Pastor Gabe's Old Blog

The following is a sermon delivered on the Lord's Day, May 31, 2020, at First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, KS. The text was from Matthew 6:7-8 on the subject of not praying like a pagan. 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us o...

James 1:5-8 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Last week, I wrote an open letter to Jon Steingard, [former?] lead singer of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, who announced through a letter he posted on Instagram that he no longer believed in God. The band made a public statement a couple days ago, also via Instagram. (This seems to be the chosen medium to proclaim apostasy. Last year, evangelical celebrities Joshua Harris and Marty Sampson both announced on Instagram they were no longer Christians .) In Jon's letter, he admitted he'd been faking it for some time. He presented various questions about Christianit...

The following is a sermon delivered on the Lord's Day, May 24, 2020, at First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, KS. The text was from Matthew 6:5-6 on the subject of how not to pray 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, ...

Dear Jon Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Gabriel, pastor of a Baptist church in Junction City, KS. We have never met, but I have followed the band Hawk Nelson for a long time. Before you joined, I was in Christian radio and hosted a Christian rock program that aired all across the Midwest. I've done interviews with the band and hung out backstage with Daniel Biro and Jason Dunn. I emceed Hawk shows when they played various gigs in Kansas, including Dodge City and Wichita. I was also that guy who drove the band from the venue to the hotel. I read the story you posted on your Instagram this week about leaving the Christian faith, and my heart is grieved. More than grieved, I fear for you—I'm afraid for your soul, for your wife, and for your children, and my concern extends to the many you will lead astray by your comments. You say, "I hope that my openness and transparency can be an encouragement to... you, if you fee...