Video Ministry

In this SFL video, Pastor James C. Johnson provides a Christian response to President Joe Biden's recent proclamation of "Transgender Day of Visibility." Strength for Life is a ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola. Below is the transcript: This past Sunday our church, like many churches around the world, celebrated the risen Christ. A record number of members and visitors attended NorthStone Baptist Church as we hosted a gospel-centered Easter cantata and a food fellowship afterward.   However, according to the White House, instead of celebrating Easter we were supposed to be celebrating “Transgender Day of Visibility.” I am aware that Transgender Day of Visibility was established over ten years ago. However, this year President Biden formalized the day with a lengthy proclamation. In his proclamation, the President called “upon all Americans to join [him] in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation.” My response to President Biden’s proclamation is that, respectfully, my Christian faith will not allow me to celebrate transgenderism. Let me explain. I am saddened that people are broken and inwardly confused. Clearly transgender individuals need help. I want to see them “washed, sanctified, and justified” as is described in 1 Corinthians 6. I want to see them saved.  No one loves hurting and broken people more than Jesus does. No one is able to help them like He can. And we Christians need to be extensions of Christ’s love and ministry. However, for Christians to celebrate transgenderism is NOT love. 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, explains that love “rejoiceth not in iniquity.” To paraphrase, the verse is saying that Christians cannot celebrate sin. Love does not do that.   To celebrate any type of sin, instead of warn against it, is to personally escort individuals straight to hell. Our culture thinks that to love someone is to agree with everything they believe or do. That is hogwash. If someone you love is believing a lie, or if they are doing something detrimental to themselves, and if you truly love them, you warn them. You plead with them. You help them. You don’t endorse them, patronize them, and celebrate them in their destruction.   Just because someone feels something on the inside doesn’t mean those feelings should be followed, especially if those feelings lead to mutilating one’s body. Unfortunately, it has become mainstream in America to indulge delusions. By promoting Transgender Day of Visibility, President Biden is attempting to normalize something that is not normal at all.   Transgenderism is at best a mental illness, and at worst, it’s open defiance against God. Often it is not the former, but the latter. Neither of those should be celebrated.   If President Biden wanted to help transgender people, he would promote ways to help them find contentment in the sex of their birth. If he wanted to help the transgender community, he would explain that not every impulse in a person’s body should be followed and nurtured. We all have impulses or feelings that are counterproductive. If the President wanted to help his transgender citizens, he would promote ways to help them heal; instead, he is encouraging our nation to celebrate their brokenness and ignore their actual need.   The truth is that transgender people need the message of Easter. The message of the Resurrection is the message of abundant life in Christ. Jesus is the One who can heal brokenness from within. I speak from experience. He has healed my brokenness in that He has justified me. He is currently healing me in that He is sanctifying me. And one day, He will fully heal me when I am glorified in heaven.  Whatever your sinful brokenness, people that truly love you will tell you to seek forgiveness, help, and healing at the foot of the cross of Calvary. Repent, and  run to Christ! Find your identity in Him! Find forgiveness in Him! That’s my message to you. And that gospel message is a message worth celebrating! The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor at NorthStone Baptist Church here in Pensacola. To offer him your feedback, email him at pastor@northstonebaptist.org. Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church #Pensacola #SpiritualStrength #KJV #gospel #christianity #Easter #transgender #transgenderism #joebiden #whitehouse #TransgenderVisibilityDay #resurrection

In this video, Pastor Johnson explains Jesus' answer to His disciples with they ask Him to "teach us to pray." Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church #pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #Prayer #KJV

