Downloadable messages from David Slayton at Rocky Mount Baptist Church, Rocky Mount, Virginia, USA, and Jeff Robinson and guest Bible teachers, pastors, evangelists and missionaries.
A church body can only have unity amongst them when they individually allow the Holy Spirit to work within them.
Our greatest act of obedience in response to God's mercy is to make up our minds and fully surrender our lives to him.
The main goal of the Christian life is to be refined and purified by God to look like Jesus.
God's power does not rest upon a particular style of communication or leadership. God's power is available to all His followers willing to obey His commands out of faith.
In evangelism, only the message of the Gospel should be offensive but our personality and methods should be engaging.
Prophecy stands as a monument to God's surpremacy over human history. Prophecy is also evidence of God's mercy in giving a guilty and unbelieving world another chance to believe.
"Love is the active, working principle in all true faith. It is its very soul, without which it is dead." - Jonathan Edwards
Patience is power. God's patience makes it possible for us to have a right relationship with Him. A right relationship with God enables us to have patience with others by reflecting God's patience with us.
Taking false shortcuts to "success" leads to emptiness whereas pursuing God's glory produces fullness.
God's logic is the reverse of worldly/selfish logic; giving is the key to getting ahead.
Because God never leaves a job unfinished a believer can always look forward to greater things.
The incarnation of Christ is contrary to how we naturally think and provides hope beyond ourselves.
We share the Gospel because God is worthy of the worship of every person, because of the reality of Hell, and because of the incredible joy evangelism brings.
We share the Gospel because God is worthy of the worship of every person and because of the reality of Hell.
Church begins at home. God calls us to lead our family to be servants in the church; not merely consumers. Serving leads to freedom; consuming leads to disillusionment.
"True joy means giving up our rights and preferences and serving everyone else." - Thom Rainer, I Am a Church Member
Country club membership is a business relationship of dues paid and services rendered; church membership is a relationship rooted in love for Christ and a local faith family, which involves self-sacrifice.
"Do you know how to remain a member of country club? Pay your dues. Do that and people will be available to serve you. Do you know how to remain a biblical member of a church? Give abundantly and serve without hesitation… The concept of an inactive church member is an oxymoron. Biblically, no such church member exists. Such is the reason we are exhorted to know our gifts and abilities, so we can use them best to serve the church for the glory of God. The fact that there is so much diversity in our church is our strength. Everyone has a function. Everyone should be functioning. Everyone should have a role." – Thom Rainer, I Am a Church Member
All it takes is one lost generation to lose a culture.
"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." - Malachi 4:6
God-honoring hard work and rest are both acts of worship and should point to the glory of God.
"The essential goodness and God-givenness of work means that we must not dichotomize work as an evil necessity and leisure as where we find pleasure and self-fulfillment. To demand that leisure compensate us for working hard is to ask too much of it. Work when done for God's glory and the good of others has a measure of inherent reward. Leisure is not the reward we get for work; we do not earn it. Work and leisure are both gifts." – John S. Hammett, Human Nature
Be on the lookout for imitations.
Important Distinction: Unbalanced teaching is not the same as blatantly false teaching. False teaching is blatantly denying the truth or claiming things as true that are actually false. On the other hand, unbalanced teaching is neglecting to talk about all things that are true; only telling part of the truth.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12
Worry is a lack of faith; so seek first what God values and God will provide what you need.
God has a special plan for practical orphans; He steps in where absent fathers check out.
Orphan: a child whose parents are both dead or who has been abandoned by his or her parents, especially a child not adopted by another family.
Money is a heart issue.
"I have not met many people possessed by demons. But I have met a lot of people possessed by their possessions." - Dr. Ted Traylor
Money is a heart issue.
"I have not met many people possessed by demons. But I have met a lot of people possessed by their possessions." - Dr. Ted Traylor
Fasting is real-life training in resisting temptation and practicing your dependence on God.
