From the Pulpit - Sermon Audio

The book of Proverbs addresses an issue highly relevant to adolescents and young adults: anxiety and depression. Proverbs 12:25 explains that prolonged anxiety leads to depression. COVID-19 caused many young people to plummet into depression. Relationship problems, broken marriages, college debt, and a demanding job—all these have caused many an anxious feeling in a person. Proverbs 12:25 also tells us that a "good word" can cheer the heart and make it glad. That is the antidote to anxiety. As Christians, we ought to offer encouraging words to those who are despondent. What better word than the Word of God, which is able to restore joy and hope in the heart of a person!

We continued the morning's service sermon in 2 Corinthians 12 by completing the discussion of Paul's hesitancy to visit, particularly with regard to how the Corinthians are not going to like how Paul has to handle things. We then jumped into chapter 13 verses 1-4 and saw how the apostle Paul resolved that he will powerfully deal with the sin in the Corinthian church, for the sake of the church. Despite the apostle’s misgivings about his upcoming visit, he has to carry through for the good of the church. He does not seem inclined to give up on them!

We completed last week's notes, focusing this time on Paul's hesitancy about the upcoming visit to Corinth. Things were very awkward between Paul and the church because of serious sins being committed there. He again implicitly calls them to repent and we reminded ourselves of God's mercy to cleanse and restore any sinner who turns to him in repentant faith. God is very kind and gracious!

This message introduces Pastor Matt's proposal to include the kingdom of God alongside Israel and the church as distinctives in the dispensational system. For this part 1, we introduced the very basics of dispensational theology. Next time we will state the proposal itself and then support it from Acts 1:3-8.

In this lesson from Proverbs, we contemplate what the sages say about the heart of a man. The heart is the "control center" of a man. The heart is most often used in Scripture to refer to the immaterial aspect of a man, as opposed to the organ in the body. Terms such as mind, soul, and spirit are practically synonyms for the heart in the Bible when it is referring to the immaterial aspect of man. The heart is the seat of man's emotions or passions, as well as the seat of man's volition, choices, and intellect. The book of Proverbs makes the observations that emotions are personal and not easily understood by others, emotions can be concealed and hidden, and emotions are affected by desires of the heart. Scripture does not condemn all emotions, but Scripture ought to cultivate, guide, and at times restrain man's emotions.

For our Lord's Table service, we thought through how our love for God should be a warm, close love, like that of the Lord for His people. If our love is cold and distant with little conversation (prayer) and time spent in worship, then we really need to ask God's help.

Paul wraps up the defense he has been offering, in which we see that Paul is not merely defending himself as if he is irked that his name has been run through the mud. His personal reputation is by far secondary to the apostolic office invested in him by Jesus Christ and the gospel message that comes with it. His defense is of the Lord’s work in and through him. He has made his whole appeal to the church “before God” and “in Christ” with the purpose to build them up. And even though Paul was an apostle, he was willing to sacrifice himself for the spiritual benefit of the Corinthians.

In this lesson we review the Synoptic Gospel accounts of Jesus asking His disciples about His identity. He first asked them who others were saying that He was. He then directly questioned them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” as revealed to him. It is important for each person to come to the same recognition as Peter.

The book of Proverbs offers us many incentives to be truthful, and to put away lying lips. The idea of "truth" in Proverbs--and all of Scripture-- is not relative to one's opinion, circumstances, or culture. Truth is what is revealed in God's Word. We learn that God delights in the truth, and so do those who are recipients of truthful speech. Truth is also irrefutable and necessary for upholding the testimony of the who are just and innocent. Truthfulness arises from a heart that is pure and undefiled. Lying, on the other hand, exposes the sinful and evil intents of the heart. Those who lie are detestable in the sight of others and will only bring shame and ruin upon themselves.

Paul gives the church three more reasons to accept his apostolic authority and teaching. They center on God and God’s work in Paul, not in Paul himself. He explains that God gave him a heavenly vision, that God gave him a thorn to keep him humble, and God also permitted him to exercise apostolic signs. His emphasis is on weakness because God's power is very evident in human weakness. For these reasons, the Corinthians should give Paul a good hearing.

Pastor Postiff briefly discussed the matter of doctrine unites. He gave a number of reasons why this is true in rebuttal to some in evangelical circles who content that doctrine divides. He also spoke on the topic of Christian character, particularly the virtue of faithfulness. The idea of faithfulness is a critical one in Christian theology and practice. The purpose of this lesson is to encourage us to be faithful in the things God wants us to do. Without faithfulness, we will not have a functional family or church family.

James wrote this pastoral letter to Jewish Christians scattered outside of Israel to encourage them to live with a credible Christian testimony so as to demonstrate true faith rather than mere lip-service to Jesus. James tells his readers and us that good works are evidence of real faith. A lack of good works is evidence of spurious faith.

We examine the moral justification for Hell, reviewing prior points first. Then we thought about how the length and severity of punishment reasonably varies depending on the victim of the crime. Killing a tree has a different length and severity than killing a person. A sin against a dog is worthy of less punishment than a sin against God. We also reviewed a few wrong teachings about Hell.

Paul boasts about his credentials, even though he would prefer not to do so. This course of action seems to be a way that he can recover the Corinthians from being swayed away by the false teachers. His boasting, however, is almost entirely a list of trials and afflictions that he experiences in ministry. Verse 30 is the key to the passage: if he is driven to boast, he will focus and limit his boasting to his weaknesses. This is hardly "resume worthy" but it actually extols God because the power to survive these afflictions comes from Him. Paradoxically, weakness is better than strength. Suffering better shows the reality of a ministry than strength because it exalts God’s power. Weakness overcome by God’s grace is a better measure of a ministry, and more convincing than human strength and wisdom like that of the false teachers.

The point of this message was to remind us of the central place of love in the Christian's life--love for God and love for one another. This extends especially to spouse and family, brothers and sisters in the church, and even to enemies. We saw a number of Biblical examples of people who exhibited love, highest among them our Savior. We also looked at the oft-repeated command to love God and love neighbors and strangers. To top it off, we asked the question as to whether we are truly exercising love in our character, or if it is merely theoretical. God wants real love in His people.

In this message, we study what the book of Proverbs has to say about wealth and poverty. Wealth is not inherently sinful, but it can pose dangers if we pursue it above godliness. An insatiable desire for wealth can lead to poverty, just as much as laziness does. Proverbs warns against oppressing the poor to increase wealth, as well as other dishonest, evil, and deceitful methods. The book of Proverbs reminds us that godliness, peace, love, discernment, and wisdom, are better qualities to possess than gold or silver. In the end, God blesses the humble and lowly who are diligent, honest, and vigilant in their work.

Paul helps the Corinthians to understand why they need to listen to what he has to say by comparing himself to the false apostles. Though this is not the method he would choose, the Corinthians sort of forced his hand, so he explains that he is not inferior to these teachers who have come in, that he does not take money like they do, and they are not in fact apostles of Christ like Paul is. In fact, they are apostles of Satan, bringing a different gospel, a different spirit, and a different Christ. Their work can be subtle, but we are warned by this passage to be discerning.

Christians are not supposed to be aimless. They should be making clear-headed decisions about their goals, plans, and desires. We should want to accomplish something for the Lord. In this message, we give some theological foundation as to why these character traits are particularly Christian and desscribe some Biblical examples.

We continue our series of messages summarizing the Bible one book at a time by looking at the Psalms. The book of the Psalms preserves Israel’s hymnody for the Jewish people from as far back as Moses to the prodigious King David, to Asaph, and others who wrote words suitable for worship at the temple and throughout Israelite life. The message of the book is primarily one of praise. To the Lord should be directed not only praise, but also prayer, confession, thanks, worship, and even anger, grief and lament. This is true both in corporate worship as well as individual interaction with God.

We continue our short series on this somewhat unpleasant but necessary topic by going over a number of other key points in the Bible's teaching about Hell, including that it is a place that has fire and brimstone, a place that was designed for and will house the beast, false prophet, and Satan, and that Jesus has authority over it. We then shifted gears to look at the moral justification for Hell, thinking about why Hell is a reasonable thing for the Christian's holy God to use as a place of punishment for the wicked. We ended with a few brief applications of the doctrine of Hell.

Paul is very concerned for the Corinthian church. He is jealous over them that they would remain pure for God, not fall away from the gospel, or be deceived by the other voices they are hearing out there. He wants Christians to be single-minded in their purity toward Christ.

In this lesson we focus on God redirecting the life of a man named Saul, who was later called by the name Paul. Saul was a man of great zeal, and he went about executing his plan, which was to persecute the followers of The Way. He thought that he should do many things contrary to Jesus of Nazareth. God had a plan for Saul's life that was opposite to Saul's plan. God's purpose was to send Paul to the Gentiles, to open their minds in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by Christ (Acts 20:32).

In this lesson, we consider what the book of Proverbs teaches us about the vice of anger. Harsh words can stir up anger in others, as well as backbiting tongue. A quick-tempered person is characteristic of a fools who does not fear the Lord. Anger brings consequences, such as strife in relationships and more sin. Proverbs teaches us that the cure to anger is being able to rule over our spirit, demonstrating wisdom, knowledge, and discernment.

In this question and answer session, Pastor Postiff answered questions about the "reality" of Ezekiel's prophetic behavior. It consisted of several sign-acts that he acted out, not merely "visions." We saw that some of those who killed Jesus did not know what they were doing--not all or most were not knowingly guilty of killing an innocent man. The governor, Pontius Pilate, was probably the most guilty of knowingly killing an innocent man. We also considered the question about what Samuel meant when he prophesied from the grave that Saul would be with him the next day. Other questions came up as well: "Was Paul wrong to go to Jerusalem when he knew he would be arrested? How did John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Son of God, and when did he know it?"

In these verses, Paul explains that he uses his apostolic authority for edification of the church. He is critical of those who are not so interested in building up the church, but instead building up themselves by stepping into another's ministry sphere and commending themselves. Paul is convinced that right evaluation of Christ’s ministers can only be done by God, not by the superficial criteria used by his adversaries, the false teachers, in Corinth.

In this message, Pastor Postiff addresses the Bible's teaching on Hell. The fact of Hell makes many uncomfortable, and causes some to deny its existence. But Hell is a real place where those who have rejected God will go to face eternal, conscious torment. It is a place of punishment from which there is no escape once there. Only faith in Jesus can keep sinners from an eternity in Hell.

In this brief summary of the book of Job, we learned that the message of Job is about God’s sovereign administration of the world and how it relates to the problem of evil. If you are looking for a full solution to the problem of evil apart from God, it is not to be found. Ultimately the resolution of the problem is found in trusting in God’s wise administration of the affairs of the world because He is all-powerful and knows what He is doing. Our study followed through the same categories as prior book-at-a-glance studies, namely a list of several key verses, a review of some key doctrine in the book, literary features, the date it may have been written, some about related scriptures, how it fits in the Bible's storyline, an outline, and some lessons.

The apostle Paul commends the faith and maturity of the Christians in Rome, then speaks of his role in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles as that of a priest. His priestly service is not in the temple, but in relation to his bringing Gentiles to God. God's will in missions is the redemption of sinners who become acceptable in His sight, thus bringing Him glory. God's will in missions is also the advance of the Gospel to unreached lands. Paul explains in this text that He wants to take the Gospel where it had not yet been preached.

In this section of the letter, Paul asks to be able to come to Corinth with meekness to set things aright, instead of with a less pleasant method of divine power. Some have offered heavy criticism of him personally, including a strong ad hominem attack about his manner of interaction with them. Some are undermining his apostleship. Paul corrects their mistaken idea that he is strong with his words when he writes and timid in person. Instead, he is writing to them "timidly" and in meekness, appealing to them to change their minds and hearts. This was a not about personal attacks against Paul, but the Corinthians attack on his apostleship, his teaching, and his message. To attack these, is to attack the gospel.

Pastor Postiff continues his series on Christian Character. In this section we are thinking about having a heart for God, about being like Jesus, about being holy in heart and conduct. Sometimes godliness is an expression of the phrase “according to God” in the New Testament. It is something like “the state of how God is.” Sometimes people liken it to “god-like-ness” not in the sense that Satan desired, but in the sense God’s good moral qualities can be replicated in people albeit to an imperfect extent.

Proverbs teaches us that the wise person is humble. Humility begins with a fear of the Lord, demonstrates a teachable spirit, honors others, and does not praise oneself or seek praise from others. Scripture tells us that God honors the humble and will exalt them in due time. If Jesus willingly humbled himself by laying aside the glory He received in heaven, we should not think highly of ourselves but cultivate a humble spirit.

In our ongoing series about Bible translations, we focused on future translations of the Scripture, those that do not yet exist. Although the topic of "how to" do a Bible translation can fill several college-level courses, our attention was drawn to the vast need of translation. More that three thousand languages need the Scripture translated. The task is enormous, and the time it takes from start to finish can sometimes be 20 to 30 years or even more. We spent a few moments talking about research that a little team of our volunteers has been doing to use artificial intelligence to speed up the translation process.

Pastor Postiff reminded us of several principles that guide Christian giving at the beginning and end of the message. One of those is that God blesses generous giving, and this led us to consider the blessing promised to those who bless Israel in the Abrahamic covenant. We thought through an important sidebar to this, which concerns the current debate over how to think about modern Israel in relation to God's promises concerning the future nation. Current events cannot negatively impact our view that God will certainly fulfill His promises to the nation of Israel, because God's promises are irrevocable.

Pastor Matt shares more about the ministry and refreshment trip he and Naomi enjoyed to Northern Ireland in June. We focused on hospitality and sights we saw including the sobering Titanic exhibit in Belfast which reminded us of the need for humility and the brevity of life. We closed with the words of two convicting hymns. One of them had these words: "It is because I know life's thread is slender, but one short hour, one little stretch of road. Then years my heart with love divinely tender, to seek the lost and bring them home to God."

Pastor Lorch reminds us that prayer is an expression of desire. Our desires should align with what pleases God. Our prayer should not only acknowledge physical needs, but God's character, the spiritual needs of others, the ministry needs of others, the salvation of lost souls, and many others matters that God delights to hear.

We briefly reviewed some Bible study tools and methods from our previous message, and spent the balance of our time speaking about the topic of Scripture Engagement. This is part of the larger Bible translation process in which we work to encourage the ongoing, systematic use of the Bible. It applies on an individual level (to you!) and to churches corporately. Scripture use includes people reading their Bibles at home, and churches reading the Bible in public services. It includes living out the words of Scripture at home and in the world, giving people tools to help them understand the Bible (like devotional material, teaching curriculum, etc.) We looked at some Scripture Engagement material from one Bible translation society called Bibles International.

Missionary Hector Garcia highlighted the importance of praying for missionaries from Colossians 4:2-4. The Apostle Paul asks that the believers in Colossae pray for opportunities to proclaim the Gospel and that when these opportunities arise, that he will preach the message with clarity. This is important so that the unsaved can hear and understand the Good News of salvation.

John is encouraged that Gaius prospers spiritually and is walking in the truth of Jesus and giving careful attention to hospitality toward God’s servants. But there was in the church a divisive man named Diotrephes who did not want to exercise hospitality for God’s servants, and instead of being a servant of the servants of God, desired to be preeminent in the church. So John confronts him and calls for the believers to imitate the good examples of Gaius and Demetrius, particularly in the matter of helping God’s servants as they travel for the sake of the gospel.

To prepare our hearts to partake of the Lord's Table, Pastor Matt reviewed the texts of Scripture that talk about the plant called Hyssop. Hyssop (related to our modern oregano) was used in the ceremony of cleansing a leper or someone who had touched a dead body by the sprinkling of blood or holy water. Hyssop appears in the ceremony of the first Passover, as well as at the cross when it was used to raise sour wine to our Lord's lips.

Sin creates a similar kind of uncleanness as the ceremonial impurities of ancient Israel, and hyssop is an appropriate symbol of the sprinkling blood and clean water upon a person as a symbol of God’s cleansing. Our Lord’s self-sacrifice cleanses the Christian from guilt, as if using hyssop to sprinkle the blood of Christ upon the sinner.

In this message, we continue following Paul’s call for the church to keep its commitment to the giving project they enthusiastically endorsed a year earlier. It would be advantageous for them to do so (8:10) for among other reasons this key principle: they would reap many blessings. God blesses the righteous giver, so we must give joyfully and generously to experience God’s blessing. Our giving also helps others to give thanks to God.

With what attitudes should we approach God in prayer? Christians should pray with a sense of duty, with a pure heart, in faith, with humility, with a sense of submission, and with earnestness.

The book of Nehemiah covers the third phase of the return of the Jewish exiles. In this phase of the return, the rebuilding of the city and especially the wall is the focus. Nehemiah enacted reforms in the political, economic, and spiritual reforms as well.

The Corinthian church had an initial zeal to gather funds for Jerusalem, but now Paul encourages them to follow through in their giving. Now, Paul might be able to cajole the Corinthians to give despite them having a tight hold on money, but he hoped not to do that. Rather, giving should be willing and voluntary. God calls us to match enthusiasm with follow-through in our giving and all of our lives.

In this lesson we review David’s responses to Saul’s many and varied attempts to kill him. David exhibits extreme patience with Saul while knowing that Saul was determined to murder him and believing that Saul might succeed. We stress the importance of recognizing that David’s response was not mere human patience, but an expression of his relationship with his God and his decision to trust God in the situation rather than attempt to take matters into his own hands.

