Early Church of Christ

John the Baptist was not one to mince words, so while it must have been jarring, it wasn't too surprising that his greeting to the Pharisees and Sadducees was "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Why did he start with this, and how can we learn from their mistakes and instead pursue a vibrant, living faith in Christ?

Matthew 2:1–6 (ESV) 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scrib...

Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV) 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to...

"For many cultures ancient and modern, and certainly in the Jewish world of Matthew’s day, this genealogy was the equivalent of a roll of drums, a fanfare of trumpets, and a town crier calling for attention. Any first-century Jew would find this family tree both impressive and compelling. Like a great procession coming down a city street, we watch the figures at the front, and the ones in the midd...

Malachi had a message from God of both correction and hope for the people of Israel. They had become careless and negligent in their calling, and were stale in their faith. But God gives them a glimpse of the coming Messiah and his forebearer (John the Baptist) in this call back to a godly focus and life of faith.

Haggai the prophet urged the returning people of Jerusalem to remember their commitments and calling as he called them to complete the rebuilding of the Temple because they had become distracted by misplaced priorities and procrastination. Haggai wasn't the bearer of fire and brimstone, though. As they faithfully returned to their mission, God had some beautiful blessings in store.

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17, NIV

"How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. The Lord’s...

We're excited to share this message from James Kinnaird, Regional Advancement Representative for World Bible School, about the past, present, and future ministry of World Bible School. We are also very excited about the hands-on opportunities WBS makes possible for our congregation to share the good news of Jesus with people around the world.

Sometimes the difference between bad news and good news is which side of the news you're on. Such was the case when Nahum prophecies the fall of Nineveh and Assyria. If you had been violent, oppressive, and abusive, the coming of the King of Kings is a bad day. However, if you were among the crushed, the oppressed, the exploited, and pummeled? Delivery is GOOD NEWS! GREAT NEWS!! And such is the ca...

Into a world of injustice, oppression, and greed the prophet Micah spoke justice, hope, and the kingdom of the Messiah. "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Jonah is an incredibly powerful and dramatic story. Being swallowed by a fish for three days and surviving sounds crazy and miraculous. However, that isn't the most incredible facet of Jonah's story. The most powerful part of the story is God's mercy and redemption of a people so lost, so broken, that God describes them as "not knowing their right from their left." God committed an act of mercy so...

Obadiah. He was, perhaps, the definition of a fire & brimstone prophet. His book is short but powerful as he addresses the nation of Edom (the descendants of Esau) and their abuse of their neighbors in Israel

Amos was a farmer and shepherd from the Southern Kingdom (Judah) sent to the heart of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to speak truth to power. He held nothing back as he spoke powerfully to oppression, injustice, and deep immorality, calling people to genuine change and a real relationship with God. It's a message that rings as true for the world and the church of Christ as it did then.

Joel 2:13–14 (MSG) "Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to GOD, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust f...

The Book of Hosea is a beautiful, poetic look into the heart of God for his people, Israel. It's also a heartbreaking look at the brokenness of our world, and how it weighs on God's own heart. Through it all, God's justice, mercy, and grace shine through.

This week James updated us on his recent work in Guatemala City, and spoke on Acts 8 and how we can learn from Philip how to share the good news of Jesus.

Esther proved to be a strong, capable, faithful, and courageous woman of faith. That faith and courage was, in part, due to her willingness to have and to listen to wise people around her.

Moses's story starts with such apparent promise, but very quickly goes off the rails. In a moment of anger and rage, he murders an Egyptian and loses the only life he'd ever known as he runs off to hide. For 40 years he hid until one day, by a voice in a burning bush, God came calling. #Godisnotdonewithyou

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'"

"In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?" (James 2:25, NIV) Faith can be found in the most surprising hearts, and Rahab is a great example. She was a prostitute in a Canaanite city with a reputation for idolatry and ungodliness. Yet, news of God's deliverance and blessing...

At a time when Gideon saw himself and his people as powerless and hopeless, the Lord spoke triumph, courage, and valor to his life. We are all more than we think we are, because God sees all we become when we trust him.

“Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. No foul language should come from your m...

Matthew 8:10–11 (NIV) "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." #touchingtheuntouchable #healingtheunhealable #bridgingtheunbridgeable

Acts 3:1–8 (NIV) 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John....