Pastor Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor began serving as pastor of Lakeshore Bible Church in March 2007. Prior to serving as pastor of Lakeshore he was pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, McDonough, GA. He served the Church of God General Conference and Atlanta Bible College, Morrow, GA, as Director of Communications and Technology Director as well as a teaching faculty member from 1999-2005.

 

Pastor Taylor has nearly 30 years of pastoral experience having served churches in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia prior to moving to Arizona.

 

Steve and Jill (Anger) Taylor have been married since 1976 and they have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

 

As well as pastoral ministry and theology, Steve has a background in data cabling, commercial telephone system installation and service, commerical and residential security and audio/video installation, media production, and writing.

Send an e-mail to Pastor Steve

 

August 27, 2019

It’s free, but it will cost you everything. God’s grace through Jesus is free, but the life of discipleship will cost us everything.“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8.34-35The story is told of someone who asked a pastor what their church offered to newcomers in terms of programs, ministries, and services; in essence, what did the church offer for them. The pastor’s answer was shocking: “if you come to our church, we’ll kill you.” The individual responded, “I assume you are kidding.” “Not at all,” replied the pastor. He explained that following Christ and participating in a church is not like going to a store and selecting what you want, but rather it is giving yourself away in service and sacrifice. Following Christ and participating in His church is an invitation to come and die to self.Most of us are immersed in a culture focused on self-gratification. Life’s necessities are relatively easy to obtain, freeing us for the pursuit of pleasure, leisure, and entertainment. This consumer mentality is not absent from discipleship expectation and church involvement: “what’s in it for me?” Jesus’ response is come and deny, come and die, come and follow me unquestionably. Nothing is more difficult, or challenging.I am all too aware of my own discipleship shortcomings. I am strong-willed (to be really honesty, stubborn!) Submission does not come easily. Self-interest is much too prominent. The cultural environment I live in has likely influenced me more than I have influenced it. But, regardless of failings, the discipleship call of Jesus remains. Today is the day to commit anew to His radical call.Perhaps as an appeal to our human nature, Jesus says, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Who isn’t concerned about self-preservation? It is human nature to want what’s best for self. So, how do we save our lives? Ironically, by losing our lives for Christ. To get we must give up.No matter how challenging, may we find the ultimate joy and fulfillment that comes from committing ourselves anew to being radical disciples of Jesus. SteveMy other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/  https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon bookshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWPDT28https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g [Read More]

August 13, 2019

Deception is nothing new, but there will be increased efforts to deceive the people of God in the last days. Jesus states: “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” Mark 13.21-23 I remember well, in 1982, the bold headlines of major newspapers around the world: “The Christ Is Now Here.” The premise was set forth that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah,  the Buddhist Maitreya, the Islamic Iman, the Krishna, and Jesus were really all one and the same, and He was now here among us, ready to be publicly revealed. Bible students, of course, saw this as something sinister and deceptive, rather than our long-awaited hope. One is coming, among many imposters, who will be far more deceptively effective. He is described in 2 Thessalonians 2.8-10:“that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. “The best way to avoid deception is to be very familiar with truth. It is those who have “the love of the truth” who will be saved from deception in the last days. To love truth is to be a firsthand student of the Bible, led and directed by God’s Holy Spirit. That means not taking teachers and preachers at their word alone, but carefully investigating their messages under the magnifying glass of personal Bible study. No matter how impressive the credentials of the Bible teacher, God’s sincere, Spirit-directed believers have all the needed tools available to ferret out truth firsthand from the pages of the Bible. Due diligence is required (2 Timothy 2.15).I’m thankful that I know many people who take truth-seeking seriously. Their priority is to know, live, and love truth, and be vigilant against deception. They will stand strong amidst the increasing tide of deception. A greater concern is for those marginally familiar with truth. Those whose source of spiritual nourishment is largely through devotional thoughts, and lessons and seminars by well-known teachers, are at greater risk. While these may be adequate supplements, they can never substitute for first-hand Bible study and application. The burden that motivates what I have shared with you is that which the apostle Paul placed on Timothy: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you.” 1 Timothy 6.20. As those who choose to receive and read these thoughts, my burden is that you ever stand strong for what is true and good, and avoid deception at all costs. “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8.31-32. May you thrive in the liberating freedom that comes from continuing in the word of truth.SteveMy other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/  https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon bookshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWPDT28https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g [Read More]

August 6, 2019

There is a recurring line in an old television comedy that goes, “missed it by that much!” (referring to the slightest miss). Sadly, there are those who have come close to making a faith commitment to Christ, but never actually followed through. They were/are so close, but yet so far away. To be almost a Christian is to be totally lost.A religious leader once asked Jesus to summarized the greatest commandment. “Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God is one Lord; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12.29-31.Observing how wisely Jesus had answered, the religious leader responded: “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12.32-33 This man stood on the threshold of the greatest breakthrough of all. “When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.” Mark 12.34He was not far from the kingdom of God, but He also was not within it. Before him stood the King of the kingdom, and all he had do was accept in faith that Jesus was and is the Messiah, but there is no indication that he did so.  Almost persuaded, but lost.One of my greatest concerns is for some regular churchgoers I see nearly every week. My concern is that they are good people, but not saved people. Aside of a commitment to Christ, signified by water baptism, they are like the man who was “not far from the kingdom of God.” Close, but not close enough. So close, but oh so far away.Many times I have pleaded from the pulpit to be certain of a decision. Do not leave life’s most important decision to chance! One either belongs to Christ, or they are destined for destruction in the lake of fire on judgment day. There is no other alternative or option. Saved or lost; in or out.We can give all the right answers, but the gift of immortality and life in the coming kingdom on earth is based, not on right answers, but right decisions.How tragic that we would hear from Jesus one day: “you were not far from the kingdom of God.” So close, but yet so far away. Nearly saved, but totally lost.Have you responded in faith to the call of God through Jesus? You can be more than “not far from the kingdom of God”; you can be safely within through Jesus. Be sure today … while you can.SteveMy other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/  https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon bookshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWPDT28https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g [Read More]

July 23, 2019

Sports talk was a key factor in winning my Dad to Christ. Two pastors, who were also sports enthusiasts, found common ground with my Dad, which eventually led to his conversion. “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”1 Corinthians 9.19-22Paul’s passion for those without Christ and salvation is abundantly evident in these verses. The interests of others was his priority so as to find common ground to reach them with the gospel. Whatever it took, Paul was willing to do so that “I may by all means save some.”It is easy for Christians and churches to have the mindset that non-christians should come to us on our terms. With church doors wide open they can come, sing songs, hear what is often called, “church-ese” language, and be exposed to the gospel through teaching and preaching. It all may be more confusing than evangelizing. How much better to adopt Paul’s approach and seek out the lost on their terms. Jesus declares that we are be the “salt of the earth”(Matthew 5.13) Salt does little good in a salt shaker; it’s designed to be shaken out to have contact with that which it would flavor and preserve. Paul’s approach in becoming “all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some,”is this “salt approach.” This does not involve compromising ethics and morals to do so, but seeking common interests in conversation for greater gospel goals. We are challenged to make the interests of others our interests so that we may gain opportunity for gospel sharing. May this be our priority and focus as we go about our daily activities.SteveMy other blogshttp://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/  https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/Amazon bookshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWPDT28https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GWFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/azstevetaylor/YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxND_ZsDdWXURp9rg88YY7g [Read More]

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