Sports betting is on my phone. Is it just a game?
Stand firm. Delete the app. That is not legalism. That is refusing a yoke.

Anton Brown • Senior Pastor
September 30, 2026

4 Minute Read

No. A game does not take the rent. A game does not own your Sunday. A game does not make you hide a second account.

If the app knows your pulse better than your friends do, you already have your answer. There is help. Jesus Christ came for people who chase a rush and call it harmless.

You can stop lying about "just entertainment" today.

What the bet is after

Sports can be a gift. Skill. Rest. A shared afternoon. Betting on the same screen is often something else. Greed dressed as fandom. A promise that the next slip will fix the last one. A small god of chance.

Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says we are servants of sin and partakers of death and all other miseries unless the Lord Jesus sets us free. That misery can look like debt. Shame. A marriage that no longer trusts your word. A heart that cannot watch a game without a stake.

Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we become transgressors as soon as we can act. Article XV says Christians should oppose every form of greed, selfishness, and vice. The 2000 text names greed. It does not need a new vice list from us. The app is enough.

You may tell yourself you can afford it. The question is not only money. The question is worship. Who do you trust when you are bored, angry, or sure you are due?

The gospel names greedy people. Then it washes them.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV)

Greedy. Swindlers. Idolaters. Some of you were that. Washed.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV)

Stand firm. Delete the app. That is not legalism. That is refusing a yoke.

Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sanctification is the Spirit enabling you to grow. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession says the desires that rise from the old body of sin are put to death more and more. The war can still go badly for a season. The Spirit still supplies strength.

Chapter 15 of the Confession says repent of each specific, known sin specifically. The bets. The borrowed money. The lie to your spouse. The way you taught a younger person that this is normal.

One next step with Jesus

Open your hands.

"Lord Jesus, I have trusted a wager more than I have trusted you. I have loved money and a rush. Forgive me. I believe you died and rose. Set me free. I will tell the truth about the accounts and the debt."

Then tell a pastor. Bring the numbers. Ask for counsel. If you owe people, make a plan to repay. If you have never belonged to Christ, start with the gospel, not with a self-help streak.

The church will not mock you for coming clean. We will not bless the app either.

Come further

Christ saves sinners. He can save a person who cannot watch a game without a stake.

