Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

As you set up your nativity scene this year. There is of course Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. Then, looking on are those nice shepherds dressed in robes with staffs in hand. We’re familiar with the Christmas story; we like them in the scene. However, if we were living in first century Bethlehem, we wouldn’t have wanted them there – not at all. Join us this Sunday as we discuss the shepherds and how their inclusion in the Christmas scene reminds us that the good news of Jesus is for all people.

In our world people pick sides. The latest headlines reveal division across the globe. Let’s face it if we were God, we’d come to rescue some, but not others. However, the angels announced that the birth of the Messiah would be good news of great joy for all people. Jesus came for the Jew and the Gentile. He came for the down and out and the up and out. He came for the moral and the immoral. He came for you and me. This Christmas season we will celebrate with a series titled, For All People. We’ll see how the reality that Jesus came for all people affects how we see and interact with people.

Have you ever been lost? It’s a disorienting feeling. Seconds can seem like minutes, minutes can seem like hours. When you are lost what you really want is to be found. The Bible speaks of people who are not in right relationship with God as lost. Jesus came for the lost and he commissioned his followers to go to them as well. As we continue our Key Questions series, we will be asking the question: Who are you sharing Jesus with?

Living life alone on a desert island may sound romantic at times, but if you’ve ever seen the movie Castaway you get an idea as to just how lonely you’d be. The reason is we were created to live alone. Just as God exists in community (He’s triune) so He designed His people to exist in community as well. As we continue our key questions series, we’ll be asking the question: where are you experiencing life-giving community? We see that type of community modeled for us in the early church.

Have you ever met someone who has it all together? The truth is we are all in process, growing to become more and more like Jesus. That’s what our series the key questions is all about. Asking key questions that help reveal where we are and spur us toward spiritual growth. This week we’ll be asking the question "Who am I discipling?".

Throughout our lives we ask and are asked countless questions. Sometimes those questions can be silly other times serious. Some questions are trivial others are critical. There are several questions for the life of any Christian that are critically important because they are so clarifying. During our next series, our aim is to equip you with 5 questions that will help propel your disciple-making mission. These questions work best not merely for self-reflection but in the context of missional groups.

Most of us have had dreams about what life would be like without the limitations of time, space, or gravity. The thrill of fling around the universe is captivating. That dream of life without limits has made it’s way to many parts of our culture. We are living in a time when many of the limits that were in place for marriage have been abolished. Perhaps, that’s why the need for godly marriages are more important now than ever. We’ll look at what Peter says about marriage this week.

This last week we’ve seen the atrocities that took place in Israel. I have been diligent in praying for the people there, and I hope you have as well. The hostility of the world has been on full display. There are certain wars that are just. Jesus will execute a just war to rid the world of sin and evil. He is our ultimate authority. Unfortunately, in this life sometimes we are under the authority of those who are unjust. So, while we won’t be talking about just wars this Sunday, we will talk about authority and the effects of being under the authority of King Jesus.

Know Your Identity

A Healthy Appetite