People's Church Arnold Podcast

How important is the truth? The truth is given to us through God’s Word, and the person of Jesus Christ who helps form our lives. As committed believers we make a dedication to live in truth. This makes us stand out in a world that has rejected the truth. Scripture Text: Ephesians 3:14-21 

Many years ago, some people in Israel asked whether their leader, Saul, could save them from their enemies. They questioned Saul's capacity to save them. In the same way, people today think little of Christ, and they, do not believe that he can save them. However, Saul's capacity to save the people of Israel was demonstrated as he rescued the terrified people of Jabesh-Gilead from the dr...

The people of Israel had asked Samuel for a king so they could be "like all the nations". In this demand the people were rejecting God's way of being King over them. Saul had been anointed king but he had done nothing to lead the people. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 11:1-11 

The story of Saul is an account of the remarkable commitment of God to establish his kingdom. That has not changed—God is working to establish his kingdom through people that are surrendered to him. This is one of the ways we can be encouraged because it may look like we are losing on every front, but God is at work. God’s kingdom will survive, grow, and we can be a part of it, even in a world tur...

God has a way to taking the ordinary and transforming it into the extraordinary. This what happened to Saul. The people of Israel had previously asked Samuel for a king so they could be "like all the nations". Samuel and the Lord disapproved of the proposal. However, the Lord told Samuel to make them a king. When Saul met Samuel he had no idea that God has chosen him for that role. Nonet...

We have all lost something that was valuable and went on a search for the lost item. Today’s sermon is about two lost donkeys that belonged to Saul’s father, Kish and the search for the donkeys. Actually, the story is about much more than the donkeys. That is how the story begins but it ends with a word from God. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 9:1-27 

God has a journey mapped out for every woman, man, and child, and He wants us to trust Him as He shows us what He has in store. Be encouraged with this message as we look at three ways to show our belief in God. 1. Let Go 2. Learn 3. Laugh Scripture Text - Various

The Parable of the Prodigal son shows that no matter how far we have strayed from God, He is always waiting for us to return to Him. In telling this story, Jesus is teaching us about the nature of God and how we should respond to those who have sinned against us. Scripture Text: Luke 15:11-24  

People are interested in security, they want to feel safe. We want good laws and enforcement of those laws. We are also, concerned about having enough money in retirement, good health and prosperity. Samuel was a good leader to Israel. With God’s direction he delivered them from the threats of their enemies. However, on the other hand, their greatest danger was the anger to which they had provoked...

God has been dealing with Israel through compassion and punishment to bring them back to himself. It is evident however, that Israel was stubborn and resisted God’s call to return to him. This means that Israel's main problem was not with their corrupt and inept leaders, nor was it the Philistine threat. Israel had a problem with God himself! Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 7:1-17 

Death inevitably strikes a universal fear in every human heart. It doesn’t matter what century or the geography all people are fearful of death at some time in their life. Those who witnessed Christ’s death that Friday, when Jesus was crucified, felt the biting sting of death. They saw and heard Jesus speak his last words. Then they saw him breathe his last breath and fall limp as he hung on the c...

We have all had problems we could not solve by our own strength or knowledge. Such was the case of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 6. The problem is summed up in the first sentence of the chapter: When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, The fact that the ark was in the land of the Philistines was a problem for both the Philistines and the Israelite's. God had promi...

Human beings play games—dysfunctional games with each. When we don’t know how to fix our problems we relate to each other in dysfunctional ways. We also play games with God. We know God is powerful and we believe He is in charge but we resist letting Him be in charge of our life. We prefer our way to His way and we rely on our strength and ingenuity to His power. But, that choice has its consequen...

It is not uncommon to want God's power. Some believers can misunderstand and misuse the power of God.  If we want to see God’s power it will always be through repentance and humility. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 4:1-21

Learning to express our appreciation for the people, experiences, and things in our lives that matter is a skill worth learning. Its more than a skill—its an attitude. If we acquire this attitude we will learn to enjoy  simple pleasures, such as watching the sun rise, feeling a cool breeze, or taking a stroll, worshiping with our church family, and most of all knowing that God is there with us, no...

As we open the book of 1 Samuel we immediately are given two contrasting world views, one from Hannah and the other from Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. Hannah's perspective of the world is turned upside down by God's power, but the second view of Eli's sons was a humanistic view. There are several lessons in this story for us that will challenge us in our walk with God. Scrip...

In Philippians 2, Paul points us to the ultimate example of humility. He points us to true humility, and true servanthood and shows us what it’s like to live like this. Scripture Text: Philippians 2:1-18 

In the Gospel of Mark, we see a story of two unique individuals with opposite backgrounds. Both of them are in desperate need of Jesus. The contrast reveals to us the wideness of Christ's love and mercy. Scripture Text: Mark 5:21-43

Corruption is more and more evident in many of our leaders today. And, since there doesn’t seem to be equal justice under the law, we become cynical of the integrity of our leaders. It often appears that they get away with their corruption. First of all, let’s remember that we all come with a sinful nature, and we have a proclivity toward corruption. The pull toward dishonesty is powered by greed...

There are several reasons why the Old Testament stories are so powerful and meaningful. First, they are about real people who have real problems. Secondly, they display the entire panorama of their behavior and attitudes. Thirdly and most importantly, the stories show us, God. They show us who He is and what He can do. In this message we will see how God is omniscient and omnipotent, but at the sa...

In Lewis Carroll’s “The Looking Glass,” The Red Queen tells Alice: ‘Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. Do some of you feel that is what you are doing—just running ever fast to just stay in the same place? Unfortunately, for many that is a picture of life but it doesn’t have to be that way. It's important to slow down and think about how we view...

Where is God? Where is God when I need him? Many people imagine God to be a God in their own image instead of us in His image. In this way God becomes a genie in a bottle. You ask and he’s supposed to deliver what you demand. If you believe in the God of the Bible you may wonder, does God care? Does he care about me and my problems? The answer to that question affects how we see life. If there is...

1 Samuel is the story of three great leaders of the nation of Israel. It takes place during a period when Israel experienced a gigantic leadership crisis. Leadership matters in all areas of life from the home to the business, to the government. All of us choose and reject leaders. We allow people to influence us, and we reject the influence of others. We make important decisions based on what we l...

There are many problems that plague all of us in life. Jeremiah has some advice for us about how to live. If we apply it to our hearts it will effect an attitude adjustment. Scripture Text: Jeremiah 9:23-24

During the time of Jesus’ birth, wise men from the East came to worship Jesus. They found two kings, King Herod and King Jesus. Jesus came to conquer in love, and Herod to conquer with force. However, there were three responses to King Jesus’ birth: Indifference, Hostility, and Worship. The people of Jerusalem were indifferent, King Herod was hostile, but the Wise came to worship. Scripture Text:...