Lights in the Midst of a Dark World

Gary DeLashmutt

Philippians 2:14-16

Being light in a dark world requires both a lifestyle witness and a verbal witness. Our lifestyle witness must not contain grumbling nor disputing. Our verbal witness must focus on God's love and grace rather than other parts of the biblical worldview that can be the source of contention with non-Christians. Instead, focus on inviting people to receive Christ's life rather than winning an argument.

Every Spiritual Blessing In Christ

Scott Risley

Ephesians 1:1-14

When you have been adopted as His child and and completely forgiven by the loving God of the universe, it can be quite difficult to believe. But once you believe, nothing is ever the same again. All the promised blessings in Christ are yours the moment you believe.

The Resurrection

Ryan Lowery

Matthew 28:1-20

The resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion is essential to Biblical faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then His sacrifice was not acceptable to God and we are still dead in our sins. This extraordinary claim deserves an extraordinary examination. There is powerful historical evidence for this claim. If you doubt these claims, have you truly examined the historical evidence?

What Has Abraham Found

Ben Foust

Romans 4:1-22

Paul raises the example of Abraham as he makes his case for justification through grace alone, not through the law. Paul shows that even righteous Abraham was only able to stand before God on the basis of faith, with God crediting it to hi as a gift, not an earned wage. While God offers this gift to all of us, we have to receive the gift by asking God for it.

The Encounter Between Gabriel and Mary

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 1:26-38

Mary's response to The angel Gabriel who announced God's plan bring the Messiah into the world through her, mirrors how we should respond to God's offer of salvation. God takes the initiative to bring us good news. While our part is to put our faith in God's promise. It is an active decision to receive Jesus into our heart and a passive response in that we do nothing to earn this favor.

Exiles on a Mission, Part 2

Gary DeLashmutt

1 Peter 3:1-12

The recipients of Peter's letter were being slanderer, reviled and maligned for following Jesus. Peter instructs them to be bond-servants to all people, even those who are persecuting them. They are to verbally communicate the message that Jesus is Savior. They are to display behavior that commends the message about Jesus by submitting themselves to authorities and obeying when not biblically impermissible. They are to be bond-servants to all people.

The Cross

Ryan Lowery

Romans 5:7-9

The cross of Christ is where God demonstrated His love for a rebellious and sinful people by sacrificing His son, Jesus, on the cross to pay for our sin debt. The cross allowed a way for a hopelessly sinful people to be reconciled to a perfect God. How absurd is it for Christians to be antisemitic and blame the Jews for Jesus' death! God's act of love at the cross should impact the way we view others.

How Much Do You Value Truth?

James Rochford

2 Timothy 2:8-26

Paul argues that if Jesus is real, it is only logical to dedicate our lives to His message. God places a high value on truth. If truth matters, then we should be deepening our own convictions about the claims of Christ and living out our lives in light of those truths.

The Bad News

Ben Foust

Romans 1:18-25

Paul shares the bad news--that no man is good enough to earn his way to approval and acceptance by God, who is perfect--even one sin disqualifies you from heaven and qualifies you for eternal judgment. This is in keeping with Him being a just God. While this is bad news, understanding and accepting it leads us to God's good news, that He has made a way for us to have these sins covered and paid for, through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.