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Up Next
From this Collection: Help & Hope
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Is it greedy to want a better job?
Wanting honest work that can feed a household can be wisdom. Greed is something else. Greed wants more as a god. It measures people by pay. It envies the neighbor's offer letter. It treats God as a vending machine. The tenth commandment forbids that hunger. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, still uses the moral law to expose it and to send us to Christ. A better job can also be love. Skill unused. A wage that cannot cover rent in 2026. A workplace that asks you to sin. A desire to have something left to give. Those reasons need prayer, not a scolding. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, ESV) Paul does not tell the rich to fake poverty. He tells them where to put their hope. God richly provides. Enjoy his gifts. Then do good. Be rich in good works. Be ready to share. That is the test of a raise, and of the hunt for one. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III, says man is made in God's image, male and female, with full dignity. Work is part of how image bearers serve. Article XIII says time, talents, and possessions are a trust for God's glory and for helping others. Article XV says Christians should oppose every form of greed and selfishness, and should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, and the helpless. A job search can serve those ends. It can also feed the greed article XV names. Ask which one is in the driver's seat. Chapter 16 of the 1689 Confession helps here too. Good works are only what God has commanded. They are fruit of faith, not a ladder to pardon. They need the Spirit. They come mixed with weakness, and God still accepts them in Christ. Diligence at work can be gratitude. It cannot buy you a cleaner record with God. If the new job would require you to lie, steal, or crush people, that is not a door from the Lord. If the new job is honest and the motive is mixed, confess the mix and keep walking. Most of us live in that mix. One next step with Jesus Ask him to search your hope. Say the real reason you want the change. Then take one honest step this week: update the facts of your work, ask a trusted brother or sister to pray, or talk with a pastor about the motive and the door. Seek first the kingdom. Let the job serve that, not the other way around. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33, ESV) If you are still far from Jesus, a better title will not quiet that. Come to him first. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We are drowning in credit cards. Where do we start?
Start with the truth, in the light, with Jesus and with people who will not mock you. Many cards get used for groceries, a car repair, a medical bill, or a month when work dried up. Some get used to keep up a life we cannot fund. Both can leave you gasping. We will sort motives later. First we will help you breathe. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. (Proverbs 22:7, ESV) That proverb is a warning, not a slur. Debt has a voice. Interest has a leash. God is telling you why the nights feel tight. You are still an image bearer (Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III). Full dignity. Worthy of respect and Christian love. A balance does not cancel that. The church is told to oppose greed and to provide for the needy (article XV). Those two belong together. We can name sin without crushing a person who already feels underwater. The eighth commandment says do not steal. The tenth says do not covet. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, keeps that moral law as a rule of life. Believers are not under the law as a covenant of works. We are not earning pardon by a payoff plan. We still owe honest dealing. We still refuse to hide. Chapter 16 says good works are fruit of living faith, done by the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are weak. A slow, honest repayment can be that kind of fruit. God is the source of all blessings (Baptist Faith and Message, article XIII). The card is not. The card is a tool that turned into a master for a lot of us. Where do you start? Tell the Lord the real number. Out loud. Stop adding new debt if you can. Cut the open loop. Write every card, rate, and minimum on one page. Tell one wise person. A spouse. A pastor. A counselor. Hidden debt grows in the dark. Pay something on purpose. A minimum is a start. A plan is better. Ask what spending was need, and what was appetite. Be specific. Be kind. Be true. We will not invent a Mayflower budget program on this page. We will walk with you. A pastor can help you think, pray, and take the next honest step. If the math includes a crisis (eviction, utilities, no food), say that early. One next step with Jesus Today, bring the debt into the open before Christ. Confess what is sin. Grieve what is simply heavy. Then put the numbers on paper and ask a pastor or counselor to look at them with you this week. Do not wait until you feel worthy. If you do not know Jesus yet, you do not have to fix the cards first. Come to him. Then we work the numbers as people he already bought. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Should we still give when money is tight?
Yes, if you belong to Jesus. Give as a child, not as a person buying favor. Money can be tight and faith can still open a hand. Sometimes the gift is small. Sometimes this month the gift is time, a meal, or an honest conversation with a pastor because the numbers do not stretch. We will not shame the poor. God does not. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, ESV) Paul does not name a church tax. He names a decided heart. Cheerful. Not under compulsion. God is able to make grace abound so you can keep doing good work. That includes lean weeks. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article XIII, says God is the source of all blessings. All that we have and are we owe to him. Christians have a binding stewardship in their possessions. We serve him with time, talents, and material things, for his glory and for helping others. Then it says this: Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. Read those five words again. Cheerfully. Regularly. Systematically. Proportionately. Liberally. Proportionately matters when the paycheck is thin. A proportionate gift from a tight month may look tiny next to someone else's. The Lord sees the proportion. He sees the heart. Article XIII lists older texts about firstfruits and the tithe in its Scripture proofs. The article itself never locks a percentage. We will not invent one here. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 has no stewardship chapter that binds a tenth. Its chapter 19 says the ceremonial law is fulfilled and taken away in Christ. The moral law still teaches us not to steal and not to covet. Chapter 16 says good works are the fruit of living faith, done from the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are mixed with weakness. So we do not treat giving as the price of God's smile. We treat it as worship. We treat it as trust. We treat it as love for the household of faith and for neighbors in need (Baptist Faith and Message, article XV). If you have been using giving to bargain with God, stop. If you have been hiding from giving because shame got loud, come back with a small, honest plan. If you cannot give money this month without failing a bill you already owe, say so. Honesty is part of stewardship too. One next step with Jesus Decide in your heart, before the Lord, what a cheerful next gift looks like in this season. Write it down. Pray over it. Then do it on purpose, as worship of Jesus, not as a fee. If you need help sorting "proportionate" from "panic," talk with a pastor. We would rather sit with the real numbers than leave you alone with guilt. New to Jesus? He gave himself first. Start there. What is the Gospel? Biblical counseling Next Steps

