For one of the previous videos click the following links Part 1, Part 2, Part 3To listen/watch: Click hereSigning a document is an indication of our commitment to one another. We sign contracts, licenses, and all sorts of other things affirming our commitments and the truthfulness of our testimony. We practice signing a covenant together to that same end. As we sign and recognize others who have c...  Read More

For Part 1 of Membership Matters (Click Here)For Part 2 of Membership Matters (Click Here)Click here to watch/listenI've often heard it debated as to whether we should use terms like minister or missionary to describe every Christian. According to biblical instruction and wisdom, the answer would suggest that we can have specific roles identified as minister or missionary while recognizing that we...  Read More

For Part 1 of Membership Matters (Click Here)Click here to watch/listen.This is the value question, the cost/benefit analysis question, and the is it really worth it question. First, let's be clear, there is much to gain by being a committed member of a local church. But before we get to that, let's address the elephant in the room.We live in a world where membership often conveys certain benefits...  Read More

To watch/listen, click here.At the beginning of the year, we celebrated 15 years as a church. I began posting a series of videos and have plans for more that will help us again to consider why we have done and continue to do some of the things we do.It's taken me longer to get this done than I anticipated, but today is the first of a short series on church membership.Why Practice Church Membership...  Read More

The talk about the law has been more technical than some might prefer (just one more week). But there are real-life practical applications. One of those is how we approach the 10 Commandments. Some Christians obey them because they believe these commandments are the summation of God’s moral law. Others, like me and maybe some of you, look at them and see the consistency of God’s moral character de...  Read More

Just for fun on this Friday, I wanted to share 3 videos from 2 renowned Bible scholars, each answering questions about a Christian’s relationship to the Mosaic Law.  <iframe width="612" height="282" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yLW7x8kR_Lw" title="Don Carson on the Relationship between Old Testament Law and New Testament Ethics" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write...  Read More

As the New Covenant people, all of Scripture is Christian Scripture. We don’t read the Old Testament and apply it as if it is our covenant law or as if the prophets are speaking directly for us. I shared this quote on Sunday, but it bears repeating,“We access and apply Moses’ law only through Christ and in view of the Apostles’ teaching, which together ground and sustain the church.” - Jason Derou...  Read More

I would have loved to tease this out even further on Sunday morning. But time didn't allow it. So, let's take some time now here to see Jesus' covenant fulfillment and His I AM statements in a bit more detail.In John's Gospel record, Jesus' "I AM" statements teach us something about Him. They help us to see Him in light of the Gospel work He has come to accomplish, but they also help us to see how...  Read More

I started as an accidental Dispensationalist. I didn't even really know what it meant, nor did I understand that it was an overarching view that informed how I approached the Bible when I finally began to read it. I would have classified myself as a Dispe simply because of my view of the end times (rapture, seven-year tribulation, etc.). But, I hadn't come to those through a study of the Bible but...  Read More

We often speak of God's work in our world according to the conditions, or lack of conditions, surrounding that work. For example, we often say God's love or grace is unconditional. We can do nothing to earn either of them. Because of God's grace in Christ, we can do nothing to cause Him to love us more, nor can we do anything to cause Him to love us less.While it might be helpful in some limited w...  Read More

As we work our way through God’s covenants with people, there are certain aspects of these covenants that I can’t possibly do justice to on Sunday morning. But, in the same way, I provided some additional notes while we were working through the creation account I will do that here also.In our study of God’s covenant with Abraham this week, I highlighted that the Scripture speaks of the “offspring”...  Read More

<iframe width="612" height="282" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbgBvBuSFqw" title="Where Do We Go From Here?" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>Sermons can be powerful and emotional at the moment they are preached. But their effect...  Read More