Church Family: The greatest danger to our celebration of Christmas isn’t the culture “out there” but what happens in our own hearts—we grow bored with the most breathtaking story in history. As followers of Jesus, we must fight, spiritually and intentionally, to keep Christmas about what God meant it to be: the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s glory isn’t a decorative theme added to the story...  Read More

Church Family: Most weekdays before I hop on Highway 17, I pull up the “Hampstead Traffic” page on Facebook. It is rarely uplifting—not so much because of the traffic, but because the comments are a loud reminder that the native tongue of our sinful hearts is grumbling, complaining, and whining. Scrolling that page often exposes my own struggle and, at the same time, stirs a fresh resolve to grow ...  Read More

Acts 6:3 – “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”Church family, when you see the word deacon, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of the political power center in a church; this is the “board” that tells the pastor what to do and makes decisions behind closed doors that no one really knows about....  Read More

Church Family: Lust is the wild, restless craving for what’s not yours! Lust is wanting things that don’t belong to you. Lust means being dissatisfied with what you have and wanting more, letting that desire motivate you. Lust is wanting what you want because you want it and nobody and nothing else matters. In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus deepens our understanding of the seventh commandment by teaching ...  Read More

Church Family: When you are angry do you explode like a volcano, or do you simmer like water just under a boil? Maybe you become icy like an iceberg?Anger is more than just some internal feeling. Anger is an emotion that deeply affects your life and every relationship in your life. Anger can take over your entire body, your thoughts, your actions, and your words. Anger is an emotional power from t...  Read More

Church family: Every Christian struggles with the question, how does the Old Testament Law relate to my life? Are Christians still obligated to follow parts of the Old Testament Law, or is it completely irrelevant to them? As antinomianism (being against God’s Law) becomes more common today, it is increasingly vital to address these questions.Which of the 613 Old Testament Laws from God still appl...  Read More

Spiritual darkness! You see its effects everywhere and every day. The Bible speaks of spiritual darkness as a state of separation from God characterized by deception, moral blindness, often under the influence of demonic forces opposing God’s kingdom (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Darkness involves rejecting the truth and favoring evil deeds over light (John 3:19), leading to a hardened hear...  Read More

Church Family: In July 1939, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young Lutheran theologian and pastor, left New York only one year after arriving for seminary training, only to return to the intensifying madness in his native Germany. The prospect of war was imminent. Before coming to the US, Bonhoeffer had been pursued and silenced by the Nazi regime for his opposition to its persecution of Jews. He had been ...  Read More

Church Family: I want to share with you a common story that highlights the difference between peace-faking and peace-making.Jack and Jill experience conflict and strife in their relationship, and they are both believers who desire to honor God in obedience to His command for them to be peacemakers. Jack and Jill, even in their conflict, seek peace that flows from righteousness and purity, as taugh...  Read More

Church Family: Have you ever seen the Washington Oak in Hampstead? The Washington Oak is a large live oak tree that is said to be the spot where George Washington rested and had lunch during his 1791 Southern Tour as he traveled between New Bern and Wilmington. If you have seen the Washington Oak it was most likely because you were looking for it. If you want to see it, I will give you a hint. It ...  Read More

Church Family: I was at McDonald’s yesterday meeting with a new brother in Christ. As I was clarifying the gospel to him, he was weeping tears of joy over the mercy of God shown to him. Yet, he did not know that he was weeping over God’s mercy since he did not have that word in his Christian vocabulary yet. In real time, I saw my friend get a firmer grasp on God's mercy and infinite goodness to hi...  Read More

Church Family: This newsletter is not to argue a political point but to expose a religious ideology that is anti-Christ. An ideology is a set of beliefs, values or principles that guide an individual, group, or society. Everyone has an ideology in the sense that everyone holds a system of beliefs, values, or assumptions that shape how they see the world and make decisions.      In our culture, you...  Read More

