This week's sermon delved into the profound themes of God's power and spiritual character, drawing inspiration from Paul's journey to Thessalonica. We learned that true confidence comes from trusting in God's power, not our own abilities, and that this trust should embolden us to face challenges with courage. The sermon emphasized the importance of…

In an insightful examination of 1 Thessalonians, we learn about the early church in Thessalonica, a city of great historical and strategic significance, founded by King Cassander. The Apostle Paul's mission there faced persecution but ultimately led to a flourishing community characterized by faith, love, and hope. Paul's letters praise the Thessal…

Jesus didn’t teach in parables because He couldn’t figure out a better way to preach. These narrative form illustrations and stories have been used by rabbis for ages. The Jews called storytelling used to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, were k…

As Paul brings his first letter to Timothy to a close, he reminds Timothy that this life will feel like—and is—a battle. We are not to run after our own glorification, but to flee those things and pursue righteousness. Paul wants Timothy to see the difference between a Gospel culture and a religious culture. While we have peace with God because of …

Money (wealth) is one of the hardest things for most people to get their heads and hearts around. Greed is insidious, and we often don’t notice when it gains control over our lives. Jesus will even remind us to “watch out” in regard to money, because he knows of our blindness. 1 Tim 6:6-10 seems to address people who don’t have a lot of money yet w…

Today Paul moves into how we live and honor one another in the body of Jesus. A proper doctrine—set of beliefs—honors those around us. Defining honor, in how Paul discusses, it would simply mean: ascribing worth through action. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT …

When the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to be an example, Timothy was in a tough spot. As a young man, he was pastoring a church—that most likely had not called him—of people who despised his youth and inexperience. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT YOUVERSION …

When it comes to correct doctrine and Biblical reasoning, it is important to understand that we (humankind) brought sin into the world and through the Gospel, God—who made the world in the first place—is remaking it through Jesus. We are never called to abandon our humanity, but rather to celebrate its rescue, redemption, and remaking. Today we can…

1 Tim 3:16 is a short poem that is full of doctrine. It captures the richness of early Christianity in the way it challenged both the popular ‘mysteries’ and the rule of Caesar. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT YOUVERSION 2024 SUMMER MISSIONS UPDATE…

We believe that God has taught us through the Scriptures (continually), through His Spirit (presently), and that the proclamation of the Good News will go on for eternity. What we believe is important, because it will affect how we live every moment of our lives. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEM…

Paul writes what he does in 1 Timothy because he understands what the Bible says about sin and grace. Only the Gospel deals with us—as we are—and leads us to grace at the same time. Because of Jesus, we can acknowledge our sin and yet not be destroyed by it. Paul tells Timothy to continue to contend and celebrate the Gospel. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON Y…

Doctrine is about what God has handed down to us—ultimately pointing to the good news of what Jesus did and is continuing to do. Proper doctrine will translate into how we live our lives, how we interact with others, how we worship God, and how we pray. Prayer is more than asking for things, but today we want to look at what we should be asking for…

In the first part of Paul’s letter, he doesn’t talk about all the details of false teaching, but the implications of it for the Church. False teaching always undermines the true Gospel. Jesus + anything is not the Gospel. The Gosfeedpel is that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WE…

Paul ends all his talk about the armor of God by focusing us on prayer. He ends with “finally” as he winds up his letter and reminds us of how to walk in God’s strength. This is a reminder that our strength comes from God, as He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. The armor we wear is God’s armor and not our own. WATCH FULL SERVIC…

Last week in Ephesians, we explored spiritual warfare and what it means to be strong “in the Lord.” Some people think that it takes a lot of faith to believe in the spiritual realm, but not believing in it requires just as much faith. Christianity is not superstitious in that there are demons behind every problem; many of our issues are self-caused…

As Paul rounds out the book of Ephesians, he ends with the word “finally.” He has one more thing of vital importance he wants to tell the Ephesians (and by extension, us): Eph 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. WATCH FULL SERVICE …

In the later parts of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul shows us what trusting and following Jesus practically looks like in various relational scenarios. Paul takes most of his words from the previous weeks and moves them into the real world. As we explore these things and gain more clarity, our lives begin to change as a deeper understanding of God daw…

Today in Ephesians we walk through some verses that people often read out of context. When we do not read the Scriptures in context, it leads to many misunderstandings of the text. Looking more closely, we can find great encouragement and wisdom in Paul’s words. Today we will talk about husbands, wives, and the word submission. WATCH FULL SERVICE O…

Today in Ephesians, Paul reminds us that as great as our salvation is, it doesn’t stop at the moment of our conversion. We are told to put off the old self and put on the new, to continually be renewed and transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout chapters 4-6, Paul will show us what it looks like to live this way. WATCH FULL SERV…

One of the main ideas throughout Paul’s words is that we want to honor God before a world of people who dishonor Him. This goes with Paul’s words today in Ephesians 5:16: making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. We know we live in a world where the majority of people live in darkness; one of the reasons we live for God in outward…

As the book of Ephesians progresses, Paul speaks more and more about the practical ramifications of following Jesus in our lives. Paul starts to speak about the things that directly pull us away from a deep relationship with Jesus—namely, our sin. We often surrender to things other than Christ, which leads to hardened hearts and forgetfulness about…

Paul will teach us in Ephesians how to work, communicate, speak honestly, and labor well. He talks about relationships, bitterness, and forgiveness. What makes Christianity different from other religions is our motivation. Christian life flows out of a new understanding of who we are in Christ. We can’t live the Christian lifestyle externally unles…

