One of the criticisms often leveled at Christians is that we are negative, pessimistic, and worse, we don’t bring anything to the table by way of constructive ideas to resolve perplexing problems.  Our perceived negativity often leads to the charge that we are judgmental and hypocritical.  This is true in some instances, but only serves to highlight the message of our lives, namely that we all need a Savior.

Believers in Jesus Christ see the world through the lens of revealed truth (Scripture) and concern for God’s interests in this world. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Within these commands comes a lifetime of commitments that are often misunderstood or rejected by a watching world.

Marvin Olasky in his fine work, Standing for Christ in a Modern Babylon, gives a vital apologetic/defense before a culture that seeks to marginalize the Christian worldview. Olasky places the contemporary believer in a modern “Babylon” much like the Hebrew prophet Daniel experienced. Daniel seemed to thrive in an environment that was antagonistic to his faith, but nonetheless he stood courageously in the face of tremendous trials. Olasky writes to contemporary believers,

“The dramatic nature of Christ’s claims means that life as a Christian in Babylon is not boring. Christ’s statement, ‘I am the way,’ means that other ways are not, and that does not sit well with some. Christianity cannot be the live-and-let-live religion that goes down easily in a theologically laid-back society because Christians know that the reality apart from God is live-and-let-die. Christ’s claims inevitably force a reaction, either believing or hostile, just as He said they would.” (more…)

Some years ago, I read an article by Jay Adams in which he described a typical scenario of a married couple, John and Mary, who came to their pastor for counseling.  While they didn’t announce it, or perhaps couldn’t even articulate it, nevertheless they came to play a popular game with their pastor called, “Stump the Counselor.”  (Jay Adams, “Love is a Decision,” Tabletalk, February 1997)

As Adams describes the situation, we learn that John and Mary already have their minds made up about what they intend to do. They are professing Christians, and know that they have no biblical basis for a divorce, but they both want one. John and Mary reason, “Look, if we can get the counselor to sign off on our misery, and that in our situation there is no hope for reconciliation, then we can find some salve to put on our conscience and will have an excuse from this point forward.”

The counseling begins with John and Mary unpacking their sordid story, and with great anguish they describe how miserable their lives are.  And by the way, they don’t have to strain the narrative, things are horrible for these two! After reciting a decade of bad road, John throws down the trump card, “So you see, pastor, there is no hope for this marriage.  I haven’t loved her for years; there is nothing to build on for the future.” Mary’s chimes in, “Well, to sum it all up, I don’t love him—I hate him!” They sit back and wait for the pastor to attempt the fools errand of refuting their holocaust. (more…)

I was once asked to read I Corinthians 13 at a wedding.  I Corinthians 13, of course, is the greatest essay on the subject of love in all of literature. After the ceremony, a young woman in the wedding party came up to me and began to complement me on the words that I shared.  After a little probing, I discovered that she thought that I had actually written I Corinthians 13!

Well, I explained that I was reading the New Testament, and those words were inspired by God himself to tell us what true love is. I Corinthians 13 was written to a very troubled church, the church at Corinth, which was being consumed by infighting and division.  In this passage, we discover that God’s love, the love we are commanded to express to others, cannot be defined in one word.  We see that the biblical portrait of love is multi-dimensional. (more…)

We are 34 days away from a monumental election in the United States, and one that will set the trajectory for this country for decades to come. With great velocity, we have witnessed in the last decade the advancement of a progressive agenda in America that has been astonishing.

Recently, I was attending a symphony concert with a number of friends and one of the wives went to the woman’s restroom only to have a man enter the restroom before her. She decided to hold it. What would have once been a call for law enforcement has become a brazen leap into the insane. It was Erwin Lutzer who noted, “We cannot list here all of the advances of the gay (LGBT) agenda , except to say that virtually everything they have wanted has come to pass.”

