Village Bible Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pastor Ron Johnson
We visit the empty tomb with the first witnesses to the resurrection and are reminded that we are called to continue to be witnesses.
The Holy Spirit calls the church to send out witnesses to reach a lost world for Christ, and they obey His call
Through Herod, Satan attempts to stop God’s work before it spreads, but the church relies on God in prayer and God intervenes showing that He is God and Herod is not
God’s new work to the Gentiles is questioned and then embraced by the Jerusalem church allowing the Gospel to spread to Jews and Gentiles in Antioch which became the hub for Gentile missions.
God dramatically expands the church by confronting Peter’s bias leading Peter to obey and share the Gospel to Gentiles opening the door for all who believe to be part of the church
God works powerfully through Peter to spread the Gospel even while preparing him to get past his own prejudice and reach Gentiles
The new life from the Holy Spirit is clear as Saul immediately starts to powerfully preach the Gospel and the church overcomes concerns to welcome him
Saul’s false beliefs and roadblocks to following Jesus are confronted by a very alive Jesus, and Saul is saved to continue spreading the Gospel
God directs Philip to share the Gospel with an Ethiopian eunuch showing that salvation is for all people and giving us an example of Spirit directed outreach
The ravaged church powerfully spreads to Judea and Samaria in the middle of difficulties through those that are genuinely repentant at heart
As we look forward to 2022, we ReDiscover the essentials of the church by looking at our core values of Outreach, Community, Spiritual Growth, and Ministry
Stephen is arrested and about to be killed, but delivers a powerful Gospel message showing that Jesus is primary in his life.
The church addresses a potentially divisive situation by adding servant leaders equipped to restore unity by making sure everyone’s needs were met allowing the Gospel to flourish
The apostles arrested again and told not to preach, which they promptly did upon release. The unquenchable Gospel in action!
God reveals and deals with the sin Satan attempts to use to derail the growing, unified, vibrant church
Opposition to the Gospel rises, but the Holy Spirit emboldens the church to continue His work
When God’s people do God’s work by the Spirit, God’s power is seen which opens opportunities for the Gospel
The spiritual, relational, and material fellowship of the church drew others to Christ as it powerfully showed the working of the Holy Spirit
On the Day of Pentecost, God's promise was fulfilled with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the forming of the church
The disciples actively waited for the Holy Spirit through community, prayer, the Word, and obedience, preparing themselves to do the work of Christ.
God formed and empowered His church as a Gospel community to continue the work of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
The first steps in preparing for worship are to give up the distractions of this world and counter our self-reliance with a need for God.
God fully knows and cares about us, so trust His plans, hold to His truth, and allow Him to refine you.
David uses a lament song to pour out his heart to God, plea for help, and choose to declare his praise and trust in God even in the pain
The purpose of these songs is to direct our whole self to worship the LORD and bring Him glory
We don't remove idols, we must replace them. The heart will always love something. Let's focus on reveling in the work of Jesus and loving Him more.
Idol of CONTROL – an over-desire for certainty, security and wants by having everything go according to my plan through control of self, circumstances, environment and others.
Deep idol of Comfort – A longing for comfort, pleasure and satisfaction from experiences, things, and people or an over-desire for avoidance of anything painful, stressful or hard
Deep Idol of Approval – An over-desire to please, be accepted, affirmed, desired or loved
The deep idol of power is a longing for influence, recognition, superiority or achievement
What do idols do to us and how can we get rid of them? We must identify them and recognize deep idols that are the sin beneath the sin.
An idol is anything that takes the place of God as ultimate in our worship, love, and lives
The grace of God saves and trains us to live out our faith practically towards each other
Because we have been saved by God’s mercy out of our former lives enslaved by sin, we should live humbly and respectfully to those around us who also need salvation.
The older are to be an example of godliness as they teach and train the younger to live out sound doctrine in everyday life
Choose leadership in the church based on spiritual qualifications and godliness rather than expedience or popularity.
