Coram Deo Church — Bremerton, WA

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the way that God leads his people like a father through the pillars of cloud and fire after the Exodus. This somewhat humorous and redundant passage reveals both the childhood of God's people and the Fatherhood of God. Children need instruction and here in this passage, God displays himself as a father that leads his children by the hand a...

Is egalitarianism the gateway drug to transgenderism? In this episode, Pastor Jon explores the connection between egalitarianism and the transgender movement that is taking our country by storm. Does celebrating women in the pulpit lead to men in dresses?

The book of Acts is rife with conflict. The public preaching of the Gospel often resulted in the imprisonment and reproach of the Apostles. Ever wonder why the Apostles didn't just start house churches and invite people to attend those to "find out who Jesus is"? Wouldn't that have been an effective "mission" strategy that bypassed all the public conflict? Today, we often think being missional mea...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers Mordecai in the story of Esther. This guy gets in trouble for refusing to pay homage to Haman. He's like the lone guy in the crowd in that famous photo who is not giving the "heil Hitler" sign. Thus begins the story of conflict between the Jews and Haman. When Haman complains to Ahasuerus he makes the point of calling out that "these Jews"...

In the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament, the Apostles and Jesus himself don't even flinch from discussing and preaching judgment, the wrath of God, and hell. Jesus speaks about hell more than any other person in the scriptures. This topic is never avoided because it is the very thing that Jesus came to save us from; he is glorified because he saves sinners from judgment and the wrath...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers a small word from the book of Isaiah. In this passage, Isaiah paints a picture of the adversaries of God as those who are trapped in a dream. In their dream, they believe they are healthy but in reality, they are starving and thirsty. How might shape the way we consider the adversaries of God?

Is the Church ugly drunk on the approval of the world? In this episode, Pastor Jon explores how the Church tends to trade in the clear teachings of Scripture in exchange for respectability in eyes of the world. Often this is justified as a necessary measure to reach the world, however, the more the Church becomes like the world the less attractive it actually becomes.

At the heart of the Christian faith is not a philosophy, a political system, or a moral code, but a person. That person is Jesus. Your understanding of and relation to Jesus affects every part of your life including philosophy, politics, and morality. Your relation to Jesus is a question of life or death, sin or forgiveness, light or darkness, and hope or despair. It is not an overstatement to say...

Big Ideas 1. Chaos outside, community within. With the Apostles being threatened and thrown into prison, we might expect to see the Church deeply unsettled and discouraged and on the brink of utterly falling apart. Instead, we find the Church deeply united, living as one, giving sacrificially and generously to meet the needs of one another. In the midst of chaos and suffering, the Church experienc...

Church member Kim Highfield teaches on the topic of “The Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind of Men in Christ.”

Early on in the book of Acts, God works healing signs and wonders among the early Church through the Apostles. Are these signs normal in the life of the Church? Should we expect and ascribe veracity to faith-healers? Or is there perhaps a pattern in scripture that shows why this isn't the norm in the life of the Church? After discussing this question, Pastor Jon and Pastor Rusten discuss the trend...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the story of Shiphrah and Puah in Exodus chapter one. The slaughter of Hebrew boys could have been safe, rare, and legal if the midwives had only compromised and followed Pharaoh's direction. Instead, their rebellion leads to Pharaoh weaponizing his entire citizenry. What is God's response to their pragmatic oversight? Apparently, he bless...

At the heart of the Christian faith is not a philosophy, a political system, or a moral code, but a person. That person is Jesus. Your understanding of and relation to Jesus affects every part of your life including philosophy, politics, and morality. Your relation to Jesus is a question of life or death, sin or forgiveness, light or darkness, and hope or despair. It is not an overstatement to say...

Big Ideas 1. Christ is Lord and sovereign over all of history. When faced with persecution, the Church looked to the Word of God for help, hope, and wisdom. Specifically, they looked to Psalm 2 which reminds us that while the world rages against the Lord, he remains seated in victory on his throne and he will not be moved. While the world conspires against God, God laughs. Therefore, God’s people,...

The early Church was known for their love for another and how they shated they shared with one another out of their love. Many take this information and assume that because they shared, that they were communistic. In this episode we discuss the major differences between communism and Christian sharing. Another thing that comes up in this episode is the early Church's commitment to sharing meals to...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers how the fear of God is key to living in the midst of tumultuous times. The idea that God should be feared above all else seems crazy to the world, but what the world doesn't realize is that the fear of God is the key to freedom and living in hope. The world stumbles on this, but this is a sanctuary for Christians.

At the heart of the Christian faith is not a philosophy, a political system, or a moral code, but a person. That person is Jesus. Your understanding of and relation to Jesus affects every part of your life including philosophy, politics, and morality. Your relation to Jesus is a question of life or death, sin or forgiveness, light or darkness, and hope or despair. It is not an overstatement to say...

Big Ideas 1. Cultural conflict was an ongoing reality in the early Church. This is the first of many recorded collisions between the Church and the religious and/or cultural establishment. At the heart of this conflict was the Apostle’s preaching that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and was, therefore, Lord of all. As a result, some of the Apostles were thrown into prison. In the midst of th...

While we lament our divisions as a people, we also must remember that there was a kind of unity on display in the story of the Tower of Babel that God intentionally disrupted. Apparently, according to God, unity is not good in and of itself. Even today, our attempts at unity are fraught with Babel-like, man-exalting foundations. In this episode of Sermon B-Sides, Pastor Jon & Pastor Rusten discuss...

In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the story of Jesus' Transfiguration in the Gospel of Matthew. While perhaps this is a strange passage, what if the best way to understand what is going on in the Transfiguration is to consider it alongside echoes of similar moments in Scripture?

Big Ideas 1. The Old Testament is all about Jesus. Why should the Jewish people have expected Jesus? What were they ignorant of? The Old Testament, from Abraham to Moses and through all of the Prophets, was ultimately about Jesus. Jesus is not a new idea per se. Rather, he is the fulfillment of the old promises. He is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant and it is through Jesus that the natio...

Join us for the second half of our Ask Anything episode of Sermon B-Sides. Pastor Jon & Pastor Rusten answer your submitted questions including questions regarding the value of motherhood, statistics and risk assessment, creation in six days, the NAR, hell being annihilation vs. conscious torment, and the doctrine of heaven vs. new creation. If you have any questions you would like us to address i...

Big Ideas 1. The Apostles were given a unique power and authority to heal the sick and the lame. How did people in the early Church come to realize that the Apostles had been given a unique power and authority to teach the Gospel? One of the ways their Gospel teaching and preaching was vindicated was through publicly witnessed miraculous healings. While there are a number of miraculous healings pe...