1) Scripture: Acts 2:42 "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers"

 Prayer: Praise to God, and thanksgiving, for the Gospel and for the devotion He has wrought within our church family for the Gospel and for one another.

 2) Scripture: Acts 2:43 "And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles"

 Prayer: Pray for our church leaders, ministries, as well as our individual witness where we work, live, and play, acknowledging our need of  the Spirit. Ask God that the Spirit would work among us in ways which are so evident that we would truly be in awe and could only say "God did that".

 3) Scripture: Acts 2:44-46 "And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts"

 Prayer: Thank God for our fellowship and ask God to increasingly unite us as a local church through mutual care and hosptitality. Pray for specific needs of our members that you are aware of (whether it be sickness, discouragement, financial need, grief, etc.). Ask that we would be a means of those needs being met through the ways we generoulsly and gladly love and care for another.

 4) Scripture: Acts 2:47 "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved"

Prayer: Ask God to lead us in how to love and bless our community in ways which exalt the good news of Jesus. Specifically ask that He guide us in our upcoming "Big Beautiful Saturday"/Serve Day on March 28 . Thank God for good things He has done through us, including those He has added to our number this past year - and ask Him to continue to save our lost friends, family, co-workers, and the unreached among the nations, for it is He alone that can save.

We took a few moments in our morning service on Jan. 18, 2026 to look back and rejoice in the good things the Lord has been doing in and through our church family this past year. Pictured in this video are just a few of the various ways  ways our church family has given and served on mission together to make Christ known - yet there are so many other good things that are not pictured. I'm so grateful for a church family that has sought to faithfully served Jesus through their giving, prayers, time, etc.  We're looking forward to the ways He is leading us in the coming months. 

Fasting is expected of Jesus’ disciples.

          Matthew 6:16a"And when you fast”.

  Jesus did not say if you fast, but when you fast.   This expectation is exemplified in Jesus’ own forty days of fasting in the wilderness – “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry” (Matthew 4:2). After Jesus fasted, He was hungry, so fasting involves temporarily giving up something you need or want. Normally, this means giving up food for a designated amount of time between you and God. Each time one feels the pain of hunger, they are reminded of their greater desire for God. For those with health needs and other considerations it could be something they might not need but rather want or enjoy – like a media fast. The time devoted to that activity is devoted to Scripture reading and prayer.

Fasting is a private expression to God.

Matthew 6:16-18 "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

  We see public fasts called for in the Old Testament by the nation of Israel (Ezra 8:21; Esther 4:16), and so fasting together as the church has biblical precedent. However, it does mean that even in our fasting together, we are not to call attention to ourselves for the purpose of displaying our willpower or supposed devotion to God – whether that be through moaning about how hungry we feel or posting about it on social media! To do so is to waste your fast – “they have received their reward”.

Fasting is an expression of longing for God’s kingdom.

Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

  Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. Jesus is coming for His bride. “Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). We fast because we long for Jesus to come back. We also long for Jesus to work through us by His Spirit now so that we see His kingdom breaking in during this present evil age. So we pray, as Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

  So why did Jesus fast? Jesus is mission-minded. Jesus was fasting in order to prepare for what lay ahead in regard to His mission in ushering in the kingdom of God (study all of Matthew 4:1-25 carefully). The purpose of Jesus’ fast is one worth emulating by His followers. So let us also fast in order to prepare for what lies ahead in regards to our mission of going and making disciples across the street (where we live, work, and play) and around the world.

Free Resources:  If fasting is new to you, I would highly recommend you read David Mathis’ brief, excellent article “Fasting for Beginners” - https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/fasting-for-beginners, or read his book, Habits of Grace at https://document.desiringgod.org/habits-of-grace-en.pdf?ts=1456697851. Also, John Piper’s A Hunger for God is well-worth the read: https://www.desiringgod.org/books/a-hunger-for-god

  I think it was around 1997 that I visited a friend and his family at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lousiville. I remember thinking that the weather, which was very rainy, cloudy, and dark during my two-day visit, seemed to reflect the "mood" of the place itself. I was unimpressed. Yet I had heard just tid-bits of how Southern had undergone a tremendous theological shift under the leadership of their new President, Dr. Albert Mohler. I had heard that upon his arrival that students who were opposed to his hiring carried around a casket as a symbolic protest of what they considered to be the "death" of the seminary. But what I later discovered, even though it was not apparent to me during this brief initial visit, was that the only "death" that had taken place was the death of theological liberalism  at Southern Seminary.