We are undistracted as church family when we support the testimony of the church rather than destroy it.
Just as in a nuclear family, all should help out, the same is true in a church family. God has ordained that stability and growth come as all serve and use their gifts and abilities.
Is it a chore or a joyful responsibility to participate in the mission of the church. God has called each of us to be part of the purpose of the church in doing His work.
We covenant together to protect the unity of God's church through love, forgiveness, encouragement, and following well.
Our direction this year as a church is to be undistracted by worldly things and lesser things and be committed to the main things of seeking God and doing His work.
Habakkuk wrestles with the sovereignty of God and we find that we can trust God no matter what our limited view sees.
Today we remember and celebrate what God has done in 2020 through testimonies and prayer.
Christmas at Village as we celebrate that true hope arrived in that manger to save us from our sins and from a fallen world
A look at God's instructions to remember and celebrate His work through the Old Testament Feasts
Even when you don’t have all the answers in the worst of trouble, persevere and live for God because He absolutely is delivering you
Our sovereign God has fulfilled hundreds of prophecies and we can trust Him in the future.
God answers Daniel’s for Jerusalem and his people by showing how Jesus will ultimately reconcile us to God and set up His eternal kingdom
God hears Daniel’s prayer of genuine repentance pleading for mercy and forgiveness for Israel for their sins that led to exile
God graciously warns His people of a coming dark tribulation that He will faithfully limit and end so they will not lose heart
In this second half of the book, Daniel is given visions of the future so that we will trust God through all circumstances as the Most high. In this vision, 4 beasts rise up representing 4 earthly kingdoms, but the kingdom of the Ancient of Days will rule over all forever. (part 2)
In this second half of the book, Daniel is given visions of the future so that we will trust God through all circumstances as the Most high. In this vision, 4 beasts rise up representing 4 earthly kingdoms, but the kingdom of the Ancient of Days will rule over all forever. (part 1)
Daniel stays true to prayer and worship of God even in the face of trials and the king's orders not to. God rescues Daniel from the lions den because of his faithfulness.
God hates pride and humbles those who will not acknowledge his sovereignty and rule over them. As King Nebuchadnezzar was confronted by his pride, we have opportunity to look at the warning signs of our own pride and repent.
Stand for the Most High in all circumstances trusting His ability, His will, and His presence in your life
We look at Daniel's example of working with authorities to address what he resolves not to do.
Introduction to our study through the book of Daniel and the supremacy of the Most High God.
2 Thessalonians concludes with a challenge to not grow weary of doing good, warn those that disobey, and seek the God of peace for strength.
As we meet together again, we explore the value of coming together as a church body and appreciating the time together.
God gives us a checklist of how to be living in a way that pleases Him while we wait for Jesus to return.
Paul gives comfort assuring us that all believers, whether dead or living, will be raised with Jesus and be with Him forever.
When we are in biblical, godly community with each other, when we do the work to be family, it will be hard to be apart and we will be motivated to find ways to connect
How we respond to the instruction of God's Word affects the effectiveness in our lives.
Even when you can’t see God’s work, trust Him because He always sovereignly acts in care for His people and the progression of His plan
The Holy Spirit is the ACTIVE agent of God's work in our lives both of salvation and sanctification.
James 3:2-12 - We are challenged to let the Holy Spirit tame the tongue and use it for blessing God and others.
In this text, we will see that genuine Christianity must put faith into action in real life. Following Christ changes how we live.
We will look at 5 more external evidences that help us know the Bible is true and reliable.
We look at the doctrine of the necessity of scripture and begin to look at external evidences that support the reliability of scripture.
In this message, we will cover the sufficiency of scripture. God's Word is sufficient for knowing God and for godly living.