In this video, Pastor Johnson explains how to overcome several types of lust. Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church When we think of LUST we typically think of physical lust, however, 1 John 2:14-17 describes several types of lust. In this video I will suggest 5 different types of lust and offer God’s cure for these internal battles. First, consider the lust for ADMIRATION. Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 6 was essentially, "Stop lusting for admiration!” They were doing good things like giving to the poor, praying, and fasting, but they were doing them for all the wrong reasons. They lusted to be noticed for their religious sacrifice. They desired religious adulation. They craved earthly significance and temporal importance. Sadly, some people get involved in full-time Christian ministry primarily because they carnally crave religious admiration. Their heart cry is “Be impressed with me!” I’m saying, beware of lusting for admiration. Secondly, consider the lust for APPRECIATION. Have you served someone humbly, and seemingly, they’ve taken you for granted? You sacrificed some of your time, talent, or treasure to help them, and they never said thank you. Maybe you went to your mailbox, day after day expecting to see a thank you note, but it never arrived. With every passing day, you grew more frustrated. You were craving appreciation. While certainly people should be thankful, it is unwise and unhealthy to crave the appreciation of others. Unfortunately, people are consumers. They consume one another's services and then move on. This is why we should apply the Bible’s teaching and serve others “as unto the Lord." Seeking man's approval or appreciation is way overrated, and God's approval is way under sought. The carnal heart cry of a person lusting for appreciation is “Thank me!” Beware of lusting for appreciation. Thirdly, consider a lust for attention. Social media has fostered this in an extremely unhealthy way. People are often lusting for “likes” as they post their selfies. They crave attention. Especially in this age of social media, Christians should pursue a John the Baptist approach. He is the one who said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Notice the word “Behold.” He’s saying, “Don’t look at me, look at Him! “Behold” Him! No doubt people saw John the Baptist and Christians today will be seen by the world around us, especially if we’re Matthew 5:16 Christians, but they should be seeing us as we call them to look at Christ. John the Baptist desired the he would decrease so that Christ would increase. The carnal heart cry of a person lusting for attention is “Look at me!” Beware of lusting for attention. Fourthly, consider the lust for affluence. Sometimes people lust for the respect that comes with having wealth. Remember that the Bible explains that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Someone once said that there are two sides to the love of money coin. "I'd love to have it,” or, "I have it and I love it." Either side of this coin is evil. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us to "be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” We may not have the AFFLUENCE that others have. You may not have their wealth, nor the temporal risk factors that come with it, but remember that you have Christ! In Him, we can be content with such things as we have. The song writer said, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame.” That song writer understood the vanity of worldly AFFLUENCE and the serenity of heavenly contentment. The carnal heart cry of a person lusting for affluence is “Give me!” Beware of lusting for affluence. Fifthly, We must remember that there is a distinction between healthy and unhealthy types of AFFECTION. Familial affection can be very healthy. A father hugging his child can provide strength and security in the mind of that child. A mother who kisses her son or daughter will often bring warmth and a sense of belonging into the heart of that child. Not only is familial affection very healthy but so is marital affection. The Bible describes it as "honorable and undefiled.” Contrastingly, adulterous affection and unnatural affection is not only unhealthy, but it is sinful. Any sexual intimacy outside the bonds of marriage is sinful and outside the will of God. Any same-sex sexual intimacy is unnatural affection and displeasing to God. Sadly many millions of people live their lives hooked on pornography and as a result their minds are filled with a lust for an unhealthy type of affection. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV

In this video, Pastor Johnson explains why Christians Aren't Victims. He uses the life of Joseph and Jesus as examples. Watch this video till the end. It will STRENGTHEN you! Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church Christians Aren’t Victims: Overcoming Victimhood Mentality An unfortunate and often devastating fact of life is that sometimes people will hurt you. They may mistreat and misunderstand you. Our world is full of villains and that’s why there are many victims. But, even if someone legitimately hurt you, deeply, you must not continue with a victim mindset. The victim mindset has the potential to hurt you far worse than whatever the villains in your life have done to you. A person who tells themselves that they’re a victim, is also a person who says “I don’t have to take responsibility for my life and I can blame my failures on someone else. After all, if so-and-so would not have done this to me, I could succeed at that. If he or she would’ve treated me differently, I would’ve been something great.” Listen, I don’t know what they did to you, or how they hurt, but don’t give THEM the power to define YOU. Don’t let those problems from the past determine what kind of person you’re going to be in the present and the future. If you know my testimony you know I’m not saying this stuff in an abstract way, but in a first-hand way. I decided a long time ago that the broken home drama that I grew up in was not going to define me. I also decided to reject the victim hood mentality and pursue the life of a victor! A helpful example of this is found in the life of Joseph. The book of Genesis records that his brothers tried to kill him. They put him in a pit, and then they sold him into slavery. Later, Joseph was imprisoned for doing right. Remember, Joseph fled Potiphar’s wife’s advances, and as a result, he served two years in prison. There were many villains in Joseph’s life but nowhere does the Scripture indicate that he saw himself as a victim. Instead, the opposite is true, Joseph was a victor! He went through legitimately terrible circumstances, but no where is he using those things as an excuse to fail at life. He didn’t let the actions of others inhibit him from doing amazing things. In the end, Joseph is a great example of Romans 8:28; “All things working together for good.” The villains in Joseph’s life are all a part of his story. But, if Joseph didn’t have those villains in the beginning of his story, he wouldn’t of had such victory at the end of his story. Joseph is a type of Christ in the Bible and because of Christ, “we (Christians today) are more than conquerors…” (Romans 8:37) And, Jesus teaches us that “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; (He said) ‘I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) If you’re a believer, remember, “Ye are of God, little children, and … greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Christians aren’t victims, because no matter what the villains do to us, we are victors because of Christ! I’m saying to you, ditch the victim mindset! Your mind is extremely powerful. Focus your mind on these truths I just explained in this video. Preach these promises to yourself. Be the victor, the overcomer. that God wants to enable you to be and do it for His glory! #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV

In this video, Pastor Johnson expresses his appreciation for fathers. Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church There is a well-known passage in Luke 15 that records the story of the prodigal son and his prodigal brother.  Not only can we learn a lot from those two boys, but that passage also showcases for us the heart of a godly father. The father in Luke 15 understands his roles as provider, protector, and pastor of his family.   Remember when the entitled prodigal son demands of his father that he give him the “portion of goods that falleth to him?”   That father was such a good provider that he had an inheritance waiting for his son.  Also, after his son’s waywardness, the father had additional resources to bestow upon the son; a ring, a robe, a fatted calf, and much more.   To that father’s credit, he certainly was a very good provider.   Not only that, but that father was a protector.  Everything about that home speaks of protection and security.  While the son was away “wasting his substance with riotous living,” in verse 17 the son starts to long for the safety that his father had previously provided.   It is interesting that this father didn’t stop his son from going into the far country.  He didn’t stop him nor did he go after him.   Sometimes as fathers we will protect our children from making bad decisions and rightly so, but there are other times where we remember that as parents, we are not our child’s Holy Spirit.  At some point, we have to release our children to their own relationship with God’s Spirit.  Part of protecting our children from sinful choices is teaching them how to protect themselves from the enticements of this evil world.   Lastly, this father had a pastor’s heart for his family.  Not every man is called to pastor a local church, but every father and husband is called to be the pastor of his home.  Every father is called to spiritually shepherd his family.   The older brother in Luke 15 ended up being angry, stubborn, selfish, entitled, and even jealous, yet that father took time to patiently guide that older boy.   In verses 31-32, the father is providing perspective to the older brother.  He needed his Dad to shepherd and counsel him; to pastor him.  That older son was frustrated by temporal things and that godly father provided an eternal perspective in the midst of their temporal circumstance.  The father patiently provided wisdom.   This father‘s heart is revealed in the ways he provided, protected, and pastored those boys even through the stress and anxiety that must have accompanied that situation.   Instead of feeling like a failure because of his son’s waywardness, that father was standing on that front porch looking for that son’s return.   Optimistic, compassionate, and selfless are words that describe the godly fathers that lead our homes.   To all the dads out there, thank you for all you do to model Christlikeness in front of your children.  We wish you a very happy Father’s Day. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV

Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV

In this video, Pastor Johnson explains the benefits of living in moderation and he cautions concerning living in excess. If applied, this Bible-based content will strengthen you. Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church Even good things need limits. There are many things that are reasonable to do but only when they’re done in moderation. Those same things can destroy your life when you do them in excess. For example, eating is necessary to fuel the body but when eating becomes excessive and regularly indulgent, it not only affects your body composition, but also it can wreak havoc on your overall health and hormones. Another example is sleep. Of course, sleep is essential for the body to recover from the events of the day, but the Bible teaches us that too much sleep leads to poverty. (Proverbs 6:9-11) The other side of the coin is that work is a good thing, a God-ordained thing, but without adequate sleep, without a day of rest in our work week, we invite the potential of a nervous breakdown and many other issues including mental, emotional, and physical problems. Similarly, video games, TV, social media, and cell phones all have their place, but too much entertainment can be addictive and have significant mental and social consequences. What about sunlight? It’s a good thing for vitamin D and overall vitality, but the sun in excess can cause skin cancer and can be very harmful. Even talking in excess can bring about major problems. God designed us to verbally communicate, however, talking too much is the act of a fool. A fool uttereth all his mind:…” - Proverbs 29:11 But in contrast, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” - Proverbs 21:23 My point is that moderation is one of the keys to a successful spiritual life. Proverbs 23:2 explains that “if thou be a man given to appetite“ he is to “put a knife to thy throat.” In other words, he is to cut himself off from that overindulgence and gluttony. Whether it’s food, sleep, entertainment, or whatever we’re doing in indulgent excess, Philippians 4:5 says “Let your moderation be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand.” In other words, Jesus is coming again so let us not be found living with no limits, living in excess emotionally, relationally, physically, or whatever category. Let your moderation be known unto all men. Because, if you’re in excess, in whatever area, it’s very likely that your excess is “known to all men” around you. Followers of Christ should NOT be known for their excesses but they should be known for their Spirit-enabled moderation. Christians should apply biblically informed restraints to all areas of our lives … except one. The only area in which we don’t need to apply moderation is with God Himself. We are to love God with no limits (Luke 10:27). We can never love Him too much. And, the more we ask Him to fill us and guide our lives with His Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes to live in moderation in all the areas of our lives. I’m telling you from personal experience, the more i've controlled my potential excesses, the more i've been winning at life. Do what I'm suggesting in this video because the benefits are revolutionary. Biblical moderation is a major key to strength for your life. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV

In this SFL video, Pastor Johnson explains the difference between "the attire of an harlot" (Proverbs 7:10) and modest apparel (1Timothy 2:9). Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church The weather is getting warmer, which means it’s the time of year when people wear less and less clothes in public. This gradual undressing is a tendency for both men and women. In 1 Timothy 2:9, the Bible instructs women to adorn themselves in “modest apparel.” The contrasting warning to this command is in Proverbs 7:10, which warns ladies against wearing the “attire of an harlot.” But, what is “modest apparel”? And what is the “attire of an harlot”? One individual noted that “skin-tight clothes, low necklines, short dresses, short skirts, and short shorts all fall short of the biblical expectation of modesty.” I suggest further that they more accurately represent the attire of a harlot. We must recognize that clothing choices can be a little subjective. Antagonists say, “Well, how low is too low for the neckline, or how short is too short for the shorts and skirts?” One of the best ways to answer that question is to personally evaluate what’s going on in your heart when you’re putting on your clothes. Are you thinking, “What can I wear so that I get eyes on me?” If so, a better question is, “What can I wear that will best express a humble and modest heart?” Or, “What can I wear that will let others know that I am dedicated to pleasing God?” 1 Timothy 2:9 is in essence telling the reader to adorn themselves with clothes that proclaim godliness (verse 10). It’s been rightly said that Christians should not dress in a way that distracts others from God but instead attracts attention to Him. But, who do believers draw attention to God? By dressing with distinction. Godly men should dress in a way that is unquestionably masculine and godly women should adorn themselves in a way that exalts their femininity. Feminine but not flirty. Masculine but not macho. Christians should wear clothes that cover and do not cling. When men and women dress distinctly and modestly, God is honored. When men and women show off their bodies, the gift of masculinity and femininity is distorted so that it obscures the glory of God. This wicked world needs to see females and males who dress like they belong to God. The world needs to see Christians who have the character to not just go with the convenient flow of the immodest fashion trends, but to let the Spirit of God flow through them. If you’re saved, His presence exists inside you. Therefore, it should also always be evident on the outside. Making sure that others see Christ in you is your responsibility. So, as this weather gets warmer, make sure to represent our Creator well. Represent Him in ways that get Him more attention, and beware seeking that attention for yourself. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV