Pastor John Tilley

05/19/2026

Excellent article on how we can invest in and equip the next generation to do great things for God!

Equipping the Next Generation to Change the World

By Dr. Jim Schettler, Monday, May 18, 2026

I have never been more encouraged about young people than I am of this generation in youth groups today. As I preach in summer camps, teen retreats, Christian school chapels, and evangelistic youth events, I’m moved at the enormous potential this generation possesses to change the world.

It’s always easy to look at young people and see their inadequacies. But the truth is, God can use this next generation in spite of their youth, inexperience, or lack of ability. They don’t know everything, but neither did David, Daniel, or Josiah. Age has never limited God’s power to work through a yielded heart.

But I believe God is going to use today’s young people because of what this generation uniquely possesses—their faith, their humility, and their honesty. They believe God can do great things. They respond tenderly to His Word. They’re searching for what’s real and genuine, not another performance or program. Like Josiah, they have a heart that is sensitive to truth and ready to obey it.

That’s why I believe God can do something special through this generation. The question is: How do we help them?

1. Provide Encouragement

Young people need leaders who believe in them. When God called Gideon a “mighty man of valour” (Judges 6:12), Gideon certainly didn’t feel like one. But God saw what Gideon could become. That’s the kind of vision youth leaders must have.

Your encouragement gives teens confidence that God can use them. Speak faith into their lives. Remind them that the same God who used Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon can use them today. See something in them that they don’t yet see in themselves.

Faith-filled encouragement can turn insecurity into confidence and doubt into direction.

2. Provide Instruction

Encouragement is vital, but it’s not enough. If we want this generation to change the world, we must equip them with God’s Word.

Paul told Timothy that Scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). That phrase “instruction in righteousness” is key for youth ministry. Young people need spelled out instruction on what it means to live a godly life in the many challenges of this culture. They don’t just need you to tell them what to do; they need you to show them, from Scripture, how to live it out.

True equipping means giving young people more than general truth; it means giving them specific truth for the specific battles they face.

We can’t just tell a teen, “Stop being depressed.” We must show them from Scripture how to think biblically about hope and joy. We can’t simply say, “Stand for truth.” We must give them verses, principles, and steps that show them how to do it.

For example, a question I’m often asked by teens is “What do I say to friends who claim to be Christian but claim to be trans?” I usually begin by showing them Psalm 100:3: “It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.” I’ll tell them that they can tell their friend, “You’ll make thousands of choices in your life, but one choice you’ll never make is your gender. God has already determined that.”

Equipping means showing them what the tool is (the Word of God) and how to use it. It’s training them through discussion, role-play, and application so they know how to handle real-world questions and struggles with biblical confidence.

When teens leave your youth Bible study or weekly meeting, they should walk away holding something solid—specific truths that address the real issues they face and a clear plan of action for how to use those truths in daily life.

3. Provide an Example

The most lasting lesson you’ll ever teach your youth group is the life you live before them.

Be an example in your home. Love your wife. Cherish your kids. Let your students see a joyful, godly marriage and a home filled with grace and truth. When they watch you, they should think, That’s the kind of family I want someday.

Be an example in your attitude. Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” If you don’t serve with joy, you’re not helping the cause of Christ—you’re hindering it. Your spirit will either draw young people closer to Christ or drive them away. They’ll follow someone who serves with gladness long before they’ll follow someone who serves out of obligation.

And be an example in your walk with God. Every teen in your group should know that the most important thing in your life is your personal walk with the Lord. And they should see a consistent Christian testimony that flows from that walk.

God Is Able

If you believe God is able, lead like it. Encourage your teens by believing in them. Equip them with truth that meets their real struggles. And live as the example they need to see.

God is raising up a generation that can change the world. Let’s make sure we’re the kind of leaders who help them do it.

Dr. Jim Schettler serves as an instructor at West Coast Baptist College, teaching classes in Bible, Youth Ministry, and Counseling.

05/03/2026

The Awesomeness of our God Challies

None of us is perfect, none of us complete, none of us without weakness and sin. For that reason, none of us perfectly exemplifies godly character.

Though we may have grown in humility, we will still at times take advantage of people we are meant to lead with love.
Though we may value mercy, we will still be tempted to overwhelm or even abuse others with our strength.
Though we may display the virtue of gentleness, we will still at times succumb to outbursts of anger.

God, and God alone, perfectly exemplifies every virtue in its fullest form.

He is...
high and humble,
strong and sensitive,
righteous and gracious,
powerful and merciful,
authoritative and tender,
holy and forgiving,
just and compassionate,
angry and gentle,
firm and friendly

- all of these in perfection, each of these without ever diminishing the others.
He is a God who is worthy of our praise, our adoration, our delight. What a blessing it is to have the privilege of knowing this God—knowing him in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Every Christian can attest that as we come to know him, we will inevitably and wondrously come to delight in him.

