Our preacher, Mark Stinnett, publishes articles for the church bulletin each week. These articles are designed to teach, encourage and challenge the members of our congregation. His latest articles can be found below with the most recent at the beginning of the list. Mark has archived all of his articles on his personal blog 'MicroMarks' which can be accessed at: micromarks.blogspot.com.
Preacher's Blog
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Us vs Them: 'Them'
We live in an ‘Us vs Them’ world. (See previous blog entries.) There are those who are alive in Christ and those who are dead in their sins. This life and death description refers to one’s relationship with God.
The gospel message is specifically for those who are a part of the ‘them’ group. The gospel is God’s plea to those who are dead in their sins to change their thinking about Jesus and follow Him. But what about the rest, the ‘us’ group. What is our relationship to ‘them’?
First, we should possess an attitude of understanding and cooperation. ‘They’ do not live according to the word of God; they do not intend to do so. We who follow Jesus live according to the Spirit. Yet, we should not be surprised that they live according to the flesh. In fact, many of them will find it offensive if we try to make them live according to the word of God. Make no mistake, God will hold everyone accountable, but He does not force anyone to choose Jesus. Just read the next two verses after the famous John 3:16. Read what Paul preached in Acts 17, especially verses 29-31. Look it up.
God also instructed His people (us) through the Apostle Paul:
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers or with idolators, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
So, we live in this world, not in a cave in the hills or in a monastery cut off from civilization. God expects us to ‘rub elbows’ with them. In fact...
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” (Romans 12:18)
In order for us to be at peace with others, we will do well to remember…
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
To follow that instruction means that there will be injustices in the world. We know that life is not fair, but we really need to embrace that fact and recognize that God will bring ultimate justice in the end. Until then, we await the Lord’s return which is delayed because of God’s patience…
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
We should be motivated by the compassion of Jesus when He was dying on the cross. He prayed to God…
“Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Those words were not for the world of lost sinners, but specifically for those who had called for and carried out His death. We should realize that those who have not chosen to follow Christ really do not know what they are doing when they ridicule us, mock us, harm us. It is an expression of love to pray for our enemies, asking God to open a door of opportunity so that the gospel might be presented to them. It is an expression of mercy to show compassion when you are hurt instead of demanding justice.
Being at peace with them calls for genuine love and mercy from us.
Mark Stinnett
June 14, 2026
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Us vs Them: 'Us'
We live in an ‘Us vs Them’ world. (See last week’s blog.) Those who follow Jesus have been born again. They are alive in Christ. All others remain dead in their sins. So, what does God expect of us while living among them.
Before His death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus prayed for believers. He described His disciples to God by saying “they are not of the world.” Then He prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
Why has God left disciples of Jesus in the world?
Primarily, it is for the advancement of the kingdom of God. There are direct and indirect ways in which ‘we’ can each help:
Advance the kingdom:
Paul makes it very clear that not every Christian is a missionary or evangelist or preacher or teacher. Even when people were receiving spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature, the ‘speaking’ gifts were given priority. The ‘speaking’ gifts (prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation, teaching) were miraculous gifts given to spread the gospel message and teach the word of God. (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 & 14.) In the book of Acts the primary role of the Holy Spirit was the advancement of the kingdom of God. After all, God desires for all men to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So, some people are directly involved in spreading the gospel message and teaching God’s people.
Support those who do:
Not every Christian is a preacher, teacher, missionary or evangelist. Those who do not fill those important roles can certainly support those who do. For many, support is about financial support. Indeed, those who speak God’s word full-time need financial support. And yet, participation in the advancement of the kingdom also includes prayer and personal support for those who preach and teach. When reading about the missionary journeys of Paul in the book of Acts it is clear that he depended on others for lodging, protection, moral support and sound advice. Seldom do you read about Paul being alone. In his letters he often mentioned by name many people who provided support of various kinds. Entire congregations also participated in the gospel with him as they sent gifts of support and supported him in prayer. You can support the gospel.
Explain your hope:
God expects every Christian to be able to say something to explain their hope, that is, their expectation of eternal life. (1 Peter 3:15) You don’t have to be an apologist who has an answer for every question, from the existence of dinosaurs to the doctrine of the Trinity. You may not be able to explain why certain things are in the Bible. But you should be able to explain your conviction that your sins have been forgiven and that you will be raised from the dead when you die to live eternally with God.
Good works:
God created us for good works. It is His expectation that every Christian engage in good works (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus said that we should let our light shine so that people see our good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). God knows that we may sometimes become weary of doing good. So, he provides encouragement so we will not give up. God is a kind of cheerleader for continuing in good works. It might not look like we are making a difference, but God see what is going on. (See Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 12:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 2:3.)
