First Baptist Church of Toledo: Recent Episodes
First Baptist Church of Toledo
Christ will examine if we are fruitful, perhaps even at a time we don't expect, and we are responsible for what we show Him.
God cares about how He's worshipped and we must reform our practices to make sure they're in line with His.
Jesus grants mercy to those who are pushed into the sidelines of society, the greatest going to the least.
In Christ's kingdom, greatness is not measured in power, position, or prestige. It is measured in humility and servanthood.
God has the right to reward as He pleases, and Christians must rejoice that the Lord is not just fair, but generous.
Righteousness is not earned but received. Those who receive Christ’s righteousness will be gifted with eternal rewards in the restored heaven and earth.
- Are we seeking to please God or ourselves?
- Rites and rituals are meaningless before God if there is no relationship with God!
As we consider this event in Jesus' ministry we are not only going to see just how important children are to Jesus, but we are also going to learn how much we "grown ups" can learn from how children respond to Jesus.
God was made manifest in the Creation He made in order to redeem it from the sin that man had wrought.
Being forgiven so great a debt as our sin, it is unthinkable that a Christian would be unwilling to forgive wrongs done to them.
Confrontation about sin is necessary in Christian community, and the hope is always for repentance and restoration.
When a Christian stumbles and wanders, other Christians are not called to despise that person, but seek to restore them.
To be truly great in God’s kingdom means being dependent and trusting of God in every circumstance.
Jesus did not want to be an offense to others and was willing to set aside His rights as Son of God.
Following Jesus means denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and losing our lives so we might save our lives.
Christians need to confess that Jesus is the promised Savior and the Son of God, and on that rock of confession does Jesus build His church.
Christians need to be on the lookout for false teaching. It may look good, but it spreads and ferments faith.
Traditions need to be examined by God's Word, and those who teach tradition as God's command do not worship God.
Jesus miraculously feeds more than 5,000 people because the Apostles were willing to give up their meal for Jesus' mission.
News of Jesus's works reaches Herod, and news of Herod's works reaches Jesus. Herod responds in shame, and Jesus responds in compassion.
The Nazarenes reject Jesus' divinity because they were too self-assured of what they knew about Him.
Jesus' disciples are to understand and treasure the truths of His parables about His kingdom.
Jesus gives parables depicting worshipful abandon of earthly treasure for the purpose of gaining true, eternal treasure.
Christians are to persevere in a wicked world knowing that the Lord will harvest the wheat and burn the weeds.
Jesus begins teaching in parables, starting with a parable about sowers and soils, teaching us that as we sow the seed of the gospel, we won't know how it will be received.
Jesus uses the careless words of the Pharisees to show them their condemnation is just.
Jesus is shown to be the servant God intended to bring about salvation and restoration to the whole world.
Jesus is tested by the Pharisees on whether or not it's allowable to be do good on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees tried to condemn Jesus and His Disciples, but their misunderstanding of the Sabbath was a symptom of a greater problem.
Jesus encourages His Apostles that they will be received in His name, and that those who receive them will be rewarded.
Jesus eradicates a misunderstanding of His coming and sets the record straight about how devoted His followers are to be.
While promising real, deadly persecution to His Apostles, Jesus also provides some promises.
Jesus gives specific commands to His disciples of what they are to say, what they are to do, and what their mentality should be as they go out.
Jesus gives His Apostles specific orders and grants them some of His authority proving the distinctiveness of His ministry.
Jesus’ motivation for His ministry was compassion. It should be that same compassion that drives us into the field ripe for harvest.
Time with Jesus will produce one of two results: Either He will be marveled at, or He will be blasphemed.
Jesus is declared to be the Messiah by two suffering men who follow Him, are healed by Him, yet still disobey Him.
Instead of patching up the old religious system of Judaism, Jesus declares that He is bringing something brand new.
Jesus shows that He came to forgive sinners, not just to heal bodies, striking fear and reverence in sinners.
Jesus commands demons to leave two suffering, demonized people, showing great mercy to them in this broken world.
Christians follow Jesus wherever He leads them, even into storms, knowing that nothing can prevent God’s intended purposes from taking place.