Prayer is communication with God. As Christians, we should pray because it is a sign of our adoption and therefore ought to be natural to the believer; because Jesus and the apostles commanded and modeled prayer; because Jesus taught us how to pray; and because prayer is God’s ordained way of appropriating His own omnipotent resources and accomplishing His will.

Proverbs 9 uses the imagery of two banquets, one prepared by Lady Wisdom and the other Lady Folly. Both hosts prepare a meal and call out to the young naive to come and enjoy their delicacies. The choice is a matter of life or death. This chapter concludes the first major section of Proverbs, where Solomon is beckoning us to choose wisdom and forsake the path of folly.

Abraham and Sarah never saw the full fulfillment of God's promises to them, but their faith persevered through death because they were looking forward to homeland of heavenly origin. The testimonies of Abraham, Sarah, and many others who lived by faith have been preserved in Hebrews 11 to challenge us to live with their kind of steadfast, forward-looking faith that is rewarded by God, for “He who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:22).

In this session, we returned to Numbers 20:1–13. There, we see that Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, but the Lord had instructed him to speak to the rock, after which the Lord was to provide water for the people. We emphasized the magnitude of that failure and noted the significance of the staff during that and other key points in the long years of Moses’ leadership of the people.

In this study on prayer, we discuss one of several reasons Christians should pray. Our Lord commands us to pray, but prayer is also a mark of our adoption and therefore should be natural to a believer. The Holy Spirit confers upon the believer a consciousness of his relationship to God, and the believer gives voice to his understanding of his adoption by crying out, "Abba, Father." It is part of the Christian's nature to talk to God, and indifference toward private or corporate prayer is a cause to doubt whether God's Spirit dwells within that person.

Lady Wisdom offers her resume in chapter eight, detailing her moral qualities and invaluable benefits. She delineates her origin before creation and presence when God created, by wisdom, the heavens and the earth to demonstrate her knowledge of God's morally ordered world. Having recited her credentials, she makes her final appeal for her children to listen to receive blessing and favor from the LORD.

Peter instructs under-shepherds to lead God's flock not by compulsion, not for dishonest gain, nor acting as lords over them. Stated positively, pastors should lead willingly, eagerly, and as examples to the flock. The motivation to lead well is that pastors serve under the authority of Christ and will receive a reward in the future when the Chief Shepherd returns.

In this lesson we recount that God selected Moses for the exalted position of leading His people out of Egypt and through forty years in the wilderness to the promised land. At long last, Moses lost his patience with the people when they needed water and accused him and Aaron of bringing them into the wilderness to perish there. God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would flow. In his anger, Moses struck the rock twice, failing to believe God and uphold His holiness before the people. This act of impatience is negative example of how we should address problems we face.

In His good providence, God arranges that Esther became queen to King Ahasuerus so that she could rescue the Jewish people from planned extermination by Haman. God saw fit to record the account of this history for His people to remind them the of the origin story of Purim. More importantly, the book shows God’s providential care for Israel once more.

Integrity is important in every matter, and especially in finances. Paul arranged the circumstances so that the donated money was managed with integrity to honor God. The central feature of his arrangement was to have three men of high reputation, two selected by the church, to oversee the offering so that he did not have to do so. We can apply the truth of this message in this way: churches need to ensure that they have in place arrangements to manage money with integrity. This way, givers can see that the church leadership is not wasting or embezzling money.

How should we address problems that need a resolution or situations that need a response? In this lesson, we studied situations in Scripture that serve as negative examples that we should not emulate when problems arise and decisions must be made. These included instances of pride, impatience, self-reliance, fear, self-protection, misguided zeal, insecurity, and unbelief are not proper responses.

Proverbs 8 personifies the wisdom of God as a woman. Lady Wisdom stands in contrasting parallelism to Lady Folly or the Adulterous woman. Whereas Lady Folly deceives with her lips and her reward is death, the words of Lady Wisdom are truthful and upright and offer life. Lady wisdom beckons the naive and inexperienced person to listen, because her rewards exceed the profits of monetary wealth.

This message is intended to inform Bible readers of the various tools available to enhance their Bible study. Bible Study software (e.g. Logos) can help you dive deeper into a passage. Other study aids include phrase diagramming, which is a visual grammar tool you can use to visualize on paper the relationship between phrases in a text of Scripture in order to determine the main points of the passage.

We will examine some principles of giving so that we can see what grace-giving looks like. What we mean by grace-giving is that it is giving not motivated by coercion (law-based giving), but by God’s grace as evidenced in the work of Christ in your life, and in the lives of others. The principles in our Scripture text teach us that Christian giving is voluntary, a normal part of Christian life, to our spiritual advantage, to be followed through with, proportionate to our means, and meant to meet the true needs of the recipients.

We take a further look at the virtue of respect, followed by a study on hospitality. Disrespect is easy to fall into in both mind, speech, and non-verbal communication. Christians should be hospitable and do it with a cheerful spirit. Opening your home to unbelieving neighbors and friends can be an evangelistic tool.

Proverbs 7 consists of further warnings about the adulterous woman. The main section of the chapter is a story that conveys a lesson about young man who carelessly fell into the adulterous woman's trap. When we embrace wisdom, it can help us respond properly to the seductive tactics that characterize the immoral woman's ways.

Sexaul temptation is everywhere, because society has normalized and even celebrated the expression of sexuality outside the boundaries of marriage. In Proverbs 6:20-35, the father's wisdom is to be internalized so as to have an indelible impression on the son's character so as to help him not yield to temptation. The two main ideas of the text are that we are to follow the path of light and light in temptation and govern our hearts.

We start our stewardship series in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, where we see an example of giving which God shows us as a pattern for the church. Paul begins by writing about the sacrificial giving of the Macedonian churches. He explains how God’s grace worked in those people’s lives to cause them to give themselves to the Lord. This in turn shaped their hearts in joyful generosity that desired to participate in helping other Christians despite their own deep poverty.

We take a look at the Christian virtue of respect. There is an epidemic of disrespect in modern western society. This study is about the respect that we should show to other people. The respect that men should show toward women, and women toward men. That children should show to parents, and parents to children, and people toward those they do not agree with, etc.

In this message, Pastor Lorch begins a series on prayer. Prayer can be defined simply as talking with God. There is nothing mysterious about prayer. If the Creator-God has revealed Himself to us, it is to be expected that He will desire His creatures to talk to Him. Prayer is directed toward the true and living God. There are several kinds of prayer mentioned in Scripture. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 mentions general prayer, as well as prayers of thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession. We also find in Scripture prayers of confession.

Pastor Lorch teaches about the marks of the "worthless" and "wicked" man who is a troublemaker. He uses perverse speech, sinister gestures, has in his heart to do evil, premeditates his evil deeds, and stirs up controversy. God detests this kind of behavior and those who practice it. The Proverbs six man is in direct contrast to the Matthew 5 man, who is humble in spirit and a peacemaker. Which man do you resemble?

In these verses, the apostle Paul shows us how the Corinthian church demonstrated true repentance. This becomes a model for us to evaluate our own repentance.

In this message, Pastor answered a question concerning Solomon's moral decline and how the children of Israel corrected the problem of improper marriages after the exile.

The book of Ezra records the initial return from exile of Zerubbabel and Ezra, the rebuilding of the temple, the opposition to the Jews and their work, and Ezra's moral reforms. It demonstrates God’s provision and protection and reiterates His call for holiness among His people that they should implement by following His word, something Ezra desired to do himself.

After long absence due to their disobedience, the Jewish people were back in their land. This history, along with Nehemiah with which it was originally paired, explains how God was still working in the nation for moral and religious reform, and He was also working outside of the nation with pagan kings, in order to preserve and restore His people. The temple that these people built was eventually expanded into a beautiful edifice in the first century A.D. when Jesus came to it.

Pastor Postiff shares a few passages from Scripture that encourage us to be eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus. In sharing the Table of the Lord, we do so until the Lord comes.

From what Paul writes to the Corinthians, we can learn several ways to respond well when someone corrects us. The recipient of correction must receive admonition well by responding with an open heart, recognizing the challenge that correction offers to the mentor instead of just thinking of self, and reacting with genuine repentance.

Mr. Widgeon re-started our study on God's mercy in Exodus 34:6-7. He shared some statistics on the words used to describe God's mercy to remind us that there is not scant or selective evidence of the mercy of the Lord. It is overwhelming. He then covered some of the Hebrew and Greek words that describe God's tender, loving, compassionate, unmerited kindness. One listener noted that the Bible was like an expert witness testifying of the abundant mercy of God.

Pastor Lorch preaches about laziness. He follows the passage in Proverbs 6 by giving a lesson from an ant and a farmer, followed by the consequences of laziness, and finally an explanation of the attitude of a lazy person.

Missionary Tom Gibbons gives us three reasons not to be ashamed of the gospel from Romans 1:16. First, the constitution of the gospel is that it is God's power. Second, the gospel's capacity is salvation. And third, because the gospel's compass is to every person.

The apostle Paul is drawing this section of a letter to a close by directly appealing to the Corinthians to respond well to him and to get out from under the influence of whoever is troubling them, undoubtedly some false teachers who are trying to discredit Paul's ministry or drag the Corinthians back into their idolatrous ways.

In this message our focus is on the mercy of God. We visited a number of passages in which we see that God's mercy is at the forefront of His dealings with humanity. The concept appears everywhere in the Scriptures. We will look at Exodus 34 as our launching pad. This was a pivotal point in Israel's history. It follows the golden calf incident that occurred after Moses received the first tablet containing the Ten Commandments.

2 Kings continues seamlessly where 1 Kings left off, with Ahaziah and the departure of Elijah. Elisha is the main prophet in the first half of 2 Kings. Chapter 17 records that the northern kingdom was taken captive by the Assyrians (about 722 B.C.), and the southern kingdom comes to a similar demise at the end of chapter 25 (586 B.C.). God did this to the nation because it continued to practice idolatry instead of following the 10 commandments.

The message of 2 Kings is united with that of 1 Kings: to show the Israelites of later generations what happened to their earlier glorious nation, that it happened because of rebellion and idolatry against God, and thus how a similar fate can be avoided in the future.

We learned some more this week about differences between Bible translations in an effort to think about what would be a good translation for us to read and study.

The apostle Paul persevered in a godly way through many adverse situations and ironies put upon him because of the nature of Christian ministry. He wanted the ministry to avoid any kind of blames so that the gospel would progress without unnecessary hindrance.

We take another look at Christian moral purity and excellence of character. Studying the character of the men and women in the Bibile is a great way to cultivate character like theirs. Meditate on God’s work in their lives, and ask God how He would like to work in your life.

1 Kings recounts the history of Israel from the death of David through Solomon’s reign (971-931 B.C.) until Jehoshaphat in the southern kingdom (reign 873-848 B.C.) and Ahaziah in the north (853-852 B.C.), covering a time span of roughly 120 years. The main topics in 1 Kings are the rise and reign of Solomon, the building of the temple and its dedication, Solomon’s departure from the Lord, the division of the kingdom into north and south because of Solomon’s disobedience and Rehoboam’s foolishness causing the northern tribes’ secession (1 Kings 11:35-36; 12:16-17), and the early kings of both kingdoms.

The Internet service at the church was down this evening, so there is no Youtube livestream of this service.

In this message we look at the differences between English versions of the Bible, with an eye toward selecting a good translation for reading and study.

Do you sometimes have doubts that the Christian faith is true? Or that Jesus really rose from the dead? Christians are unsure at times, have hidden doubts and are afraid to say anything lest they be thought less of. They may really not want to have those doubts. Non-Christians doubt too, often with a mindset that is skeptical or cynical. In John 20, we have an interaction between the apostle Thomas and the Lord Jesus which shows us how the Lord helped Thomas process his doubts, and by extension how you can get through yours, to life eternal.

The character trait of interest in this message is general moral purity and excellence. This is a broad idea that concerns good morals in inter-personal life and private morality, whether in business dealings, sexual purity, and general godliness including having one’s life centered around Jesus.

The book of 2 Samuel recounts the history of King David and the early monarchy that was started in 1 Samuel. The entire focus is on King David, who secures his rule over Judah and Jerusalem, and later over the remainder of the nation of Israel. He learns of God’s covenant promise to him and his descendancy. Then he extends the kingdom with victories over the Philistines, Ammonites and Syrians. But the story is marred by the sin of God’s people, as usually the case in human history, including David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, Absalom’s coup, and David carrying out the improper census.

Similar to our Good Friday evening service, in this message we examine the fact and meaning of the resurrection. As for the fact of it, we reviewed the content of our message from last year. Regarding the meaning, we touched on the meaning of the resurrection for the non-Christian, that Jesus is coming again as judge. We touched on the meaning of the resurrection for the Christian, with all the implications of personal salvation attached, including our justification. We spent more significant time thinking about the meaning of the resurrection for Jesus Himself, including His exaltation as Lord and Christ and returning King.

Pastor Lorch encourages us with a message concerning one important result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, namely that we too can be alive with Christ and in Him.

For this Good Friday service, we examined the fact of the crucifixion by reading the Biblical account as well as from the perspective of several external sources including Tacitus, Lucian, Thallus, and even the Jewish Talmud. We then looked at the meaning of the crucifixion in terms of the "it is finished" accomplishment of Jesus. Everything necessary for salvation to be provided for mankind was completed by the Lord at the cross. The resurrection, of course, is the exclamation point on the whole matter. Our next messages address that great event.

The wisdom of Proverbs turns our attention to the need to avoid sudden entrapment and ruin in financial matters. We learn not to become entangled in another person's debt by becoming surety or a pledge, or in today's terms "co-signing" a loan. The lessons here can be generalized to help us avoid generally risky financial decisions. We learn that if we have gotten ourselves into a situation like this that we need to humble ourselves and take decisive steps to fix the problem.

In this message we complete a simple overview of the Hebrew and Greek text, various text families, and how we can decode the notes in our reference and study Bibles when those notes have to do with differences between manuscripts.

In this message, we add another urgent plea to receive God's gracious offer of reconciliation because the time is today. We deliver this truth because now is the time when salvation is available. What God promised thousands of years ago is now. God will hear your penitent prayer and save you. The time is today. "Today" will close at some point in your future.

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call to Him while He is near. Forsake your evil way and thoughts. Return to the LORD and He will have mercy on you. He will pardon your iniquity (Isa 55:6).

Humanity faces only two ultimate destinations: life with God or eternal separation from Him. Though many believe that different religions or sincere efforts can lead to God, Scripture teaches that all people begin on the same path — one leading to death because of sin. Only God Himself provides the remedy through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This message explains why Christ alone bridges the gulf and offers the only way to be with God forever.

In the second sermon on Proverbs 5, we learn how to guard against infidelity. In short, verse 19 summarizes for us: always be enraptured with your spouse's love. Find sexual satisfaction only in your spouse. Find that kind of pleasure in the marriage relationship alone. Do not give yourself to any other person than your spouse (or future spouse) and do enjoy the God-given pleasure in marriage. It is not only for procreation, but also pleasure and protection against infidelity.

We continue our series about how the Bible came to us in the modern era with some background on the Hebrew and Greek text, various text families, and how we can "decode" the notes in our reference and study Bibles when those notes have to do with differences between manuscripts.

Paul draws this section of the letter to a close by calling for the readers to be reconciled to God and explains how that can happen. We set out to cover 5:20-6:2, but got only as far as 5:21.

Our long-time missionary partners update us on their work and a recent trip to share the love of Christ and His message to those in need.

The book of 1 Samuel recounts the story of Samuel, his relationship to the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David, and the history of the start of the monarchy. Samuel is the main character and has the roles of prophet (Acts 13:20, 1 Samuel 3:20), priest, judge, and de-facto leader of the nation as it transitioned from the anarchy of the judges to a monarchy first under King Saul, and then to King David.

In this installment of "how we got our Bible" we learned about translation, publication, distribution, illumination, and interpretation. We also saw some interesting (and overwhelming) statistics about the reliability of the Scriptures in terms of manuscript evidence.

Paul is talking about reconciliation, specifically (1) that God through Christ accomplishes reconciliation, and (2) that God assigned Paul and his audience to minister the reconciling message to others.

God has a tremendous thing in sending Jesus to be the reconciling mediator between us. And He wrote a whole bunch of letters to you about being reconciled. Are you storing those letters, unopened, in a box to send back to Him someday? Or are you reading those letters and heeding His call to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ?

Our studies in Zephaniah are drawing to a close. This session, we walked through the book in an outline form, pointed out three verses that are representative of some of the teaching in Zephaniah, and then correlated those three verses with some New Testament verses that touch on the same subjects.

The book of Judges recounts the history of Israel between Joshua and Samuel, about 350 years until God chose Saul to be the first king of the nation. During the period prior to Saul and the Davidic monarchy, Israel was governed theocratically, without a human king but with God leading them through the Law and the priesthood, as well as specially chosen people who were called judges. They were deliverers in times of oppression by foreign nations. This oppression was punishment from God for their violation of His law and in fulfillment of His word that He would punish them in this way.

Our study in how the Bible came to us continues with how the simple formatting like spaces and chapters came into being, how canon was formed, and just a bit about translation from original languages into English or other languages.

Verses 14-15 in turn have two consequences, denoted by “therefore” at the beginning of each of verses 16 and 17. The first consequence has to do with to how we regard people. The second consequence concerns anyone who in faith follows Jesus because that person becomes a new creation. I hope this message will encourage you to let these two consequences of the death of Christ sink in and cause you to live in His way: in how you regard people, and in how you live in Christ as a new creation.

We continue the study of Zephaniah starting with 2:1-3 and how God calls for repentance BEFORE judgment breaks out. Then, we look at the various sins listed in Zephaniah, followed by the day of the Lord theme in the historical context of the Babylonian captivity, as well as some texts that point to the far future.

