Growing and Witnessing

Every Christian and every biblically faithful congregation is called to be a living testimony to God's good and right judgment of the world. Paul tells us that we are to follow the Thessalonians' lead in doing this three ways. 1. We endure suffering and trials in faith. 2. We choose to follow Christ above everything and everyone else. 3. We grow in our sanctification and holiness daily.

In the last video of our summer video study series on the history of the Church, we wrap up what we've learned by identifying six principles from our history that shape us today and lead us into the future. These six principles are: 1. We are God's People. 2. God uses all things to advance his name and his people. 3. Our thinking must be right. 4. The Church must always be willing to undergo refor...

"What does it mean for us to be Associate Presbyterian?" and "Where does the tile come from?" are the two questions we answer in the latest video in our Disruptions series.

The Gospel makes God's people anticipate Christ's return and the establishment of his Kingdom once and for all. Believers find joy in the promise of Jesus's return to earth. This joy and hope encourages our faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. We have nothing to fear.

Our Reformed Presbyterian heritage is derived from a tumultuous time in Scotland's history. Kings Charles I was forced to sign a National Covenant with the Scots but his son, Charles II, refused to uphold it. This led to rebellion, persecution, and the refusal to allow the Scots to govern their own churches and worship according to the Scripture. We have much to learn from them.

The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, namely his life, death, and resurrection gives us hope as we confront death and mourn the loss of loved ones. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 contain some of Paul's simplest and most familiar instruction regarding death and what happens after it.

In the seventh video of our 2022 Summer Study, we discuss six characteristics of the Reformed tradition. These characteristics help us answer the question, "What does it mean to be Reformed?"

One of the ways that we can live in a way that glorifies God is to allow the gospel of Jesus Christ control the way we do things. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-11, Paul instructs us on how to do just that. We are to: 1. Remain sexually pure; 2. Respect and Care for One Another; 3. Live Simple Lives by Minding Our Own Business; 4. Take Responsibility for Ourselves. These things will glorify God and be a t...

In the 6th video in our series on the disruptions in the history of the Church, we discuss the Protestant Reformation and the forces that led up to it. God worked through the cultural and intellectual renaissance to bring about a much needed Reformation in the Western Church. Luther's 95 theses accomplished more than he could have ever imagined (or intended) and set off a turn of events that chang...

Living a faithful Christian life is not possible without prayer. We must learn to pray and pray regularly for the God of Heaven to work in our lives. But, our prayers must reflect the concerns of God, not the concerns of the gods of our culture: health, wealth, and comfort. We need to pray spiritually for ourselves and others.

The subject of the 5th video in our series on Church history is the divide between the Eastern and Western Churches that was cemented in 1054 over the Filioque controversy. However, there were a number of factors that led to the split between the two branches of the Church. Join us as we trace 5 threads that lead to and cemented the divide. The threads are: the rise of the Papacy, the threat of Is...

"Who is Satan and what is he doing in the world in which we live?" is the question we address in this sermon 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5. The answer is simple: Satan is a real, personal being who consistently opposes God and His people. Specifically, Satan hindered Paul's return to Thessalonica, afflicted the apostles and the Thessalonians with suffering, and tempted them all to give up their faith i...

In the fourth video of our series on the history of the Christian Church, we examine the Council of Chalcedon and its definition of the person of Jesus Christ. He is one person with two distinct natures -- human and divine. He's 100% man and 100% God. The impact of this definitive theological statement has solidified the Church's orthodox understanding of her Savior's uniqueness and pushed her to...

The Bible is the solid foundation upon which the Church of Christ stands. It is to be received as God's holy Word, and it is to be used as a guide for faithful living. Paul thanked God for the way the Thessalonians received the word and became imitators of Christ as they followed him even as they suffered for their faith.

God grants godly ministers to His Church to serve, support, and equip the congregations to advance the gospel of Christ. Paul was the most famous minister to serve multiple congregations in the earliest days of the Church's history. Often, he found himself needing to confront opponents who sought to discredit his ministry. That is exactly what he does in 1 Thessalonians 2-3.

In the second video of our 8-week study of Church history, we discuss the development of a canon of Scripture, church government, and historic creeds. All three of these things were necessitated by the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 AD) which forced the Christian Church to finally break from Judaism and scatter. Universal standards were required.

We began our summer sermon series on one 5 with a sermon on 1 Thessalonians 1. in it, we noticed how the Apostle Paul acknowledges that God created the Church in Thessalonica through the gospel message that Paul proclaimed among them. He gave thanks for the fruit of their conversion -- faith, hope, and love -- and the authenticity of their election in faith.

The Church's history is full of disruptions. In this first session of our summer 2022 study on the church's history, we discuss the first of the disruptions of the Christian Church's history -- Pentecost.

How capable is our God of doing unimaginably great and wondrous things? Far more. Join us as a pastor and missionary Lee Shelnutt explores Ephesians 3 with us and challenges us to think grand thoughts of God and ask him to do grand things.

Good, faithful friendships are blessings from God and necessary for our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Without them, we will not live life as God intends us to live; rather, we will be lonely and unhealthy.

In our Mother's Day sermon on Exodus 2:1-10 titled, “A Faithful Mothers Reward,” we observed that Moses’ mom believed in unbelieving times, acted on her faith, and received the reward for her faithfulness. God always rewards those who are faithful. Join us as we walk through that passage.

Jesus knows what we need better than we do. He also knows where we are. He always finds us where we are and will never withhold his provision from us.

In his account of Jesus's resurrection, Mark gives us a unique perspective of the obstacles the women faced and the way they faced them in faith. They were willing to risk everything for a Jesus they thought was still in the grave. They also received instructions from Jesus to go to Galilee to meet him. They had to walk in faith, trusting that they would see him there. The greatest obstacle that t...

Jesus commands us to love one another in the exact same way he loves us -- sacrificially.

When we celebrate Palm Sunday, we worship the king of kings who rode into town on his donkey. He came to free sinners from their sins. He came to redeem men and women. He came to demonstrate his love to the world. But, he wasn't universally received. We must commit to praising him in the face of opposition as those saints along the road did on the first Palm Sunday.