Our pastoral team recently set aside a full day to meet and work through several topics where our understanding of Scripture gets worked out in our life together as a church. Weighty matters are where the rubber meets the road. Listen to this update from Pastor Brett as he shares about what was discussed and some of the changes that will come about moving forward.
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God. Noah found grace in God's eyes because he believed in the Word of the Lord. He was a man who walked with God by faith. He was declared blameless in his time and was credited with righteousness - by grace through faith. Listen to David Stabley's sermon for more.
"Shocking: Preacher Says Christians Obey God!" "Mom Patiently Feeds & Clothes Children Faithfully for Years" "Teen Abstains From All Pornography" Those are statements you'll never see in headlines. Simple, everyday obedience to God that flows from faith and grace isn't flashy nor draws much attention. Yet God has provided all we need to walk in obedience to Christ. Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
Big foot. Nessie. Area 51. Jackelopes. The realm of the unknown and mysterious piques the interest of our inner conspiracy theorist. Sons of God. Nephilim. Men of renown. Are we operating in the same category in Genesis 6:1-8? As we look more at why these verses are here than who is being referenced, we find we too need to be found by gracious eyes. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon for more.
Those who give and and those receive ought both seek the fruit of giving. The one who gives seeks the fruitfulness in the ministry of the one receiving. The who receives seeks the fruit that increases to the giver's credit. It is this seeking of the other's fruit that glorifies God. Listen to Michael Urch's exhortation for more.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." So writes Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16. But do we actually believe that? We're put to the test when we come to the genealogies in the Old Testament. Does a chapter like Genesis 5 serve any good for us so far removed from its original context? Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon for more.
Who were the Magi? They are said to come from the East and are considered astronomers or astrologers who have found the rising of a star to be of world-historical significance even though it may not yet be clear how it will all work out. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 for more.
As we embark on a new year, would you be wary of the spirit of this age that will tell you that the way of comfort, ease, and safety is not only good and true but that you deserve such comfort, and ease. As you navigate through the expectations of the world, would you second guess your instincts to do what is easiest at that moment. Doing what is easy is not what God necessarily wants us to do. Listen to Pastor Brett's exhortation for more.
A temptation in the Christian life as we endeavor to grow in godliness is to despise the stuff that can be sources of temptation. But the things are not where the sin resides. We can enjoy and value God's gifts without them being sin but leading us to worship the Giver. Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
Twenty percent of the households at our church welcomed a new baby into their home this year. What a remarkable gift! And each child received a name that won't be found in the top ten most common names. Names carry significance and purpose. This was no less true when Joseph received a dream about a child he had not planned on. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 for more.
When Jesus stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and read an excerpt from Isaiah, his hearers marveled that this hometown boy would sit down and claim that prophetic anticipation was fulfilled in Jesus. But there was more. Jesus indicated there was yet more to come. Listen to Pastor Brett's Christmas Eve homily for more.
Christ has come in fulfillment of the promise spoken in Genesis 3:15, a reality that Mary was aware of as she sang her "Magnificat." This wonderful song draws on the heritage of faith from Hannah's song in 1 Samuel and Deborah's song in Judges. We rejoice that Jesus came in fulfillment of all of God's promised expectation. Listen to Pastor Brian's Christmas Eve homily for more.
We are given a charge to love one another so that we may know that we are indeed disciples of Jesus. Listen to Pastor Brian's exhortation as he reads the member's covenant for more.
We live in a Christ-centered universe. Jesus Christ is Lord over all creation. He stands above every creature. He is the agent in the work of creation. He is the Creator of the whole universe. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on The Incarnate Creator - Colossians 1:15-20 for more.
There has been an influx of Haitian immigrants finding refuge in the Dominican Republic as their country continues to get worse. Pastors Brett and Brian recently returned from the Dominican where they were training Haitian pastors and lay leaders with Training Leaders International. Listen to this update from Pastor Brett on his takeaways from the trip.
