Berea Update for September 18, 2026
Before we look at the state of the modern church, let me share what is heavy on my heart. Pointing out these trends is not done out of arrogance, self-righteousness, or a desire to criticize other congregations. We at Berea are not immune to drift, nor are we superior in ourselves. Above all, we must remember that all true believers across every congregation belong to the one body of Christ. Because we love the Church—the very bride Christ died to redeem—it brings a deep, genuine sadness to see what church has become for so many people today. Across our culture, there is so much spiritual confusion, so much unclear teaching, and such a tragic lack of basic biblical literacy.
My heart aches for well-meaning believers who are genuinely seeking God, yet are starving for truth because the local church has lost its way:
In the pulpit: People sit through slick, 20-minute "TED Talks" on stress management, financial success, or personality types. They hear plenty of humor, culture wars, and life hacks—yet they are left without the unvarnished truth about sin, the necessity of repentance, the terrifying holiness of God, or the saving power of the cross. What their souls actually need to hear is the bold, expositional preaching of the whole counsel of God, where Scripture speaks clearly and Christ is exalted.
In the worship: People are ushered into production-heavy concerts complete with dark auditoriums, haze machines, and performers who capture the spotlight. They sing songs centered on human feelings, personal empowerment, and how God makes us feel. What their hearts long to hear and see is a congregation united in loud, doctrine-rich praise, singing historic and modern hymns that lift our eyes to the majesty, sovereignty, and holiness of God.
In the fellowship: People fall into a consumeristic spectator culture—slipping in late, watching a show, grabbing a latte, and slipping out without ever being known or loved deeply. What they should experience is a sacrificial, covenant community where believers roll up their sleeves to serve, bear one another's heavy loads, gently hold each other accountable, and exercise their spiritual gifts.
In the mission: People see churches operating either as political activism hubs or as timid social clubs afraid to offend anyone. They hear tentative, apologetic whispers about morality that leave a confused world in the dark. What they should hear is the authoritative, unashamed declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord, calling lost souls to repent and believe the gospel.
When a church loses its biblical anchor, it doesn't just drift—it slowly replaces the bread of life with a counterfeit. It breaks my heart to see vast amounts of energy, money, and time spent on things God never commanded, while the foundational mission Christ shed His blood to establish gets quietly set aside. This Sunday, as we continue our series Blueprint: God's Vision for the Church, we are setting aside human consumerism, cultural noise, and modern gimmicks to ask a foundational, sobering question: What is God’s actual purpose for the local church?
Jesus did not build His Church to be an entertainment venue, a civic club, or a weekly self-help seminar. He built a blood-bought, divine organism designed to proclaim His holiness, build up His saints in clear truth, and herald His gospel to a dying world. To help our church family dig deeper without rehashing our upcoming sermon text, I’ve put together a 7-day devotional below. This week, we will examine complementary passages across Scripture that confront the spiritual drift of our age and highlight what a genuinely faithful, uncompromised church looks like. Read through these daily readings, evaluate your own heart, and let’s prepare to gather together this Sunday morning at Berea ready to give Jesus the honor He deserves. See you Sunday!
Keep pressing on!
Upcoming Events
1. This Sunday, we will continue on in our new series called: "Blueprint: God's Vision for the Church." This week's message is called "Worship, Edification & Witness: The Church's Three-Fold Purpose." We'll be in 1 Peter 2:9-12, Colossians 3:12-16 and other various portions of Scripture.
2. There will be a quarterly business meeting held on Sunday immediately following the morning worship service. A separate email will be sent that has details about the meeting agenda. The meeting should be approximately 20-30 minutes in total, and the nursery will be available.
3. Our ROCK directory needs updating! During the month of September, we'll be asking that each of you confirm the information we have on file for you, and get a new photograph taken for our online ROCK directory. Pictures will be taken each Sunday after the morning worship service, in the front right room off the Family Life Center. This is for ALL Berea members, attendees, college students, and children. Please plan accordingly to have your picture taken one of the weeks during the month! As you get your picture taken, we'll also verify that your contact information is up to date in ROCK.
4. Berea Mom's Group! We would like to invite any mom with toddlers or babies to join us on Thursday, September 24 from 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM for fellowship and playtime. Please contact Lauren Koranek with any questions!
5.
Next Friday, September 25 is our annual church family golf and game outing at Locust Hills Golf Course. If you plan to golf as a part of the four-man scramble, tee-time is at 3:00 PM. If you don't plan to golf, plan to arrive between 5:00-6:00 PM. There will be many other games and activities available! We'll eat together at 6:00 PM and play some whole group games after we eat! Registration is open through Sunday! To sign up, please click here:
Berea Golf Fun Night Registration Form
6.
AWANA Registration is now live! If you plan to have your kids (ages 3 through 6th grade) participate in AWANA this fall, you may now register them online here:
Berea AWANA Registration 2026 When registering, if your family regularly attends Berea, please use the discount code "Attend" to save on registration dues. The first night of AWANA will be this Wednesday, September 23 from 6:30-8:00 PM. We are looking forward to a great year ahead!
7. We are excited to celebrate an upcoming Baptism Service on Sunday, September 27 during our morning worship service! Weather permitting, we will wrap up our shortened indoor service and head down to the Resurrection Garden together as a church family for an outdoor baptism service. There are seven that are going to be baptized!
Ways You Can Pray This Week
1. Pray for our AWANA ministry as it launches this Wednesday! We are excited to be able to offer this to families and their kids! Pray for our leaders and volunteers!