Racial tensions are another internal problem our country is facing that seems to be outdoing the chaos of the 1960’s, and this comes at a time when we should be coming together in light of the global permeation of radical Islamic terrorism with many other dangers besides. We are a fragmented nation that doesn’t know which way to go.

As I consider the spiritual climate of our country, we cannot forsake the Law of God so flagrantly and expect to thrive or survive. The reality is we have taken in too much water spiritually and morally as a nation, and with great hubris have sent the God of Scripture a clear message, “We reject you!” (more…)

I have lived in south Louisiana since 1988 and have been through a number of disasters. Hurricane Katrina has redefined life for those of us along the I-10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Often conversations in our area are prefaced with, “Since Katrina….”

The flood waters of August 2016 will also serve as a benchmark of devastation for years to come. It was painful to watch the radar as a stalled weather system churned like a washing machine for four days over south Louisiana dumping massive amounts of water on a region of the country that can’t bear much. When all was said and done, the Baton Rouge area received over 26 inches of rain, according to data from the National Weather Service, shattering records and shoving rivers over their banks.

A number of news outlets tried to help us get our minds around the amount of water that fell in those days. Ryan Miller with USA Today wrote that if the total from each rain gauge from the affected area topped together it would be 630 inches, or over 50 feet, which puts it well above the Lincoln Memorial statue and almost as deep as the White House is tall. From height to gallons, Miller referenced the town of Livingston, LA. which received 25.5 inches in four days. Which means Livingston, a town with just over three square miles, received over one billion gallons of water. (USAToday, August 17, 2016) (more…)

I once pastored an elderly believer who was habitually late. She treated her tardiness as if it was something unusual because she would always give an explanation for her delay.

Of the many excuses given, one sticks out above them all when she said one particular Sunday morning that the devil had made her late because when she had opened the freezer door of her refrigerator a frozen chicken fell out and landed on her toes.

Well, I think her problem had little to do with Satan and more to do with a poorly packed freezer! I certainly do not want to promote a skepticism of Satan’s existence and activity, for he is alive and well in this world. Though a defeated foe, Satan’s plans are to undermine the authority and will of God.

A.W. Tozer wrote with prophetic insight about a lot of things and he was certainly correct when he penned, “The world is not a playground, but a battleground.”

Like the smell of napalm, an honest reading of the New Testament affirms that this world is a war zone. How could we think otherwise when we read commands like I Peter 5:8,9, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion.”? Or, James 4:7 where believers are commanded to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”? (more…)

Pastor’s Conference

First Baptist Church Gonzales, Louisiana

“Spiritual Disciplines in a Pastor’s Life”

Dr. Donald Whitney

October 3-4, 2014

First Baptist Church Gonzales is excited to offer a second mini-conference this year for pastors and church leaders in Louisiana and beyond. By mini-conferences we are referring to a 24 hour event for the purpose of offering biblical challenge and encouragement to pastors and church leaders. On October 3-4, we are thrilled to have Dr. Donald Whitney as our conference leader, and he will be teaching on “Spiritual Disciplines in a Pastor’s Life/Church’s Life.”

 As you are probably aware, Dr. Whitney has written widely on this topic most notably in his book, “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” which was recently updated and expanded.  Dr. Whitney brings a wealth of ministry experience to share, and I trust that the biblical teaching and materials, along with the fellowship of other pastors will be a great encouragement to you.

Our heart’s desire in hosting these conferences is to make them accessible and affordable.  The registration fee for this conference is $25 which will also cover meals.  If there are pastors who would like to attend, but are not able for financial reasons, please let us know.

We will also have a bookstore at the conference and will give a number of free books and resources to conference attendees.

Our prayer is that God would bring pastors and church leaders together to forge a network of encouragement and ministry mobilization for the glory of Christ and the building up of His church.  We hope you will join us on Friday, October 3^th and Saturday, October 4^th at First Baptist Church Gonzales. Register today!   Click here to Register  Please feel to contact us by phone, 225-647-8575 and ask for Brent Hill, or by email at events@fbcg.net