FBC RIPON

03/29/2026

Join us for our Easter Service on April 5th, 10AM for worship and fellowship as we celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

11/01/2025

Join us this Sunday at 10am to worship the King as we look at John 9 and rejoice in the Light of the World! www.fbcripon.com

10/12/2025

Join Us for Reformation Night!
Sunday, October 26th | FBC Ripon

Celebrate the Protestant Reformation of 1517 with us at our annual Reformation Night! Enjoy an evening filled with singing, learning, and laughter, featuring the return of our Reader’s Theatre and Reformation Jeopardy game.

Come ready to showcase your performance skills, competitive spirit, and even a 16th-century costume as we honor the historic event that shaped our faith through the proclamation of Sola Scriptura!

09/16/2025

NOW MORE THAN EVER! JOIN US OCTOBER 3RD & 4TH! GO TO cvbaptists.org/christorchaos FOR MORE INFO. PLEASE SHARE!

08/09/2025

Join us for a Hymn Sing on Sunday, August 31st at 5PM. All our welcome to join us for a time of worship, devotion and fellowship. Hope to see you there!
All Glory Be to Christ 十

08/02/2025

Looking for a church that makes disciples, grows the kingdom, and glories in Christ? We'd love to worship with you this Sunday morning at 10am.

Join us for a time of God glorifying worship in our morning Catechism at 9AM and service at 10AM. The service is also streamed on our website at www.fbcripon.com.
All Glory Be to Christ 十

05/07/2025

New Blog: To The King! view at

THE PASTORS PEN Thoughts and Devotions for the Congregation of FBC Gino Cunningham 5/6/25 Gino Cunningham 5/6/25 TO THE KING Read More Gino Cunningham 4/29/25 Gino Cunningham 4/29/25 THINKING CHRISTIANLY ABOUT COMPASSION Read More Gino Cunningham 4/15/25 Gino Cunningham 4/15/25 RESURRECTION! NOW WHA...

04/15/2025

THE PASTORS PEN: Many will celebrate the resurrection of Christ this Sunday and this is a wonderful and welcomed thing. Unfortunately, in many churches the implications of Christ’s resurrection will be short-sided. Many will be rightly told that because Christ rose from the dead, they too will rise from the dead one day. This is wonderful news, of course. But what happens in between? What is taking place today? Do we know? Can we know? In fact, we can. And the reason we can is because of what the Apostle Paul has written to us.

In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle lays out the gospel as of first-importance and then goes on to explain the implications of the gospel of Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection. In vs.25 he writes, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The little word δεῖ which we translate ‘for’ is properly understood as meaning necessity or obligation; something that is required or inevitable. We could rightly translate Paul’s words to say, post Christ’s resurrection, “It is inevitable that Christ reigns until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” And this is precisely what Jesus is doing today.

Why is this important? Because of what Paul says right before in vs.24, “Then comes the end (of our present era at Christ’s return), when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (25) For he must reign (it is inevitable that he reigns) until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

So, Christ has risen from the dead. Now what? Let’s parse vs.25 and be encouraged:

For He must reign…
It is inevitable and even necessary that Christ reign. It is a moral consequence of his resurrection (Ellicott). God must triumph and so the Son must conquer until the end when He returns. Psalm 110:1 is a key text where David writes, “The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ ” This indicates that the reign of Christ is both a present reality and a future hope. This reign is part of the divine order established by God, underscoring the certainty and authority of Christ's kingship today and forevermore, as the leaven of the Kingdom of God increases more and more even now (Mt 13:33).

until He has put all His enemies…
The enemies of Christ include sin, death, and all spiritual forces opposed to God's kingdom. This reflects the ongoing spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6:12, where believers are called to stand against the powers of darkness. Historically, this struggle has been evident in the persecution of the church and the resistance to the gospel. The ultimate defeat of these enemies is assured, as prophesied in Daniel 7:14, where the Son of Man is given dominion over all nations (Berean Study Bible).

under His feet.
This imagery of subjugation is drawn from ancient Near Eastern practices, where a victorious king would place his foot on the neck of a defeated enemy, symbolizing total conquest. Biblically, it signifies Christ's complete victory over all opposition. This is echoed in Hebrews 2:8, which speaks of everything being subjected to Christ, though we do not yet see everything in subjection. The phrase also connects to Genesis 3:15, the protoevangelium, where the seed of the woman is promised to crush the serpent's head, foreshadowing Christ's ultimate triumph over Satan and evil.