  Fast-forward to the spring of 1999 when I decided to give Southern one more visit before I decided where to pursue my theological education. This time the weather was different - a full-blown spring day - but the "mood" on campus reflected it as well. I sensed a change - and there had been many changes, unbeknownst to me at the time, such as the firing of liberal professors and hiring of conservative ones. Yet what confirmed what I sensed during this second brief visit was when I walked into the chapel service. Within the packed chapel their was a joyful stir. And then it happened - that moment when I knew this was the place I was supposed to go to Seminary. The pipe-organ began to play a majestic introduction to Martin Luther's reformation hymn, A Mighty Fortress - not a hymn I was very familiar with at the time. But as I heard the words and listened to the students and professors sing with joy, I felt I was in the presence of God. And the remainder of my visit, and then later as a student, confirmed to me that surely, tremendous changes had taken place in a short time at this school.

Where the SBC (and Southern Seminary) Had Been

  Later when I arrived on campus in the fall of 1999 I heard more stories of how bad things had been at Southern. So when I heard about a documentary called Battle for the Minds that was made from a liberal perspective about Southern, I went to the library and watched the VHS tape. 

 Prayerful Perspective

 What I saw when I first watched Battle for the Minds as a young seminary student was eye-opening indeed. I had no idea that liberal feminism had gained such a foothold at one point in the SBC. And despite what the producers sought to "spin" in making this documentary, I understood that the main issue at stake was the authority of Scripture. So, with a twist of irony, a liberal, feminist documentary made me ever more thankful for how the Lord had been at work so that Southern Seminary and the SBC as a whole had recovered from theological liberalism.

Lessons to Learn

  Could the Southern Bapist Convention ever get back to such a dire place as it once was? Could the SBC become like so many other mainline denominatons whose theological drift led them straight down a "slippery-slope" into a theological wasteland that is dominated by pragmatism and postmodern relativism.? YES. And I put that "YES" in all capitals only to reinforce the need to always be discerning and diligent in our voluntary cooperation with the SBC.

  As we prayerfully monitor concerns that have been raised in recent years about the Southern Baptist Convention , not putting our heads in the sand,  we can also be very thankful that the theological trajectory of the SBC is NOWHERE close to where it once was .  And I put that "NOWHERE" in all capitals to emphasize the need to be patient, to be prayerful, and involved in the SBC in a day where scrutiny is sometimes rightly deserved, and at other times is wrongly propagated. It is often very difficult to know the difference , which should call us to a humble discernment.

Note: This post stems from a portion of a presentation I shared recently with our church family regarding our ongoing voluntary cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention . I read somewhere that someone said "the SBC  is not essential, but it does matter". I agree with that statement. In recent years, valid concerns have been raised about the trajectory of the SBC - ones we do not take lightly. Yet, as I shared with our church family, we have reason to be optimistic regarding the SBC, even as we seek to be diligent and prayerful as we monitor it.

  1 Timothy 2:12 ESV - I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

  1 Timothy 3:2 ESV - Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

   Article VI. of the SBC's statement of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, states "while both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture". The problem is that when some folks hear the word "pastor" they immediately limit that to what, by tradition, has been referred to as the "Senior Pastor" or "Lead Pastor". Such an understanding leaves the door open to women serving in other pastoral roles; i.e. some would be ok with a woman serving as an Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, etc. This is is why Mike Law, a pastor in Virginia, proposed an amendment in 2023 to change the SBC's Constitution  to state that the only kind of church in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention is one that “Affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” If this amendment, which became known as the "Law Amendment", had passed this summer, it would make it clear where the SBC stands and it would further empower the SBC Credentials Committee to address the cooperative status of SBC churches whose position and practice allow for women to serve in any kind of pastoral role - not just in the "Senior Pastor" position.  For the Law Amendment  to be adopted it required a 2/3 majority vote at two consecutive annual meetings. Here is what happened:

• 2023 - The Law Amendment was proposed and passed with over 80%  voting in favor of it.
• 2024 - The majority of SBC Messengers (61.45%) voted in favor, but it failed to receive the required 2/3 to pass.

What happened between this year and last year?  Why did 38.55% vote against the Law Amendment in 2024?  

