The Apostle Peter closed his second letter with a warning (2 Peter 3:17) about the age in which we live. Still, he encouraged us in the next sentence (2 Peter 3:18). It is only when we are active and growing in our faith that we yield evidence that the Lord is at work in our lives. Guest speaker Steve Rhoads encouraged and reminded us that God care…

Near the end of the Gospel of John, we read the account of the day Jesus rose from the dead. John 20:19-22 records the first interaction between Jesus and His disciples after His resurrection. What would Jesus say to these men who gave up everything to follow Him but fell away at His arrest and crucifixion? As He stood among them, He said to them, …

Most people think the way to attain eternal life is by being good. This line of thinking evaluates righteousness as a point system, concluding that someone will get into heaven if their good works outnumber their bad deeds. Jesus confronts this current understanding repeatedly in the Sermon on the Mount with this simple statement: “You have heard t…

The people listening to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount weren’t “religious professionals”. They were common, everyday, ordinary people—all of them sinners. And yet, He told them, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Just how were these ordinary people supposed to exceed the ri…

Philip was one of seven men who were appointed by the apostles to serve physical food so that the apostles could continue to serve spiritual food. While Philip served, God was teaching, training, and forming him in preparation for what was next. Philip didn’t know it, but God was training him not only to be the first great missionary in the church …

Light and salt were two sermon illustrations Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount. But He didn’t use them at random. He chose these because they illustrate the Beatitudes and help us see what our attitudes must be if we continue in this beautiful, worthy difficulty called ‘ministry’ and what kind of influence these attitudes have on those around u…

To be genuinely content, we must not be self-serving, but self-sacrificing. We must be gentle, merciful, pure in heart, yearn for righteousness, and seek to make peace on God’s terms. This is what we endeavor to do—even if these attitudes cause persecution and suffering. Jesus gives us full disclosure as we serve others and lets us know that as we …

By Dominic Dinger

Psalm 23 is usually read at somber and solemn occasions in an effort to bring comfort to those who are mourning or grieving. While this isn’t inappropriate, there is certainly more to this psalm that we can appreciate. Within its lines, we see a celebration and declaration concerning the many blessings of having the Lord as our Shepherd.…

The letter of 1 Peter is the Apostle Peter at his best. This fisherman-turned-fisher-of-men wrote to other believers of Jesus struggling amid persecution. Near the end of his letter, Peter encourages them to conduct themselves courageously for the sake of Christ. Watch our study from Sunday as Guest Speaker and good friend of the fellowship Pastor …

God purifies us as we follow Him. He works in our lives to remove the things that contaminate us and then refines us with what He gives us. Through His refining work in our lives, we start to see Him—just as Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). Watch our study as we continue to work through the Sermon …

Mercy is a core component of ministry. Being kind, even and especially to your enemies, is essential. Jesus gives us a whole new way to be merciful to enemies who would mistreat us.By Dominic Dinger

In the last chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the collection of offerings, his plans for traveling, and some final instructions to the church in Corinth.By Dominic Dinger

By Nate Van Vooren

By Dominic Dinger

From the mountain, Jesus delivered a sermon to His disciples. He taught them what their attitudes must be like if they were to continue to be His disciples. He wanted to give them (and us) as much disclosure as possible to know what ministry would be like. And this is true with the fourth beatitude, as the Holy Spirit draws those who continue to fo…

The Corinthian church was compromising on the core issue of the resurrection of Jesus. In his letter to them, Paul addressed this matter with clarity and reminded them that through Christ's resurrection, death has been defeated—and will one day be destroyed!By Dominic Dinger

We will not survive long if we think we are capable of what God has called us to because of our resume or spiritual skill set. It is only by His mercy that any of us are in ministry. This is especially important to be aware of as we consider the third beatitude—“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5). What does it me…

The resurrection of Jesus is central to the gospel. Without it, the message & our hope is meaningless. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all people the most pitiable. But because Jesus Christ is risen and alive, we have a living Lord and a living hope!By Dominic Dinger

As we recognize our own spiritual poverty (Matthew 5:3), we become increasingly aware of our own sin—and mourn over it as we realize just how unworthy we really are. And once we recognize that, we see that it is only by His mercy that we have any ministry at all.By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

In Matthew 5, we read the message Jesus spoke to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. This sermon begins with the beatitudes—the attitudes of the citizens of His kingdom. Jesus is not just another earthly ruler. He is the king of the kingdom of heaven. And so, these attitudes run counter to the culture and kingdoms of men. Like the first beatitu…

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

In the Gospels, we read of all sorts of reasons people would follow Jesus. But one interesting aspect of the life & ministry of Jesus was that He often avoided large gatherings. Jesus was more concerned with making disciples. He was focused on individuals who would desire to learn from Him and choose to follow Him for the right reasons. To these in…

By Dominic Dinger

The news of Jesus’ body absent from the tomb didn’t bring immediate relief to His followers. They initially thought that someone had taken Jesus’ body. Their confusion slowly gave way to belief as He revealed Himself to them right where they were.By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

During His earthly ministry, Jesus preached and taught, warned and discipled—all according to the working of the Holy Spirit. And it all started in the unlikeliest of places—Nazareth and Galilee. In the eyes of the religious elite of the day, these were not destinations to travel to or places to be proud of. And yet, these places were just right fo…

By Nate Van Vooren

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted. In many ways, His temptations were much, much worse—and yet, He did not sin. But that does not mean He was unaffected by the human experience. His…

By Dominic Dinger

By Richard Lang

By Dominic Dinger

John the Baptist’s whole life & ministry was in preparation for the public ministry of Jesus. With each passing day, John knew that Jesus would be coming at any moment. So he faithfully prepared the people to be prepared for the Lord’s arrival. And then…that day came, when the Uncreated Creator not only visited humanity in the frailty of humanity, …

By Dominic Dinger

In Matthew 3, two of the most influential men & ministers in history came to a crossroads. John's ministry was coming to an end and Jesus' earthly ministry was just beginning. In order to understand all that was happening, we have to go back to a time before Jesus and John were born—to the ancient prophecies that foretold their arrival.…

By Dominic Dinger

In Matthew 3, we read about one man in the wilderness with one singular purpose—to prepare the way of The Lord. His name was John, and at first glance, he might seem like an odd man. After all, he wore camel’s hair and ate honey and locust. But he had an important message to fulfill his purpose. What was his message to prepare us for The King of Th…

After speaking to His people through the prophet Malachi, God was silent for 400 years. The last thing He told them was that He would send a man who would help them prepare for the coming Messiah by turning their hearts to the things of the Lord. That man was John the Baptist—the last of the Old Covenant prophets, even though his life and ministry …

In his letter to the Ephesian church, the Apostle Paul wrote that we are to put off our our old nature, which is continually corrupted by its deceitful desires. We considered this as we continue to learn about Herod in our study in Matthew. What would this mean for the heart of Herod after he rejected the Lord? His heart would be continually corrup…

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger

By Dominic Dinger