a great help to us through our local church. Most would rather pay a therapist that they won’t see on Sunday, but you have a God-ordained helper in your pastor, spiritual leader, and fellow Christians in your local church.

5. Public problems should be dealt with publicly.

I Timothy 5:20 tells us that there is a time and place for public discipline. I don’t know if the interpretation of that text would infer that you need to make a YouTube video on what you think about a preacher who has been dead for twenty years. I don’t know if this even means that you need to comment on what’s going on in the church split on the other side of the country that you read about on Facebook. I do believe that this does mean that a pastor and a church have an obligation to address matters before the congregation in a Spirit-led and in a Biblical manner. I’ve had the unfortunate responsibility to use our pulpit for such occasions, and, while these moments are uncomfortable, they are far more profitable than the banter going on in the comments section on Facebook.

A Warrior Of Words

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:43:21 GMT

“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.”

-Charlie Kirk

Words are to the Christian like tools are to the construction worker. It is not our fists or our muscles that give us strength in the spiritual battlefield, it is the power of our words and the Spirit of God that uses them. If there was one person that had a master’s degree with his words, it was Charlie Kirk. He was a devoted husband and father, and a young man passionate for his nation from an early age. Charlie reached the spotlight at a young age, most significantly with his organization, Turning Point USA. However, I’m sure that if he were still here, he’d tell you that his greatest joy came from serving his family and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“When we stop talking to each other and arguing our differences,

that’s when people turn to violence, and I’m trying to prevent that.”

-Charlie Kirk

Martyrdom almost feels like a foreign or historical term as an American. It’s something we read in our history books or read about in the news, but it has not been a reality for America for much of its history as it has for so many other nations. Yet, on September 10, 2025 (on the eve of 9/11), Charlie Kirk was gunned down in broad daylight on the campus of Utah Valley University doing what he does best, being a warrior with his words. Charlie reached millions, if not billions, with his videos – just having conversations with others, mainly young adults about age old questions that pertain to the truth. For that – our 1 ^st Amendment rights, for his words, which he was most known for sharing gracefully – he was killed. Charlie Kirk was murdered for having beliefs and speaking about them. That statement alone feels foreign to write as an American.

( When asked how Charlie would want to be remembered if he died)

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing.

The most important thing is my faith.”

-Charlie Kirk

Charlie caught my attention several years ago, and I’ve been a fan from afar. The mystery of our generation is how we can feel so connected to someone that we did not know personally, yet we can feel like they were a close friend. Charlie wasn’t some actor playing pretend on the big screen. He used cameras, social media, and his show to capture conversations and allowed millions to join in to the conversation. Charlie was gifted in debate, and in many areas, I would agree with his beliefs about the gospel, conservative, moral, and biblical values. No two Christians are alike, but Charlie was a breath of fresh area in an area where many have viewed politicians to be a lost cause, even those who claim to have some kind of “faith”. It comes to no surprise that many have admitted that they would have voted for Charlie for president had he had the chance to run. I would have been one of those people.

“Stop being a boy and become a man. If you want to know

what that means, come to church.”

-Charlie Kirk

The assassination, the murder, the heinous and evil act that took place on September 10 made Charlie Kirk a modern martyr for the Christian faith. This act has cemented what we had thought was a foreign concept to many and that is this – persecution is here for Christians in America. The scale is uncertain. The end is unclear. But our mission is as clear as ever. We must continue to speak the truth – most importantly, the truth of the gospel and the truths given by the Word of God. Charlie was a warrior of words, and he used them to his advantage. However, it wasn’t a skill of manipulation or deception. The words that he spoke were largely backed by the truth of the Bible, not just the ideas of man. Charlie’s life can be picked apart like any other human being, but I choose to recognize what he knew his greatest mission was, and that was spreading the truth of the gospel.

“Jesus defeated death so you can live.”

-Charlie Kirk

“Jesus is enough, you are not enough.”

-Charlie Kirk

While in college, I remember a pastor saying to a group of young men – “I do not measure a man by his ministry, I measure him by his marriage.” For the reasons that I do not respect many conservatives, Trump included, those are the same reasons I respect someone like Charlie Kirk. He was a family man that is mourned by a wife and two beautiful children because of the devoted father that he was. A video has circulated of his daughter running shyly in his direction, and when she gets close enough, she picks up speed and runs boldly into her daddy’s arms. As a father of three girls, that video has struck my heart the most. To take that away from two children is an act done only by one with a black heart. Erika and their two children will need an extra measure of grace to fill Charlie’s role in their home, because God designed little girls to need their daddy’s. And they need them desperately. Charlie was a strong promoter of the family, and aside from the gospel, and especially next to politically conservative views, that is the most important to a strong nation. The attack and collapse on the family in America is what will lead her to her demise. That is what Charlie was fighting to stop. This was also emphasized in his wife’s first public speech since her husband’s death.

“More people should get married young and have more kids than they can afford.”

“The happiest women in America are married with children.”

“Having children is way more important than having a good career.”

-Charlie Kirk

When the years pass and cultures and empires continue to shift, our legacy will be cemented. If there’s one thing that moments like this should bring to our attention it is the same question that was asked to Charlie Kirk – “how will you want to be remembered?”

- Be remembered for speaking much of the gospel to anyone that will listen and compelling them to hear the truth.

- Be remembered for your love and integrity towards your family.

- Be remembered as a faithful member of the body of Christ, no matter where your work takes you.

- Be remembered for doing all that you can to fight evil and to be bold and courageous for Jesus as

He was bold for you.

- Be remembered for giving your life for others.

“Good men must die, but death can’t kill their names.”

-Charlie Kirk

The Selfie Generation

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 05:31:59 GMT

Every generation has its marks that people remember them by. Proverbs 30 describes four types of generations. Verse 13 describes one generation this way – “There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.” If there was a simple, yet accurate description of the generation of young people and young adults today, we could call them the selfie generation . Solomon may have said it this way – “There is a generation, O how many selfies fill up their cloud data. Their filters wash their imperfections and appease their insecurities with every like and comment.”

Selfies are not just a type of photography; they are the way of a generation. A study ten years ago showed that women ages 16 to 25 spent about 5 hours per week taking and editing selfies. Many will obsess over the angle, the lighting, the position of their hair, the background, etc., etc., etc. This screams insecurity! More accurately put, this can be called “selfie dysmorphia”. This is the obsession with perfecting the imperfections with a filter, an editing program, or lighting manipulation. A generation of girls (and boys) have grown up looking into a lens that isn’t concentrated on God’s landscape, others, family, and helpful information, but a lens looking right back at themselves. This is a recipe for disaster for many, but especially for young people!

The greatest error that one can make with social media (in my humble opinion) is the promotion of self . I personally get bothered with even the title of influencer. Because 99.9% of these wannabe celebrities find their fulfillment in the adoration of a following that can hardly be characterized as real relationships and a life that is strictly digital. This is not to say that posting anything online of us is wrong, but it’s quite easy to find accounts that are filled with self-portraits, varying from borderline nudity to a cringey “look at me” posterboard.

Before you get defensive and accuse me of ranting about a pet peeve, I’d encourage you to study what Proverbs and the rest of the Bible says about the elevating of one’s self. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” And no, that doesn’t mean posting a selfie and waiting for all of the comments to flood in about how stunning you look. Selfies scream for an invitation for praise, and that’s why people share them most of the time.

My heart aches for the young girls in our generation that think that they need to become a social media phenomenon and will sacrifice the purity of their bodies for the praise of strangers online. Too many girls are marketing their bodies for free for perverts and reprobates. Each generation can do better, and parents can do better to monitor this.

Parents, don’t let your children take a lot of selfies, whether they post them or not. This should be a huge red flag to the internal thoughts and battles that your kids may be facing. Nothing good will come of it.

Parents, don’t let your children post a lot of selfies. I’m not accusing a selfie of being sinful, but excess in this shows signs of depression and severe insecurity issues, not to mention safety concerns.

Women, I beg you to have discretion with your social media. Get a man’s opinion (a godly man) on your account. If he’s willing to tell the truth, he’ll tell you what can appear to give the wrong message. You do not need a thousand digital followers to make you feel beautiful and special. If you have a man at home who made sacred vows together with you, then there is only one person that you should need to fill that void in your soul.

Men are normally the smallest group in this area, but this is a concern for all ages and genders. Men shouldn’t need praise from the world, nor should they feel the need to display their masculinity for others to praise.

This is not a call for a ban of any picture/selfie of yourself that you may have on your accounts. I would be hypocritical if that were the case. This is, however, a call for visiting an area of concern with how we view ourselves, where we find the solution to fix the insecurities that many will face, and showing wisdom with how we portray ourselves for free for the public to see. The studies in this area are not Christian and they are not very complex to understand. Social media should not be used for self-promotion, or you will pay the consequences for it in your heart and with your relationships. I guarantee it.

The Social Experiment Of The Social Network

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 06:44:38 GMT

READY FOR A RIDE?

Imagine you are getting on a roller coaster and at the entrance there was a sign that said “Side effects likely include obesity, mental health issues, sleep deprivation, social incompetence, attention problems, anxiety, depression, addictions, delayed speech and reading, motor deficits, eye damage, and musculoskeletal disorders.” Would you get on the ride? The roller coaster that I’d like to present to you is the social network and the social experiment we are all a part of.

