Dear Friends,
We hope and pray you are well and that the Lord is keeping you in perfect peace. This past month has brought us to the rugged peaks and fertile valleys of Peru, where we have witnessed God’s faithfulness among the Quechua communities of the Andean mountains. It has been a joy and a privilege to partner with local believers, to preach the name of Jesus, and to see hearts awakened to the hope of the gospel. Even in remote villages where ancient traditions are strong, the message of Christ finds fertile soil. Amidst this Gospel Expedition, we are also putting the final touches on our latest episode, Exodus, which will be released soon. Your prayers and support continue to be the lifeblood of this ministry—enabling every step, every message, and every new soul reached with the Good News. It goes without saying that in times like these, when cultural and spiritual tensions flare across the globe, it becomes all the more crucial to remind ourselves exactly what our convictions are as Christians and why they matter—hence this month’s theme: Convictions.
Convictions vs. Preferences
There is an ocean of difference between a conviction and a preference. Preferences are the fair-weather friends of faith—guiding choices as long as they cost little. Convictions are forged in the fires of testing, held to even when misunderstood, mocked, or threatened. In an age obsessed with blending in, where the pressure is immense to keep convictions confined to the “private,” the follower of Jesus is called to something braver—a rock-solid willingness to stand for truth, no matter how strong the headwinds.
Jude’s urgent plea still rings: “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). This is not a time to be silent or slip into spiritual neutrality. Gospel witness demands a backbone—a heart willing to stand for what matters, even if standing means standing alone. Below are worthy convictions that Christians should be ready to defend.
Conviction 1: The Authority of the Word of God
The authority of Scripture stands as the foundation beneath all that we believe, teach, and stake our eternity upon. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). If the Bible is not the bedrock, then spiritual life crumbles into sentiment, and doctrine dissolves into mere opinion. Across every generation, the enemy’s familiar whisper persists: “Yea, hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1). We contend for the faith, because in this age—when every wind of trend tries to sway conviction—what God has spoken stands fast. The true follower of Jesus is to be unmoved by expert opinion, church trends, or cultural pressure, but like the prophets of old, is called to tremble at the Word of God (Isaiah 66:2). To love Scripture is to love the very voice of the Lord, and to hold fast to its authority is to anchor each hope and doctrine in eternal truth.
Conviction 2: The Deity of Jesus Christ
At the heart of Christian confession is a radical reality: Jesus is not only a great teacher or moral leader, He is God come among us, the eternal “Word made flesh” (John 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:16). Every cult, every worldly philosophy, stumbles here, for if Christ is merely human, then His sacrifice means nothing. Our hope stands or falls upon the truth that Jesus is fully God, fully man. To lower Christ to just one among many is to surrender the very lifeblood of faith. When the church wavers on His deity, it exchanges the power of salvation for empty religion. Christ is the only way, the only truth, the only life (John 14:6), and any attempt to dilute His glory is an attack on the gospel itself. Standing for the deity of Christ is not a choice; it is an imperative for every believer, for He has no rivals, and no one else saves.
Conviction 3: The Blood Atonement of the Cross
At the Cross, the price of redemption was paid—not symbolically, but in literal bloodshed. “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). In an age eager to clean up the message, avoiding the offense of the cross, we remember that salvation required a Savior who bled for real sin. The world prefers religion without sacrifice, a gospel with no cost. Yet nothing but the blood can cleanse, forgive, or deliver. When pulpits skip the blood and songs erase its mention, the heart of Christianity is gutted. Every attack against the blood is, at root, an attack against the only hope sinners have. Our boast remains: Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. The power of the blood is our plea, and our glory is found in that blessed atonement. To defend the cross is to defend the possibility of true forgiveness—for without it, we are forever lost.
Conviction 4: Salvation by Grace Through Faith Alone
Salvation is not a partnership between human effort and divine assistance, but the gift of grace received by faith alone. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The world constantly tempts us to add something: traditions, rituals, works. But the gospel stands unyielding—every attempt to add tarnishes the purity of God’s saving work. Every human effort falls short; all our righteousness is but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Christ accomplished salvation, and nothing remains for us but humble trust. To compromise here is to preach “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8), a message void of power to save. In the face of criticism or misunderstanding, believers must hold their ground—grace is costly, purchased by Jesus’ blood, but to us, it is free. Stand firm. Accept no substitutes. The life that begins by faith finds its completion only in Christ.
Conviction 5: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Christian hope lives or dies with the resurrection. “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The gospel is not a set of abstract principles, but a story rooted in history—a tomb once filled, now emptied by a living Savior. Doubters will explain it away, rationalists shrink it to metaphor, but the empty tomb shouts victory to every generation. Because He lives, death is defeated, and hope is restored. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the anchor for every promise and the certainty of our own future resurrection. To a watching world, it is scandalous; to the church, it is essential. To proclaim the risen Christ is to call all men out of hopelessness and into eternal joy—the ground on which every missionary stands.
Conviction 6: The Reality of Hell and Eternal Judgment
Few truths are resisted more than the reality of hell—yet Jesus spoke of judgment more often than any other. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Modern minds prefer soft answers, but biblical Christianity draws its seriousness from the reality of eternity. Hell is not a metaphor for spiritual malaise; it is the dreadful consequence of sin unrepented. Without judgment, the cross is emptied of necessity, and Christ’s sacrifice becomes sentimental. To preach the urgency of salvation is to love men enough to warn them of what is real—torment, separation, forever. When the church softens hell or reframes it as “just separation,” it abandons the truth. Let the reality of judgment renew the urgency of the gospel—this is love in action, helping the lost find their way home before it is too late.
Conviction 7: The Return of Jesus Christ
History is not drifting—it is moving toward a divinely appointed end: the return of the King. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The world laughs off prophecy, the culture mocks expectation, but for the church, the hope remains unshaken. Christ’s Second Coming is not mystical poetry but the heart-thrilling promise of God, certain and soon. Scoffers may abound, but the certainty of His coming steadies the believer through every trial. This hope produces holiness, and readiness; it lifts eyes above the storms and calls us to live in expectation. Let every heart be stirred—not to fear, but to courage—for the day is coming when every promise will be fulfilled and every eye shall see Him. Bank on it, wait for it, live for it—the blessed hope that shapes faithful living until the Lord returns.
At Travel the Road, standing firmly on the convictions of the truth of God’s Word has always been what we believe, preach, and live by. There is no middle ground, and no name under heaven or on earth above the name of Jesus. We have much yet to accomplish in the months ahead, including preparing for new Gospel Expeditions into Northern Asia and several new episodes to be produced. We thank you for always standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and support and we ask you to continue in every way. Together, we are pressing forward—advancing the gospel into new horizons and living out the call to “contend for the faith” in every season and every land. May the Lord strengthen you to hold fast your convictions and to shine His light wherever you are planted. The best is truly yet to come. Peace be with you.
In Him,
Tim and Will