BY BRET STANFORD | WORSHIP PASTOR

Billy Russell used to say, “We are called to be people who remember.” This week, in my personal Bible study in Exodus, God called His people to remember their deliverance from Egypt when He established the ordinances of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Moses described in great detail how they should be observed and when, just as the LORD had told him. But what is seemingly most important is that the Israelites were to observe them again and again as a remembrance or memorial, even after they reached the promised land. They were also to explain to their children why they did this: “By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery” (Ex. 13:14). Together, the generations were to remember this mighty act of the LORD, and continue remembering through the next generations, and so on.

What is the significance of remembering? It reminds us of who God is, what He has done, and for what we should be thankful. Remembering leads us to worship. That’s why I love to read Scripture before we lift our voices in song each Sunday. First, we remind ourselves of who God is and what He has done, and then we respond to that Truth in worship. This is known as ‘revelation and response.’

I once heard Bob Kauflin say that we should remind ourselves of the Gospel every morning when we wake up. This helps us to begin our days by recognizing who God is and what He has done for us. It helps us to be people who remember. And this does not mean we remember these truths in the back

of our minds. No, this “remembering” is intentionally reminding ourselves over and over again so that it remains at the forefront of our minds.

As we move toward Good Friday and observe the Lord’s Supper together as a church family, let me challenge you to make this a special time of remembrance. Remember Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for us. Remember the forgiveness we have experienced through the cross of Christ. Remember your salvation. And remember to tell your children and grandchildren why we do this. Pass it on to the next generations. Let’s be people who remember.

BY MICHAEL GREEN | COLLEGE PASTOR

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone asked you a hard question about your faith and you weren't sure what to say? Maybe it was a coworker who wondered how you could believe in God when there's so much suffering in the world. Maybe it was a family member who thinks the Bible is outdated. Maybe it was your own child, asking something that caught you off guard.

If you've been there, you're not alone.

And more importantly, you're not without help. Peter wrote to a church under pressure, believers scattered across the Roman Empire who were being questioned, mocked, and marginalized for their faith. His instruction was simple and direct: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). That word "answer" is the Greek word apologia, a reasoned defense. It's where we get the word apologetics.

Notice what Peter doesn't say. He doesn't say, "Leave the hard questions to the experts." He doesn't say, "Just smile and change the subject." He says always be prepared. Every believer. Every conversation. Every opportunity. This isn't an optional add-on for the especially intellectual. It's a command given to the entire church. If we take the Great Commission seriously, we have to be ready to meet people where they are.

We need to be willing to sit with people who are asking the hard questions, not to shut them down, but to point them to the One who is the answer. The people around us are asking harder questions than ever before. About truth. About meaning. About whether the Bible can be trusted. About whether God is even real. Those questions deserve more than silence. They deserve thoughtful, grace-filled, biblically grounded answers from people who have been transformed by the

gospel themselves.

That's the heart behind our apologetics emphasis: Engaging Our World with Gospel Truth. We believe that every follower of Jesus should be equipped not just to know what they believe, but to articulate why they believe it. Not with arrogance. Not to win arguments. But with gentleness and respect, just as Peter instructs in that very same verse.

And we want every person in our church family to be part of it. That's why this emphasis will include

opportunities for every age group, from our youngest to our oldest. Children, students, and adults will all have age-appropriate ways to grow in understanding and confidence. For adults specifically, we will be offering a dedicated apologetics class in the Esquire building during core group time at 9:30 and 11:00 AM on April 12, April 19, and April 26. Each session will tackle a specific topic designed to strengthen your faith and sharpen your ability to share it with others.

Because the gospel is true. And a world that's searching

for answers needs a church that's ready to share them.

The Senior Pastor Search Committee spent February and the first half of March reviewing and evaluating resumes and accompanying information as we received them from candidates. Each committee member prayerfully and carefully started and pursued this process on their own for each candidate and then the entire committee has discussed the candidates during our weekly meetings. Following our closing date of March 13, 2026, we continued and moved toward finishing our review, evaluations, and discussions of the total field of 52 candidates with the goal of beginning Stage Two

in our Search Process. To begin this stage, we must narrow that field to approximately 10 candidates from whom we will gather more information for our further, and more intense, consideration.

Please pray for all the candidates as the Lord uses us and our church’s search for a Senior Pastor to work in their lives and ministries. Also, pray for us as we narrow the field of candidates and engage in Stage Two in our search to find and select God’s man from all the candidates. Written congregational input continues to be invited by email to search@fbcbolivar.org (automatically forwarded to all committee members and no one else), by US mail addressed to the committee, in care of the church office (forwarded by the office unopened to the committee chairperson and no one else), or by personal delivery to any committee member (Rita Hill, Holly Shuler, Beth Grabowski, Cale Vernon, Jeremy Scowden, Eddie Lollar, and Gary Lynch).