Messages to the Churches – Revelation 2:1-3:22 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! Remember that Jesus knows all about poverty! He was born in a manger, raised as a refugee in a foreign country, and spent most of his years in Nazareth, one of the poorest villages in the country. The…
A Voice and a Vision – Revelation 1:1-20 “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” I don’t know about you, but if I were John,…
E100 #20: “FaithDeeds – October 21, 2012”Text: James 2:14-26During our Faith Promise for Missions Convention, Pastor Jon takes a closer look at this passage from the book of James. Our actions, our words, our deeds, and even our financial decisions are a reflection of our faith in Christ, and the ways in which we have…
Love One Another – 1 John 3:11-4:21 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. What is love? We use the word to mean lots of things: I love my dog… I love pizza… I love my church… I love my wife… I love my neighbor… I…
Faith and Works – James 1:1-2:26 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. I hope you’ve found great joy and satisfaction in our 100-day Bible reading campaign! At times, you may have struggled to keep up as the demands of life pressed in on you, but I…
A Living Hope – 1 Peter 1:1-2:12 You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. The “Church” is not a building made of brick and mortar. It’s not a place that you go once a week. It’s not a steeple… or a pretty chapel… or even…
A New Creation in Christ – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6:2 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors An ambassador is someone who goes to a foreign land to represent his or her own country or king. Their actions speak volumes, and messages they deliver carry a great deal of weight. They learn the customs and cultures of the…
The Most Excellent Way – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I… have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I have to be honest with you. It seems like I hear a lot of clanging cymbals every October. And for some reason there are more of them every fourth October! Our…
E100 #19: “Rightly Dividing the Word”Text: 2 Timothy 2:15The apostle Paul’s encouraging letters to Timothy, a young church leader in Ephesus, have instructed local pastors for centuries; however, the advice to Timothy contains a wealth of information for Jesus’ followers who desire to share God’s good news. Those who are chosen to lead our churches…
The Coming of the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11 Therefore encourage each other… Christ will come again. We may not know the date, or exactly what it will look like, or even the timeline of events; but we know that Christ will come again. This is encouraging news. Twice in this passage, Paul…