Think about these next couple statements. Iowa State University psychology professor, Douglas Gentile, said, “It’s been getting harder for parents to really monitor a lot of what their kids are seeing and doing. At the same time, they’re relying on the seeming benefit of being able to quiet the kids at a restaurant with a device…We may be building a bit of Frankenstein’s monster, because we’re using that power for our benefit, not for the child’s benefit.” Google design ethicist, Tristan Harris, said, “There are a thousand people on the other side of the screen whose job it is to break down the self-regulation you have.”

REALITY CHECK

Between 2012 and 2025, teens owning a mobile device went from 41% to 95%. Teens using social media several times a day went from 34% to 70% and teens having some kind of social media is at 93%. More than half of these adolescents visit TikTok daily and about 73% use YouTube daily. We are living in a social experiment. Only time will tell the effects that the social network will have on our youth that are being raised to aspire to want to be influencers more than they want to be doctors, preachers, and enter the real work force.

I won’t be the voice to cry “the sky is falling” every time there is a new trend or social media app, but we also can’t ignore the dangers that we are facing with more access and connection than ever before. Ease of access is the reason that children are being exposed to pornography earlier than ever before. The internet has skyrocketed the child trafficking industry. More and more girls are tempted to create their own fan page online and sell their body to strangers as they claim their “independence”. These realities should shake us to our core.

THERE IS HOPE

Here’s some good news. Whether it’s a famine, market collapse, or a technology that changes the way the world lives, God’s Word has the answers. For the next several weeks, I’d like to offer some wisdom from God’s Word on the subject. May I also point out that this wisdom is not just for teens. You’ve seen the dating or even marriage couple on a date at the restaurant on their phones instead of focusing on one another. Sixty-six percent of adults in married or committed relationships report that smartphones and social media sites like Facebook play an integral role in their lives. 40% of spouses say that they are bothered by how much their spouse is on their device. The effects of users that use social media without wisdom and understanding can lead to a number of problems such as obesity, anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, cyberbullying, and much more.

However, there is hope. When God wrote the Bible He knew that we would live in this era and face the problems that we call modern and new. The wisdom from His Word is as relevant to the wannabe TikTok influence as it was to the blacksmith and farmer of years past.

Why Go On A Missions Trip?

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 05:26:41 GMT

Worldwide missions is the conclusion to the ministry and work of Jesus Christ that can be found in the closing of each gospel and at His ascension in Acts 1. While I am a patriot, I am a Christian first. Nations and powers will change and fade, but the need for eternity remains the same.

Recently, I led a group from our church to the Navajo Reservation, the largest Indian reservation in the U.S., in Arizona for a summer missions trip for our teens. I didn’t take my first missions trip until 2022, and it made a profound impact on me. Some wrongfully view missions trips as glorified vacations or somehow as a way to appease our American sympathy towards the less unfortunate. This blog is for those who have taken a missions trip, those who are considering taking a missions trip, and for anyone that shares the heart of our Saviour towards the souls of the world. Not everyone will have these opportunities, but I would challenge you to consider joining your church or even taking a personal missions trip for the following reasons:

1. It will change your worldview.

“USA all the way!” – We cheer it, and I love it. But in Heaven, Olympic medals and national anthems won’t be played. I don’t believe it’s wrong to be patriotic, but that spirit of competition and comparison can be cancerous to the heart of missions if we don’t put it in its proper place. The goal of missions isn’t to Americanize the world; it is to evangelize the world.

2. It will stir compassion in your soul.

Jesus was moved with compassion because He looked with His eyes upon the people. Walking through the Amazon jungle, exploring the streets and alley ways in San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, travelling through Mexico, and exploring the Navajo Indian reservation, my heart has done somersaults as I’ve seen the surface of the great need in these areas. It’s also reminded me how we can become so desensitized to our own areas because it’s the “norm” to us. Instead of seeing streets, houses, roads, and sites, we must learn to see souls that are slipping into one of two sides of eternity. If you have any heart for God, I promise this will have a powerful impact.

3. It will open your eyes to the darkness.

I have a soft spot for two kinds of missionaries: those that are involved with translating the Bible into languages that have no written copy of God’s Word and those that are going to a field that has little to no gospel witness. These pioneers remind me of the missionaries that we read about in books of yesteryear. Recently, we visited an area that had no established gospel preaching church until just a few short years ago. Now, there have been several churches that have been started. In a land where we pass a dozen churches on the way to the church of our choosing, it can be eye opening to see how big of a need there is around the globe. While we face church hoppers that move across town when they get upset, some are living in darkness with zero options other than a false religion.

4. It will connect you with other believers.

Isolation can be a real feeling in Christianity. If we’re not careful, we look at our cities and think, “Is anyone else trying to do what we’re doing?” I’ve enjoyed spending time with missionaries in each field I’ve visited. Some have been missionaries that our church supports, and some I’ve met for the first time. Those conversations have encouraged me and I’ve been blessed to connect with each of those believers. Truth be told, a lot of those conversations were with the people or natives in those lands, not just the missionaries that were called there. I’ll treasure those moments for a lifetime.

5. It will make you more soul conscious.

I am a big believer in that missions trips should not be glorified vacations. The purpose of the trips I’ve taken is for ministry. Along the way, I’ve seen some amazing sites, but the sites are not the purpose. The purpose is the people in those places, and the purpose isn’t to bring them food, water, or houses. Those may be methods to open their hearts and to draw them out. The purpose is to preach the gospel. Each trip I’ve taken, we’ve seen many souls saved and that is always the highlight of the trip.

6. It will produce gratitude and contentment.

Nearly every culture and race around the globe has greater difficulties than us Americans. America has its faults and failures, but the standard of living in American is so much higher than much of the world. This has been one of the greatest realizations in each trip that I’ve taken. I believe this is one of the great reasons that kids and teens should go to needy areas. Their Xbox and favorite snacks seem less like necessities when they see cultures struggle to have access to clean water or regular food.

7. It will challenge you to do more in your field.

A stirring of the heart will translate to action. People don’t do what they are not inspired in their heart to do. Missions is not merely emotionally driven, but there is no doubt that the stirring that takes place on a different mission field will have great potential to cause you to return home with the thought, “I must do more!” This should make giving to missions much more personal. This should make you a better soul winner back home. And this should increase your prayer life towards missions.

These are a few of the many reasons that I have made missions trips a purposeful priority for myself and our church in recent days. We can’t be in two places at once, but we do live in a day where travel is easier than ever. With the right mindset and purpose, missions trips can be a tremendous blessing.

Who Is Achan?

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 06:50:48 GMT

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The story of Achan in Joshua 7 is undoubtedly the greatest reminder of this principle. Joshua and the nation of Israel were gaining momentum as they crossed the Jordan River and were ready to claim the territory God promised them. However, as they went up against Ai, thirty-six soldiers lost their lives in a battle that seemed like a walk in the park. The reason? God wasn’t going to bless the nation because there was a weak link in the chain and his name was Achan.

Achans are likely in every church in the world. Achan is a teenager that is forced to attend but has a dark heart. Achan is a spouse that comes to appease his/her family but is counting down the minutes until he/she can leave church. Achan is a leader that is going through the motions but relies on talent and familiarity over God’s help. Achan is a pastor that can preach a sermon but is distant in his personal walk with God. Achan is anyone that appears to be solid and sold out on the outside but is empty and barren on the inside.

The severity of the Achan syndrome cannot be overstated. It can cripple a good and thriving ministry when one bad egg is in the midst of the bunch. Your job is not to become the bounty hunter of your church to track down Achan. Your job is to be on guard that you never become an Achan and hinder what God can and desires to do in the assembly of your church.

What are some signs of the spirit of Achan entering your life?

1. Hidden sin.

Harboring unconfessed sin in your heart is one of the surest ways to hinder God’s blessing and to bring God’s judgment. When you enter the presence of God, that is time for confession. Don’t allow your sins to be kept from the Lord.

2. A bitter spirit.

Bitterness is a cancer. The truth is that Satan will use any person, any conservation, and any experience he can to get you bitter at God. People blame the church and the people for all the hardships, scars, and burdens of their lives. It is true that people hurt people, even in church. However, the sad result is that instead of dealing with that person, that person will use that experience as an excuse to get bitter and God and His church.

3. A contentious spirit.

Church is a place to build one another, not for tearing down. It is a place to be a help, not a hurt. It is a place to see that you don’t have to be a victim, but you can live victorious with God. It amazes me how many come to church with a contentious spirit. I realize, as the pastor, I may get the brunt of this, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around someone getting ready to come to church with the same attitude that Muhammed Ali had when he was getting his hands wrapped up before a fight.

4. A disconnected heart

The heart shows up during the song service. It’s hard to fake joy, especially when you’re singing about the salvation, glory, or love of Jesus. Staring at the song leader with your arms crossed is a good way to kill the spirit in a service. We’ve had people come that I honestly never saw move their lips in the song service. Maybe some are fearful of their lack of talent, or maybe it is because their heart has no desire to sing at all of the glory of God.

It may be that victory is around the corner, but defeat comes because Achan is hindering the hand of God. Are you an Achan?

Who Wants Seconds?