This Sunday as we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of our Lord, let us remember that we will also enjoy resurrection life one day. But let us also remember that the Christ of the bible is also the Christ of history. He is now ruling and reigning, subduing all his enemies, and doing so until the time of his return when his present rule and reign will end in the defeat of death itself and a new era of resurrection life and rule will begin for his elect in a new creation, a new heavens and earth! (Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13)

So, until that time may we heed Paul’s words at the close of 1 Corinthians 15 where he writes, “Therefore (in light of these things), my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

May we live boldly in light of eternity! For our Resurrected King Reigns!

THE PASTORS PEN Thoughts and Devotions for the Congregation of FBC FBC Ripon 4/15/25 FBC Ripon 4/15/25 RESURRECTION! NOW WHAT? Read More Gino Cunningham 4/8/25 Gino Cunningham 4/8/25 MEMORIALS Read More Gino Cunningham 3/25/25 Gino Cunningham 3/25/25 WATER TO WINE Read More Gino Cunningham 3/4/25 Gi...

03/25/2025

THE PASTORS PEN: In John chapter 2 Jesus is at a wedding celebration. The wine runs out and Mary, his mother, asks him to help out. While there are plenty of points to be made about the story, the main point is the miracle that occurs where Jesus turns water into wine. Three things are worth noting.

First, we see the power of the Lord Jesus. There is no pomp or pageantry concerning this miracle. He tells the servants to fill the water pots with water and then simply wills the water into wine. He is not bound by the physics he created. Is anything too hard for the Lord (Gen 18:14)?

Second, we see the pleasure of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus takes great pleasure in meeting even the simplest needs of his people. The consequences of running out of wine would have been dire, but Jesus is happy to save the day.

Third, we see the perfection of the Lord Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just make wine; he makes good wine because everything the Lord does is good (Psalm 145:17).

So, what does this seemingly small little miracle have to do with us? Actually, a lot! If you are in Christ, it is because you have been changed by the power of Christ and the power of the gospel which he accomplished (Rom 1:16-17). In the same way in which he wills water into wine, he changes and transforms men’s hearts and lives to become the children of God (2 Cor 5:17).

Furthermore, Jesus was pleased to save you. Whether it is for the wine of a wedding celebration or for the salvation of men’s souls to participate in the Great Wedding Banquet at the end of the age, it was for the joy set before him that Jesus endured the cross (Heb 12:2).

And finally, we know these things are true because he is a good and perfect Savior. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for sins, and it has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified in Him (Heb 10:14).

It is impossible to change water into wine, just as it is impossible for men to enter into the kingdom of God by their own will or of their own doing. But… with God, all things are possible. By the power, pleasure, and perfection of Christ we have been changed into the children of God (1 Jn 3:1) and it is glorious in our sight.

So, rejoice dear saint! Be of good cheer! For our God reigns and a Great Wedding Celebration awaits for all those who are invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9)! Oh, what a day that will be!

THE PASTORS PEN Thoughts and Devotions for the Congregation of FBC FBC Ripon 3/25/25 FBC Ripon 3/25/25 WATER TO WINE Read More FBC Ripon 3/4/25 FBC Ripon 3/4/25 FOLLOW THE LEADER Read More FBC Ripon 2/25/25 FBC Ripon 2/25/25 THE POWER OF A NAME Read More FBC Ripon 2/18/25 FBC Ripon 2/18/25 THE VALUE...

02/12/2025

THE PASTORS PEN: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” What a strange thing for John the Baptist to declare as Jesus entered into his ministry and was revealed before the people. The expectation of the Messiah was anything but that of a weak and helpless lamb. Most Jews expected a military and political leader who would free Israel and bring her, once again, to a place of prominence over the nations. But God had much greater plans in mind. Plans that would include even you and I.

The reason there are so many, and have been so many, wars, diseases, turmoil, and political adversaries in the world is because of SIN. Sin is the great problem and dilemma of our age, as it has been in every age. Sin is what has ruined God’s good creation and what has turned men’s hearts away from their Creator. Whatever enemy or threat we see in the world; sin is the greatest of them all. Sin is the thing God hates; the thing that brings chaos when there should be harmony; and the very thing that keeps us from enjoying the world as God created and envisioned it for his creatures.

