Plymouth Haven Baptist Church

Core Truth: “The bland assumption that the Church’s life will continue to be fruitful so long as we go on praying and cultivating our souls, irrespective of whether we trouble to think and talk Christianly, and therefore theologically, about anything we or others may do or say, may turn out to have dire results. The Christian mind is the prerequisite of Christian thinking, and the Christian thinking is the prerequisite for Christian action.” Harry Blamires, “The Christian Mind: How Should a Christian Think?”

Core Truth: Our soul is that invisible and eternal part of us that makes us different from all other forms of life on earth and according to our Lord’s own words is the most valuable of all our possessions. Therefore, it is the one thing above all that should never be up for any sort of trade or barter for the things of this world.

Core Truth: To love God with everything means that I make Him the highest priority of my life and find my greatest satisfaction in doing that which pleases Him.

Core Truth: Fatherhood is an identity-shaping vocation. Whether he does so consciously or not, a father tells his child what to become and those who have been given such a great responsibility are wise to learn from the one Who is the Father of us all.

Core Truth: Worship that is acceptable to God is that which comes from a heart that has been quickened (made alive) by the Holy Spirit and rooted in Biblical Truth.

Core Truth: God has created us and given us breath so that we can worship Him and give Him praise (Psalm 150:6). However, our worship must be born of the Spirit and rooted in the truth of His Word. All else is at best mere religious noise and at worst, an offense to the One we seek to honor.

Core Truth: Those who forget the past are very apt to fall into thanklessness. If we forget the value of our heritage and the source of our blessings, it will become very easy for us to take for granted all that we have and all that we are, and begin believing that we can make our own way without God. We will also then find it easier to forget the great sacrifices of those who have given their all on our behalf.

Core Truth: Within the period of about thirty years our first-century fellow-Christians had taken the gospel to most of the Roman Empire. So why – after 2000 years – haven’t we finished the task? What’s the holdup?

Core Truth: God used a mother’s faith and courage to position her son inside the king’s palace so that one day He could use that very son to save His people from their long years of Egyptian bondage and oppression.

Core Truth: Jesus is The Life - the only life there is. All else is dead, no matter how “alive” it may seem at the time. But the good news is that He has come into a dead and dark world to bring that which is dead to life again!

Core Truth: Many people believe there is a no such thing as absolute truth. For them, “Truth” is simply whatever they think or want it to be. However, Christ allows no such latitude. He alone is Truth and those who are of the truth will recognize and welcome Him as such.

Core Truth: From the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, God’s one and relentless objective has been to provide a way back home for all who will repent and believe the Gospel, and the mandate upon every Christian is to share that good news with as many as possible.

Core Truth: “There is one event in history that is unparalleled in its effect upon the world – the resurrection of Christ. Nothing like this is had ever happened before, and nothing since has equaled it. When Jesus rose from the grave, the impact was felt immediately and has continued to reverberate throughout the world. This event has shaken not only religions, cultures, and governments; but individuals, as one by one, believers are transformed through Christ’s resurrection power.” (Dr. Charles Stanley)

Core Truth: The fundamental truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the irrefutable fact that those who live by faith in Him will never die and the implications of that are profound – both for those who have bowed the knee to Him in repentance and faith … and for those who refuse to do so!

Core Truth: “God did not abolish the fact of evil: He transformed it. He did not stop the crucifixion: He rose from the dead. The empty tomb opens before the world, telling us it is God Who still has the last word, not ourselves, that on Easter Day life looks forward, onward, upward, God-ward.” (Dorothy L. Sayers; Elmer S. Freeman)

Examines the attitude of Christ on His journey to the cross.

Core Truth: We have been personally chosen and appointed by Christ to go wherever He sends us and bear fruit that will last for eternity.

Core Truth: The secret of a fruitful life is contained in our willingness to live in unbroken fellowship with Christ, without Whom we can do nothing!

Core Truth: Our Father’s goal is that through an abiding relationship with His Son, He can bring us to a place in Christ where our lives are rich with the fruit of the Spirit and in good works - works that glorify Him daily before a watching world.

Core Truth: The secret of a truly fruitful Christian life lies not within ourselves but in the One Who lives within us and simply seeks our permission to live His life through us in every moment of our lives.

Core Truth: Christ’s command that we “go into every part of the world and preach the good news of the Gospel” was never a suggestion, nor even a polite request. Rather, it is a divine mandate to every believer, carrying with it the “fierce urgency of NOW.”

Core Truth: “We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine.” Dwight L. Moody.