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 04:34:26 GMT

THE GREATEST WORDS EVER SPOKEN IN A CAFETERIA

Life has a way of flipping upside down when you become an adult. When you were a child, you gave a fuss to your parents because you didn’t want to take a nap. Now, you give a fuss to your children because you want to take a nap. When you were a child, you threw a fit because you didn’t want to eat all of your food. As an adult, you’re hoping that there are seconds so that you can eat even more, even if you shouldn’t.

“SECONDS!” That one word brought a feeling of delight to myself as a college student in the dining hall in Bible college. On a tight budget and with a youthful body, a pb&j just didn’t cut it for dinner on the job site. I lived by the see-food diet – if I saw there was food, then I ate the food. Many of us (mostly guys…but not all), would rush up to the counter in the college cafeteria like hungry puppies begging for another bite.

GOD’S CALLING FOR A SPIRITUAL APPETITE

When you come to church, I want you to think of just obliterating your favorite homecooked meal and the joy that you feel when your mother asks, “Do you want seconds? There is plenty.” The Word of God and truth is described in several places in the Bible as bread, milk, water, and physical nourishment. We even see God tell certain men to eat His Words. If you don’t believe me, look up Jeremiah 15:16, Ezekiel 3:1-3, and Revelation 10:9-11 . Of course, this is figurative language, but God uses this terminology for a reason.

In Hebrews 5:12-14 , we see the people being rebuked for not growing in their appetite towards the Word of God. They were still on a baby, milk-based diet when they should have developed their spiritual molars to chew on a juicy ribeye. Instead, they were stuck to their formula bottles that reeked of their anorexic disorder.

A BIG APPETITE

We find an example of a people in Acts that had a big appetite for the Bible. They were not satisfied with taste-testing the Bible. They were like a new convert at a Baptist potluck in the south balancing multiple plates while going through the line. They wanted to consume it. Acts 17:10-11 tells us, “These {the Bereans} were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Note – the quotation is mine.

What was so great about these Bereans? When they went to church and heard the preacher get up and boldly preach from the Book, they went home and they continued on in that study. They wanted seconds after they were fed the main course in the house of God. It wasn’t enough just to hear it from a man, they wanted to enjoy it all over again in their homes.

THE BEREAN EFFECT

Let me suggest some great reasons to follow this practice:

1- You will learn more – Research shows that your understanding of a subject increases through repetition, but also through different means of learning. Listening, reading, and writing are different ways to learn something. If you practice all three – listen to the preacher, read it for yourself, and take notes – then you will learn more than those sitting on padded pews with nothing in their lap except for their phone in their hand. Think of what will happen if you repeat this at home while you get your seconds!

2- You won’t be deceived – The latter part of those verses said that the reason these Bereans did this was so that they could see “whether those things were so”. They didn’t want to just take the preacher at his word, they wanted to see it for themselves. We would have a lot less of the false teachers in our day if we had more Bereans in our churches.

3- You will develop a personal walk – Instead of sitting in awe of what your preacher learned from the Bible, you must learn to exercise your own spiritual muscles at some point if you want to be strong spiritually. Think of a workout routine. The first week is rough. You are very sore and a little discouraged. Then, you get into a groove. You can’t expect to be Mr. Olympia the first time you open the Book. You must stick with it day after day.

Go feast on those seconds. You’ll never consume too many calories with God. In fact, the more you consume of God’s nutrition, the better off you’ll be. Be like the Bereans!

There Are Some Things Only Servants Know: Part Two

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 05:51:15 GMT

In my last post ( link here ), we looked at Jesus’ first miracle and how the servants in the miracle saw something that the others at the wedding in John 2 didn’t see. Right away, God shows us that joy of serving Him.

1. Service is provided through a local, N.T. church.

2. Service enables every Christian to be involved in the ministry.

You are not “in the ministry” because you get your paycheck from the church. You are in the ministry if you are serving at the capacity that you are able to. Within every individual is a calling to find purpose in life. I’m telling you that God put that desire and hunger in your heart, and the way that you feed that hunger is by serving in the church. This is how you can make a difference every week!

3. Service connects you with others.

Peter & John, Paul & Silas, Aquila & Priscilla, Paul & Timothy, Jesus and the disciples – when you think of servants in the church, you see people that are linked to other servants. I have found that some of the most productive times that I’ve had bonding with someone is by serving together on a work day, going soul winning together, or helping with a church event. You don’t just have to connect over coffee staring at each other over a table. Serve together!

4. Service lets you see the miraculous.

Only the servants saw behind the curtain in Cana. Even though the others received the blessing of tasting Jesus’ personal, organic, NON-ALCOHOLIC grape juice, only the servants knew how they got that juice in the first place. I can see them looking at each other, grinning from ear to ear as they watched the host of guests sipping on the delicious beverage Jesus provided. When the night ended, everyone probably forgot about the juice, but the servants never forgot this day because they were there to see it happen.

I can tell you stories upon stories of what God has done behind the scenes during big days, with the church finances, and on many occasions serving the Lord with good people. When you come to church and get to enjoy the day, sure you may be well rested, but you’re not going to have the joy at the end of the day that the servants will have.

Before you wait until it fits your schedule to finally get involved in the church, consider John 2 . Let me also tell you that you don’t need a title to serve. Somebody needs to clean the church. Are you really going to make your church hire a janitorial team or burn out a staff member when you can sweep, mow, prune, or clean a window? I believe the greatest area of service could be soul winning . No church has enough soul winners, and there is no cap on how many can be in this ministry. There can only be so many teachers, ushers, helpers, bus drivers, but you can find an area of service to join in on.

Take the plunge and join the team!

There Are Some Things Only Servants Know: Part One

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 07:56:28 GMT

Have the workings of Jesus ever perplexed you? I know…the epi demy of a rhetorical question. In our family’s Bible time, we have been going through the miracles of Jesus. I want my children to know that Jesus is God and there’s nothing He can’t do! The beginning of this study, however, is less groundbreaking than you’d expect if you wrote the script yourself. Of all places for Jesus to do His first miracle, He chose a wedding. Not the slums, not the drug house, not the leper colony, but a wedding. And the miracle that He performed was turning a plain liquid into a tastier liquid. By no means am I trying to minimize the miracle at the event in John 2 , or question the doings of Jesus, but this does cause me to wonder why He chose this event and this miracle. My favorite part of the miracle, though, is not what Jesus did, but who He used to do it with Him.

As this miracle is unraveling, Jesus’ ministry is welcome with not-so-open arms. In fact, nothing even tells us that many knew that this was a miracle that took place. The governor is noted to complain that they waited to bring out the good stuff at the end instead of the beginning – “…thou hast kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:10) This became standard for Jesus’ ministry moving forward. Some were helped. Some were bystanders. Some praised Him. Some complained, mocked, criticized, or attacked.

In the middle of this miracle, I wish to draw your attention to a parenthetical phrase that the God of Heaven gives to us as He unveils this truth. John 2:9 tells us that most of the guests at that wedding were completely oblivious to the miracle that happened that day, but some were fortunate to be the first account witnesses of this supernatural event. John 2:9 tells us “(but the servants which drew the water knew;)” . God wanted you to know that there are some things only servants know .

Church is a lot like a sporting event. A few are happy to play and make an impact on the outcome and the masses are happy to watch them do it. Let me challenge you to not miss one of the reasons of the church and the joys of being involved in a church, and that is SERVICE.

1. Service is provided through a local, N.T. church.

Ephesians 4:11-16 lays out the purpose of the gifts that God has designed you with. It is for the ministry. Your gifts may help you to land a job or launch your career. You may think that your career isn’t aligned with your gifts and that you’ve missed your opportunity. Friend, the reason for your gifts is not only to provide for your needs, but to make a difference in your church. Mechanically minded people make great servants on the media team. Encouragers make great greeters and ushers. Servants make great custodial workers.

You may wonder if you’ll ever use your gifts, and I’m here to tell you that you can, but you may have been looking in the wrong place. The church is a place for you to use the gifts that God has given you to serve Him!

Somebody Say, "Amen"!

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 05:08:05 GMT

Sports is a way of American life. There is no doubt that sports has become a god to many in our land, but we know that there are certain traits learned in sports that can be good for life like submission to authority, teamwork, working towards a future goal, physical discipline, and more. I fondly remember attending many sports games growing up. My brothers played for the local high school team, so Friday nights were under the stadium lights in the fall months. Sports games can be electrifying! Fans paint their faces, make their own signage, wear the team colors, and hoot and holler until they’re blue in the face.

How is it that church is the event that it seems that people are the least excited to attend? Can you imagine if we brought just half of the heart and excitement to church as we do to a ball game that has no bearing on our lives. Someone said, “The next time pastor asks you to get as excited at church as you do at a sports game, don’t be surprised when Joe shows up shirtless with his chest and face painted.” I’ll admit that they are not the same thing, but let’s agree on this – we can do better with our spirit at church.

Sports is all about atmosphere. The moment that you pull into the parking lot, you see the jerseys, the flags on the trucks, the burgers grilling at the tailgate parties. When you walk into the stadium, the workers are there to greet you, direct you, and sell you with their paraphernalia. The music is playing, the intro is planned, the smoke cannons are stocked, and they are ready to make you feel out of place if you are anything but jumping out of your chair with excitement.

