Blog
Are you ready?
Are you simply agreeing that Jesus will return, or are you actually living ready for it?
Drawing from 1 Thessalonians, this message explores the difference between believing in Christ’s return and ordering your whole life around it. We look at the remarkable church in Thessalonica—young, persecuted, yet spiritually deep—and uncover three truths that shaped their readiness: they belonged in God, they gathered as His people, and they built His kingdom together.
Rooted in the gospel realities of grace and peace, this article invites you to examine your own heart: Does your life show that you belong to God? Are you meaningfully connected to His church? Are you ready if He comes today—or if you go to Him before He returns?
Living Between Two Worlds
Galatians 5:13–26 confronts us with a choice between two paths: living for the desires of the flesh or walking by the Spirit. This article reflects on our God-given freedom in Christ—not as a license to indulge sin, but as a gracious call to true liberty found in obedience to God. Drawing on voices like Augustine, John Newton, John Chrysostom, and John Piper, it explores how the world’s values subtly enslave us and pull us away from our mission and our first love. Finally, it considers the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of God’s transforming work in us, inviting believers to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, live out their faith in action, and honestly ask: “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?”
Growing Together – using your spiritual gifts
Spiritual growth was never meant to be a solo journey. In this message from Ephesians 4, we explore how God has uniquely gifted every believer – not just with natural talents, but with spiritual gifts given at conversion. These gifts are designed to build up the church from the inside out, creating unity, intimacy, maturity, stability, and authenticity among God’s people. Rather than leaving all the ministry to pastors, Scripture teaches that leaders equip the saints so that every member can serve. Small groups become a key context for this growth, as we use our gifts to encourage one another, speak the truth in love, and grow together into the likeness of Christ. At Fairfield Baptist, Sunday services and small groups belong together in God’s plan for “growing together in Christ.”
Living Stones
“Who do you say I am?”
This message explores how Jesus’ question to Peter in Matthew 16 still shapes the church today. Troy unpacks how the church is built on the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and how Jesus—not us—is the true builder of his church. Looking at Peter’s restoration in John 21, we see that God uses imperfect, forgiven people as “living stones” (1 Peter 2) to form a spiritual house filled with the Holy Spirit.
We’re invited to partner with Jesus in simple, everyday ways—at school, work, home, and beyond—by following his leading, loving those he loves, and declaring the One who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Finding Home: Where Your Heart Can Finally Rest
Home is more than an address or a roof over our heads. It’s that deep sense of “this is where I belong” – a place where our hearts can finally exhale. Even a simple tent in the Southern Alps can become that kind of space: a marked point on the map, a shelter you long to return to when the wind picks up.
In John 14, Jesus speaks into deep anxiety and fear by offering exactly this: the promise of a prepared place, an eternal home where we are fully known and fully welcomed. That hope doesn’t just shape our future; it reshapes our present. As Jesus prepares a home for us, we’re invited to build homes here – spaces of safety, welcome, and belonging for others.
Will You Say Yes to God? Building Lives Together
“Will you say yes to God?”
As we began our Renew Together series, we were reminded that God is already at work “building with care” – in our lives, our homes, our church, and to the ends of the earth. Reflecting on Mary’s response to the angel in Luke 1, we saw a young woman who turned fear into faith and panic into peace with a simple, costly yes: “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Her yes had a flow-on effect – to Joseph, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna – and ultimately to the whole world. In the same way, our own yes to God in prayer, giving, and going can encourage others and extend God’s mission.
This week, take time to ask: What is my yes?
Learning to Love as Jesus Loved
At Fairfield Baptist Church, we believe small groups are not an optional extra but crucial to our spiritual health. Acts 2:42–47 gives us a compelling vision: believers devoted to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship (koinonia), to shared meals, and to prayer—and “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
That kind of “white‑knuckled” devotion to Christ overflows into deep love for His people. It looks like sharing life, carrying each other’s burdens, practicing whole‑church pastoral care, and growing together in awe of God.
The Power of Devotion
At Fairfield Baptist Church, we believe small groups are not an optional extra but crucial to our spiritual health. Acts 2:42–47 gives us a compelling vision: believers devoted to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship (koinonia), to shared meals, and to prayer—and “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
That kind of “white‑knuckled” devotion to Christ overflows into deep love for His people. It looks like sharing life, carrying each other’s burdens, practicing whole‑church pastoral care, and growing together in awe of God.
Love in action
When a cyclone rolls across our country, we’re abruptly reminded that so much of life is out of our control. Yet in weeks like this, Psalm 91 speaks more loudly than ever. It holds together more of God’s promises of protection than almost any other chapter in Scripture. But what does it truly mean to find refuge under His wings? This isn’t about living in a bubble free from trouble; it’s about discovering a deeper truth: nothing can ultimately separate us from His love. Join us as we explore the profound comfort and strength found in Psalm 91.