Wisdom is skill for living in God's morally ordered world. In this message, Pastor Lorch teaches us how to respond wisely to sexual immorality. First, the author of Proverbs shows us the painful consequences of sexual sin, then later he highlights the joys of marital intimacy. This message addresses the first of those concerns by teaching us to guard ourselves from sinful sensuality. We do this for four reasons: (1) It is enticing. (2) It is ensnaring. (3) It brings regret. (4) It is destructive. We then learn two practical applications. First, remove yourself from situations in which you could be tempted. Do not be careless. Second, discipline yourself to love godly wisdom by being in God's word and loving God's people so you will listen to them when they give good advice.

For our Lord's Table service, we reviewed Paul's teaching to Titus about the grace of God that appeared to all people for salvation, and that teaches us to deny ungodliness, to live righteously, and to look forward to the coming of Christ. God has explained through Paul the basis for living and doing church the way that was commanded in Titus 1 and 2. The basis is the grace of God that brings salvation and sanctification, and teaches us to look forward to the coming of Christ. This is sufficient motivation for us to live the Christian life.

The central focus of this message is that we should fear the Lord, and His love should compel us to live for Him by persuading people to be saved.

Are you willing to live for Jesus despite what other people think of you? We should refocus on persuading people to follow Jesus with us, living like we believe in following Jesus, and telling others that He loved us and gave Himself for us. Why? Because we will see Him at judgment.

We continue our study in the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah says that the LORD sent a word via Zephaniah, so we looked at what the name of God means about Him, the God who created and gave the Law, as a couple examples of His activity. We look at the "I will" statements of the book, which also connects to the idea of the Christian God as an active God, not passive or afar off. There are 14 verses in this short prophecy that uses "I will." Our teacher also exhorts us to receive the Word of God and to use it carefully, not to misuse it.

Unfortunately, the video started a few minutes late due to technical difficulty with the livestream computer.

Naomi lost her husband and two sons to death while fleeing from famine at home and living in the land of Moab. But she but gained a faithful daughter-in-law named Ruth. They found a kinsman-redeemer named Boaz who redeemed the land of Ruth's deceased husband by taking Ruth as his wife, and caused Naomi to move from bitter to blessed, from full to empty and back to full. Through these events the Lord raised up the Messianic line through righteous Boaz via Obed, Jesse, and then David the king.

We continue our study of how the Bible came to us by looking at the doctrines of inspiration and preservation.

This passage has to do with being at home or away with respect to the human spirit's location relative to the human body. But what is Paul saying about being at home or away? He states that he is certain about being in one or the other of these two states (with no other possibilities). He expresses his desire to be with the Lord. And he gives his life goal regardless of what state he finds himself in, namely to please the Lord.

We focused on three themes this morning: seeking the Lord, the universality of judgment, and how inattention can lead to disaster.

The book of Acts is a letter from Luke to a man named Theophilus. Acts records how the Lord Jesus Christ worked to build His church in fulfillment of His promise in Matthew 16:18. It is the continuance of Luke’s carefully researched history of the events of the Lord’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection in the Gospel of Luke. Those things recorded in Luke’s gospel cover what "Jesus began to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). It is clear that Luke wants us to understand that Acts covers what "Jesus continued to do and teach." His ministry by the Spirit through the apostles spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome and to other farther-flung parts of the Roman empire.

Pastor Postiff begins a series of lectures from one of the college courses he teaches. The topic is Translations of the Bible, and the first couple of sessions deal with how the Bible came to us. This material can greatly strengthen the faith of Christians as well as answer the questions or objections of skeptics.

Paul desires a heavenly body and is fully confident that God's eternal purpose for that very thing will be fulfilled because God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee.

The historical timeline indicates that Judah could have seen what happened to the northern kingdom and learned from their experience. Yet they chose the curse side of Deuteronomy 28, and God was faithful to His promises. They may have tried to solve their problem like Adam and Eve did, insufficiently. But the problem they created could not be solved from their level. They needed God's mercy and help to solve it.

To be wise, we must listen to generational wisdom, we must discern what path to walk, and we must engage every part of our person in the pursuit of wisdom.

In this message we review the three chapters of 2 Peter and close out with a reminder of the diligence that we must exercise to continue in the knowledge of God and not fall into the error of the wicked. Peter ends with a pray for God's glory to be magnified both not and forever as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Our church recently experienced the grief of a family member passing suddenly out of this life. Pastor Postiff took a few minutes to share some truths that keep us steady when someone passes away. He reminds us that we must hope in God when someone we love dies.

We then enjoyed a testimony of one of our deacons about a health challenge and job change in which he experienced a real grace of the Lord. That portion is not included in this podcast.

We finally returned to the regular expositional schedule with a message in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Are you concerned with the decline of the physical man more than the incline of the spiritual, inner man? Do you allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the afflictions of life, not realizing the benefit they are working for you? Would an external observer think your focus is on heavenly/eternal things, or on temporal things? Christians sometimes lose sight of the inner and lasting realities of the Christian life. Lack of faith causes you to be stuck in the present, your perspective truncated, near-sighted, and focused on afflictions. But you can choose your perspective. You can change your worldview. In faith you can see beyond the momentary and temporal to the weighty and eternal. You can set your affections above (Col. 3:1-2). You can—and should—seek first the kingdom of God and lay up treasures in Heaven (Matt. 6:19-21, 33).

We begin a series on Zephaniah with an overview of key focal points of the book. God speaks through the prophet about (1) universal judgment; (2) the Day of the Lord; (3) seeking the Lord; (4) corrupt leadership; (5) all the earth in 3:8; (6) rebellion; (7) remnant; (8) joy of restoration; (9) final restoration.

True wisdom offers security, shapes our conduct, and brings God’s blessing. Those who walk in wisdom have confidence in the Lord despite unsettling circumstances in life, will love their neighbors as themselves, and will receive God’s blessing both now and in eternity.

Peter calls on us to live as Christians worthy of God's coming kingdom. God is very patient with His people, wanting them to come to repentance concerning their sins. Peter exhorts us to live in a way that agrees with the imminent return of Christ.

Christian faith does not and cannot remain silent. That is because we know that Jesus is raised from the dead and that God will raise us up out of the dead as well and present us before Him. This changes everything because it means we are not living this life only for this life. We are living in this life in the sight of God and to help others glorify Him as well.

If you believe that the gospel is good news, if you believe that Jesus is the only way for someone to be saved from awful Hell, if you believe that the Christian life is the one that pleases God, if you believe that sin is really bad, then it is only reasonable that you should speak up.

Christians are taught by example and connection to Christ that we should be sacrificial in our character. When I think of sacrifice, what comes to mind include a willingness to suffer, thinking of others first, giving, and living generously not just with finances but with time and abilities to be a blessing to other people.

Such people exercise good stewardship so that they can be sacrificial, that is, have something to sacrifice. Being sacrificial is the opposite greed, materialism, and idolatry. In fact, a sacrificial heart is an antidote to those vices.

The message of this paragraph is found in verse 7: God has arranged the combination of weak vessel and priceless message to ensure that no one mistakes where the power comes from. It comes from God, not from people. The outstanding nature of the power of God resides in the message about Jesus, not the vehicles of the message.

Those who find and hold on to wisdom are blessed. Proverbs 3:13-20 reminds us of the benefits of gaining wisdom and discernment. Some of the great fortune wisdom brings is length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness and peace in life. This is not a guarantee that true wisdom always results in material prosperity, but a description of how life generally is for those who possess God's wisdom.

John conveniently tells us his message in 20:31. He wrote about the signs that Jesus did in order that the reader may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by so believing would have eternal life through Him. We focus on a few aspects of John's gospel, such as the miracles that he highlights, the "I am" statements of the Lord, and some important lessons.

In this message, we learn that our foundation is God's word, that scoffers will try to shake this foundation, and we must remember that God created, sustains, and will ultimately destroy this world.

In the church ministry, a big part of what we do is to equip one another to live the Christian life in the face of a hostile world, and to give the gospel to those around us because everyone needs it. But this is not easy and there is a lot of pressure to clam up or change the message to make it “easier” for non-Christian people to accept it.

How did the apostle Paul manage this sort of problem? I read what he says in the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 4 as giving us five ways that he managed to stay faithful to God in the face of pressure.

We review the truth about our almost impossible sin problem by visiting Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9, and John 14:6.

Pastor Jansen shares with us two key thoughts in this message: wise people honor God with their possessions, and wise people humbly accept God's discipline.

The Lord exhorts us to be alert and serving Him as we await His return. He has given us resources and tasks in our service, and He will evaluate us as to our stewardship of those things.

We have seen that the great glory of the gospel allows us to confidently speak of it without holding back. There is a big problem, however, in that unbelievers cannot understand the Bible. This problem arises because of the effects of sin and lack of faith. The solution is salvation—in which the veil is taken away, and we are enabled to see the true significance of the Bible. Then comes sanctification by which the believer grows in likeness to Jesus.

We introduced the message with the notion that without God, there is not only no truth, but there is nothing at all. God is the standard of truth. We then continued our study of the Bible's teaching on truth in the New Testament, with some reference to the Old Testament as well. Much remains in the notes that we did not cover.

The text of Joshua records how Joshua, the successor to Moses, led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan or “Palestine” as it is now called, but more properly “Israel” or “the promised land.” They crossed from the other side of the Jordan near the city of Jericho and took that city, followed in fairly rapid succession by defeating city-states both north and south of that location. Quite a few chapters are spend in explaining how the conquered land was distributed among the 12 tribes.

Two things about God stand out in the book of Joshua: His faithfulness to His promises, even to a very imperfect people, is one. The second is God’s judgment against evil, which is displayed in the destruction of many of the pagan city-states.

The Lord's Table is a matter of thanksgiving, symbolic significance, frequent obedience, remembrance, proclamation, expectation, examination, worship, and fellowship.

Paul begins to turn our attention from the matters of his ministry qualification and relationship to the church…to the character of the New Testament ministry that Paul was privileged to minister. God outfitted Paul to minister an amazing thing—the glorious gospel of grace, which was a ministry of Spirit and life instead of a ministry of the letter of death.

We studied the contrasting elements of the old and new administrations (the Law and the Gospel), and then studied some about the relationship of the New Covenant and the Church. We close by looking at the relative glory of the old and new administrations.

We use a simple working definition in this lesson that truth corresponds to the way God sees things. Truth is accurate to the standard that God has set forth. It has been in vogue for a while that many people think there is no absolute truth or morality, but the Christian worldview holds that there is such a thing as truth, originating in God, and that can better withstand scrutiny than the "everyone has his own truth" worldview. The main point of this message is to encourage us all to be truthful people because that is God's desire, for us to be like Jesus.

Mark's gospel shows Jesus as the servant of God and of mankind. He came to serve, not to be served, and to give His life a ransom for many. We examine some key verses, doctrines, and literary features of Mark's theological biography.

In this sermon, we examine the general nature of how we can build Christian character without falling prey to a law-based approach, which did not work in the prior era and will not work in the modern time. We learned about God's "tools" to develop our character, including His Spirit, His Word, and His Church. We also thought about the transformative nature of our union with Christ and ongoing relationship with Him. These things cause Christian growth, which changes the nature and amount of behavioral "fruit" that we produce in our lives.

Paul was confident about the Corinthian’s recommendation-letter-status because Jesus Christ gave him that confidence. And he had good reason: he gave them the genuine gospel message, the church was started, and he could see God was doing a work there. So he continued in faith with confidence that the work of the gospel was having an impact. The source of his ministry sufficiency was God, who gave him authority to preach the gospel and enabled him to be effective in that ministry. This is all the more remarkable to Paul because of the nature of his message, a message that is connected to the new covenant.

For our Christmas Eve service, we read some in Jesus's birth narrative, and then considered several matters regarding when Jesus came. First has to do with the calendar date--December 25? Second was the condition of the spirit world that operates unseen "behind" our world. And third is the condition of humanity at the time of Jesus's coming. A little bonus music is at the end of the service.

We began reading through a harmony of Matthew and Luke birth accounts of Jesus. We looked at a few debated issues, like whether Mary and Joseph wanted to stay in an "inn" but were turned away; whether December 25 was really the date of Jesus's birth, Christmas trees, the abbreviation Xmas, and who the "three kings of orient" are.

Why Christmas? Because of the incarnation. And why the incarnation? Because Christ came to reveal God to us, to die for us and rise again, and to call us to repent and receive life instead of judgment. The whole Christian faith is the reason for Christmas. Do not be a grinch that steals the real meaning of Christmas. And do not let the secular society define your belief and practice of Christmas!

The Bible has a lot to say about friends and brotherly kindness. Over 100 verses use the word friend. Being friendly and maintaining friendships are character traits of a mature Christian. A friend is someone attached to you with whom you have some affection or esteem. In this message we look at many examples of how the idea of friends is used in the Bible and remind ourselves along the way how we should be like those friendly souls. Jesus considered certain people as friends, and so whatever characteristics it takes to maintain good friendships, those should be ours as well.

Pastor Lorch encourages us to trust entirely in the Lord, to acknowledge God in all of our life, and enjoy the promise that God will direct our life.

This is the recording of our annual Christmas Program with Christmas music, narration, and preaching about why Jesus came.

We extend our "Perspectives on Christmas" series over the years with another one: Christmas from the perspective of God the Father. God the Father’s perspective on Christmas must be ascertained from His revelation recorded for us in Scripture. Join us as we examine one example of this in Luke 1:26–38. This text tells us that God the Father was setting into motion His long foretold plan to provider a redeemer and ruler in the birth of Jesus.

Someone who is peaceful is untroubled by an ongoing conflict, agitation, or commotion. They are “at ease,” in a state of well-being. The work of the gospel results in peace in the life of a Christian, but we make a mistake, however, if we hear “gospel of peace” and think only of a tranquil feeling of inner calm. That is not the peace of the gospel. A tranquil spirit is one side-effect of the gospel, but gospel peace is peace with God through Christ which extracts us from the status of being “enemies of God” (Romans 5:10, James 4:4).

The book of Jeremiah is the record of Jeremiah’s prophecies about the southern kingdom and surrounding nations, as well as some narrative about what happened during those days with Jeremiah himself and Jeremiah’s interactions with King Zedekiah and other officials in the royal court. The book is focused on judgment as well as future restoration. It is a call to repentance, like many of the other prophets.

Missionary Benjamin Green and his wife Meredith, sent by Inter-City Baptist Church, share their desire to serve the Lord in Finland, followed by a message of worship to God. He teaches us that we who love the Lord must spread his praise and worship to the ends of the earth, because only God is worthy of worship, because only proclamation of His greatness will bring the nations to join in our worship, and only universal praise throughout the world is good enough to offer the Lord.

These three verses are convincing that Paul does not need letters of commendation to or from the Corinthians. They themselves are his best recommendation letter because of their conversion to the gospel. Christ wrote the genuine letter on their hearts, and a copy of the letter is on Paul’s heart. Other people could read the recommendation for Paul’s ministry just by looking at the work God had done through him in the lives of the believers.

It should be the case that Christians are the best recommendation for faith in Christ. Your life, if you are a follower of Jesus, is an epistle written by Christ. Do the contents of that letter come across with clarity in your life, or are they crinkled up, hidden, stained, or sealed shut?

At our Lord's Table service today, we were reminded that confession of sin leads to joy. Having joy is part and parcel of the experience of being a follower of Christ. Real joy starts with a saving relationship with Christ and there are many reasons for ongoing joy in life, for example that we are free from the guilty of sin. But sin steals joy. Thankfully, confessing sin can restore that joy (Psalm 51).

The big idea in this sermon is that wise people internalize God's word in order to live by it. You will notice a pattern in the first 12 verses of the chapter where the odd-numbered verses are conditions or behavior that Solomon enjoins, and the even-numbered verses are the corresponding blessing that comes with obedience. The conditions are the Law of Moses restated. For example, see Deuteronomy 8:1-3. We are encouraged to carefully pay attention to the text of Scripture wherein is wisdom for us today; to ask questions about the text; use Scripture as we pray, and ask if my character causes people to despise me or respect me?

Despite a particular hardship, Paul was able to thank God for victory in Christ and for advancing the gospel through him. Here is a lesson we can learn from Paul's shift of mindset from extreme distress to thanksgiving: always take yourself back to thanksgiving to God when you are in troubled circumstances. It will lift your spirits. Do not wallow in your miry thoughts, the negativity, anxiety, stress, restlessness, the past, the failures, or the baggage. You can go over and over the bad situation, and it will not change it one little bit. Instead, turn your brain toward thanks-thinking, and your spirit toward thanks-praying, and your lips toward thanks-speaking, and your emotions and focus will be lifted heavenward.

A Christian is a thankful person, that is, a person who expresses gratitude and appreciation for what God has done, and in turn what others have done for them. God is working in us to develop ever-more thankful hearts, because thankfulness is a characteristic of holiness.

A non-Christian is not thankful, at least not toward God, and maybe not at all. Thanklessness is a mark of those who do not recognize God’s grace, His power or His divine nature (Romans 1:21). Thanklessness is a morally repugnant trait from which Christian salvation delivers us.

For our Thanksgiving meditation this year, we considered many of God's blessings. Some of us can thank God that we have a new baby this year, a new car, a new bathroom, a healthy spouse, a living parent or parents, children who are growing in knowledge and wisdom, and many other particular gifts...

