What is a Baptist? Baptists are part of the protestant reformation, but what exactly are we protesting? The Roman Catholic church has cut God’s people off from God’s Word. They cut God’s people off from God’s authority. They cut God’s people off from God’s presence.
God has made us a kingdom of priests. We have access to God and to His throne of grace. We have drawn near to God through Jesus and the reformers took a stand against those who would try to tell us that we must go through them.

What is a Baptist? Baptists are part of the protestant reformation, but what exactly are we protesting? The Roman Catholic church had usurped the place and authority of Jesus, added works and merit to the gospel of Jesus and elevated their traditions to being equal with the Word of Jesus. We believe that:

• Jesus alone is the head of the Church
• Faith in Jesus alone is all that is required for salvation
• Jesus' Word alone commands and compels us

A herald was often sent out to announce the coming of the king and the purpose for his visit. After teh birth of John the baptizer, his father Zechariah announces the coming of Jesus our King and rejoices in His mission. The King of kings came to relieve, redeem and rescue us! We can serve God without fear all the days of our lives and on into eternity.

Kingdoms are guided, upheld or destroyed in large part to the nature and actions of their king. Jesus, our King, is a righteous king. He will not lead us astray. We will not be forsaken or thrown to our enemies because our King is faithful. His kingdom will not end. The King is coming! That is good news because of the mighty and merciful nature of our King.

God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. God had been planning and preparing since before time began to redeem unto Himself a people and to establish His kingdom. All of history has been building up to this moment. Since the foundation of the earth, the Son has been waiting. Since Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, God has been promising to establish an everlasting kingdom. His kingdom wouldn’t last for a few hours but is unshakable and eternal because it is built on His word and was established through His Son. We can have hope every day because all of the promises in God are fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus asks His disciples the most crucial question in life: "Who do you say that I am?" Their answer is "You are the Christ!" What is your answer?

Jesus rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith and understanding. He warns them (and us) to be on guard against legalism, hypocrisy, secularism, liberalism and all other false teachings. We do this through growing in our understanding of who God is and what God has said.

Jesus encounters a Gentile woman with great faith. We too can have great faith by following her example of putting our hope in the greatness of God.

Jesus explains that mankind's primary issue is a heart problem. It is out of our hearts that all manner of evil flows. Jesus came to heal our diseased hearts.

Jesus confronts the Pharisees on their error of making their traditions equal or greater to God's Law. We do well to guard against legalism both in other and ourselves and to submit to Jesus alone.