Love one another:
Love for our fellow saints in Christ is one of the most important attributes of a Christian. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his disciples if we love one another. (John 13:35)
Your contribution to the kingdom is important to God.
Mark Stinnett
June 7, 2026
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Us vs Them: God's View
We live at a time when many people, religious people, are tired of the Bible and its message. They have grown weary of the ‘bloody’ message of the cross. They think doctrine promotes controversy. “Why can’t we all just get along and help others?”
That sounds nice...except there is a distinction, a kind of ‘Us’ and ‘Them.’ God views the two distinct groups in various ways in Scripture, such as those who are in the kingdom of God and those who are not. Also...
- The godly and the ungodly
- The righteous and the unrighteous
- The good and the evil/bad
- The saved and the lost
- The saints and the sinners
Perhaps the most important distinction is that of the living and the dead. The Apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus and informed them that they were formerly “dead in your trespasses and sins.” He went on to say that through God’s grace they had been saved. God “made us alive together with Christ….” (Ephesians 2)
It is easy to read passages of Scripture like that and think it is figurative. However, the distinction of the living and the dead goes back to the beginning of the Bible when everything that God had created was good. He had created mankind in His own image. Mankind enjoyed fellowship with God.
However, when Adam and Eve sinned, it was more than the breaking of a rule. They literally separated themselves from God demanding their own independence. They wanted to think for themselves and make their own choices. It was not that God was opposed to them thinking and choosing. Rather, it was a matter of trust. Adam and Eve decided to trust in themselves and in doing so, broke fellowship with God. In that, they died.
So, in God’s view there is an ‘Us and Them.’ It is rooted in the distinction between God and man. Yet, before sin entered, there was only ‘Us.’ God did not change. Adam and Eve separated themselves from God and in doing so created an ‘Us and Them’ relationship. And from the beginning, the distinction was between the living and the dead: The Living God and man.
So, ultimately, God does not wish for the distinction. He is not in favor of ‘Us and Them.’ For that reason, from the beginning, He has been working out a plan of redemption, a plan that would give life to those who have separated themselves by sin and its consequence: death.
It is sometimes overlooked that there are consequences for choices and actions. For most people, the consequence of sin does not seem frightening. After all, people are not falling down dead when they get drunk, have an affair, lie, or gossip. However, the lack of immediate consequences does not mean that consequences do not exist.
The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to take the saints home with Him. It will be a time of separation in which God will make the ultimate and final distinction between the living and the dead. Those who have been born again, that is, made alive through the Holy Spirit will enjoy life eternal. All others will be forever separated from God and all that is good.
The Apostle John wrote a short letter (1 John) to Christians so they could KNOW that they possess eternal life. There IS a clear distinction: Those who have the Son of God have life; those who do not, have no life.
Do you have the Son of God?
Mark Stinnett
May 31, 2026
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Us vs Them: Attitude
Prejudice.
Racial prejudice has been an issue in our nation for decades and has even crept into God’s church. Of course, there are also other kinds of prejudice.
A person is marked as prejudiced whenever they prejudge others. Think about that term: pre-judge. A judgment is made beforehand. In other words, before learning about a person an evaluation is made. The individual is ‘sized up’ so that conclusions are drawn without knowledge.
Prejudice creates an ‘us versus them’ mentality. People are categorized into two groups, those who are more like me (us) and the others (them). Such division might be motivated by opinions about skin color, clothing, employment, economic standing, one’s accent or vocabulary, one’s state of birth, current residence, political preferences, hobbies, and the list goes on.
An ‘us vs them’ attitude justifies ‘us’ looking down on ‘them’ because of the noted difference(s). ‘We’ feel more comfortable or entitled to belittle ‘them’ because ‘they’ are clearly lower or lesser than ‘us.’ We are superior.
There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ in the church. We are all children of God. Even though God has assigned different roles there is no human hierarchy. Our leaders, that is, our elders, are members of the body of Christ. Our deacons, preacher, and teachers are members of Christ. The youngest and least experienced Christian is as much a member as the oldest and wisest.
Consider the following Scriptures that emphasize our oneness:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Speaking of our renewal in Christ, Paul wrote that…
...There is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Sythian, slave and freemen, but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 2:11)
It was told Jesus that his mother and brothers wished to see Him.
But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21)
Without any further distinction or qualification...
But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God...The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14, 16)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)
In Christ’s church, there is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Such an attitude causes strife and left unchecked, ends in division. Guard your attitude regarding your fellow saints in Christ. Remember that, even though we may differ in many ways, we are all children of God, and God makes no distinctions.
Mark Stinnett
May 24, 2026