How can we bring this kind of atmosphere into the church? I’m not promoting fireworks, smoke machines, and foam fingers to raise when the pastor says something that you like. But the church shouldn’t feel like a funeral. It should feel like heaven on earth!

1. Walk in with a smile.

Don’t make it somebody’s mission to get you out of the dumps. Put a smile on your face and realize the joy and privilege of being a part of the body of Christ.

2. Greet as many people as you can.

I can’t spend all of my time with just one person on Sunday. There are too many that I want to greet. It may be one minute, or it may be five minutes, but I want to spend time with as many people as I can.

3. Find the newbies.

Newcomers feel out of place. Make it your mission that they don’t feel this way. Bring the spirit to them that this place is “the place to be”. If you see someone sitting alone staring at the wall, there is your opportunity.

4. Sing out.

What I dislike about modern worship songs is that they are hard to follow. I have many more issues with modern Christian music, but the beauty of the hymns is that they are easy to sing along with for the most part (insert – Wonderful Grace of Jesus). Be the one to set the tone that at this church, we sing out!

5. Give cheerfully.

This is a Bible command. Offerings shouldn’t be awkward or disingenuous. This should be a time of worship as we give God things that are close to our hearts.

6. Preach the preacher.

Laugh at the corny jokes. Nod in agreement. Say “amen” if you like it, or maybe if you’re just trying to keep your neighbor awake that’s nodding off. Don’t be a statue in your seat. People can’t see your heart. Wear your heart on your sleeve in the service.

7. Use the altar.

If you’re never using the altar, then I guess you’ve made all the decisions you need to in church. I’m not offended at those who don’t use the altar, but can you imagine the impact that it would make in the service if 75% of the people genuinely went forward every service? What an impact that would make!

8. Stay and fellowship.

One of the earmarks of a healthy church is what they do after church is dismissed. There are many, many times that I’m not the last one at church. Our church family stays late and spends time together longer than I’d expect most churches to. But I love it! You don’t have to be a night owl, but don’t be racing for the door so you can be the “rush” out of the parking lot. Stand around, talk to a handful of people, find someone that you’ll make it a point to engage with.

Let’s make church a place that people feel the excitement as soon as they pull into the parking lot!

Phone, Keys, Wallet, Bible...

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Sat, 31 May 2025 05:00:31 GMT

As a hammer is to a carpenter, as a paint brush is to a painter, as a pen is to a writer, and as an instrument is to a musician, so is the Bible to the Christian. In every service, I will say, “Please take your Bibles and turn to…” During this simple instruction, I find that many are read to be engaged, some are embarrassed that they’ve forgotten their roadmap, and some are lost at the order of what we do in church. May I encourage you to bring your Bible, use your Bible, and grow in the Bible as you come to church. Yes, this may seem rather elementary, but I would argue that if less and less are even bringing their Bible to church, then surely less and less are using their Bible at home.

Here are some basic thoughts on why it can be important and how you can make church more meaningful to you by simply bringing your Bible with you:

Buy a nice Bible that you can be proud of – This could make you excited to use something you’ve invested into.

Carry your Bible with you – Feel the physical presence of the Bible in your hands. You should feel lost without it, just like if you did not have your phone on you.

Treat your Bible with care – This is one of the most important things in your life. Treat it like the prized possession it is.

Turn in your Bible every time the preacher instructs – Be active in church and ready to learn.

Mark in your Bible as you learn and grow – Mark it in church with outlines, notes, definitions, sayings. Underline, circle, highlight, and emphasize with whatever system you choose.

Talk about the Bible at church – Conversations are more often about carnal things than spiritual things. You just heard the same message, so why not talk about it with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They may have gleaned something that you didn’t, and you may have some insight that could help them.

Study your Bible at home with what you learned in church – Don’t let the study end at church. If you want to learn more, or if you’re maybe confused about a topic, then take it upon yourself to learn more. You won’t be deceived by false teaching this way and you’ll grow more this way.

Let us not underestimate the power of having the Bible with us in the house of God. After all, the hymn book, the potluck spread, the bulletins, and the offering envelopes are not the primary reason for our worship. The Bible is!

Four To Flourish Part 2

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 23 May 2025 04:45:22 GMT

Last week, I pointed out that the various service times have a distinct purpose in a church. One is not necessarily more important than the others, but each have their distinction. Rather than view the service times as slots that we can choose that best fit our schedule, I encourage you to adopt the “ Four to Flourish ” mentality and commit yourself to being faithful to God’s house at every opportunity available.

Here are the purposes for our four regular services at our church:

Sunday School – educating (discussed in last post )

Sunday Morning – evangelizing (discussed in last post )

Sunday Evening – edifying

My pastor taught me early on to love and to be very purposeful with Sunday evening services. Though I am big on having classes for different age groups (especially children), I am also big on having everyone in the main auditorium once a week. Aside from our nursery workers, this is the one time a week that I have with our teachers, volunteers, and young people. If I could describe it this way, I would call this service our Church Family Time. If we have business to discuss, this is the time to do it. If we have new members joining the family, this is the time we recognize them. If there are problems to address, whether by preaching or by a separate discussion, this is the time I’ll do it. I am the least concerned with the clock in this service because there are no other classes to coordinate our exit with. The focus is the building up of God’s people. This is where preaching hits more of the “rubber meets the road” kind of mark. If I could describe if more from my perspective, this is the time that I look to be a shepherd and to sense the need and to address the needs of the flock that God has placed me over. I’m here to tell you this – if you’re missing Sunday nights, then you’re missing out. While we have seen our biggest days on Sunday mornings, we have had our most special, soul-stirring services on Sunday nights.

Midweek – educating, edifying & exhorting

Too much can happen in a week’s time. Monday comes and the Monday blues drown out quickly what God did in your heart the day before. This may be a negative approach, but I know that the vast majority of our people work with lost, carnal, and wicked people. There is a great need for us to reconnect during the week. We moved our service times to Thursday a few years ago, but many hold to the Wednesday service time. Whatever day it is, there is a day to reconnect. I put three traits here, because all three can apply. A seasoned preacher that I respect greatly, Pastor Jerry Ross, encouraged me before my first year of pastoring to preach through Bible books. While I was hesitant, I have spent the greater part of my time during our midweek service to preach through Bible books. Sometimes, it’s more teachy. Other times, it’s very practical. Whatever I’m going through, he encouraged me to always focus on at least “one great truth” (the inspiration for the title for the devotionals that I’ve written). The midweek service is not a marathon for us. We have other classes. We don’t have choir. We have a special and an offering still. Less dress up for this service than any other (that doesn’t bother me, but rather encourages me because many are hurrying in from work). The week is just too long to leave the church on the sidelines from Sunday to the next Sunday.

Does church deserve our best? Do we really think that giving God one hour per week only to rush out to lunch and a ball game afterwards is the kind of Christianity that will change lives and change the world? If you’re not used to the “ Four to Flourish ” schedule, let me encourage you to add ONE MORE service per week. Sunday School is easy because you just have to come one hour earlier in most churches. I want to encourage you to attend Sunday evening, or the Midweek service if you already attend all day Sunday . What you get out of church will be determined by what you put in to the church.

Four To Flourish (Part 1)

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 16 May 2025 05:09:58 GMT

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Everything we do in life should be on purpose and have a purpose. This is why I feel so strongly about the video game epidemic with the men in our society. Video games are ripping men of their purpose causing them to waste hours upon hours in front of screen that serves a false reality to their sense of accomplishment because they beat a game.

While I can’t speak for every church in how they structure and implement their services, I will give you the purposes for our services that we offer. On the back of our church tract that we use to invite people to our church and on our website, you will find four service times each week. Most people are conditioned (because of the one and done mentality with church) to view this as an option of choosing the best time slot to get your “church time” in. Let me be gentle, but clear – your attendance is not a one hour slot to fill out every week that fits your plans and schedule. God’s house should have a greater priority in your life than watching a ball game on the TV or sleeping in.

My purpose in these next two blog posts are found in the title, Four to Flourish. You get out of church what you put in to the church. The more you go, the better off you’ll be. I’m here to gently, yet strongly push you to attend all four services and to flourish in your Christian walk. The service times are not menu items to choose what you’ll take and leave, but rather they are opportunities for you to become more edified, more engaged, and more stirred in your heart for the Lord.

Here are the purposes for our four regular services at our church:

Sunday School – educating

Sunday School has been around for a long time. Mature, faithful Christians are chosen in the church to study the Bible each week and teach the Word of God to a specific age group. I love this format for several reasons, but there are 2-3 very important reasons for this. One of those is that you get several people in the church studying the Bible to teach it to others. If you’ve done this, then you know that you learn more by doing this than you probably have just studying for your own benefit. Another great reason is that it provides teaching to people at their stage of life. I led a young adult class in our church. This is a stage of life that we are very weak at in most of our churches. We have classes for children according to their age group so that they can understand God’s Word at their level. Our teachers are instructed to focus heavily on Bible stories for kids. This educates children on God’s Word. They have to learn it before they can believe it, and children are hungry for knowledge. If you’ve ever tried teaching a teenager and a kindergartener at the same time, then you can understand the challenge of combining various age groups. Another great reason for this is that it creates smaller groups of people so that people feel less “lost” and more connected when they come to church. Being a part of a class makes them feel like they’re a part of something.