Being a Christian will bring trouble, making a person feel like an exile in this world and receive criticism for not doing what the world thinks is right.
Jesus was promised long ago, but we live in a time that feels so far removed from that Good News. This is why we have Christmas, and so we gathered to see, savor, and celebrate our Savior.
Jesus healed catastrophic, contagious, and chronic illnesses and diseases. Doing this He proved to be the promised King, also exceeding what was expected of Him.
Jesus' authority is acknowledged by a Gentile, which is a condemnation on the Jews who reject Him.
Jesus has the authority to take away whatever impurities we have, so we ought to always humbly ask for His help.
Jesus tells the crowds to do what He has said, and the crowds are amazed at His authority.
Doing mighty things for God does not determine a person’s salvation; only doing the Father’s will and being known by the Son can do that.
Christians face immense trouble living a life for Christ, but it leads to immeasurable joy for all eternity.
Because God is a kind and loving Father who answers prayers, we are able to treat others the way we would want to be treated.
Jesus wants Christians to be humble not harsh, leading others to repentance as we ourselves repent.
A Christian ought to do right things for God’s glory secretly, knowing that only God’s approval matters
A Christian should not seek out their own justice, but should repay injustice with willing submission and forgiveness, entrusting final justice to God.
Christians let their “yes be yes” and their “no be no,” giving God all the glory when they can fulfill their intentions.
A church is be devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, and have favor with others.
Divorce is a terrible thing. God hates it because it makes a wife into an adulteress, or commits adultery, and does not mirror His faithfulness to His Bride, the church.
Jesus provides us with an ideal prescription for what love without limits looks like. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, we can learn to love the unlovely, the hurtful, and the haters, without limits.
The Christian response to sin is to eradicate the connection to temptation, because it is better for us to lose that connection than suffer the wrath of God.
Jesus wants us to understand that having anger at another person is liable to the same judgment as committing murder in God’s eyes, and therefore we should be seeking reconciliation to those we have wronged.
A Christian is meant to interpret the Bible like Jesus, knowing that all the commandments are necessary for a righteousness reflected in the heart, and that all the promises of Scripture are fulfilled in Christ.
The life of a Kingdom citizen is shown by being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Happy are those who are persecuted for their daily, practical love of God, because their concern is their citizenship in heaven.
Peacemakers are called sons of God because they mirror the work of Jesus, reconciling people with God and with each other.
Satisfaction for our hunger and thirst for righteousness can only be found in God, specifically in His revealing of Himself in His Word.
Christians should be marked with meekness. In so doing, they reflect Jesus’ heart by restraining their strength and being gentle toward sinners.
Christians can rest assured in their promise of comfort in the midst of mourning in Christ through one another, through God’s providence, and through the promise of the Holy Spirit carrying us to the glorious end of being with Jesus for eternity.
Being poor in spirit means to recognize our complete and utter poverty before God. This is the first mark of being a Christian and the path to lasting joy in Christ.
As Jesus starts off His “Sermon on the Mount,” we see His audience being confronted with those who are blessed in God’s Kingdom. This sermon challenges us to question ourselves and consider how we should be acting as citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom.
Jesus’ ministry of teaching, proclaiming, and healing brought great crowds (specifically His healing), but it was all supposed to point to His redeeming of men and this world.
Jesus’ call to service and salvation is intentional, powerful, and produces a response.
Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection makes God both just and the justifier to those who have faith in Christ
Jesus began His ministry proclaiming His gospel which demands repentance… Some people accepted it and others didn't.
Jesus does not falter in the face of temptation, satisfying our need of a Savior who is unlike us in our failures but empathizes with us in our weakness
Although John the Baptist protested to baptizing Jesus, it was necessary and foreshadowed Jesus dying on the cross.
John the Baptist was sent to declare a message and to prepare people for the coming King.
There were two responses to Jesus' coming, either to adore Him or to try and destroy Him.
The birth of Jesus was filled with significance. It was God coming to Earth, fully God and fully man, to rescue humanity.
Jesus was the Promised King through the whole narrative of Scripture, displayed through His genealogy of the first 17 verses of Matthew.