Worship Set:
Mediator Because He Lives (Amen) Jesus Messiah His Mercy Is More Man Of Sorrows In Christ Alone
O Come To The Altar Build My Life
Don’t be distressed and frightened as the world falls apart, be joyfully confident that Jesus is coming sooner
Isaiah deals with Judah considering yet another alliance to save them from the Assyrians. God calls them to trust in Him alone and seek Him for guidance. We need to do the same. Go to God for guidance in any situation we face.
In this passage, we explore the link between trust in God and peace and some ways to put trust in God into practice.
Isaiah takes the paths of trusting in man and trusting in God and shows where they lead to for all eternity. It is good to know which philosophy wins before staking our lives on it.
Isaiah addresses the nations surrounding Israel and confronts their sin. They are trusting in anything but God Most High! Whom do we trust? Also, a Powerpoint with maps to all the nations discussed can be downloaded.
Ahaz has an opportunity to trust God, but trusts self instead leading Judah into further trouble.
The foundation to Isaiah's call is an encounter with the holy, righteous King! He is cleansed and ready to serve.
Even though God gave Judah everything they needed to serve Him, they still turned their back and rebelled against Him. Unfortunately, we can do the same thing.
Join us as we being our study of Isaiah by exploring the background and themes of this book.
Paul ends by calling us to examine ourselves to see if we are right with God and right with others. Be restored in all relationships!
This is the second in a series of how to love God in the home. How can we include family worship into the life of the home? You Can!
God has called each of us to love God and love others. How do we do that in the home? This is the first in a series of practical ways to love God and love others in the home.
In this text, Paul challenges us to be a giving people. Why should we give and how much?
In today's text we see the need not only for discipline, but that all discipline should have restoration and forgiveness as its goal.
How did Paul handle people who were wronging him? In this passage, we study how to handle conflict and love even those difficult to love.
Can God even use suffering to His glory? Absolutely! We discuss ways God uses difficulties in our life to ultimately bring Him glory.
Today we discuss how to engage the pro-choice movement from God's Word and logically. We give a defense of the sanctity of life position.
At the end of all the things Paul has addressed about living godly lives in an ungodly world, we come to the power of the Gospel and the resurrection. Understanding how these impact our lives is essential to living godly lives!
As we wrap-up 1 Cor. 12-14, we want to look at 1 Peter 4:10-11 to see how we should use our gifts. We are to be servants and stewards. We also look at an overview of all the gifts in scripture to see how the Holy Spirit has equipped His church.
Paul now deals with the specifics of the abuse of tongues in the church at Corinth. As we look at his instruction though, we see principles for how we should approach corporate worship.
In the middle of the discussion of spiritual gifts and ministries in the church, Paul says "By the way, let's talk about love." It is the essential ingredient in ministry and how we treat each other in the church.
We continue looking at how believers are gifted through the Holy Spirit to do just what God wants for His church.
Remembering Christ in communion also means remembering His body, the church. When we come together, it is vital that we care for and love each other as each is a son or daughter of God whose adoption has been paid for by the very blood of Christ.
How do we know the resurrection actually happened? Pastor Ron talks about just seven of the evidences that affirm our faith in God because of the resurrection. He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!
In this passage, Paul addresses the conduct of men and women toward each other and God in the worship gathering. The good news is that women don't have to wear head coverings today! But what does it mean. Paul explores areas of leadership, roles, and modesty.
We discuss five questions that will help us determine what we SHOULD do in grey areas as opposed to what we CAN do.
Paul's next lesson on grey areas uses Jewish history to show the dangers of thinking they are strong and above temptation. Their "freedom" was actually sin at times. Let's learn from history and not repeat it with the same sins.
Paul shares his "Outreach Principle" that he is all things to all men that by all means he might save some. What an example to follow!
Paul continues his discussion of actions that destroy the faith of a brother or sister in Christ by using his own example. He was an apostle with full rights as founder of the church and had a right to support from the church, but chose not to take it to not cause them to stumble.
Singleness is not something to be looked down in God's church. Rather, God has gifted His church with singles and married people and both are needed and valuable to accomplish His purposes. Singleness offers a unique opportunity for undivided devotion to our God.
In this passage, the Holy Spirit through Paul challenges us all to live pure lives fleeing sexual immorality. We are one with Christ, let's not be one with sin as well. Don't drag Christ through sexual sin!
As we live for God, we want to make sure we are focused on Who God is and What He does. This provides the foundation for living godly lives.
Paul confronts the spiritual pride in the church that was causing divisions encouraging them instead to be servants.
Paul continues to give a foundation for what unites us by discussing how the Holy Spirit reveals God's Wisdom to every believer.
Rather than starting by reprimanding the Corinthians, Paul starts by giving thanks and reminding them of the sanctifying work of Jesus Christ!
Today we look at an introduction to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we look at the church at Corinth, we want to apply ways that we can live godly lives in the middle of an increasingly ungodly world.
Spiritual Growth is one of our core values at Village, but what does it involve? How can you get involved in the right kind of things that promote spiritual growth?
In this message, we explore how a church can have a culture of outreach in evangelism and missions. Let's work together to share the Gospel to a lost world!
Evangelism is hard for many Christians! In this message, we explore 8 barriers to evangelism that we face and ways to overcome them.
In his final sermon, Joshua challenges the people to commit themselves to God by remembering His work and serving Him alone. We are still called to do this today.
In these chapters, we follow the Israelites as they conquer first the southern part of the land and then the northern. It is an incredible example of the combination of man's obedience and God's faithfulness and work.
Joshua was God's man called to lead His people. Dad's are also God's men called to lead their families. We explore 10 principles from Joshua's leadership for leadership in the home.
After Achan's sin is dealt with, God restores Joshua and the people to Himself and to His work. Praise God for His grace and mercy!
The Israelites are soundly defeated at Ai because there is sin in the camp. Achan had taken some of the devoted things and cost the entire nation. Sin must be dealt with!
As we look at the familiar story of the conquest of Jericho, we are reminded that the battle is God's and our responsibility, like Joshua's, is obedience. As we obey, we watch God do wonders!
Happy Mother's Day! Hannah was a mom that influenced a nation through her son Samuel. She dealt with broken dreams, trust in God, and finally giving her son to God for his service.
We would think this is the time to attack, but God instructs the nation to get their hearts right before going to battle. It is the same lesson we need to learn today as we do God's work!
As we look at God's instructions to Joshua to memorialize God's Work so the people do not forget, we are challenged to do the same thing in our own lives.
The resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel! In this message, we look at 10 statements about the resurrection from 1 Cor 15 that help us see why the resurrection still matters.
In this passage, Joshua led the people across the Jordan at God's direction. We can learn much from this story about following God's leading ourselves.
As we begin studying the book of Joshua, we look at the historical context, the person of Joshua, and the great themes that we will find in this book. It is a book that challenges us to follow where God leads because He is the Faithful One.
In this service we read through the books of 1 and 2 Timothy as a church body. Allow God's Word to penetrate your heart and mind!
Paul gives his last admonition to Timothy and it's all about persevering in the Word and finishing well.
Paul shares with Timothy insight to keep him from going down the self-love, deceived path of the false teachers. Discipleship and God's Word are powerful equippers in the life of the believer.
We continue to study how to be a vessel of honor usable to God. In the face of an increasingly dark world, Paul encourages us to stand strong and watch out for the sin of self-love in our lives. It will bring others down.
Paul instructs how to be useful vessels to God. We must be cleansed and pursue godly motives and attitudes.
This week we explore some practical ways to be God's church in each of our core values: outreach, community, spiritual growth, and ministry. We also introduce the Acts 4 ministry.
We explore our theme for the year, "Be God's Church, Build God's Church: Losing Our Lives For The Kingdom." God is using us to build His church beyond Sunday mornings. Be part of it!