1. It is necessary to acknowledge the presence and influence of a small minority of SBC churches/members who are theologically leftward. For example, one study has estimated that around 2.57% of SBC churches (1,225 churches) have a woman serving in some kind of position with the title of "pastor". It should also be acknowledged that some churches may have women serving who function as a pastor but do not hold the title. And it should also be fairly stated that some SBC churches have women who have the title "pastor" on a church staff who nevertheless in their role do not teach or excercise authority over men (to which I would say, "Good. So, keep functioning biblically and change the title of that postion to reflect the authority of the Bible"). The reality of a liberal minority  of SBC churches (at least on the issue of women pastors) is reflected in recent votes to remove SBC churches. In 2023, 11.36% of messengers voted "no" to removing Saddleback Church for having female pastors. At this year's convention (2024), 8% of messengers voted "no" to remove First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virgina who holds to an egalitarian position. These are the churches that need to either leave the SBC or repent regarding their position and practice regarding female pastors.
2. In 2023 and 2024, some voted "no" to the Law Amendment, who are, for the most part, complementarian in their positon and practice, but voted "no" for one or more of the following reasons: a) They see the issue of a woman holding the title of "pastor" in a non-senior pastoral position (i.e. a "Children's Pastor" for example) as merely an arugment about semantics; b) They are concerned about the precedent set of changing our SBC by-laws and where that could lead; c) Some fear that passing the Law Amendment will lead to the loss of ethnic churches in the SBC wwhere women are more likely to hold associate ministry roles using the title pastor.
3. Then there are those who voted "no" in 2024 that may have voted "yes" in 2023 because of the influence of some leaders in the SBC who within the past year, though complementarian in their stated convictions, have spoken out against the Law Amendment (like former SBC President, Pastor J.D. Greear and the new SBC's newly appointed CEO, Jeff Iorg).
4. And there are those who voted "no" in 2024 that may have voted "yes" because, according to Pastor Marc Minter, "during any given year the SBC annual meeting is populated by a large percentage of first-time or occasional messengers. As such, the vote of the messengers can and does vacillate, sometimes significantly". 

What's the big deal?

  There are three reasons why the presence of these churches in the SBC is a concern: 1) Simply put, titles matter. Referring to a woman as a pastor, of any kind, undermines the authority of Scripture. Many mainlain denominations who have embraced an egalitarian position have went on to affirm the ordination of homosexuals, etc.; 2) Yes, these churches are autonomous, but any church that is deemed to be in "friendly cooperation" with the SBC can send messengers who can vote on crucial issues at our annual meetings - we should remember this as we consider the fact that the Law Amendment failed to pass this year by less than 5% of the messengers voting. 3) The members of these churches are eligible to be appointed to serve on SBC boards and committees which shape the direction of the SBC.

 Why should we be hopeful? 

• The majority of SBC messengers voted "yes" to approve the Law Amendment.
•   The evening before the vote on the Law Amendment, 92% of the SBC messengers voted in favor of removing the historic First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia whose Senior Pastor is a man and has a Children's Pastor who is a woman. A report by the SBC's Credentials Committee stated that when the church was contacted and asked as to whether they would ever consider calling a man to serve as a the Senior Pastor, "the church responded affirmatively saying, yes, they would because they do not ‘believe that the Bible limits the fulfillment of this office exclusively to men.’”
• The newly elected President of the SBC, Clint Pressley, voted "yes" to approve the Law Amendment. Pressely is also a member of the Counsel for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW). The two most progressive candidates, who were also not in favor of the Law Amendment, did not even receive enough votes to make it to the second ballot run-off. Regarding Pressley's election, Pastor Heath Lambert of FBC Jacksonville, Florida wrote, "This choice is so significant because the appointments that Pressley makes to our convention boards and entities will shape convention life for years to come. It is significant that among an impressive list of six candidates, Southern Baptists chose to trust him with this important work".
• During the SBC's Excutive Committee meeting in February, Immanuel Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky was removed for having a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female lead pastor functioning in the office of pastor.
•  The SBC has been here before - and it was much worse. By God's grace, over time, there was a conservative resurgence in the SBC. I will share more on this in follow-up post. 
• We are continuing to cooperate to fuflill the Great Commission. At this year's annual meeting, 83 new missionaries were appointed to serve around the world, some in closed countries (evidenced at the meeting by the need to conceal some of their identities and only show their silhouettes).

In the meantime . . .

There are other recent and ongoing issues in the SBC that require our prayerful attention. When we give money through the Cooperative Program or send members to be trained in our seminaries and Bible colleges, we want to do so with confidence that those funds are being used wisely and those individuals are being trained biblically.  That responsibility of monitoring our church's involvement with the SBC lies primarily with me and those who will serve alongside me as Elders. 