Core Truth: While it is easy to criticize the world for its sins, that is not our assignment as Christians. Rather, it is by our daily lives – our works, our attitudes, and our conduct that we are to bear witness to the truth of God’s righteousness and of His generous love and grace.

Core Truth: Throughout human history God’s patience toward man’s rebellion has always had limits – from the time of Noah and the Great Flood to punishing Sodom and Gomorrah and more, it has never been a question of if God will finally say “I have had enough”, it has always been a matter of when!

Core Truth: “If you want to make a powerful and lasting impact on the culture, you’ve got to do more than just consume it, critique it, condemn it, or copy it. The only way to truly change the culture is to create something new for it – something that will inspire people enough to reshape their world.” Whitney Hopler

Core Truth: Nothing could be worse than to one day stand before our Lord and discover that because we have made room for excuses, we failed to fulfill our divine destiny and thereby limited the rewards He had prepared for us.

Core Truth: “Divisions in churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior. Cold hearts, unholy lives, inconsistent actions, neglected closets; these are the seeds which sow schisms in the body: but he who lives near to Jesus, wears his likeness and copies his example, will be, wherever he goes, a sacred bond, a holy link to bind the church more closely than ever together. May God give us this, and henceforth let us endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Charles Spurgeon.

Core Truth: Scripture says of our Lord, “A bruised reed He will not crush, and a smoldering wick, He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.” This parable has been rightly called “The Gospel of Another Chance and the Threat of the Last Chance.”

Core Truth: “When God wants to do something big, He starts with something very small. When He wants to do the miraculous, He starts with the impossible.” Dr. Ray Pritchard

Core Truth: While young Mary might have been excused for doubting the angel Gabriel’s incredible words to her, she said what the aged Zechariah should have said – “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord: may it be done to me according to Your Word.” And because he permitted his doubts to short-circuit his faith he had to sit in muted silence for nine long months.

Core Truth: Faith is as important as the air we breathe. It is the fundamental foundation of our existence. People have moved mountains with their faith. Even when situations seemed dire and bleak, it was their faith that carried them through, and it is what will carry us through as we learn to trust God in all things.

Core Truth: Faith is as important as the air we breathe. It is the fundamental foundation of our existence. People have moved mountains with their faith. Even when situations seemed dire and bleak, it was their faith that carried them through, and it is what will carry us through as we learn to trust God in all things.

Core Truth: The Christian life demands faith; not just in the difficult places of life but when we have been tested to the limit and beyond, and all hope seems gone! Such faith only comes through experience and by a consistent diet of God’s Presence and Word.

Core Truth: The question is not whether we should or not, because the fact is that we do! In fact, from the beginning of time, some of God’s greatest servants have had times of real and serious doubts. The real question is what should we do when we experience doubts in our own journeys of faith.

Core Truth: At a time when we seem surrounded by troubles and our world is being shaken on every side, our Lord’s words are meant to remind us that it is all part of His eternal plan and is intended to prepare us for the life with Him that is to come!

Pray. Speak. Act. Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Core Truth: As certain as the law of gravity or any other of Nature’s laws, so certain is the law of seed and harvest – for whatever a person sows, that and that only is what he will reap.

Core Truth: Everyone understands that ‘you can’t take it with you’ when you die; however, our Lord has also told us that we CAN send a great deal of what He has given us on ahead and He strongly advises us to do so.

Core Truth: This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us.

Core Truth: Christian stewardship does not begin with one’s money, nor is that even its primary focus. Rather, biblical stewardship is so radically all-inclusive that it encompasses everything about us as human beings – even down to the very breath God gives us to breathe.

Core Truth: Everyone has their own definition of what it means to live “the good life,” and certainly no one wants to live a “bad life.” However, our core truth today is that God Himself has already prepared such a life for each one of us and our task is to discover exactly what that is and begin to live it.

Core Truth: Just as with Israel of old, a great danger facing us as Christians today is the danger of allowing the world’s spirit of disbelief and skepticism of God’s promises to shape our thinking, affect our decisions, and govern our lives in these times of difficulty and crisis.

Core Truth: Before the end of this age, God is giving to everyone who believes in His Son a kingdom that cannot be shaken and will never end. This is the message of the whole Bible and He wants us as His children to live each day with courage, obedience and faith as we wait for His return!

Core Truth: The same awesome God whose voice shook the very earth and set it on fire at Mt. Sinai is once again shaking all things, and He wants us as His children to live each day with courage and faith as we wait for His return!