Dr. Joe Boot summarizes our condition well in his book Gospel Culture: Living in God’s Kingdom. He writes, “Fundamentally alienated from intimacy with God and disjoined from his proper calling, man is lost, cut-off from paradise in the apparent wilderness of time [because of sin], so that, concurrent and intermixed with the joys of life, come disquieting realities that traumatize him and make him yearn for release. In this sense, man has a homing beacon that signals his origins in Eden, even when he is not conscious of the truth of the biblical account.[1]

Sin ruined man and creation. BUT! God was determined to make the repairs. And He does so by sending his Son, not as a conquering Lion, but as a Lamb led to slaughter. But this was no ordinary lamb. This lamb would do irreparable harm to the very thing that has caused all the damage – He would destroy the power and effects of sin once and for all on His cross.

But that is not all. Through His life, burial, and resurrection, Jesus not only conquers sin and its effects in this fallen world, but is now restoring it piece by piece, bit by bit, and soul by soul, as He proclaims victory over His chosen people, and dominion over His good creation. The final blow will occur when He returns a second time, not as a sacrificial Lamb, but as the Roaring Lion and King who will reign over his creation and his people forever and ever.

Dr. Boot continues, “The gospel is not simply what Christ has come to do for us individually (ie. forgive my personal sins and grant me a place in the kingdom of heaven), but also what he has come to do with us and with his world, as our Creator, King and covenant head.”

When Jesus (the Second Person of the Holy Trinity) stepped into time, many were confused by what God was doing. It was difficult to see how this lamb was going to save the world. Could anything good come from Nazareth (John 1:46)? But what happened over the next many years astonished everyone and changed the course of history forever. This change continues today, as more and more people are won to the gospel and drawn into the kingdom of light. It will continue until the day Christ returns. As Dr. Patrick Schreiner has written, “The city of man and the city of God cannot coexist forever, no matter what the bumper sticker says. One will endure forever; the other will be destroyed.”[2]

The work of the Lamb has been accomplished. God has done what he set out to do thru the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. While we celebrate, worship, and praise the work of the Lamb in our lives and in the destruction of sin, let us also celebrate, worship, and praise the Lion who sits on the throne of the universe as well as the throne of our hearts. Look to Him and rejoice as Paul does in the prophecies of Isaiah:

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.
For the root of Jesse [has] come,
even he who arises to rule [all people];
in him will [all people place their] hope.
And may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:11-13

[1] Boot, Joe, Gospel Culture, Living In God’s Kingdom, Wilberforce Publications, December, 2016

[2] Schreiner, Patrick, Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World, B&H Books, October 2022

02/05/2025

THE PASTORS PEN: Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

The people of Israel were not permitted to drink the blood of animals, or anything else for that matter, because God had declared that the life (or lifeforce of all beings) is found in the blood (Leviticus 17:14). Blood is the stuff circulating thru our bodies that brings oxygen and nutrients that enable us to live. When Cain killed his brother the Lord declared, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). This is a vivid description of how precious our blood is in the scheme of God’s good creation and design.

Sin (our rebellion against God) has separated us from God and places upon us a guilty verdict before God as well as the penalty of death. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Only by the shedding of blood can sin be atoned for and the wrath of God be satisfied for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). This is why the Old Testament is filled with blood! It pictures what God demands for the penalty of sin. It also foreshadows what God will one day do to provide a final atonement for the sins of all those who are redeemed.

In the Old Testament we see the picture of redemption thru the sacrifices offered by the priests of Israel. It is a seemingly endless array of blood sacrifices that must be given every year and in very precise ways in order to be accepted. We also see the seemingly endless ways in which mankind is declared unclean before a Holy, Holy, Holy, God. Even in childbirth a woman is declared unclean before the Lord (Leviticus 12). This is because it is a stark reminder of the sin that is passed on from generation to generation, for we are all born into iniquity (Psalm 51:5). Is there any hope? Is there any way for us to be released from this endless stream of blood that God demands for the penalty of sin and the reconciliation of mankind?

This is what makes the gospel so precious and dear to us. In the Old Testament story, we see how holy God is and how depraved and rebellious mankind is, whose heart is exceedingly wicked and who seeks only to do what is right in his own eyes (Jeremiah 17:9; Judges 17:6). We also see how all the blood of animals that is spilled in the Old Testament is insufficient to pay the price for the sins of man (Hebrews 10:4) or change his heart. Enter the God-man to whom all the OT sacrifices point to - the Lord Jesus Christ whose blood is so precious it is able to atone for the sins of the whole world once and for all (1 John 2:2) and change even the hardest heart of stone into a heart of flesh and devotion (Ezekiel 36:26)!

This was God’s plan all along, to send the One who would atone for sin sufficiently and conclusively. By his stripes we are healed and by his blood we have been justified and made clean (Isaiah 53:5; Romans 5:9). We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (appeasement) BY HIS BLOOD, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance (patience) he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26).

This is why we rejoice in the blood of lamb in which we have been washed and made clean (1 Peter 1:19; Acts 20:28). This is why we look to Christ, because we have come to understand that the life is in the blood and He has given his on our behalf. Christ has made atonement on God’s altar for our very souls as it is the blood that makes atonement by the life (Leviticus 17:11) even more so by the life of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, take a moment today to thank God for the precious blood of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And know, that in him, you truly have been made clean. God’s wrath and penalty towards you has been appeased and paid for. Furthermore, you are now a child of God and a part of His Kingdom Family! There can be no greater atonement and cleansing for sin than that of the Holy One, the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, and Savior of all those who receive Him and proclaim faith in His Name. Thank Him today because in Him you can be certain that all these things are true!

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

01/14/2025

THE PASTORS PEN: It is a strange thing that God instituted circumcision as a sign of his love and grace in his call to Abraham to be a man of faith and to trust in Him. The sign of promise given to Abraham was to separate Israel from the world and mark them as a people devoted to the things of God. Yet, upon further investigation you begin to realize that this sign doesn’t produce the results God desired and must point to something greater than simply ‘the removal of the flesh’ in order to receive the promise. This sign pointed to God’s desire for the people of Israel to put off worldly cravings and pride from the heart and to put on love for God in personal conversion (Deuteronomy 10:16), something worked ultimately by God and established through Christ and His Spirit (Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:10–15).

You see, the outward work of circumcision will only take one so far. One can have the sign of circumcision; the blessings of God; be a part of the community of God; and yet still be a child of Satan and doomed to experience the wrath of God for eternity. One such case is the example of Ishmael, the son of Abraham with his servant Hagar in which Abraham and Sarah (his wife) behaved foolishly seeking to circumvent the promises of God thru their own effort and strength. They trusted in themselves instead of in God. The result was a disaster. Ishmael had the sign of circumcision; was blessed by God; and enjoyed the favor of God being a part of Abraham’s family and the community of God. But his heart was not with God and we are told that he would become a ‘wild donkey of a man’ with his hand against everyone and their hand against him (Genesis 16:12).

Moses would later give us the words of Deuteronomy 10:16 as we begin to understand that outward works and signs, while good, is not what God ultimately desires. It is inward affection for Him that He desires and that sets one apart. Moses was more concerned about the heart (one’s affections for God) than he was the flesh (what one can do for God). While the sign was an important part of God’s program, the heart is always more important than the flesh.

There are many things today that serve as pictures of circumcision or works of the flesh that make one appear to be aligned with God or a part of His community. Things like church attendance; tithing; outward pietism; long & lofty prayers; dress; speech; a profession of faith; and more can all be ways in which people seek to identify or align themselves with God thru various signs, and yet inwardly care little for Him or His ways. A person can have the appearance of godliness (the sign and works of ‘circumcision’) and still be far from God (2 Timothy 3:5). Jesus said it this way, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:7-9).” Jesus is clear that a person can have all the outward signs, appearing to be aligned with God, and yet still be far from Him.

So, what are we to do with this understanding that, while good behavior is always good and right before the Lord, what He desires most is one whose hearts affections are for Him; His ways; and His truth? I would suggest the following: cry out to Him to change your heart; to change your affections; and to make you His own thru faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This is what God desires. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).

So, don’t delay dear friend. Call out to God today and render your heart unto Him because He cares for you and has demonstrated His love for you in that, while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Romans 5:8). Rejoice in Him and lift up your heart and be glad, for our Savior the Promised Seed reigns!