In this text we are reminded to remember God's Son, God's Word, God's people, and God's promises. Doing so will give strength and encouragement to ministry and service of our Lord.
What does it mean that Jesus is THE King? We trace the kingship battle back to creation and end with the magi who help us remember to worship the King.
Paul continues to give principles to follow for effective discipleship. In this passage, we are to be soldiers, farmers, and athletes. Listen to find out what each represents.
Paul gets to the heart of his instruction with two commands for Timothy and for us. Find strength in Christ's grace and pass on the faith to others. No excuses!
Paul encourages Timothy to be unashamed of the Gospel and of him in prison. Let's stand tall for Christ and proclaim the glory of salvation!
As Paul begins 2 Timothy, he encourages Timothy by reminding him of his spiritual heritage. We stand in a line of believers, not alone!
How should we view wealth? This passage exhorts us not to be proud or dependent on wealth, but to use what God has given to do His work and to be generous.
Paul gives his final commission to Timothy in the book and instructs him on how to be a man of God. We can learn to flee, pursue, fight, hold, and guard.
Paul addresses two areas that can destroy the servant of God. The first is that the false teachers were motivated by self. The second is a call to watch out for greed and be content. These are still powerful temptations today!
Paul gives Timothy instructions for how to pay pastors, correct elders and pastors, and choose them.
This passage gives us instructions for how to help widows in our church family. We also see examples of how women should live godly lives.
Join us as we explore the biblical doctrine of the church as a family and discuss how that begins to change how we interact with each other.
In this text we are challenged to take godliness seriously and train/discipline ourselves in godliness. We may not like physical exercise, but spiritual exercise is essential!
Paul deals with the false teaching that you must give up certain things to draw close to God. However, God wants us to enjoy Him and the wonderful gifts He gives!
Paul warns the church to be on guard against false teaching and reminds us that the true source is demonic.
As we go through this text we will see a number of qualifications for elders in the church. Then church needs men to step up and lead, and these qualifications are what we should aspire to.
As we finish studying this passage, we see that God has designed men and women differently and given them different responsibilities, yet they are equal before Him. When we reverse roles and responsibility, disaster happens.
God created male and female equal in His image, but with different roles and responsibilities. This is week one of exploring how men are to engage and lead and women are to be modest, seek God, follow well, and be known for godly works.
The first and most important step in waging the good warfare is to be committed to prayer. Pray for all to hear the Gospel and for an environment to share the Gospel. Have God's heart for the lost and make it your mission.
Paul charges Timothy to wage the good warfare by holding to faith and living what he believes. A good reminder for all of us.
Paul breaks into a discussion of his salvation and the grace that is given to all of us. God appoints and God equips by His grace and strength!
Introduction to our series on 1 & 2 Timothy. We are entrusted with the Gospel, to fight the good fight, and to use our gifts for God's purposes. Let's take up the charge!
Throughout scripture we are commanded to honor our father and mother. What does this mean for fathers? What are dads looking for in the honor department?
As we finish our series on the seven churches of Revelation, we read through chapters 1 through 5 and reflect on what Christ wants for His church.
Today we explore the meaning and practice of the Lord's Supper. May we treat this ordinance reverently and in community.
Christ is disgusted at self-sufficiency in the church. When we have everything we think we need and do not need Christ, we are actually wretched and pitiable.
God created moms and dads with different strengths to complement each other and to create godly homes. We honor mothers today as designed by God!
Christ wants a church that will not tolerate compromise and immorality so it can do His work.
Christ commends the church for boldly holding up the name of Christ, but also criticizes them for their compromise in allowing false teaching into the church.
Pastor Ron shares 5 reasons of how the resurrection impacts us today. He is risen! And it matters!
Christ's message to Ephesus and to the church is that it is good to serve and hold to solid doctrine, but it is vital that our first love is Christ! A heart for God is most important and will be accompanied by actions stemming from that.