Core Truth: “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11

Core Truth: The holiness of God is not merely a theological construct fit for the “ultra-religious” who may seem to have the interest and stamina to pursue it. Rather, God’s holiness and our relationship to it should be a matter of serious concern to every person who claims the name of Christ.

Core Truth: Christ has been raised from the dead. We have endless hope!

Core Truth: “There’s a time when God says ‘Enough!’ Enough to a nation; enough to a church; enough to an individual. He gives grace, He gives mercy and He gives space to repent. But when man persists in his rebellion, God will not continue forever to give him space. There comes a time when God draws a line, when God says, ‘That’s it!’ “

Core Truth: God is rich in mercy and grace. He is kind and loving. He has made us alive, raised us, and seated us together with Christ. We should accept the free gift of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, and live a life of good works.

Core Truth: The purpose of Christ’s disturbing words about the end of his age was never to frighten us as His followers. Rather, it was to prepare us to live our lives in ways that can offer real hope and deliverance to a troubled world.

Core Truth: My willingness to fully trust God with the giants in my life will determine which of us walks off the battlefield victoriously!

Core Truth: Life is filled with “giants in the land,” and as we face the giants in our own lives, a choice always will have to be made: Do I let my mind and emotions focus on my giant’s size and roar? Or do I choose to focus on the God Who has promised to never leave nor forsake me, no matter how big my giant seems or how loud its roar?

Core Truth: “Unbelief never lets us get beyond the difficulties – the impregnable cities and the impossible giants. It preoccupies itself with them, brooding over them, pitting them against mere human resources. Faith, on the other hand, though it never minimizes the dangers and difficulties of any circumstance, looks away from them to God and counts on His invisible presence and power.” David H. Roper in Our Daily Bread.

Core Truth: One of the most potent forces for good in the world is the example of a father who teaches his family by word and by example what it means to live with fidelity and faithfulness to Christ.

Core Truth: Living righteously in an unrighteous world demands that we resist the pressures to be conformed to this present world and remember that we are actually citizens of another world (Romans 12:2)

Core Truth: While we are called as Christians to live in an environment that is intrinsically alien and hostile, Christ intends us to live in ways that are righteous, rigorous, reconciling and redemptive.

Core Truth: True peace is not merely the absence of confusion or turmoil in our lives. It is, rather, an abiding realization that no matter what difficulties we face, God is in absolute control of all things and will never leave nor forsake us.

Core Truth: God never wastes a hurt. Whatever the difficulty you may be passing through right now, He has a purpose for it that is good - both now and in the life to come!

Core Truth: "Motherhood is more than a stage - it's a lifelong calling from God. With it He gives mothers hearts that love deeply, hands that serve tirelessly, and vision to see His blossoming image in the precious ones entrusted to their care." (author unknown)

Core Truth: While even some of the Bible's greatest heroes had times of profound doubt about the meaning of their lives, God did not abandon them or fail them. Instead, He faithfully brought them through those dark times to a victorious and highly meaningful end.

Core Truth: The God who created us did so with great forethought and purpose. Our challenge is to discover what He had in mind for us and then seek to live our lives accordingly.

Core Truth: “Sometimes God allows what He hates to accomplish what He loves...Heartache forces us to embrace God out of desperate, urgent need. There is nothing that moves a loving father’s soul quite like His child’s cry.” Joni Eareckson Tada

Core Truth: Through His death on the cross Christ paid the full penalty for our sins; but through the power of His resurrection He destroyed the works of the devil, including death itself!

Core Truth: As followers of Christ in a dark and unrighteous world, the reality of the faith that we claim with our words ought to be increasingly evident in every area of our lives.

Core Truth: While we are living in a dark and unrighteous world, we are called by Christ to live as brightly shining lights in the midst of that darkness, and to bear witness to the Truth in such ways that others will also come to know God's love and salvation.

Core Truth: While the primary message of today's Scripture is that we are saved by grace through faith alone as we receive Christ's Sabbath-Rest, it is also only by entering in to the same rest that we are able to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10)

Core Truth: Israel wasted 40 long years wandering in the wilderness because they refused to believe that God had given them a land where everything had been prepared and that the work was completely finished. Today, we too are called to enter into the work that Christ has completed on our behalf and the only "work" left for us to do is to enter into His rest!

Core Truth: Though often mercifully delayed for considerable periods of time, God's judgments against evil have always been sure and certain, and remain so to this very day. However, for all those who have truly put their trust in Him, absolute safety and deliverance is assured, no matter the circumstances in which they may find themselves.