Sunday Morning – evangelizing

Without a doubt, this is the largest service in any church in America with few exceptions. The old way told us to count our church attendance by counting the Sunday School crowd. Those days are long gone. The time that people come is for the late morning service. Don’t get me wrong, I love this service! We are prepared for newcomers, young Christians, regulars that are still trying to fit in at our church, and faithful servants that provide music and serve in a variety of capacities to reach others with the gospel. My preaching is always gospel-centered in this service. Not every message is a gospel message, but every message I preach here, I include the gospel. This is also the time that we emphasize a plea for salvation more than any other service. This is the BIG DAY service time, and the time that I am more concerned than ever to shake new hands, be available, make conversations, and win people to Christ.

For the sake of keeping this blog to the readable size that I strive for, we will discuss the other two service times in the church and their purposes. See you in Sunday School this Sunday!

More Churched, Yet More Carnal Than Ever

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 09 May 2025 05:23:35 GMT

The church is not in hiding. It is well-known, understood, and seen in public as a way of life in American culture. It is a huge part of the history and the current state of our country. I read these statistics in an article confirming my assumptions – “There are 356,000 religious congregations. That’s about 113 per county. There’s about 1 congregation for every 1000 Americans. For reference, there are 13,400 McDonalds and about 16,000 Starbucks.” That is no insignificant number. We used to live .7 miles away from our church, and we still passed another church on our route to our church. While this may encourage you, we have to follow this reality up with more questions – “Is America better than she was 100 years ago?”, “Are we more Christian?”, “Do Christians even seem more Christian?” . With the influx of congregations in our land, would it not be reasonable to wonder where the disconnect is? If we have so many churches, why is there not a greater influence of biblical values? These are fair questions to ask given the statistics that seem to paint the picture that America is more Christian than ever before.

I’ll admit that this is not a singular issue, but I’d like to address one point of error that MOST of the modern American church misses. One of the underlying problems is that church is more of a hobby than a way of life. And this isn’t at the fault of the people, but the leaders of these so-called churches. How can I make this claim? The average church in your area and mine do their 1-2 hour “worship” time with a 15–20-minute motivational TED talk and then break until the following week. Churches are having less church time than ever before, and the enemy is moving in as a result. Sunday School, Sunday evenings, and midweek services may as well be as ancient as the dinosaur age. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us to assemble with God’s people “so much the more” . God wants us to have more church, not less.

Here's the reality - the more you dedicate yourself to a task, the better chance you have to be successful in that task. Take dieting for example. You can eat one good meal per week on Monday (because everyone knows that all good diets start on Monday), but what will happen if you eat fast food and junk food the other six days? That diet won’t be very successful. What will happen if you only workout one day per week? Name me anything that you can do for one hour per week and make a central focus in your life. You can’t. We call those hobbies, not lifestyles. You are what you give your time to, and if we’re giving less and less of ourselves to the church, should we really be surprised to see the trend that has made us more churched than ever before, but just as carnal as ever before? Even if churches do meet other days of the week, it’s an activity, rehearsal, or for recreation. These are things that we include in our church as well, but more activities never changed lives. The Word of God changes lives! And when the Word of God is treated like an occasional recreation that we enjoy than it will soon be an old relic that speaks of what use to be, rather than what is.

The answer? Leaders have their part to offer opportunities of services to attend, places of service, fellowships for fellow believers, and other avenues to connect us to serve God and others. But you can have a part in this too. Churches are changing because people are changing. If Christians want more of the church, then we’d have more open doors on Sunday evening and in the midweek. Christians are as carnal as ever, so churches have bowed down to the masses and have followed suit. This is not a message of doom and gloom, but certainly one of alarm. I believe that there is hope, and I know we have a part to play in how we care for the wonderful place that we call church.

How To Get More Out Of Church

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 19:57:40 GMT

A Special Place

Church. I love that word. I love what it represents. I love what my mind thinks of when I hear the word. I believe the church is a special place. I grew up in church, so I’m a “church kid” if you’re in to labeling it. I’m not bitter about it. I’m don’t need therapy because of it. I’m not in need of deconstruction as a result of it. I’m blessed to have had the privilege to be raised in church. The church is a beautiful, exciting, and edifying place to us as believers!

We’re Not All the Same

If you invited me to your family’s Christmas party with all of your relatives, I would feel a little out of place. You may go to grandma and grandpa’s house every year with the whole clan, but as a newcomer, I would be uneasy. I wouldn’t know if I should keep my shoes on or take them off. I’d ask before opening the fridge to get a drink. If I had a ball cap, I’d take it off just in case. I think this is a similar feeling that newcomers have when they come to church. People are comfortable in what we are familiar with. Regulars may know when to sit, when to stand, where the classes are, and when to say “amen”. Newcomers will often just sit back and watch. Where there is unfamiliarity, there is an uneasiness that we all feel.

A Clear Challenge

I believe that the church is clearly described and modeled in the New Testament as a physical, local place, not just an idea or symbolic term. Paul admonishes Timothy this way, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long , that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God , which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (I Timothy 3:14-15) We need to know how to behave ourselves when we come to church.

If you are familiar with golf, there are all kinds of rules, but many of them are what we would call unwritten rules. You don’t walk in the line of someone else that is putting. You take your glove off when you putt. You stop moving and stay quiet when one is hitting. You use a tool to repair divots on the green. Generally, you fix one or two extra as a courtesy on the green. You are expected to keep a steady pace of play or you should let the groups behind you move forward. These may seem odd to you if you’ve never golfed before, but if you’re a golfer, you know that these are very standard. I want to use these next few blogs to familiarize all of us with some thoughts, tips, and even some personal opinions on how we are to behave and how our behavior can make church more beneficial to every person.

Church is a special and sacred place. America has lost her way with how we represent God in the church. I pray that this will stir some thoughts and challenge your approach with your church.

What Does Calvary Mean To You?

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 22:07:47 GMT

Before the great celebration on Sunday (Easter) comes the great debate throughout the week. This is the debate on the day of Jesus’ death. Maybe you believe it was Wednesday because there were two Sabbaths, and it best explains the account of the women purchasing and preparing the spices. Maybe you believe it was Thursday because the men on the road to Emmaus said that they spoke with Jesus on the third day, and this was after He arose. Maybe you believe it was on Friday because you can’t count.

While I am not completely opposed to edifying debate and study, there is a greater question this week that must be asked – “What does Calvary mean for me?”

1. Calvary is a day to remember.

The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is for remembrance. We do not believe the Bible supports the false doctrine of transubstantiation (where Jesus’ body becomes a part of your body). 1 Corinthians 11:24-27 clearly states the purpose of this ordinance. It is a time of remembrance.

People are forgetful creatures. Remembering takes effort. You set reminders, alarms, and put things in place so that you will not forget. We can easily get so consumed with life that we do not go back to Calvary in our minds on a regular basis.

How can you remember Calvary more?

-Thank God every day for saving you.

-Be a faithful witness.

-Sing gospel songs.

2. Calvary is a day to receive.

Romans 5:6-8 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Are you a sinner? Are you ungodly? Do you fall short of righteousness? Then you have great news coming your way! You qualify as being one of those that Jesus died for. What a precious thought!

Sin demands a payment, and the payment is a spiritual death in the lake of fire ( Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14-15 ). You cannot get away from the consequence, unless you receive the gift that Jesus gave you when He died for you.

How can you receive the gift given from Calvary? It’s as simple as A – B – C!

-Admit that you are a sinner. ( Romans 3:10, 23 )

-Believe that Jesus died and rose again for you. ( Romans 5:8; John 3:16 )

-Call on Jesus to save you. ( Romans 10:9-13 )

3. Calvary is a day to reciprocate.

May I remind you that the scenes of Calvary really happened? I tend to read slowly through those verses when I come to those ones that speak about Jesus’ death and the agony that He suffered on my behalf. If you realize it for what it is, it should bring you to tears. It is a bitter-sweet story. It is bitter because of what He endured, but it is sweet because of why He did it.

Here's the question then – “ After all that Jesus did for you, what have you done for Him? ” Calvary isn’t just a feel good story that we think of to shed a tear or sing a song. It is an event that changes lives! It is the reason that I attend church, read Scripture, pray, tithe, seek to live a holy life, go soul winning, and much more. What we do as Christians is not a means to earn salvation, it is a response of salvation.

How can you reciprocate Calvary?

-give Jesus your all because He gave you His all.

Charles Spurgeon said it well when he said: “My entire theology can be condensed into 4 words: JESUS DIED FOR ME.”

The Bible Is Amazing!

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 16:19:42 GMT

Throughout this series on Bible study, we have discussed a number of rules to consider as you read and study your Bible. This does not have to be a complex subject though. It doesn’t take a Bible college graduate to know how to read the Bible. Like anything else in life and more important than anything else in life, there are right ways and wrong ways to approach, interpret, and seek to understand the Bible. For this, we are going to discuss general Bible principles for my last post on this topic of Bible study.

1. The Bible is a Miraculous Book.

The mere fact that we have a portion of the Bible at all, in itself, is a miracle if you study the history of the devil’s attacks against it. To look back and see how God gave us His Word is nothing short of miraculous. The books of the Bible were written over the span of approximately 1,500 years by about 40 different people in 3 different languages and on 3 continents. It is staggering to think of how that process came to give us a great story of unity, beauty, and transformative power. Nobody could do that, but God!