An intro to a series exploring what Christ says to the seven churches of Revelation. Out of this we can see what Christ is expecting of His church today. We are His church to do His Work!
Today we read through all of the attributes of God and verses for each one. It is an awesome thing to hear all of God's attributes at once! Be awestruck, be changed.
As we close our study on the attributes of God, we are reminded that this is not just to be head knowledge, but transforming knowledge as we imitate God's attributes in our life.
God's glory is the sum of all His attributes, nature, and actions. The only reasonable response is to give Him praise and glory!
God is a God of Grace and Mercy. We use those words all the time, but have we thought about what they really mean? We explore these attributes and our response to these attributes in this overview of God's nature.
As we continue to look at the attributes of God, we explore how God is always truth and always faithful. The challenge is that we are not, but He is sanctifying us toward these things.
We wrap up our series by discussing a number of helpful tools in the Bible Study process.
God desires His children to work for His purpose. This is a radical call for us to reorder our priorities to put His purpose of discipleship first above all else. We don't because we often think our purposes are greater than His. Let's follow Him and live for His purposes!
As we continue to study the attribute of Righteousness/Justice, we explore how justice requires God's wrath. In fact, we would be in serious trouble if God was unjust. Praise God for His justice, wrath, and payment for that wrath in Jesus Christ.
What happened when God's plan for salvation interfered with Joseph and Mary's plans for their life? They embraced God's plan, worshiped God, persevered through many changes to their plans, and looked for God's hand to work. Praise God for His gift this Christmas.
God is right and just . . . All the time! In this message, we begin to understand what righteousness and justice are and how God always is just whether we see it or not.
Explore what it means that God is love. It is far more reaching than we initially think!
God is all-powerful! He is our rock and refuge. He is completely able. His omnipotence is directly related to His sovereignty as well. Explore these attributes and see how the result is worship and thanksgiving.
In this lesson we explore how to understand and read the Old Testament wisdom literature.
One of God's attributes is omnipresence. God is present with His whole being everywhere. In this message, we explore what this means and the implications in our life. He is present in need, but also His presence should keep us from sin.
How do we understand the Old Testament Law? We explore principles for how to interpret and apply the law as a Christian today.
God is the only unchangeable one! He is unchangeable in his being, attributes, promises, and purpose. He is the only rock and the one we can trust.
Today we explore how God is self-existent and self-sufficient. He is the only uncaused one that caused all other things to be! As such, he also has no needs and from Him flows everything that all created beings need.
Introduction to our series on the attributes of God. God is incomprehensible and knowable and the great I AM. A bit of the message was lost due to a technical glitch.
All of the lessons on discipleship are helpful, but mean nothing if we don't actually start to disciple others. In this message we look at Jesus' reinstatement of Peter to prepare him to feed the church. It is time for us to disciple!
Week one of our education class based on the book "Playing With Fire", by Walt Russell. What is interpretation and what is the value of proper interpretation?
The congregation read through Colossians and Philemon focusing on elements of what it means to be In Christ and how that applies to discipleship.
Paul writes to Philemon to encourage him to forgive and accept Onesimus into the church even after Onesimus had stolen money and run away from Philemon. As we see how Paul leads Philemon, we learn lessons on how to help others in Christ and have spiritual influence.
Paul writes to Philemon to encourage him to forgive and accept Onesimus into the church even after Onesimus had stolen money and run away from Philemon.
Paul gives instructions to husbands/wives, parents/children, and employers/employees for daily living in Christ.
To make Christ part of our everyday lives, we must have a commitment to His Word, His Work, and His reputation. Our worship in community will be a direct evidence of this. How should we consider others as more important than ourselves in worship?
What qualities are essential for unity in the body of Christ? Paul goes through things to put on that would enable the body to function in peaceful unity that comes from Christ.
We are encouraged to eliminate those things in our lives that lead to sexual immorality and to eliminate anger and its results. We are new creations in Christ and these have no place.
