Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

We live in a world where so many people have opinions about how we should think, what we should do, how we should fee. The prophet Zephaniah spoke during a similar time in Judah’s history. Amid so many voices vying for Judah’s attention, Zephaniah said be quiet because there is only one who has the say. This prophet speaks right to our culture today.

It's always nice when someone responds to what you're saying. Momentum can be gained, relationships deepened, and progress made. We see that in the book of Haggai. The people were teachable and progress was made. It makes us wrestle with the question, "Are we teachable?".

Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels? Moving in slow motion? Like the clock has stopped? The daily distractions of life and difficult events can make us feel like all our best efforts are futile and useless. It's easy to get stuck.

This Sunday we resume our study in the Minor Prophets with the book of Haggai, and we'll see a people who had gotten stuck in futility and had lost their way. And we'll see God swoop in to rescue them and get them back on the right track, just like He does so often.

He is Risen! It is finished! This radical reality effects all of history – the past, present, and future. When you are confronted with the risen Christ it’s almost difficult to know what do with something so grand. The disciples struggled at first. This Easter we’ll look at Jesus’ final words from the cross, It is finished, and the implications of that.

Sometimes when life is scary or hard we retreat back to the moments or teachings from when we were kids. It’s that wisdom that we tend to lean on and recall. Jesus wasn’t any different. From the cross he prayed a prayer that he would have prayed as a child. Prayer marked Jesus’ life and should shape ours as well.

This week Pastor Steve takes a look at the statement from Jesus, "I thirst". We also get to hear from Ron Minton, our missionary to the Ukraine, on how he and his wife, Nancy, are making disciples.

We’ve all dealt with struggle and hardships. No one is a stranger to pain and despair. It may surprise you to know that Jesus can relate. As we continue to look at what Jesus said from the cross we’ll see that he knows heartache all too well. What’s more, he knows the way out. He can navigate us through difficult seasons of life so that we can be overcomers. Check out this week’s message to learn how.

As we continue Missions Month here at Central in our series of the Seven Sayings from the Cross. We will take a look at Jesus’ third statement, “Woman, behold your son.” Together, we will see Jesus’ compassion on full display. Even in the pain, stress, and extreme pressure He endured, he still showed compassion to others.

Our days are full driving by and walking past so many people who are nameless to us. This Sunday, as we look at Jesus' second statement from the cross we'll meet perhaps the most well-known nameless person. And we'll be encouraged that no matter how loud life may get no one is ever nameless to God. He's always present in every moment of everyday.

Sin is deadly and grace is extremely expensive. On the cross, all of the sin of humanity was placed upon the Lamb of God who takes it all away. From that cross Jesus made 7 statements. Statements that demonstrate both the ugliness of sin and the cost of grace. Together, we’ll study those 7 statements and discover how Jesus is calling us to be people who experience grace and then pay the cost to extend grace to others. The series will culminate with an exciting finish on resurrection Sunday.