The Ridge – Weekly Message

A popular objection to Christianity today is that it doesn't respect all people and promotes inequality amongst people. Is this fair? Where does the idea for human equality come from anyway? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they unpack how Paul's message in Galatians 4:1-7 speaks to the accusations above. Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the dev...

Equality is one of our most treasured values, especially as Americans. Yet, one of the most popular objections to Christianity is that it doesn’t respect all people and is a major force for inequality. Is that true, though? What does scripture — what does God — have to say about that? Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 3:26–29 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the...

In Galatians 3, Paul addresses people who taught obedience to the law as a part of a pathway to salvation. Paul appeals to their famous ancestor, Abraham, who, despite not having the law, was believed to be "saved"/with God. But how was he saved if he didn't even know the name of Jesus? How was anyone saved before Christ's death and resurrection? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Rid...

Description: Galatians 3 has us asking some pretty profound questions: Why the Law? What is its purpose? Isn’t it just a list of rules? Don’t do this or this. Don’t do that. Do we even still need it?  Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 3:7–25 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week!  Sign up  to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

The word "grace" appears around 130 times in the Bible. Most often, it speaks of God's grace toward us. This begs the question: Is it possible for us to show that same kind of grace to others? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Director of Family Ministries Doug Applegate as they look at what the Bible has to say about God's grace and what our response might look like. Read the ...

In Ephesians, Paul tells us all about grace. What it is, why we need it, our response to it, how to accept it, and how to offer it to others. That all sounds great, but what does it all mean for us? How do we take all that Paul said about grace and apply it to our lives yet today?  Message by Doug Applegate Scripture referenced: Ephesians 2:1–10 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the de...

The Bible is clear that there is more going on in the world than what we can see. As we seek to follow after Jesus, there are forces working against us. So how do we combat the work of the enemy in our lives? And what role does prayer have in this battle? Join Cheryl Sidler, Ministry Assistant and Women's Leader, and Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, as they discuss these questions and mo...

Toward the end of his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul reminds the Ephesians of the reality of spiritual evil. There is much more going on in this world than what we see. And there is an enemy we battle, yes. But God equips us for the fight. Message by Will Herron Scripture referenced: Ephesians 6:10–17 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week!  Sign up  to recei...

In Galatians chapter 3, Paul is frustrated with the church to the point he accuses them of being 'foolish' and 'bewitched.' Though harsh, Paul was addressing a dangerous trend in the church: They received salvation through grace, just as they should, but now they were following God in their own strength. Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they explore...

Paul is frustrated. His concern: A dangerous trend in the church. The Galatians had received salvation through grace but still wanted to live life in their own strength. They were missing something big: The Holy Spirit — His purpose and His power. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 3:1–6 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week!  Sign up  to rece...

Do you understand the gospel? Do you really? Because there’s more to it than simply accepting Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for our sin. It also has to do with Christ being in us, transforming us, seeing us as redeemed and righteous and restored. To understand the gospel fully is to know where and with whom our identity lies. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 2:15–29 Read the ...

This past Sunday we were back in the book of Galatians where Paul reminds us that relationship with God is a matter of faith in what Jesus has done for us rather than trusting our own efforts. One major theme in these passages is identity. This leads to questions, such as how do we form a basis of our identity? How is our identity rooted in God? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike...

Up until Acts 9 Saul had been murderously pursuing followers of Jesus, driving them from their homes and throwing them in prison. Today, it's estimated that around 317 million Christians experience high to extreme levels of persecution. And while neither of these may not be our experience here locally, we can still encounter various kinds of opposition to our faith. What does persecution look...

The early church was under severe threat with Paul leading the way in murderous pursuit. Then the unexpected happened — that Road to Damascus moment of conversion. God uses Paul, redeems his story and his life, enabling him to make an eternal impact. Message by Will Herron Scripture referenced: Acts 9:1–19 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week!  Sign up  to receive...

In Galatians 2:11-16 we get a window into a conflict between the apostles Peter and Paul. Peter is clearly caving into social pressure, Paul calls him out on it, which raises the questions: How might we be compromising our faith convictions in an effort to gain social acceptance? And how can we avoid this same pitfall that overcame Peter? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Re...

Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians who were falling back into old habits and giving in to the world surrounding them. Turns out, though, that they weren’t the only ones. Just as Paul was writing to confront those in Galatia, here in chapter two, he was also confronting Peter.   Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 2:11–16 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the d...

Criticism is hard to avoid. At some point, we're all on the receiving end of it. How, then, should we go about responding to sincere or perhaps even mean-spirited critique as followers of Jesus? Join BTS Host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they discuss how we can turn our "critics into coaches." Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each wee...

In refuting false teachers (Judaizers) and their precepts, Paul brings his teachings to James, Peter and John. He’s seeking their council, yet also accepting responsibility over controversy. Their response: They recognize Paul’s teaching as truth. But there’s one more thing. Peter, James and John ask the apostle to do one more thing in his ministry.   Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced:...

This past week we were in Galatians 1:15-24. Here we get an insight into Saul’s whereabouts the few years after his miraculous conversion. God leads Saul/Paul into a three-year season of deepening — a time of becoming before a season of doing.  Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they explore what deepening seasons can look like in our lives today. Read the  Beyond the...

Back in Galatians this Sunday, we’ll hear more of Paul’s testimony, specifically the Road to Damascus story — his miraculous conversion. So, what happened next? He went right into ministry, in to leadership in the early church, right? Well, not quite.   Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians 1:15–24 Read the  Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week!  Sign up...

In the book of Galatians Paul speaks of a gospel of grace, not of works. Yet in James we read that faith without works is dead. So are Paul and James presenting two contrasting truths, or is there something deeper going on? Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Strategic Planning and Communication Director Dayne Logan as they discuss ways to approach apparent contradictions in the Bible.  Read the ...

In Galatians, Paul tells us that a person is saved through faith by grace alone. We cannot earn salvation, and we are not justified by following the law (no matter how closely) or completing good works (no matter how many). Yet in the book of James, James writes, “Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Huh? If we’re not saved through works, what is James getting at? Message...

As we continue our study in Galatians, we get a look into Paul's past, and it wasn't pretty! While "your past doesn't define you" might be a popular saying, it can be challenging to know how to handle a history of deep failure in our own lives and the lives of others. Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they discuss how our experience of God's...

So far we know that the Galatians have strayed from the message of the gospel — they've accepted false teaching. As they ponder which teacher to listen to, Paul’s background wasn’t doing him or his message any favors. His past was dark. As we move further into the first chapter of Galatians, we’ll see just what God does with brokenness. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Galatians...

This week we are back in the book of Galatians where we find Paul fired up about some happenings in the church. The Bible teaches that healthy anger is possible, but what exactly does that look like? How can we go about avoiding destructive expressions of anger? Join BTS host Will Herron and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they explore these questions and more on this week’s episode.  Read the ...