What is the core of being radically changed? We explore what our response to being raised with Christ should be. We must evaluate our ambitions, thoughts, and hopes to see if they match Christ's.
Discover how Paul viewed the church and what is important for us all to strive for in the church.
Discover how we can seek God's will as we study Paul's prayer for the church to be filled with God's will.
This introduction to Colossians reviews the historical setting and reasons Paul wrote the letter. It reads like a letter today to a younger Christians to help them mature in the faith. The answer is to be In Christ in all things!
What does motherhood teach us about ministry and discipleship? Explore 1 Thes 2:6-9 with us and find out!
What are the marks of a disciple? Answering this question leads us to an understanding of what our ingredients of discipleship should be.
This week we look at the need for discipleship and the biblical definitions and examples of discipleship.
The story did not end with Jesus on the cross. He was buried, but hope was not lost. On that Sunday morning, God's power defeated death and sin and gives us eternal assurance of His presence and eternity with Him.
Jesus shows that He is a King willing to be a sacrifice for us, a substitute, and our Savior.
In the face of severe consequences, Jesus proclaims that He is the Messiah. Peter however, denies even knowing Christ at the same time. This is a challenge for each of us to stand unashamed for the gospel and declare that we are disciples of Christ.
In this sermon we explore from the eyes of Peter whether Jesus' arrest was a pitiful event or actually a display of His power and sovereignty.
We explore the three scenes of the Lord's Supper and see Jesus' actions to give us a picture to remember Him by even to this day.
Jesus continues to talk about the persecutions of the end times to warn the disciples and encourage them to trust and obey Jesus.
Jesus begins to warn the disciples of trouble ahead so that they will maintain faith, obedience, and trust.
Jesus compares the scribes who want to grab everything they can for themselves with the widow who gives everything she can to God. He challenges us to give everything we have to God's service.
The religious leaders now try to trap Jesus with issues of politics, theology, and legalism/obedience. He refuses to get side-tracked by these and keeps pointing them back to loving and serving God.
The religious leaders confront Jesus about cleansing the temple, but He uses it as an opportunity to show how unreceptive their hearts were. What blinds us to the work of God?
The fig tree provides a living parable: the temple looked fruitful but in fact was fruitless, just like the fig tree on the side of the road. The missing ingredient was faith and faith leads us to dependent, confident prayer to the God of the impossible.
Pastor Ron discusses how our vision statement, "Building Christ focused families that disciple their community for Him," will impact Village this year. We will be focusing on reproducing disciples through discipleship starting with conversion to maturity. Come be part of it!
We are challenged with how to respond to Jesus' birth by looking at the Magi and their response of joy, worship, and giving.
If we are to give like Jesus this Christmas, we need to understand how He gave. Listen and discover how Jesus gave intentionally, personally, sacrificially, and abundantly.
On Monday of Passion Week, Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit and then clears the vendors out of the temple as they were keeping Gentiles from prayer and worship. What do we do that hinders worship and people from finding Christ?
Jesus reveals that He is the Messiah as He enters Jerusalem in the triumphal entry. May we see Him in awe as King and worship Him, trusting that He is working His plan.
As He travels from Jericho to Jerusalem towards the cross, Jesus stops and heals a blind man. This blind man exhibits faith and discipleship in the midst of difficulty and cries out for mercy.
Jesus compares how his disciples should lead with how the world leads. There is a remarkable difference between servant leadership and power leadership. Pastor Ron gives an overview from scripture of how to be a servant leader in the church family and in your home.
Jesus predicts his death one more time to show the disciples what servant leadership really is. He came to serve and be a ransom for many!
Jesus teaches that an attitude of humble dependence and surrender like a child is required to be saved.
One of our missionaries, Fernando Napoles, challenges us to be willing to present the gospel to the world.
