Gearing up for the New Year, Pastor Steve took a week to look at a powerful story in Genesis--the story of Abraham's obedience (God calls it worship) in taking Isaac, his only son, to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him to God. What are you holding back from God? Do we truly worship Him if we don't give Him everything? A great reminder as we enter a new year with hopefully a renewed passion to serve Him wholeheartedly!
Continuing our two-week look at the Christmas story in Luke 2, the time of dedication comes for baby Jesus, and his parents take him to the temple where we meet the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led Simeon who finally sees what God has promised he would see!
Preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas, Pastor Steve is taking two weeks to look at the Christmas story as told by "Dr. Luke" in Luke chapter 2.
As we continue in our series "Fixing the Broken Church" by looking at the pastoral epistles, Paul continues to teach Timothy the proper way to handle the issues and challenges in the family of God. Starting chapter 5, we learn that first of all, inter-personal relationships do follow the respect, honor and purity that should be found in the home between mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Secondly, Paul explains how to appropriately discern and deal with the need for benevolent care in the c...
Paul reminds a possibly-downtrodden Timothy about the gift that is in him through prophecy, and encourages him to let no one "despise his youth", but instead, to be an example in every way--word, life, faith, and purity.
One of our elders, Todd Giszack, shares about "the God of all comfort" from 2 Corinthians and other passages--and reminds us that seeking and striving after others things for comfort will only leave us continuing to long for real comfort that only God can provide.
As Paul continues guiding Timothy, his "so in the faith" on how to fix the broken church, he starts chapter 4 reminding Timothy that there will be some who fall away, listening to deceptive teaching and wrong doctrine. The important lesson for the church is to be practicing godliness--exercising spiritually--and to be nourished with the truth--the word of God--so that we can have God's strength to reject the error and deceit of the false teachers.
Finishing chapter 3 in 1 Timothy, we look at Paul's reason for writing--so that Timothy can instruct the church family in proper behavior. This proper conduct is so important because the church is the representation of God to the world, and are the "pillar and ground of the truth"!
As Paul continues to instruct Timothy on how to solve problems in the church, he lays out the requirements for overseer/elder/pastor as well as deacon. Paul shows us that the character of the men and women who lead in the church is extremely important to the health of the flock.
As we continue looking at Paul's first letter to Timothy--a series we're calling "Fixing the Broken Church"--in chapter two Paul focuses on prayer, dealing with power struggles, propriety in worship, and the potential for inverting God's created order for male and female roles.
Paul continues his introduction to Timothy, charging him to fulfill his ministry there, reminding him of the amazing testimony of God's grace in his own life, and warning him of the shipwreck of those who fall away from sound doctrine.
We are starting our new series in the pastoral epistles, titled "Fixing the Broken Church". Listen to today's message for an introduction to 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, as well as the initial teaching on 1 Timothy chapter 1!
As we cover the final verses of the gospel of Matthew, we close out our "Biography of the King" study with Jesus's "Go-Mission"--his command for us to make disciples, teaching and baptizing them, going into all the world to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ!
As we finish up our study in the gospel of Matthew: The Biography of the King as we have called it, we watch Joseph of Arimathea take a risk to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. He and Nicodemus take the body and give Jesus a proper burial, giving up Joseph's new tomb for the purpose. Starting in the final chapter of Matthew, the finality of death turns to amazement that Jesus is no longer dead, but has risen, just as He said he would, declares the angel!
As we continue our study of the "Biography of the King" through the gospel of Matthew, we come to the death of Jesus on the cross in Matthew 27. This is the culmination of Jesus's obedience to the Father, and in the end, He commits His spirit into the hands of the Father, and God reveals His power through an earthquake, the veil being torn, and the graves opening up. The centurions in that moment understand that what they have witnessed is no ordinary crucifixion--this truly was (and *is*) the S...
Jesus continues to be mocked, spat on, and led away to the cross, where again he is mocked by those passing by, by the religious leaders, and even the criminals hanging next to Him. But He did all this "for the joy that was set before Him", despising the cross and its shame, in full and complete obedience to the Father, taking all our sin upon Himself!
As the day dawns on the day of Jesus's crucifixion, the religious leaders of Israel want the Roman government to "approve" their plan to crucify Jesus. We continue to walk through the final day of the cross in Matthew 27 this week, focusing on the interaction with Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.
As we enter chapter 27 in our study through the gospel of Matthew, the scene turns to Judas and his remorse over his betrayal of Jesus. As morning dawns, however, the chief priests and leaders are uninterested in his guilty feelings, and in total despair Judas throws the money back in the temple and goes out and hangs himself. Pastor Steve reminds us that Jesus himself would have openly forgiven Judas if only he had gone to the Forgiver himself! Everyone needs to know that there is no true hopel...
This week, Pastor Steve finished chapter 26, concluding with the mockery of justice in the middle of the night--Jesus's trial before the high priest--where false witnesses couldn't get their stories to even line up. With no qualms, however, the religious leaders find fault with Jesus and beat and mock Him, as Peter ends up denying the Lord three times, just as Jesus told him.
Continuing our study in Matthew's gospel, we have entered the last 24 hours of Jesus' life on earth in chapters 26-28. This week we look at Jesus' prayer in the garden leading up the betrayal of Judas as he leads a mob to arrest Jesus.
As we continue in our Biography of the King series in Matthew's gospel, we enter the final hours of Jesus' life before the cross. In chapter 26, Jesus hosts the last supper with his disciples, celebrating the feast of Passover together with them, and instituting the communion meal.
Matthew 26 records the story of Mary, the woman who anoints Jesus with precious oil. As we study this story we are reminded that very little of what is accomplished in human terms is remembered as a legacy for very long, but what Mary did for Jesus has been told around the world for over 2000 years! What really matters?
Pastor Steve takes us through the end of the Olivet discourse as we finish Matthew chapter 25. The continued theme is readiness for his return as Jesus pictures the separation of sheep from goats.
One of our elders, Warren McIvor, continued our study through Matthew 25 by teaching on the parable of the talents.
As we begin chapter 25 in our continuing study in Matthew--the Biography of the King--Jesus continues in the context of answering the questions about the end and His 2nd coming by telling a parable about being watchful and ready. In this sobering parable some are not ready for the bridegroom and it is too late to do anything about it. Get ready while there is still time!
We continue our study in Matthew 24 as Jesus tells his disciples about the end times--that no one knows the day or the hour, and how we should be watching and ready for that day, whenever it appears.
As we continue to follow Jesus' words to his disciples in Matthew 24, we learn about the tribulation and the second coming of Jesus Christ. As we understand what it is to live in a world that has an "end date", we realize the need to be ready, to be doing God's work and following His will in a world that is steadily moving away from Him.
As we start Matthew chapter 24, the disciples are surprised as Jesus prophesies that the beautiful temple will not even have one stone left on top of another. They ask Jesus privately to let them know when these things will be, and what will be the signs of His coming and the end of the age.
Finishing chapter 23 of Matthew in our "Biography of the King", Jesus saves his strongest words of correction for the religious elite of his day. The eight "woes" he proclaims against the Pharisees reveal their wicked hearts and hypocrisy to do so well at their ritual and outward experience while being dead on the inside. Yet Jesus is not so much angry as he is sorrowful as he would have gathered them together as a mother hen gathers her chicks--but they were not willing.
On Communion Sunday, we looked at the story of the woman with the great debt in 2 Kings chapter 4. God provides for her need through her obedience to collect empty vessels. Are you empty enough to be filled by God's Spirit, or are you already full of everything the world is offering? God needs an empty vessel that He can keep filling as we are poured out and used up for Him!