Praying for God's will to be done may mean radical adjustments to your life. The Lord's Prayer, the model prayer for submission to God, can be scary if we're running from God but the greatest comfort if we're running to Him.
The Lord's Prayer is the model prayer for submission to God, which can be scary if we're running from God.
The Lord's Prayer is the model prayer for submission to God, which can be scary if we're running from God.
In the area of social evil, neutrality is not Christian.
We are pleased to welcome Pat Collins to the pulpit. Pat has served as a full-time and interim pastor to a number of area churches. When it comes to sharing the Gospel, Pat says of himself, "I may be retired, but I haven't quit."
"There is no one so bad he cannot be saved and no one so good he need not be saved." - Adrian Rogers
Loving only your friends is a sign you're in love with yourself; loving your enemies is a sign you've died to yourself.
Loving only your friends is a sign you're in love with yourself; loving your enemies is a sign you've died to yourself.
Lust is the craving for what is off-limits or out of season. Wait on God to fulfill God-given desires that bring joy, not regret.
Human worth is something worth protecting.
"We should love people and use things rather than love things and use people." - Augustine
Anger kills relationships but reconciliation gives life. Reconciliation enables worship; holding grudges smothers worship.
Genuine Christian influence both creates and preserves true civilization. True civilization safeguards human rights, rewards virtue, and punishes vice.
Following a 23-year ministry as a pastor and church planter, Dr. David Hirschman now serves as Associate Dean for Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
Grace is not an opportunity to earn salvation; grace is the opportunity to receive salvation.
Are you available?
"And He said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" (Luke 10:2; Matthew 9:37-38)
Grace is not an opportunity to earn salvation; grace is the opportunity to receive salvation.
Desiring God is to desire to be in a right relationship with Him. This one thing truly satisfies the desires of the human heart.
Dive into facts and stories of the real life issue of modern day slavery. Experts estimate there are 27 million slaves in the world today, 3 million in India alone. Attack the issue in India with Rahab's Rope through Prevention, Direct Intervention and Aftercare.
"Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted." - Matthew 5:4
To learn more about Rahab's Rope, visit http://www.rahabsrope.com
A commentary on the emotional, physical and spiritual journey of one attempting to walk upon the path God has laid before her whilst finding beauty in contrast and comfort in mourning.
"Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted." - Matthew 5:4
To learn more about Rahab's Rope, visit http://www.rahabsrope.com
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 28:19
Dr. Roden is from is a small community called Whitesboro, Alabama. His areas of study include the Old Testament and Archaeology. He has spent two summers on archaeological excavations in Hazor, Israel. He and his wife, Renee, have two sons. His hobbies include playing the banjo, bass fishing and Alabama football.
You will influence others. The question is what your influence will be. So use your influence to bring people to Jesus.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. - Romans 1:16
Leaving a legacy that will outlast you requires breaking the cultural mold of partial commitment to Jesus Christ.
Unfinished business is an area or issue in your life that is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It could be partial obedience, unconfessed sin, refusal to forgive or make restitution, etc.
Dr. Percer is the Ph.D. Program Director at Liberty University. He earned his own Ph.D. in Religion and Philosophy from Baylor University. He has appeared on Wheel of Fortune, is inspired by John Wayne movies, and is a big fan of Captain America. Dr. Percer's life goals are to think critically about God's Word, to act decisively on what he learns, and to stand courageously for the Truth. He and his wife have two children.
Isolation brings more suffering whereas serving others brings freedom: Suffering + God's grace has incredible life-changing power.
Jesus, the innocent one, suffered the greatest evil in order to bring the greatest good to the guiltiest ones.
Evil people meant it for evil but God meant it for good, to bring many people to faith in Christ.
Even when God seems silent He is still sovereign.
"If there were no obscurity man would not feel his corruption; if there were no light man could not hope for a cure. Thus it is not only right but useful for us that God should be partly concealed and partly revealed, since it is equally dangerous for man to know God without knowing his own wretchedness as to know his wretchedness without knowing God." Blaise Pascal, Pensees
Guest speaker David Dudley from Voice of the Martyrs discusses persecution of Christians around the world.