Jesus describes God's plan for marriage as one of intimacy and permanency. This week we discuss how to build closeness in your marriage and build a marriage pleasing to God and one that will withstand time.
In a culture where divorce is seen as normal and a viable option, Jesus' words of instruction about the permanence of marriage are vital. It is important we come back to what the Bible teaches about divorce rather than what is convenient for man.
Jesus continues to teach the disciples that following Him means abandoning self. In this passage, Jesus shows that a disciple deals with sin seriously and decisively.
When Jesus, Peter, James, and John come down from the transfiguration, the other 9 disciples were unable to cast out a demon. Jesus reveals their faithlessness and shows how it was to be done with prayer representing a dependence on God. We are challenged to move from self-reliance to God-reliance.
Peter rebukes Jesus for saying that He must suffer and die. It is a confrontation between Peter's ideas and the will of God. We must all deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
Jesus heals a blind man in a 2 stage healing to illustrate the disciples' spiritual state. They were starting to realize He was the Messiah, but not that His mission was the cross. We are challenged to realize we all see dimly and should ever be growing deeper in our understanding of God.
The pharisees attack Jesus for letting His disciples eat without ceremonially washing their hands. Jesus teaches that what comes out of our heart is what defiles us, not the traditions that man has added to God's commands. Love God with all your heart.
Jesus sent the disciples across the lake as we went off to pray. They encountered a storm that they could not row through while they were alone. Jesus walked on water to be with them, but they did not recognize Him. He is with us through all things even when we do not see Him.
After the disciple's missions trips, their rest with Jesus is interrupted by crowds. Jesus teaches compassion and perseverance in ministry by feeding the 5000 men and their families.
Jesus prepares to send out the 12 to share the gospel and touch lives by taking them along to Nazareth. He then sends them out with instructions that they would be dependent on God. Are you willing to sacrifice to be about the Master's mission?
Jesus heals the woman with the flow of blood and then brings back Jairus' daughter from the dead. He shows absolute power and compassion at the same time.
Jesus casts multiple demons (Legion) out of the possessed man displaying His absolute power over Satan and sin. Through His work on the cross, He makes us new creations!
9 Characteristics of spiritual fathers in the church and a challenge to honor them like we do our own fathers.
John the Baptist lived a life that wonderfully pointed to Christ. He humbled himself and elevated Jesus as one whose sandals John was not even worthy to untie.
While we hold to the 5 sola doctrines, we also affirm that God created us to be in community. We are not to be solo Christians, but rather serve and grow in the body of Christ. At Village, we are starting community groups to help accomplish this.
The final sola instructs us that all we do is to be for the glory of God. Anything else is a poor substitute for God's glory.
Salvation is available to those who believe only because of God's grace. It is completely undeserved and unearned. Praise God for His unmerited grace!
In this message, we see that Christ alone provides salvation. It is only by His work on the cross that any that believe on Him may be saved. Is Christ the only way to heaven? Absolutely! No one else paid the price for our sin.
What version of the Bible is reliable? We cover various ways of translating scripture and a challenge to study God's Word.
How did the current books of the Bible come to be included? We discuss 5 criteria the early church used to discover what books the Holy Spirit inspired.
Part 2 of evidences defending the inspiration of scripture. How do we know the Bible is true?
Part 1 of general evidence for the inspiration of scripture. How do we know the Bible is true?
God's Word is sufficient for all of our needs and for our knowledge of God and godly living.
What are the 4 absolutes about the Bible and what do they mean? Inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency.
This begins a series on 5 foundational beliefs of Christianity. scripture alone, Christ alone, Grace alone, Faith alone, and Glory to God alone.
Part 3 of evaluating the theology of the book "The Shack". It is important to always read through the filter of biblical truth.
Part 2 of evaluating the theology of the book "The Shack". It is important to always read through the filter of biblical truth.
Part 1 of evaluating the theology of the book "The Shack". It is important to always read through the filter of biblical truth.