04/28/2026

Who are your friends? Part 2

“Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭6‬

Yesterday we saw the subtility of Jonadab.
Today we see the cunning craftiness of Absalom.

Jonadab manipulated the actions of people while presenting himself as innocent.

Absalom befriended people for his own advancement.

Both men used others for their own benefit.
Both caused division in what should have been strong relationships - kingdoms, families, friendships.

Although both presented themselves as caring for the people, they were only interested in themselves and what they could gain.

If a “friend “ supports your sinful desires or tendencies, they are not a true friend.

If a “friend” tears down an established relationship, such as Absalom did in turning the hearts of the people against David, they are not a true friend but are using you to strengthen their pride driven selfish motives.

Who are your friends?

04/27/2026

Who are your friends?

2 Samuel 13:3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.

Jonadab - what a sly devil, getting his thrills from behind the scenes manipulation but never being implicated for his involvement.

First, he encouraged Amnon to violate his sister. This led to Tamar’s shame, David’s grief and Absalom’s murder of Amnon, and yet although Jonadab instigated this trail of tears, we find him offering David consolation concerning the false rumor and playing it off as nothing because only Amnon is dead.

- 2 Samuel 13:32 -33 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. -

Jonadab presented himself as a friend, encouraged Amnon to sin , then treated Amnon’s death as deserved, all the while presenting himself as innocent.

We must guard ourselves against those who will befriend us for their own purposes.

Yes Amnon was wrong and Absalom was wrong but Jonadab was behind the scenes pulling the strings and no one ever suspected him.

But God was watching and knew the evil of Jonadab and recorded his wickedness for our instruction.

04/21/2026

04/19/2026

As we read of the death of Saul we are reminded of our tendency to self destruct through selfishness.

Saul had great potential…
anointed of God, physically superior to all the nation , and ruler of a people who were loved of God.
But Saul was self centered and as a result died in disgrace.

The greatest weakness of men is our tendency to selfishness. We reach our full potential only when we turn our attention from ourselves and toward serving God and others.

Mat 22:36 -40Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets

04/18/2026

The interesting history of the beloved hymn
"At the Cross"

At the Cross: A Tale of Two Creations

Too often when singing a familiar hymn, we fail to consider the hands through which it passed before reaching our lips. So it is with “At the Cross,” a hymn whose journey spans two centuries and represents the creative efforts of multiple people. What began as a solemn reflection on Christ’s sacrifice would, nearly two centuries later, be transformed into one of evangelicalism’s most beloved songs through the addition of a joyful refrain.

Isaac Watts: the Father of English Hymnody

Isaac Watts was born in Southampton, England in 1674, the oldest of nine children. His father, a committed Nonconformist preacher, was imprisoned twice for his religious convictions, refusing to conform to the Church of England which he believed had not sufficiently separated from Roman Catholic doctrines.

From his earliest days, young Isaac was immersed in Scripture—his father would regularly read God’s Word to him and pray over him, later instructing all his children “frequently to read the Scriptures – get your hearts to delight in them – above all books and writings account the Bible the best and read it most – lay up the truth of it in your hearts.”
This Biblical foundation served Isaac well. By age fifteen he had committed his life to Christ, and by sixteen had mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and French. His intellectual gifts were evident, but it was his dissatisfaction with congregational singing that would ultimately lead to his greatest contribution to the church. This contribution would eventually earn him the title “Father of English Hymnody,” and his work would go on to inspire poets such as Charles Wesley, William Blake, and Emily Dickinson.

A Father’s Challenge

At around twenty years of age, Isaac became increasingly frustrated with the quality of songs being sung in Nonconformist congregations. At that time, most church singing was limited to metrical Psalters and direct Scripture quotations, as many Protestants following John Calvin’s teaching believed it sinful to sing anything not taken directly from the Bible. When Isaac complained about the poor quality of these songs, his father issued a challenge: if he didn’t like what was being sung, perhaps he should create something better.

That challenge sparked a remarkable period of creativity. Between the ages of twenty and twenty-two, Isaac wrote many of the approximately 600-750 hymns he would compose in his lifetime, including classics such as “Joy to the World,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” His new approach to hymn writing wasn’t welcomed by all. His own father reportedly told him, “That old hymnal was good enough for your grandfather, and your father, and so I reckon it will have to be good enough for you!”

The objections weren’t merely about tradition but centered on a fundamental disagreement about the proper content of worship songs. Isaac’s response was simple but profound: “…if we can pray to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves (instead of confining ourselves to the Our Father and other prayers taken directly from the Scriptures), then surely we can sing to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves.”

For Such a Worm as I

In 1707, Isaac published a collection titled “Hymns and Spiritual Songs,” which included the hymn “Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed.” The original version consisted of six stanzas with no refrain, and began with these powerful words:

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
The final line of the first stanza—”For such a worm as I”—has stirred controversy in modern times, with many hymnals changing “worm” to “one” or revising the line to “for sinners such as I.” Critics suggest it promotes unhealthy self-deprecation, but defenders point to the biblical roots of the imagery, likely drawn from Psalm 22:6 (“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people”), a psalm prophetically connected to Christ’s crucifixion. In referring to himself as a “worm,” Watts was highlighting the vast contrast between the majestic Savior and the lowly sinner.