Everything at the end of Ephesians 4 is related to our family identity in Christ. Because we are family, we tell the truth, use our anger correctly, don’t steal from one another, don’t put one another down, and don’t live in bitterness. These actions are borne out of our new identity in Christ. When Paul says to “put on the new self,” it means to r…

In Ephesians 4 Paul will talk about the spiritual “people” gifts of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST). Paul picks these gifts here (because there are more gifts in other books of the Bible) for a purpose, that purpose is to help us see Jesus better. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE …

In Ephesians 4 Paul will talk about the spiritual “people” gifts of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST). Paul picks these gifts here (because there are more gifts in other books of the Bible) for a purpose, that purpose is to help us see Jesus better. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE …

In Ephesians 4 Paul will talk about the spiritual “people” gifts of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST). Paul picks these gifts here (because there are more gifts in other books of the Bible) for a purpose, that purpose is to help us see Jesus better. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE …

Luke's Gospel highlights female disciples and gives us three names from among that group: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna. Mary Magdalene’s story is an Easter story. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HEREFIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT YOUVERSION…

As Paul starts this section of his letter, he moves his focus to our lives and the unity that Christians are supposed to have inside the church. We are to love one another as Christ has first loved us. Within the Church, we will have people of different political views, different tastes in music, differing parenting styles, different food choices, …

In the second half of Ephesians Chapter 3 Paul prays (again) for us to walk in power and love. Most of the first 3 chapters of Ephesians is about doctrine, but that doctrine is shown to us through Paul’s prayers. Paul continues to praise God and pray for this church. For Paul, prayer and action are not opposite ends of the scale of Christian activi…

Paul finds great joy in the people of Philippi. He wants them to make that joy complete by working towards unity in the church. For that to happen, they must cultivate a Christ-like attitude that is motivated by the encouragement and affection God has shown them, having the same mind, and exhibited through humility. Visit our website https://hopefo…

In today’s passage, Paul reminds us how salvation entails being brought into God’s family. We are to be unified in our love and worship of Him; only by getting our eyes off ourselves and on Jesus will we ever see true and lasting unity. It’s important to remember that our very security in God’s family is a result of the work of Jesus Himself. WATCH…

In today’s passage, Paul reminds us how salvation entails being brought into God’s family. We are to be unified in our love and worship of Him; only by getting our eyes off ourselves and on Jesus will we ever see true and lasting unity. It’s important to remember that our very security in God’s family is a result of the work of Jesus Himself. WATCH…

Paul's first priority was advancing the Gospel. He wanted the Philippians to remain committed to that even in the midst of trials.Bởi Chuck Musselwhite

Bởi Jim Firth

Paul writes a letter to the church in Philippi and exudes joy for his relationship with them even though he is writing from prison. In these first eleven verses, we see four aspects that will lead us to live a life full of joy.Bởi Chuck Musselwhite

Today we are going to walk through one of the most profound things in the Bible, being saved by grace through faith…and then being sent out to be God’s workmanship in the world. Ephesians 2:1-3 shows us what we are saved from: our trespasses and sin. Ephesians 2:4-7 shows us what are saved through: God’s mercy and kindness (we go from spiritual dea…

Bởi Jim Firth

While Ephesians 1 sees salvation from God’s point of view, Chapter 2 examines salvation more from a human point of view. Chapter 3 will combine both perspectives so that the following chapters (4-6) are very practical in their theology. The truth is we cannot live practically unless we know what we believe; doctrine is important. WATCH FULL SERVICE…

The writer of Hebrews closes his epistle by giving his readers instructions in how to worship together. We see that we worship an unchanging savior, need to feed on a healthy diet of doctrine and grace and lift up an offering of praise.Bởi Chuck Musselwhite

Bởi Jim Firth

The author of Hebrews gives six indicators of faith. Do you exhibit them in your life? If you were brought up on charges of being a Christian, would they be able to convict you on the evidence of your faith?Bởi Chuck Musselwhite

We have spent the last 4 weeks looking at Paul’s prayer about who God is and what He does in the world. While Paul normally starts his letter with a greeting before launching directly into how he is praying for a particular church or people, in Ephesians, He focuses on who God is first. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE F…

Bởi Jim Firth

Ephesians 1:3-14, in the Greek text, is one sentence and one prayer. Paul seems so excited about God that he doesn’t have time for punctuation! He starts and ends with “praise God,” and in the middle, he proclaims who God is and what He has done. Paul is trying to get us to see the magnificence of Jesus as the King over all things. WATCH FULL SERVI…

When it comes to a book like Ephesians, our brains and rational leanings almost do us a disservice. We are in a world of deep theological truths, but can get distracted by certain words and phrases (e.g., election, predestination, etc.). WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AN…

Mount Sinai and Mount Zion are contrasted to show that the Kingdom of God cannot be shaken.Bởi Chuck Musselwhite

Bởi Jim Firth

Before Paul gets into his specific prayers for others, he establishes the appropriate context for all Christian prayer, reflection, and exhortation: The worship and adoration of the God who has lavished His love upon us. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT YOUVERS…

Bởi Jim Firth

“To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus,” is to whom the letter of Ephesians is addressed. The letter itself is written in a more formal way than some of Paul’s other writings, which tend to have a rapid-fire pace. Ephesians has a trajectory to it that shows us salvation from God’s point of view in Chapter One, salvation…