PASTOR'S BLOG
Evidences of Grace at Wellspring    by Bryan Carver
8/13/2024
The Corinthian church certainly had many problems including (but not limited to) unspeakable sexual immorality, lawsuits between brothers, ego-driven misuse of the spiritual gifts, and factions and divisions based on their favorite preachers. And yet Paul begins his letter to them giving thanks for them and pointing out the grace of God at work in their midst. The reason why Paul can sincerely praise God is because he has a divine perspective of the Corinthian church. [view]
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Finding Peace    by Bryan Carver
7/18/2024
Few of us are strangers to anxiety. It creeps in over big and little things, gnawing away at our insides. Someone graphically described anxiety as “a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." The etymology of our word worry can be traced back to the Old High German word “wurgen” which means “to strangle,” which is exactly what worry does to our joy and peace. [view]
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Encountering Holiness    by Bryan Carver
6/22/2024
Popular author and Bible teacher Beth Moore often claims direct revelation from God. She posted on social media about one of her supposed “encounters” with God: “Jesus is like, “How ya doing this morning, Beth?” Me:”I’ll get to ya in a sec!” Him: “Oh don’t mind me. I’m doing fine. How are you?” Another pastor speaks of his encounters with God, claiming that Jesus shows up and hangs out with him while shaving in the bathroom in the morning. More and more Christians are making similar claims about encountering God today. What’s the problem with all of these claims to have had an encounter with the holy God of Scripture? It’s that they lack any resemblance to the experiences of characters in the Bible who encountered God’s holiness. [view]
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Filled with the Holy Spirit    by Bryan Carver
3/1/2024
What does the filling of the Spirit look like? What does it produce in the believer's life? Many today are deceived into following a false Christianity characterized by uncontrollable laughter, convulsions, falling over, acting drunk, speaking gibberish, seeing visions, visiting heaven, talking to angels, gold dust and glory clouds, fire tunnels, and other false signs and wonders. All of these experiences are attributed to manifestations of the Holy Spirit, yet most of this behavior has much more in common with a Hindu “kundalini spirit” (i.e. demons) than it does the Holy Spirit. [view]
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(REVISED) Baby Murder Requires That We Be Doers of the Word     by Bryan Carver
2/5/2024
[REVISED: It was brought to my attention that my original post was unclear at different points creating a misunderstanding and unfortunate offense for some. I apologize for any confusion and offense and I have made some edits to better communicate my originally intended message.] [view]
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Christmas is a Means to an End    by Bryan Carver
12/23/2023
When we consider the Christmas story, we shouldn't just think, “O cute story. Joseph, Mary, animal stall, messy birth in a non-sterile environment.” We must remember this is the incarnation of God that we are dealing with. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Verse 14 “And the Word became flesh.” [view]
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Thanksgiving with Joy!    by Bryan Carver
11/22/2023
One of our primary purposes as God’s image bearers is to give thanks. He made us to be creatures who are dependent on His all-sufficiency and grace, who will respond to His grace with praise and thanksgiving. In fact, Paul says in Romans 1:21 that the reason the whole human race is under God’s judgment is because “although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to him.” [view]
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What is the goal of your Bible study?    by Bryan Carver
9/13/2023
Fall season at Wellspring means the re-launch of many ministries like Oasis, Home Groups, and Awana. As we dive into our in-depth Bible studies together, it's important to consider what the goal is. What is the goal when studying the Bible? This week I had the privilege of sharing with the Oasis ladies as they kicked off the new year with a wonderful luncheon. This is what I had to share with them: [view]
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A Victim of Slander    by Bryan Carver
8/14/2023
Have you ever been the victim of slander for the sake of your faith? Have you ever had your reputation thrown through the mud? If you've experienced this pain like me, know that you are in the company of the very Son of God who was perfect. Jesus was wrongfully slandered throughout His ministry: [view]
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Beware of Unbelief and Live by Faith    by Bryan Carver
7/24/2023
In Numbers 13-14 we read the account of the spies going into the promised land. At this point in Israel's history, they have been supernaturally delivered out of bondage in Egypt by God's mighty hand. They have God dwelling in their camp, leading them with His manifest glory by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night. They have an unshakable promise of a land flowing with milk and honey and a God who will fight their battles for them. So spies are sent to scout out the land, but they "bring a bad report," not of the land, but of their fear and unbelief which belittles God. [view]
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Our God is a Consuming Fire    by Bryan Carver
7/12/2023
In a day and age of casual, flippant, shallow worship services, we must never forget that Yahweh is a CONSUMING FIRE who is to be worshipped in reverence and fear. Hebrews 12:28-29 says "Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." He is righteously jealous for our singular devotion in worship and He hates all idolatry. [view]
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"Honoring God on Memorial Day" by Pastor Craig    by Bryan Carver
5/29/2023
This weekend, and today specifically, the United States recognizes Memorial Day. Originally known as “Declaration Day” its origins come from the years following the US Civil War which ended in 1865. After the war, American towns and cities began holding tributes in the spring to honor the thousands of soldiers who gave their lives fighting in the war. Over time this day of remembrance became known as Memorial Day, and in 1971 the day was officially recognized as a federal holiday to be held on the last Monday in May each year. [view]