From Poem to Hymn

Watts wrote his hymns as poems meant to be sung to a variety of tunes, and we don’t know what melody was originally used with “Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed.” By 1800, it was frequently paired with the tune “Martyrdom,” composed by Hugh Wilson based on an old Scottish melody. The hymn found widespread use in Great Britain and even greater popularity in America, where it would eventually become the foundation for a new creation.

F***y Crosby’s November Experience

One particularly powerful testimony of the hymn’s impact comes from F***y Crosby, the renowned blind hymn writer. In November 1850, at the age of thirty, Crosby was seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord and attended revival meetings at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York. When the congregation began singing “Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed?” and reached the words “Here, Lord, I give myself away,” Crosby experienced what she called her “November Experience.”

In her own words: “It seemed to me that the light must indeed come then or never; and so I arose and went to the altar alone… And when they reached the third line of the fourth stanza, ‘Here Lord, I give myself away,’ my very soul was flooded with a celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting ‘hallelujah,’ and then for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.”

Ralph E. Hudson: the Methodist Evangelist

While Watts’ profound lyrics continued to touch hearts throughout the 19th century, the hymn we know today as “At the Cross” wouldn’t emerge until 1885. This transformation came through Ralph E. Hudson, an American preacher, gospel singer, and publisher.

Hudson was an active evangelist in the Methodist Episcopal Church and often participated in camp meetings—outdoor revival gatherings popular in 19th century America. These spirited meetings were characterized by emotional preaching and lively congregational singing that contrasted with the more formal church services of the day.

A Borrowed Refrain

What many people don’t realize is that Hudson didn’t create the entire song from scratch. The familiar refrain that begins “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light” has its own fascinating history. Its melodic roots trace back to a secular song called “Take Me Home,” originally published in 1853 with lyrics that began “Take me home to the place where I first saw the light, to the sweet sunny south take me home.”

This tune underwent a spiritual transformation at the hands of the Salvation Army in England in the early 1880s. The earliest documented use appears in The Luton Reporter from April 28, 1883, which described a Salvation Army meeting led by General William Booth where a participant sang:

“At the cross, at the cross, when I first saw the light,… And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I rejoice night and day.”

The refrain subsequently made its way to America through Salvation Army missions. The earliest documented American example comes from September 1884, when The Weekly Bee in Sacramento, California, described Salvation Army members singing the refrain during a meeting. The article explicitly noted the connection to the secular song, reporting that the audience sang “a hymn to the tune of ‘Take me back to my home in my own sunny south,’” with the chorus containing the now-familiar “At the cross” refrain.

Two Become One

Hudson’s significant contribution was not just combining Isaac Watts’ powerful text with this popular refrain. Unlike previous arrangements that typically used the same melody for both the stanzas and refrain, Hudson created a new melody specifically for Watts’ verses, giving the song a proper verse-chorus musical structure. In 1885, he published this arrangement in his songbook “Songs of Peace, Love, and Joy,” using the final line “happy all the day” rather than the “rejoice night and day” variant that had circulated in some Salvation Army circles.

The result was a perfect marriage of Watts’ profound theological reflection with the joyful testimony of the refrain:

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Two Centuries, Two Expressions

Hudson’s arrangement transformed the solemn meditation on Christ’s suffering into a more celebratory testimony of salvation found at the cross. While some traditional hymnologists might have considered this alteration to Watts’ original work unnecessary, the new version resonated deeply with American evangelicals. The addition of the refrain shifted the focus somewhat from Christ’s suffering to the believer’s joyful response—from what happened at Calvary to what happens in a person’s heart when they encounter the cross.

Both versions of the hymn—Watts’ original “Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed” and Hudson’s adaptation “At the Cross”—continue to appear side-by-side in many hymnals today. Each version serves a different purpose in worship: one leads us to solemnly contemplate Christ’s sacrifice, while the other celebrates the joy and freedom that sacrifice brings.

The enduring popularity of “At the Cross” reminds us that sometimes the greatest expressions of faith emerge not from a single creative moment, but through a process of adaptation and development spanning generations. What began as Isaac Watts’ theological reflection in 1707 was transformed through Ralph Hudson’s musical adaptation in 1885 into a testimony of personal salvation that continues to move hearts today.

As the prophet Isaiah wrote centuries before either Watts or Hudson put pen to paper: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). Both versions of this beloved hymn point us to this eternal truth.

by Hymncharts Team

08/22/2024

Join us this Sunday for Homecoming at our original location on the south Marlbrook Baptist Annual Homecoming on the River see map for directions to location.