Note: This post is the the summary of a portion of a presentation I shared recently with our church family regarding our ongoing voluntary cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention . I read somewhere that someone said "the SBC  is not essential, but it does matter". I agree with that statement. In recent years, valid concerns have been raised about the trajectory of the SBC - ones we do not take lightly. Yet, as I shared with our church family, we have reason to be optimistic regarding the SBC.  I will elaborate on those issues of concern as well as the reasons for optimism in future posts.

  FBC is an autonomous/self-governing church. We voluntarily cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to fulfill the Great Commission. This year we have once again allocated $17,000 (about 4.9% of this year's budget) to be funneled through what is known as the Cooperative Program of the SBC. Since we are also part of the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA) we send this $17,000 to IBSA (located in Springfield, Illinois) which keeps 56.5% of CP giving from local churches (which amounts to $9,605 from FBC this year) to fund various ministry tasks throughout our state - things like church planting, campus ministries, disaster relief, and leadership training.

  Each state convention sends the remainder of the CP giving they receive from local churches to the Executive Committee of the SBC (located in Nashville, TN) which oversees the distribution of this money to fund the SBC entities listed below. As you will see below, this means that First Baptist will send $7,395 to the SBC this year:

First Baptist Church: $17,000 from FBC this year to the Cooperative Program (CP) = Close to 4.98% of our 2024-2025 budget.

Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA): IBSA keeps 56.5% to do missions work like church planting, disaster relief, and leadership training in Illinois; $9,605 from FBC this year. Watch this brief overview video to learn more.

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): $7,395 from FBC this year. This money from our church will be allocated among the following entities according to the the budget by messengers from local churches at the SBC's annual meeting:

1.  International Mission Board (IMB): 21.9% = We will give $3,723 from FBC this year.  This year FBC also gave over $10,000 through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which goes directly to IMB which supports 3,532 missionaries.
2. North American Mission Board (NAMB): 9.9% = $1,683 from FBC this year.                                                                                            FBC also participates each spring in the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering which goes directly to NAMB.
3. Theological Training: 9.7% = $1,649 (allocated among each of the six Southern Baptist seminaries).
4. Executive Committee (Operating Budget): 1.3% = $221 from FBC this year.
5. Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC): 0.7% = $119 from FBC this year.

 There are 46,906 SBC churches fuding the SBC's CP budget of $190,250,000. Through special offerings, investments, etc. the comprehensive operating budget of the SBC is over $1 billion. The big picture of all of this is that when you give your offering at FBC it is being used to do Great Commission work not only in our community but also in the state of Illinois, North America, and throughout the world, even among unreached people groups. So, the reason for this brief summary is to remind us of the privilege and opportunity we have to partner with like-minded churches to spread the gospel through our joyful and generous giving. At the same time, the occasion for presenting this information to our church family is also to acknowledge our need for prayerful attentiveness to how those funds are being used, which I will elaborate on more in the second part of this series of posts.

Note: This post is the the summary of a portion of a presentation I shared recently with our church family regarding our ongoing voluntary cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention . I read somewhere where someone said that "the SBC  is not essential, but it is important". I agree with that statement. In recent years, valid concerns have been raised about the trajectory of the SBC - ones we do not take lightly. Yet, as I shared with our church family, we have reason to be optimistic regarding the SBC.  I will elaborate on those issues of concern as well as the reasons for optimism in future posts.

  Our members can be helpful in discerning the Lord's guidance by prayerfully recommending a prospect to our Elder Search Committee for their consideration. Elder recommendations can be submitted by completing the form at this LINK. 

Since the Lord places a premium upon the character of prospective elders, we ask that you carefully evaluate the individual(s) you recommended according to the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 and elsewhere, such as Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-3.  Description of elder qualifcations are available at fbcmtc.org/elders.

  Finally, please note that the apostle Paul does not intend to provide an exhaustive elder qualification list in either 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1, or in both combined. What he does list however, provides helpful indicators of a potential elder's genuine spiritual maturity and fitness to lead others. Each qualification is a standard that all believers should strive to meet. However, those who are selected for church leadership especially need to meet these character qualities. Paul guides the church to look for those who demonstrate genuineness, maturity, and depth of relationship to Jesus Christ. A person’s somewhat distant past is not the focus if he has been forgiven and has now demonstrated a consistent pattern of godly character in response to the Holy Spirit.

1. Is this man a consistent example of godliness?
2. Is this man, so far as we know, faithful to his one wife? Is he above reproach in the way he relates to women?
3. Is he acting as the spiritual leader of his family?
4. Is this man someone you trust to care for your soul?  Is he someone you can follow?
5. Does this man have the proven ability to teach?
6. Is this man willing & ready to do the work an elder?