2 Peter chapter 2 ends reminding us about the allure of false teachers and their apostasy. Their words are empty, they pray on weak Christians, and they promise the opposite of what they actually give. They had a so-called knowledge of God but were overtaken by the world. Peter takes false teachers very seriously, and so should we.

Guest speaker Pastor James Lorch charges his son Jansen at his ordination service to be a good shepherd, like the one we read about in Psalm 23. This shepherd feeds his flock, leads his flock, protects the flock, and cares for the flock. After the message, special prayer is offered for Jansen and his wife Kalee as they begin a new chapter in their ministry calling. The sermon connects Psalm 23 to New Testament shepherding passages and raises issues of application for the entire audience, whether pastor or not.

Wisdom is found through diligent pursuit, and results in a deeper understanding of God and deliverance from tempting situations. For example, Proverbs 2 tells us wisdom delivers the wise from the crooked and devious paths of evil people and sexual sin. In the end, God's blessing is in store for the wise who are upright, but the end of wicked is death.

The gospel of Matthew is an account of the birth, life, and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew, also known as Levi and a tax collector, wrote about the birth of Israel’s Messianic king, described the early announcement of the kingdom and the teaching of its king and his followers, recorded authenticating signs done by the king, explained how he was rejected by the leaders and many of the people of the nation, his further teaching to his followers, the persecution he experienced, and his death at the hands of the Romans and Jews, after which he arose from the dead and left important instructions for his followers to carry out in his long-but-temporary absence from the earth.

Matthew’s message to the church is that we need to become followers of this king and obey his teaching, and then persuade our neighbors to do the same.

The church wages a spiritual warfare, in which false teachers play an important role. We learn the sinful ways of the false teachers, as well as their future judgment.

When there is a problem in the church, we must recognize that it affects the whole church, like Achan's sin in Joshua 7 affected the entire nation. Appropriate censure is called for and then if there is repentance, the church is to forgive, comfort, and renew their love for the former offender so that Satan will not get the better of the church.

A Christian definition is that joy is the affection associated with spiritual well-being, which is produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. We spend the majority of our study finding many different reasons that the Christian can experience joy.

The words of Deuteronomy record Moses leading the people up to the end of his life, reminding them of the law of God, and calling them to faithfulness to the covenant.

In our study of 2 Peter 2, we learn that false teachers will come to the church, but we can be confident in God who protected His people of old from evil men. He judged the wicked and spared His children. The example of Lot reminds us that we need to take clear steps to protect ourselves against false teachers and their corruption.

Dr. Snoeberger introduces the important question: "Why am I here?" This question and its answer should govern every part of our lives. We can get a start on the answer by looking at Genesis 1. But in Psalm 104, there is a second and longer creation account, and it was written to answer that very question.

Dr. Snoeberger teaches on the subject of "personal eschatology." Heaven will be our intermediate home until the kingdom, which is on the earth. This is followed by the eternal state, what many simply call "Heaven," which is actually also centered on the renewed earth.

The fourth book of Moses, Numbers, recounts the preparation for entry into the promised land and the failure of the people to obey God and actually enter it. It then summarizes key events in the 40 years of wilderness wandering.

We reviewed that righteousness is the perfect conformity to God's holy standard in character and action. Job 4:17 reminds us that none are righteous like God. Scripture attests to God's supreme righteousness. Our sin highlights God's righteousness. And His righteousness is why I am condemned, but it is also why I am saved.

The apostle Paul made his ministry plans with Christian integrity but changed those plans when a better way to build up the Corinthians came into view. Paul spoke to the Corinthian church in a way that mirrored God's gospel promises in Christ--not ambiguously or equivocally but clearly, in accordance with how God speaks to us, with promises that are sure and unbreakable. But he realized that his two-stop double-blessing plan to visit the Corinthians was not actually the best way to resolve the challenges that were going on there, so he changed his approach. We learned how to interact with people in difficult circumstances, being people of our word, and how to reconsider our corrective efforts when a better approach is available.

We studied the Christian character trait of compassion. The word compassion has the prefix "com" which means with or together. The second part is "passion," having to do with feelings. Compassion is therefore "co-feeling." It is defined by Webster as a "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." A synonym ius "pity." It is concern for the troubles, trials, or misfortunes of other people.

In this message, we learn three lessons from the call of wisdom. First, wisdom is readily available to all people (v. 20-21). Second, wisdom comes to those willing to listen (v. 22-23, 30). Third, Refusing wisdom results in distress and anguish (v. 24-29).

Peter pens his epistle as an urgent reminder as one who knows his life is nearing its end. He declares himself an eye-witness of Christ's Kingdom, which is of great comfort to him, but above all, he is comforted by the true and infinitely authoritative words of scripture. All we like grass. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Missionary Jack McMahan challenged our church today with these five key elements in any church that reaches the world: evangelism, discipleship, faithful leadership, faithfulness to Christ, and Christ-dependence.

Like in the book of Acts, our missionaries Jack and Bev McMahan report on the progress of their ministry. They are working with two churches, particularly in the areas of leadership development.

Leviticus continues the account of how God created the nation of Israel for its significant role in redemption and world history. Leviticus delineates the regulations for the people of God in Israel to interact properly with Him now that they have a basic constitution and the central worship site has been constructed and is operational. He required them to follow precise instructions as to various offerings at the tabernacle, the annual feast calendar, the life of the priests, and ceremonial cleanliness (for example, with childbirth, leprosy, and sexual purity). If they followed these instructions, they could be forgiven for their offenses against the theocracy and live in a way that pleased God.

Peter promises us that those who are true Christians showing abundant fruit will be fruitful and productive children of God. Peter also warns us that those who lack fruit show themselves to be no Christians at all. Therefore, in addition to giving God all glory, the fruit of living Christian lives gives us great assurance of our salvation and the reward of an eternal Kingdom

Paul writes to the Corinthians that despite his change of plans, his interactions with them reflected the sincerity and integrity of the gospel message itself, which is based on the promises of God. These promises are solid, including that God establishes, anoints, seals, and guarantees our final salvation.

In Prov 1:8-19, we learn that the reception of wise instruction has its reward, we expect persuasive pressure to sin, and we must consider the reward of evildoers.

Proverbs 1:1-7 tells us the purposes of biblical proverbs. Proverbs teaches wisdom, and wisdom is skillful living in God's world. Proverbs is a tutor for the naïve to attain wisdom and a continual source of knowledge for the wise.

True believers live wholly transformed lives. Peter reminds us that it is not enough that we merely have a general knowledge of, generic love for, or unstimulated will for God and his glory. Thus we rightly pray with the hymnist "our whole being sway" as we live out our faith as sojourners in this world of corruption.

What should you do if there is a problem of hard feelings that develop between you and someone else? What did Paul do here? He addressed it head-on by mentioning all the problems and responding straightforwardly to them. That is a model for us. We do not deal with problems by ignoring them, or hiding from them, or not talking about them as if that will make them go away, or by isolating from the person with whom we have the problems. Those things will only make the problem worse over time.

The main point of this message is that we must conduct ourselves in sincerity--not just "I tried" but "I did." There is no excuse for not carrying through with what you say; no excuse for saying things you do not mean; no excuse for duplicitousness. The bottom line is that we must, like Paul, live "in simplicity and in godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God."

We extend our study of Christian character by observing that God wishes for His people to be knowledgeable and skillful, not only in His word, but also in the areas of their work and expertise. The message highlights several practical examples. There is an entire segment of Scripture devoted also to wisdom, which is the proper use of knowledge and skill. Time limits prohibit any depth of study in that direction.

In our continuing series covering every book of the Bible in a single message, this time we visit 2 John. We review the message of the book, some key verses, and important concepts that the apostle John emphasizes.

The greatness of God reflected in His holy city calls us to worship.

God permits heavy trials so that we will renounce self-trust in favor of trust in God.

God provides abundant comfort in our afflictions.

Assistant Pastor Lorch shares his position statement on the topic of Missions. The ultimate purpose of missions activity is the glory of God. Missions immediate goal is not merely conversion of individuals, but the establishment of long-term discipleship, which is centered around the formation of healthy, reproducing local churches. Missions is not humanitarian aid but the making of disciples who are then baptized and taught the Scriptures.

God provides abundant comfort in our afflictions.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 reminds us that how we treat others is a measure of our personal holiness. In this message, we covered verses 19-28, the closing verses of the epistle. First, we considered the caution against quenching divine revelation that came to the early church through true prophets. Second, we considered the promise that God will sanctify believers entirely. He who is faithful will do it! He is in the process of making His children wholly holy.

This message explains the background of 2 Corinthians, which will be our next book in our expositional series. We learn about the many interactions that Paul had with the church in Corinth, some of the problems in the church and its background from 1 Corinthians. We took a brief look at the first two verses, where we will pick up next time.

We study together the Christian virtue of selflessness by looking at a number of life examples, Biblical examples, and Bible passages that refer to the subject.

We are reminded that God calls Christians to be modest in clothing, mind, and conduct. Modesty is the character trait of being free from conceit or vanity; derivatively an external appropriateness of attire, speech, and behavior. This message explains and encourages modesty, particularly regarding clothing, from a distinctly Christian perspective.

Continuing our series of a-book-in-one-message, we look at Genesis. It is the book of beginnings—of creation, of sin, of God's judgment, of languages, of nations, of Israel, and of the gospel.

In this message, we reviewed the importance of reading and remembering God's word, of studying it, and of following it. We close with Joshua 1:8. "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." To do, you must observe. You must read, hear, listen, remember, and study. There is great profit in every minute you spend in honest study of the Scripture.

Diligence refers to showing care and conscientiousness in one’s duties or work. To be conscientious means that someone desires to do their work or duties well and thoroughly, not half-heartedly. We can build a strong case for Christians to be the most hard-working, diligent, clean, well-groomed and dressed people around. We should have discipline and be the exact opposite of lazy. We should know how to rest, but also know how to work.

Pastor Postiff was asked to write for the upcoming GMSA Southern Sentinel magazine. The article is focused on the church sending servants of God to proclaim His message. He uses Isaiah 6:8 to guide our thinking about the subject.

God has disclosed truth to us to inform, warn, and bless.

We study a high-level overview of the Lord's teaching on the Mount of Olives. Prominent in the lesson is a warning not to allow current world events to make you think the return of the Lord is happening right now. Rather, current terrible events are just the beginning of sorrows, not the Tribulation itself. Another application of the passage is that we should be faithful every day because the Lord could return at any time and we do not want to be caught "sleeping" when He returns. We ought always be able to pray with the apostle John, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"

Every Christian should be a church member.

Every Christian should be a church member.

Pages 20-42

Every Christian should be a church member.

Every Christian should be a church member.

Jesus Himself assures us of His resurrection and directs us to proclaim repentance and remission of sins to everyone.

Lorch ministry report

We learn good lessons from Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness.

Jesus Himself assures us of His resurrection and directs us to proclaim repentance and remission of sins to everyone.

Keep on proclaiming the truth, no matter where you are!

Jesus erased despair by explaining about Himself in the Scriptures.

Keep on proclaiming the truth, no matter where you are!

God calls us to believe that Jesus arose from the grave.

God protected Paul on his journey to Rome.

Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

God’s children abound in love toward one another and all.

God protected Paul on his journey to Rome.

Jesus took your place. Will you take Him?

The Bible emphasizes the remembrance of the Table.

God protected Paul on his journey to Rome.

In part 1, we consider the historical context of the Roman church that raised conscience issues. Then we identify the weak and strong in faith and conscience. Finally, we begin to look at a number of imperatives and principles that guide us in matters such as these.

Jesus was mocked and beaten by the temple officers. He was unjustly tried by the Jewish San Hedrin council. He was dismissed and not protected by Pilate. But He did not respond in kind, instead committing Himself to God. We learn from His example how to suffer persecution. Will you treat Him like the officers, or like the San Hedrin, or like Pilate? Or will you consider His great love for you and acknowledge that He gave Himself for you to deliver you from the wages of sin?

Pastor Postiff broaches the subject of FBC serving as a sending church for a new missionary couple. We consider this exciting possibility, how it meshes with our stewardship responsibilities in the gospel, and how it is part of our obedience to the Great Commission. We began to look at some principles and the process of how we go about sending a missionary.

God protected Paul on his journey to Rome.

In this message, we explore the doctrine of cessationism or the suspension of particular spiritual gifts. Revelatory and miraculous gifts were foundational and transitional in nature. God gave these gifts to certain individuals in the early church until the doctrinal foundation of the church was established with the death of the last apostle and close of the Protestant Canon. While the Spirit continues to give spiritual gifts for the building up of the church, gifts such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing have been suspended in the present age.

We examined what Jesus experienced as he prayed in Gethsemane. We observed that his agony started before the cruel beatings and crucifixion as he sweat blood. We looked at the medical description of this condition (hematidrosis) which was caused by the extreme stress of the situation.

Paul recounts God’s gracious salvation and calls for the audience to repent.

God calls mothers to follow Him with their whole heart.

Regarding sober-mindedness, we are thinking of a Christian who is level-headed, focused on the important things in life, single-minded instead of double-minded, using the mind well, and maintaining an undistracted narrower focus. Can you think of some real life examples where a sober mind is needed or perhaps was lacking? I found an example in the ancient church fathers, where Ignatius wrote to Polycarp these words: "Be sober as God’s athlete. The prize is immortality and eternal life, of which you have been persuaded."

Acts 25:1-27, Paul's Third and Fourth Hearings - Paul uses the legal means at his disposal to save his life from persecutors.

Acts 26:1-32, Paul Before Festus and Agrippa - Paul recounts God’s gracious salvation and calls for the audience to repent.

At our Lord's Table service, we examined what Jesus experienced as he prayed in Gethsemane. We observed that his agony started before the cruel beatings and crucifixion as he sweat blood. We looked at the medical description of this condition (hematidrosis) which was caused by the extreme stress of the situation.

Jesus helps His disciples prepare for what is coming. The immediate need will be for the testing that comes when Jesus is betrayed and arrested. He prophesies that Peter will falter under the tempting hand of the Devil, but that he will be restored. Jesus encourages him by telling him that He is praying for him. The secondary need is that the disciples will be left without Jesus and His special care of them in their journeys. They will have to make use of normal means to care for themselves: money, supplies, even tools for self-defense and other necessary activities.

Five concepts in this prayer disclose the concern of Daniel's heart. First, he recites that God faithfully keeps His promises. Second, God's righteousness warrants confession of the guilty. Third, the Lord is merciful and forgiving. Fourth, The Lord righteously upholds His justice by punishing evil. And fifth, the Lord deserves honor among the nations. Together these five truths reveal the ultimate concern of Daniel's heart was God's glory.

Paul uses the legal means at his disposal to save his life from persecutors. Although the new governor, Festus, initially seems more decisive than Felix before him, it becomes evident that all he wants to do is please the Jewish enemies of Paul. Paul is forced to appeal to Caesar. Otherwise, he would end up in Jerusalem in the hands of the San Hedrin council, who would undoubtedly kill him as they killed Jesus years earlier.

Now at the end of the section on spiritual armor, the apostle Paul teaches us how to pray and for what to pray. For example, he indicates we should pray constantly, being attentive, devoted, and for all the saints. We should pray for the ability to speak the gospel with boldness in response to our obligation as children of God.

The quest for greatness is the pursuit of diligent service.

Regarding sober-mindedness, we are thinking of a Christian who is level-headed, focused on the important things in life, single-minded instead of double-minded, using the mind well, and maintaining an undistracted narrower focus. Can you think of some real life examples where a sober mind is needed or perhaps was lacking? I found an example in the ancient church fathers, where Ignatius wrote to Polycarp these words: "Be sober as God’s athlete. The prize is immortality and eternal life, of which you have been persuaded."

Like Paul, we should testify for Christ at every opportunity.

If you are a person who doubts or rejects the resurrection of Jesus, please think with me about it for a few moments. I want to first explain why we believe Jesus rose from the dead, that is, to give you reasons why you should believe as well. Then, I want to investigate with you why it is unreasonable that you do not believe in the resurrection.

According to sound principles of historical research coupled with Christian presuppositions, it is very reasonable to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. In fact, there is no other explanation for the historical data that is more plausible than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Like Paul, we should testify for Christ at every opportunity.

We must think of the Lord’s supper with the gravity that Jesus did.

God providentially protected His servant Paul so he could move closer to Rome. We can trust God to protect us until our service for Him is over.

While God’s people serve Him, Satan opposes them.

Paul was confident he had done nothing wrong before God, even though the court was not disposed to find the same.

Given the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ, God’s people must maintain holy vigilance.

Riches and honor gained by ungodly means will be destroyed.

An unjust arrest gives Paul an opportunity to testify for Jesus Christ.

All people will be resurrected, but there will be no marriage in Heaven.

An unjust arrest gives Paul an opportunity to testify for Jesus Christ.

The Christian has a divine obligation to serve God and government, each in their respective realm.

God providentially protected His servant Paul and provided an opportunity for him to minister to a hostile crowd and Roman soldiers.

Although rejected by many, Jesus is the centerpiece of God's program.

What God did in Paul’s ministry was not what some people thought Paul was doing in his ministry.

In this message we focus on the parental role in raising children.

Jesus speaks and acts on the authority of God.

Missionary travel is a necessary part of gospel work, and our hospitality as a church to those who serve Christ this way is an essential help to them.

The glorious approach of Jesus to Jerusalem temporarily overshadowed deep spiritual trouble in the Jewish nation; or, If Jesus visited you, how would He find you?

While we await the King’s return, He has commanded us to serve Him faithfully.

The church needs good pastors to protect it from spiritual wolves. God is able to strengthen them to protect the church.