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Governmental Persecution    by Bryan Carver
5/22/2023
Last Sunday we considered the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:16-33 regarding governmental persecution of the church. In context, we saw that it is not just being a Christian that brings such opposition, but it is the “proclaiming from the rooftops” that will bring all of the hatred and consequences Jesus warns of. On the same day, our local newspaper ran a front-page article where our Mayor publicly denounced our church for “disrespectful and harassing behavior that was not acceptable.” One city councilor said in an opinion piece that “we can fix” the problem of Wellspring’s “threats,” and “discrimination and bullying.” "Fixing" us is clearly a threat to find a way to silence us. [view]
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A Neglected Ministry    by Bryan Carver
5/9/2023
Sunday we looked at James 5:14-15 and James’ exhortation to the sick or weak Christian to call upon the elders of the church for prayer. This means of grace is a wonderful gift of God to His church and yet it is such a neglected ministry today. Perhaps it is neglected because sick or struggling church members are unwilling to approach the leadership—whether out of shame, discouragement from the devil, ignorance of His promises, or unbelief in the power of prayer. Many are missing out on God’s gracious help because they are unwilling to submit themselves to the shepherds God has given them. [view]
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The Biblical Case for a Staff Evangelist    by Bryan Carver
4/24/2023
The Biblical Case for a Staff Evangelist This next Sunday, April 30th, we have the tremendous honor of commissioning our elder Mason Goodknight as a local full-time Evangelist. For most of you reading this, you’ve probably never been a part of a church or even heard of a church that has a full-time evangelist. I know that has been my experience, although I always wondered why this is the case. [view]
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United Methodist LGBT Outreach    by Bryan Carver
4/17/2023
United Methodist LGBT Outreach Saturday evening our local First United Methodist “Church” of Roseburg hosted a concert for a lesbian choir from Eugene. As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we showed up to both preach the gospel and oppose the promotion of society-destroying sin. Some might question why we would do such a thing, especially many Christians who think that the way to win the world is to be loved by the world. But we understand that like Ezekiel, God has called us to be watchmen on the wall blowing the trumpet and warning of the sword of God’s judgment falling upon our city. [view]
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"Resurrection Sunday!" by Pastor Craig Kinney    by Bryan Carver
4/10/2023
"Resurrection Sunday!" by Pastor Craig Kinney Shocking. Awesome. Amazing. Humbling. Thankful. Filled with awe…I honestly struggle to find words to describe how Easter makes me feel. To think, that God would love mankind, would love me so much, that He would come in the person of Christ Jesus to redeem those who had rebelled against Him, leaves me with no words to express my state. [view]
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God's Attritbute of Independence    by Bryan Carver
3/23/2023
In our Theological Foundations 101 class, we spend time studying the attributes of God and always have a wonderful time in absolute amazement of who our God is. The first attribute we usually discuss (and one of the most intriguing to students) is an "incommunicable attribute" (those that are not shared with mankind) called God's independence. This doctrine teaches that God is a self-sufficient, self-existing, Being who does not need anything from the rest of creation. While all of creation depends on God for its very existence and purpose, God depends on no one and nothing except Himself. God is! [view]
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The Tongue and the Wilderness    by Bryan Carver
3/6/2023
We have studied the last few weeks on the need to tame the tongue in James 3:1-12. One of the most powerful statements James makes is in verses 5-6 “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a [view]
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Marriage is About the Gospel    by Bryan Carver
2/20/2023
This upcoming weekend many of our younger families from Wellspring will be heading to the coast for a Marriage Retreat. Couples eagerly look forward to this time away to focus on God and to grow in their covenant commit [view]
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WBF Annual Meeting and the Priesthood of All Believers    by Bryan Carver
2/13/2023
Our annual church family meeting coming up this Sunday, February 19th at 9am is a wonderful opportunity to glorify God together and share in the fellowship of the Spirit. When we gather to affirm our elders, [view]
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Pragmatism or Faith?    by Bryan Carver
2/6/2023
At our recent church family meetings, the elders discussed with the body our desire to remove financial support from a local parachurch ministry. While we believe this ministry is doing important work, they have [view]
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The Sin of Partiality    by Bryan Carver
2/1/2023
Pastor Craig preached last Sunday on the sin of partiality from James 2:1-13. As we think about the application of this text, many questions arise needing clarification. What exactly is sinful partiality? Does this mean anytime you [view]
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Sanctity of Life Sunday    by Bryan Carver
1/31/2023
Last weekend we observed Sanctity of Life Sunday on the 50th Anniversary of Roe V Wade. In the last five decades, over 65 million babies have been murdered under the guise of law, and they continue to be murdered even after the over [view]
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Biblical Sexuality Sunday    by Bryan Carver
1/16/2023
Yesterday we observed Biblical Sexuality Sunday in solidarity with Christians across North America against the recent attacks on Christ’s church from godless governments. We looked at the story of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 19, [view]
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