Revelation 2:1-7 In this letter to the first of seven churches, Jesus Christ commends the church at Ephesus because they do not bear, or tolerate, those who are evil, including false apostles. Pastor Dave taught that the process of dealing with evil within a local church is what we call church...
Revelation 1:12-20 As we read the apostle John’s description of his vision, we need to remember Pastor Dave’s heads-up about the imagery in Revelation to avoid a literal, cartoonish impression. Open our eyes, Lord, to share a glimpse of the vision John saw. John is straining...
Revelation 1:9-11 The apostle John introduces himself as his readers’ brother and partner in tribulation. That was true for the original recipients of the book in the seven cities mentioned in verse 11, and it is also true for us, over 1900 years later. Quoting 1 Peter 4:12-13 about...
We Believe: Response and Eternal Destiny Pastor Todd began by noting that it is tempting to water down the doctrine of the final judgment. It is worth pondering before the Lord, why? Why am I tempted to blur black and white into inoffensive gray? Are my convictions weak? Am I not fully convinced...
Home at Last Jim Hatcher, our missionary in Vienna, Austria, preached on Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16. Jim observed that everyone is longing for Heimat, for home, the place you belong. God has planted that Sehnsucht, or longing, in every human heart. A terrible childhood home doesn’t negate the...
The eighth article of our EFCA statement of faith involves, not what we believe, but rather how we live out what we believe. God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power. Our human nature clamors to separate the two. We want to be declared righteous but skip...
We Believe: The Holy Spirit Acknowledging that the topic of the Holy Spirit is very broad, Pastor Dave confined his teaching to the main points articulated in the sixth article of the EFCA statement of faith. One is that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt. Perhaps you (like me) have a...
We Believe: Jesus Christ Throughout his sermon, Pastor Dave used imagery from Joshua 5:13-14 to emphasize that true belief affects what we do. Near Jericho, Joshua encounters a man standing with a drawn sword who claims to be the commander of the army of the LORD. Joshua believes him, and we can...
We Believe: The Human Condition At first glance, a sermon on the third article of our statement of faith – the paragraph that baldly states we are all sinners by nature and by choice – seems out of place for Thanksgiving week. But, upon reflection, it contains bedrock truths...
3 John vv1-15 Pastor Dave reminded us that loving one another was important to the apostle John and so was truth. In fact, he used the word truth over 40 times in his gospel and letters. Dave challenged us to ask ourselves: Can I say with John that nothing gives me greater joy than walking in...