Podcast Christ Church Studies

As we reflect once more on the final vision of Ezekiel, we ask a crucial question: where is the Glory of the Lord today?Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

Bible Study: Psalm 69 Hosted by Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Hialeah, Florida, USA Date: April 26, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #SisterMariaLuisa #Piraquive #BibleStudy Transcript

Sermon: Acts 14 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on December 3, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

Ezekiel ends as it began: with a vision. This final vision of a restored temple and city encourages repentance, faithfulness, and hope for the exilic community. Whether taken literally or figuratively, the message of the vision is clear: the Lord will...Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

Bible Study: Isaiah 52: 1 - 7Hosted by Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the ChurchLocation: Fontibon - Bogota, ColombiaDate: April 13, 2023Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ Internationalhttps://idmji.org/en#IDMJI #CGMJCI #SisterMariaLuisa #Piraquive #BibleStudy

Chapter 37 records Ezekiel's third vision, which occurs after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. It stands among the most powerful images of Scripture, a vision of new life brought forth from death, and confronts us with a...Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

Bible Study: 1 Kings 9 Hosted by Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Santa Anita, Mexico Date: March 8, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #SisterMariaLuisa #Piraquive #B

Bible Study: Matthew 5, part 2Hosted by Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the ChurchLocation: Mexico City, MexicoDate: March 5, 2023Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ Internationalhttps://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #SisterMariaLuisa #Piraquive #BibleStudy

Ezekiel's great temple vision depicts the depths of idolatry present in ancient Jerusalem, and we become eyewitness to the violent society that has supplanted true worship. As the glory of the Lord leaves its temple dwelling, the exiles must...Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

Sermon: Acts 13 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on November 19, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

Sermon: Acts 12 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on November 5, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

Bible Study: Matthew 5, part 1Hosted by Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the ChurchLocation: Mexico City, MexicoDate: March 5, 2023Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ Internationalhttps://idmji.org/en

Ezekiel's prophetic vision continues in detail. So overwhelmed by this experience, he is grasping for words. A storm, four humanoid creatures, wheels within wheels, all supporting a brilliant expanse on which sits a glorious throne. Ezekiel falls...Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

The prologue introduces us to the man Ezekiel and situates him in Babylon (modern Iraq) in the year 593 BCE when he, along with many of the leading citizens of Judah, are taken into captivity. We in America today find ourselves in analogous...Bởi Dr. Erika Moore

"Be holy as I am holy." God's words to his people exemplify what J.I. Packer once called "the goal of our redemption," which is that we should live as a holy people. But what does holiness mean? This question guide our...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and likewise he tells his followers that they are servants of God and called to serve one another. In this session, we discuss how service follows from thanksgiving and is central to the Christian life.Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 11 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on October 22, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

How should we respond to the overwhelming goodness and generosity of God? Simple: show forth God’s praise. In this session, we discuss what that means, focusing especially on why praise is a duty of the people of God and why it is also public.Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Give us such an awareness of you mercies, we pray, yet often we live unaware of and ungrateful for the gifts of God. In this lesson, we consider the common reasons for our inattention and ingratitude and ask how we can become more attentive and aware.Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

We are given a great gift: a promised future in which we experience and share in the glory of God. Yet, as C.S. Lewis observes, we remain half-hearted creatures, fooling about when infinite joy is offered us. In this session, we examine why God's...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

The apostle Paul writes, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." Even our spiritual growth is a gift of God; we need only make ourselves available to his work. In this session, we discuss the...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

The words of John 3:16 are so familiar to us that they've lost their astonishing significance. Redemption is a gift; are we as amazed by it as we should be? In this session, we explore a theological truth we've known since childhood with...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

So often we assume that we are responsible for our own sustenance and that success is due to our own efforts. In this session, we see that God is the true source of life and blessing. We owe him thanks for every good we enjoy.Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

