Episodes

Thursday Mar 02, 2017
02-26-27 The Discipline of Confession
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
“The Discipline of Confession” James 5:16
We Christians are forgiven children of God, but we all have struggles. And the question we must address is this: Will we keep our struggles hidden, or will we talk with someone about them? The Epistle of James tells us that we should confess our struggles “to each other.” This is called the discipline of confession. What does James teach us about confession?
I First, James did not believe he was saying something n_____ when he called for confession.
II Second, James did clarify one thing about confession often overlooked by many today: confession is not _______ made to _______ (5:16a).
-Some advantages of person to person confession:
1. There is the advantage of o_____________.
2. There is the advantage of reminding us how f____-r_________ our sin is.
3. There is the advantage of a greater appreciation of God’s g_______.
4. There is the advantage of dealing a severe blow to our _________.
5. There is the advantage of gaining an a_____ in our struggle with selfishness.
6. There is the advantage of being able to e____________ those who share our s____________.
7. There is the advantage of being able to experience genuine f____________ from God..
III Third, with his expression “to each other” James lets us know that there are ______ parties involved in confession, and each has r__________________(5:16b).
A. If you are going to confess to someone:
1. Choose the r_______ person.
2. Beware of the too _________ or too ________ syndrome.
3. Confess your ____ sin, not the sin someone committed a_______ y___.
4. Don’t make e_________
5. Remember, forgiveness can only come from _______.
B. If you are going to hear a confession:
1. H_____ their trust – Be d____________.
2. Don’t be s________!
3. Keep _______!
4. Ask God for d______________.
IV James reminds us that the ultimate goal of confession is __________(5:16c).

Thursday Feb 23, 2017
02-19-17 The Discipline of Fasting - Conclusion
Thursday Feb 23, 2017
Thursday Feb 23, 2017
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Conclusion) Matthew 6:16-18
One of the great joys of life is eating good food. That explains why, of all the spiritual disciplines, fasting is probably one of the least popular. But the discipline of fasting is something which can greatly enrich our spiritual lives. In fact, Jesus says fasting can be very rewarding. What are the rewards of fasting? We have already looked at four; today we will see four more:
I Fasting allows us to reach up to God as whole persons.
II Fasting gives us a concrete way to express repentance.
III Fasting provides a way to share in the sufferings of Christ.
IV Fasting helps our prayer.
V Fasting helps us overcome ____________________.
VI Fasting helps us express our g______________.
VII Fasting provides a way to respond to the ________ of ____________.
VIII Fasting provides a mean to experience God in a _______ _________.

Tuesday Feb 14, 2017
02-12-17 Why Baptism? Paul Gieschen
Tuesday Feb 14, 2017
Tuesday Feb 14, 2017
Baptism Sunday! Elder Paul Gieschen speaks to why it's important to follow Jesus' example by being baptized. The testimonies of those being baptized are not available online because of the sensitivity of their content.

Sunday Jan 29, 2017
01-29-17 The Disciple of Fasting - part 2
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Part two) Matthew 6:16-18
One of the great joys of life is eating good food. That explains why, of all the spiritual disciplines, fasting is probably one of the least popular. But the discipline of fasting is something which can greatly enrich our spiritual lives. In fact, Jesus says fasting can be very rewarding. What are the rewards of fasting?
I Fasting allows us to reach up to God as w___________ p___________.
II Fasting gives us a concrete way to express r_____________________.
III Fasting provides a way to share in the s_________________ of ____________.

Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
01-22-17 The Discipline of Fasting
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
“The Discipline of Fasting” Matthew 6:16-18
For the past few weeks we have been looking at the Spiritual Disciplines. These disciplines are patterns of behavior which can help us grow spiritually. But while they can strengthen our
relationship with God, they cannot do everything. They are not magic. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us his evaluation of the discipline of fasting by looking first at the negatives and then at the positives. Today we are going to look at the negatives of fasting. There are three “NO’s” of fasting:
I The first “NO” of fasting is the No many e__________ C_____________ have said to fasting (Matthew 6:16a).
Why have many Christians said “NO” to fasting?
1. It is because the forces of our culture have led us to the unbiblical view that our physical body is the e_________ of the ________.
2. We have often associated fasting with what C____________ do.
3. Some evangelicals are critical of fasting because they see it as a w__________.
4. The major reason we have a bias against fasting has nothing to do with the things of the Spirit – it has to do with our c____________ m_____-s_____.
II The second “NO” of fasting is the No Jesus says to the a___________ of fasting (6:16-18).
III The third “No” of fasting is the No our p____________ b__________ sometimes say to fasting.

Monday Jan 16, 2017
01-15-17 The Discipline of Giving
Monday Jan 16, 2017
Monday Jan 16, 2017
“The Discipline of Giving” Matthew 6:21
Of all the spiritual disciplines, there is none as attractive, or as demanding, as giving. On the one hand, giving gives us the opportunity to join God in his Kingdom work or to meet the needs of others, but, on the other hand, giving imposes a cost. When we give, we lose control of something that at one point belonged to us. That is why giving must be motivated by the heart. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 6:21, when he said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” What does Jesus mean by this? There are three things we need to understand about this statement:
I First, it is significant that Jesus does not say, “Where your m_________ is, there will your heart be also” (6:21).
There are three basic categories when it comes to things of value:
A. First, there is _____________.
B. Second, there is __________.
C. Third, there are _________ and ____________.
II Second, we all have a p_________ where we p_____ our treasure (6:19-20).
III Finally, Jesus says there is a _____________ between our treasure and our heart (6:21).
Why does Jesus put treasure first? Why didn’t he says, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also?” – Two reasons:
A. First, because we often do not ________ where our heart is.
B. Second, because our __________ has power over our ___________.

Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
01-08-17 Growing Spiritually in 2017
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
“Growing Spiritually in 2017” Matthew 11:29-30
In our text today we hear Jesus ask us to take his yoke upon ourselves, which is a very picturesque way of asking us to do his work in this world. January is a good month to evaluate how well we have obeyed his command. But instead of criticizing ourselves for our inadequacies, it would be more profitable to ask ourselves the question: How can we do better in this new year? Our text makes four suggestions:
I First, we need to realize it is not i______________ (11:28).
II Second, we need a b____________ b____________ t_____________ (11:29a).
III Third, we need a m______________ p_______________ (11:29b).
IV Finally, we need to recognize that the Christian life is not all s_____________ – it includes the b________ as well (11:30).

Sunday Jan 01, 2017

Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
12-25-16 The Light That Transforms
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
“The Light That Transforms” Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
In this season of Advent we have been looking at the light that came into the world when the Messiah was born. We have seen how that light inspired the prophets, how it encouraged the
shepherds, and how it led the wisemen. Today we are looking at how this light has the power to transform us and our focus is going to be on Mary and Joseph. What does their story teach us about the transformation which Advent brought to this world?
1. First, the transforming power of Advent came at just the r_______ t________ (1:26-28).
2. Second, this transformation was designed for ______________ (1:29-30).
3. Third, this transformation came at a _________ (1:31-38).
IV Finally, this transformation c____________ _____________ (1:46-55).

Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
12-11-16 The Light that Leads the Wise
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
“The Light that Leads the Wise” Matthew 2:1-12
God has created us with the inability to be truly satisfied with anything less than the life that only he can give. This explains the natural human tendency to yearn for something better. God has given each of us the desire to know him and to find our satisfaction only in him. But how do we find what our hearts are truly seeking? The light of Advent led the Wisemen to find what they were seeking, but how can we be led by that light? What do the Wisemen teach us?
I First, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for by w__________ on a s__________ (2:1-2).
II Second, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for by relying only on n______________ and h________________ sources (2:3-10).
III Third, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for until you are willing to be d____________ to what it is you s_________ (2:11).
IV Finally, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what are looking for unless you are willing to c____________ d_______________ (2:12).