Church family: I find that as I get older and grow in sanctification there is less that makes me angry. Is it more age than sanctification? Or more sanctification than age? Hopefully the latter. There is, however, one action—whether by individuals, organizations, or movements— that really gets my anger raging. It is when others engage in an act of evil injustice to do someone else harm. There is a...  Read More

Church Family: Often when people move to the Hampstead area, they email us as a church to determine what kind of church we are. They read our website and say: I need some clarity on who these GCT people are. Many times, they want to know where we stand on certain doctrines or theology, and then there are times when they simply want to know if we will welcome them into our GCT church family and lov...  Read More

Church Family: One of my favorite parts of Scripture is when God asks direct, mic-drop questions. In Genesis 18:14, God asks: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Questions like these illuminate our limits, our dependence, and God’s limitless sovereignty. God uses them to focus our attention on His unmatched ability, to silence our pride, and to instill humility. He wants us to rely on His power and...  Read More

Church Family:Anxiety affects ten out of ten people in the world. Some struggle more than others. Anxiety can be a crushing reality that permeates all of life. From youth to old age, we can live lives that are endlessly anxious and troubled. We all know how persistent worries can consume our thoughts, and those who are highly anxious often exhaust themselves and become their own worst enemies. We ...  Read More

Church Family: Many of us have entered a church (GCT) with great expectations to find Christian community with those who are like us. We hope to commune with people with similar experiences, similar identities, and similar needs. We long to find community with people who get us. Does that sound a little familiar? If this is what you are seeking, did you know that this is not the level of community...  Read More

Church Family: Our actions and attitudes today often influence who we become tomorrow. If someone chooses to be mean today—whether by being unkind in their words or actions—that behavior can start to shape their character. Every day, we face moral choices, one decision at a time. Some decisions are made thoughtfully, others on the spot. We choose to forgive or resent. We decide whether to be hones...  Read More

Church Family: Late one steamy summer night back in 1997, I found myself taken to a sugar cane and rice plantation in upper Uttar Pradesh, India. My buddy and I were told by a high-caste (the caste system is a birth-based social and hierarchy order) Brahmin to get into his vehicle to be guests at his son’s wedding. He smiled, so we followed his directions. Having survived the two-hour trip into th...  Read More

Church Family: Has the thought of Jesus coming back changed anything you have done this past week? Has that truth stopped you from saying or doing something? Has that truth prompted you to say or do something? Has that truth changed your priorities? Has it disrupted your schedule? It is very easy to lose the eternal perspective that Jesus created this universe, and He is coming back to make it new...  Read More

Church Family: I have had several dogs in my life. Two of my dogs lived for fifteen years each, which means I enjoyed Snoopy and Salty for a total of thirty years. Those two dogs were like my best friends and had a great impact on my life. There is no doubt they both looked at me and thought, “Master Steve, you feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me— "You must be God!” Their humble, cari...  Read More

Church Family: I just finished reading Unbroken on the Fourth of July. It is the riveting story of Louis Zamperini, a B24 bombardier in World War II, and his near-daily escapes from death over two and half years (May 1943–August 1945). After he survived his B24 plane crashing into the Pacific Ocean after being shot down by Japanese Zeros, he endured 47 days adrift in shark-infested waters, survivi...  Read More

Church Family: I have a friend who gives a lot of money to Planned Parenthood and supports the culture of death, including George Soros’ “Open Society Foundations.” He mocks God–and me– in most of our conversations. He has millions of dollars, travels the globe, and lacks nothing materially. Biblically speaking, “he is an evil man who is prospering in his way” (Psalm 37:7). It is easy to look at s...  Read More

Church Family: I have a new grandson, the youngest of three. He is six days old as I write this. His name is Noah Reid Regier, and God created him with an extra chromosome, 46 +1, also known as Down Syndrome. He has some serious obstacles to overcome right now with his heart and lungs. I have been in his NICU room this week a few times with his parents, and I have watched computers that are attach...  Read More