2. Pray for our quarterly business meeting this Sunday!
3. Pray for the seven individuals who are being baptized on Sunday, September 27!
***Please know that there are many individuals who need prayer this week due to health concerns and other events going on in their lives. Out of sensitivity to each individual's situation, these requests may not appear in this weekly blog. We have a "Prayer Team" at the church who receives more detailed information, and commits to praying for individuals in our church family.
This Week's Devotions
Day 1: A Pillar and Buttress of Truth
1 Timothy 3:15 (ESV) — "...if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth."
Much of modern Christianity treats the church as a mere reflection of prevailing cultural trends, endlessly adapting its messaging so as not to offend secular sensibilities. But Paul calls the local church the "pillar and buttress of truth." Pillars do not sway with the wind; they hold up the roof. The church is called to stand as an unyielding, immovable monument to God's eternal truth in a world drowning in lies and moral confusion.
Reflection Question: In what ways have you been tempted to let modern cultural opinions shape your understanding of biblical truth rather than letting God's Word anchor you?
Day 2: Devoted to the Essentials
Acts 2:42 (ESV) — "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
The early church didn't possess modern technology, massive budgets, or elaborate entertainment strategies. Yet they turned the ancient world upside down. Why? Because they were relentlessly devoted to four uncompromised basics: apostolic doctrine, genuine biblical fellowship, the sacraments, and serious, persistent prayer. When a church strays from these core devotions, no amount of production value can cover up its spiritual deadness.
Reflection Question: If you evaluated your personal Christian walk, are you truly "devoted" to apostolic doctrine and prayer, or have you allowed spiritual apathy to settle in?
Day 3: Confronting the Lukewarm Spirit
Revelation 3:15–16 (ESV) — "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
Christ’s letter to the church at Laodicea is a terrifying indictment of comfortable, middle-class religiosity. Laodicea was prosperous, respectable, and self-sufficient—yet Christ found their compromise so sickening that He threatened to vomit them out of His mouth. A church that seeks ease, cultural acceptance, and risk-free comfort is a church on the verge of spiritual judgment.
Reflection Question: Where has spiritual comfort or desire for cultural approval made you "lukewarm" in your devotion to Christ?
Day 4: Contending for the Faith
Jude 3 (ESV) — "Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
The Christian life is not a peaceful garden stroll; it is a spiritual battle. Jude instructs believers that faith is not something we passively receive and hide away—it is something we must actively "contend" for. In an era where theological squishiness and moral compromise are celebrated as "tolerance," a faithful church must be willing to lock shoulders and contend boldly for the unalterable truth of the gospel.
Reflection Question: Are you equipped to defend the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith when they are challenged, or do you tend to shrink back from confrontation?
Day 5: Unvarnished Preaching
2 Timothy 4:2–3 (ESV) — "...preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions..."
Paul explicitly warned Timothy that a day would come when churchgoers would demand ear-tickling motivational speeches rather than hard, holy truth. That day is here. The remedy for spiritual decay has never been clever marketing; it is the bold, uncompromising, expositional preaching of the whole counsel of God—whether the culture finds it "in season" or not.
Reflection Question: When you listen to the preaching of God's Word, do you actively invite the Holy Spirit to reprove and rebuke areas of sin in your heart?
Day 6: Refusing Worldly Compromise
James 4:4 (ESV) — "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
The modern strategy of cozying up to worldly philosophies in order to "win" the world is a fatal trap. James uses harsh covenantal language—calling worldly believers "adulterous"—because flirting with the values, lusts, and pride of a godless society is spiritual treason against our King. A healthy church does not mirror the world; it presents a radical, holy alternative to it.
Reflection Question: Is there an area where you have allowed the world's standards (regarding money, purity, speech, or ambition) to compromise your loyalty to Christ?
Day 7: The Final Inspection
1 Corinthians 3:12–13 (ESV) — "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."
Every pastor, leader, and church member is building something. But on the final Day, Christ will not evaluate a local church by its attendance numbers, its social media reach, or the size of its facilities. His holiness will test our work like fire. Wood, hay, and straw—human strategies, worldly popularity, and superficial religion—will burn to ash. Only that which was built according to His Word will endure.
Reflection Question: How does knowing that your service in Christ's church will be evaluated by His holy fire change how you approach your involvement this Sunday?
Kids (and Kids at Heart) Korner
Memory Verse of the Week: 1 Timothy 3:15 (ESV) — "...the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth."
Big Idea: We Are God’s Living House!
Have you ever seen a giant building being built out of heavy bricks? When people think of a "church," they often picture a building with a steep roof, wooden pews, and big stained-glass windows. But did you know that the Bible says a building isn't actually the church at all? The Church is made up of people! When someone turns away from sin and trusts in Jesus, God makes them a part of His family. The Bible calls us "living stones" that God fits together to build a spiritual house!
God didn't build His Church so we could just come and watch a show, eat snacks, or play games. He built the Church for three wonderful reasons:
1. To Worship Him: To sing, pray, and tell God how amazing, holy, and great He is!
2. To Help Each Other Grow: To learn the Bible together, encourage one another, and serve each other like a loving family.
3. To Tell the World: To shine like bright lights in a dark room and share the good news of Jesus with our friends and neighbors!
Ask Your Family This Week:
What is the difference between the building we meet in and the Church God built?
How can you use your talents to encourage someone in our church family this Sunday?
Fun Activity: The "Living Bricks" Challenge
Grab some Lego blocks or building bricks. Have each person in the family write one way they can serve God or help a brother or sister in Christ on a piece of tape, then stick it to a block. Stack the blocks together to show how we build up God's house when we work together in love!
Have a great weekend! See you Sunday!
Mark