The Spirit-filled believer produces much fruit

Jesus came to find lost people and rescue them—like you.

Earnestly ask God that you not be a victim of spiritual blindness.

God grants salvation to those who admit they are sinners and receive His grace, although that is impossibly hard.

The way of Christ is controversial, but we continue serving the Lord.

Luke 18:9-17 The Self-Righteous and the Humble. A sinner is justified before God by repentant faith alone.

Luke 18:9-14 To Those Who Trust in Themselves, another sermon on the same passage,. If you think highly of yourself, you will be humbled; but if you humble yourself, you will be lifted up

The gospel can progress even in the most pagan of environments.

We must pray persistently and not give up because God is kind and just.

John’s disciples had to be saved, and then they were.

The sudden and catastrophic coming of Christ’s Kingdom means we must not be distracted by worldly attachments or false christs.

The kingdom of God is entirely wrapped up in His Son.

Apollos is an example to us of someone who knows the Bible well and teaches it enthusiastically.

True faith in God glorifies Him by giving thanks.

Make the most of every ministry opportunity.

Jesus is the Son of God come to earth to rescue you.

Develop a lively, forgiving faith by which you happily serve God and take care not to cause others to stumble.

God keeps his promises and is still working to save souls.

God expects us to repent when we hear the testimony of the Bible.

God encourages bold ministry to continue because He has souls to save.

Let God’s Law search your heart instead of justifying yourself.

Christianity offers the only real solution to the problem of evil.

Paul discharged his God-given responsibility to preach the gospel. We must be involved in the same.

We must be faithful stewards for God.

: Sometimes, creative funding is required to do gospel ministry, and partners are always a great help.

Jesus rebukes the attitude that rejects sinners and commends loving them and rejoicing when they repent.

These three responses mirror what you will hear today if you evangelize.

Being a Christian means you put the Lord Jesus first in all things.

Every person must repent of their idolatry and turn to God.

God wishes to fill His kingdom, but many people refuse His invite.

From the book 'Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices' by Thomas Brooks

We must not worship idols, nor worship God in ignorance!

Jesus teaches his followers three important character traits.

We must not worship idols, nor worship God in ignorance!

Threats did not stop Jesus, and He still desires to save you.

We should be troubled by idolatry.

From this familiar passage, missionary Tom Gibbons calls us to radical dedication to Jesus Christ and His gospel in such a way that affects every area of our life. Tragically, too many who profess to know Christ have no intention of living that way. Tom credited Douglas McLachlan and his book Thirsting for Authenticity. We consider the motivation for radical dedication to Christ: the gospel mercies of God Paul explained in the prior 11 chapters of Romans make it right and proper for us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord.

The work of Jesus is the solution to the problem of evil within

We should be troubled by idolatry.

The parables of the mustard seed and leaven show how God's kingdom will have a thorough-going effect on both the world in an external fashion and upon its people by way of internal transformation. But the question hangs out there - who will be part of this kingdom? The Lord Jesus answers in a way less optimistic than the typical expectation today (that most people will be alright). He teaches that relatively few will be saved. Many will seek after it is too late, but only those known by the Lord, those who strive to enter the narrow gate, are the ones who are rescued into God's eternal kingdom.

In this part two of our mini-series on the problem of evil, we touched on several things. First, we discussed the importance of handling the issue fairly, including giving plausible explanations, and regardless of your view of the debate acknowledging explanations that are feasible. Second, we showed that it is not valid to demand our good God 'must' eliminate all evil. We understand that He has justified reason for permitting it, even if we cannot fully explain that reason. Then, we queried about natural evil: are certain natural events really evil if they do not harm anyone? And if they do harm a person, perhaps that harm was intended by God as judgment. Does that make God evil (Rom. 3:5-6)? Next we briefly considered evil as the absence of good, not a 'created thing' per se. Finally, we ended with a question that connects back to the first point: if you demand that God eliminate all evil, do you accept that you yourself will have to be eliminated since your sin is part of the problem of evil?

Christians should be just as energetic in their examination of the Scriptures as the Bereans were.

We must reject hypocritical excuses to avoid doing good.

Sound explanations exist to address the problems of evil.

God assigns judgment for those who bear no fruit.

The Philippian Jailer went from work as usual to despair to salvation, all in a night.

It is wrong to think of ourselves as “holier than thou” in comparison to other people.

The Christian can endure even painful persecution with prayer and song.

Consider your spiritual standing and make every effort to settle with God.

God wants us to use our hands for good in service to Him.

God opens the heart of the person who gets saved in order that they may heed the things of God.

The point in these verses is to lay out in simplest form God's pattern for producing unity and maturity in the church. God gives spiritual gifts to every believer to use in the church for its maturation; therefore, it is essential that each one does his or her part.

The Lord’s work requires of us careful discernment.

God wants us to use our hands for good in service to Him.

The Lord will suddenly return, bringing blessing and judgment with Him. So we must be faithful to His cause and ready for His return.

God guided Paul and Silas to a specific destination, but closed the door on two regions where they wished to go to preach the gospel.

Give first place to God’s kingdom and trust Him to provide for you.

God’s people are expected to love Him with their whole selves.

Paul did not allow the matter of circumcision to become a hindrance to the gospel. He also did not allow it to supplant the gospel. Instead, he took care of the matter with Timothy and then continued earnestly in the Great Commission. They saw God increase the membership of the churches and strengthen them in the faith.

Life is not about what you have; it is about what you give to God.

God’s people are expected to love Him with their whole selves.

This message addresses the apostle Paul's desire to revisit the churches that he had planted in his first missionary tour. Then, we discussed the unfortunate incident of the dispute between Paul and Barnabas about John Mark.

In the bigger picture, we must keep in mind the focal effort of our churches. While we combat false teaching, we also need to keep pushing out into the regions of darkness beyond to start churches and encourage and strengthen disciples. This is the normal operation of the church since the first century and it must continue until the Lord returns.

Jesus warns us about hypocrisy and teaches how to handle persecution without ourselves falling into hypocrisy.

God’s people are expected to love Him with their whole selves.

The church at Jerusalem, in consultation with the apostles, elders, and representatives of the church at Antioch, come to the correct understanding of the gospel and its requirements on Gentiles. They very clearly conclude that circumcision and law-keeping are not required of Gentile Christians, either to become Christians or to remain that way.

Jesus harshly criticizes externally-focused religion and highlights the critical importance of inner purity.

Sin warps our thinking; God helps us think well.

What is happening with the Gentiles is no surprise because for centuries God has been promising to provide salvation for the Gentiles. James points out that in Amos 9:11-15, God promised to raise up the royal house of David with beneficial effect toward the Gentiles. No surprise then that God would be working with Gentiles in the present age as well.

Jesus reveals the problem was not the lack of a sign, it was a problem in the spiritual life of those request the sign.

Church leaders and the church as a whole must work together to restate and defend the truth of God’s word.

John 12:41 informs us that Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord ... Jesus Christ! Let us remember that our Savior is holy, sinless, worthy of worship, and worthy of our life of service.

You need to evaluate your own response to the Lord Jesus. Are you like any of these responses—illogical, absurd, re-directing, misdirecting, professing to be neutral, not caring about the word of God or obeying it? Or are you like a wise man who hears what Jesus says and obeys it (Luke 6:46-49, Matt. 7:24)?

Are you persistent in prayer, or lazy in prayer? Do you truly trust in God’s goodness or just pay it lip service?

Pastor Postiff addresses a number of questions including one about the Great Harlot in Revelation 17-19, unity of believers in a denominational world, a question about the kings of Judah and Israel, and whether Romans 2:14-16 allows for some people to be judged on a basis other than their relationship to Jesus Christ.

Psalm 88 is a personal lament. The psalmist's prolonged affliction has left him feeling alone and abandoned like the dead. His concern is that in death there is no opportunity to declare God's glory among the living. Therefore, the psalmist persistently cries out to God for deliverance. We learn from the psalmist that when in the pit of prolonged affliction, believers should persistently pray for God’s deliverance with a view toward declaring God’s glory.

A. The model prayer, or any prayer for that matter that is patterned after it, is of no value if the heart of the person praying it is not walking with God. “If I cherish iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (loose quotation of Psalm 66:18). B. The question and the Lord’s answer concern private, individual prayer. The Lord is not talking about public prayer offered in a gathered worship service. That topic is addressed elsewhere in Scripture (1 Cor. 11:4-13, 14:13-17; 1 Thess. 5:17, 5:25; 1 Tim. 2:1-8). Paul in particular gives reports about the content of his prayers. I do not believe those things violate the Lord’s prohibition about public prayer in Matthew 6 because Paul is not giving the prayer report to seek praise from people as the Pharisees were doing. He is giving the report to edify and encourage the church. Those who pray publicly in church also must pray with similar motivation. We also see examples of the first church praying together in Acts 1:14, 4:24-31, 12:12, 13:3, 14:23, 20:36, 21:5, 27:29. C. The model prayer gives us a template, an outline if you will, that shows our focus in all things it to be heavenward—toward God as holy Father, toward God’s kingdom and will, toward God’s provision, toward God’s mercy in forgiveness, with respect to our similar godly attitude toward others, and toward holiness in our conduct. D. The model prayer does not accomplish its design if we do not pray very much or often.

In myself: A. Repent. Confess any sin. Ask God to help you think better in the future, more carefully, more truly, etc. In others: B. Do not treat the failed person with malice, harsh judgement, ill will, lack of love, lack of mercy, etc. C. Love covers a multitude of sins. D. Gently ask the person to explain their thinking, and if truly he is not “thinking well” then ask him to amend his ways. If there is a pattern of sin, expose that as a help to the brother or sister so they will break that pattern. E. Be quick to forgive.

This reminds us of several truths that we need to really engage with: 1. Paul and his missionary team were doing exactly what the Great Commission told them to do. 2. The Great Commission is not just about preaching the gospel, but doing the next steps – making disciples, maturing disciples, organizing disciples into churches with pastors. The Great Commission requires more of us than to only share the gospel. There is also required continued teaching, encouragement, warning, and establishing of local churches with qualified leadership. 3. Our church’s missions program needs to be focused on this kind of work—since that is what the Great Commission is! Social programs are not missions. If we keep that clear, we have the start of a good foundation to go forward in our missionary program. 4. Our local church ministries and programs need to be focused on making disciples, not just doing things for things’ sake.

One other thing: remember that Martha was trying to serve the Lord Jesus. And there is nothing wrong with that when considered in isolation from everything else. But when the activities and programs of your church life become frenetic and you begin to complain, the making of disciples has become secondary. The problem is one of proportion and priority. Our focus should be to become like Jesus by being with Him. Church is not about programs and activities. It is about people becoming like Jesus Christ. Some churches need to reduce their activities and programs and take some time to focus. I am not certain we need to do that, because many of us are not crazy busy with church stuff most of the time. But we need to be clear on our priority: being like Jesus by being with Him more.

Thinking is a very personal thing. I cannot get into your head. Only you know what is there (1 Cor. 2:11). But you can tell other people what is there. And God knows what is in there! Jesus came to rescue us from every evil deed and thought. Moreover, He through the Word of God and the Spirit of God helps His people to think good. Apart from Him you cannot succeed in thinking good.

A main idea from the book of Acts is the work of the Spirit in the early Christians to propagate the gospel and start new churches. In Acts 13 and 14 record the first forays into the Gentile world with the gospel. We are to continue teaching the same kinds of things they did, starting churches like they did, ministering to people like they did, refusing idolatrous worship like they did, dealing with persecution like they did, etc. God will ensure that His word makes the progress He wants it to make. People will be saved and transformed.

To whom should you be neighbor? To all kinds of people. To those who are downtrodden, despised, rejected, marginalized, and hated. To the poor and addicts. To those victimized by sin and confused by all the immoral messages that are shouted from the rooftops. To those who need some extra cash, to those who are depressed, to those who are grumpy, to your family members! To homeless and abused children and people walking down the sidewalk. To Jews. To foreigners, refugees, illegal immigrants. To people of the political movement that you despise. But the focus is not ultimately on them. It is on you. Are you a love-your-neighbor type? Or do you pick and choose who your neighbors are?

I have been focusing on 'thinking no evil' in relation to other people. There is plenty of opportunity to consider another entire avenue, and that is plain old evil thoughts related to ourselves and our own sins, not in relation to other people. But we cannot do that now. Jesus came to rescue us from our own thoughts. He did not only pay for our sins to offer us forgiveness and a right standing with God. He also died so that we might be delivered from iniquity. And not just sin of deeds, but sins of thoughts as well. He does indeed want us to 'think no evil.' With His help, we can restrain our musings about other people’s wrong and refocus on things that are godly.

Follow the apostolic example (1 Cor. 11:1, Philippians 3:17): Speak boldly for Christ. Do not give up in the face of opposition. In fact, expect it and know that some will be poisoned against you. Leave when you have to. Go on to new territory if the old is closed or already covered by other sound ministries.

We who are Christians have the blessing and joy of salvation in Christ, and of the revealed knowledge of God and His coming kingdom, as well as all that we read about Jesus Christ in the Bible—even more than the disciples had! This brings a huge responsibility to us. The world has enjoyed a great era since Christ came—an age in which his teachings have been proclaimed throughout the world and spread to the unknown world through the efforts of Christians and churches. We today are blessed with revealed truth from heaven like no time in history. We must not take that privilege for granted, but rather make the most of it. We most certainly must not reject it, lest we fall into the same judgment as the cities rejected of Jesus.

Thoughts evoked by this message on the gospel of Jesus Christ: An inclusive message – for all, Jews or Gentiles. A rejoicing message - joy out of hopelessness. An attractive message – many people want to hear it. An off-putting message – many do not like the new, different aspect of it. A polarizing message – some receive and many reject. A growing message – through positive testimony and negative persecution. A saving message – as opposed to going before God unjustified. A transforming message – forgiveness and life out of sin and death. A condemning message – shaking the dust off.

Previously, He had told the disciples that if someone receives them, they will receive the Lord, and if they receive the Lord, they will receive the Father as well (Matt. 10:40). So, if the city were favorable to his messengers, then Jesus could expect something of a favorable response to His further ministry in the city. But if the city had already rejected the disciples, it was not going to receive Him and He may have skipped a stop and spent more time on fertile ground. You might say, 'If only Jesus were here, He would get them to believe.' Not necessarily, dear evangelist. For if they do not receive you, they will not receive Him either. In fact, when you are sharing His word, Jesus is there by His Spirit. He can do everything that He could do if He were physically present. So, trust Him, and share His message with people.

Our teacher, James Widgeon, opens his teaching series on Jeremiah's Lamentations.

Thoughts evoked by this message on the gospel of Jesus Christ: An inclusive message – for all, Jews or Gentiles. A rejoicing message - joy out of hopelessness. A polarizing message – some receive and many reject. A growing message – through positive testimony and negative persecution. A saving message – as opposed to going before God unjustified. A transforming message – forgiveness and life out of sin and death. A condemning message – shaking the dust off.

Jesus knew the cost of totally following God; He may have left His earthly father at the end of his life; He did not stay with his mother and left His brothers and sisters behind and did not spend the last few years with them. Do you hesitate to believe in Jesus because of ties to this world? Because of the potential costs to your lifestyle, friends, etc.? But what about when confronted with the command, 'Follow Me'? Do you rank Jesus higher than all that? Do you honor Him with more honor than all those things that could draw you away from Him? This kind of teaching caused many people to turn away from Jesus during His ministry. They might say, 'If that is what He is asking, I am out!' What he offers is certainly not palatable to our sinful natures. But what He gives is so much better than all that. You might leave 10 friends today, but you will gain 1,000 more in eternity future, and a sizable number today as well! You might lose some measure of closeness with family, but you will gain family far beyond in size and closeness (Mark 10:29-30).

In this second part of our message on Israel, we explain a moderate Christian approach to the nation of Israel. We do not advocate blind support for Israel in all its activities or beliefs, nor do we advocate for special disapproval upon Israel. Notes are available here.

Thoughts evoked by this message on the gospel of Jesus Christ: An inclusive message – for all, Jews or Gentiles. A rejoicing message - joy out of hopelessness. A polarizing message – some receive and many reject. A growing message – through positive testimony and negative persecution. A saving message – as opposed to going before God unjustified. A transforming message – forgiveness and life out of sin and death. A condemning message – shaking the dust off.

We studied Hebrews regarding the Christian's altar, a metaphor for the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.

John and the others learned here from the Lord the character traits of sacrifice, love, gentleness, and meekness. Jesus dealt with their hubris and put it into its place three times. Humility yields a true kind of tolerance—a compassionate love for those who are victims of sin and slaves of darkness. Godly meekness ignores slights, leaves vengeance to the Lord, uses power and strength to serve others instead of destroy them.

In this part one of our study on Israel, we focused on the history of the nation as to its residency in the land known as Canaan, Israel, Judea, or Palestine. Pastor Postiff laid out the Biblical history and then presented a timeline of events from secular history. This background helps us to understand the current conflicts in the region. This is a hot topic these days, and to avoid misunderstanding, notes are available here.

Paul went where a crowd was gathered and preached the gospel to them. Let us do that too. He started 'where the audience was' and took them to Jesus.

Paul went where a crowd was gathered and preached the gospel directly to the crowd. Let’s do that too. He started 'where the audience was' and took them to Jesus.