Core Truth: "Prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us. As we engage in this communion with God more deeply and come to know the One with whom we are speaking more intimately, that growing knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him. Prayer changes us profoundly." (R.C. Sproul)

Core Truth: The Christian life is a very real race for a very real prize - a prize that is well-worth doing whatever it takes to finish and finish well!

Core Truth: While many fear that our nation may have passed a moral and spiritual point of no return, God's promise remains true that "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Core Truth: The importance of every believer's participation in the table of Communion should be most apparent when we realize that it is the single outward memorial that He has commanded us to observe.

Core Truth: God made the whole world out of nothing, He ought to be able to do something with me!

Core Truth: Having already given us a new heart, a new mind, a new mouth, a new name, a new way into His presence, and a new body, our loving God will bring it all to a glorious conclusion with a new heaven and a new earth in which we will forever be with the Lord!

Core Truth: Those who have died in Christ will be raised from death and united with their new bodies, while those who are still alive will also be instantly "changed" and give their new bodies as together we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

Core Truth: "The invincible purpose of God for creation and for His people will not be complete until all things are made new and the glory of the Lord fills them all." (John Piper)

Core Truth: "The invincible purpose of God for creation and for His people will not be complete until all things are made new and the glory of the Lord fills them all." (John Piper)

Core Truth: Of all the good and bountiful gifts given to us by our Creator none is more significant or to be treasured than the gift of His Presence - the one thing that sets God's people apart from all others on the face of the earth!

Core Truth: "We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants us to be it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all. Most of us would prefer, however, to spend our time doing something that will get immediate results. We don't want to wait for God to resolve matters in His good time because His idea of 'good time' is seldom in sync with ours." (Oswald Chamber)

Core Truth: God is a giver. In fact, He is the greatest of all givers and takes great pleasure in giving, always giving only good things. He is never stingy and when He gives He overwhelms the recipient.

Core Truth: The finest gift that anyone could ever receive is of no benefit until it is opened and put to its intended use.

Core Truth: The Church of Jesus Christ is destined to live forever as His glory, while also reflecting its radiant splendor back to Him in loving adoration and praise throughout all the ages to come.

Core Truth: "To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love every moment of existence is a grace ... our knowledge of God is perfected by gratitude ..." Thomas Merton

Core Truth: The ultimate purpose of the church on earth is to hasten the day when "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom or our Lord and of His Christ ...(Rev 11:15)

Core Truth: Our willingness to walk in humility, love and unity with each other has a direct effect on the world's ability to believe that our Lord is Who He says He is.

Core Truth: The leadership structure of Christ's church is unique among all organizations in that just as its birth and growth are by the power of the Holy Spirit, so also by that same Holy Spirit are its leaders divinely-appointed and equipped to the task of bringing His people to maturity in Him.

Core Truth: The birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost was the direct result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and it is only by that same Holy Spirit that the church can continue to grow and be what Christ intends it to be.

Core Truth: The fact that I am a follower of Jesus Christ automatically makes me a part of His church, and requires that I carry out my part in building His church with great caution and discretion.

Core Truth: Our Lord Himself has given us the most perfect example of what Christian stewardship actually looks like and as His disciples, He invites us to do the same.

Core Truth: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

Core Truth: Obedience in stewardship frees God's hand to meet our own needs abundantly while also giving us much greater ability to serve Him and advance His kingdom more generously.

Core Truth: Christian discipleship requires a clear understanding and acceptance of our role as stewards rather than owners of all that God has given us in life, and that our sole purpose in life is to glorify Him and advance His kingdom on the earth.

Core Truth: Impatience is a natural trait of our fallen natures and always works against our best interests. Patience, however, one of the expressions of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), is always beneficial and frees the hands of our heavenly Father to maximize His purposes and blessings in our lives.

Core Truth: The perfect God, Whose ways are always perfect, and in Whom there never has been nor ever can be any imperfection of any sort in any time or in any place, has given us His perfect promise that He will perfect all that concerns us as He finishes His work of making us perfect in Christ.

God's glory will be revealed in us, in His church, and in the world.

Core Truth: At the end of life... when we have spent our last dollar...done our last good work of service...carried out our last responsibility...and drawn our last breath...the Master will have something to say to everyone of us. How blessed those will be who hear Him say "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!"

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

We have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and we will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.

Core Truth: The issue is not one of losing one's salvation; it is rather an admonition to make certain that one is indeed called and elect of God as evidenced by the fruits of one's daily life in Christ.