Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

This past Sunday was Bright Sunday.  We wear bright clothes as a fun expression of living in the brightness of Christ’s resurrection.  The brightness also connects us to the historical practice for Christians to enjoy the humorous side of faith after we have experienced the seriousness of Holy Week.

God renews us by renewing people’s trust to be the “body of Christ.”  We are an Easter people.  We are a people of life transformation. So … what’s next? 

This article marks the beginning of a sermon series filled with God’s promises from the book of Acts. The answer to the question of ”What’s Next?” is “God’s 8 Transforming Promises.”  Through these promises, God reveals His truth, releases His power, and revitalizes us by His presence. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

Easter shows us God at work.  The miracle comes through the power of the One who created the heavens and the earth.  Touched by it, we sing - “Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph over His foes.”

What’s at Stake?

With Christ’s resurrection comes our resurrection.  With Christ’s resurrection comes Satan’s ultimate defeat.  With Christ’s resurrection is the victory of heaven over hell; love over hate; hope over despair; forgiveness over sin. 

Like the early believers, we share the joy of Easter’s promise.  Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed!

What one believes about eternity is challenged when standing by an open grave of a loved one.  We do not play games or give false platitudes at the cemetery.  Is the gravesite the final resting place for a loved one whose casket is about to be lowered in the ground?  Or is the grave a historical location where we recall the person’s earthly life; grieve that the person no longer walks with us on earth; and then celebrate that our loved one now shares in the promise of Christ’s resurrection?

Easter makes clear that resurrection is the transforming work of God by which believers enter heaven. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

Holy week is the Hall of Fame week in world history. Why? Because Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and  Easter Sunday reveal God’s power to give meaning to Every Day of our lives.

Because of what Christ did those days we can know these days how to live daily with salvation’s joy.  Is your daily life filled with this joy?

As Jesus entered Jerusalem that Sunday, everyone in the region realized from that moment on there was no turning back.  Either His perfect love would win or the sinful nature of people & power would prevail.  Salvation’s freedom was at stake!

Would people’s shriveled hearts betray Jesus to the worldly authorities for crucifixion or would Jesus’ tender heart be tough enough to transform them?  The week unfolded in a way that both would happen.  By Jesus’ saving response to the dramatic tension during those days, we can know today the unending power of Jesus.

Two historical messages were given when Jesus prophetically rode a colt into Jerusalem and the crowd laid palm branches before him on what we call Palm Sunday. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

What would you write if you were unjustly jailed?

The Apostle Paul, imprisoned for his faith, wrote a Spirit inspired letter to fellow believers in Ephesus.   Martin Luther King’s letter from a Birmingham jail ignited a Civil Rights movement.  Thoreau’s jail house communication with Emerson shaped a consensus of conscience.

Paul’s letter challenged the church to change the world by living in God’s strength.  All of Paul’s writings were letters initially addressed to churches & individuals who resided in the Roman Empire.  As individuals, families, neighborhoods, cities, and regions were changed by the life giving relationship of conversion through Christ - the Roman Empire changed.

These same promises now inspire us to live powerfully in our 21st century world.

The “How” - Ephesians 6:10-20

As Paul prayerfully thought through his current circumstances, he saw the Roman soldier’s armor as a way of understanding how believers can live in the power of God’s might…

Instead of envying what he did not have - the Roman soldier’s armor - Paul claimed the greater power offered by God (6:10).  “Daily, be made powerful by God’s strength being the source of your strength,” is a faithful translation (6:11 & 13).  “Put on God’s whole armor” is twice emphasized by Paul to clarify that our strength comes by yielding our “complete self into God’s presence” (6:12-14). Read More »

Article by Jennifer Snelling

Several months ago, someone shared a quote with me that essentially said no one is able to succeed without a support group.  I’ve struggled with this quote since.

Of course, you can define your own support group in many different ways.  It could be a literal group of people that encourage you … it could be your family … people you see socially that are interested in what you are doing and lift you up … or it could even be strangers who see your work and offer you praise for it.

Today I read a small passage about a young girl who was trying to sing a solo without accompaniment when she was suddenly stricken with stage fright.  She continued to sing, but her voice tightened and went weak.  Someone in the audience compassionately began to hum the tune along with her and was soon joined by a few other people.  With the support of various people in the audience, the girl finished her song with newfound confidence. Read More »