Pray for the persecuted and their persecutors.
Links from today's message: - http://www.persecution.com/ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16pG6NCqp9M - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzu0S8E8eHo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJUNCyml0gw - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3lA2lWd3Y
We shouldn't blame God when we reap what we sow. (Obeying God's merciful warning signs will allow you to avoid dumb decisions and avoidable suffering).
The resurrection of Jesus Christ makes all the difference in your life in this world and in eternity.
Claiming that miracles are impossible before examining the evidence is evidence of bias. Biased people will never find the truth. Truth-seekers and truly open-minded people examine the evidence first and then make a judgment.
Receiving and obeying God's Word softens the heart whereas rejecting and disobeying God's Word hardens the heart.
Gospel inoculation is a state of knowing the Gospel in its entirety but refusing to obey it in its totality leading to self-deception.
Family knows the old and the new you. Lead them to Christ through humility and Christ-likeness.
Real friends don't let friends go to Hell.
"Friendship must be cemented by piety (devotion to Christ). A wicked man cannot be a true friend; and, if you befriend their wickedness, you show that you are wicked yourselves. Pretend not to love them, if you favor their sins, and seek not their salvation. By favoring their sins, you will show your enmity (opposition) to God; and then how can you love your brother? If you be their best friends, help them against their worst enemies. And think not all sharpness inconsistent with love: parents correct their children, and God himself 'chastens every son whom he receiveth.' Augustine saith, 'Better it is to love even with the accompaniment of severity, than to mislead by (excess of) lenity.'" – Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor
Fish with what you have for what has worth.
Becoming a "fisher of men" is a transformation of the mind and heart so that your life-aim becomes leading people to faith in Jesus Christ.
Hardly anyone would dare to argue with this all-too-familiar phrase about Christmas: It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! But why? What is it that makes the Christmas season so special?
This musical is set in a small town square as a local church choir gets ready for their annual Christmas presentation. Through the eyes of a local street vendor, several heart-felt stories are retold to communicate just what makes this annual event so special. When an extraordinary selfless gift is provided by a doctor to a young boy, his need for surgery is met before she will attend to her own immediate need for treatment and surgery. And as a newspaper reporter publicizes the boy's plight, he is amazed and surprised to see how God moves in the hearts of the community as they show love to a total stranger. Giving is what Christmas is all about – God sending His one and only Son to bring us a gift we did not deserve – the free gift of salvation!
Only Gospel-centered thinking patterns will provide true mental peace in the midst of life's storms.
To move past the past you must pursue the One who controls the future and forgives the past.
Reality check - What are you pursing to gain in your life ("press on")?
Evangelist Matt Wilkins preaches on Compassion from Luke 10:25-37.
To find out more about Matt, check out his website: www.mattwilkins.org, or follow him via Twitter at: twitter.com/MattRWilkins.
Abortion is murder. God hates murder. If you claim to love God then don't support abortion.
"We have done a great job of standing firm on the biblical teachings on homosexuality. But we haven't been as effective in helping people walk out of this bondage. Our attitudes too often have conveyed the impression that we are more concerned about winning the culture war than we are winning men and women to Christ. This is a case where perception is reality to many people." - Bob Stith, SBC Gender Issues Specialist
Christian care for the poor should not support an entitlement mentality, reward sinful behavior, but rather, be voluntary and effective for the circumstantially poor.
Your level of contentment in life is dependent upon the level that you put the Gospel first.
Contractual obligations produce suspicion but covenantal love should produce faithfulness.
Our special guest today is Dr. Kevin King. Dr. King serves as Associate Professor of Homiletics and Historical Theology at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He shares his message on the role of obedience and repentance in the life the Christian.
God invites us to obedience and when we are disobedient, we are to repent.
One of our Sunday School teachers, Ben Robertson, leads our Bible Study on Concepts of Salvation.