Think on this again: just like the Transfiguration gave way to the suffering of the world, here again the glory of the Messiah in healing a young boy is resonating with the crowd while at the exact same moment the Messiah is explaining that He will lower Himself even more than He has already. He came in fashion as a man; but that was not enough. For He then humbled Himself to the point of betrayal by His own people and death at the hands of the Romans, even death on a cross. He would lower Himself one step further, to be placed in a tomb that did not belong to Him. He is the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, and every beast in every forest, the creator of earth and all its fullness, the stars, and galaxies from one end of the heavens to the other end 93 billion light years distant. And he owned no spot of ground to rest his head, or even to be buried. Yet He was raised the third day because He is the author of life, and it was not possible that death could hold Him! This juxtaposition highlights the height of the exaltation of Jesus Christ alongside the depth of the humiliation. The contrast shows that Jesus is worthy of all majesty. He is worthy of worship in His humblest moment, and in His most glorious. I beseech you to give Him His due recognition. He deserves all of it. And no matter how difficult your case seems to be, our Lord can take care of it like He cared for the child.

Acts 13:13-22 Preaching in the Synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia

Acts 13:23-41 Preaching the Gospel in Antioch of Pisidia

I wonder if the Transfiguration served a purpose other than to show Jesus as glorious king and revealer of God’s will. Could it be the answer to the Lord’s prayer on the mountain that night? Perhaps the Father showed approval of His son by glorifying Him and making a proclamation of His Son’s eminent worthiness prior to His suffering, the path of which would begin in earnest in Luke 9:51.

Regular spiritual cleanup is needed in our lives. Jesus is the master cleaner, but we join His work.

We call this work missions, from the title Great Commission. It is more direct to say that such work is evangelism and church planting. Whatever you call it, the teaching the word of the Lord to new areas is a necessity for the Christian church. Such work faces opposition from the devil and his agents. But we can trust God to protect and help us through.

We come back then to the resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe— with utter certainty and conviction—that Jesus died and then on the third day rose again from the dead. This is not a guess or wishful thinking. It did truly happen. All the propaganda in the world cannot change that fact, yet that is what non-Christian people have been trying to do for centuries. Your mind is its own built-in propagandist, attempting to get around the truth about Jesus. But the implications of His resurrection are enormous. If you are not a Christian, the event of the resurrection calls for serious examination. If Jesus arose from the dead, it would seem to me from your perspective that there is a much higher likelihood that the Bible is true; that what Jesus taught is true; that what Christians have been saying for centuries is true; that Heaven is real; that Hell is dreadfully real; that all of us will face Jesus as judge; and all that is true despite some hang-ups or un-answered questions that you might have.

Therefore, I do not see a need to 'abandon' the traditional or common view. If we do not divide the Trinity or posit some other strange happening, we can say that God the Son was estranged from God the Father for a moment in time.

Notice that the church gave up some of its spiritually gifted people and their gifts to reproduce other churches in other areas of the Roman empire. This left holes in the ministry, but they still had no lack of prophets and teachers to carry on the local ministry of Antioch. God called Saul and Barnabas. He may well do the same to someone who is hearing these words!

Christians happily acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord: “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5). “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:11). “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9-10). That is what Christians do. We do not quibble about whether He is Lord because He is. Instead, we try to learn how we can best follow Him and best love Him and keep His commands and learn His teachings and implement them in our daily lives. We know by this that our lives will be better, the world will be better, Christ will be pleased, and we will get good marks at our final judgment at His throne.

Emphasize in your minds the early church’s example of prayer. It is amazing. Think on what they learned from Jesus. Let us ask the Father to help us do likewise.

What can we glean from this portion? These three sections do not seem to naturally fall under a single heading. 1. The disciples, although sent to the house of Israel only on this occasion, were doing something like what we are called to do: preach the kingdom of God. We ought to know a little bit about that kingdom and the basics of the faith that we share with the world. 2. Herod is just a bad character, a villain, a pattern for all the ungodly rulers in the world. 3. Jesus took what little the disciples could produce and increased it tremendously. He can do a similar thing for your and my meager spiritual abilities so that we can do meaningful things for God and have a good impact on people around us.

Learn from the example of these people ... Evangelism, Encouragement, Example, Edification, Determination, many people became Christians. God can do the same among us today.

and also Acts 12:1-24, Persecution, Round 4 (just the first section covered this evening)

Take note of the similarities in the two situations: both 12 years, both unclean, both falling down before Jesus, both called 'daughter,' both accounts give prominence to faith, both have touch, and both are immediate healings.

Once you are baptized, and if you are truly serious about being a Christian, your spiritual life will grow and grow. You will accelerate and take off. This is not because some magic happened while you were in the water. Progress follows because you have made a serious-minded decision to be obedient to Christ. After all He did for you and all He gave for you through a simple transaction of faith, the least you can do for Him is to show Him your love by obeying His command to be baptized and to tell others the great things that God has done for you. And when you do that, God is pleased, others are happy for you, and you know you are doing God’s will. Nothing energizes our service for God more than that!

Asst. Pastor Lorch preached an encouraging message on Psalm 12.

If the ship had gone down, our salvation would have sunk with it. But there was nothing to worry about. Jesus demonstrated that He is the sovereign and supernatural ruler over nature. Jesus shows Himself to be that LORD with power over the stormy wind and waves. May we in faith give thanks to Him for His goodness in caring for us too.

In this lesson we examined objectives for parenting during various ages of a child's development, roughly 0-5, 5-12, and 13-18+. We also spent some time thinking about how to do a "parenting performance evaluation." We continue to use material from Ted Tripp's book Shepherding a Child's Heart.

Peter was in trouble with his Jewish friends because he went into a Gentile home and ate with Gentiles (10:28). This was not a "kosher" thing to do for a Jewish person. After explaining what happened, with the weight of a half-dozen eyewitnesses to the situation, Peter's Jewish friends were satisfied that God was doing His good work among the Gentiles too.

Our church family took some time to remember those who have lost a little one early in life. We hope you will be encouraged by the words shared in this recording.

Video is also available.

Not on the recording is the reading of Psalm 139:1-18.

The lamp’s lesson for us is that we must set forth our light to those around us. If our light is dark, how will our neighbors see the light of Christ? How we 'hear the light' is critical—like letting the seed grow instead of sitting in the freezer doing nothing! Our response will be tested at the judgment.

I thank God that God sent the good news through Jesus—and even included Gentiles.

In this sermon, Pastor Postiff covers the lengthy section of Luke 8:1-15. In these verses, Luke explains the Lord's co-workers and His itinerant preaching ministry. The main body of the message concerned the parable of the soils. The Lord illustrated the response to His teaching with three types of soils that produced no fruit, each representing a variation of an unsaved response to God's word. He illustrated a good and saving response to the Word of God by a fourth soil that produced much fruit.

We begin in this message to look at more specifics in terms of parenting very young children. Particularly, our goal is to help our young ones to become obedient, to honor and obey so that they will do well and live long on the earth.

I thank God that God sent the good news through Jesus—and even included Gentiles.

When she came to Jesus, she was in a state. She was grieved by her sin. She was repentant. She was troubled. Now, she had assurance directly from the Master that that she was saved. Her sins were cleansed. She could go in peace. It is safe to assume that she understood “and sin no more.”

Assistant Pastor Lorch continues to walk us through a statement of his doctrine as he prepares for his future ordination service, and reminds us of basic Christian truth.

Do you recognize God is right? And you are wrong? If so, you are right now ready to turn to Jesus and be saved. If you have doubts about Jesus, look carefully at the historical record of what He did. Connect it back to the prophecies about the Messiah and see how they were fulfilled in Him. Pray to God. Look at His words. Trust that Jesus will mercifully answer your need as He did for John the Baptist. He will not necessarily give you a better situation immediately, but He will strengthen your faith to keep going! And know that the praise you look for is not the praise of men (John 12:43), but the praise of the Son of God (like Romans 2:29). He will not forget all that you do for Him (Heb. 6:10). I trust that you do serve Him, not just in theory but in practice.

In this class we discussed some practical ways to draw out what your child is thinking. Our goal is correct behavior from a heart that loves God

Our assistant pastor is teaching us through the doctrines of the Bible. This is foundational material that every Christian ought to know.

We see fear and faith mixed in the response of the centurion. We see fear in the crowd, and no doubt Jesus’s miracles in both cases were the impetus for faith in some of the onlookers. Do you also fear Jesus and believe in Him to the saving of your soul?

We learn that Cornelius, though a man of faith, still had to be brought up to date with the latest developments about the gospel. Peter was sent to ensure that he had the critical and saving information.

In this message, Assistant Pastor Jansen Lorch explains his personal doctrinal statement on the doctrine of God the Father, and demonstrates where these truths are found in Scripture.

In response to His sermon then, or any sermon, do not presume to fix everyone else’s problems—rather you carefully consider your own ways and the ways of your family. You ask yourself if you are bearing good fruit or not. And you consider whether you are hearing and doing, or just hearing.

God teaches Peter that purity distinctions based on the old covenant food laws are to be set aside. Such laws cannot any longer be used to justify what we would today call "discrimination" because God cleansed the food, *and* he cleansed the people who partake of that food. The food itself need not be kosher and the food need not be prepared in a kosher manner for it to be received with prayer and thanksgiving.

In this Lord's Table message, Pastor Postiff urges us to examine our life stewardship (management) to evaluate how we are using our God-given resources to accomplish our God-assigned tasks in life. One angle we examined was whether we are stewarding our lives in such a way that we regularly attend the Lord's Table services at our church. Another angle is more general, exposed by asking this question: do we need to confess stewardship failures in any area of our life as we approach God to worship Him? Finally, we turned our focus away from ourselves toward Jesus, Who died for us and rose again so that we could be saved from sin.

We learn what Jesus teaches His followers about ethics, particularly in difficult situations with people who hate us and persecute us. Jesus urges us to love and pray and do good and give, especially when the recipient does not deserve it.

In Ezra 10:1-44, Ezra advises the Israelites to put away their pagan wives. Israel responded appropriately to this counsel.

We learn about a devout Gentile named Cornelius. God instructed him to call for Peter and hear the gospel from the apostle to the Jews. Chapter 10-11 mark off a kind of official welcome to Gentiles to be saved by faith in Christ.

Obviously, the Lord is highlighting the blessedness of the humble. His preaching, though it does not explicitly demand this kind of conduct, obviously is calling for us to be that way. We should pray to God to help us recognize our spiritual poverty, ask Him to give us an insatiable appetite for righteousness and to fill it, ask him to sustain us as we weep over things that grieve Him until the time of joy comes, and seek to persevere in persecution knowing that if it is for the Son of Man’s sake, it is eternally worthwhile.

In Ezra 10:1-44, Ezra advises the Israelites to put away their pagan wives. Israel responded appropriately to this counsel.

The church continues to expand during the time of peace after God stopped Paul's persecution of the church. Peter raised Dorcas (Tabitha) as yet another authenticating miracle.

Over the years, I have done a series of 'perspectives' messages on Christmas — Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, now the angels. This has helped us to have a wholistic and Biblical perspective on the birth of Jesus.

We cannot come to a doctrine like this and expect to 'bend' it into something that we can easily understand without effort. Just because it is difficult does not mean it is untrue. And furthermore, how is it that we expect the singular God of the Universe, and the unique God-man, to be something just like us? We are complex beings comprised of body and spirit; emotion and will; affections and desires; heart and mind. Our body alone is a machine of unparalleled complexity—a marvel of design mechanically and chemically. God is so much more than we are, so much higher, so infinite, so marvelous, that we cannot but expect His constitution to reach way beyond the limit of our understanding. Yet the blessed thing is that we can know Him through Jesus, and that knowing is eternal life (John 17:3)!

Paul's persecution was finally over and the church experienced a blessed time of growth. Miracles continued to be done through the hand of Peter.

Ezra confesses to God Israel's guilt and reflects upon God's upon past mercies despite the nation's sins.

Once again, the Lord Jesus was criticized for doing good on the Sabbath. We try in this message to make sure that our understanding of the Sabbath is Biblical, not based on the traditions of people or religious denominations. By extension, we need to evaluate our thinking on religious matters as a whole and make sure we are not living merely by tradition, but in fact we are honoring the word of God by obeying it.

Saul was changed completely 'overnight' on the road to Damascus, but God had quite some work to do on him over the following years before he was ready to be a missionary. But ready he became! Perhaps the years in which you find yourself right now are years of preparation for work that God has prepared for you later.

Let’s boil it down: we need to believe that God sent His Son as our Savior. God urges us to believe the truth that Jesus came to die for our sins and offer us the free light of life. Believe the truth that He came as a baby, He died as Savior, He rose again from the dead as Lord, and that He will reign as King. If you take this King as your own, you will be cleansed and your darkness will become light. And remember, soon the day will dawn and the daystar will arise over the entire earth, bringing comprehensive peace on earth and good will among mankind. The Lord Jesus will return and there will be a time of great joy to the world because the ancient wrongs will be righted and whatever is the best way to run a society will be the rule of the day. You can see that only if you are brought into the family of light which is under Jesus.

This is not a matter of preference, as if you can continue to enjoy the old wine without considering the new. It is a matter of 'genuine religion' and true morality. Jesus did not come to bring a new option. He brought a whole new system and urges you to come out of the old and into the new.

Assistant Pastor Lorch takes us through the section of his personal doctrinal statement having to do with God. Particulars about the Father, Son, and Spirit are left for later sessions.

Saul was changed completely 'overnight' on the road to Damascus, but God had quite some work to do on him over the following years before he was ready to be a missionary.

If you are a sinner, you need to get close to the Lord, not tell Him to get away! Peter told the Lord to get away (Luke 5:8). But the leper received a touch from the Lord (Luke 5:13) and the paralytic was brought near to receive help (Luke 5:18). These people did not necessarily come looking for the answer to their deepest need, but the Lord is gracious about that and supplied it anyway. Isolating yourself from the Lord and His people is not going to solve your problem!

Missionaries to Argentina

The more directly applicable part of this section is about Jesus’s teaching. 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also' Since He had to, we have to. As I have said oft before, we may not have all the same details he had, like the kingdom is immediately at hand. But we do have the same basic idea—unless one is born again by repentant faith, that one will not enter, experience, or enjoy the kingdom of God when it comes in the future. Jesus has 'all authority in heaven and on earth' (Matt. 28:19). He has delegated some of that to His church to carry on His work.

Self Control

Every good gift is from above, James 1:17. We certainly have enough “material” to abound in thanksgiving toward God (Colossians 2:6-7).

Check yourself. If you are getting hot under the collar right now because I told you that God views you as a sinner, then you are responding just like the hard-hearted audience of this passage. If you are angry at the messenger, what that really means is that you are rejecting God — because I am just recounting what Scripture says, and Scripture is God’s word, not mine. Please do not repeat the same error of these unbelieving synagogue goers. They were not very religious after all, were they? We know because they wanted to murder a man!

A real change was wrought in Saul’s heart. It was clear from the getgo that he was entirely transformed. God chose Saul. If you are a Christ-follower, God chose you too, before you knew it, and He purposed to transform you like He did Saul. He also purposed to have you do good works for Him (Eph. 2:10). We are indeed chosen to be forgiven, and chosen to serve Him. Will you be like Saul and say, 'I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision!' (Acts 26:19)?

Remove the miraculous and direct revelation elements from this account, and you have a story that that we should be replicating in our lives.

Check yourself. If you are getting hot under the collar right now because I told you that God views you as a sinner, then you are responding just like the hard-hearted audience of this passage. If you are angry at the messenger, what that really means is that you are rejecting God—because I am just recounting what Scripture says, and Scripture is God’s word, not mine. Please do not repeat the same error of these unbelieving synagogue goers. They were not very religious after all, were they? We know because they wanted to murder a man!

All the goodness at the end of the prophecy is tied to this truth: 'the LORD your God in your midst.' The repeated refrain throughout Scripture: God will be their God, and they will be His people. When God is near, there is no reason to fear or be weak. He will save and quiet you and rejoice over you with gladness and singing. This is true across the ages and will be the experience of all believers.

Satan left Jesus alone, but only for a little while. There would be many other temptations throughout His life, but God did not record most of them for us in Scripture. He did detail the internal and very human struggle of Jesus at Gethsemane. But then as in Luke 4, Jesus chose not to give in to the lure of personal comfort, instead committing to do God’s will, not His own. Jesus would be a perfect model of a God-fearing man.

Assistant Pastor Lorch takes us through the section of his personal doctrinal statement that has to do with Christian belief about the Bible.

Threats to the church include persecution as well as false belief and syncretism. These can expose the weakness either of discernment regarding false belief or an uncommitted stance toward Christ. Christians desire to pay close attention to their lives to see that they are characterized by the kinds of things we listed above. Two strengths of the church are the great joy of salvation and the unity of all believers regardless of their ethnic background. There are millions more opportunities for this to happen as we expand beyond our current borders and reach people who are lost.

Satan left Jesus alone, but only for a little while. There would be many other temptations throughout His life, but God did not record most of them for us in Scripture. He did detail the internal and very human struggle of Jesus at Gethsemane. But then as in Luke 4, Jesus chose not to give in to the lure of personal comfort, instead committing to do God’s will, not His own. Jesus would be a perfect model of a God-fearing man.

Put yourself back in the 27 AD. Would you take John’s baptism? In other words, would you associate yourself with his message of repentance, turning to God, and doing works befitting repentance? Would you humble yourself and participate with a man seen by the leadership of Israel as a strange bird (at best) or a lunatic? Would you repent of your sin, idolatry, covetousness, lust, blasphemy, filthy language, immorality, bad thoughts, etc. and admit your need for Jesus to cleanse you?

