Coram Deo Church — Bremerton, WA

In light of Pride Month, Pastor Jon addresses one of the most common statements Christians face when dealing with the LGBTQ agenda: "Aren't all sins the same?"

In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the sermon and martyrdom of Stephen and how it unpacks and demonstrates a theme that is consistent through Scripture. God sends his prophet, judge, or ruler to his people, and they reject him. And through that rejection, God vindicates his man and delivers his people from bondage.

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Ezekiel 37:1–14 and the valley of the dry bones. God confronts this seemingly hopeless situation, rescuing the dead bones through the power of his Word. God loves to do wondrous things through his Word because it demonstrates his glory.

Big Ideas 1. Excitement, baptism, and authentic faith. The story of Simon begins with excitement. Simon was known for his dark powers and the whole community was amazed by him. When Philip began preaching the Gospel, the community began to be drawn to Jesus. Initially, Simon appears to believe and even gets baptized. However, after time, it becomes very clear that whatever Simon was pursuing, it w...

In this episode, Pastor Jon questions the ambiguity of popular Christian voices and provides a brief summary of the consistent and clear teaching of Scripture about marriage, gender, and sexuality.

In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the role of deacons within the church, the question of female deacons, the ordination of women, the call to care for widows and the impoverished, and the call to be encouraged in the Lord in making a living through hard work.

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Matthew 18:15–18 and considers Jesus’ teaching on Church discipline, and the context of this teaching. Church discipline gets a bad rap and, sadly, many churches seem to slight or ignore Jesus’ words to the detriment of God's people. The reality is that Jesus gives us this instruction because he loves us. We ought to pay closer attention an...

Big Ideas 1. Suffering and the sovereignty of God. In Acts 1, Jesus promised his disciples that they would be his witnesses in Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8). Up until this point, the Gospel was exclusively located in Jerusalem. But after the death of Stephen, a great persecution broke out which caused Christians to move to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). And where Christians went, the Gospel went wit...

In this episode of The Blitz, Pastor Jon discusses the attributes of Christ that are frequently celebrated in books such as "Gentle and Lowly" by Dane Ortland, as well as those attributes that mainstream Christianity tends to overlook, such as wrath.

In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the priority of the ministry of the Word in the early Church and the establishment of deacons within the Church to serve. They consider the question: "Why is the ministry of the Word so important?"

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers Ezekiel 33:7–11 and the responsibility that God gives Ezekiel to warn his people of their wickedness and to turn to God. God warns them because he desires that they would repent and live. It's God's warning, but it is Ezekiel's responsibility to carry it.

Big Ideas 1. The entire Old Testament points us to Jesus. As Stephen responds to his accusers, he recounts the entire metanarrative of the Old Testament. He speaks of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and the prophets to name a few. His point? The entire Old Testament points to Jesus! Faith in Jesus is not a blasphemous departure from the Old Testament as Stephen’s accusers falsely claimed (Acts 6:11...

In this episode, Pastor Jon explores how the recent change in mask mandates and COVID guidelines might expose an otherwise hidden fear.

In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss Acts 5 and the imprisonment of Peter and the Apostles. In a time when the authorities are encroaching on more and more of our basic liberties, it is a deep encouragement to know that Jesus is our Lord and that joy in him is our strength.

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers how God provides for the poor and the sojourner through the gleaning laws for landowners. He also considers how these laws show us one of the main ways God cares for the poor: by providing them with the dignity of work.

Big Ideas 1. Pastors need to be focused on the right priorities. Today, it seems as if there are always a million different things vying for the attention of pastors. In reality, not much has changed. People need the Word, and people also need practical help with necessities like food and shelter. Both matter. However, God has appointed different roles within the Church to see that both needs are...

In this episode of The Blitz, Pastor Jon shares an awkward and enlightening experience he recently had in Vegas while explaining why our culture tends to get angry over all the wrong things.

In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss how, even during COVID-19, Governor mandates, lockdowns, etc., the message and the commission of the Church to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit has gone forward unhindered. They also discuss how the Book of Revelation carries an attitude and confidence that is instructive...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Acts 26:22–29 and considers how Paul's mission to proclaim the gospel confronts those who are in political office, and how we might think about Christianity, the state, and religious liberty.

Big Ideas 1. Pastors in prison. The world is not indifferent or neutral when it comes to the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus told us that the world would hate his Church because it first hated him (John 15:18). Sometimes that hatred is hidden. At other times it is exposed through public persecution such as is recorded in this text. The Apostles found themselves thrown in prison for preaching the Gospel....

In this episode of The Blitz, Pastor Jon identifies the Marxist roots and ideology of Black Lives Matter while questioning why BLM ignores the leading causes of death among young black men.

Ananias and Sapphira sold their property and gave most of it away. But they lied about how much they sold the property for because they wanted folks to believe that they gave more than they did. So, God struck them dead. What is up with that? In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss why God Struck down Ananias and Sapphira and how it is a lesson for us today to not t...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Ezekiel 13:8-14 and considers this question: What is the difference between a false prophet who says "'Peace' when there is no peace" and the peacemakers who Jesus says "will be called the sons of God"?

In this episode of The Blitz, Pastor Jon explores Jemar Tisby's book "How to Fight Racism." In it, he explains why Tisby sees systemic racism everywhere and exposes some of the main issues with this worldview.