October 19, 2025 |
Hebrews 11:23-40 |
exposition
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We live in a world that constantly bombards us with offers for immediate gratification— fleeting pleasures, temporary treasures, and the shallow status that money and influence can buy. These things distract us and actually weigh us down. For they only last for a moment and they never really satisfy.
That’s the tension we’re going to see in today’s Scripture. For the OT people of God had to choose between seeking worldly pleasure or by faith, seeking the greater reward of Christ.
In the book of Hebrews, the author encouraged Jewish background believers by reminding them how the saints of old faithfully looked beyond worldly success and suffering to the greater reward God promised and fulfilled in Christ Jesus. We can faithfully look beyond this life to the greater reward we have in Christ Jesus.
October 12, 2025 |
Hebrews 11:8-22 |
exposition
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Since we were children, we have made a big deal about promises. Who hasn’t heard a child crying to a parent, “But you promised?” We all make promises and try to keep them. We promise to take our son fishing. We sign a promissory note at the bank to buy a car or obtain a mortgage. We promise “till death do us part.” We make a lot of promises and try to keep them, but a promise is only as good as our integrity and our ability to keep it.
But every human promise has a shelf life. Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? Maybe it was small — a promise to call, to help, to show up. Or maybe it was big — a promise that left a scar. We live in a world full of broken promises, so it’s easy to doubt anyone who says, “Trust me.” Yet, that’s exactly what God calls us to do in Christ Jesus.
In the book of Hebrews, the author taught believers that the promises of God, in which the patriarchs believed, pointed to greater promises in Christ Jesus.
October 5, 2025 |
Hebrews 11:1-7 |
exposition
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You’ve probably heard someone say, “Keep the faith.” In our culture, that usually means, “Stay positive,” or “Don’t give up hope.” But notice what’s missing—it never defines the object of that faith. No wonder so many today are “deconstructing” their faith, pulling it apart piece by piece until nothing remains, because if faith is only a vague feeling or a cultural inheritance, why hold on to it?
But biblical faith is different. It’s not about how hard you believe—it’s about who you believe in. It’s not great faith in God that matters, but faith in a great God. And our faith is greater because its object—Jesus Christ—is greater.
In the epistle of Hebrews, the Jewish background believers were encouraged not to shrink back from believing because of trouble and persecution, but to live by a faith that is greater because it rests in Christ Jesus as its fulfillment as the believers of old had done.
In this series, we will speak about some of the historic spiritual habits of the church. The habits themselves are good, but we will see that they are disciplines with no inherent power of their own, but when connected to the Holy Spirit, have infinite power. Spiritual habits act as a conduit that connects us to the power of the Holy Spirit. We not only open up and ask the Spirit to fill us, we create habits that give Him a conduit to fill us and use us to do God’s will.
September 28, 2025 |
Acts 4:29-31 |
evangelism
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Jesus empowers us to be a witness to his work in our lives so others can experience his love. But it’s also a key part of our own spiritual formation. Find out why this Sunday.
In the book of Acts, Luke recorded that the first century believers were committed to witnessing to others about Jesus and the church exploded upon the scene, experiencing exponential growth in spite of persecution. We can cultivate a habit of witnessing to others about Jesus.
September 21, 2025 |
2 Corinthians 8:1-9 |
generosity
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We live in a culture that prizes getting more than giving. Advertisers constantly tell us we don’t have enough, while inflation and bills pressure us to hold tighter to money and possessions. As God’s children, instead of a having a mindset of abundance, we often struggle with a mindset of scarcity, doubting God’s provision and anxious about having enough. Yet, God is generous! And we were created in His image to be generous too!
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he urged them to them to excel in the grace of giving by pointing to the Macedonian churches, who, though poor and afflicted, gave generously beyond their means, and by reminding them of Christ’s supreme example of generosity. We can cultivate the habit of generosity to excel in the grace of giving.
September 14, 2025 |
2 Timothy 3.16-17 |
Bible study, habits
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Americans today have more access to the Bible than any previous generation. Most us have several copies in various versions. We even Bible apps on our phones. Yet according to recent polls the overwhelming majority do not actually read those Bibles regularly, much less study or deeply engage with the Bible.
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he charged him to remain faithful to the study and preaching of God’s Word that God’s people might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. We can practice the spiritual habit of Bible study that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In a world where communication is often loud but shallow, where misunderstandings can divide families and churches, we’re turning to Ephesians 4 for a better way. The apostle Paul shows us how our words, when shaped by the gospel, can actually build up the body of Christ and bring unity to our homes. Whether you’re leading a family, growing in marriage, raising kids, or simply trying to live at peace with others, this series is for you. Paul’s wisdom applies to both our family and our church family, reminding us that communication is more than just talking—it’s about growing up together into Christ.
August 10, 2025 |
Ephesians 4:30-32 |
communication, forgiveness
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We all know the pain of broken communication—harsh words, unresolved conflict, silence that grows like a wall. Whether in our homes, marriages, friendships, or church family, we’ve all experienced the damage that unforgiveness causes. But God has given us the way to restoration: Christlike forgiveness. Without forgiveness, communication breaks down and relationships fall apart. So how do we move from brokenness to restoration in our communication? In a word: forgiveness!
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he exhorted believers to put away relational sins and practice Christlike forgiveness as a Spirit-led expression of their new life and oneness in Christ.
August 3, 2025 |
Ephesians 4:25-29 |
anger
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Today, we’re talking about a topic that every family—and every believer—must face: anger. Let’s be honest, anger shows up in every home, every relationship, and even in the church. It can flare up with a harsh word or simmer beneath the surface with a cold shoulder. But left unchecked, anger can wreak havoc on the relationships God has called us to nurture. Uncontrolled, sinful anger is a danger to our family communication and ultimately our unity.
Whether we’re talking about your family or the church family, the way we deal with anger will either strengthen or sabotage our relationships. Anger itself isn’t always sin, but what we do with it often is. We need God’s power and wisdom to respond in a way that builds up rather than tears down. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he exhorted believers that they must control their anger as members of one another in Christ Jesus.
July 27, 2025 |
Ephesians 4:17-25 |
communication, conflict
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In families and churches alike, conflict and the need for correction are inevitable. But how we speak the truth, and how we receive it, makes all the difference. Without spiritual preparation, correction can wound instead of heal. We need Christ to shape us into people who can both give and receive correction with grace, truth and love.
Real peace doesn’t come from avoiding truth, it comes from speaking and hearing it in love, with hearts transformed by Christ. Paul knew that correction was essential for unity in the church, but it had to come from hearts shaped by Christ. In today’s text, he shows us how to prepare our hearts for those challenging, but necessary conversations.
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he taught believers how to spiritually prepare themselves to truthfully give and receive correction in unity.
July 20, 2025 |
Ephesians 4:1-3,15-16 |
communication
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We often think of good communication as just getting our point across or being heard. But God’s vision is bigger: He wants our communication to lead to oneness. In both our families and our church family, the goal isn’t just to express ourselves—but to grow together in Christ, building unity through our words and attitudes. Yet so often, our communication leads not to unity, but to division.
Good communication for the Christian is more than hearing and being heard, it’s being at one with the Lord and with one another. Hearing and being heard is good start, but being at one is better. That’s the real goal of communication: oneness. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he called believers to pursue oneness in the Lord as the goal of their communication.