Case closed - the Jewish people have a historical pattern of rebellion against God and his messengers, and that it is no different at the present time because they have rebelled against God by rejecting Jesus and persecuting His followers. They prove the point by killing Stephen. Hasten to hear this - Gentiles are no different! People tend to be proud rebels—openly or quietly does not matter. With enough power at their disposal, people will do terrible things to other humans in their pursuit of godless self-autonomy.

For John, the first coming of the Messiah was a critical impetus for people to repent. The second coming is no less of a motivation for us today to prepare the way for Him by turning from sin to Christ and receiving forgiveness.

Stephen does not seem to be scared or anxious. He did not worry about what he was going to say (Matthew 10:19-20, Mark 13:11). To the contrary, he was sort of “glowing.” God gave some extraordinary appearance to Stephen so it would be even more evident that he was a messenger of God. In both gospel passages referenced, the outcome is those people would be delivered to death by their own brothers. As we know, that is what happened to Stephen, who became the first Christian martyr.

A major way to apply what we learn here is to strive to raise our children so that they are concerned about the things of God and that they experience God’s grace, wisdom, and a strong, discerning spirit. We need to be diligent to figure out how to build an environment where we cultivate this kind of young person. For one thing, we must be people who are concerned about the things of God and are serious about God’s grace and wisdom and discernment. We cannot cultivate that which we know nothing about!

If we believe like Simeon and live like him, we will do well. His standard was righteousness toward men and devoutness toward God. If we see Jesus as Simeon saw him, we will also do well. He saw salvation right before his eyes. He saw suffering in Christ’s future and salvation for those who trust in Him. He saw Jesus as the test of people’s hearts, whether they would believe and rise, or reject and fall. Jesus is a refuge, but He is also a stone of stumbling (Isaiah 8:14).

For leaders—Lead, and don’t do everything. For deacons—Be qualified, and work hard on your assigned tasks. Be skilled in them. For the congregation—Participate responsibly in selecting leaders, knowing who is spiritually qualified, and then help by not making their job difficult! Watch out for your teachers and pray that they do not become overwhelmed. Do not be prejudiced. Make sure that the church focuses on its God-given tasks such as the ministry of the Word, prayer, evangelism—and taking care of poor in the church.

I wish that I could unlock your mind and put these things in there and turn on the 'treasure and ponder' switch. I cannot do that. God can, however. And you have a part to play in it. About these most significant human events you have a choice to treasure them or reject them. A choice to ponder them or ignore them. A chance to believe them or scoff at them. An opportunity to be grateful or dismissive. You can consider them carefully as the days pass by, or the days can pass you by until you perish in your sin. We have here before us true history—it really happened that a man came from God. All the evidence we see later in Scripture points in the direction that He was extraordinary, unique, different than every other man. Christians embrace that this uniqueness points to His deity, that He in fact is Lord of heaven and earth, that he died for sinners and rose again from the dead. That’s the whole point of Christmas—that Jesus came to save His people from their sins.

The focus of John the Baptist and of his dad is on CHRIST. Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Zacharias said, Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. They explained why they said these things. Like those blessed saints of old, we too should be worshipping God in holy service.

Continuing Ministry of the Early Church

Take a moment to take stock of this fact. There is no self help in the Bible! There is God help but no self help. It is God who helps. It is God who raises up the lowly. It is God who did great things for young Mary. It is God who provides mercy to those who fear Him. It is God who helps Israel. The saying, God helps those who help themselves, has a wrong focus. Of course, we ought to be active participants in what God wants us to do, but to make God’s help secondary to us helping ourselves gives us way too much credit. Rather, we should say, God helps those who cannot help themselves.

I believe we should go about sharing the good news about Jesus without fear of what the authorities or society are going to do in response. If we are called on the carpet, give them the same testimony that Peter and John did. We have the privilege of sharing the message that blesses people by turning them away from sin.

I believe we should go about sharing the good news about Jesus without fear of what the authorities or society are going to do in response. If we are called on the carpet, give them the same testimony that Peter and John did. We have the privilege of sharing the message that blesses people by turning them away from sin.

Churches should keep themselves pure by avoiding the temptation to hastily appoint elders. Churches should allow for a period of time to evaluate the work and character of a man, allowing time for disqualifying sins to surface that might otherwise go unnoticed. Paul warns of the danger of acting hastily. Churches should avoid the guilt and responsibility of appointing men who later demonstrates themselves unfit for ministry. Paul writes a parenthetical remark to Timothy concerning using wine to help with Timothy's frequent illnesses. This passage is not to be used as an endorsement for social drinking.

Last time we learned about the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth to Zacharias and Elizabeth. Gabriel was the announcer of that momentous event. His next job was to visit Mary and announce to her the birth of the Messiah. Pastor Postiff addressed doubts about the virgin conception and birth on account of other supposed cases of parthenogenesis. The application emphasis was on Mary's willingness to be a servant of the Lord, and the question about whether we are as willing as she was.

Think of one area of your life where you need to live more closely to the Lord. Think of a regular sin, habit, pattern, addiction, repeated temptation, stumbling block, fear, anxiety. What is one of those things that is prominent in your mind right now?

Let the question sink in and think about it.

Now...how do you think God can help you deal with that situation? Notice I did not ask "How do you think YOU can solve the problem?" I asked, "How GOD can help you, how GOD can work in your, to deal with the problem?"

An accusation against an elder is a serious matter. While not to be ignored, an accusation is not to be accepted as true unless there are two or more witnesses. If the accusation proves true, the sinning elder is to be rebuked before the whole church. The act of rebuking an elder before the whole church can have a very sanctifying effect as it can be a deterrent to prevent others from participating in a similar wrongdoing. Timothy was not to show prejudice or partiality when accusations arose against an elder.

John and his parents are fine examples for us. By God’s grace, we too can Be righteous before God by faith, Be upright on our conduct, Experience answered prayer and the joy of it, Lead our children to be good in God’s sight, though they may not embrace John’s way for themselves, Avoid alcohol and other impure things; Be filled with God’s Spirit, Be an agent to point people to God, Believe God’s word, Be thankful to God when He gives gifts to us. The bigger picture was that God was setting up for One far greater than John to come and provide redemption for His people. John is a pointer to Jesus, a man great in his own right, but comparatively unworthy to loosen the sandal straps of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this session, we practiced our prior studies by looking in detail at 1 Peter 5:5-7 and John 3:16.

Peter and John enabled a lame man to walk, and God used this to authenticate not only their ministry but also to point the crowds to Jesus Christ in whose name the healing was performed. Once again, Peter confronts the people for supporting the crucifixion of Jesus and calls the people to repent and be converted. Since Jesus is that prophet that was like Moses (Deut. 18:15), it was imperative that the people listen to this message, else they will be destroyed. Peter ends on the note of blessing--God sent Christ to bless the people in turning them away from sin. To be turned from sin to God is the greatest of blessings that we can experience.

Acts 2 reveals eleven indispensable actions and attitudes that every church should have.

• Preach the gospel
• Baptist new Christians
• Welcome in new converts
• Continue in the Apostle's doctrine
• Continue in fellowship and regularly meeting together
• Continue in breaking of bread and eating meals together
• Continue in prayer
• Interact with outsiders
• Meet each other's needs
• Share a joyful mindset
• Praise God

Every church should work on these characteristics.

Art Fair Update

Luke wrote under the influence or superintendence of the Holy Spirit of God. What he wrote is true and without error. It is authoritative. It is meant to strengthen the faith of Christians, or to encourage nascent faith of not-quite-Christians so they can have a stable, certain foundation on which to build faith.

Acts 2 reveals eleven indispensable actions and attitudes that every church should have. In this message, we covered the first five or so:

• Preach the gospel
• Baptist new Christians
• Welcome in new converts
• Continue in the Apostle's doctrine
• Continue in fellowship and regularly meeting together

All pastors are worthy of respect and remuneration (Deut. 25:4; 1 Cor. 9:7–9), but pastors who rule exceptionally well by proving themselves to be devoted to their ministry--especially in teaching and preaching--are deserving of double honor. Double honor does not mean double the financial compensation, but deserving of greater respect and remuneration.

Your life is a microcosm of Israel’s generations-long history of unfaithfulness. Hopefully, you will receive the grace of God and then you will experience the other side of the situation: the enduring faithfulness of God. No matter your sinful lifestyle, God will take you in if you fear Him and call to Him for salvation.

We continue our series in logical relationships between ideas communicated in Scripture. This we augment the definitions and examples of last time with some simple diagramming and practice on 1 Peter 5:5-7.

Appalachian Bible College

Paul addresses the church's responsibility to honor true widows by caring for their needs. Paul enumerates on the qualities that characterize a true widow. A true widow is all alone, over the age of sixty, faithful in marriage, godly in conduct, full of good works. Widows with family were to be supported by family so as not to burden the church. Likewise, younger widows were not to be supported by the church, but remarry.

Remember that Moses penned the book of Genesis under the inspiration of God around 400 years after the events had occurred. It is without doubt that there was a healthy and accurate oral tradition of these major events passed down for generations, but God ensured that we have the completely accurate account of what happened.

We begin a three-part series on how to understand the connection or relationship between sentences, clauses, and phrases. This session focuses on the various kinds of logical relationships: name, meaning, and examples.

Acts Chapter 2

A believer's proper response to suffering righteously is to demonstrate a fear of the Lord—not man—by defending his faith, since the outcome is blessing.

We may tend to focus on Joseph in chapters 37-50, but God does something strange but wonderful for the entire clan of Joseph. It is strange that they would end up in Egypt. But wonderful that God saved them using the benevolence of a powerful nation nearby. Sometimes God will take you too on a path you did not anticipate. He may direct you on a path or rescue you by a way you would never expect. And God uses all kinds of people to bless His children, even unbelieving ones like Pharaoh.

Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life Part 3

The word Christ is another word for anointed or Messiah. All three mean the same thing. This is a very important concept in Hebrew religious thought because it refers to a person specially chosen by God to be Savior, Lord, and revealer of God to humankind. This was an individual, a person who was planned to be set apart by God as priest, king, and prophet. There are many references in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to this person. Some passages use other descriptive words or phrases like servant or holy one or Son of God.

The most important thing we learn from this section occurs in chapter 45, where Joseph teaches us that God had superintended the events, as bad as they seemed in the midst of them, in order to ultimately preserve many people’s lives. And this is true today—God makes all things work together for good to those who are His chosen ones (Romans 8:28). He can limit sin, permit sin, permit bad sin, prevent sin, and use human sin for His purposes. Can you think of other times when God did similarly to accomplish his purposes—either in the Bible or in your own life? When have you been an instrument of God’s sovereignty in the help of others?

Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life Part 2

The Church age can be accurately described as the age of the Holy Spirit. Not that He was absent before, but His ministries are magnified today.

Though Timothy was young, his age was not to keep him from fulfilling his leadership responsibilities. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Timothy is directed to exhort church members as family, with gentleness, respect, and purity. Believers are to be aware of the spiritual sense in which they are related to one another as brothers and sisters and relate to them accordingly.

Hopefully we will not suffer the depth of trials that Joseph did. On the other hand, in humility we would never imagine or expect such height of earthly glory to come to ourselves as did to Joseph. After all, we are not in the Abrahamic line with the destiny of the nation of God’s people and coming Messiah resting on our life or actions. But we do have an impact on our families and church. We may not save a nation from starvation, but we can take steps to see to it that our families are properly cared for and spiritually well. We are also blessed to be part of the church community—many as direct members and others as collateral beneficiaries of the community. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. In that way, God has prospered Christians beyond measure in the things that truly matter. See my notes on Genesis 39:1-40:23 for a bit on the Christian theology of dreams. If you were in a situation like Joseph, in prison or in the government, how could you implement the Christian spiritual disciplines? You might not be able to do Bible reading for example, if you do not have a Bible or are in the middle of the workday, but you could pray, worship, evangelize, serve, use time wisely, fast, be in silence and solitude when appropriate, and persevere in the disciplines of faith.

Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life

The Church age can be accurately described as the age of the Holy Spirit. Not that He was absent before, but His ministries are magnified today.

God’s blessing was evidence of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. The injustices that befell Joseph were not evidence of God abandoning the covenant but rather preparing further steps of its fulfillment. When we think of the terrible moral conditions of the world, remember that these are not accidental. God is working through and with them to bring about His intended culmination of world events.

Our guest speaker read and taught from 1 Peter 5:5-11, 1 Corinthians 1-2, and a number of other passages regarding humility.

I am jumping ahead a little bit because most of us are familiar with how this situation turned out. God allowed evil to bring good. This is an illustration that you could use for the 'greater good theodicy' that explains why God permits evil. On the face of things, there seems to be no good way to accomplish sending Joseph to Egypt for a future rescue operation. It seems that he would not leave his dad voluntarily. We might imaginatively figure out some circumstance that would bring Joseph to Egypt, but it seems unlikely he would have encountered the same people in similar ways to allow him to rise to power. And, after all that was done, we would not have the bold lesson of good coming out of evil that God wants us to learn from Joseph’s experience. Over the centuries of human existence, people have noticed other situations where God has arranged for some bad thing to happen that brought some good thing about. The highest example of this is the cross of Jesus Christ—the worst injustice ever perpetrated on a human being resulted in the salvation of millions of souls.

In part 4, of our series in Acts 1:12-26, we go over the process that the apostles used to select a replacement for Judas. Despite how easy it is to focus on the lot-casting, there were three prior steps: they laid out qualifications, they nominated qualified men, and they prayed. Only after that did they cast lots. Pastor Matt explained why we do not use lots today in important decisions, though we might do so to decide between otherwise equal options.

It has often been pointed out that the Bible does not sugar-coat the human condition. It is very realistic as to what goes on in the world—even to the point of being uncomfortable for parents to read with their sheltered children! This evil serves not as a focal point, but as a pointer to the focal point: the need and provision of God’s grace. Without His favor, Jacob, his sons, and all of humanity for that matter, would be doomed forever. God maintained His promise to the family for a fruitful posterity and a homeland. God saves people despite their sinful condition. If you trust Him, He will save you in spite of your sin too!

Conclusion of James & How do you spend time in the Word?

In this message, we examine why Peter and the other apostles thought there was a need to replace Judas. They saw the need arising from things mentioned earlier in Scripture and by the Lord, not merely to get back to an "even" number of disciples or to propagate the apostolic office indefinitely far into the future.

One of the truths we encountered in this section is that we must rely on God’s promises to keep us steady in difficult trials. We must not 'freak out' in the face of problems. God will be with those of us who belong to Him. Period. Another truth: while I do not wish trials upon you, I do wish you the blessing of wrestling with God in prayer and prevailing. Maybe sometimes you will not 'prevail' to get the answer you want, but time spent with the Lord will never be a waste.

Filling the Empty Apostolic Office, Part 2 - This material lays the groundwork for the birth of the church in the next chapter.

In your life, do carefully seek God’s guidance by means of prayer and the Bible before you make any big moves, whether relocation or financial changes or relationships, etc. You will not get guidance like Jacob and Laban did via dreams, but you will receive wisdom as needed. But you must seek it (Prov. 2:4-5). Trust in God’s protection. Always be honest in your dealings. Then you do not have to worry about what criticisms will come at you years down the line. Do not be like Laban, highly possessive and unable to see other people prosper. We must constantly rebel against materialism in our hearts. Watch out for your family members: train them in godliness so that they will not fall into idolatry when you are not watching. Finally, count on God’s faithfulness, and develop a character that is faithful like His.

Introduction to Acts.

This is the kind of church we ought to be: following Jesus’ commandments, telling others that He is alive, understanding the program of God’s kingdom for the world, walking in the Spirit, not worrying about timing and other things we cannot know, carrying out the Great Commission, expecting His second coming.

This situation persisted for six more years, bringing the total up to 20 years until Jacob returned home. It was only in the last six years that Jacob truly “got ahead” and that happened despite how Laban seemed to continuously change the terms and conditions of his work. Next time we will see how Jacob escaped the tentacles of Laban and returned to the promised land.

In this message Pastor Postiff outlines seven aspects of the post-resurrection/pre-ascension ministry of Jesus during the 40 days between the resurrection and His ascension to heaven. The Lord:

1. Gave various commands to the apostles.
2. Was physically present with them 40 days.
3. Provided many convincing proofs of His resurrection.
4. Taught concerning the kingdom of God.
5. Instructed the disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
6. Answered a question about the timing of the kingdom of God.
7. Issued the Great Commission.

Jacob deceived to get the blessing. But you cannot get a real blessing that way. You might get the words of a blessing, but not the blessing itself. Despite his chicanery, God still was with him. And here is the thing: God Himself gave Jacob the blessing of Abraham and Isaac. He did not need to scheme to get the blessing. God was going to see to it anyway. You trust God, and He will take care of you in the best way possible. He will never leave you. You might leave Him for a time, but would you come back to Him, declare Him to be your God, which He is anyway, and follow Him with yourself and your substance? Do not go anywhere, much less far away, until you are assured that God will be with you, until you can say that He is and will be your God.

In this message, Paul tells Timothy his purpose for writing the instructions found in chapters two and three. With the possibility of being delayed in his visit to the church in Ephesus, Paul writes so that Christians will know how to properly conduct themselves in the household of God. Herein we find the twofold reason for the importance of proper conduct in church. First, because the church belongs to the Living God. Second, because God uses His church to be the protector and advocate of the truth. The truth which Paul writes of is the Christian faith, which he summarizes in verse sixteen.

In this message, we begin studying the Book of Acts, particularly with regard to Luke's purpose in writing and the historical nature of his writing.