In The General Thanksgiving, we first give thanks for the gift of creation, or what poet Wendell Berry calls "the grace of the world." We discuss what this means and how our own existence as creatures is a gift, as we learn to recognize and...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

God deserves our thanks, for he is the great Giver. In this session, we'll talk about what that means, and specifically, how addressing God as Father can teach us about his goodness and generosity.Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Thanksgiving is more than a religious duty; it's one of the greatest means to genuine happiness. Christianity is founded upon the recognition that God has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves--certainly more than we deserve. We begin this...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 9 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on August 6, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

We conclude Foster's book with a discussion of guidance and celebration, two disciplines that bookend the occasional and continuous Christian life. Some disciplines, like guidance, are needed at specific times of decision, and others, like...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Theologians agree that humans are worshiping creatures. Men and women were created so that, in the words of James Torrance, “through human lips the heavens might declare the glory of God.” Worship is vital to Christian life, but what does it mean to...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 8 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on July 30, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

Bonhoeffer once described the practice of confession as "the most profound kind of humiliation." Foster agrees and calls confession one of the essential disciplines of the spiritual life. In this session, we discuss why and how we should...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 6 & 7 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on July 16, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

"Don't insist on your own opinions. Submit yourself to the wishes of others. Don't think about your own needs but how you can serve the needs of others." These ideals are easy to approve, but difficult to live by. Hence why Foster...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Is it true that we ought to delight in God's law and commandments? To answer that, we must first know what the law is for. Fr. Jonathan explores how God's law sets a communal expectation for goodness and restrains our personal pride, and...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

All around us, people feel lonely and isolated, which they seek to cure by surrounding themselves with more people and more activity. Foster suggests a different solution. What we really need, he claims, is solitude and silence, and this week we...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 5 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on July 9, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

Sermon: Acts 4 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on July 2, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Purity of heart is to will one thing." But when so many desires compete for our attention, how can we possibly will one thing? To this end, Foster invites us to the discipline of simplicity, and in this session...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 3 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on June 25, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en #IDMJI #CGMJCI #MariaLuisaPiraquive #Piraquive

Study is not something we think of as essential to the spiritual life. Yet Foster includes it in his list of spiritual disciplines, saying that without study, "we will not be free." In this session, we explore what Foster means and what...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 2 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on June 18, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

Jesus tells his disciples, "And when you fast...." The phrase makes clear an expectation that his disciples would fast as a regular habit, yet for many Christians today, fasting plays little role in our spiritual life. In this session, we...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

A Christian, the Bible tells us, is one who has the Spirit of Christ, one who now addresses God as "Abba, Father." And so the life of every saint is invariably founded upon a habit of prayer. But for many, prayer remains difficult and...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Spiritual disciplines are not a program for self-improvement or a means to take control of our spiritual growth. Rather, the disciplines make us available to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In this session, we discuss the discipline of...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Acts 1 v. 1 - 25 By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on May 28, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

"He will come again to judge the living and the dead." When we recite the creed, we confess our belief in Jesus's return, but do our lives reflect that belief? Are we truly prepared? Jesus asks us as much when, in Matthew 25, he tells a...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Sermon: Jude By Sister Maria Luisa Piraquive, worldwide leader of the Church Location: Weston, Florida, United States Streamed on May 21, 2023 Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International https://idmji.org/en

"Greed is good," said Gordon Gekko, but Jesus disagrees and tells a story to illustrate why greed is not only bad, but foolish and irrational. In this session, we explore a parable designed to reveal the foolishness of greed and how easily...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Some parables seem designed to unsettle us, to directly conflict with our instincts about what is just and fair. In this session, we hear Jesus tell one such story about day laborers and their wages, and we reflect on the goodness of God and our own...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

The story Jesus tells about weeds and wheat growing together in a field has long provoked the interest of pastors and theologians, civic leaders and political philosophers. And for good reason. In this session, we discuss how this story reckons with...Bởi The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes