Northwest Gospel Church - Camas/Washougal

1 Timothy 3:1-7 | Ben Potloff | The Church is not a man-made institution; neither is it a system that has been corrupted beyond redemption. The Church is the people of God, organized in Christ-exalting local communities under the leadership of qualified men. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul writes to Timothy about the qualifications for these men who would aspire to lead, serve, and teach believers in local c...

Luke 24:13-53 | Todd Miles | This is the crescendo of Luke's Gospel. The final revelation, the complete understanding, the grasping of the scope of the gospel prophesied and fulfilled. It’s no wonder that after Jesus’ ascension they returned, worshiping him with great joy!

Luke 23:50-24:12 | Ben Potloff | After a sabbath full of grief, the women who saw Jesus buried come to anoint Jesus’ body with burial spices. Except, the tomb is empty, save for two majestic beings who declare that Jesus is alive! It seems too wonderful to be true! Some disciples doubt, others like Peter run to the tomb, and two others get a first-hand encounter with the risen Jesus.

Luke 23:26-50 | Ben Potloff | It was the darkest day in history. Jesus would soon be revealed as God’s resurrected Son and “firstborn from the dead,” but now he is nailed to the cross. Though the best part of the story is soon to come, it is important that we not skip over the weight and sadness of Jesus’ sacrifice in this chapter. God was willing to make a way for sinners like us to be reconciled...

Luke 23:1-25 | Ben Potloff | It is no exaggeration to say that the entire Christian faith is built upon Jesus’ actions recorded in the next two chapters of Luke, so read and reread these verses closely. In Luke 9, we see Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem to accomplish the work he was sent to complete. Now, we see that work unfolding as Jesus is falsely accused and put on trial. The assembly of...

Luke 22:66-71 | Ben Potloff | In this last portion of Luke 22, the author is using five verses to focus on one thing: the identity of Jesus. Morning comes and the Jewish leadership carts Jesus off to their= council chamber, perhaps to make official the deliberations from the previous night at the high priest’s house (v. 54). There, they ask, “are you the Christ?” What was Jesus supposed to answer?...

Luke 22:54-65 | Max Janusch | In this passage, Luke turns the focus on Peter and shows us the sad failure of a disciple. Peter sits among the group huddled around the courtyard fire. One of the servant girls eyeballs Peter, and says “This man also was with him.” Peter’s retort was, “Woman, I do not know him.” There could hardly be a stronger way to deny Jesus, and it was pretty much all downhill f...

Romans 6:3-11 | Ben Potloff | As Christians, we still find ourselves falling into old patterns and old sins. Why is this? What does the Bible say about our old lives? The Apostle Paul exhorts the believers in Rome to recognize that they have died to their old selves and to sin, and they now experience new life through salvation by faith in Jesus. This passage reminds Christians to recall their sal...

Luke 22:39-53 | Luke Hendrix | Jesus’ prayer in the garden reveals much. Although Jesus is fully God, his prayer gives us a very real picture of his humanity. There is perhaps no way for us to understand the intense anguish experienced by Jesus in these moments. Yet God the Father understood, sending an angel to strengthen him. The trial did not cease but Jesus' attention is fixed on the will of t...

Luke 22:24-38 | Ben Potloff | This passage contains three major themes. First, Jesus defines greatness. Second, Jesus highlights the coming denial of Peter. Third, Jesus reminds the disciples of the coming struggles. This passage highlights something beautiful. It highlights Jesus’ compassion, his care, and his aching heart for his disciples knowing what is around the corner. As we look at the who...

Luke 22:1-23 | Ben Potloff | Since Luke 9:51, we have followed along as Jesus has traveled through Israel with his face set “to go to Jerusalem.” Now, we come to the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As the Passover is about to begin Jesus sends some of the disciples to prepare a space for them to eat together. It is during this meal that Jesus reminds the disciples that he will soo...

Luke 21:5-38 | Ben Potloff | It can be incredibly easy to find ourselves living in fear. We live in fear of natural disasters. We live in fear of economic collapse and financial hardship. We live in fear of the influence of political figures and the power of governments. We can live in fear because we know our struggles and failings, and we fear that our shortcomings will affect us and our loved o...

The religious leaders’ questioning of Jesus has come to an end (see Luke 20:40), but Jesus keeps the ball rolling with a question of his own. He asks, “how can they say that the Christ is David’s son?” It’s here that we think back to Luke’s opening words, where he tells us why he has written this Gospel account, “to write an orderly account for you... that you may have certainty concerning the thi...

Here we are yet again... the religious leaders are back at it, attempting to trap Jesus by asking an impossible question that seemingly has no satisfactory answer. This time it’s the Sadducees who bring the question, and it’s a question about marriage and the resurrection. The Sadducees came primarily from wealthy priestly families, and history tells us that they mostly looked to the first five bo...

Jesus is a brilliant storyteller. The chief priests and scribes, the religious leaders of Israel in this day, are continually trying to trap Jesus, peppering him with impossible questions with the aim of crucifying him whether he agrees or disagrees. Recently, there was a question about the authority with which he teaches. Jesus’ brilliant storytelling gives the perfect answer to this question: th...

Beginning with chapter 20 we see a basic pattern in Jesus’ ministry emerging; the Jewish leadership is coming after him. In the previous chapter Jesus had cleansed the temple and in this chapter we see wave upon wave of opposition seeking to discredit and trap him. Verses 9-19 constitute a parable that is meant to depict his opposition (the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jews). There is...

A ‘catch 22’ is a dilemma where someone can’t escape because of conflicting or contradictory rules and outcomes. This is exactly what one finds in Jesus’ interactions with the Jewish leaders in this section of Luke's Gospel. The last two verses of chapter 19 provide a bit of context for the story that unfolds at the beginning of chapter 20. Jesus has made it to Jerusalem and has begun teaching in...

We’re back in the Book of Luke. We started this Gospel back in 2018, and have spent 58 Sundays in its pages. We’ve witnessed Jesus’ birth, his teaching, his miracles, and, most recently, his journey toward Jerusalem. This week concludes that journey that began back in chapter 9. While this week’s text may seem like a random smattering of events at the end of a road trip, almost every detail of thi...

The Lord is near... This simple reality changes absolutely everything for absolutely everyone. This morning, we come to Philippians 4:5-23. Here, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, reminding them of the nearness of our God and of the imminent return of Jesus. We cannot hope to face the affliction and hardships of this life without recognizing the amazing reality that our Lord i...

This week, we come to the close of our journey through the Book of Ruth. In this final chapter, we see Boaz redeem Ruth and Naomi, and we read that a baby is to be born. In light of all the hardship experienced by Ruth and Naomi and despite the wicked backdrop of the period of the judges, God is working to redeem his people. Here, we see that redemption is found in a Redeemer who is willing to pay...

As we look ahead to Christmas morning, we examine the story of Jesus' birth, as told by Matthew. Jesus' birth was more than just the birth of a king, it was more than the fulfillment of the prophets, it was even more than God coming to earth in human form. Jesus' birth was the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to come and dwell with his people. In this passage, we see that while we can't come...

This week, we continue our journey through the Book of Ruth. We've been introduced to the major characters of this short narrative, and we are starting to see the theme of redemption playing out in the lives of Naomi and Ruth. Here, we see that the rest we long for is only found in a relationship with our Redeemer.

As we continue in our Advent sermon series, we are introduced to a crucial character in the Book of Ruth. Boaz is a "worthy man" who is related to Naomi (v. 1). This worthiness is put on display as Boaz provides for and protects Ruth in a time when Israel is dangerous. Throughout this passage, God's providence is center stage and we are called to see what the Lord does for those seeking refuge in...

This week, we begin our Advent sermon series: In the Days When the Judges Ruled the Land. It is with Judges barely in the rearview mirror that we are introduced to Naomi. Having lost her husband and sons, she begins the journey back to her home country with his widowed daughters-in-law. Here, we see that even in the bitterest of circumstances, God is working.

The saying goes, “two wrongs do not make a right.” We see this reality playing out every day. After forgetting to do the dishes, lying about it won’t make them suddenly clean. When one sibling steals from another, stealing a toy of theirs won’t ‘right’ anything. This week’s passage not only horrifically confirms this idea, it also shines a brutal light on all of Israel in one of the darkest nights...