Jesus is better. He is better than the angels. He’s better than the prophets. He’s better than Moses. His new covenant is better than the old covenant they could never fulfill. His blood is better than the blood of bulls and goats. In every way and at every turn, Jesus is better. Listen to Pastor Zach's sermon on Hebrews 1:1-3 for more.
“Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.” But what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Do we truly understand the way Jesus Christ intended? Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
In a society where things seem to get busier this time of the year, it's an opportunity for us to try to slow down and remember that God sent his son Jesus to live among us. What are some of the events that preceded the birth of Jesus? Listen to Pastor Kenneth's sermon on Luke 1:26-38 for more.
Here east of Eden, we live in a world of frustration, darkness, and violence. We should be longing for God's kingdom to come. Hand in hand with desiring the kingdom is being poor in spirit. Listen to Pastor Brian's exhortation for more.
Genesis 4 concludes the first main section of the book with a bleak outlook on what was to come of this very good Heavens and Earth God had created. Sons were given, but they were not characterized by faithfulness. Is there any reason to hope in the face of such sinful boasting? Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Genesis 4:17-26 for more.
A popular business book a number of years ago called The Four-Hour Work Week held out the path of efficiencies to work less and design the life you want to live. The Bible, however, clarifies how it is we are to live, not just going with the flow. In what ways are you living by default? Instead, live in the freedom Christ has for you. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
We generally don't like warnings as they restrict us in some way. Yet we need to be on guard for certain things, especially here, east of Eden. Genesis 4:1-16 serves to warn us in two ways of the ongoing work of the serpent from the Garden lest we give ourselves to serpentine thinking. Listen to Jonathan Parnell, from Cities Church, unpack the implications of the story of Cain and Abel.
Who doesn't want to be liked by others? Why would you ever want to be hated? Yet those who are following Christ in all of life will (and must) speak of the Son of Man who calls the world to faith and repentance. This will inevitably result in people hating such faithful followers, yet we can rejoice because our reward is not their approval. Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
The idea of the gospel can be found in lots of places: take a statement as gospel, gospel music, "brand evangelist," gospel-centered everything. If a prior generation believed the gospel to give rise to such things, then we're in danger of assuming the gospel through its familiarity, and those who follow us very well may reject it all together. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Genesis 3:15 to gaze in wonder at the bigger picture of God's good news.
It is wondrous that we have access both to the Scriptures and resources that explain them. It is great we have such tools to study and know true doctrine. But there is a danger of learning much, and it having little impact on how we live our lives. Therefore, we ought to live what we learn. Listen to David Stabley's exhortation for more.
John Steinbeck's magnum opus is aptly titled East of Eden. It is a multigenerational saga that conveys toil, evil, and death such that the reader feels the weight of such things. That is where we find ourselves because of sin—not just Adam's sin but our own sin. Yet we are not without hope. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Genesis 3:14-24 for more.
"Our wants and longings and desires are at the core of our identity," so writes James K.A. Smith. What is it that you desire—that you crave? What do you think would satisfy? Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." Where does righteousness rank among your desires? Listen to Pastor Brian's exhortation for more.
The get-to-know-you game "Two Truths & a Lie" rewards the individual who can best blur the distinction between truth and falsehood. That same blurring lead our first parents to live by the lies of "God's Word is suspect," "I'll get away with it," and "I am the victim." Lies we are still prone to live by. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Genesis 3:1-13 for more.
There was a leaf that absolutely loved being a leaf. It loved waving in the breeze, soaking up the sun's rays, and towering over all below from its dizzying heights. One day, it thought it could be more, so it pulled and wrestled its way free. For a moment, it was glorious. But then it faded. The thing that held it back, the tree, made it what it was. Listen to Pastor Haakon's sermon on Genesis 2:18-25 for more.
On the day he was arrested in Soviet Russia, novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn released his article titled “Live Not By Lies.” He calls on his countryman to push back against tyranny by not going along with the falsehoods that mark Communism. The Ninth Commandment requires us to not go along with the lies of our day. Listen to Pastor Brett's exhortation for more.