2. The Bible is a Heavenly Book.

The Bible is not just another book. It’s not like your college textbook or your novel you enjoy. In John 6:63, Jesus said, “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life .”

Most will approach the Bible with the same mindset that they use to approach the encyclopedia. Psalm 119:89 adds, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” There is something special about this heavenly Book that you get to read, and it is nothing short of lifechanging.

3. The Bible is a Perfect Book.

I don’t believe that the King James Version is just “the best we can have”. I believe that it’s perfect. How can I make such a bold statement? Because God told me so. II Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” You don’t have to be a Greek and Hebrew enthusiast to know that all means all.

Jesus quoted the O.T. when He doubled down on the perfection of Scripture and our need for it when He said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How can Jesus tell us to live by every word if we don’t even know if we have every word? It is perfect because Jesus told you so.

4. The Bible is a Unifying Book.

The Bible is like a car manual…but much more exciting. One section may be about the engine components. Another section may be on the interior buttons and gadgets. Then you have the dash lights, the maintenance, the features, and on and on the list goes. The sections of a car manual may vary, but they’re all about the same car. Likewise, the Word of God is all about the story of Jesus!

5. The Bible is a Powerful Book.

The devil cannot stop the power of God’s Word. The Bible is easily the best selling, most distributed, most sought after, and most used book in the history of the world! And there is no close second. The Bible has been distributed into 5-7 billion copies, translated into nearly 700 languages, and the New Testament having been translated into around 1,500 languages.

Books come and go based on popularity, culture, readability, and a number of other different reasons. There is no comparison to God’s Word that has changed lives in so many different centuries, cultures, and groups of people. The power of the Bible is simply undeniable!

Closing Challenge-

How do you view the Bible? Is it just a part of the religious way or is it a part of your heart? Don’t miss one of the greatest gifts that God has given to humanity, and don’t let any false teacher tell you otherwise. Open your Bible and determine to spend a lifetime getting to know God on a deeper level as you get to know Him through His Word.

Meditation

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 04:36:06 GMT

Before you click that “unsubscribe” button, let me assure you that this blog will not entail serenading yourself with candles, instrumental music, all while sitting on the ground with your legs crossed. Meditation is another word for the word ponder. It is to give your mind to something. Bible meditation is, in my opinion, the long-lost art of Bible study. I would argue that meditating on God’s Word is one of the great ways that God teaches us truths by His Spirit that make a lasting and real impact on our lives.

Psalm 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

A Question

What do you think about? Throughout your day, what are the things that come to your mind? There are two ways of thinking. There is passive thinking, and there is proactive thinking. Passive thinking is allowing thoughts to permeate your mind and mulling on anything and everything that you come across. This is dangerous for many reasons and would need another blog post, or series, to address. Then, there is proactive thinking. This is thinking with purpose. Read Philippians 4:6-9 carefully. God gives us a formula for what we do with the stresses and anxieties of life. You come to God burdened and you leave with a life that pleases God.

A Quandary

Every Bible student will find themselves in a pickle. They’ll read a passage and think, “Does that say what I think it’s saying?”, “Am I understanding this correctly? Because that’s sounds opposite to what I’ve heard to be true.” , or “I have no idea what God means by that”.

Let me give you a personal example – when my wife and I were teenagers that had a liking for each other, I learned what her life verse was. Not everyone has a life verse, or a favorite verse, but hers was Psalm 37:4 . It says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” My honest thought was, “That seems like a selfish verse”. I knew I was wrong, but that was my initial response. So, I meditated on that verse for a long time. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I saw the divine order to the verse. When we delight in God first, it is then that He will give us our desires. Why? Because your desires change when you delight in God. You learn to love what He loves. I guess that means that God probably isn’t answering my prayer for a strawberry red Ferrari…or a private jet.

A Quest

There are two great examples I’ve heard on meditation that illustration this truth. The first is the cow chewing on its cud. Cows have four stomachs, and food is processed differently through each stomach. However, the food returns to the cow’s mouth in between each stomach, the cow chews on it some more, and then it passes to the stomach. Gross, I know. But something amazing happens in that process. The cow is extracting and breaking down everything that food has to offer. This is what Bible meditation should look like.

The other example is that of a tea bag. If you just dip a tea bag in water, that water doesn’t taste very different. However, if you leave that tea bag in the water for a length of time, that water will continue to change and absorb the contents of the tea bag. Too many Christians take a “dip” into God’s Word in the morning and then don’t take time to think on God’s Word throughout the day. Is there any wonder as to why we don’t understand and learn God’s Word.

A Quorum

Ok, Pastor Becker, so if I just think long enough and hard enough, I’m going to understand the Bible more? Well, not exactly. Meditation is not just about thinking hard and long. It is about giving it to God in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you God’s truths as you chew on them. John 16:13 says of the Holy Spirit – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”

How do these preachers get these truths out of the Bible when you hear them? This is the secret. It isn’t the commentaries they read, the sermons they steal (I mean, study), or the books they study. Real Bible students allow God to teach them His Word through the mind and into the heart.

Closing thoughts…

It has been said, “You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.” Think about that. What do you think about? When did you give a truth to God and ask Him to teach it to you as you prayed and contemplated that thought? It seems that every year God teaches me some truth. I learn a lot during this time, but there is usually a big truth that I keep thinking back to that I’m praying that God will teach me.

Bible meditation is what makes God’s Word real to you. You’ll see God teach you throughout your day and in situations you’ll face.

The #1 Rule of Bible Study

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:32:06 GMT

RULES …we don’t particularly like that word do we? The rebel inside of all of us wants to find another way, even if the way that it’s supposed to be is best. Rules are not to constrain us, but to direct us. In school, you had rules. Your parents had rules for your home. There are rules in every business and corporation. Bible study is no different. There are rules to apply to how we interpret Scripture.

False doctrine is everywhere. The transgender movement distorts Scripture so terribly that they use the ministry and teachings of Jesus to promote LGBTQ indoctrination. “How do they use the Bible to do this”, you may ask. They ignore the rules and they create their own.

Every false teacher has a master’s degree in twisting Scripture. They say, “Jesus turned the water to wine so we can drink too”. They say, “James tells us that works are needed for salvation”. They say, “Peter preached that you have to be baptized to be saved”. I oppose all of these beliefs. But how do we respond? We respond by applying the number one rule for Bible study.

What is the #1 rule of Bible study? Context . What is the context? The context is the setting of the passage. It answers questions like, “Who is speaking?” “Who is being spoken to?” “What was this message all about?” “What was going on at this time that was so important?” Finding the context is unlocking the door to understanding Scriptural truth. It has been said, “A text without a context is only a pretext”.

Exhibit A : Did you know that the Bible says, “There is no God”? It’s true. The Bible says this. However, if I don’t just read that phrase in isolation, but take the time to read the whole verse, I can see the context. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”

One of the easiest ways to find the context is to read the surrounding verses . Don’t just build a doctrine from one verse. Read the whole chapter. Better yet, read the whole book, or at least know the purpose of the book.

Exhibit B: Those that support the belief that Christians can drink alcohol in moderation might say, “Jesus turned the water to wine”, or they may quote the verse that says, “be not drunk with wine wherein is excess”. So, we just can’t get drunk, right?

Another way to find the context is to understand the theme of the passage . Ephesians 5 is not a chapter about alcohol. This part of the book is about the Holy Spirit. Alcohol is the analogy. Just as alcohol can overtake a body completely, so should we allow the Holy Spirit to overtake our lives. Using this verse to support drinking in moderation is sloppy and lazy at best.

Exhibit C: Every false religion in the world teaches the same thing. Don’t believe me? What other religion in the world teaches that you don’t have to do anything to have eternal life except receive the Saviour by faith? They all teach a works-based salvation. Some will use James’ epistle to defend this. James 2 talks about our faith being dead if it has no works. Sounds like works are required for salvation, right? I don’t think so…

A very important collection of questions you have to ask yourself is, “Who is speaking, and to whom are they speaking”? When you learn who the writer is and who the audience is , you gain clarity to the context. James 1 begins by addressing Jewish believers. The audience isn’t the lost, but the saved. James isn’t telling lost people how to be saved. He is probing believers to live out their faith with action.

Closing thought…

People are drinking the Kool-Aid poured out by these false prophets too often. The problem isn’t that we can’t know the truth. The problem is that we aren’t rightly dividing the Word of God by the rules of study that should be applied. Don’t fall prey to these wolves. What is the #1 to Bible study? Find the context first and then decide what the Word of God is truly teaching you.

6 Ways to NOT Get Something Out of the Bible

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 06:10:10 GMT

1. No Faith

Do you begin your Bible time with a defeated spirit? Imagine if you went into your job that way. “Well, I know I’m not going to accomplish much today, but I guess I’m here”. Guess what? You’re not going to accomplish much, and you’re not going to get anything from God with that spirit.

God can and God will help you understand His Word if you approach it by faith.

2. Unconfessed Sin

Sin is a separator. If you have problems with your spouse or your parents, you find that those problems make it difficult to communicate with each other. It may even make it hard to be in the same room together. It’s been said, “Keep the account short”. You shouldn’t have to go through a laundry list with God because it’s been days, weeks, months, or years since you’ve confessed your sins and asked for forgiveness.

Confess your sins daily.

3. Stubbornness

We live in a debate culture. Social media has heightened that for the sake of clicks and views. How many debates have you seen where someone changed their mind? They may have even been humiliated because their point was lacking evidence or the skill set to back it up. Still, they remain convinced that they are right.

You have to go to God with an open mind and heart.

4. Only reading passages you enjoy and understand.

What books intimidate you? What books are less exciting for you? Genesis is a great beginning book of the Bible because it covers so much history in one book. By the time you begin Leviticus, you may be discouraged because it doesn’t have the stories and drama that Genesis has. I encourage new converts to read the Gospels, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. However, God gave us the whole Bible. Your lack of understanding a book should whet your appetite to know that book more. I have never studied a book to know it more and regretted it. Books that I use to think less exciting I see different now because I determined to know them more.

Make it your mission to know the Bible completely. Take it one book at a time with books you don’t understand.

5. Reading books about the Bible in place of the Bible.

This one is personal to me because I’ve written three devotional books. Devotionals, commentaries, and other Bible aids are not meant to replace your Bible. Those are all men telling you what the Bible says. When you read the Bible, you are listening to God tell you what His Word says. I made a decision a long time ago as a preacher when studying for sermons to first read through a passage and allow the Lord to work on my heart and make my notes before I open a book.

Books about the Bible can be a help, but you can live without those. You can’t live without the Bible.

6. Failing to see the big picture.

The sixty-six books of the Bible have different stories, themes, and were written in different timeframes. Amazingly, they are all connected by a common cord that unites their stories. The big picture is Jesus! The Old Testament is leading up to Jesus’ coming, and the New Testament is looking back and forward at Jesus’ 1 ^st & 2 ^nd coming. It’s all about Jesus. The Old Testament sacrifices were about Jesus and the New Testament church is about Jesus. Jesus is the common theme of all books of the Bible. Keep this in mind and look for pictures and truths that mirror the Saviour as you read.

Understanding The Terms

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:56:46 GMT

In every trade, there are terms that are used among the workers in that trade. If you were to be standing in a group of fishermen, you’ll hear them use terms like jigs, plastics, spinners, and several other terms. If you’re not a fisherman, you immediately feel lost in the conversation. It’s an odd feeling, and no one likes to feel left out because they simply don’t understand the terms.

This may sound academic as you read, and this may not seem like a needful article to the average Bible student. However, the systems of Bible study have terms that you are good to familiarize yourself with. You don’t have to be a pastor or scholar to know these terms, and you can be helped in understanding, not only the terms, but also the meaning and purpose of the terms that help us to be better Bible students.

We’re going to look at six terms and put them into 3 groups:

Group A: exegesis & eisegesis

Group B: hermeneutics & homiletics

Group C: exposition & topical

GROUP A:

Exegesis (eksəˈjēsəs) : pulling the meaning out of the text

This is the CORRECT method of Bible study. Simply put, this is approaching the Bible with a heart that says, “Lord, I want to know what you meant by this truth”.

Eisegesis (eis·ege·sis): inserting a meaning in to the text

This is the INCORRECT method of Bible study. Simply put, this is looking into the Bible to find passages that you can use to match your personal beliefs. It is approaching the Bible with a made up mind and looking for God to confirm your thoughts and ideas.

The little giant that separate Exegesis & Eisegesis

The beginning of these fancy words give a clue as to their differences. “Ex” means to “pull out of “. “Eis” means to “put in to”. Exegesis is pulling truths out of God’s Word that God put in the Bible for us. Eisegesis is putting truths into God’s Word that God did not put in the Bible that makes you have to use spiritual gymnastics to twist the Scriptures to fit your beliefs.

GROUP B:

Hermeneutics: the rules and tools of Bible study

Most Bible colleges will offer a call on hermeneutics. That class could be titled “Hermeneutics 101”, which sounds more collegiate and academic. But it can also be called “How to Study the Bible”, which sounds more practical, but they both really mean the same thing.

Homiletics: the rules for how to write and deliver sermons

Preaching is the delivery of Bible truth. This is more of an art than just simply teaching and relaying facts. Teaching is an art as well. How we convey the truths that we have learned is just as important as what we convey in our message.

The little giant that separates Hermeneutics and Homiletics

What separates this group can be illustrated by breathing. Inhaling air would be compared to hermeneutics. This is the study and reception of God’s Word. Exhaling air would be compared to homiletics. This is the teaching and preaching of God’s Word after you have studied and learned.

GROUP C:

Exposition: the explanation of a passage

Perhaps you’ve heard your pastor say, “I’m preaching an expository sermon to you tonight, not a topical sermon”, and you have no idea what he means by that. What he means is that he’s going to be staying in a certain passage and going to be walking through that passage verse by verse. For example, if you were to study Genesis 1 and were to write notes under every verse as you studied the chapter, that would be the practice of exposition.

Topical: the study of a topic or idea

If you were to study marriage in the Bible, you could not just study Genesis 2. You would have to go to a number of various passages to learn the many truths in God’s Word about that “topic”. Topical study is practiced by comparing Scripture with Scripture on a particular topic or idea.

The little giant that separate Exposition and Topical study

The difference is simply the kind of study that keeps you in one passage as you learn a singular part of the Bible (expositional) and the kind of study that draws you to various other passages as you learn a specific topic or idea (topical).

Now, go on and impress your fellow church friends with your knowledge of such scholarly terms!

What's The Big Deal?

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 04:50:48 GMT

FUN FACT: Did you know that the KJV is the only major English Bible that uses the word study in II Timothy 2:15?

II Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

R.A. Torrey, a contemporary and friend to D.L. Moody, said, “There is nothing more important for the development of a Christian’s spiritual life than regular, systematic Bible study. It is as true in the spiritual life as in the physical life, that health depends on what we eat and how much we eat. “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Matt. 4:4). The soul’s proper food is found in one book, the Bible.”

Jesus, in his defense to Satan’s temptation, quotes the Old Testament and emphasizes that spiritual food is so important that it is MORE important than our physical food.

So… WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

1. Transformation

John 6:63 – “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

The Bible changes lives! Plain and simple. You can only live off someone’s else’s nourishment for so long. Study the lives of great men and women of God. The common thread is simple. They had a personal time where they fed from the Word of God daily, and the fruit of their lives are a result of it.

2. Information

We live in the information age. If you want to know something, ask Siri, or AI, and you can learn anything about anything. How is it that we have the Bible so readily available, yet we struggle so much to read and study it?

Challenge: Can you list 5 verses on the following topics?

- Salvation

- Baptism

- Eternal Security

- The Church

- Marriage

You don’t have to be in full time ministry or be a pastor to be a Bible student. Now, you may not have the time to study the Bible like a preacher, but if you have time to study sports, movies/TV shows, politics, and scroll social media funnies (I like a good laugh like anyone), then you have time to know your Bible more.

We live in an age of Bible ignorance. Illiteracy is the inability to read and write. The difference is that Christians live in willful ignorance. False teachers are having a hay day because we don’t know the Scriptures.

3. Application

I John 3:2 – “Behold, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Jack Hyles said, “Let your principles make your decisions for you.” As you read and study the Bible, you should ask yourself, “What the big idea?” God wants you to take what He’s given you and put it into practice.

How can the Bible help you in your day-to-day life?

- to be like Christ

- to overcome temptation

- to give godly wisdom for everyday life

- to teach others

- to stand for truth

- to know what church to attend

- to better lead your family

Conclusion…

Your time in God’s Word is bigger than you think. The best part…you benefit the most from your commitment to your Bible!

A Simple Prayer Before You Open Your Bible

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 03:24:28 GMT

As a child, I was taught that my attitude was just as important as my actions. Obeying with the wrong spirit is hardly pleasing to the Lord. It’s been said that “attitude determines altitude”. Getting into the study methods, tools, and tips for Bible study is pointless without developing the right spirit before you even open your Bible.

Allow me to submit to you a simple prayer to pray before you open God’s perfect Word. I read a list like this from a preacher when I was either a teenager or in college, and it has stuck with me. To the best of my ability, I have tried to pray a similar prayer to these points before I read the Word of God. When my attitude is hungry, tender, and right, it has paid tremendous dividends in my personal time with the Lord. I don’t recall the author that gave me these truths, but the truths made an imprint on me, and I pray that it will help you to “set the table” for your time with the Lord each day.

1. “Lord, I want to get something out of my Bible today.”

Jeremiah 15:16 – “Thy words were found, and I did eat them…”

Standing in front of the pantry with food on every shelf, I’ve often thought, “We have nothing to eat”. That wasn’t the truth. The truth was that I didn’t want what we had. I was hungry, but I was hungry for what I wanted, not for what was available to me.

Are you hungry for God to speak to you? If you are truly hungry, you’ll consume what God has given to you. Let me tell you that His pantry is full and you will be glad to take what He has for you.

2. “Lord, I believe that you can show me something today.”

Isaiah 55:11 – “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Sadly, many will open their Bible with a defeated mentality. They may not say it with their lips, but with their heart they say, “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand this”. That is the way of unbelief. Jesus passed through towns in His ministry and did nothing, not because He wasn’t able, but because they didn’t believe that He was able. God can help you if you have faith in Him and His Word.