An overview of various historical concepts of salvation compared and contrasted with the evangelical Christian understanding of Biblical salvation.
A friendship is as solid as its foundation. If it is grounded upon Jesus Christ, the friendship will last. If it is built upon mere mutual interests then the "friendship" will fade.
Is your life too valuable to risk for Christ?
"Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith" - Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8
Our special guest today is Dr. John A. Durden, Chair of Curriculum and Assessment at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He shares his message on finding peace in a seemingly peace-less world.
How can someone have peace when it seems that the world has turned upside down? In order to have peace, we must allow God to have command of our hearts. The way we allow God to command our hearts is by accepting what Christ has prepared for us. He has prepared a place for you and me in heaven. However, in order to be with Him, He prepared the way for each of us by shedding His precious blood on the cross. Because of the new life we have in Him, we should live expecting His soon return.
Our special guest today is Dr. David Hirschman, Associate Dean at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He shares his message on the importance of focus in the life of a Christian.
Evidence of your salvation depends upon how you treat your sin - excusing and embracing it or executing it.
One of our Sunday School teachers, Ben Robertson, leads our Bible Study on the theological significance of creation.
Tracing the work of the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, the early church, and the life of the Christian today.
Jonathan Sweat, teacher of the Journey Class at Rocky Mount Baptist Church, leads this week's Bible Study.
In this study we discuss what the New Testament has to say about the Holy Spirit; such as who the Holy Spirit indwells, the character of the Holy Spirit and who He really is.
We can't get saved by good performance and we can't stay saved by good performance. We get saved and stay saved by grace alone.
We can't get saved by good performance and we can't stay saved by good performance. We get saved and stay saved by grace alone.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).
Christ was fully human, endured the full gamut of human temptations, yet was without sin.
Use the grace you have been given to be a channel of grace to others. Never stop sharing the Gospel of grace.
Fear of people will snare you but trust in God will exalt you.
Danger of snares: 1 - They are deceptive 2 - They are placed in paths often traveled 3 - They are designed to snare the prey when it is moving
What is the fear of people? It is an imbalanced view of the power of people and the power of God. The root of the word "fear" literally means to tremble. This trembling, terrifying fear can lead us into a trap; to forget that God is sovereign and the people that we fear are not.
Unbelief will deaden your heart and blind your eyes but faith will revive your heart and open your eyes.
"Man indeed is the most noble by creation, of all creatures in the visible world; but by sin he has made himself the most ignoble." - John Bunyan
God has ordained that our prayers play a part in the demonstration of His sovereign actions in the world.
When the "what if" comes, cling to the "what" you know about the "who" you know.
"The best way to make Christians into atheists is to stop them thinking about God, and get them thinking about their own states of mind about God! Get them hopelessly preoccupied with their feelings and doubts, and stop them turning to God. Make them wallow in their uncertainties, so that they get despondent and discouraged." - C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
One of our Sunday School teachers, Ben Robertson, leads our Bible Study on the theological significance of creation.
A proper understanding of creation is foundational to the rest of Christian doctrine.
Hell fears what we are longing for. . . the return of Christ.
“Is it really possible to have all the trappings of the church and yet miss the heart of Christ? Is it possible for church people to be so focused on personal comforts and so fearful of the potential cost that they virtually forget the purpose of God among all the peoples of the world?” - David Platt
Serving Christ is not the responsibility of a select few but the privilege of every believer.
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While there are some who have been raised in Christ-loving families, the majority of people today grew up in families that either did not believe in Christ, or either gave mere lip service to Christ but never actually followed Him. The life of Josiah is one of revolutionary change within a society that almost universally denied the God of the Bible or, at best, gave Him only lip service. God continues to call people to break with a family tradition of unbelief or half-hearted lip service to a passionate devotion that will eventually engulf all nations with the power of the Gospel.
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God is active within the creation while being distinct from it.
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You can never earn it but once you’ve been given it you can’t help but live it.
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Our dominion of the earth should reflect the nature of God.
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Only those who follow Christ are Christ-followers. One follows Christ by doing what Christ commanded. Christ commanded His followers to make disciples.
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Our treatment of animals should should reflect God's gracious treatment of us.
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Don’t live for the moment, live for the end.
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Jesus Christ is the greatest gift to a totally undeserving world.
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Creator > creation
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Financial freedom is necessary to fulfill our purpose in taking the Gospel into all the world and making disciples from every people group on the planet.
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Fact or Fiction?
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Perhaps you remember the old college debate that went something like this. . . if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to “hear” it, does it really make a sound? Some would say that because they don’t hear, no sound is actually made.
Refusal to “hear,” in the case of God’s love, in no way disproves its existence. We heard His love in the sounds of creation, in the prophets foretelling His birth, and in the cry of a Baby in Bethlehem.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, angels celebrated and announced his coming in the skies over the little village. Those first to be invited to come and worship the infant King were poor and unlearned Jewish shepherds who lived and worked close by. Meanwhile, God had placed a sign in the sky, a brilliant star, announcing to wealthy and scholarly Gentiles in a foreign land that a King had been born. They, too, were invited to come and bow before the Holy Child.
What contrast we find in these two companies of worshipers: Jew and Gentile. . . poor and rich. . . simple and educated. . . neighbor and foreigner. . . paupers and princes. . . .
The shepherds and wise men typify the full range of human experience. This clearly says to us that Jesus is inviting all of humanity to come and surrender their lives to His lordship.
We heard the angels saying, “Do not be afraid,” then the footsteps of shepherds and the caravan of wise men.
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace. . . .” There’s the reason for hearing. That’s where our joy comes from. That tiny Babe, born a King, born a Savior, so that we could know deep in our hearts the real reason for joy - Christ the newborn King - the hope of Christmas Joy!
Giving in faith will set you free.
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Fact or Fiction?
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We become what we worship.
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Ex nihilo or ex material?
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IMPORTANT - Soon we will be publishing multiple episodes of our podcast each week. By default, iTunes only downloads the most recent episode of a podcast when it detects multiple new episodes. To be sure you receive all of our content, you may need to update your iTunes podcast settings to include these additional episodes.
To update your settings 1 - Click on "Podcast" in the Library section of your iTunes sidebar 2 - Click the "Settings…" button at the bottom of the iTunes window 3 - On the dialog box that appears, you will see a drop-down menu labeled "Settings for." Choose the church podcast in that drop-down (we are listed as "Rocky Mount Baptist Church - Sermon Audio") 4 - Uncheck the box labeled "Use Default Settings" 5 - There is a drop-down menu labeled "When new episodes are available." Choose "Download All" in that drop-down. 6 - Click OK to save the new settings
You can find a copy of these directions including screenshots to guide you at http://www.rockymountbaptistchurch.com/resources/itunes-podcast-settings.pdf.
If you have any trouble, please contact us by visiting http://www.rockymountbaptistchurch.com/contact.php and we'll be glad to help.
Thank you for your support and for subscribing to our podcast.
Trust it. Believe it. Live it.
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Byproducts of God having preeminence in your life: He will bless your work, your marriage, your children, and your spiritual life.
When you are tired, the enemy will attack, but God is never tired and offers His strength to you.
Unless you are perfect, you are in need of God’s grace to change you so that the world can see His Salvation in your life.
Members of Rocky Mount Baptist Church share their thoughts and experiences from recent Missions trips.
Susan Lynch's Thoughts on Her Missions Trip to Nicaragua I came to missions backwards. I knew that I was missing something in my life, but tried to save myself by helping others. My first trip last fall left me even more broken because we only touched people for a few short minutes and left them. It wasn’t until I accepted Jesus as my savior that I realized He is theirs too. We as individuals cannot save anyone, only God can do that if we choose to accept that He sent his son to save us. Then, if we are willing, He uses our hands, feet and voices to share His light with all the World. Luke 8:16-18 - No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
Whitney Sweat's Thoughts on Her Missions Trip to Italy Why of all places go to Italy for a missions trip? Before I left to go to Italy I honestly had no idea what God's reason was for sending me there. I really thought I wouldn't be able to have much of an impact, and when I got back I would just continue life as normal. As soon as we arrived at the place where we would be staying, I fell in love with Italy and the Italian people. Northern Italy is known as the, "Graveyard of Missions," because of how many people there are that are not evangelical Christians. Missionaries in Italy are few and far between. Our missions team would go out on the streets of Italy and perform dramas we learned that incorporated the Gospel message in them. We would draw large crowds and after the dramas we would speak to the people about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes we would get laughed at, and other times people would show interest in what we had to say. Even though I had never thought of Italy as being a mission field, it most certainly is. God taught me so much throughout the trip, and I am unable to continue life as normal. He broke my heart for the people of Italy, and someday I want to go back and continue sharing His love.
This message looks at the extravagant gift given by Mary to Jesus and contrasts her act of worship to other responses in the crowd. Simply stated, when we worship God we produce a sacrifice of some sort that leaves a smell in His nostrils. Does our worship smell like Mary’s extravagant gift, or does it smell bad to God? There are three kinds of worship contrasted in this sermon: 1) Extravagant Worship, 2) Egocentric Worship, and 3) Observation. Observation simply comes to God to see what might happen. This kind of worship is more interested in the “event” or “special effects” than in actually participating in service to or worship of God. It smells a lot like burnt eggs. Egocentric worship may look pious or holy on the surface, but it is primarily interested in selfish gain. Egocentric worship asks, “What’s in it for me?” and smells a bit like old sweat socks. Extravagant worship is precious and costly, it is motivated by love and is intimate, it is humble yet obvious to others, it permeates everything, and it pleases Jesus. Looking at these three approaches should cause us to ask: “What does my worship smell like?”
Have you ever wondered why, when God begins to transform a church, much of the transformational changes are wildly unpopular with many of those within the church?
Passionate prayer is an admission of God’s sovereignty and our limitations that enables us to stand in the evil day.
Being a Christian is far more than being a good person. Jesus demands absolute and total commitment. Total commitment to Christ is not a “good work” that earns salvation but rather evidence of your genuine faith in Christ.
Our special guest, Robert Matz, challenges us to make the Gospel part of everything we do.
What are you doing with the Gospel?
True faith is genuine devotion to Christ that involves total trust in Him as your Savior in death and your Lord in life, as long as you live.
True freedom and equality is only found in the Gospel of Christ. . . God can work justice out of an unjust system.
The lyrics should match the message of the Gospel and the style should match the power of the Gospel.
The greatest theme in all the world, the topic whose depths of meaning can never be adequately explored, is God’s love. From the greatest theologian to the newest believer, no words describe the beauty and wonder of what it means to be loved completely by the Creator of the universe. That embodiment of God’s love is Jesus, and the night Jesus took on our flesh and came to us as a baby made it possible for each of us to know God’s love as we never could otherwise.
Let us celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who comes to us, not to conquer, not to enslave, not to dominate, but to give us all His love.
The Great Commission is the heartbeat of God. It is a command to every believer and a responsibility for all. It is found throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. This sermon traces the progression of the Great Commission from its seeds in Genesis and follows it throughout Scripture. There is also the encouragement that every believer is not only commanded, but equipped and empowered by Christ Himself to carry the gospel to everyone.
Baggage & Broken Relationships, Part 2: Only the grace of God can produce lasting boldness in a broken life.
The power of God, through the Gospel, can transform past baggage into present blessings and mend broken relationships.
God created you to do good so that people will know that He is the source of all Goodness.
Regeneration is an act of God that results in us receiving a new heart without which our hearts will remain dead to the things of God.
Greed will enslave you but generosity will free you. A life consumed with money is a wasted life.