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We cannot afford a house. Has God forgotten us?
You are not crazy. Housing in 2026 costs more than many honest paychecks can carry. Rent climbs. A down payment looks like a wall. That ache is real in Kingston and everywhere around us. God has not forgotten you. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Food. Cover. A place to sleep. Jesus said that out loud so anxious people would have something solid to hold. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33, ESV) He did not say the market would be kind. He said the Father knows. He said seek the kingdom first. He promised to add what you need, in his time and in his way. That may be a rented room for a long season. That may be a delayed yes. That may be help from the church. It is still care. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5, ESV) Contentment is not pretending the price is fair. Contentment is refusing the lie that a deed is the only proof God loves you. Love of money can hide in a house hunt. So can grief. Those are different. We will not shame you for wanting a stable place for your kids. The tenth commandment forbids coveting. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, keeps that moral law as a rule of life after the gospel. It shows us our hearts. It drives us to Christ. Wanting shelter is not the same as despising the neighbor who got a closing date. Ask the Lord to search that line in you. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III, says every person bears God's image and is worthy of respect and Christian love. It also says Christians should work to provide for the needy, the helpless, and the aged (article XV). A hard housing year does not make you less human. And the church is not allowed to look away. God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual (Baptist Faith and Message, article XIII). A house, if he gives one, is a trust. So is a small apartment. Steward what you have. Do not wait for a closing to start obeying Jesus. One next step with Jesus Today, seek first his kingdom in one concrete way. Pray Matthew 6:33 by name. Thank him for one provision you can already see. Then take one honest household step: write the real numbers, talk with the person you share money with, or ask a pastor to sit with you over the rent and the fear. Do not carry this alone. If you do not yet know Jesus, start with the gospel. He is better than a house. He does not leave. If you already follow him and the worry is loud, ask for counsel. We will walk with you. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps You can also talk with a pastor. We will not invent a promise we cannot keep. We will sit under the same Word with you.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We lost them to an overdose. What now?
The phone call already happened. The house is too quiet. Or too loud. Shame is in the room with the grief. People will guess. Some will stay back. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If you are using and you cannot stop, get human help now. Then come sit with us. We will sit with you. [Anton: FILL] You do not have to make this neat. Eat something if you can. Tell one person the truth. Write down what the funeral home asked. Sleep when the body will let you. Those small acts are enough for this hour. God comforts the afflicted. He means to. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) The church in Thessalonica needed this too. People they loved had died. Paul would not leave them guessing. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Grief is real. Hope is Christ crucified and risen. We do not invent a story about the last minutes. We do not invent a verdict on their soul. We do not treat an overdose as a small thing. Chapter 31 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says death returns the body to dust. The soul goes to God. The righteous are with Christ. The wicked are reserved for judgment. Two places. No third room we get to invent. Chapter 32 says Jesus will judge every thought, word, and deed. That day belongs to him. We will not play judge in this living room. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article IV, says salvation is the redemption of the whole man, offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in him. Chapter 14 of the 1689 Confession says faith rests on Christ alone. Weak faith is still faith if it is resting there. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message calls us to oppose vice and to provide for the needy, the abused, the helpless, and the sick. Addiction is a real destroyer. An overdose is a real death. We will help you bury them. We will help you tell the truth. We will not dress this up. We will hold out Jesus. One next step with him: tell him their name. Then tell him yours. "Lord Jesus, I have no strength for this day. You died. You rose. Hold me." If you can, read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 once out loud. Come talk with us. Read the gospel. Ask for biblical counseling. When you can take one, a next step is ready. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Someone I love died by suicide. Is there hope?
You can barely breathe. The questions will not stop. Why. What did I miss. Where are they. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If someone near you is talking about dying, stay with them and get human help now. Do not sit in a dark room with this alone. We will sit with you. The Lord comes near when a heart is crushed. He said so. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) Jesus stood at a grave and wept. He also named himself. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26) Hope is a Person. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. He rose from the dead. That is the hope we have. We do not invent a verdict on the one you love. We do not stand in God's place and close the door. We do not shrug as if this death were small. Our confession, the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 31, says the soul does not sleep. The bodies of the dead return to dust. The souls of the righteous are with Christ and wait for the redemption of the body. The souls of the wicked remain reserved for the judgment of the great day. Scripture names those two places. Chapter 32 says God has appointed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. We are not that court. We will not pretend we know the hidden work of God in a last hour. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article IV, says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Salvation is offered freely because of his blood. Chapter 14 of the 1689 Confession says the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. That faith can be weak. It can be attacked. Christ is still the one who saves. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message says we contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. A life ended this way is a real tearing of what God made. We will not call it fine. We will not tell you the cross cannot reach a sin this dark. The Judge is Jesus. The hope is Jesus crucified and risen. One next step with him: say his name out loud. Tell him the truth. "Lord Jesus, I am crushed. I cannot fix this. I need you." Then read John 11:25-26 again. Slowly. Come talk with us. Read the gospel. Ask for biblical counseling. If you need a next step after that, start at next steps. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