3. “Lord, I will immediately receive what you show me today.”

Acts 17:11 – “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind…”

Our society programs us to be critical. You know that every promotion and advertisement usually has a catch and you are prepared to find the fine print before you go forward. “Do your homework”, you are told or you may make a terrible decision.

God’s Word is perfect. God’s Word has no flaws. God’s Word has heavenly wisdom above anything this world can provide. God’s Word shows you the mind, the heart, and the way of the Lord. Knowing this, and more, you can and should receive what God shows you without hesitation.

4. “Lord, I will determine to put in to practice what you show me today.”

James 1:22 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Hypocrisy is the definition of a Christian who shouts “AMEN!” in the church house but lives for the world in their own house. Put into practice what God gives you. After all, this is the purpose of your Bible time. You and I are wasting our time if we are reading for knowledge but fail to put in to practice what God tells us.

There is nothing groundbreaking here, but I would challenge you to see the drastic effects that a prayer like this would have in your personal time with the Lord if we approach His Word this way.

5 Tips to Build a Bible Routine

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:20:29 GMT

 1. Set a time.

Schedule it. I realize that words like plan and schedule might give an aneurism to some. Setting a plan is really saying, “This is a big priority in my life and I want to make sure that I get it done. I don’t want it to fall through the cracks, so I better set aside time to do this.”

Choose a time of day that is best for you . Morning is a great way to start the day. Some say, “Bible before breakfast”. Maybe you are at your best at night. Let me encourage you to focus more on the quality of your time in the Word than the time of day. You’re not a better Christian because you read your Bible at 5 a.m., and you are not a lesser Christian because you read your Bible at 8 p.m. once the kids are asleep.

2. Choose your weapon.

Remove distractions . Turn on that “do not disturb” setting on your phone. You’ll be amazed at how many things will come to mind during this time to distract you. Make a conscious effort.

Choose your weapon . What “Sword” will you use? Your family Bible or an iPad? I’ll admit that I have changed in recent years. Because of the “do not disturb” setting, I read more digitally now than with my physical Bible.

3. Set a goal.

Don’t “wing it”. If you don’t have a goal of what book you want to read or how much you want to read, then you are setting yourself up for failure. A friend of mine use to tell me that he just opened the Bible every day and whatever page it landed on determined what he would read. Can this be good? Sure. Is it best? No.

Choose a starting and stopping point. If your goal is to read and study a book, set a time frame that you’ll dedicate to that study so you can move on to another book at some point. If your goal is to read the N.T. or the whole Bible in a year, then there are plans for this.

For newer Christians, I’d advise reading the Gospels and the New Testament. Another good practice is to read a chapter in Proverbs every day, but I think you’d benefit from reading this in addition to the former readings.

For most Christians, I’d advise reading the Bible through every year. The old way works. I love the practicality of the N.T., but there is still much to glean from the O.T. Personally, I love reading through the Bible by reading a couple chapters in the O.T. and reading a chapter in the N.T. each day, along with Proverbs and Psalms for wisdom and encouragement daily.

Reevaluate often . This is YOUR walk. You can change it up and alter your plans whenever you’d like. Do you want to read more prophecy? Do you want to study the life of Elijah? Do you want to read through the Bible in 90 days? Make it your own.

4. Be accountable.

Choose someone close to you. Your pastor or some speaker that you know is probably not the best person. Be accountable to your spouse, a sibling, a close friend, a Sunday School teacher, or someone that you are close to.

Choose someone that sharpens you. It would not be wise to be accountable to someone you just led to the Lord. Maybe you offer yourself as an accountability partner to them, but you need someone that you know that sharpens your walk with the Lord.

5. Carry the Bible with you.

What the “big idea”? Every time you spend time with the Lord, He is trying to make you to be more like Him. Do you remember what you read today? Have you thought about it? Did God bring someone in your life throughout the day that is connected to some truth that you read? There is a purpose in your walk and it is to be carried with you in your life.

Carry it in your heart. Do you really expect me to bring my Bible to every appointment throughout the day? Proverbs tells us to take the truths of God with us in our hearts. Ask yourself, “What did I read today? What stood out to me? What encouraged me? What is something I need to study more? What can I think about throughout the day?”

Getting The Most Out Of Your Bible

office@rbcloomis.org (Pastor Steven Becker) — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 01:33:38 GMT

Renewing Your Love

Since the title of this blog is “ One Great Truth ”, I prayed and decided to begin where truth lies. We live in a society that teaches that you can find your own truth, live a truth that agrees with your thinking, and presents truth as a subjective idea. Truth is ready to be found, but you have to look in the right place. This may sound obvious, but if you are looking for food, then you have to look where food is. Food isn’t on top of your roof or under your car. You may laugh, but our world is looking for spiritual food, but they’re looking in empty cupboards. God’s people have no excuse with access to the Bible being at our fingertips.

My Greatest Joy

One of the greatest joys in serving Jesus in the ministry is helping people in their walk with the Lord. There will always be a cantankerous bunch, but I believe that the vast majority have a sincere desire to know the Lord more. Helping people in that journey fills my cup more than I could describe. III John 4 makes this clear – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

The First Steps

When a new convert comes to our church, one of the very first things we do is make sure that they have a Bible (a King James Bible I might add). I always advise new converts the same way, “Get in the Bible and get into church every chance you can. Your growth will be hinged upon how you do those two actions”.

The Big Problem

The primary reason that churches hardly look like churches in modern America (in my opinion) is because people have become Bible illiterate. Bibles have to be dumbed down just to get people to want to read them.

“It’s just too complicated and I get bored” , some might contend. Do you know who the Bible is boring to? Non-Bible students. Ask anyone who is a Bible student if the Bible is boring and I promise you that their answer will be quite different.

“The Bible is only boring to non-Bible students.”

A Challenge

Barna has done several studies on the trends of our culture and their relationship with the Bible. They have found in their surveys that the average American home has 4.4 Bibles in it. These findings are largely discouraging. Many have a heart to know God more through His Word, but few set aside the time to do so.

If your heart needs a revival towards the Scriptures, may I challenge you to READ & PRAY through Psalm 119. Here are a few examples of the heart of the psalmist towards the Word of God-

Psalm 119:97 – “O how love I thy law!”

Psalm 119:103 – “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!”

Psalm 119:113 – “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.”

Psalm 119:127 – “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold;”

A Prayer

“Lord, renew my love for your Word as I read it. Guide me by your Spirit to see and understand the truth that you have for me. I am in need of truth, and I believe you have given it to me by your Word. Forgive my lack of faith and help me to grow in You as I grow in your Book. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

5 Reasons I’m Starting a Blog

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 05:48:38 GMT

“Another blogger? Really?” Maybe that is a negative way to begin this journey, but those were my thoughts when I first considered starting this journey. So, I’ll answer the question for you that I had for myself when praying about this endeavor. So, why start a blog?

1. Practice makes perfect.

I was taught that “practice makes perfect” as a child, and after writing three books, I’ve learned that writing is a developed skill. This skill is one that is a burden on my heart and this blog is the product of that desire.

2. Others.

This was the mission of our Saviour. His mission statement is found in Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” If this was His mission, then this should be our mission. God has blessed me beyond measure, and if God can use me to be a blessing to another life, then that will be my mission, too.

3. Every generation needs its own voice.

I’ve received counsel on this subject, because I know that there is nothing new that I can bring to the table. This is a challenge for me when I think about writing. “But there are already so many books from better men than me on that subject”, is a thought I’ve had many times. Genesis 26 has spoken to me often on this subject. Isaac had to dig the wells of his father again. Abraham fought some battles in his day, but Isaac had to preserve the wells his father dug and fight for them in his generation. I’m not the voice of this generation by any stretch, but I can be a voice.

4. I’m not busy enough.

Sarcasm doesn’t translate as well on paper, but here is my leap. This isn’t just “something to do” for myself. My heart will be committed to these projects. I plan to write on a variety of topics, helps, and honestly, I don’t know how the Lord will lead in the time to come, but this is more than a time filler on my list for each week.

5. Jesus must be lifted up.

Jesus said in John 12:32, “ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. ” The if in that verse is the variable. Will we lift Him up? Who will lift Him up? Many can, but they don’t. There are many times I could have, but haven’t. With the false doctrine, false information, and wordly wisdom circulating in our culture, we need any and all voices that can lift up Jesus to do so.

Closing thoughts for this journey…

WHAT I PLAN

To post weekly. Every Friday.
To write on a variety of topics.
To be heavy on Bible topics and quiet (maybe not silent) on current trends and philosophical opinions.
To use Scripture and wise counsel to be the backbone of this blog.
To grow in this journey.

WHAT I KNOW

I don’t know it all.
There are many other great writers.
My generation needs more voices for Christ.
I have a heart to write.
People are searching for truth.
God is still at work.

WHAT I DON’T KNOW

How the Lord will lead me to write.
Who will read.
How it will bless.

WHAT I ASK

Read what you can.
Ponder as the Lord leads.
Comment.

WHAT I PRAY

“Lord, you know my heart. More importantly, you know the needs in our land and across the world that You created. If I can be a voice for You, may it be Your name that is magnified. I want to be a blessing, and I honestly expect nothing in return aside from others getting help in their walk with You and the Word of God. Use this blog for eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray this. Amen.”