Congaree Baptist Church

09/08/2026

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CBC Weekly Update

09/08/2026

Hey gang! I trust you had a great Labor Day weekend. We are a day behind in our Bible reading plan for the week. If you are following along with your own copy, we are in Week 36 this week. Today's reading is Matthew 24:32-51. Here is what stood out to me:

42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. (Matthew 24:42-44)

“Be ready!” is the overall theme of these verses. People are obsessed with trying to figure out when Jesus is returning, when they should be more concerned about their readiness for his return. In verse 36, Jesus told his disciples that no one knows the day or the hour – not even the angels or the Son himself; only the Father knows. Thoughts about how God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same time and distinctly different from each other is a discussion for another day, but Jesus is saying here that not even HE knows when he’s coming back; he is simply assured by the Father that he will indeed return.

So, it begs the question: are you ready? In the context of the verses surrounding this, readiness is faithfully managing what God has entrusted to you. Being ready means walking through your daily routines, serving others, and using your gifts faithfully. Being ready also means staying alert. Pray consistently, remain grounded in the Scripture, and work to discern what the Lord is telling you. Finally, being ready simply means that you trust Jesus at his word: live your life in such a way that you believe he is returning and that what he has done on the cross is sufficient for your eternal salvation.

Blessings!

09/06/2026

Thank you for joining us today.

09/04/2026

Hey gang! Our final reading for the week is Matthew 24:1-31. Here are my thoughts:

29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus is warning his disciples to not be led astray by false prophets and false Messiahs. Many will come and attempt to trick the world into believing their lies. And though we don’t know the day or the time, he told them plainly what to look for, quoting from the prophecy of Joel and Isaiah. What is the sign we need to be on the lookout for? The Son of Man (Jesus) will return on the clouds with power and great glory. Angels will blast a trumpet. It will be unmistakable.

The takeaway for us, I believe, is to not get bogged down by signs and wonders. If we live our lives in a state of readiness – understanding that he can return at any time – we will have nothing to fear, and we will know. We won’t need to second-guess this or that. His return will be apparent to the whole earth. But because we don’t know when, we must take every opportunity to help those in our spheres of influence understand this reality and lead them towards repentance and belief. He’s coming back; that is an absolute certainty. The question is: who will eagerly wait for his return with you?

Blessings!

09/03/2026

Hey gang! Today's reading is John 16. Look at this word about the Holy Spirit:

5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. (John 16:5-11)

Jesus is teaching about how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. While he was still physically present with the disciples, his limited, local ministry would continue. But it was with him going to heaven that enabled the holy Spirit to come and dwell within all believers. And the Holy Spirit’s role is three things: convict you of sin, point to God’s righteousness, and warn about the coming judgment. Jesus explains that the foundational sin of the world is unbelief – refusing to put trust and faith in Him.

Jesus says that righteousness will be available because he is going back to the Father. Ascending to heaven proves that Jesus was completely righteous, sinless, and who he claimed to be. Righteousness is available to us only because of that finished work. Once Jesus is no longer present (the age we live in today), the Holy Spirit reveals this truth: we cannot earn righteousness on our own, but we can receive Christ’s righteousness through faith.

And judgment will come because Satan has already been defeated. Evil has no true power over the life of the believer.

Invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life as He will. Allow Him to convict you of sin and bring you to a place of confession and repentance. It is through that conviction that we see Jesus’ righteousness and chase it for ourselves – by acknowledging his sacrifice on our behalf. And let us live with confidence that his sacrifice was enough and perfect, and is credited to us through faith.

Blessings!

09/02/2026

Welcome! We are glad you're here! Tonight, we wrap up our look at Psalm 18, verses 31-50.

09/02/2026

Hello, folks! Today's reading is John 14-15. Here is what stood out to me:

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:23-26)

Jesus lays it out pretty simply: If you love me, you will do what I say. Your obedience to Jesus is a demonstration of your love for him. He reminded the disciples that the things he told them and commanded them came from the Father. And when Jesus leaves, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to remind them of everything Jesus taught them and commanded them. That’s how important this was: Every member of the Trinity – God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – plays a role in helping us see, know, love, and obey God.

How is it working out for you today? Are you more concerned with what you “cannot” do as opposed to what you “get” to do? God’s commands provide a framework, a fence line, that helps us know not just what is expected, but what is allowed. I demonstrate my love for Jesus through my obedience. There are times during the day that it doesn’t look like I love him at all. But gratefully, those times are fewer and fewer than they used to be. I want to love him with my whole self, and my prayer is that when I am disobedient, he will steer me back towards him.

Blessings!

09/01/2026

Hey gang! Today's reading is John 13. Here is what stirred me:

6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” (John 13:6-9)

These verses describe the scene where Jesus got up from the table, put a towel around himself, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. He did this to demonstrate to them the importance of being first a servant to others. When he got to Peter, Peter was embarrassed by this act – because it was something that a slave was supposed to do; not “his Lord” – so he protested. But when Jesus told him, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me,” Peter responded, “Then wash all of me!”

Peter is the ultimate example of being “all in.” We will read about him denying Jesus shortly, but that does not take away from the fact here that he wanted to prove to Jesus that he truly believed him to be the Messiah, and that he would do whatever was necessary to be accepted by him and walk with him.

This is what it means to be “all in.” Jesus didn’t need to wash Peter’s entire body; only his feet. But Peter gave Jesus permission to have all of him. We all have people in our lives who we share most things with; some we share what we think are all things, and still others get to see only a part of us. However, because Jesus is the Son of God, he deserves to have permission to see and have all of us. Is there an area of my life that I am hiding from him? He sees it anyway, and he wants it all.

Blessings!

08/31/2026

It's the start of a new week. Today's Bible reading is John 11 and Matthew 21:1-13. Here is where I focused:

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (John 11:40-44)

John 11 gives us the account of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. It’s always been a fascinating story to me, but even more so as I’ve discovered some other parts to it. First, I am moved by Jesus’ compassion in this account. Lazarus’ sisters didn’t think so at first because he could have arrived earlier and kept him from dying in the first place. But he knew he was going to do something greater by bringing him back to life.

But just prior to this part of the story, we’re told that when Jesus “saw her (Mary) weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled” (v.33). Jesus wasn’t angry at Mary or Martha or at the crowd. His anger was directed at death and sin. It was a “righteous” anger. Death was never part of God’s original design for mankind. A commentator I read said that seeing the physical and emotional agony it brought to the people that Jesus loved filled him with “holy outrage.”

Jesus didn’t let this story end in death. He stepped up to the tomb, thanked the Father for hearing him, and called Lazarus out. Unlike Jesus’ graveclothes that were lying neatly in his tomb, Lazarus had to have his graveclothes removed. He had a lasting memory of what it felt like to have death literally “stripped” off of him.

What an incredible reminder that Jesus cares for us! He wants to do greater things in us than we can ever imagine. We get so bent on having the next big thing go right in our lives that we can only see what’s right in front of us. God wants to do something for the bigger picture. His greatest desire is that we remain in relationship with him. What miracle needs to happen in your life that will ensure that we will believe it’s Him moving in your life?

Blessings!