Currently Reading
September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Sports betting is on my phone. Is it just a game?
No. A game does not take the rent. A game does not own your Sunday. A game does not make you hide a second account. If the app knows your pulse better than your friends do, you already have your answer. There is help. Jesus Christ came for people who chase a rush and call it harmless. You can stop lying about "just entertainment" today. What the bet is after Sports can be a gift. Skill. Rest. A shared afternoon. Betting on the same screen is often something else. Greed dressed as fandom. A promise that the next slip will fix the last one. A small god of chance. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says we are servants of sin and partakers of death and all other miseries unless the Lord Jesus sets us free. That misery can look like debt. Shame. A marriage that no longer trusts your word. A heart that cannot watch a game without a stake. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we become transgressors as soon as we can act. Article XV says Christians should oppose every form of greed, selfishness, and vice. The 2000 text names greed. It does not need a new vice list from us. The app is enough. You may tell yourself you can afford it. The question is not only money. The question is worship. Who do you trust when you are bored, angry, or sure you are due? The gospel names greedy people. Then it washes them. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) Greedy. Swindlers. Idolaters. Some of you were that. Washed. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV) Stand firm. Delete the app. That is not legalism. That is refusing a yoke. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sanctification is the Spirit enabling you to grow. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession says the desires that rise from the old body of sin are put to death more and more. The war can still go badly for a season. The Spirit still supplies strength. Chapter 15 of the Confession says repent of each specific, known sin specifically. The bets. The borrowed money. The lie to your spouse. The way you taught a younger person that this is normal. One next step with Jesus Open your hands. "Lord Jesus, I have trusted a wager more than I have trusted you. I have loved money and a rush. Forgive me. I believe you died and rose. Set me free. I will tell the truth about the accounts and the debt." Then tell a pastor. Bring the numbers. Ask for counsel. If you owe people, make a plan to repay. If you have never belonged to Christ, start with the gospel, not with a self-help streak. The church will not mock you for coming clean. We will not bless the app either. Come further the gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, if you have trusted Christ and have not yet obeyed him publicly Christ saves sinners. He can save a person who cannot watch a game without a stake.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
The pills started as pain. Now I cannot stop.
You can get help today. Medical help. And Jesus. If you are shaking, if you are out, if you are scared of what happens when you stop, call a doctor or emergency services now. Do not taper yourself from a guess you read online. Do not wait for Sunday. Your body can be in real danger. Go to a doctor, an emergency room, or the care already in your life. This page will not name a clinic. Then keep reading. Christ saves sinners. Including the ones who started with a real injury and ended up owned. Both things can be true Pain is real. A prescription can be a mercy. Dependence can grow in a body without a cartoon villain in the story. Sin is also real. Hiding. Lying to the person who loves you. Taking what is not yours. Numbing so you do not have to face God. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says this corruption remains even in the regenerate. The actions that rise from it are truly sin. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Only grace brings a person into holy fellowship. We will not treat you as a case number. We will not treat you as a lecture. You are an image bearer who needs a Savior and, often, a physician. God does not despise a trapped person If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV) Confess the theft. The deceit. The worship of relief. He is faithful. He is just. The blood of Jesus is why he can cleanse you. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36, ESV) Freedom is the Son taking a servant of sin and making that person his. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says salvation is the redemption of the whole man. Offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Sanctification begins in the new birth. The Spirit enables progress toward maturity. That progress can include a hospital bed, a hard conversation, and a long obedience after the crisis. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession says the war is real. Remaining corruption may prevail for a time. The Spirit still supplies strength. The saints grow. They do not grow by pretending the body is nothing. Chapter 15 of the Confession says there is no sin so great that it will bring damnation on those who repent. There is also no sin so small that it does not deserve damnation. So we preach repentance. We do not shrug. We do not crush you. What to do in the next hour If you are in withdrawal danger, get medical help first. Tell them the truth about what you took and how much. If you can think clearly, tell one person who will not help you hide. A pastor at Mayflower. A spouse. A parent. Pray as you go. "Lord Jesus, I started with pain. I have made this my master. I have lied. I cannot save myself. Have mercy. I trust your death and your resurrection. Give me the courage to get help and to tell the truth." Bring your body to him. Present yourself to God as one brought from death to life. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) One next step with Jesus Get the medical help you need. Then come to Christ in the open. If you have never trusted him, the gospel is for you this night. If you have trusted him and hid this, repentance is still a gift. Ask for counseling. Sit with the church. Do not do secret recovery as a second religion. Come further The Gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, when you have turned to Jesus and are ready to say so in the water Christ saves sinners. He can meet you in pain. He can meet you in dependence. He can make you free.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
