Knowing God With Heart and Mind

Sometimes Christian Believers give in to unrealistic expectations, or they are unable to think outside the box. In the village of Bethany, Jesus demonstrated that prayers are always heard by a compassionate Savior, but they are rarely answered in the way that Believers desire. Still, the unmatched majesty of the LORD's Word and the supreme authority of the LORD's actions will inevitably leave His...

The little village of Bethany was just a couple of miles from the big city of Jerusalem. Bethany was awed by our LORD while Jerusalem ignored and reviled Him. Bethany loved and served Him while Jerusalem sought to kill Him. Bethany was not a religious center but it was closer to Heaven. Jerusalem was dedicated to the Law but rejected the heart of the Law. This week we will observe the subtle and t...

It's St. Valentine's Day and it's the beginning of a new series of messages for the season of Lent. "God's Favorite Place on Earth" will be devoted to falling in love with our Savior and making a home to share with Him. As we move toward the remembrance of His passion we will learn about His most passionate followers. A simple family in a village called Bethany welcomed Jesus with open arms and, m...

When wisdom and contentment converge, there is peace of mind. Or is there more? Solomon possessed great wisdom, but he wasn’t content? It appears that wisdom is incomplete without contentment. However, some people seem to be content, but they lack wisdom. What's the missing element? How does one attain wisdom and achieve contentment? How can we avoid Solomon's mistakes? 

In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon reminds us that difficulty and death come to all people. He urges us to resist assuming that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Solomon would have us realize that God does not operate that way. Therefore, Christian Believers cannot equate their life's trials and blessings with God's favor. Some troubles are common to all persons in a f...

In this week's message from Ecclesiastes, Solomon teaches us that vanity insanity will lead to the dissolution of sacred relationships and end with dissatisfaction and self-destruction. We will discuss this and consider its remedy as we dedicate ourselves to worship, prayer, learning, and service. It turns out that Solomon would have done much more of that if he'd had it to do over again. What abo...

This time we will continue with our study of the book of Ecclesiastes. We'll read Solomon's well-known "For everything there is a season" passage. Solomon's list reminds us that we must not be surprised by our encounters with life's trials since they are natural to humankind. We will contend with these realities and discuss our relationship with God under such circumstances. We'll find that Solomo...

In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon reveals life's true purpose and the follies of human pride. In this series, we will learn from his wisdom and raw humanity. 

The entire bible is a love story. Christmas reminds us that God so loved His creation that He did everything He can do to redeem it. 

Christmas is an easy time to think too much about the times gone by, especially this year when so much has changed so fast. Subtle majesty underlies the birth story of Jesus and his gentle, desperate parent’s attempt to find shelter for his birth when we think of the star that lighted their way and the multitude of angels who attended them unseen. Unseen until they spoke to the shepherds and then...

The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Philippians that “the Lord is at hand.” The dictionary definition of the term, “at hand” breaks it down in three ways: a.)Nearby; physically within one's reach b)Currently in need of addressing c)Impending or imminent. An examination of Paul’s declaration in light of this definition suggests that the Lord is physically present, must be attended to, and al...

These days we all know what it's like to look forward to something that we can only imagine. We want to see an end to the pandemic and its consequences but we can't know for sure when that will be and what exactly it will look like. Some have died while awaiting the cure and return to prosperity. Their hope was not in vain, it just wasn't time yet. That's what it is like as Christian Believers awa...

It is the first Sunday of Advent (proper). It is officially the first Sunday of the new Christian Year. The Church marks the new year by remembering that Christ is coming again soon. What about "the rapture"? What is it? When does it happen? Who will be left behind?

Have you ever been in love? If so, what was it like to be physically separated from your lover? Was it hard to hang up the phone when you got to talk? What about precious cards, letters, and gifts? When you heard that your love was coming to you, did your heart leap? Were you counting down the days, hours, and minutes? What was it like to see the love of your life coming toward you? Now, is that h...

Christ came once as prophesied and Christ will come again, as prophesied. That's the premise of the latest worship and learning series. Scripture will inform our observations and the Spirit will open our hearts and minds. We will learn that Christ’s return and the prophecies surrounding it are a source of inexpressible hope and joy for Christian Believers since they give understanding and purpose...

Christ came once as prophesied and Christ will come again, as prophesied. That's the premise of the latest worship and learning series. Scripture will inform our observations and the Spirit will open our hearts and minds. We will learn that Christ’s return and the prophecies surrounding it are a source of inexpressible hope and joy for Christian Believers since they give understanding and purpose...

How many decisions have you made without really thinking? What about really important decisions? Like, who to vote for, or even whether to trust Christ as your Savior and Lord? In this episode, we will meet the Bereans, "nobler" hearers of the Word because they listened with open minds and enthusiastically "fact-checked" the claims they heard. They applied a vital skill called, critical thinking.

Ever wonder how to know God's will or direction for your life? In this week's Scripture reading from Acts 16 we read that Paul and his associates were directed by the Spirit and were even told, "no." How does a Christian Believer tap into that kind of divine guidance? We'll talk about it on Sunday and we'll celebrate the Lord's Supper as we remember the saints who rest in His presence. 

Do you have any idols in your house? Do you visit shrines to make offerings? Is there an unknown god to whom you turn for encouragement and blessing? In this week's message, we will witness Paul's address to worldly-religious people. We'll unpack his teaching so we can recognize ourselves in the story.

Have you ever experienced a paradigm shift? That is, has a fresh understanding or clearer vision of something changed your attitude and priorities? That's what happened to hundreds of people in Antioch when Barnabas and Paul taught and preached. But, some of the people were indifferent and some were scoffers. Is it true that some people just won't get it, no matter how well they are taught? 

Here's a new word for your vocabulary: syncretism. It describes what happens when beliefs and customs from a variety of sources merge and become a kind of secular religion. There were Jewish Christians in Antioch who only shared the good news with other Hebrew-speaking people. But, when persons who spoke the common language of the world shared Jesus with others like them, they were the first to be...

Presuppositions usually prevent authentic expressions of the Lord’s purpose. Do your assumptions prevent you from sharing your faith with others? Why?

The fellowship of the believers inspired awe as its behavior to the Lord and each other was radically different from the norm. Yet, conflict arose, even in the young Jerusalem Church. It proves that every movement is destined to beget an organization and every organization is destined to beget corruption, even the apostle-led Church of Jesus Christ. With the Lord's help, we can manage the corrupti...

When was the last time you were truly awestruck? It could have been a beautiful, inspiring event or an overwhelming, dreadful thing. Now, consider the fellowship of the believers as you’ve experienced it in your life’s times. When was the last time church worship, Sunday school classes, small groups, or mission activities left you awestruck? In this week’s message from The Acts of the Apostles, we...

When was the last time you were truly awestruck? It could have been a beautiful, inspiring event or an overwhelming, dreadful thing. Now, consider the fellowship of the believers as you’ve experienced it in your life’s times. When was the last time church worship, Sunday school classes, small groups, or mission activities left you awestruck? In this week’s message from The Acts of the Apostles, we...