Scripture has taught us that deacons are vitally important to the church. Therefore, they must meet certain qualifications. We do not hastily appoint deacons, but first examine them. God is most concerned with the spiritual life of those in church leadership. If they fail to meet these criteria, they are unqualified to serve, no matter how they appear to be gifted. There is no limit to the number of deacons that can serve, but they must meet the qualifications, as must their wives. Deacons who serve well will gain a good standing before God and the church and will have a greater confidence in the faith which will inevitably lead to more service and greater boldness in communicating the truth.

Note that Jacob could have and should have received his father’s blessing—and God’s blessing—another way. We are 100% confident that God never requires us to sin to be in His will (James 1:13). We are also certain that if we believe in God, He will take care of things. But sometimes God allows these sorts of things in His plan to accomplish His purposes. I do not claim to understand how all that works, but I read it Scripture and the nature of the God whom I know means I can trust Him about this matter even though I don’t have it all figured out. What should Jacob and Rebekah have done? First, they should have recited to Isaac God’s words from 77-78 years earlier recorded in Genesis 25:23. God revealed them to her in answer to her prayer about the struggle that she felt inside of her womb. This was God’s plan for the lads. Second, Jacob and his mother should have reminded Isaac that his eldest son had exhibited extreme disrespect by despising the birthright. He sold it to his (slightly) younger brother. Legally, it belonged to the younger brother. Esau swore that he did not want it. This action not only showed disrespect for God, but also for his dad. Oh, that hurts to even hear it! Third, Esau exhibited a lack of concern for his family by his choice of marriage partners. He was OK with going down the pagan route, not believing the God of Abraham and Isaac. Finally, both parents should have abandoned their favoritism.

In baptism, we have a picture that we have died with Jesus, have been buried with Him, and rise again with Him. Its significance is a memorial, a symbol, and a prophecy of a saving truth of the gospel. I would not change the baptismal formula. We baptized in the name of the Triune God. Nor would I add blood baptism into the service to satisfy someone’s desire to have those words said, because there is no mystical power in those words. And those words likely indicate a bad sort of theology that we cannot endorse or co-sign.

Knowing Jesus does not merely quell the longing to know the meaning of life. Rather, knowing Him satisfies that desire, fills it, informs it. When you become a Christian, a true follower of Jesus, you have a life-giving connection to Him who is the source and sum of all wisdom. He is the fount of all knowledge. He is the giver of all comfort. He is the forgiver of all sin. He is the creator of all people. He is the designer of the entire universe. He is the sustainer of creation. He is the caregiver of all human and sub-human creation. He is the Son of God, and the Son of Man. He is the maker of time and eternity. He is the Savior of all, and He is the judge of all. We ought to consider life as God has given it to us. Think about it with all humility because we are limited creatures under God. We come at life not with resignation that we cannot understand it, but with the joy that we can—to a certain extent—and that we have more of a grasp of it now that Jesus has shown us the way to the Father. Knowing God and His risen Christ is the way to a joyful life, even as it moves through the obstacle course that we know life is.

Any time you distance yourself from God will certainly cause grief, either in the short term or long term, or both. But it will cause you grief, and probably it will cause others grief as well. It also causes Jesus grief. The Lord can ultimately deliver you from that sin and grief. Hopefully you will experience that very soon. And if you are in the midst of grief and sorrow because of loss or other situations beyond your control, be assured that the Lord Jesus knows all about it. He is very intimately acquainted with all of your sorrows. He knows by omniscience. He knows by experience. He knows by carrying those things upon Himself. He knows YOU. I pray He knows you savingly, and you also know Him.

Qualifications of Deacons

Our teacher continues his series teaching through the epistle of James.

The Great Commission Part 6

Jacob and Esau - This all is interesting history, to be sure. But it is more than that. It shows God’s providential direction of world history and His personal interest in individuals with whom He is working. It begins to warn us of partiality, and thoroughly calls us back from despising the covenant promises of God. If you walk away from God’s promises, you walk away from God and into a frightful and dark situation.

The Great Commission Part 5

A Wife for Isaac - God made arrangements for Isaac to find a wife, thus to be able to have children, and to propagate the Abrahamic lineage to the next generation. The promise was secure. For us, it would be good to consider some objective principles for finding a marriage partner, for the exact experience of the servant of Abraham is not how it works. What are some of these principles? One is that you must be solid in your conviction that marriage is a permanent establishment. So, only a high quality person is a candidate for you to consider for marriage. Physical appearance is not the guide for this requirement.

Book of James - Review, Tongue, Words, Asking, & Motives

The Great Commission Part 4

Proper Conduct of Women and Men in the Church

RBM Ministry Update

Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission, Part 3

In Remembrance of Me - Communion

Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission, Part 2

Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission, Part 1

The Christian minister's duty demands faith and integrity.

The Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Missionary Jack Mitchell gave us a ministry update and shared the Gospel.

On the first day of the week, the women who came to the tomb of Jesus learned from an angel that Jesus was not there anymore He had risen from the dead shortly before. They left to tell the other disciples. But as they went, they encountered Jesus.

Paul is thankful for God's grace.

Not everything that is true is helpful. However, God's Word is not like this! Everything He gives us in His Word is for a reason.

Respect for the Word of God

In just under two months (April 9, 2023) we will be celebrating the resurrection of Christ. But today in our verse-by-verse study in Matthew, we are already at the Scripture which reveals that miraculous event which is at the very foundation of the Christian faith. The text does not give any “theology” or “explanation of the meaning” of the events. It just recounts what happened. Let us read through it with Matthew and see what we can glean.

One thing we glean is this: the glorious truth of the resurrection must be told. So commanded the angel of God.

Our assistant pastor helpfully explains that there were certain false teachers who were misusing the Mosaic Law in the church at Ephesus. Paul was instructing Timothy how to deal with them by showing how the Law could be properly used within the context of the gospel of Christ.

In this passage, Pastor Postiff explains that Abraham's conduct confirmed his righteousness before God. That righteous standing was obtained by faith earlier in his life but was now demonstrated by works. True faith saves; true faith then works.

"Membership has its privileges." So says the marketing slogan of American Express starting back in 1987. But when we are talking about being part of (a member of) a church, it has far more than just a few scant privileges. It has massive responsibilities and blessings. Being a formal member is not just having access to a list of "perks."

For those who have forgotten, I thought it would be a good time to remind us about our responsibilities and blessings as members of our local church, and in particular what that means for in-person ministry and attendance at meetings.

God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah, and He brought that promise to fruition. God protected Hagar and Ishmael as a corollary benefit to His blessing of Abraham. And God protected Abraham from the unbelieving people around Him in the promised land.

What do you suppose God has done and can do for you?

Our teacher explains James 3 and focuses on the dangers of misuse of the tongue. He reminds us that the tongue can have a powerful impact.

The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to correct false doctrine in Ephesus so that the believers will exhibit genuine Christian love. This love arises from three character traits: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Our focus in church ministry should be to cultivate those characteristics in each and every Christian person.

After some initial remarks about Sanctity of Life Sunday, Pastor Postiff taught through Genesis 20. After the incident of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham "goes on with life" and resumes moving about the land that God had deeded to him (v. 1). The first incident narrated for us is about the interaction of Abraham and Abimelech. In it we learn:

• Abimelech taking Sarah was a threat to the fulfillment of God’s promise that a son would come to her via Abraham. God was dead serious about His promise. He is just as serious about the integrity of marriage.
• We see a worldly pagan king rebukes a follower of God. This is a sad testimony of the behavior of God’s people, and it happens too often (2 Samuel 12:14, Rom. 2:24, 2 Peter 2:2).
• Your sin can lead others to sin.
• Patterns of sin are hard to overcome.
• God restrains sin. Ask Him to restrain your own sinfulness. Pray that He leads you away from temptation.
• Handle sin maturely by confessing it and making it right. Do not make excuses for it.

Mr. Widgeon takes us into a study that ranges throughout chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the letter of James. He highlights the importance of hearing God's word, and the danger of the tongue, among other themes.

A number of signs (divinely arranged significant events) happened right around the time of Jesus's death. They included the tearing of the veil in the temple, the earthquake, the resurrection of some Old Testament-era saints, and some critical observations by the soldiers and onlooking women. Listen in to hear about these events and their importance.

The Apostle Paul was endowed with power by Jesus Christ. Paul writes to Timothy to remain in Ephesus, to address the false teachers who taught unsound doctrine. There was much division in the church, some desiring to be teachers of the law but not understanding accurately what they were teaching. We see Paul's intent of his letter to Timothy, that the church must soley consist of the accurate gospel of Jesus Christ, the only sound doctrine.

This passage falls naturally into five sections. God reveals to Abraham his plans to judge Sodom for its sin, Abraham intercedes for the righteous people living there, and then two angels go to Sodom and survey the situation and rescue Lot and his two daughters. Lot’s life post-Sodom was a mess. Note that in remembering mercy toward Lot, God was honoring His servant Abraham and the covenant that He had made with Abraham. Here are some wise principles: Avoid drunkenness because it is often associated with immorality. Do not hesitate to leave an evil situation, like Lot should have. Show true and protective hospitality like Lot did. Be boldly insistent in intercessory prayer like Abraham. Intercede for God’s mercy on the saved as well as his longsuffering toward the lost. Be diligent to know God and be known by Him. Is the sin named after the title city in this section the worst of the worst? Not by a long shot. Such a lifestyle is sinful, but a person involved in it can turn away from it (repent) and believe in Jesus. The result? God will completely forgive that person and wash them as clean as can be. Rejecting Christ is a far more serious sin, for there is no other rescue from that. And note this: Matthew 10:12- 15 and 11:23-24 tell of sins that will receive a worse judgment than Sodom. What are those sins? In the first case, it consists of not welcoming the disciples of the Lord and not listening to their words. This consists of rejecting the Christian message and messengers. In the second case, it is that the Lord Jesus did mighty works authenticating His identity and ministry in Capernaum. Rejecting Jesus, who was clearly sent from God, is worse than the sins of Sodom. God expects that you will receive His gracious gift of revealing Himself whether through miraculous works, Biblical words, or Christian workers.

In this message speaker James Widgeon continues our study in the book of James. In the book of James we see evidence of various kinds of trials or situations among the believers. Churches today can expect similar trials. If we understand the various trials mentioned in the book of James, believes will be equipped, knowing how to respond to these when they do occur in our present lives.

We continue studying the suffering of Jesus after the trial in front of Pilate and substitution of Barabbas. Things progress downhill rapidly. The gospel portrays for us a severely suffering Messiah. His physical suffering was matched by the emotional torment of nearly everyone turning against Him. The world was basically opposed to this perfect Man. They did so with almost complete misunderstanding of Him, even mocking him for who He really was. Let’s make sure we review: Jesus had the power to come down from the cross, but it was not God’s will for Him to do so. Thus it was not His will to do so. God’s will was for Him to go farther—to die, and be buried, and then to conquer the situation by rising from the dead. He saved others, and He can also save YOU. He did not save Himself because He had to provide for YOUR salvation. He is in fact the Son of God, and He is in fact the King of Israel. He fulfilled the OT prophecies concerning the suffering servant, and will return as conquering lion of Judah when the time is right.

In this message Jansen Lorch leads our new study in the book of Timothy. We consider the greeting, where comments stated in these first two verses form the foundation of the letter. Paul invoked upon Timothy the same grace, mercy, and peace that God gives us. We can experience His grace, mercy, and peace continuously, thanks be to God!

Take a moment to review what we have studied lately in Genesis. Start with chapter 12—God’s initial description of the terms of the Abrahamic covenant. Abram moved to Egypt temporarily. In chapter 13, Abram moved back to the promised land and had to split from Lot because of their combined herd size. Lot moved toward Sodom, a decision that would prove devastating in two separate incidents in the future. The first such incident was in chapter 14, where Lot was kidnapped by a coalition of kings that came against Sodom and other allied cities. Abraham retrieved him, and Melchizedek came out and blessed Abram who had returned from defeating the kings. In chapter 15, God officially made (“cut”) the covenant with Abram and promised the land to his descendants. Hagar bears Ishmael in chapter 16, the result of a hare-brained (rash or ill-judged) plan to get Abram an heir since he and Sarah could not seem to make that happen. God’s tender care toward Hagar is shown. Finally, in chapter 17, God reiterates the covenant a third time and gives a physical sign—male circumcision—to remind the nation of the blessings of the covenant (Abram will multiply, nations and kings will descend from him, the land grant) and of their responsibilities in it (walk blamelessly, keep the covenant). Notice the cyclical nature of this portion of Scripture: God’s promise, man’s failure and God’s rescue, God’s promise confirmed, man has another failure, God remains faithful, and then God promises—and requires faithfulness in His people.

In this message speaker James Widgeon continues our study in the book of James. In the book of James we see evidence of various kinds of trials or situations among the believers. Churches today can expect similar trials. If we understand the various trials mentioned in the book of James, believes will be equipped, knowing how to respond to these when they do occur in our present lives.

We continue studying the suffering of Jesus after the trial in front of Pilate and substitution of Barabbas. Things progress downhill rapidly. The gospel portrays for us a severely suffering Messiah. His physical suffering was matched by the emotional torment of nearly everyone turning against Him. The world was basically opposed to this perfect Man. They did so with almost complete misunderstanding of Him, even mocking him for who He really was. Let’s make sure we review: Jesus had the power to come down from the cross, but it was not God’s will for Him to do so. Thus it was not His will to do so. God’s will was for Him to go farther—to die, and be buried, and then to conquer the situation by rising from the dead. He saved others, and He can also save YOU. He did not save Himself because He had to provide for YOUR salvation. He is in fact the Son of God, and He is in fact the King of Israel. He fulfilled the OT prophecies concerning the suffering servant, and will return as conquering lion of Judah when the time is right.

In this message Pastor Matt leads our study by answering the following questions: Why did God choose Israel? Why Did God chose 'You'? How did God's covenant with Abraham grant you His favor and Grace?

When reading this short account about Anna, we would have to work hard to avoid some serious questions for ourselves. • Do we care about what Christmas really means? • Are we like “those who looked for redemption”? • Are we as keen as they were to hear from Anna her aged wisdom, or do we throw all that to the side of the road and barrel down the highway of life oblivious to what our elders have learned and what God has promised to do in the world? • Are we like Anna, who served God diligently for decades of her life even after her dear spouse passed away? • Do we give thanks to God—for anything? • Do we have good insight into God’s word? • Are we going to be faithful all the way into our old age? • Will our faith be expressed in the manner God ordains in this era—in connection with our church family?

In this message speaker James Widgeon continues our study in the book of James. In the book of James we see evidence of various kinds of trials or situations among the believers. Churches today can expect similar trials. If we understand the various trials mentioned in the book of James, believes will be equipped, knowing how to respond to these when they do occur in our present lives.

We continue the study of Jesus after the trial and the substitution of Barabbas, a murderer, who deserved the death penalty. Jesus, however, was set to be crucified instead. Pilate, the Roman governor handed Him over to His death, just as the crowd demanded. The Roman soldiers scourged and mocked Him and led Him to be crucified. All these events occurred during the Passover. The Roman soldiers compelled a man of Cyrene, Simon, to bear His cross. When they came to Golgotha, the Romans gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. Jesus tasted it but would not drink it. Then they crucified Him along with the two other men who were crucified. Roman soldiers divided their things, casting lots. Jesus went through all of this to take the wrath of God against Himself, for us.

Over the years, I have written several messages on how the first Christmas looked from the perspective of various people who were there: Joseph, Mary, Zacharias, Simeon, the wise men, and Herod. In this message, I am going to revisit the shepherds in more detail than I have before. Then I hope to consider Anna in another message, the angels, Elizabeth, and even John the Baptist. This message will hopefully build up your faith and not be merely an academic exercise. But that depends on your perspective on Christmas. We are like the shepherds. We recognize we are lowly in the eyes of the world, and yet greatly privileged to be given the Christmas news of a Rescuer who will save His people from their sins. Therefore, we make widely known what happened to everyone we can—and to our children and grandchildren as well. The fact that the angels visited and told us that the Messiah was born to be our Savior is tremendously important. It is news that is second to nothing. These are the Christmas tidings of great joy to all people!

On this Christmas morning, Jansen Lorch leads our study, where we see how God used people who have royally messed up to accomplish His divine will of delivering the purest of gifts to mankind.

For this years Christmas Eve service, we celebrate our Lord's birth through worship by song and readings in Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-23, and John 1:14. Jansen Lorch leads our study, focused on the prophet Isaiah 7:14, on thoughts surrounding this prophetic passage about Jesus Christs birth.

At least three of the Biblical covenants have “signs” associated with them. These signs serve as reminders of God’s faithfulness and covenant requirements on His people. The Covenant with Noah has the sign of the rainbow (Gen. 9:16-17). The Covenant with Abraham has as a sign male circumcision (Gen. 17:11, Rom. 4:11). We will see this as we study Genesis 17. The Covenant with Moses is signified by the Sabbath (Exodus 31:13, Ezek. 20:12, 20). Of these three signs, the rainbow is still operational and relevant; male circumcision is not required; Sabbath observation is not required either. Jewish people are free to maintain the latter two signs if they wish. But neither Jews nor Gentiles are under the Law of Moses today, because it has been fulfilled in Christ and replaced by the Law of Christ. Stop and think if there are any similar “signs” that we have in the church era of God’s program. What does all this mean for us? Obviously, we can anticipate that God keeps His promises. Remember that the Abrahamic Covenant impacts us in Christ. God can do things that seem impossible. God even blesses those outside the boundaries of the covenant—not with all the provisions of the covenant, but with some blessings nonetheless.