Window To The Word

As we’ll discover, God expects all of us to be involved in evangelism. Most of us, however, are not evangelists and are out of our comfort zones when it comes to this expectation. Fortunately, Scripture provides a biblical and non-threatening way to have success in this area. If your stomach tightens up just thinking about this topic, then you need to hear this message! (Acts 1:8, John 1:35-42 & 3:16-18)

What does the phrase “works of service” mean? Even more important, who is expected to perform these “works of service?” Join us as we read and discuss one of the most definitive passages in the entire New Testament regarding who does what in the church and why. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Psalm 150 is short and sweet, and crystal clear: God expects praise. But where should it come from and how often? Join us as we answer these questions and, perhaps most important of all, uncover our motivation for meeting this expectation. (Psalm 150)

God expects us to love Him, but how do we do that? It’s not like we can send Him flowers, give Him candy or take Him out for dinner. As we’ll find out, Scripture is crystal clear in how our love should manifest itself. Join us as we find out what gets God’s attention in the area of love and, if we already love Him, how we can love Him even more. (Mark 12:30 & 1 John 5:3)

God has numerous expectations of us, and one of them is repentance. What is it, why is it necessary and who has to do it? We’ll find the answers to our questions as we examine a famous—and convicting—passage of Scripture from the book of Acts. (Acts 17:16-34)

We’ve discovered how important contentment, self-control, and being debt-free is when it comes to our personal finances. But where does generosity fit in? And who should we be generous toward? God won’t bail us out unless we deal with this last—and critically important—element. (Luke 12:13-21)

As we’ve already seen, God wants to bail us out when it comes to our personal finances. He wants to help us get through the recession and beyond. But before that can happen, we have to turn our finances over to Him and do things His way. Not surprisingly, the Lord has several things to say on the topic of borrowing. If debt has a stranglehold on you, stick around and find out how God will bail you out! (James 4:13-15, Proverbs 22:7 & Psalm 37:1)

God wants to help us in terms of our personal finances, but we have to cooperate. Our cooperation is especially important in terms of only buying things that we need and can pay for. While most of us know self-control is a good thing, exercising it on a regular basis is challenging. Join us as we define self-control and provide several practical suggestions on how to actually pull it off. (1 Cor 9:24-27 & Gal 5:22-23)

Spending money you don’t have? Deep in debt and waiting for the next collection agency to call? Living paycheck to paycheck? If any of this sounds familiar, be encouraged: We don’t have to live like this. God wants to bail us out in terms of our personal finances, and it all starts with contentment. (Philippians 4:10-13)

Christians have a timeless, God-given mission and are expected to fulfill it no matter what culture or time period we live in. As we’ll find out in this message, however, 21st century believers face a unique challenge that will require unique efforts. What is our challenge and how will we overcome it? Hint: It has something to do with being irresistible.

With 2009 just around the corner, many of us are contemplating New Year’s resolutions. By their very nature, goals will only be accomplished if we make a plan and stick to it. It’s a matter of the will. That’s true whether we want to lose weight, quit smoking or spend more time with our kids. It’s also true in the spiritual realm. For instance, if we want to grow spiritually in 2009, it will only happen if we decide to do it and then follow through. If you’d like some help on how to mature in your faith over the next 12 months, then stick around and be challenged. (2 Peter 1:5-11)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without reading from Luke 2. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (v 10-11). As we’ll find out, while not everyone may initially accept this “news” as “good,” it’s never too late to open God’s gift to us: Our salvation, in the person of Jesus. (Luke 2:8-14)

This podcast is a Scripture reading from 2 Peter 1:5-11 in three Bible versions: the New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible—Updated Edition, and The Message. It will prepare listeners to hear the sermon, “Be effective for our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-11)

The title of this article, “He is precious,” is certainly appropriate with Christmas coming soon. After all, the thought of a newborn in the arms of His mother can melt the hardest of hearts. But the Apostle Peter uses the word “precious” in a different context in our passage. If you’re having trouble preparing for the Christmas season, then this should do the trick. (1 Peter 1:17-21)

Many Americans, including some Christians, find themselves beaten down and discouraged right now. Things seem to be bad and getting worse all the time. While we may not be hearing much good news from the media, there is good news in the spiritual realm. Be encouraged as we approach Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Our series of articles through the book of James ends as the author emphasizes one last topic: Prayer. While what we read may be a bit unsettling for some and difficult to interpret at times, the journey is worth taking. The bottom line is too important to ignore. (James 5:13-20)

This podcast is a Scripture reading from Luke 2:8-14 in three Bible versions: the New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible—Updated Edition, and The Message. It will prepare listeners to hear the sermon, “He brings peace.” (Luke 2:8-14)

This podcast is a Scripture reading from 1 Peter 1:17-21 in three Bible versions: the New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible—Updated Edition, and The Message. It will prepare listeners to hear the sermon, “He is precious.” (1 Peter 1:17-21)

This podcast is a Scripture reading from 1 Peter 1:3-9 in three Bible versions: the New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible—Updated Edition, and The Message. It will prepare listeners to hear the sermon, “He brings joy.” (1 Peter 3:1-9)

The apostle Paul is one thankful person in our passage today. He’s so grateful for the resurrection he can hardly contain himself: “Thanks be to God!” As fellow believers in Jesus Christ, let us follow the apostle’s example and publicly thank the Lord for what He will do for us in the future. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)