My phone runs my life. How do I get free?
You can get free. Not by a new case and a new app. By a new Master. If the first thing you touch in the morning is that glass, and the last thing you touch at night is the same glass, you already know this is bigger than "screen time." Your attention has a lord. Your fear of missing something has a lord. Jesus is willing to be Lord instead. Come as you are. Bring the phone with you. He already sees what is on it. What has you A phone is a tool. In a fallen world it becomes a master fast. News. Images. Anger. Comparison. Betting. Porn. Empty talk. You reach for it when you are bored. You reach for it when you are ashamed. You reach for it when you should pray. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says we became servants of sin. Completely defiled in soul and body. Unless the Lord Jesus sets us free, we stay there. That is not only a 1600s sentence. That is your thumb at 12:40 a.m. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. The environment in your pocket is built to keep you. The nature in you wants to be kept. That is why willpower fades by Thursday. We will not baptize this as a medical label only. Some of you need a doctor for anxiety or sleeplessness. Say so. Get help. Still call the worship what it is. You have been giving your heart to a device. Freedom has a name So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36, ESV) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV) Christ did not die so you could manage notifications better. He died to take you out of slavery. He rose so you would stand firm and refuse the old yoke. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says salvation is the redemption of the whole man. Regeneration. Justification. Sanctification. Glorification. No salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sanctification is progress toward moral and spiritual maturity by the Spirit who lives in you. That includes your eyes, your hours, and your hands. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession is honest about the fight. The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed in those united to Christ. The evil desires are weakened and put to death. Yet the war is not finished in this life. Remaining corruption may prevail for a time. Then the Spirit supplies strength. The regenerate part overcomes. So you should expect a fight. You should not expect to lose forever. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) Your members include your thumbs. Repent of the real thing Chapter 15 of the Confession says repent of each specific, known sin specifically. Name it. The hour you vanish from your children. The messages you should not send. The images you hunt. The way you hide the brightness when someone walks in. The Lord's Day you spent scrolling instead of gathering. Ask for pardon. Ask for strength. Then take a plain step. Leave the phone in another room when you sleep. Tell a brother or sister what owns you. Sit under the Word with the church on Sunday when every nerve wants the feed. Filters help. Accountability software helps. They do not regenerate you. Jesus does. One next step with Jesus Put the phone down long enough to speak. "Lord Jesus, this device has been my refuge. I have served it. Set me free. I trust you. I will present my body to you today." If you do not know him yet, read the gospel and come to him. If you do know him, stop lying about a "busy season." Ask for counsel. Walk with the church. Come further The gospel Next steps Biblical Counseling Baptism, if you have turned to Christ and have not yet gone public The Son sets people free. He can set you free from a glowing rectangle.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
I cannot stop looking at porn. Is there a way out?
Yes. There is a way out. His name is Jesus. If you are reading this after another night you swore would be the last, you can still tell the truth. God already knows. He is not shocked. He is holy. And he saves sinners. You do not have to clean yourself up first. Come now. You are not only tired. You are not only wired. Porn trains the body. It also trains the heart. You keep going back because the old nature loves darkness. That is sin. Sexual immorality. Lust that uses people as images. The Second London Confession says all actual sins rise from that first corruption. We are biased against what is good. We are inclined toward what is evil (1689 6). The Baptist Faith and Message says the same in plainer words. By free choice man sinned. We inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. As soon as we can act, we become transgressors (BFM III). Only the grace of God can bring a person back into holy fellowship. Mayflower will not call this a private hobby. BFM XV names pornography among the forms of sexual immorality Christians should oppose. We oppose it first in our own lives. Then we help a brother or sister tell the truth. Scripture that does not flatter you, and does not leave you. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) Hear both halves. The sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom. And some of you were that. Washed. Sanctified. Justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus. By the Spirit of our God. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV) Confession names the sin to the God who already paid for it in his Son. What repentance looks like here 1689 15 says saving repentance is a gospel grace. The Spirit makes you see the evils of your sin. You humble yourself. You hate it. You ask for pardon and for strength. Then you endeavor, by the Spirit, to live in a way that pleases God. You repent of each specific, known sin specifically. Not "I struggle." The site. The hour. The lie you told. The person you used in your mind. If you belong to Christ, remaining corruption can still prevail for a time. Sanctification is a war. The flesh against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh (1689 13). Some weeks you will lose a battle. That does not mean Christ lost you. It does mean you need the Word, the Spirit, and the church. You need to present your body to God, not to lust. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) Marriage is not a shortcut The Confession says marriage was ordained for mutual help, for legitimate offspring, and for the prevention of immorality (1689 25.2). That is true. A husband and wife, in covenant, are a mercy against this fire. Marriage will not baptize you. Marriage will not kill lust by itself. A single person can be clean in Christ. A married person can still hide a screen. If you are married, stop stealing from your spouse. Tell the truth. If you are not married, do not treat a wedding as the gospel. One next step with Jesus Tonight, before you sleep, speak to him out loud. "Lord Jesus, I have loved porn more than I have loved you. I have used people. I cannot stop myself. Wash me. I trust your death and your resurrection. I will not hide this anymore." Then tell one mature believer at Mayflower. A pastor. A counselor. Not a vague hint. The real thing. If you have never trusted Christ, start at the gospel. He died for the sexually immoral. He rose. He calls you to turn and live. Come further The gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, if you have trusted Christ and have not yet obeyed him in baptism You can walk in tomorrow. You can write tonight. Do not wait for a cleaner Monday. Christ saves sinners. He can save you from this.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 23, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
I Cannot Get Out of Bed: Is this still grief?
Yes. Grief can pin a body to the mattress. Days blur. Food tastes like nothing. The phone feels heavy. Shame will call you lazy. Come as you are. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If the body is failing, tell a doctor too. We will walk with you. This can still be grief after a month. After a year. After a holiday you did not want. The heart and the body travel together. You may also be sick. Both can be true in one morning. The Lord stays near crushed people. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) He comforts so that comfort can move, even if today it only moves an inch. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Nothing in this bed can cut you off from the love of God in Christ. Paul said that while he still suffered. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) Chapter 14 of the Baptist Confession of 1689 says saving faith can be weak or strong. Even weak faith is different from a show of faith. It may be attacked. It still looks at Christ. The principal acts are accepting, receiving, and resting on him alone. You do not have to feel strong to rest. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Sanctification is a long work. Glorification is still ahead. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the righteous wait for the full redemption of their bodies. Your body matters to God. This mattress is not the last word. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. That is the hope under the sheet. One next step with him: sit on the edge of the bed if you can. If you cannot, stay where you are. Say this: "Lord Jesus, I have no strength. I rest on you." Then read Psalm 34:18 once. Text one person that you are still here. Come talk with us. Read about the gospel when you can keep a page open. Ask for help from biblical counseling. When you can take a next step, next steps are ready. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 5, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
How do I help a friend who is grieving?
Show up. Bring food. Sit down. Use their loved one’s name. Do not explain the death. Do not make their grief a speech. If they are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then stay with them and talk with us. You are not their Savior. You can be a neighbor. We will help you carry this. As a church family, it is what we do. God comforts people so they can comfort others. That is ordinary church life. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) You may fear saying the wrong verse. Start with nearness. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) If they ask about the dead, point them to Jesus. He died. He rose. He will raise the dead. Paul told a grieving church to hold that, and still to grieve. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Do not invent a verdict on a soul. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the soul goes to God at death. The righteous are with Christ. The wicked are reserved for judgment. Chapter 32 says Jesus will judge the world on a day the Father has set. That is his work. Your work is love. Do not hide the gospel to keep the visit light. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Offer that freely. Chapter 14 of the 1689 says faith rests on Christ. Your friend may have weak faith this week. Rest is still rest. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message calls Christians to provide for the needy, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. Grief makes people needy. Take a trash bag to the kitchen. Watch the kids. Drive to the airport. Keep doing it after the casserole week ends. One next step with Jesus: pray for your friend by name today. Then ask them, "Can I sit with you this week?" If they say yes, go. If they want more help than you can give, walk with them to biblical counseling. Share the gospel if they are ready for the hope we have. Next Steps are there when they can take a step. Christ crucified and risen is the help you actually have to give.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor