From the Pulpit - Sermon Audio

How is the Spirit of God working in you? We study how the The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement to come.

Nehemiah was burdened by the fact that the city walls were still in shambles. Though still living away from Jerusalem, he communicated with those who were living there. He fasted, mourned and prayed for the rebuilding of the walls of his beloved city. In Nehemiah’s prayer to God he confessed that he knew Israel’s sins were the cause of his nation being scattered among the heathen. Nehemiah knew God’s promises to Moses that they would be blessed if they followed God, but punished if they strayed from him. Nehemiah did not deny that God’s punishment was necessary. However, he called upon the mercy of God to help them rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as the people returned to the city of God.

The substance of this psalms, and portions of psalms 97, 98, and 100 are found in 1 Chronicles 16:1-43, which was used by David's direction in the dedication of the tabernacle on Mt. Zion. The psalm has importance beyond that historical occasion, however, because it anticipates kingdom praise for the Lord from all the nations of the world, and even from nature itself. It also expresses the intense joy that will saturate the earth when the Messiah is ruling from Jerusalem.

Paul has discussed how the pastors are to serve the people and how the people are to respond to the pastors. In these verses, he presents how the people are to treat each other in the fellowship of the church. The "unruly," those out of line, must be warned and taught to get back in line. The "fainthearted," those in fear and doubt, must be encouraged and made bold. The "weak," those without spiritual and moral strength, must be held up firmly. Patience forgiveness and acts of goodness must prevail between all the people.

How is the Spirit of God working in you? We study how the The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement to come.

Nehemiah was burdened by the fact that the city walls were still in shambles. Though still living away from Jerusalem, he communicated with those who were living there. He fasted, mourned and prayed for the rebuilding of the walls of his beloved city. In Nehemiah’s prayer to God he confessed that he knew Israel’s sins were the cause of his nation being scattered among the heathen. Nehemiah knew God’s promises to Moses that they would be blessed if they followed God, but punished if they strayed from him. Nehemiah did not deny that God’s punishment was necessary. However, he called upon the mercy of God to help them rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as the people returned to the city of God.

We continue our study on the authority of His Word focusing on the creation of all things spoken of in Genesis. The book of Genesis provides a true account in which the Lord created life. The first eleven chapters of Genesis explain how the Lord created all things and we study how a Christians belief on 'Origins of life' should focus on His Word.

Some of our missionary friends are serving the Lord by ministering in Northeast India in which they call home. As part of there regular ministry they share how the Lord is working in India and they share how the Bible translation ministry they are most involved in, is leading the lost to turn to Christ for salvation.

How is the Spirit of God working in you? We study how the The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement to come.

In the second part of the epistle, John condemned the violation of hospitality toward faithful ministers of the Word. Diotrephes modeled the opposite of kindness and hospitality to God's servants, even denying John's apostolic authority over the local congregation, and as a result, denying the revelation of God that came through that authority. His pride endeavored to supplant the rule of Christ through John in the church. Diotrephes character was the very opposite of the gentle and loving Gaius who readily showed hospitality.

We continue our study on the origins of mankind and how God created the universe, created man from the dust of the earth, and created woman from mans rib. We also discuss the non-biblical views of 'chance' creating the universe thus trying to eliminate the need of a god. We know the bible is truth and that the Lord created all things, including mankind in His image.

Paul has discussed how the pastors are to serve the people and how the people are to respond to the pastors. In these verses, he presents how the people are to treat each other in the fellowship of the church. The "unruly," those out of line, must be warned and taught to get back in line. The "fainthearted," those in fear and doubt, must be encouraged and made bold. The "weak," those without spiritual and moral strength, must be held up firmly. Patience, forgiveness and acts of goodness must prevail between all people.

We study the matter of tongues and its significance throughout history. "Tongues" refers to a foreign language. It also refers to the miraculous ability to speak a foreign language that is not learned. The speaker understands the foreign language and he speaks it in such a way that native speakers of that language can understand him. The languages we have today are a direct result by God confusing the one-world language during the time of Babel, through His judgment to scatter the people of the earth. As we study tongues throughout the Bible we understand God used tongues as a sign of judgement.

The big picture is that the recipient is a prominent member of a local church which has a problem. The problem is is a person named Diotrephes. John has written a previous letter to the church (since lost), but it was not received well. Those who were on the apostle's side were removed from the church. Those representatives sent by John were not treated well by Diotrephes. On the other hand, Gaius did help those representatives.

We study the origins of mankind and how God created the universe, created man from the dust of the earth, and created woman from mans rib. We also discuss the non-biblical views of 'chance' creating the universe thus trying to eliminate the need of a god. We know the bible is truth and that the Lord created all things, including mankind in His image.

Christians are called to know their pastors well enough to have an intimate appreciation for them and to respect them because of their value. The work of pastors is summarized in a 3-fold description which includes 1) laboring, working to the point of exhaustion; 2) overseeing, literally standing before the flock to lead them in the way of righteousness; and 3) admonishing, instructing in the truths of God's word. In addition to knowing pastors, congregations are to think rightly and lovingly of their pastors, not because of their charm or personality, but because of the fact that they work for the Chief Shepherd as His special servants. They are also to submit to their leadership so that peace prevails in the church.

In this message we study the qualities a man who teaches the Word of God must have to faithfully serve the Lord. Faithful men who will be able to teach others. Timothy was to take the divine revelation he had learned from Paul and teach it to other faithful men - men with proven spiritual character and giftedness, who would in turn pass on those truths to another generation. That process of spiritual reproduction, which began early in the early church, is to continue until the Lord returns.

John says he had many things to write to the Elect Lady but instead to speak face to face, that his joy may be full. The blessing of Christian hospitality is full joy. When believers uphold the biblical standards for fellowship, the result is genuine joy among believers because the truths of the Word are maintained.

James and John had enlisted their mother to convey their proud, self-seeking request to Jesus. The other disciples were greatly displeased as they also wished to be the greatest among each other. However, in this rich text the Lord teaches the disciples that the style of greatness and leadership for believers is different. The Gentile leaders dominate in dictatorial fashion, using carnal power and authority. Believers are to do the opposite - they lead by being servants and giving themselves away for others, as Jesus did.

We continue our study in Thessalonians where we recognize the idea that within the broader context of the end time coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the subject is changing from a discussion of the blessing of the rapture of believers to the judgement of unbelievers. The Apostle Paul encourages the Thessalonians to rejoice that the church will be raptured to Christ and will not experience the judgement of the Day of the Lord, where believers will not be present on earth to experience its terrors and destruction.

Missionary Joshua Allinger shares the calling the Lord has placed on his family to witness to the people of France and preaches on God's word in the Book of Colossians. We see the Apostle Paul sending a greeting by addressing fellow Christian friends. The truth of the message is to get us to think about how we might be like, or more like, some of these exemplary Christians mentioned by Paul.

The 2019 Gospel Heralds of Appalachian Bible College, a nine-member ensemble, present Our God is Great & Mighty, a collection of sacred music praising the greatness of God—our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and King.

Micah proclaimed a message of judgement to a people persistently pursuing evil. Similar to other prophets, Micah presented his message in lawsuit/courtroom terminology. The prophecy is arranged in 3 oracles, each beginning with the admonition to hear. Within each oracle, he moves from doom to hope - doom because they have broken God's law given at Sinai; hope because of God's unchanging covenant with their forefathers. One third of the book targets the sins of his people; another third looks at the punishment of God to come and another third promises hope for the faithful after the judgement.

We continue our study in Thessalonians where we recognize the idea that within the broader context of the end time coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the subject is changing from a discussion of the blessing of the rapture of believers to the judgement of unbelievers. The Apostle Paul encourages the Thessalonians to rejoice that the church will be raptured to Christ and will not experience the judgement of the Day of the Lord, where believers will not be present on earth to experience its terrors and destruction.

Hear fellow FBC members giving their testimonies and experiences witnessing and taking a stand for Christ during this year's Art Fair in Ann Arbor. Pastor Matt also hosts a Bible Q & A session.

To receive a full reward from Christ, do not support false teaching. We should always be watching out for false teachers who come along and attempt to deceive our reward from us. We exist on a footing of suspicion until we make sure a person is bringing the true doctrine of Christ. We can also think of our hospitality responsibility from the positive side. We can enhance our service to God, and thus our reward, by providing hospitality to those who believe the right things.

This closing section of the Sermon on the Mount is a gospel application. Here are two gates, two ways, two destinations, and two groups of people; two kinds of tress and two kinds of fruits; two groups of judgement; and two kinds of builders, building on two kinds of foundations. Christ is drawing the line as clearly as possible between the way that leads to destruction and the way which leads to life.

Even though Paul's ministry in Thessalonica was brief, it is clear the people had come to believe in and hope for the reality of their Savior's return. These were living in expectation of that coming, eagerly awaiting Christ. Verse 13 indicates they were even agitated about some things that were happening to them that might affect their participation in it. They knew Christ's return was the climactic event in redemptive history and didn't want to miss it. The major question they had was "What happens to the Christians who die before He comes? Do they miss His return?" Clearly, they had an imminent view of Christ's return and Paul had left the impression it could happen in their lifetime. Their confusion came as they were being persecuted, an experience they thought they were to be delivered from by the Lord's return.

We gave a brief overview of Acts 17 and saw how Paul handled the Old Testament. Paul preached that the Scriptures taught Messiah would suffer and rise again. Then we connected the prophecies of these truths from Isaiah 53 to the New Testament passages that quote from it and allude to it. It was in this way that the apostle demonstrated that Jesus is the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament. See the related blog post.

The Christian life is three-dimensional: love, truth, and obedience. Our love operates in the realm of Christian truth and is demonstrated by obedience to God’s commands. “To love one another” is one of those commands that we obey and thus show the genuineness of our faith. Note verse 4: “walk in truth”; verse 6a: “walk according to His commandments”; verse 6b: “walk in the commandment [love].”

Here in chapter 7, the prophet Micah highlights the need for the faithful to look to the Lord and to wait for Him, being confident that He will deliver them.

In this message we see how the Thessalonians were loving believers through God's Word and by God Himself. Here Paul emphasizes to not present social problems or generate conflict among those people in his life, but whose soul rests easy even in the midst of difficulty. Paul later deals with those who did not mind their own business at Thessalonica and encourages believers to work with their own hands.

In this sermon we study how Christ visited the seven disciples for the third time, after he was resurrected from the dead. Here, Christ speaks to Simon Peter how he would Glorify God through his death. We also conclude John's Gospel in which he proclaimed the true testimony of Christ.

Malachi wrote the capstone prophecy of the OT in which he delivered God's message of judgement on Israel for their continuing sin and God's promise that one day in the future, when the Jews would repent, Messiah would be revealed and God's covenant promises would be fulfilled. There were over 400 years of divine silence, with only Malachi's words ringing condemnation in their ears, before another prophet arrived with a message from God. That was John the Baptist preaching, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

The narrow gate leads to the entrance of God's kingdom and difficult is the way, that is, Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him. Salvation is by grace alone and calls for knowledge of the truth, repentance, submission to Christ as Lord, and a willingness to obey His will and Word. The Lord states that if a person loves Him, then they will keep his commandments.

Every Christian should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not like the unbelievers who defraud his brother and therefore bring destructive social and spiritual harm to themselves through illegitimate sexual activity. For the Lord calls His people to be Holy and whoever rejects these words rejects not man, but God.

In the last six verses of Malachi, God promises three things: He will come with judgment for those who are wicked; He will bring blessing to those who fear Him; and He will send Elijah the prophet to call the people to repentance. Until that day, God required His people to remember the Law of Moses, that is, to obey it.

There is no evening message recorded for today, since we shared a Singspiration with Hiawatha Bible Church.

Micah lamented the circumstances of his day. In his vain search for an upright person, he compared himself to the vinedresser who enters his vineyard late in the season and finds no fruit. In Micah 6, the prophet depicts the horrifying living conditions caused by the sinful acts of the people. In chapter 7, he expresses a future hope for a remnant of the people who will walk with the Lord.

In 538 B.C., as a result of the proclamation of Cyrus the Persian, Israel was allowed to return to Babylon to her homeland under the civil leadership of Zerubbabel and the spiritual guidance of Joshua the High-Priest. About 50,000 Jews returned. In 536 B.C., they began to rebuild the temple but opposition from neighnors and indifference by the Jews caused the work to be abandoned. Sixteen years later Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by the Lord to stir up the people to 1) not only rebuild the temple, but also to 2) reorder their spiritual priorities. As a result, the temple was completed 4 years later.

The opening verses reveal a historical situation similar to the days of Amos and Micah. Justice had essentially disappeared from the Land; violence and wickedness were pervasive, existing unchecked. In the midst of these dark days, the prophet cried out for divine intervention. God's response, that He was sending the Chaldeans to judge Judah, creates an even greater theological dilemma for Habakkuk. Why didnt' God purge His people and restore their righteousness?

These sinful priests and people had not just questioned God, violated God's covenant, disobeyed His laws, defiled His altar, and despised His name, but had openly spoken against Him. in spite of what was promised, the people complained that obedience to God's law brought no rewards. Only the proud and wicked prospered, they said. The people pretended to grieve for their sins, walking around in sackcloth or even with blackened faces to convey apparent sorrow, then complained that all that religious activity was useless. The proud and wicked, with apparent impunity, put God to the test by seeing how far they could go in doing evil. The distinction between the godly and ungodly will be evident for all when the righteous Lord is present, ruling from the throne of David in Jerusalem.

In this lesson, the prophet Micah restates God's requirements that they do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before Him. He also stated the consequences of their choices to do the opposite of these things.

God's Word is God's will. In this text of 1 Thessalonians, we see that God's will for His people is to abstain from sexual immorality.

This study specifically deals with Paul's instruction to the Corinthians about a particular collection for the saints in Jerusalem. We explain the the rich model of Christian giving that is taught in the New Testament. It is not legal in nature, but rather has the gracious and generous quality of a freewill offering.

In answer to their query about how they have deviated from God's way and need to return, the prophet picked an illustration of their spiritual defection that is very visible and undeniable. The Lord pointed out that they had not brought the required tithes and offerings, those used to fund the theocracy by sustaining the Levites, the national religious festivals, and the poor. But in not paying their taxes, and so robbing God, they had robbed themselves, for God had withheld His blessing.

The closing section of the Sermon on the Mount is a gospel application. Here are two gates, two ways, two destinations, and two groups of people; two kinds of trees and two kinds of fruit; two groups at the judgement; and two kinds of builders, building on two kinds of foundations. Christ is drawing the line as clearly as possible between the way that leads to destruction and the way which leads to life.

Instead of being able to travel to Thessalonica, Paul was forced to minister to them by means of letter. So he instructs them about how to live so as to please God. We only began to see the specifics of this, but we did emphasize the idea that Paul was giving them a command from the Lord Jesus.

We had a question earlier in the day about the chronology of Saul's interaction with David. In 1 Samuel 17 when David killed Goliath, did Saul know him? We examined a number of approaches to handle this question. A second question arose about the proper method of interpreting Zechariah 11 and how Old Testament prophecies are used in the New Testament. We were able to understand the importance of taking the text literally and take caution about how we use analogies in various Scriptures.

Then we quickly examined a list of the coworkers of the apostle Paul and emphasized the need for teamwork in the ministry of the church. This idea is essential for the work of the ministry.

We read in Malachi 3:1-7 of a way-preparing messenger, who comes before the messenger of the covenant. The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is that messenger of the covenant. He will suddenly appear at His temple and will bring with him a fearful day of judgment and refining. The events surrounding His coming locate the fulfillment in the future at the second coming of the Lord--not the first coming.

Our teacher reviewed much of the latter half of Ephesians 6 about the spiritual battle in which Christians find themselves. We were reminded again about what is most dangerous to our walk, and what resources we need to have around ourselves to win the battle and "stay on point" with respect to sharing the gospel. Then we looked at the necessity for frequent prayer.

Paul tells us how he responded to Timothy's report of the good spiritual condition of the Thessalonians. Then he reports a prayer in which he prays that the believers would be established blameless in holiness by the end when Christ returns.

No, the title of this message is not intended to suggest that the two types of worship are in competition with one another! Rather, the point of our message was to understand a bit more about what the future millennial worship looks like, and to set that over against how we presently worship at the table of the Lord. Each estate is blessed by God, and we thank Him for what we have today. But there will be a time of much different worship in the future.

We reviewed how the Israelites were sinning by marrying into idolatry. Today's message focused on what they did prior marrying idolaters--they divorced their spouses! We looked carefully at what God thinks of marriage and divorce in this context.

In this lesson, God asked his people what He had done to them and how he had wearied them. Following their silence, God recounted how He delivered them from Egypt and reminded them of the treacherous historical actions of Balak and Balaam against them.

Although Paul's desire to personally return to see the Thessalonians was frustrated, he found out what he needed to know by sending Timothy. By this means, Paul was able to encourage them "remotely" that they continue in the faith despite the persecutions they faced. These afflictions were totally to be expected because our adversary the Devil does not want the gospel to advance, and when it does he wants to tear down that advance.

We answered several questions tonight, including something about inter-generational effects of sin, and how the patterns that are built into us from our early home life affect how we live later in life. We spent the bulk of the time looking at a simple Bible content question, which was how many people named James are found in the Bible. We found at least 4, and perhaps 5. We briefly touched on the millennial kingdom sacrifices in Ezekiel 40-48.

In our continuing series in Malachi, we begin studying the passage about marriage and divorce. This passage sits in a very specific context that deals with the idolatry of the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. They were marrying foreign women who were not proselytes or converts to Judaism. And to do this, they were divorcing their wives, thus committing treachery against them and against the Lord.

Last time we examined the first three pieces of armor. The study continues to dig into the details of these figurative pieces of armor that we need for the daily spiritual battle that we face.

The Apostle Paul reports that he had been prevented from returning to Thessalonica and strengthening the faith of the new converts. This was a particularly difficult situation for both the new church and the church planter. The great joy Paul looked forward to was the Thessalonian Christians standing in the presence of Christ in the future day; yet he was concerned that Satan may be ruining things there in the infant church.

Pastor O'Dell reminds us of the need for all of the Scriptures--from creation in Genesis throughout the entire Old Testament and the New Testament. A rejection of Genesis 1:1, for example, means that you won't be able to accept anything else in the book. The creation account is foundational to everything, including our salvation. Our speaker also gave attention to Acts 17 and Hebrews 11, among other passages. We pray that you will be strengthened to believe the Word of God--all of it.

We studied the theological and interpretive issues raised by Revelation 21:1-8. This passages is a great encouragement for the believer, not only in the personal blessing that will be present in the new heaven and earth, but more importantly, the co-dwelling of God with man.

A second edition of the sermon audio, preached at the Conference on the Church for God's Glory is available here. The notes for this sermon are available here.

This lesson in Micah 6 illustrates a courtroom scene of God confronting Israel how about their sinfulness. Their choices were to respond to the charges by pleading guilty and seeking repentance and restoration or pleading not guilty and pursuing that to its bitter end. They chose the latter path.

In this message we study how Paul encouraged the persecuted Thessalonian believers by reminding them that they were not alone - they had suffered the very same things as the Judeans (Acts 17:5). Many Scriptures warn that trials are a normal part of the Christian life, not an exception. During times of suffering, those who have been through similar circumstances and have stood firm in the faith can encourage believers.

In this message we continue our study in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 where we see how Paul boldly preached the Gospel to the Thessalonians. Paul did not use flattering words nor manipulation to win souls for Christ nor demand financial gain. Instead, Paul worked as a tent maker which supports the claim that their motives were pure. Paul also uses the image of a nursing mother to illustrate the work of anyone who shepherds or teaches within the family of God. Just as a mother cherishes her little ones, spiritual shepherds should tenderly care for the believers they serve. Just as a mother feeds her children, they should give their spiritual offspring the nourishment they need to grow in Christ.

In this message we look at the types of building materials and at the results of building with those materials.. This is mother's day so we want to make a special application of this material to mothers but also a more general application to us all.

In this message we saw that God possesses His Temple whereby we are the very place where God dwells. God protects His Temple and those who do things to hurt the Temple of God will be subject to God's wrath and we should not listen to them. God Purifies His Temple whereby He wants to make us more like Him, to purify us.

For the Corinthians to elevate and celebrate Paul or Apollos as the center of their faith was ridiculous. These men were merely instruments of the Spirit. Just as Paul planted and Apollos watered, so too can every believer serve. Some may preach, some may assist others in their service; but it is God who gives the increase. He can and will use the gifts of every one of His servants for His purposes and His glory.

In this message we study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 where we see how Paul boldly preached the Gospel to the Thessalonians. Paul did not use flattering words nor manipulation to win souls for Christ nor demand financial gain. Instead, Paul worked as a tent maker which supports the claim that their motives were pure. Paul also uses the image of a nursing mother to illustrate the work of anyone who shepherds or teaches within the family of God. Just as a mother cherishes her little ones, spiritual shepherds should tenderly care for the believers they serve. Just as a mother feeds her children, they should give their spiritual offspring the nourishment they need to grow in Christ.

In this message we continue to critique amillennial doctrine. We examined the two resurrections in Revelation 20 and compared the premillennial literal understanding with the "spiritual" understanding of amillennialism. The focus of the message was our response to alleged weaknesses of the premillennial understanding.

Thanks to Joel Torres, the notes for this study are available in Spanish at Optica Biblica. The notes are available in English as well. See also this blog post.

Malachi, situated at the very end of the Old Testament, is structured around six messages or disputations that God has with the nation of Israel. In them, God rebukes the pathetic condition of the nation. This is similar to what we see in the book that ends the New Testament, Revelation, where the Lord rebukes seven churches for their serious problems.

In this message we honor the Lord by partaking in the Lord's Table. We study the reasons why we partake in communion while recognizing what the bread and juice symbolize.

In this message we study the events that take place when the Son of God returns for His second time to establish his millennial kingdom on Earth. We focus our attention to four major events including Satan being bound, the first and second resurrections, how long Christ's reign will be on Earth and how long until these events occur. The big idea of the message is to show that the premillennial understanding of this passage is much more straightforward than the amillennial understanding.

Malachi, situated at the very end of the Old Testament, is structured around six messages or disputations that God has with the nation of Israel. In them, God rebukes the pathetic condition of the nation. This is similar to what we see in the book that ends the New Testament, Revelation, where the Lord rebukes seven churches for their serious problems.

We are in a supernatural war against a supernatural enemy, Satan. Is is not flesh nor blood we battle Ephesians 6:12 and we cannot fight in the flesh 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. It is God's battle, God's power, God's armor.

In this message we continue our study of the how the Thessalonians were transformed by the Gospel, where Paul writes to the Thessalonians addressing the seven ways in which they clearly displayed becoming followers of the Lord.

In this message we continue to analyze the falseness of Amillennialism doctrine. Our study reveals that Jesus Christ is presently seated on the throne and always will be. His children anticipate his second coming where His millennial reign on Earth will begin.

Continuing this Resurrection Sunday service we study how God ordained Christ to suffer for sinners in order to bring them to God. The single verse we will study in these notes is 1 Peter 3:18, which focuses on the fact of Christ's suffering, and more importantly, the characteristics, purpose and results of that suffering. The main idea is that God foreordained Christ to suffer, and through this suffering, to bring sinners to God.

In this Resurrection Sunday morning we study the perspectives of the women who visited Jesus' tomb, angels on the resurrection of Christ, the soldiers point of view, the priests point of view, the view Jesus had before and after the resurrection. and the perspective of God the Father and the Spirit.

In this Good Friday message we study the many perspectives of the different people mentioned in Mark 15, focusing on the events leading up to and including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In this message we study how the Gospel presents a powerful model for Christians to be known by their fruit. In this context, the Apostle Paul writes this encouragement to the Thessalonians as he modeled a transformation bearing fruit, and as such the Thessalonians were converted and became Christian models by their fruit, to their neighbors. Likewise, our transformation should be evident like the Thessalonians.

In this message we analyze the incorrect belief that the millennial kingdom is a present realty centered at Christ's heavenly reign, not a future reign here on Earth after He returns. To the contrary, Scripture makes it clear that the millennial kingdom is yet to come. In fact, we prove from numerous Scriptures that an intermediate or kingdom age is absolutely necessary to the fulfillment of many prophetic passages.

In this message we examine Isaiah chapter 53 where we see how the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ was wrongly accused and gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind's sin. Jesus Christ did this to remove all transgressions for all people, every rebellion against the Lord and through His wounds, bruises, and stripes we are healed by His precious and innocent blood. It was the will of the Father to put Him through grief so that the sin of believers would be forgiven and live forever with the Lord.

In this message we hear of how the Lord is planting churches all across the world and how God-fearing men are being trained to share the Gospel. Despite the cultural and political barriers sharing the Gospel in third world countries, His Word continues to be preached.

In this message we study how the Apostle Paul thanked God for the delivery of the Gospel which came in word, power, in the Spirit, and with conviction. The believer can apply these in their testimony when witnessing to non-believers. The Gospel came to the Thessalonians in this way and believers should mirror this.

Learning the obedience of submission is a critical aspect of our Christian character. We learn it first as children in the home. We practice it in school. We are thus prepared for a life in which a good citizen and good Christian must do the same.

We studied the first portion of the Lord's rebuke of Israel's priests. They were treating the sacrificial system, and therefore the God of that system, with contempt. God says that He would prefer the doors of the temple be shut and no sacrifices offered, rather than the heartless, evil way that the priests were operating at that time.

Religion is what man does. Christianity is what God did. A Christian who has no struggle may suffer from complacency.

We continued the second part of the series in the book of 1 Thessalonians, studying the first four verses. We focused our attention on what the true evidence of Conversion looks like. This included the emphasis on three main points including works produced by faith, labor produced by love, and patience produced by hope.

In this message, we gave particular attention to how God loved Israel, evidenced in His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. The Lord hated Esau in the sense that He did not favor him. God treated Israel much differently that He did Edom—and God is free to do how He pleases!

Tom McParlan shared how the Apostle Paul provided instructions to employers to do the following: respect their employees, refrain from abuse, and remember that you report to your own Master in heaven (Ephesians 6:9).

We began a new series in the book of 1 Thessalonians with the first two verses. We examine some details about the authors, the recipients, the greeting of the apostle, and his thankful prayer for the new church family. The application to us is not direct (as with a command) but is indirect in terms of the example of both how the church responded to the preaching of the gospel, and how Paul prayed constantly and comprehensively for the church with thanksgiving.

We began a study of the teaching known as amillennialism and gave some critique of the view, both as to its exegesis and its hermeneutics.

Our study focused on the idea that the gospel of Jesus Christ transforms those who truly receive it. While the doctrine of justification is true and precious to every believer, the doctrine of regeneration is also a critical piece of the matter of salvation. It carries with it a total transformation. The Word of God is at the center of this transformation, as we see from 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

In this message, we noted that the content of Micah's message spanned Israel's low points, including the humiliation and deportation of King Zedekiah and the crucifixion of Christ and their ultimate high point in the future millennial reign of Christ on the earth.

We reviewed a number of texts that teach and model for us how we can pray for missionaries and pastors. The inspiration for this message came from Paul Seger's book Senders, chapter 9.

1. Ephesians 6:19-20 – Pray for Courage and Boldness in Speaking
2. 2 Thessalonians 3:2 – Pray for Safety from/in Persecution
3. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 – Pray for the Spread of the Word
4. Colossians 4:3 – Pray for Opportunities for the Gospel
5. Colossians 4:4 – Pray for Clarity
6. Romans 15:32 – Pray for Travels and Rest
7. Hebrews 13:18 – Pray for Purity
8. Hebrews 13:19, Philippians 1:19 – Pray for Deliverance from Bonds
9. Luke 10:2 – Pray for Coworkers
10. 1 Thessalonians 5:25 – Just Pray

In this message Pastor Matt answers questions about the resurrection of believers and starts to discuss how the Gospel of Christ transforms our lives.

This message explains how the body of believers will be transformed once resurrected and how victory over death will be complete. Consequently, Christians must move ahead steadfastly in God's work because we know that our hope is a real hope, not imaginary.

Tom McParlan shared how men ought to love their wife just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25). What kind of love exactly, is this? A husbands love is to seek to protect the wife from unholiness in the same sense that Christ wants to present His church, holy and blameless.

Missionary Bobby Vallette preaches from Matthew 4:18-22 and challenges us to become fishers of men.

Missionary Vallette preached on Matthew 28:18-20. He explained and applied the passage to challenge us to the task of ministering the gospel to the lost all around us, while leaving the increase to the Lord.

Missionary Bobby Vallette shared a report on their upcoming ministry in Uruguay. He also shared about his own disability and how the Lord has used it to shape his ministry.

The Bible engages in a hypothetical style of argumentation in which it is assumed that there were no resurrection. What are the consequences of that? Then, the apostle confronts the church about this false doctrine that has infiltrated them, and tells them that they need to wake up. The no-resurrection crowd is corrupting the church. Those people do not know God. It is a shameful situation.

Our study focused on the nature of the resurrection body. The apostle Paul deals with an objection to the truth of the resurrection in that the opponent asks a rhetorical question suggesting that the entire idea is ridiculous. Paul explains how the resurrection body will be suited to its future place of existence as contrasted with man's present body.

In our ongoing series regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this message we think about how to use various questions to share the gospel with those we want to influence for God.

In our continuing series in the prophet Micah, our teacher takes us through chapter 5:1-2. We emphasized the predictive accuracy and historical significance of Micah's prophecy of the birthplace of Christ.

In part 2, our study focused on the three phases of resurrection, the distance of time between these three resurrections, and the things that Christ does at "the end" when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father.

This message explains from the Bible the oft misunderstood doctrine of the sonship of Christ. We look at exactly what the word "son" means in this connection. Hint: it is not a "literal" biological term because Christ did not have a beginning. It does not mean subordination or origination. Rather, it is used in a figurative or metaphorical way to explain the character or nature of the Son. We will see a number of examples from the Bible that will help us understand the concept correctly.

We follow the last two messages on the prosperity gospel and the social gospel with this one, that calls us to know and be able to clearly articulate the gospel message to the lost. Please listen in if you want to share the gospel with someone and aren't quite sure how to do that. Or, listen in if you yourself know that you need to understand the good news about Jesus.

Note on the reading: it offered some mature content, but it is very relevant for our promiscuous society.

We study the controversial passage about wives submitting to their husbands. The problem in our homes starts here...and that problem started back in the garden of Eden with a lack of observance of the proper roles of husband and wife. We see that Peter teaches the same thing that Paul taught regarding this issue. Our teacher makes a strong caution against divorce.

We studied 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 this evening, learning about the fact and order of resurrections that have occurred and will occur in the future. We started in verse 20 so that we could understand the context on our way to trying to understand more precisely what verse 28 says.

We read 2 Samuel 4 and then considered a translation difficulty in Micah 5:1 with regard to a verb that is translated as "gather yourself in troops" or as "you slash yourself." This seems to be quite a difference in the translation, and we explore why it has arisen.

In our continuing study of the doctrine of the Trinity, we examined various Bible texts that are misused to deny the deity of Christ or the Trinity. We saw how each of these texts can be explained properly (Matthew 24:36//Mark 13:32//Luke 18:19, Mark 10:18, Luke 2:52, John 5:19, John 14:28, John 17:11, 20:17).

We examined the concept of the social gospel. Our goal is to settle in our minds what is the true mission of the church.

In this message, we review chapter 4 and move into the fifth chapter of Micah's prophecy.

We examined Acts 16:6-10 and asked ourselves why Paul was not permitted to minister in Asia and Bithynia.

See the blog post on this same topic.

We then covered the doctrine of the Trinity, focusing in particular on the unity of God and the uniqueness of God.

We considered the general idea of charismatic theology, and focused in on the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel can attack a church in a number of different forms. We must be on guard to protect ourselves and our assemblies from its wiles.

This message deals with the consequences of being filled with the Spirit: with ourselves, toward God, and toward other believers. The key ideas have to do with singing, thanksgiving, and submitting. Audience members reported that a very helpful part of this message was about the purpose of church singing. We reviewed what Spirit-filling is not, and one of the main results of Spirit-filling is peace, among the other attributes that are the fruit of the Spirit.

Our brief message after prayer meeting tonight centered on the one-another commands of the New Testament. We briefly surveyed those statements, and then asked ourselves a few pertinent questions about how we are doing in our individual and church life.

After reading Proverbs 2, we reviewed a bit of the morning message, and then got into some questions about the respectful treatment of the dead, the proper way to interpret prophetic portions as to their dealing with specific historical nations, the constitution of mankind in terms of body, soul, and spirit, and an aberrant view of the Trinity. There is a little bit here about the proper view of Catholics with respect to the Trinity and other doctrines.

In this message, we concluded our study of the book of Daniel. We gave particular attention to the instructions that Christ gave to Daniel about sealing up the prophecy for future generations to have access to it. We also saw that God was telling Daniel that his prophetic career had come to an end, and the next major event in his life was to go to his rest (sleep/death) and await resurrection to his inheritance as a man of God. We also reviewed the general events of the Tribulation and the events that open the kingdom of Christ.

In the first few minutes of this message, we reviewed a number of types of bad thoughts, and the origin of these thoughts. We also mentioned the origin of good thoughts. The second half of this Lord's Table message focused on practical, Biblical instruction as to how we can address sinful thoughts so that our thinking will be more conformed to the likeness of Christ. For those times that we fail, we thank the Lord Jesus for His self-sacrifice on the cross. His salvation offers forgiveness for sinful thoughts as well as sinful actions.

We began by reviewing some of what we learned in the morning service. A question led us down the trail of speaking about respectful treatment of the dead, and how touching a dead body would put a Jew into an unclean state for some time. We referred to Numbers 6:9-11 about this question.

Then we examined proofs of the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, in support of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Bible reading was in 2 Samuel 2.

We examined the first half of Daniel 12, focusing on the doctrines of bodily resurrection and the timing of the Jewish Tribulation that is raised in this passage.

Last time we looked at walking in wisdom. In verse 18, the Scripture gives us a two-fold command, followed by a number of consequences. Those consequences will be for a future lesson. But our goal in this lesson is to understand just what it means to be filled with the Spirit and the contrast with being drunk.

To be filled with the Spirit to be permeated by the truth concerning Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible. The command is to "be being filled" with the Spirit.

We spent some time interacting this evening on what kinds of bad thoughts there are, and where they come from. Next time we will examine some practical tips on how to handle them, by God's grace.

This section caused us to pause and consider what exactly happened with the death of Saul. Was he killed by the Amalekite, perhaps while Saul was dying from the self-inflicted wound of falling on his sword? Or did the Amalekite lie and actually found Saul already dead? Certain portions of the recording where there was audience participation have been elided.

The main point of our time together this evening was to teach more about the doctrine of the Trinity. We covered Old Testament and New Testament evidence.

We finish our study of the 11th chapter of the prophet Daniel, in which we are transported to a yet future time when the Antichrist will come in the likeness of an earlier King of the North and persecutor of Israel--Antiochus IV Epiphanes. We learned something of his military campaigns and his demise.

Follow along in our ongoing series in Micah, with chapter 4 as our subject in this message.

This message is about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. What exactly in the nature of the talent? Listen in and you will find out!

We answered some questions about the work of Satan in Judas (John 13) and a number of follow-up questions about Satan. Then we looked further at the doctrine of the Trinity.

We read Proverbs 1.

Pastor Postiff addresses the crucial and debated question about what exactly the gospel is. He gave a short summary of the gospel message, and then unfolded that message to help the church prepare itself to share the message accurately and passionately with those who are currently outside of the faith.

You can follow along with the slides that are available in PDF format.

Our teacher takes us into Ephesians 5 again and up to Ephesians 5:18. At that verse, there is a very important prohibition about being drunk. Drunkenness is one of the key manifestations of depravity. Meanwhile, think of these questions: Is the wine today the same as in Biblical times? Is it necessary for us? Is it the best choice for us? Is it habit-forming? Is it potentially destructive? Will it harm my Christian testimony?

We continue to deal with this passage, but in this message we focus on the larger context of chapters 21 and 22.

We connected 1 Corinthians 11 with John 13 and saw how we can partake of the Lord's Table in a good manner--namely, but exercising humble love toward our brothers. This, along with a healthy self-examination and recognition of the need for constant cleansing from sin, are key ingredients that we learn from the Last Supper to apply to our Lord's Table practice.The portion of the service in which we shared the bread and cup, after the message and before the benediction, are omitted from this recording.

After reading the remainder of Leviticus 13, we learned a lot of prophecy and history in Daniel 11. We started with historical anchor points at Alexander the Great and Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and looked at a number of Syrian (Seleucid) and Egyptian (Ptolemaic) kings. Keeping everything straight is difficult, but a very important point we learned is this: God's Word predicted in great detail the movements of these two kingdoms over a two hundred year period--several hundred years before the events actually occurred! This is a great testimony to the reliability and infallibility of God's Word.

You can check out the presentation slides here (37 pages).

We examined the sin list in verse 8 and defined each of the sins that are listed there. We also learned about how we should be regularly thinking about heaven. It is our destination, and it encourages us to be sanctified and confident in Christ.

Our message today is about walking in the light. We are to continue to be imitators of God, walking in the light as children of light. Light is a metaphor representing all goodness, righteousness and truth.

We considered at some depth the issues surrounding the spiritual battle that is taking place behind the visible scenes of our world, and how it impacted Daniel's life and prayer. We learned some applications regarding resisting the Devil, about being persistent in prayer so that the potential delays in answer do not overthrow us, and about not giving in to the spirit of the age that is influenced by forces of evil.

We had the distinct blessing of connecting with Mariano and Becky Proto. They are ministering in Carmelo, Uruguay, but are on furlough in Massachusetts. Technology allowed us to connect and, as you listen in, you will hear what we learned about the Protos ministry and how we can pray for them. We also learned about the apostle Paul's gospel ministry in Philippi, and what his approach to ministry was.

We reviewed some material from last week's message on Revelation 21 (which was not recorded), and went on to consider other threads of truth from Scripture that find their completion in the eternal state.

After several short readings, we examined Matthew 1. The genealogy offers several important facts, and some difficulties that require explanation. Then we briefly examined the narrative of the birth of Jesus from Joseph's perspective.

Our application was this: since it is the birthday of Jesus, what gift do we give him? We should give ourselves to the Lord since He gave Himself for us.

Our Christmas reading was in Matthew 2, followed by a message where we examined:

1. Mixed Reaction to the Newborn King
2. Birthplace of the Newborn King
3. Seeking the Newborn King
4. Fleeing with the Newborn King
5. Returning with the Newborn King

We learned some interesting facts about Herod and the wise men (magi).

We looked at a couple of different relationships between Old Testament text (a prophecy) and New Testament "fulfillment." The idea is to explain what is the connection is between the two texts. A key takeaway of the message is that fulfillment in the NT is not simply an OT prediction that comes to pass. It may be something else. Listen in to learn more that will be helpful in your reading of Scripture.

Type #1: a predictive prophecy that comes to pass (Micah 5:2).

Type #2: a historical situation that is like a later situation, or a "rhyme" in history (Hosea 11).

Type #3: a predictive prophecy that is used as a close, perhaps partial, likeness to a later situation (Joel 2) but that will be fulfilled later in history.

After we read 1 Samuel 29, we addressed a couple of questions about the pre-incarnate Christ, we spent some time examining the doctrine of the Trinity. We basically defined what Christians mean when they use the word "Trinity."

We learn in this message how Daniel was impacted by the vision of a certain man at the Tigris River, and how he learned that something was happening behind the scenes which caused a delay in the answer to his prayers. There is great significance here for the modern believer in Christ as to the matter of prayer, and concerning how the world truly works. There is an unseen, but nonetheless very real, world behind the visible realm.

Our teacher focuses our attention on the culture of Ephesus and how our American culture is not unlike it. This heightens the applicability of what Paul writes. We visited a number of Scriptural cross references to correlate with the teaching in Ephesians 5. We learned here that we are to be imitators of God, and walk in love, with Christ Himself being our pattern.

We examined the following key phrases in Revelation 21:3 and 7 and their correlates in the other Scriptures:

1. The tabernacle of God is with men.
2. God will dwell with them.
3. They will be His people.
4. God will be with them.
5. God will be their God.
6. I will be his God.
7. He will be my son.

We studied this under the general heading of the important relational aspect of the Christian faith.

Our scripture was in Hebrews 9:26-28, along with a number of other passages. The message was preceded by a number of offerings of music.

We uploaded this MP3 in a much higher quality recording than normally, so it is very large and will take longer to download.

The program is available in ten Youtube videos. Just look for the ones entitled "2018 Christmas..." Thanks to Jeff and Sin Mei Dowell for recording and producing these videos!

We covered the entire chapter, showing how it correlates perfectly with chapter 7. We took careful note of the fact that the little horn of chapter 8 refers to a different person in a different time than does the little horn of chapter 7.

In our lesson today we reviewed, in Micah 3, detailed evil practices of Israel's civil and spiritual leaders, including those identified as heads and rulers; prophets; seers and diviners; and priests. We contrasted those practices with God's plan for Israel's leaders, as expressed in Deuteronomy 1 and 2 Chronicles 19.

In this message, we tried to carefully define what it means to partake of the Lord's Table in an unworthy manner. The notion is best defined from the context of the passage itself, rather than by an appeal to prior experience or tradition. Doing so helped us clarify the corporate aspect of what Paul meant by taking the Table in an unworthy fashion.

We covered the remainder of Daniel 7, along with passages in Revelation 12 and 13, as well as 2 Thessalonians 2 and Isaiah 26-27. We learned about Daniel's response to God's Word, and that we should respond likewise. We also learned a lot about the future Antichrist. We also thought about our future brothers and sisters who will suffer in great tribulation. The message that the saints will prevail is a great encouragement to us today.

We spent some time thinking about the Christian and truth-telling, righteous and unrighteous anger, forgiveness, stealing, and good speech. All of these are discussed by Paul as outgrowths of the transformation that happens in a person's life who is impacted by the gospel.

We examined six things that are not going to be present in the heavenly state, which actually focuses on the new earth: the sea, tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain. A logical extension of the fact that death is absent is that sin also will be absent. We also thought about the utility, in our present world, of things like trials and pain. These negative things will have no utility in heaven and will be banished.

What relief all of this will bring to the believer and to the shepherds of Christ's church.

We worked on two big questions this evening. The first was posed a couple of weeks ago regarding David's wife Michal. We studied every passage that deals with her to figure out the answer to the question--which had to do with whether she was actually married to David or not. We concluded that she was, but that she ended up being childless. There was another, and somewhat more thorny issue in 2 Samuel 21:8 that had to do with whether Michal actually had 5 children by a man named Adriel. We addressed that and found that it appears that there was a scribal error in copying the inerrant original text. Some manuscripts have the correct "Merab" instead of "Michal." Another possible solution posited by several in the assembly was that perhaps Michal was a nanny or nurse-mom to the children of her sister Merab.

The second question that we taught on was about the meaning of "unworthy" in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (starting at 31:51). The point of this portion of our lesson was really to focus on the method that we should use to answer the question: namely, that we should study THE TEXT without going elsewhere in the Bible. We have to focus on studying this text until we understand it. Our natural tendency is to fall back on traditional understandings of the text without addressing directly "the text." But we also touched on the answer to the specific question. Lord willing, we will finish considering the question next Sunday evening when we remember the Lord at the Lord's Table service.

We addressed two related smaller questions raised by church members: 1) is it the solely the responsibility of the individual to police his participation at the Table, or does the church also bear some responsibility? and 2) what does "those who are approved" mean? How can a division be approved?

We picked up our study of Daniel 7 by looking again at the similarities of Daniel 7 and Daniel 2, and then continued to look at the vision and the synopsis of its interpretation given by an angel to Daniel.

We began our lesson by reviewing the highlights of Micah 1 and 2 and noting the judgment that was coming to Samaria and Jerusalem. We emphasized the pause at the end of chapter 2, where the prophet speaks about the remnant of Israel and the deliverance that would come to them. The last part our lesson focused on the enumerated evils committed by the political and spiritual leaders of Israel.

After a hymn sing and offerings of thanksgiving testimonies, we read Ephesians 1 and considered whether we are being thankful to God now for those things that have come before, are happening now, and will come in the future. Pastor encouraged us to pray. Near the end of the message when he invites the congregation to pray, why don't you pause the audio and spend some time in prayer yourself, and then continue with the final benediction?

Most of the service is not published, since it consists of personal thanksgiving testimonies.

As we closed our time together with Pastor Matham, he shared some key thoughts from 2 Timothy 4.

1. Be thankful for your true friends.
2. Treasure God's word.
3. Leave enemies in God's hands.
4. Put your trust in your faithful God.

We read 1 Samuel 26.

After reading Leviticus 9, we learned about the dangerous times that Paul prophesied would come. We are in those times, which makes it all the more necessary to imitate people who are godly examples, and hold fast to the message of Scripture which makes us wise for salvation, works in us sanctification, and prepares us for service.

We were unable to obtain a recording of the Bible study in the prior hour due to a technical difficulty. In that session, Pastor Matham updated us on the work he is involved in near Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as the general condition of missions and mission opportunities on the entire African continent.

Pastor Wilfred Matham, from Johannesburg South Africa, gives an exposition of the first chapter of 2 Timothy. He encourages us not to be ashamed of the gospel, and to take the persecution that may come as we suffer hardship for Christ.

We began a study of this section of Scripture with an eye toward developing an outline, taking a look at the "new" theme that is present there, and also at the completion of all things. We briefly examined the question of the timing of the events John saw, and also pondered the nature of the new heaven and new earth, as to whether it represents an entirely new re-creation, or a purified revision of the old heavens and earth.

We had a question about sanctifying the Levitical equipment in the tabernacle in Leviticus 8.

We had a question about Michal and her relationship to King David, although some of that did not come through on the recording because there was much audience participation that was difficult to hear.

The bulk of the time was spent on the terms for Christian leadership in the church, and a brief review of the qualifications of Christian leaders. This moved into a discussion of knowing God's guidance as it relates to not only a call to ministry, but also to decisions of any sort. We touched on the topic of hospitality briefly.

We begin our study in the apocalyptic prophecies of chapters 7-8 and 10-12. We learn about the prophecies of four major world empires. The information revealed here in visionary form parallels that revealed in chapter 2, which occurred 50 years earlier.

In reviewing the passage from Micah 2, we correlate passages from Exodus, Matthew, and other sections to speak about God's people and God's discipline of them, as well as how God desires His shepherds to lead them.

For our last message in Job, we reviewed about the genre and various forms that are found in the book, and added some substance about the message of the book. We concluded that God's administration of the world is according to His infinite wisdom and sovereignty. How God arranges the affairs of His world is not flawed, mechanical, or unfair, as the various main characters int he book think initially.

The Scripture passage tonight was 1 Chronicles 21. Pastor O'Dell called us to be real Christians, willing to pay a price to live for the Lord. A living sacrifice costs something, like David when he said that he would not offer to God something that cost him nothing. Multiple examples were offered of people who were out-and-out believers.

Pastor O'Dell challenges us that there is no such thing as 'my truth' and 'your truth' and 'his truth' and 'her truth.' There is one truth, and that is God's word. Instead of every man doing that which is right in his own eyes, all people everywhere are supposed to follow the Word of God.

We were assigned a little bit of Bible homework from Acts 17. Listen to find out what your assignment is.

Our study in Ephesians began in Matthew 27:38 and Luke 23:36. The response of the two thieves on the cross is instructive as we visit again Ephesians 4. We pondered, for example, what it means to walk worthy of the Christian calling. We are to live in basically the exact opposite way that we did.

Our teacher did a very good job of explaining 4:22-24 and how they refer not to human works, but to what God does for and to every believer at the time of salvation.

In this message, we considered several theological issues from the book of Job. Primary among them was the notion of Job as a priest, both for his family and for his friends. We considered how this might be applied in our own setting.

David showed great patience and deference to the leader called by God, even though that leader had failed miserably. We had a congregational interaction on the issue of the extent of the atonement regarding the chorus of the hymn "Saved by Grace Alone." Then we studied the terms used in the Bible concerning Christian leadership. We also addressed (extemporaneously) a question from John 10:35.

Pastor Postiff took us through the end of Daniel 9, with an emphasis on the decree of God which has determined all things. This decree extends into the future so that God can inform the prophet infallibly of things that will come to pass. This doctrine is an encouragement to the believer.

We reviewed the first 3 chapters of the book, which emphasize that we have been given great gifts by God's grace. In the following chapters, the apostle Paul calls us to "be" what we "are." A very interesting aspect of this is that we do not build the church directly; God does that work. God gives the increase.

We came to the close of chapter 42 in this study. There are some very interesting closing ideas regarding Job's priestly role for his friends, and the inheritance that his daughters received.

Missionary Tom Gibbons encouraged us to remember that it is Christ who builds His church, not a missionary or a pastor. We were, however, blessed to be a part of that work. Truly, we share in "the blessing of what God has accomplished for his own glory."

Pastor Postiff shared a summary of some of the message that he heard at the Inter-City Baptist Church and Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary E3 Pastor's conference. We reviewed all of the general sessions and a number of the workshop sessions as a way to report to and edify the church.

Because this was an opportunity for continuing education, and because it is important for the church to know that its pastor is working to improve his ministry, among other reasons, Pastor Postiff wanted to share these things with the church.

After reading Leviticus 5, we continued our study of Daniel 9. Importantly, we noted Daniel's penitence and his desire for the Lord to answer the prayer, not based on the righteousness of Israel, but because of Gdo's mercies. We saw how God was going to answer Daniel's prayer beyond what he could have imagined. We studied the beginning of the vision in the last four verses of the chapter.

We reviewed chapter 1 and reminded ourselves that Micah was deeply impacted by the message that he brought to the nation. The focus of the study was in chapter 2 and the "woe" that is pronounced there by God through the prophet.

We read 1 Samuel 22. Then we studied the mention of repentance in Mark 1 in some depth, bringing attention to a number of passages of Scripture that teach the believer how to repent. In a prior series, we spent a lot of time speaking about repentance for the unbeliever as far as entering into the blessings of eternal life. But we must consider carefully what repentance looks like in the life of a believer. Many Christians struggle with the practice of repentance because of pride.

After reading Leviticus 4, we began a study of Daniel 9. Observing this godly man read Scripture and pray one of the greatest penitential prayers should move our hearts to do likewise.

Our teacher "rewinds" to the middle of Ephesians chapter 3 to get a running head start on today's message. Ephesians is a book that tells us what God has done for us, so we ought to say thank you to God, by walking in a manner worthy of the calling. During the course of the message, we also visited the early verses of Romans 12.

We enter into the final chapter of Job and see how Job evaluates himself in light of what he has learned about God.

After reading 1 Samuel 21, Pastor answered a question about the destinies of Israel and the church to show how dispensational teaching should be properly understood. Namely, an earlier teaching of old Dispensationalism--or a mis-characterization of that teaching--is that the church has a heavenly future and Israel has an earthly future. That is incorrect. In fact, Israel and the Church will be together in the millennium, and in the eternal state on the earth.

Then starting at 16:05, we spent some time learning a Bible study method sometimes called "the Swedish method" using Mark 1 as an example. Pastor encouraged us to use this method with another believer or an unsaved acquaintance in one-to-one Bible study so as to reach people with the Word of God. This is how we are wrapping up our study of the gospel of Mark, which we began almost a year ago. At 26:25, you may wish to stop the recording for 5 or more minutes so that you can practice the method yourself on the template that we provided.The recording after this point has a lot of interaction between Pastor Postiff and the members of the church, some of which will be hard to hear and some of which was removed from the recording because it was impossible to hear.

Another Bible study guide is called the COMA method. It is available here.

We read Leviticus 3 at the beginning of the service, and then moved into our second part of Daniel 6. We saw the marvelous deliverance that God provided Daniel from the lions, and how Darius punished the conspirators who hoped to kill Daniel. They were subjected to the same fate that they wished upon him.

We examined the second part of the Ezekiel 37 prophecy, where God promises that the bifurcated nation will once again be unified under a single king in one land with one religion. This is a result of the New Covenant which will be in operation during the millennial kingdom.

In this message, we study Behemoth (last half of chapter 40) and Leviathan (chapter 41). These marvelous and humongous creatures teach us, among other things, to fear God. We fear them, so how much more should we fear their creator?

After reading Leviticus 2, we reviewed chapter 5 of Daniel, and particularly focused on the idea that Belshazzar was called out of this life suddenly without much warning. We then considered how Daniel shows us to live in a godless, pagan, secular, evil culture. He demonstrates this in Daniel 6 as an elderly man, maintaining his faith in God even after a law was passed that restricted free exercise of religion. At the end of this message, we left Daniel in the lion's den, waiting for the coming of the morning to see if he survived.

Subsequent to reviewing some of the first seven verses, our teacher takes us into the second half of chapter 1.

Job responds in humility to God after the first half of God's speech. We examined some of God's questions before his response, and some more afterward, stopping just shy of the passage on the magnificent animal called behemoth.

We read 1 Samuel 20, and then finished up our exposition of Mark 16, with the difficult verses 9-20. The difficulty arises in the transmission of the Biblical text and the cloud of suspicion that hangs over it, both because of external and internal factors. Listen in if you are interested in l earning more about this difficulty.

We began reading in Leviticus. Then we studied the latter portion of chapter 5, noting Belshazzar's blasphemous, idolatrous disrespect of God. Daniel then reads and interprets the message and shows Belshazzar that he has not followed the example of his grandfather, who was humbled under the mighty hand of God. Instead, Belshazzar died that very night as the Medo-Persian empire took over the city of Babylon and the entire Neo-Babylonian empire.

We take a second cut at Ephesians 4:1-6 in this study. The emphasis was made about a supernatural unity of the body.

We looked at a number of questions that God posed to Job in the section that brings Job low and exalts the glory of God. Theologically, we considered what a righteous person behaves like when confronted by sin. Somewhat paradoxically, a righteous person repents! It is the unrighteous that refuse to repent.

Then we studied the end of Mark 15 regarding the burial of Jesus and the return on Sunday of the ladies. We also took some Q & A, which means small sections of the recording is very faint at points of audience participation. This sermon also serves as Part 1 for Mark 16.

After reading Genesis 50, we tied up a few loose ends in chapter 4, and then began our study of Daniel 5 up to about verse 11. A great deal of background information occupied our time as we tried to understand the sequence of Neo-Babylonian kings and some of the liberal criticism of Daniel's prophecy.

Micah prophesies the coming judgment of God because of the idolatry of his people, both in the northern and southern kingdoms.

We read 1 Samuel 18, we worked through more of Mark 15, focusing on the veil of the temple being torn, two other witnesses to the death of Christ, and looked at some details about the women who followed the Lord. We noted also that the Lord's body was taken down from the cross before night, so that the land would not be defiled.

After reading Genesis 49, we continued our study of Daniel 4 starting about verse 19. We learned about Nebuchadnezzar's humbling at the hand of God, what his mental condition was, and how he finally recognized God as the sovereign ruler of all things.

We review the early chapters of Ephesians with a particular focus on the prayer in 3:14-21. Then we studied the early part of chapter 4 where Paul tells us how we are supposed to walk worthy of the calling that God has placed upon us.

We jumped immediately into Job 37:14, and finished up with Elihu's final words. Then we began to examine God's speech which starts in chapter 38, introducing a few characteristics of the upcoming list of questions.

The audio from 9/12/2018 (part 35) was not recorded. In that message, we looked at the three accompaniments to the questions, as mentioned in this message. Then we added two more. Then, we examined 38:1-18.

In conjunction with the Lord's Table service this evening, we read Isaiah 53. It dovetailed perfectly with the section of Mark 15 we studied, which concerned the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death. We drew practical application as to Christ washing away our daily sins.

Then we studied the first half of chapter 4 of Daniel. We learned about the troubling dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and some about his arrogance as second king of the Neo-Babylonian empire. We will see more of both the next time. We reminded ourselves that God sets in place kings and all in authority according to His pleasure, and we are not in a place to question him.

This lesson reviewed the historical context the of the book of Micah. We also noted four reasons Judah should have heeded the message the prophet delivered: it was God’s message; Micah was a Spirit-filled prophet; God had previously provided a) a negative illustration by the Assyrian’s destruction of the Northern Kingdom, and b) a positive illustration by defeating the Assyrian aggression against Judah during Hezekiah’s time.

We continue studying Elihu's final speech, noting the good and the bad in it. Much of this portion is good insofar as it extols the greatness of God. Elihu particularly focuses on God's role in the weather and how that is connected to His sovereign control of all things.

We studied the first portion of Mark 15 up to verse 21. Pastor Postiff gave the narrative outline of the entire chapter.

After reading in Genesis 47, we completed our study of Daniel 3. We pray with you that each and every Christian will have the mindset of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah--to give our bodies as sacrifices to God. Whether we live or die, may we serve Him all of our days.

Paul prays that the believer will access and live in the truths that he has expressed in the first two and a half chapters.

We mentioned the idea of the impassibility of God, and thought about whether that is in fact true, as Elihu suggests it is, relative to mankind's righteousness and sin. We deal with the difficult verses at the end of chapter 35, and then moved into chapter 36 where Elihu claims something that sounds very familiar: that God distributes justice in a very mechanical way, where the wicked are killed and the oppressed are given justice. Exactly how someone gets into the oppressed category is not clear, if the wicked are unable to continue long in their wickedness. We saw exceptions to this theory of God's administration of justice.

After the reading of 1 Samuel 16 by one of our young men, we studied the latter half of Mark 14. We saw again anticipation of the Lord's physical and spiritual suffering, and Peter's denial of the Lord.

We had some interaction on a number of things, and notably on the difference between Peter's bitter weeping, which represented a true godly repentance, and Judas' regret, which fell short of true Biblical repentance as demonstrated by his subsequent behavior. This behavior included his taking of his own life.

Allow me to expand upon this point. The first thing we should consider about this is that Judas did not have a godly repentance. We know this because the Lord said that Judas had the "greater sin" (John 19:11). That sin was not his subsequent actions, but the betrayal itself--what I referred to as the "worse" sin in the audio (at about 48:25). Furthermore, the Lord said that it would have been better for that man not to be born (Mark 14:21). So, despite his recognition of sin, and his returning of the blood money, and his remorse, he was not handling the sin properly. And that brings us to the second point.

The second thing we should consider is that the fruit of this regret was Judas' suicide. He committed another sin instead of handling his grief properly. His suicide was not atoning; it was a poor way to direct his moral feelings about the sin he had done. He did not bear fruit worthy of repentance. The only one who can take care of sin is God through Christ. Nothing in our hands we can bring, and nothing with our hands can we do, to "pay" for our sins.

In this, let us be clear that we are not condemning someone who has committed or attempted to commit suicide. We can say objectively that this kind of behavior is wrong, because murdering a person, even yourself, is morally wrong in God's sight. I did NOT say, nor ever would say, that suicide is an unforgivable sin, or one that proves someone to be an unbeliever. I cannot make a blanket statement about the spiritual state of such a person, good or bad. Instead, I have the greatest compassion toward those who are in such despair as to be contemplating the taking of their own life. If you are in that situation, rest assured there is help for you--with the Lord, with the church, and with the medical community. I wholeheartedly believe that the sin of attempting suicide is forgivable. Even the sin of actually succeeding is forgivable, but of course that is for someone who is a true believer in Christ. Call out for help to any friend, family member, acquaintance, church member, or any other person you know.

The third thing is a practical application of the idea of true repentance. True repentance is not a formula or something that can be just "said." It is something that is deeply felt. The feeling is not the repentance--make sure to know that. But true repentance cannot be an emotionless, mechanical, "I'm sorry" like you did to your brother after your parents made you apologize because you did something mean to him. We need to look for, and try to develop as much as we can in ourselves and in our children, a true heart of repentance.

We read Genesis 46 today about Jacob's family moving to Egypt. Then we studied Daniel 3, trying to avoid the trap of familiarity with the storyline. We saw that Nebuchadnezzar's earlier fear looks like it turned into pride as demonstrated by the large statue that he set up. All the people of his empire were commanded to worship the image and its associated gods and king, but the Jews refused to do this. Next time we will pick up at verse 16 to see the response of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to the command of the king.

Now that we are finished with Zephaniah and Hosea, our teacher moves us on to a new study in Micah. We studied the general content and background of the book. His ministry included potentially decades between 750-686 B.C. Probably we can narrow that down to 735-710 B.C. as the time period that covers the bulk of the messages that Micah delivered from the Lord.

After reading 1 Samuel 15, we continue in our study of Mark 14. We focused on the denial and scattering of the disciples, and our Lord's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We read Genesis 45 and then continued the exposition of Daniel 2. We saw the kingdoms of men will run their course, and then they are going to be replaced by the kingdom that is from the God of Heaven.

After a brief review of the chapter 2 regarding the unity of the body, our teacher takes us into Ephesians 3. We are reminded about how Paul saw things from a divine perspective, despite being in jail for Christ.

We studied the opening portion of Ezekiel 37 and saw a clear doctrine of physical, bodily resurrection of the people of Israel. This passage will literally come true, and these promises at that time were intended to be a great encouragement to the nation who thought all hope was lost.

We read from Elihu a lot of good words about God, but he also says a number of false things about Job.

Due to technical difficulties (also known as Windows 10) we were unable to record part 31 of our Job series.

After reading of Genesis 44, we studied Daniel 2. We read the verse that speaks of the king's insomnia, and spent a few minutes to think about how to handle that in our own lives. We were reminded that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him, and he demanded that someone tell him not only what the dream means, but the dream itself--so that he could have confidence that the interpretation was correct.

You will find here a brief study of this short Psalm and some cross references in Genesis and elsewhere.

We examine several ways that, Elihu says, God in fact does speak. We start in 33:14 and see three different ways that God speaks to mankind. We examine his argument and give cautions about how these should be understood. One problem with the methods he mentions is that they are not propositional methods of communication, even if they could be infallibly attributed to God.

After reading Genesis 43, we studied Daniel 1. We noted Daniel's purpose of heart, how he did not give up easily when he was trying to live a pure life for God, God's sovereign hand in his life and also in that of international affairs, and the remarkable history of the entire book of Daniel.

We move from the early part of chapter 2 into a key teaching about the church. Our teacher emphasized the sovereignty of God in salvation, the fact that there are only two types of people--believers and unbelievers. We learned about the revolutionary change in the Christian era over Old Testament Mosaic Judaism. This change touches not only Jewish people, but also Gentiles.

We reviewed chapter 32 and the big picture of Elihu, and then began to look at Job 33 and the beginning of the main body of Elihu's speech.

After reading 1 Samuel 14 and making some comments, we shared some comments about our ministry outreach at the art fair. Those testimonies are not recorded. We then turned to Mark 14 to study several verses. We spent some time thinking about the idea of table fellowship and that it has a meaning, even though that has been somewhat lost in our western "germ conscious" culture.

We introduce the book of Daniel by studying the chronological details of the prophecy in chapter 9. We discovered that God gave Daniel a precise starting date and ending date of a period of 483 years in length which ended when "Messiah was cut off." This places the date of the crucifixion of Christ over 500 years before the event occurred.

We read Genesis 42 at the beginning of the service, and looked at some other big picture issues in the book of Daniel.

We are introduced to the second chapter of Ephesians. The death that we experienced was spiritual death, and there is no physical means by which we could be raised to spiritual life.

We begin a study of the Elihu speeches. This section of Job is not easy to address, but we give a very brief overview of different interpretive approaches, and highlight the direction we will take in understanding the text. Then Pastor gives an exposition of Job 32, the first chapter of Elihu's response to Job and the three friends.

We covered Mark 14:1-11, read 1 Samuel 13, and interacted about a portion of a Wikipedia article that had a serious short-coming in its presentation of a very core doctrine of Christian theology. Some portions of the audio had to be cut out because they recorded audience members who were not near a microphone, but the gist of everything is easily discerned.

Jesus not only saves and forgives and exhibits perfect compassion, but He also confronts us in our sin. Any true minister of the gospel must do the same. John the Baptist’s ministry was very confrontational, as he preached repentance and confession concerning sin (Matt. 3:6-9, Mark 1:4-5, Luke 3:3). Paul the apostle preached repentance toward God regarding sin and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen to more about this matter as Pastor Postiff teaches a number of passages.

Our teacher continues explaining the text in Zephaniah 3. A judgment of great proportions will come up on the nation at the appointed time. This judgment was caused by the poor choices of the people of Israel. We gladly arrive at the section that speaks of Israel's restoration. The first item that God will restore to them is a pure language. This does not refer to Hebrew or Greek or the reversal of Babel; it refers to how they use their language, and more to the point, how their heart is constituted so that its abundance will speak out in a holy manner. See Isaiah 6.

This chapter records Job’s final defense. The general idea of the chapter is that Job is saying he has NOT committed sins worthy of the punishment he is receiving, but if he had committed those sins, he acknowledges that he should be judged.

Pastor Postiff continues the exposition of Mark 13 with a review of the tribulation events that Jesus describes, followed by an explanation of the fig tree parable and the watchfulness that the Lord enjoins.

Scripture was read this evening by one of our young men, from 1 Samuel 12.

The recording quality was not as good this evening due to Windows 10 updates incapacitating our audio recording computer. However, we did capture some comments from the audience--just turn up the volume to hear them.

After reading Genesis 40, we studied the doctrine and words related to the compassion of Jesus, and of God the Father. This study shows us what God is like; what God wants us to be like; and encourages our hearts when we find ourselves in need of compassion.

If you are looking for mercy from God, listen to this message all the way until the end. You will hear of how God will be merciful to you through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Our teacher takes us on a sprint to the end of chapter 1 in Ephesians. Explore with us the wonders of salvation by listening in!

We had a special emphasis in prayer meeting tonight, and Pastor Postiff spoke briefly on 1 Timothy 2:1-6 to remind us of our responsibilities as concerning prayer for our leaders and all people. The lion's share of the time was spent in corporate prayer.

After reading of 1 Samuel 11, Pastor Postiff shared a brief report about his ministry trip to GMSA headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, and the leadership team meetings that happened there.

The bulk of our time was spent in Mark 13 looking at the Olivet Discourse and the Lord's prophecy regarding future Tribulation and then His return.

After reading Genesis 39, Pastor continued his short series on the cessation of revelatory gifts started last Sunday morning.We reviewed the major arguments for cessationism, and extended our thinking in this matter. One big emphasis of the message is that we should be content with the things that God has revealed to us, and make use of them to the maximal extent possible. We do this instead of wasting time trying to "get" some other spiritual gift that isn't even available today.

Prior to the message, Pastor exhorted us to not be a complaining people, but rather to be a grateful people (04:19 to 07:27).

For this Lord's Table service, Pastor showed the connection between John 3 and Ezekiel 36 with regard to the washing and regeneration, being cleansed from sin and being born again. This is part of a continuing series on the relationship of the church to the New Covenant.

Pastor O'Dell takes us through the third of the sayings of Christ on the cross. We are past the Easter season, but these sayings are just as relevant!

Pastor O'Dell's second message was given on Wednesday June 13, but unfortunately was not recorded.

Pastor Postiff begins a two-part series where we define what the revelatory gifts are, emphasize the permanency of love, and show how, when and why these revelatory gifts ceased. The fact that they have to cease at some point is clear. Listen to learn why, particularly if you have been confused about this matter by charismatic and Pentecostal teachers.

We hurried through the latter half of this message, but next time we will review it at a slower pace, with some additional material.

The last two sessions, we focused on 3:1-7. Our teacher starts here with some review, and moves forward from there. Note that the pure language spoken of is not a different language, but words that are pure, without sin or filth in them.

Our study tonight was in Job 30, where Job laments how he is mocked and mistreated by people who are "nothings" in society. These evil people were restrained by Job when he was well; now they spit in his face!

We had a special Father's day prayer for those who have lost father or offspring, and then read 1 Samuel 10, and then taught through about the widow's mites

From 8:46, the bulk of our time was spent in Mark 12 regarding the sacrificial offering of the widow and the opening verses of the Olivet Discourse in chapter 13. We noted the importance of the widow's heart in her giving, how the Lord sees how people give, and also the two key questions that the disciples asked the Lord about the future.

After service we enjoyed some fellowship around the table as we sent off two dear friends to a new job in a faraway place.

This is part two of last week's high-level theological study of the superiority of dispensational theology to covenant theology. We reviewed last week's material and added a number of reasons why covenant theology falls short as a theological system in its goal of explaining the entirety of Scriptural revelation.

We reviewed the opening verses of chapter 1, and moved through verse 14. We took an interesting aside to think about the issue of para-church organizations and the proper place of the local church in this age. We thought about some of the promises that we have in Christ: peace, love, grace, justification, wisdom, confidence, hope, joy, victory, eternal life, power, mercy, forgiveness, truth, fellowship with God, spiritual discernment.

We saw the ministry of the Spirit in the life of the believer, specifically that it includes a seal and guarantee of security and authenticity.

After reading of 1 Samuel 9, we studied Psalm 56 under the direction of Missionary Jack Mitchell. What encouragement we find here for those who find themselves in trouble.

In preparation for a conference talk, Pastor Postiff shares some results of his theological studies on the systems of theology known as dispensationalism and covenant theology. This is about the first half of the material that he planned to share. Stay tuned for the second half. We also read Genesis 37.

In this recording, Dr. Jack Mitchell gives an update on their latest ministry efforts. He titles the talk "The Mitchell Misadventures." Listen as he tells, among many other things, how he was dunked into a lagoon in the south pacific!

We read Jeremiah 31 and studied the New Covenant in some detail. The conclusions that we draw might be somewhat surprising to you, but they are drawn immediately from Scripture. Listen in and see if you agree.

We read Genesis 36. Then, we examined the blessings of salvation. We saw that Jesus is not a savior in theory, but in actual practice. He saves primarily from the wages of sin, which is eternal death. But while He was on the earth, He also rescued many people from the temporal effects of sin.

Such effects that Jesus miraculously healed included diseases like leprosy and dropsy; demon possession; hunger; mental illness; hemorrhaging; fever; crippling handicaps of the feet, legs, and hands; blindness; muteness; deafness; severe scoliosis; seizures/epilepsy; paralysis; and death. Take another careful look at this list. The intrusion of sin and death in the world is the ultimate cause of all of those afflictions. Christ has the power and authority to fix them all. And what He did was truly fix those issues. This was not hocus-pocus or sleight of hand. Rather, the creator of the universe (John 1:3) reactivated his creative powers and fixed or made new again body parts that were non-functional. He created food with the same power. He used His authority as Son of God to recall spirits from the dead and to command demonic spirits, whom He had initially created before they fell into sin, to obey His will.

The bulk of the message focused on 11 blessings that the believer receives from God at the time of salvation. These include forgiveness, justification, indwelling, union with Christ and His church, new life, transformation, adoption, reconciliation, redemption, and being made complete in Christ.

We ponder Ephesians 1 again, and a passel of related passages about the doctrines of redemption and forgiveness.

In chapter 29, Job laments that he is not now in the prosperity that he used to have. But he defends himself before his friends by explaining that he has been righteous. Almost everyone in the community knows it. Others looked to him for wise counsel. He was a leader in his community. Through Job, God showed the world that saved people do not just do good for a temporal reward. They do good because they have been made good by God.

A computer crash prevented us from uploading the sermon audio from Sunday night May 27, 2018. A new computer seems to have solved the problem! The lost message covered Mark 12:1-40.

In this message, we focus upon the idea of divine forgiveness as demonstrated in the life of Jesus. Because the gospel of Luke mentions forgiveness more than any other NT book, we used Luke 5 as a suitable starting point for our study. In this section, we read about Jesus and His compassion, power, prayer, forgiveness, and concern for sinners.

We also read Genesis 35.

Our teacher treated the text as if it was the proceedings of a court case, sometimes called in Bible scholarship a "covenant lawsuit." Zephaniah lists three charges: rebellion, pollution, and oppression. It is these sins that God is charging against Israel. Princes, judges, prophets, and priests were accomplices in the crime. Listen in for more!

Job brings us to a better understanding of the problem of evil, something which he knows a lot about. We combined the last verse of chapter 26 and the last verse of chapter 28 to see that we cannot fully answer the problem of evil, and instead, the real solution is to fear God and turn from evil.

Our Q & A dealt with questions about the sanctification of unsaved children or spouses who are in a home with one believing parent/spouse. We discussed briefly the matter of divorce and remarriage, and what "under bondage" means in 1 Cor. 7:15. We made a connection to church discipline and how the unbeliever departing from the sanctifying influence of the believing spouse puts them in a more dangerous place in life.

We discussed the question about the role of husband and wife in marriage--specifically whether the roles were established because sin entered the world, or whether there would have been a differentiation of roles even if sin had not entered the world.

We read 1 Samuel 7. As often the case with our Q &A sessions, there are some parts hard to hear; most of the questions have been cut out of the recording because they were impossible to hear.

In this message, Pastor Postiff addresses a number of sensitive topics that have to do with men and women, including modesty, loving your spouse, keeping the home, purity, and keeping the sexes distinct with hair and clothing style. We also read Genesis 34.

Tom teaches through the opening verses of Ephesians, highlighting the work of salvation that is from God alone. This includes the matters of election, redemption, forgiveness, etc. We see here the timing and motivation of God's work in salvation. The issue of Biblical inspiration is mentioned as well.

We extend our understanding of what God is trying to teach us in the book of Job. Job refuses to agree to the friends' premise that he is wicked, and thus suffers the way he did. Rather, he acknowledges that the wicked will pay the price--eventually--but his experience that they sometimes prosper has to be taken into account. Still, he feels cheated of justice. Connecting this to the prior chapter (especially the last verse), we begin to see an answer to the problems of evil and suffering. That answer is this--that we cannot find out an answer, because God is so vastly beyond us and His administration of things is incomprehensible in the final analysis.

Our Bible study in Mark 11 continues, with a study of the triumphal entry, and another testing of the Lord by the Pharisees, among other things.

God’s holiness demands our repentance, provides our cleansing from sin, and calls for our service. Listen in to remind yourself about the majestic holiness of God, which refers to His separateness from creation and from sin. We also read Genesis 33.

Key thoughts from this message: Obey, receive, trust, draw near!

In this section of Job, we learn much more about the overall message of the book. Bildad gets six verses to repeat the wrong theology that he and the other two friends have been spouting for the better part of 24 chapters. Pastor Postiff will explain again how it is that they are wrong. Job responds that his friends haven't helped him one bit, and then launches into an exposition of the greatness of God. You won't find many Bible passages that do what Job does here!

In this Lord's Table service, we read Psalm 51 followed by Psalm 32. We studied the latter, looking for what God would teach us about the person who is blessed and joyful. Such a person is that way because God has not imputed iniquity to him, and has covered his sins by forgiving them in Christ.

We spent some time thinking about how people can deceive themselves and try to keep silent about their sin, when that is not the path of godliness or spiritual prosperity.

We read Genesis 32. Then Pastor Postiff explained from Scripture a number of things that the church must be active in doing to be a Biblical church. We spent a little more time on two issues that are often not practiced as well as they should be: prayer and singing. If you wonder why we sing in church, or why we pray together, this message will give you some insight.

Tom McParlan opens a new study in the book of Ephesians. He began to open to us the marvels of God's plan of salvation from eternity past to eternity future.

We resume our study of Job (last message was on March 17, 2018). In this message, we start to get a really good glimpse at the message of the book of Job. Job buttons up his case that the wicked may prosper for a while, but they will be destroyed (chapter 24). He models for us the fear that the believer should have of the sovereign God who is in control of all things (23:13-17). Job trusts that God will bring him out of this trial as gold.

We read Genesis 31. Then Pastor Postiff used the morning preaching time to teach on an issue that has troubled our church for some time. Because it was occasioned by a particular thing that was done in our church, it may not be of general interest. However, it addressed an issue of an anonymous letter that contained false accusations and racist content. This letter and some related matters have caused a division in the church. In light of the hot-button issue of race in evangelicalism today, it was appropriate that the church pause and think about that issue, among others. We also discussed how a believer should bring an issue to the attention of another believer.

Several solutions to the problem were offered--to those who were hurt, to the one who wrote the anonymous letter, and to the church as a whole.

Pastor Postiff offers an expanded definition of the statement that he made during this message that racism is not a skin problem, it is a sin problem. That is clever shorthand for this: person B is black, person W is white. Racism does not indicate a problem with person B's skin color; rather, it indicates person W's sin. Of course, W has wrongly made B's skin color an issue, but more than that, W has made person B an issue as a person, thinking that skin color indicates a whole host of features that make W superior to B. As expressed in the message, there is NO ROOM FOR THIS KIND OF THINKING in a Christian's mind. Period. W is not superior to B. W should esteem B better than himself. That's Bible.

There is no evening message recorded for today, since we shared a Singspiration with Hiawatha Bible Church.

We start the study again at chapter 2 of Zephaniah, in which judgment is pronounced upon surrounding nations.

In our study of Ezra, we studied how Ezra took godly counsel from others, took responsibility for what needed to be done, and acted with moral conviction and leadership.

The recording volume was a bit lower than usual, so you may have to turn up your volume control a bit.

After reading of 1 Samuel 4-5, we studied the remainder of Mark 10. Last time we had covered the section about marriage and divorce, as well as Jesus' blessing of children and the encounter with the rich young ruler. We picked up with him in this message, and the Lord's teaching about the impossibility of salvation for man, but how it is possible with God. We examined the foretelling of the death and resurrection of Christ, about the pursuit of true greatness, and the miracle of Bartimaeus receiving his sight.

Pastor Postiff taught from Romans 12 and spoke frankly about some matters that our church has to address. In particular, he challenged those who are members (part) of the church to take up a regular ministry. He also taught on the general idea of membership in the local church and how people who are associated with the church should take up a formal association with the church for the honor of God, the good of the church, and their own good.

Our teacher reminds us from a number of texts about the true peace from God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you don't have peace in your mind or heart or life right now, listen in!

We saw a couple more character traits of Ezra tonight. He was a man who feared God. He was also a man of humility, prayer, and confession. Next time, we will see that Ezra's repentant prayer was followed immediately by the fruit of repentance--action

We resumed, from the morning meeting, our study in Mark 10. After completing an exposition of the first 12 verses and 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, we continued on in the chapter, up to 10:22. We learned about the regulation of sin in the divorce law, and very importantly also, about the hardness of heart that was the underlying reason for the regulation. We saw how strict the Lord's teaching about divorce was.

After reading Genesis 29, our message this morning covered two topics. Pastor Postiff shared first how we should think about our overall ministry plan. In light of the mission of church, we started at the ultimate aim of everything--to glorify God. From this, we derived a statement that emphasized to accomplish that, we hope to be a growing church that carries out the Great Commission and exhibits the Great Commandment. Clear definitions of terms like church, and growing are an important part of understanding what our church life should be about.

Then, a pressing matter was brought to our attention from our series in Mark on Sunday nights. Having arrived at Mark 10 in that series, Pastor Postiff shifted over to the evening series for this morning meeting, and shared about the matter of divorce (starting at 38:50). Pastor added a postscript that those who have experienced divorce can repent and be restored to a harmonious relationship with God, and not have a special stigma attached to themselves by the church (57:40-end).

Our teacher stressed again that we have the Word of God before us in the book of Zephaniah. He made another great point that we cannot sin against another person without sinning against the Lord. We also read in 2 Chronicles 20:1-15. King Jehoshaphat determined to seek the Lord and ask for help from God.

We looked at a number of additional ways that Ezra was identified in the book by his name. We saw that he was not only a man upon whom God's good hand rested, but he was also serious about his relationship with God, he trusted God in hard things, and he was a man of integrity. Next time we will see that he feared God, and a number of other characteristics as well.

After reading 1 Samuel 1-2, we studied Mark 9. Jesus leads us through the familiar accounts of the Transfiguration, healing of a demon-possessed boy, Jesus fortelling His death, the key virtue of servanthood, and the horrors of Hell.

This message really consists of three separate messages. The first was a brief summary of the gospel, compressed from all the gospel preaching in Acts that we examined two weeks back. The second message was a list of questions that are meant to be checkpoints as to whether we are truly saved. As Pastor Postiff indicated in the message, this was no "to do list" to achieve salvation. It is meant as a check of the evidences of eternal life that are and should be present in your life if you are a Christian.

The third and longest portion of this morning's message had to do with our ministry and life aspirations. The key question was this: "What are you aiming for? What is your life goal?" We examined this from both a church-wide or corporate perspective, as well as from an individual perspective. Although much more remains to be said,

The unsaved world thinks the Christian message and Christians are stupid. But we understand that God has chosen to do things a very different way than the world would. In the end, this will result in God's glory in all of creation.

In this message, we look at the first six of 12 characteristics of Ezra that show what kind of man he was.

We don't actually believe that we can present the gospel very well in four minutes. But our study in Acts a couple of weeks ago uncovered a number of main points that the apostles made in their preaching. This brief recording puts them all together.

After reading John 21, we examined a number of passages that addressed the future exaltation of Christ, some of which has already occurred, and much of which has not yet been fulfilled.

Pastor Postiff started out by encouraging the congregation about the finished work of Jesus and the forgiveness available in Him. We read John 20, and then continued the series of messages on the prophecies of Christ, focusing on the necessity of His resurrection based on explicit and implicit teaching in the Hebrew Bible, what we know as the Old Testament.

We continue our series of the weekend about the OT prophecies of the Christ, and how Jesus IS the Christ. After reading the resurrection accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we shared some testimonies about the resurrection of Christ. We finished studying the section about the foretold death of Christ, and then examined Psalm 16 and some other passages.

In our opening message for this Resurrection weekend, we examined the prophetic references in the Old Testament to the suffering and death of Christ. We saw that the early church labored to share the prophetic references to Christ, and then to identify Jesus with the Christ. We read in Matthew's gospel.

We continued the study of Ezra by examining the letter from Artaxerxes to Ezra and noted a couple of interesting overarching concepts: tax exemption and a separation between the religious and secular law. Ezra was assigned the task of teaching the Law of God to those who did not know it in the region of Israel.

After reading of Judges 21, we read through and commented through Mark 8. We reminded ourselves of the importance of being obedient to the Lord to enjoy His provision. If you have ever wondered about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, tune in. We also studied the idea of discipleship and following Christ no matter what the cost.

Last week in our morning worship service, we studied the mission of the church that was given to us by our Lord, who possesses all heavenly and earthly authority. In this message, we surveyed the book of Acts to see how the apostles taught the gospel to their audiences. We did this in order to remind ourselves how we should proclaim the truth today, rather than using some of the common "Christian" parlance that is used today, but is void of true gospel content.

Our teacher helps us investigate the question about how we trust the Bible, and reminds us of the critical role of the Holy Spirit in opening our understanding to the Scriptures. Mere rationalism cannot provide certainty in our belief in the Bible.

We started a brief study of Ezra in the book titled by his name, in chapters 7 and 8. In this message, we concern ourselves with an outline of the historical and political situation that surrounded Ezra's journey from Bablyon to Jerusalem.

We read Judges 20, and then learned what our Lord did as recorded in Mark 7. We saw His desire for a heart-felt religion, His teaching that things from outside our bodies cannot defile us, and His great power in healing a Greek woman's daughter and a man who was deaf and unable to speak properly.

Pastor Postiff returned to the pulpit after a brief illness. After reading Genesis 26, Pastor spent some time reminding us about what our mission is NOT, and what it IS.

Our teacher gets into the exposition of the first chapter of Zephaniah.

This message continues our study in Job, with Job 22-23. Eliphaz pipes up again with a severe attack on Job's character, and Job takes his next turn, hardly noting his friend's rebuke. The verses at 23:10 and and 23:12 were worth the price of admission, so to speak. In them, Job expresses his trust in God through the trial, and how much he loves God's instruction.

Some technical problems prohibited the recording of the 3/11/2018 audio in all three services. This will hopefully be corrected by this coming Sunday. Stay tuned!

In chapter 21, Job directly confronts Zophar and denies the truthfulness of what he had pontificated in chapter 20. The wicked often do prosper for a long time; and it is God who permits them to prosper. However, Job denies any affinity for the wicked and their philosophies. He is vastly different from them.

After reading the shocking passage in Judges 19, we studied the portion of Mark 7 about the Pharisees setting their man-made commandments over the commandments of God. Their religion was external only; their hearts were far from God. We focused on having a true broken and contrite spirit before the Lord. This set the stage for us to share the Lord's Table at the end of the service.

We read Genesis 24, preceded by some cautionary statements to help the reader in properly interpreting the passage. Some have misused the passage to teach how a young man today should find a wife. Then, we examined the proper use of law, the Law of Moses, and the Law of Christ. We saw that the Law of Moses is still very useful to point out sin--but only certain parts of that Law as they are drawn out in the New Testament.

Pastor Postiff offered a lengthy application about rule-setting in the home and how it can be done while avoiding legalism.

Our study of Zephaniah continues in the examination of the historical background. Our teacher made an excellent point that Josiah had succeeded in removing many of the external forms of idol worship. However, he was unable to remove the internal convictions of many people who were idolaters. Then we moved into the text of chapter 1.

We move on from the 10 times Job was reproached by his friends to look at the remainder of chapter 19 and into chapter 20.

After reading Judges 18, Pastor Postiff shared his short review of a book entitled Dispensationalism and Free Grace: Intimately Linked by Grant Hawley. The review was not favorable. Then, we studied the remainder of Mark 6, about the disciples of Jesus who went out to preach the good news of the kingdom and cast out demons and heal. We read then about the feeding of five thousand, Jesus walking on the water, and more healing ministry.

We welcomed a new member into the church this morning prior to the message and heard a testimony of the impact of the church family in the new member's life (not recorded here). We read Genesis 23 and then examined the idea of legalism. Listen in to learn about justification-legalism and sanctification-legalism. We briefly examined some hot issues in this regard--alcohol and dancing. We learned that we need to be very careful about hurling around the accusation of legalism because the term is so misunderstood.

Our teacher added a couple of postscripts to the study on mankind's fall into sin. After Eve fell into sin, she was not happy. So we turned our study to Matthew 5 where the Lord talks about blessedness, or very simply stated, happiness or satisfaction. The beatitudes give a list of characteristics of those who enter and live in the kingdom of Christ. In one of these, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who have an intense desire for righteousness.

We studied Job 18 and the first portion of chapter 19. We spent some time thinking about Job's statement that his companions had reproached him 10 times. This was a hyperbolic statement indicating that they had reproached him numerous times. We examined Genesis 31:7 and Numbers 14:22 to see similar "10 times" statements.

After the reading of Judges 17, the church enjoyed an explanation of the Biblical doctrine of forgiveness by Pastor John O'Dell. The connection he made with the last statements of Christ on the cross, and the season of lent, was an interesting introduction to the message.

As we complete our study of 2 Peter, remember that Peter has structured the last 8 verses around three “since…command” structures:

1. Since everything will be dissolved, live a holy life and pursue evangelism.

2. Since you look forward to a righteous new heaven and new earth, live a holy life and concern yourself with the matter of the salvation of others.

3. Since you know have prior knowledge of these things, be on guard and grow in the faith.

It is to the last of these points that we now turn.

We examine in this message the lust of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life, which was the pattern that Eve experienced as she fell into sin.

We study Job's response to Eliphaz's second speech. One of the notable parts in this section is that Job cries out for a mediator. We know the one and only mediator between God and men.

After reading Judges 16, we briefly discussed a book on dispensationalism and free grace that touches on definitions of the terms discipleship, kingdom, reward, and belief. Thereafter, we opened our study in Mark 6. The text in the first handful of verses makes it clear that the Lord does not work mightily in places or in people's lives where there is no belief.

In 2 Peter 3:13-16, God again tells us through Peter that we need to be holy people while we consider the Lord’s program of salvation. It is a very similar message to that from the prior verses, but this time it is motivated by the fact that a new creation is coming. The old sin-filled creation will be destroyed, and a new righteous creation will replace it. That being the case, it should be easy to understand that for us to take part in the new righteous creation, we need to be righteous (Hebrews 12:14)!

Our teacher starts by asking if we remembered everything that we studied together in the prior two lessons! So, we reviewed some of the prior material. One of the topics had to do with Samaritans, upon which our teacher made a comment last time, but elaborates in this message.

Eliphaz takes his second speech, which we could say is his second turn at rebuking Job. In the multiplying of words, sin is not absent. Listen in to this message if you need help in understanding the book of Job. We discussed together some ideas about how we can truly comfort those who are in affliction, instead of being like Job's friends.

This short message was delivered before the church remembered the Lord at His Table on Sunday evening. In this message, we visit every passage that speaks of baptism "eis" (into or because of). We showed that in every case where baptism "eis" is used with a metaphorical object--not into water, for example, but into Christ or the body of Christ, etc.--it has a meaning consistent with the idea of association or union or identification. Baptism does not cause forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4, Acts 2:38). It demonstrates that one has been forgiven; it identifies them with repentance.

We read together Genesis 20. After a fairly detailed review of the prior two chapters and first portion of chapter 3, Pastor Postiff outlined what is coming in the last 8 verses of the letter. Then, we carefully considered Peter's reminder that everything in this world will be melted down, and therefore we need to be holy in light of what is coming after this creation. Being holy includes watchfulness for the second coming and hastening that coming by means of evangelizing the lost.

Our teacher explores what happens in the interaction between Satan and Eve that eventuated in Eve sinning. At root, there was a question about God and His character. Satan turned God's blessings into a feeling of deprivation in Eve's mind, and Eve took the bait.

Before the church conducted its business meeting, Pastor Postiff taught on the responsibility of ministry that every member has. We used as a model the passage in Exodus 35-36 in which there were master craftsmen, other craftsmen who were led and taught by the masters, and the entire congregation of Israel. Each and every person was able to contribute in some way to the work of construction of the tabernacle.

And so it is in the church. There are certain things that every believer can and should do regularly; and then there are things that individuals do based on God-given ability and interest. Listen to this brief message to remind yourself that you too have a responsibility to participate in the ministry of the local church.

After reading of Judges 15 and some comments on last week's Q & A session in the evening, we studied through Mark 5. In it, Jesus demonstrates his power over demons, death, and disease. We discussed briefly demon possession and whether it happens today or not.

We read Genesis 19, except the last few verses, in order to spare the lewd details from our smallest children. There is nothing less Scriptural about that section.

From about 05:33-12:28, Pastor took the church through the church membership covenant.

Then, we studied 2 Peter 3:5-10 and reminded ourselves of the utter dependence of creation upon God's sustaining word and the absolutely certain second coming of Christ.

Our teacher takes us further in the introduction to Zephaniah. We learned that he prophesied in Josiah's reign, 640-609 B.C. Also, Nineveh had not yet been destroyed, so Zephaniah must have prophesied before 612 B.C. We also learned about Josiah's tender heart to the things of God and the prophecy of a disaster that was scheduled to come upon them because the Israelites had gone into idolatry.

Job teaches us in chapter 14 about the brevity of life. He expresses the ups and downs of a man in agony. In some way, he feels like he is being worn down bit by bit; and other times, like he has been deluged by a huge flood.

We read Judges 14 and heard a very encouraging report from missionary David Kurowicki. We considered a few Bible questions as well, including a textual variant at Hebrews 4:2. We considered how the Isaiah 7 prophecy fits the context of the historical situation, as well as providing a future promise of a virgin birth. We thought about why the Lord sometimes told people he healed not to proclaim it to others, and why some people disobeyed that. Finally, we moved into Mark 4 and discussed the parables there and the lesson of the Lord stilling the sea. He had the power to do that, and instructs us that our faith must not be displaced by fear of things lesser than God.

After reading Genesis 18, we reviewed the last three verses of chapter 2, and then launched into the exposition of chapter 3. The lesson of 2:20-22 is that the false teachers had some acquaintance with Christianity, but they were not ever genuine believers. In chapter 3, Peter reminds us of the second coming of Christ and encourages us to be mindful not only of his teaching, but also of all the apostles and the Old Testament prophets. The bible here warns us of the uniformitarian philosophy that still drives evolution, atheism, and much unbelief in our world today.

Our teacher labors to remind us that the account in Genesis 3:1-7 really did happen, and then started an exposition of the passage. Satan saw an opportunity to tempt Eve and started his deceptive work on her, even (incorrectly) using some of God's words.

Our study tonight focused on the second half of Job chapter 13. In it, Job addresses God directly, making some requests or demands. For example, he wants to know about his sin..."Why am I in this situation?" He also wants to know why God treats him as an enemy. We see that Job goes a bit too far in his questioning of God.

Afer opening prayer and reading of Judges 12-13, Pastor Postiff spoke to the church family about our mission and strategies to carry out that mission. Listen in to some "strategic planning" for church ministry as it relates to Romans 1 and 15. If you are interested in priorities, goals, vision, mission, planning in the local church, then listen in.

Peter continues describing the false teachers of his day. His prediction of the coming of false teachers certainly has come true. Such are characterized by greed, insanity, eloquence, emptiness, seduction, enslavement, professing salvation but are in fact unsaved.

Our instructor gives us an introduction to the historical situation and context surrounding the book of the prophet Zephaniah. We learned about kings Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah.

In chapter 13, Job continues his rebuttal at the end of the first round of speeches. He affirms that he knows everything that the friends are saying, that what they are saying is speaking wickedly in the name of God, and he wishes to speak directly with God about his situation, no matter what might come of that.

After reading Judges 3, Pastor Postiff walked the church family through Mark 3, emphasizing the Lord's authority over the Sabbath and over Satan. He was not understood by his family, so they wished to cart him off to a mental institution. But the Lord explains that His real family are those who do the will of God.

After reading of Genesis 16 and 1 Peter 1:3-9, we examined some details in 2 Peter 2:10-14. We learned 10 characteristics of false teachers and ungodly people that we are to note and avoid so that we do not get caught up in their destructive ways.

For our Lord's Table meditation this morning, we pondered the idea of kindness. Under the heading of "the Christian doctrine of kindness," we reminded ourselves that while many other areas of Bible doctrine are important, the doctrines of personal conduct are extremely important in the mind of God. We want to make sure that we are not "kindness heretics" by professing to believe the Bible's teaching on kindness, but then do not carry it into our lives.

We begin our study of Job's last response of the first round. His response consumes three chapters, but we only look at the first of those three chapters in this message. We clarify the proper translation of 12:5, and then examine the first half of the chapter in which Job sarcastically confronts his friends about their "wisdom." In the second half, Job extols the greatness of God.

We read Judges 10, we briefly reviewed another article about church attendance that extolled the virtues of church attendance. It was written, somewhat surprisingly, from a secular perspective.

Then we studied the last half of Mark 2, in which the Lord is the subject of further complaints, including the issue of fasting, and then about healing a disabled individual on the Sabbath.

After reading Genesis 15, we studied 2 Peter 2:4-9 which shows that God has judged the ungodly in the past, and therefore it is completely reasonable to expect that He will do so again in the future.

Editor's Note: Our Sunday school lesson was not recorded due to a technical difficulty. The message was about the importance of church attendance to start the new year, focusing on Hebrews 10:23-25 and referring to some current articles on the subject of why church attendance is down across the United States. Pastor Postiff's message was simple: be faithful in attending church, and that means more than just Sunday morning.

Our study continues in Job 11 with the speech of Zophar. Zophar claims that Job needs more information from heaven, but doesn't seem to notice that he himself could use the same. He assumes that Job has not expressed repentance toward God about his sins.

After Naomi Postiff sings "O Holy Night," Pastor Postiff continued to examine OT prophecies related to the Messiah's coming, picking up where he left off in the morning service. Wonderful are the words of Scripture that point to the coming King--both the first and second comings!

In this message, we first look at the Christmas story through the eyes of Simeon, then through the eyes of several pre-Christian saints whose hope was informed by the Old Testament Scriptures. We learned about the coming blessing of the Messiah, but also see a hint of the suffering of Messiah. We also visited about 30 prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament.

A quick review of the greatest story ever told: how Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem so that Jesus would be born in that city which was prophesied by Micah. It is amazing to see how God was at work through the developments of a pagan world to ensure that prophecy would be fulfilled.

Our last study in Job (chapters 8-9) was held by teleconference due to a snow day, so it was not recorded.

We pick up in chapter 10 and a little bit into 11, where Job continues to respond to Bildad, and also confronts God about his problems. Job challenges God's goodness, and asks that God would remember that he is wonderfully made and requires God's care.

Zophar will extend the argument of the two otehr friends by saying that God is punishing Job less than he deserves!

After reading of Genesis 14, we started a study of false teachers. This study is largely taken up with a delineation of the characteristics of false teachers--what they do, how they affect others, and what their outcome will be in the end.

There is no recording for the evening service tonight because the church went out and about to do some Christmas caroling.

Brother Widgeon returns to the pulpit to complete his series on the doctrine of angels, reviewing the initial perfection of the angelic creation, and the fall of some of them into sin. He cautioned us to be on the alert because the Christian's adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion.

Editor's note: This is the first recording we made with a Griffin iMic Mic/Line-In USB adapter for our recording laptop. Hopefully the audio quality will be even better than it was before.

This is the recording of our annual Christmas program, including preaching from John 6:37; Romans 10:9-10, 10:13; and Philippians 2:3-11. Many thanks to all the musicians who participated, and the men who read Scripture to us from the nativity accounts.

In this passage, Peter gives a third reason that we should add to our faith various virtues and diligently assure ourselves of our calling and election. And that reason is the sure testimony of Scripture. It is completely certain, its interpretation cannot be privatized, and it originated from God.

In this message, our teacher leads us in a study of the humanity of Jesus Christ. First we reviewed Luke 16 and 2 Peter 1 and emphasized that people must believe the Scriptures. We also learned about Jesus self-humiliation in Philippians 2:5-11.

In this message, we reviewed the opening verses of Job 6, and then looked at Job 6:14 through chapter 7. Job says that his friends are not being at all helpful. They are like dry streams that offer no refreshment. His sufferings are elaborated in the early verses of chapter 7, and then Job turns to address God and ask why God won't turn away his burning gaze from Job so that Job will find relief.

Job's words might be considered as sinful complaining, but I understand that Job is just telling the facts of how he feels. He is in agony, after all, so we can excuse some of his extreme ways of speaking.

The Bible records here four incidents in the ministry of Jesus Christ, two of which we examined before we remember the Lord at His table. In the first pericope, the Lord healed a paralyzed man who was lowered through the rooftop. The real point of this section is not the healing, but rather the fact that Jesus indeed has power to forgive sins.

In the second section, we see that Jesus called (commanded) Levi to follow Him. Then He went to spend time with sinners in order to call them to repentance.

In this service, we also read Judges 9.

A large swath of the world says that Christians believe in a fantasy. God, Jesus, heaven, hell, the devil, and all the rest of it is just a made up story, just as true as any fairy tale made up by man. God is our "imaginary friend" or "big person up in the sky;" Jesus never existed, or if He did, he certainly was not as he is portrayed in the text of the New Testament. The resurrection could not have happened; nor could any of the miracles taught in the Bible, like the crossing of the Red Sea or feeding of the 5,000. The assured results of science tell us that the creation is indeed the result of evolution, and that although it had a beginning, that beginning has no supernatural implications. As clever as the Christian narrative may be, it is entirely made up.

Peter has some crucial words that attack this humanistic, unbelieving, and rebellious philosophy.

Before the reading of Genesis 12, Pastor Postiff made some extemporaneous comments relative to the hymn entitled "Joy to the World."

We continued our study of how the Old Testament believer experienced forgiveness of sins, assurance of salvation, and how the animal sacrifices fit into that. This study helped us understand better and appreciate the salvation that Jesus Christ supplied to us.

For two chapters (4-5), Eliphaz lays into Job for his sin. Job directly challenges this conclusion in chapter 6. In the beginning of Job's response, he acknowledges that he has spoken somewhat extremely because of the extremity of his agony. Our exposition tonight ended around verse 13.

We continued in our study of Mark 1, looking at the matter of the kingdom of God, and the calling of Jesus on the lives of Simon, Andrew, James, and John. We thought about the idea of Jesus teaching with authority and how that was despised then as it is still today. The miracles of Jesus demonstrated the authenticity of His person and message.

Peter tells us that he is writing these words because he will soon die—and because what he has written is absolutely critical truth. Thankfully, his audience already knows and is well established in the truth of the gospel. But they, like we, need a reminder of these things.

With this message, we start a brief exploration of the extent of remission of sins for an Old Testament believer. We paused to explore the idea of the Holy Spirit potentially being taken away from David in Psalm 51:11 and saw that this connected to 1 Samuel 16:13-14.

We study the first part of Mark 1 together in order to better prepare ourselves to teach others the book. Our goal is to think through Mark so that we can be ready to share it with a non-Christian acquaintance as a way to share the gospel with them. We were reminded about the idea of the sonship of Jesus, about John's baptism, and remission of sins, and other things.

The session was interactive, so the recording is punctuated by a number of very quiet periods where an audience member is speaking. Most of these have been omitted from the recording.

We come to Peter's second exhortation about Christian growth. The exhortation is basically to be diligent. The idea is quite similar to verse 5. There, the command was to make every effort to supplement the baseline Christian faith with a number of essential virtues. It spoke of the need to really apply ourselves with earnest commitment to the task of Christian growth. We saw that Christian teaching emphasizes our personal participation as opposed to a mystical, passive approach. Here, we are making diligent effort again, but with the final outcome more in mind than our present character development.

Our teacher continues the study of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His divine person and the testimony of Him in the Bible and from His miraculous works. Jesus has all the characteristics of God, like omnipotence and omniscience.

The recording lost the first few minutes of the lesson, but we captured the majority of it.

We come to chapter 4, and the first of Job's friends speaks. We learn quite a bit about Eliphaz's theology and the errors in it.

We began by examining the related questions of how and why we should have a regular intake of God's word, and what the benefit/effect of that is. Then we began a study of Mark's gospel and focused on the requirement for salvation, being careful to distinguish forgiveness from water baptism.

After reading of Genesis 9, we studied two key motivations for growing in our faith.

In a prior session, our teacher spoke of the initial glory of Lucifer, which was marred by iniquity at some point early in the creation. Unfortunately, he is powerful and goes about like a roaring lion. He also masquerades as an angel of light.

In this session, we examine the present activities of Satan. Satan seeks to counterfeit God's program. The closer the counterfeit is to the original article, the easier it is to deceive people.

We considered Job's first speech and his three dark wishes: that he had never been born, that he had been stillborn, or that he would die. In either of these cases, he would be at rest and relieved from his awful misery. We thought together about why this is not the full picture and why killing oneself is not a Christian solution to the problem of suffering, although it truly expresses the feelings of a man in physical agony.

Earlier today, First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX suffered the worst mass shooting in a church in modern U.S. history. We spent some time praying for the survivors and families of the dead, and spoke briefly about the problem of evil, using Job 2 as a launching point into some other texts of Scripture. We also read Judges 6 in the service.

After reading of Genesis 8, we continued the study of 2 Peter. Our translation of verses 1:5-7 are as follows: "Now indeed, for this very reason, making every effort, exert yourselves and supply along with your faith moral excellence, with moral excellence knowledge, with knowledge self-control, with self-control perseverance, with perseverance godliness, with godliness brotherly affection, and with brotherly affection love."

What we describe in this message about striving for spiritual growth is what the normal Christian life looks like. Anything else is abnormal. If you are not prioritizing spiritual growth, you need to be. Herein is a strong exhortation for YOU to live for the Lord. Listen, and prepare for God to convict you of sin.

Our teacher starts a new section of study in systematic theology concerning the doctrine of Jesus Christ. A couple of the main points of this lesson include that the Lord is unique. There is no one like Him. Additionally, we addressed the question as to whether Jesus existed before He became a man in true human flesh and nature.

Although the first part of our series in Job was not recorded, in this message we reviewed briefly what we went over the first session and made some other introductory comments. Then, we studied Job's second trial.

After reading of Genesis 7, we studied 2 Peter 1:3-4. The main point of these verses is to lay out the resources that every believer possesses, by God's grace, for their spiritual growth. This resource list is the basis for the following commands to grow.

We continue the study of the doctrine of angels, including a review of the characteristics and present activity of Satan.

Pastor O'Dell shows us four major choices that are found in Ruth 1: life changing ones. He mentioned that the Israelites were only partially obedient to the Lord in removing pagans from the land, and the result was devastating (see our September 3, 2017 PM message for more on this idea).

After reading in Revelation 1 and Genesis 6, we studied 2 Peter 1:1-2, regarding Peter's address to his readers. We saw that the believers to whom he is writing have the exact same precious faith that all the apostles have. They have obtained this by God's will and on the basis of the righteousness of Christ. Listen in as we uphold those truths of God and extol the God of those truths. The text teaches us that Jesus is our God and Savior, and Pastor Postiff gives some explanation as to why this is necessary to believe based on the grammar of the passage.

Our teacher reminded us that angels possess intelligence (1 Peter 1:12), will (Jude 6), and feelings (Luke 2:13). These beings were created by God within the space of the six-day creation. Then we continued in the study of the doctrine of angels, including some characteristics of evil angels (demons) and some actions of good angels. We were reminded that we have a powerful and deceptive adversary in the devil, but we need not cower in fear of him.

Pastor Postiff gave a report about his experience in Argentina and Uruguay, visiting three of our missionaries, as well as many others, and teaching to a fellowship of pastors gathered for edification and refreshment. This was not a Bible teaching service, but included lots of interesting tidbits about Pastor Postiff's trip.

After opening prayer and reading Genesis 5, and the other un-recorded elements of our service, we started an expositional study of 2 Peter. The main body of the message is a biographical study of Peter's life. We emphasized also Peter's self-identification as a bondservant, which is a model enjoined upon us in other Scriptures.

We were reminded of the memorial and symbolic nature of the Lord's Table. But the main point of the message was to highlight that we must examine ourselves, and sometimes hold ourselves back from participating if we are not walking rightly with the Lord and our neighbors.

Dr. Snoeberger takes us through Genesis 4, showing how it is not just a story teaching the immorality of murder, with a few odds and ends tacked on to the end of the chapter. Rather, it is the account of how God was merciful to a murderer, and how God used a growing but sinful human race to begin to create a civil society in which His purposes would move forward.

After reading of Genesis 3, Dr. Bruce Compton preached from James 1:19-21. The message was about the vital importance of God's Word in the life of the redeemed in the services of the local church. This is an excellent exegesis and application of the text of James 1 that we commend to you for your growth in the faith.

Future messages will cover verses 22-25 (to be doers of the word) and verses 26-27 (to demonstrate our obedience in our worship and service for God).

Perhaps the most well-known portion of the Bible by both believers and unbelievers alike, this Psalm reads like beautiful music. Our teacher ties the Psalm to John 10 and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd. The most important thing is not to know where the sustenance and care is located, but to be near the shepherd, who will take care of your every need.

The believer need not fear the shadow of death because His Shepherd is Jesus Christ.

Our teacher returns to the study that we last worked on September 3, 2017. Our studied reviewed Lucifer, the broad number of ministries of angels, including serving the Lord Jesus Christ during His life and at His resurrection. Angels carried the beggar's soul to heaven, and angels helped Peter escape from prison.

Our missionary guest challenges us to personally be involved in proclaiming the gospel to others--both individually and as a church family together. You will learn some interesting information about the spiritual needs of India in this message.

In this message, we extend our understanding of how the church should address sin in its midst by examining 2 Thessalonians 3 and the problems of disorderliness and laziness that had come into the Thessalonian church. We began the sermon on a different note--a note of encouragement from Deuteronomy 31 and Joshua 1.

Our teacher continued with his thought from last time--about the knowledge of the truth. What was left undefined in that lesson was truth itself. He defined the term from Scripture and connected the degradation in our culture to the society's abandonment of truth.

Our church family joined the Widgeons in their grief during the service that you will listen to in this recording.

After reading of Judges 4, the message examined the remaining 8 verses of 1 Corinthians 5, addressing how the church will be ruined if it does not practice church discipline, and how the church should relate to both unbelievers and professing believers who have been removed from the church. We also addressed questions about how to interact with unbelievers for the purpose of ministry, what to do about people who refuse to become members but who should be under the accountability ministry of the church, whether the church can remove someone for reasons other than unrepentant sinful behavior, and how a sinning pastor should be treated. Pastor Postiff also explained why a pastor should be a member of the church first before he is called to the pastoral office. There should never be an elder, pastor, or deacon who is a non-member.

The second part of this morning's two-part series concerns 1 Corinthians 13 and the imperative of Christian love. This is a very practical message that concerns our love for our spouse, children, parents, church, enemies, and all our neighbors.

We started the public reading of Genesis 1 in this service. Then, Pastor Postiff gave a two-part sermon, of which this is the first. In it, the question we seek to answer is, "Who is Jesus?" The answer emphasizes the deity of Christ. We studied 30 assertions given in the Bible referring to the fact that Jesus is indeed God, who came in the flesh.

In this message, we discussed the first five verses of 1 Corinthians 5, addressing specifically these issues: the foundations of God's holiness and church membership; that the sin in consideration needs to be a clear violation of Scripture; that the church must have a proper attitude about sin; and finally that the unrepentant member must be removed from the church. The member must be removed by the corporate body.

We read Judges 3, and then began a study of the matter of "church discipline" or "how to deal with sin in the church." We started out by thinking about how to avoid sin in the first place--both individually and corporately. And then we began a study of Matthew 18:15-20.

After reading of Proverbs 31, Pastor Postiff appealed to the church to pray fervently in light of some of the trials that we have experienced of late. We then studied the truth that there are two possible foundations that our lives can be built upon. There are two builders, two foundations, and two very different results. One life ends in standing firm; the other in complete destruction.

Obeying Jesus is like building a good foundation. Not heeding Jesus is like building on no foundation. It is stupid to build a house without a foundation. In the same way, it is foolish to build a life without Jesus. Life may look similar with or without a foundation for a while, but when the real difficulties come, the foundation shows its worth. When judgment arrives, then the strong foundation is needed.

As much as our human nature does not like to be told what to do, we have to learn to graciously be able to come, hear, and do what Jesus says. It is not only the safe way; it is the only way!

In light of the spiritual battle in which Christians find themselves, our teacher points us to the truth in the Bible. The Apostle John used the word truth 38 times. The battle really is over the truth. We examined a number of passages regarding this idea of truth. Some were read by audience members so are hard to hear, but please take the time to look them up at home.

For the Lord's Table service Pastor Postiff took us to Judges 1-2. Using the example of the incomplete obedience of the Israelites, we were reminded of the need of complete cleansing from sin and total obedience to the Lord.

I this "odds 'n ends" message, we study some very important issues for the Christian's interpersonal interactions. Ever had trouble forgiving someone in your life? Or denying yourself--which in one way is at the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

We were reminded of several key facts about angels, including that they were created by God and are ministers for God and for those who will inherit salvation. We also learned about the origin of Satan from the angelic being called Lucifer. We also studied the Angel of the Lord.

Service opened with the reading of Joel 3. We considered the judgment of the nations referenced there. We dealt with Joel 2 and the question about its fulfillment in Acts 2. We also discussed various systems of theology and how best we can understand the big picture of God's program.

After reading Proverbs 29, we studied what is traditionally called the parable of the minas. However, the real point of the parable is to teach that there is going to be a delay in the coming of the kingdom. During the delay, the king's servants are to be busy carrying out their responsibilities. This is critical because the king will return and evaluate his servants for their faithfulness in carrying out their (religious) duties.

After asking the audience for their favorite verses in the New Testament, Tom leads us in a study of 2 Corinthians 5:21, along with other texts such as in Philippians 2:5-11.

This recording captures the entire memorial service of Jim Carnes, the father of one of our church's deacons. Fast forward to 59:25 to hear the gospel message from 1 Corinthians 15 and other passages. There, you will hear a compelling case for Christianity through the vehicle of three common objections to the faith.

After reading Joel 2, Pastor Postiff discussed the matter of what happens to people who die today--where they are, whether they have a body in heaven, what heaven is like and what the new heaven and new earth will be like, etc. Then we finished out our study of 1 John 5:16-21.

After the reading of Proverbs 28, Pastor Postiff takes us through the key passages in Scripture that teach the rapture.

Our teacher returns to his study on the doctrine of angels, including their creation, their personality, some of their functions, the origin of demons, and other things.

After reading of Joel, we covered some Bible questions. As a result, there are some portions of the recording that are hard to hear as the audience participates.

Some of the questions were: What happened to the Nazirites in Lamentations 4:7-8--or is that the correct rendering? In relation to Matthew 13:11, is this a judicial hardening? How many anointings did Jesus receive on his head or feet by a woman, particularly in the passion week? Did Satan win when Job began to question God?

The 15th chapter of Luke's gospel records three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Actually, there are two lost sons in the parable. The younger one comes to his senses and repents of his sin; the older one is a picture of the Pharisees, who did not repent.

Our teacher was redirected to this topic during his studies on the doctrine of man. He was struck at how both Peter and Judas were with Jesus, yet both betrayed Him in different ways. The question that we thought about was this: what was the difference between them? One ended up in suicide; the other ended as a saint. Both had feelings of guilt after they betrayed Jesus. The difference was that one loved the Lord, and the other hated Him.

Prior to our remembrance of the Lord's Table, we were encouraged in this message to pray confidently according to God's will. We must pray with clean hearts--both the person praying and the person prayed for must not be walking in sin before God.

A problem arose in verse 16 with the so-called "sin unto death." We examined this verse carefully, and concluded that the death is physical death and that the sin is done by a professing believer. Listen in to learn more!

The "church" today has a lot of blind guides. Whole denominations and congregations are led into an eternal ditch from which there is no return by leaders who don't know the gospel, don't know Christ, don't know God, and cannot see spiritual truth. They preach a "feel-good gospel" or a "prosperity gospel" or a "self-help/therapeutic gospel" but not the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are ensuring that many will remain as bad fish and will face the judgment described in the parable of the dragnet.

Lord, please help us to do everything we can in order to see clearly, and to save people!

The Bible is the one and only reliable source that explains about angels. 34 books in the Bible speak of them. An angel is a finite spirit being created by God in the opening moments of the creation week. The company of angels is large. Some of the angels revolted against God and became what is known today as "demons" or "fallen angels." The chief of the fallen angels is Satan, also known as the Devil or Lucifer. Very few angels are named, namely Michael and Gabriel.

We read Hosea 13 and shared testimonies about the Art Fair. Then we studied more in 1 John 5 where John makes it clear why he has written to his friends, so that they might be assured of their salvation.

After reading Proverbs 25, we studied several related passages having to do with a concept we referred to as "the old and new." The illustrations that Jesus use have to do with new and old fabric, new and old wineskins, and new and old things from a collector's storehouse.

How can we apply this old/new teaching? Each of us should be equally adept at bringing out truth from the Old Covenant as well as from the New Covenant. We should be able to talk about the 10 commandments and the lessons learned in Israelite history, as well as the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. We must recognize that some of the new modifies or replaces the old; that some people will not immediately take to the new; and that the two have to be carefully distinguished lest we create a system that ends up destroying more than it helps. Being able to properly handle both old and new should give us a level of joy like the collector who shows off both kinds of things.

We begin examining the subject of church discipline by touching on the process of discipline, the kind of problems that initiate it, and the authority of the church to exercise discipline, even to the removal of a member.

After reading of Proverbs 24, Pastor Postiff preached on the short parable of the unprofitable servant. We learned that it focuses our attention on humble service for God. We must not be self-congratulatory, or expect profuse thanks for that work which we are supposed to do. We examined what the Christian's responsibilities are and how we should be doing all of them, regardless of any charges of legalism.

We spent a few minutes thinking about the example of the master who did not show gratitude, and how as Christians we should not be like that. Rather, the Lord was simply using a common practice in the current culture to illustrate His point.

Pastor Postiff extemporaneously led a study of the matter of baptismal regeneration, which was proclaimed by several visitors at our booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. In this message, you will gain insight into how to address this false teaching using Scripture.

After reading of Hosea 12 and sharing of some testimonies, we studied the opening verses of 1 John 5. This section speaks about the love of God and keeping His commandments as well as the famous Comma Johanneum.

After reading Proverbs 23, we learned some lessons from the parable of the unjust steward: 1. Believers in Christ need to be astute. 2. We must use temporal money to win people to the Lord eternally. 3. We must exhibit faithfulness in small things. 4. We cannot serve God and money--we have to choose one or the other.

For his last message with Fellowship Bible Church, Pastor Mal Borden taught an overview of the attributes of God that he had been working through the last few weeks.

After reading of Hosea 11, we studied the last 7 verses of 1 John 4, concerning our love for God, God's love for us, and how that love pushes out fear regarding the matter of judgment. We saw an interesting translation issue at 4:17 where a phrase "in this" points backward to verse 16 (contrary to the NKJV), instead of forward to the remainder of verse 17.

We studied two parables under the headings of "Parables about Banquets" because the parables have to do with how to select a seat a feast, how to give an invitation to a feast, and how to respond to the invitation to the feast in the kingdom of God. One of the pointed applications of this message is that we must not make weak excuses about our relationship with God.

Our teacher once again takes us to Psalm 139 and then Psalm 103. The knowledge of God is extolled by the Psalmist, as well as His omnipresence and almighty power. We remember that the Word of God is powerful and saves our souls. God is praised, and many reasons are given as to why that praise is justified, including God's attributes and God's amazing actions. A number of other passages are addressed.

In this session, our goal was to consider one question: "Is the Bible True?" How do we know that we have an accurate rendition of the original text? How do we come to a level of certainty within ourselves about the truth of the Bible.

We also examined some key claims of several other religious books in order to compare and contrast them to the Bible.

References

Introduction to the Bible (pdf)

After reading Proverbs 21, we learned the story of two men and a book. Actually it is a lot more than that. This story has one main point and several sub-points that we can learn from.

There is debate as to whether this is a parable or the report of an actual occurrence. I take it to be a parable, but one that is so reflective of real life that it may be like a historical fiction where just the names have been changed to protect the innocent (or guilty). In any case, the story is so effective that it transports us right into the events so it might as well be real for us, because in effect it will be real for every human someday.

There are a couple of interesting points about the rich man. He was in Hades. He proves that misery in fact does not love company. Also, we learn that he is very interested in evangelism, to call his living brothers to repentance. But he cannot go back to the land of the living. He learns that the Scriptures are a sufficient witness to those who are alive--the very book that he rejected while he was alive.

Finally, Pastor Postiff addresses the idea of power evangelism, which is explicitly refuted by this parable.

We studied more about how God shows Himself to the world through the love of Christians. We investigated the Holy Spirit's indwelling in believers, and the Christian's testimony that God the Father sent God the Son as Savior of the world.

After reading of John 15, Pastor John O'Dell spoke to the church from John 15:11 on Christian joy and from Ezekiel 14 about heart idols. He ties the two ideas together at the end of the sermon.

This passage has to do with the cost of Christian discipleship. Being a disciple is the same as being a true believer in Christ. It is the same as being a follower of Christ, a student of Jesus. Early in the NT, the word disciple described anyone who was "hanging around" Jesus, perhaps following Him as He taught. But it became clear as time passed that there were some false disciples (John 6:66). The most common use of the term has to do with the 12 disciples of Jesus. In Acts 6:1 and 14:22 (among others), the word means the exact same thing as a believer or Christian. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26).

There is an error that has been circulating among some evangelicals, namely the teaching that not every believer is a disciple. They suggest that someone can become a believer through mental assent to the facts of the gospel, and although they should go on and become committed as a disciple, many do not do so. They feel it is no big deal—the person is saved and assured of heaven. But Peter denied being a disciple (John 18:17, 25-27), and it is unimaginable that in his deep grief he would have consoled himself by saying he was still a believer and everything was fine. No! His denial was at the core of what it meant for him to be a follower of Jesus.

Brother McParlan reminds us of the steadfast love of God in its many manifestations in Psalm 103. We were reminded that we believe in a God-revealed "religion," not a man-made one.

Our studies in 1 John have brought us to chapter 4:7 at which we learn that love is of God. God regenerates the believer, resides in the believer, and pours out His love in the believer. This love is manifested toward other people. A person without love therefore gives evidence that they have not been born of God.

There are at least three places in the gospels where the Jesus uses the fig tree as an illustration. Matthew and Mark are parallel passages, and Luke records another illustration that uses the fig tree.

These events occurred at the beginning of the "Passion Week," just after the triumphal entry and just prior to the chief priests, scribes, and elders asking the question about where Jesus got His authority. Matthew and Mark record the same events about the fig tree, driving out the traders from the temple, and the teaching about prayer. But the order of their records is different.

We learned three key truths in this message: 1. The church is for worship, prayer, and service to others—it is not for merchandise or entertainment. 2. A barren tree reminds you to live a fruitful life so as to have a good judgment. 3. Our prayers can be powerful, but they have to be righteous first.

Our teacher reads through and teaches from Psalm 103 about what God is like, emphasizing God as the Christian's Father.

Pastor Postiff introduces the Bible in part 1 of our anticipated series of lessons on the basics of the Bible. Click the link above called "Audio from June 11, 2017 PM."

References

Introduction to the Bible (pdf)

Organization of the Bible (slides, pdf)

The Bible Summarized in Three Pages and in PDF.

This message is about wise use of the resources that God has given to us, particularly in retirement.

The quote, “He who dies with the most toys wins” has been attributed to Malcolm Forbes, a millionaire who lived a lavish and ungodly lifestyle. He had a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars at his death in 1990. For this message, I have chosen to use him as a foil—a contrast to the kind of person the Lord Jesus wants us to be.

Said another way, Forbes is a modern example of the kind of person that Jesus rebukes in the parable, the fool whose soul was required of him in a day, and his vast wealth could not save him. “Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” (Prov. 11:4 NIV)

This morning, we studied a companion to Psalm 139, namely Psalm 19. In it, King David further exhibits his profound understanding of God and His attributes, like omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. We were reminded that God never changes, no matter what, when, or where, or how we view Him. We also see some of the lessons learned in Psalm 19 mirrored in the New Testament.

Subsequent to reading Hosea 8, Pastor Postiff shares from 1 John 4:4-7. The church shared the Lord's Table after these words.

Missionary David Flinck's message from Exodus 15 is this: our response to what God has done and who He is should be spontaneous praise and worship. Moses praises God for several of His attributes.

Missionary David Flinck shared with the church about their ministry. A lot has happened in Antofagasta since they were last in Ann Arbor in April 2013, and his report was very encouraging.

After reading Hosea 6 and 7, we studied more in 1 John, particularly in the opening verses of chapter 4. This passage focuses on false prophets and how to identify them.

The point of this parable is to confront people who trust in themselves, who think that they are righteousness, and who look down upon others. The model for us is the repentant tax collector who was deeply remorseful over his sin.

Church member Tom McParlan starts us into a study of the 139th Psalm. In it, we learned about several attributes of God including his omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. Several audience members participated as well (hard to hear on the recording).

We completed our study of 1 John 3 with a brief exposition of verses 22-24, including some very important thoughts on the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Then we ventured into extemporaneous territory with questions from the audience and answers from Pastor Postiff. Questions included whether a woman should be a pastor, if there are levels of inspiration, the identity of the sons of God and giants in Genesis 6, the teaching of women in the church, single women missionaries.

This is somewhat of a unique parable, because the lesson is given plainly and up front: people have an obligation to pray, and not to give up. That obligation is set upon the certainty that our God is far better than any unjust judge and will hear and answer believing prayer.

The prior verses, in chapter 17, speak about the second coming of Jesus, the Son of Man. There will be a time of sudden judgment like in the days of Noah and Lot, in which people will be taken away in judgment. Jesus' words about prayer are colored by this context.

Although Pastor Borden was pushing through a hoarse voice, he taught our Sunday school Bible study on the resurrection of the believer and the rapture of the church. These are wonderful consequences of the first-fruits resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Love for our brothers is connected to our own personal assurance of salvation. Listen in as we study more in the second half of 1 John chapter 3.

You may feel sometimes like the disciples of Jesus, or the disciples of John the Baptist—they wanted to learn how to pray. They felt like they did not know properly how to do that. Jesus teaches us how to pray in Luke 11.

Without the resurrection of Christ, there would be no hope of eternal life for any person. Last time, we saw that the Bible is a reliable source of information on the resurrection. In this session, we continued our study of the resurrection of Christ.

We read Proverbs 12. Then we learned that Jesus draws in his audience again with a story. This time, the parable is about a man robbed and beaten, left for dead, ignored by a couple of religious people, and then compassionately treated by a Samaritan. The lesson is that we are to love as neighbors even those to whom we may not want to apply that command. But the problem is that we cannot do that perfectly, so we need Christ to wash us and help us live like He would have us to do.

Note however that the lawyer had all the right answers but was not a saved individual--he tested the Lord and wanted to justify himself.

We have a reliable historical document in the Bible. We also need to keep in mind three things. When speaking of Jesus, we are talking about a real person. Second, this person actually died by being crucified. Third, we emphasized that he actually rose up from the dead. Giving up on any one of these facts causes the whole structure of Christianity to collapse.

Some other proofs are mentioned regarding the crucifixion and resurrection, including the very words of Jesus who predicted his own crucifixion. These events were also eye-witnessed by many people. These witnesses were, by all accounts, very credible.

The Apostle John reminds us that we must love our brothers, that is, if our lives give evidence that we have been born of God. The unrighteous world hates the believer, and this sets them apart from Christians.

After reviewing the outline of Matthew's gospel, we studied about the parable of the wise and foolish young ladies. The main point of the parable is to be ready for the Lord's return, because after He comes back, if you do not believe in Him, you will be locked out of the kingdom of heaven.

Please pardon the audio quality. There was some significant distortion/clipping at quite a few points in the sermon. We will make adjustments for next time!

Our teacher reminds us of the central doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We had already established that Christ lived, and that He died; now the question before us regards His resurrection. Jesus Himself predicted the resurrection, and the evidence shows that it came to pass.

John teaches us that a believer does not and cannot live in a habitual pattern of sin. We examine this idea with a careful look at the tenses of the verbs that he uses.

After reviewing the crucified King and the risen King, we went through a summary of his ministry, death, burial, and resurrection. We used Peter's sermons in Acts 2-5 and 10 as an outline for our message.

King Jesus arose from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is at the core of Christian preaching, being an eyewitness of it is a basic qualification for an apostle, it is the content of our faith, it declares Jesus to be the Son of God in power, it guarantees our own resurrection from the dead, it effects our regeneration, guarantees our justification, and demonstrates the kind of power that is at work in the believer. It also permits Jesus to assume the throne of David as a living king.

We read through and comment on Matthew 26-27 to review what happened with the Lord Jesus Christ as He was betrayed and crucified. We especially noted the charges made against Jesus--that He was the king of the Jews. Jesus was not killed for what He did; rather He was killed for Who He was. But in addition, He was killed for what YOU did.

After reading Matthew 28, we learned about abiding in Christ so that we will have confidence and not be ashamed before Him when He comes back.

After reading of Proverbs 10, we studied the account of a woman who wept over Jesus because of her sin. We saw some important things about the extent of forgiveness, love for God, faith, repentance, and the omniscience of Christ. Importantly, we saw that saving faith can be exercised before saying a single word!

Our teacher lays a foundation for the doctrine of resurrection on the inspiration of Scripture. Then we examine the death of Christ and see that it was a true and real death, followed by a real resurrection in His body.

After reading Matthew 27, missionary Tim Goossen returned to the pulpit this evening to update the church on the work their family is involved in. Then he taught us from Matthew 20:1-16.

Missionary Tim Goossen preached on the familiar text in Genesis 22 about Abraham offering his son Isaac to God. The testing of Abraham helped us to see how God uses tests in our lives to help us to worship Him more fully, and sacrifice for Him more completely.

For the Lord's Table meditation this morning, we turned attention once again to 1 John 2. After review what we studied before, we looked at 2:18-25.

Our study took us through the portion of 1 John 2 that deals with the last hour, antichrists, the Antichrist, apostasy, and the anointing that each Christian has by the Holy Spirit.

The parable is about how a farmer plants and harvests a crop. The meaning has to do with the kingdom of God, namely that there is a process of growth to the kingdom instead of a "big bang" entrance to it. Does this parable refer to the individual person who is impacted by the kingdom’s teaching? Or does it refer to the entire kingdom program from beginning to end? Since the growth process is "organic" I believe that both the individual growth process and the corporate growth process are analogous. The parable can help us understand both at the same time.

In this lesson, we look at the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. We noted some key features of inspiration, including that Scripture was not produced by dictation (at least in many places), and that it was superintended in every way by the Holy Spirit to ensure that the words of the Bible are God's very words. Literal, grammatical, and historical interpretation are important principles brought out, and the proper handling of figures of speech and the like. Key passages are 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21.

After reading of Matthew 25, we continue our study of 1 John 2, reviewing three tests of eternal life, and focusing on verses 15 to 17 to see whether we love God or the world. The Bible is very straightforward here about the requirement of a believer to avoid loving the world. We then spent some time considering the nature of Biblical commands and evidences to see just how we should think about them.

This message treats a number of related parables about lamps--Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 6:22-23, and Mark 4:21-25 and their parallels. In the first parable, believers are likened to lamps; the eye is a lamp; and the message of Christ is a lamp.

In this lesson, we examine the doctrine of general revelation and special revelation with special attention given to the case of the gentile Cornelius.

After reading Matthew 24, we examined 1 John 2 again, specifically verses 9-14. The test of love for one's brother is put by John very straightforwardly. We also learned about how John wrote to the believers and recognized different levels of sanctification and maturity among them.

After reading of Proverbs 6, Pastor Postiff taught the parable of the talents. We saw that the future is bright for those who are diligent in their service for Christ. On the other hand, those who do not serve the Lord face a fearful judgment. We have a tremendous set of resources to manage in this world, and God expects us to make the best use of these for His purposes. Those who are faithful over a few things will be charged with responsibility over many things.

In 1 Peter 1:1-4, Peter condenses what Paul says in many other places, particularly Romans 1-12. Then he speaks about key virtues that we must develop in our Christian life. He took pains to ensure that we would have these things in permanent written form so that we would be able to live for God successfully, without stumbling. Unlike the failure principle made famous by Laurence J. Peter, the apostle Peter gives us a principle by which we can succeed as Christians!

After reading Matthew 23, we discussed the evidence of abiding in Christ, discipleship and salvation (a key text: Acts 11:26). Then we gave special attention to 1 John 2:7-8 to understand the old new commandment. Listen in and you will see what is meant by "old new."

The emphasis of this message is not on the suddenness of Christ’s return (we covered that last time), but rather upon our actions, attitude and demeanor as we await His imminent coming. The fact of it is sure; now what do we do about it?

We continued a study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, particularly concerning the filling of the Spirit.

After reading Matthew 22, we reviewed 1 John 1:5-10 and 2:1-2, and then moved into a study of 2:3-6 regarding obedience to the commands of God. If we keep God's commands, that helps assure us of our salvation. We studied the doctrine of assurance in some depth, so if you think you have been saved but are struggling with being certain about that fact, you will want to listen, particularly toward the later 1/3 of the message.

After reading of Proverbs 4, Pastor Postiff teaches on the timing of future events and the second coming of Christ from our Lord's Olivet Discourse. We took particular notice of the Lord's instruction to not be deceived, not be troubled, and not give up. We also noted that it is impossible to predict the time of these events, for the Lord taught us that no one can know the day or hour.

In this lesson, we explore what a Christian worldview looks like. This is in preparation for our study of a summary of Bible doctrine that is upcoming. Then, we look further at walking in the Spirit.

Dr. Raymond Saxe entered the presence of his Savior on January 23, 2017. On February 25, 2017 there was a memorial service for him in the Ann Arbor area, as well as several services in South Africa the same day. This audio is a recording of almost the entire Ann Arbor service.

00:00:00 Opening Remarks - Pastor Lee Taylor, Fellowship Baptist Church, Whitmore Lake, Michigan

00:00:39 Invocation - Pastor Jim McKinnies, Willis Baptist Church, Willis, Michigan

00:02:22 Hymn O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, led by Rev. John Losen

00:04:28 Scripture and comments - Pastor Matt Postiff, Fellowship Bible Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan

00:13:05 Introduction of Dr. Saxe's sons

00:13:34 Comments by David Saxe

00:24:00 Comments by Stephen Saxe

00:38:17 Comments by Jonathan Saxe and reading of letters from the Clinton Spuyts, Pastor Joe and Mary DeBeer, and Dr. Wilfred Matham

01:04:28 Song "Oh, It is Wonderful to be a Christian" by Mrs. Naomi Postiff, acc. Rebecca Mayer

01:08:36 Bible Message from 1 Thessalonians 1, by Pastor Lee Taylor. Pastor Taylor challenged the audience to have a life that makes an impact for Christ.

Missing from the audio recording is the picture presentation with its audio, hymn Blessed Assurance led by Rev. John Losen, and closing comments and prayer by Pastor Jerry Wichert of Hiawatha Bible Church in Hamburg, Michigan.

After reading of Matthew 21, we reviewed 1 John 1:5-10 and went into some detail in 2:1-6. We discussed the terms abiding and fellowship.

In this particular parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a VERY IMPORTANT upcoming wedding that you are invited to attend. The story will demand you to consider some questions. Do you care about the wedding? The king? His son? Your own life?

Our teacher shows us how knowledge of the Bible has decreased vastly in the United States in recent decades. This has a number of serious effects. An interesting aspect of the message is a review of some of the beliefs that are considered essential to evangelicalism as over against merely generically "born again" Christians.

The foundational principle of 1 John 1:5-10 is that God is light (holy), and there is no darkness (sin) in Him. From this truth flows five points of examination that show whether one is a true believer. True believers give evidence in their lives such as walking in the light, having fellowship with God, being cleansed by the blood of Christ, confessing sins, and being cleansed from sin. Unbelievers give evidence of their state because they walk in darkness, lie, do not practice the truth, deceive themselves, and call God a liar.

The parable tells of an farm owner whose tenants do not honor their contract and instead do serious harm to the messengers sent by the owner and seek to steal the farm for themselves. The connection with the kingdom of God is that although Jesus is rejected, He is the centerpiece of God's program of salvation for the world.

Brother Borden explained how we can use the textbook that he has assigned for reading, namely A Survey of Bible Doctrine by Charles Ryrie. He uses the doctrines of walking in the Spirit and not grieving the Spirit as examples of how to find Dr. Ryrie's comments on those doctrines in the book.

After reading Matthew 19, our communion message was taken from 1 John 1:1-4. We learned that God uses John to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ so that we will have fellowship with God and full joy in the Christian life. That fellowship is far more than a harmonious feeling of closeness to God; it is very eternal life.

Excerpt: "The first son underwent a change of mind after his exchange with dad. First of all, he experienced regret. He was struck with a feeling that he had done wrong before God (hopefully) and before his dad (no question there). He was wrong, no question about it. He disobeyed his father. This feeling nagged him until he did something about it. Let us be clear that it is not the mere feeling that comprises repentance. The feeling arises from the conscience, which accuses us when we do wrong things, based on the information that it has built in from God in creation and what it has been taught. There is an objective right and wrong, and there is in us an apprehension of that right and wrong. This should have an effect on us—an actual change of mind and change of direction. If you do not ever have a sense of being conscience-stricken and then doing something about it, then something is terribly wrong with you. This mechanism is a gift of God; it is indispensable for us in that it helps to keep us on the straight and narrow."

Pastor Borden walks us through the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 10: how Israel grieved God through their sin, and how that applies to the believer today.

After reading Hebrews 13, Betty Widgeon sang "Ship Ahoy!" This song was written by M. J. Cartwright in 1889 and is also known as The Old Ship of Zion.

Pastor Postiff then preached on the parable of the workers of the vineyard, some of whom were hired early in the day for a denarius, and others who were hired at various points throughout the day. We learned a number of lessons about God and about ourselves through this story. We learned that salvation is God's gracious gift, and it is equally bestowed on all who believe.

Pastor Borden reminds us of critical instructions in the fourth chapter in Ephesians, particularly about not grieving the Holy Spirit with our sin. He connected this text with Isaiah 63:10.

After reading of Matthew 18, we reviewed what we learned last time about God's will. The message continued with a critique of the traditional view of finding God's will, and then gave some more examples of how to process various decisions using wisdom gained from God's revelation.

Peter asks a question about how often he should be forgiving toward an offender. The Lord answered that there is no limit to how much we should forgive others. Jesus then told a story about a man who was unforgiving even though he had been forgiven a huge debt. This story exposes our hearts as to whether we are forgiving toward others or whether we do not truly understand forgiveness at all.

Pastor Borden's series continues regarding the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit works in the believer for sanctification. This message concerns the quenching and grieving of the Spirit, among other things.

In response to a congregant's question from last week, Pastor Postiff takes some time in this service to teach on the Biblical concept of the will of God and how to make Biblical decisions. We try to demystify the idea of the will of God and ensure that we don't get caught up in a mystical, traditional view of God's will. For instance, we should not test God as Gideon did in putting out a fleece and asking for special signs. In reality, God's will can be known by means of a thorough understanding of God's word and skillful application of that word to life. We close with an illustration about how to decide something that is not spelled out in Scripture.

Earlier in the morning, missionary Jack Mitchell gave an update on their work by way of a video and Powerpoint slides. In this service, Dr. Mitchell focused on Philippians 1 toward the end of the chapter, and encouraged us to be unyielding in our commitment to God, undivided in our work for the gospel, and unafraid of persecution.

We reviewed the categories of systematic theology, and some other topics that need to be understood in order to grasp the big picture of the Bible. Those are the doctrines of salvation, Biblical covenants, dispensations, and the kingdom of God. Pastor Postiff then wanted to find out what practical areas of the Christian life the people in the church feel a need to learn more about and live better.

After reading of Hebrews 10, Pastor Postiff preaches on the parable of the lost sheep. This passage occurs in Matthew 18 and Luke 15 with very similar wording. The Bible reminds us here that Jesus came to seek and save the lost; that it is entirely reasonable to go after one lost person; that there is much rejoicing after someone comes to salvation; and that in fact God desires the salvation of people. The special focus of the passage seems to be on little children, but teh principles apply broadly to all human beings.

Pastor Borden helps us untangle the issue of the aorist tense in Romans 12:1-2. He gives a helpful historical perspective on two major approaches to the doctrine of dedication and shows that the present tendency in conservative circles is not to interpret Romans 12:1 as a one-time act of dedication. This represents a correction of the common earlier trend of teaching it as a crisis act done once in the believer's life. This trend was especially active about 40 to 60 years ago.

After reading of Hebrews 9, Pastor Postiff preaches on the divided house parable given by our Lord. In it, Jesus shows the people how foolish it is to ascribe His power to the Devil. Therefore, it should be clear where His supernatural power comes from. So what should you do in response to the fact that the Lord is from heaven? In the passage we see the healing of a blind and mute man, the amazement of the people, the strong unbelief of the Pharisees, and the nonsense of the Pharisees objection to his miracle. You are either for the King or against Him.

Because of the holiday, we had no Sunday school program this morning, and we completed a video on the Exodus from Egypt in the evening. Thus, this is the only recording for January 1, 2017. Thanks to all who listen in to the ministry via the web, and thanks for your prayer and financial support of Fellowship Bible Church!

Our Sunday school service was not recorded this morning. It was an interactive study on Romans 12:1-2. This was followed by our Christmas morning worship service. In years past we have examined the incarnation event from the perspectives of Joseph, Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon. Many an accounting has been given of the event of Christ's birth from the perspective of the shepherds, even in songs like The First Noel. We remember Anna in Luke 2:36-38. The same story has been told from the perspective of the wise men from the east. We could tell it from the viewpoint of Herod, and also from the point of view of the priests and scribes. But what about the angels? What does this history look like from their perspective? The Bible gives us some insight which we will study today.

A problem in Matthew 2:23 is that there is no quote from the Old Testament that matches the wording about a "Nazarene." In fact, there is no use of the word Nazarene or Nazareth in the English translation of the Old Testament. The closest word is "Nazirite." This message explores that term and its possible origin.

After reading of Hebrews 8, Pastor Postiff teaches through the parable of the defiled heart. It is very important to notice the prior context in both passages. In Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13, our Lord has just had another negative encounter with the Pharisees and scribes. They serious expressed concern over the disciples eating with unwashed hands, while they themselves did very nasty, unlawful things even against their parents! This is classic "swallowing a camel" while "straining out a gnat" and nitpicking the speck in your brother's eye while carrying around a log in your own! Where these analogies fail is that eating with unwashed hands is not even as big as a gnat, nor is it a speck in the eye! The Lord will teach us that eating with dirty hands is not a sin....

Our teacher reviews the beginning of the church in Acts 2, as well as the doctrines of Spirit indwelling and filling. The ideas of quenching and grieving the Holy Spirit are covered in this message as well.

Our annual Christmas program consists mostly music and readings, and a short message by Pastor Postiff. This year, our topic was the names of Christ. We provide this audio in hopes it will a blessing to those who were shut in due to the inclement weather on December 11, and to our other remote friends of FBC who could not be with us.

The two short parables of the hidden treasure and valuable pearl help us to discern whether we truly recognize the value of the kingdom of heaven. Do we see the surpassing value of what Jesus is talking about? Do we DO something about it, like what the treasure-finder and pearl-hunter did?

In this message, our teacher exemplifies the traditional dispensational approach to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, indwelling, filling, dedication, and sanctification as he reviews some of his recent classes on the Spirit.

After reading Matthew 15, Pastor Postiff taught through 1 Corinthians 5, with a focus on verses 9 to 13. There, we learn that God judges those who are outside the church, but the church itself is tasked with the responsibility of judging those who are inside the church. That judgment, in context, has to do with removing those who are living in sin so that the church maintains its purity. A real challenge with this text is how to implement the "not even to eat with such a person."

Both the parable of the soils and the wheat/tares show that there is a difficulty in discerning false believers from true ones. The final judgment (pictured as harvest) will tell the tale. Both these parables indicate a preparatory phase for the kingdom, pictured by planting, followed by waiting, growing, and harvesting. The parables of the leaven and mustard seed fit well here, because they also are connected to this preparatory phase for the kingdom.

The text of Scripture in Ephesians 5:15-21 shows several important results of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Brother Borden emphasizes the command to be filled with the Spirit, and reminds us that God gives or will give the resources to carry out His commands. Our relationship with the Spirit should be characterized by several other attributes that are covered in this message.

Pastor Postiff discussed questions regarding good Bible translations and study Bibles. We discussed a question about Jeremiah and one of his Lamentations (3:1) as well as about Peter's walking on the water. Afterward, he gave a brief introduction of the book of Obadiah.

Pastor Postiff taught what the wheat and tares parable means and how it relates to the church today. The Devil wants to stop good spiritual growth before it starts, and certainly before it can produce fruit. But the Devil is not content to only stop good seed from growing. He also wants his own plants to grow. He wants to choke out the good growth with his own bad growth. He wants to control everything; to overrun all good with evil. It is this kind of situation that the Lord pictures for us in the second major parable, that of the wheat and tares.

Brother Borden reviews prior sessions on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that is, to be controlled by Him. He then taught on 1 Thess. 5:19 and the idea of stifling or suppressing the ministry of the Spirit. He emphasizes that what is needed to live the Christian life has already been given by God to every believer.

For the final message of our Bible conference, Pastor Matham preached on the servant songs in Isaiah 42, 49, 50, and 52-53, focusing on the latter passage.

Pastor Matham preached on Psalm 24, covering the rightful owner of the universe, the righteous people of the Lord, and the returning king. Pastor Postiff offered prayer for a newly graduated police officer in our church. We give thanks to all first responders for their service to our nation, and particularly for this young man giving himself in service to his people.

Pastor Matham preached on 1 Timothy 2:1-7 and reported on the work that God is doing in South Africa, including the threats against that work. He suggests that evangelism is threatened by a lack of edification. Democracy is threatened by disorder. Profession of Christianity is threatened by pluralism. The gospel is also threatened by the rise of African traditional religion (ATR). A fascinating fact he shared concerned the global shift of the focus of Christianity from the north and west to the south and east. Receiving nations are now becoming sending nations in terms of missionaries.

He taught a little quip based on John 14:6 to remind us of the exclusive claims of Christ: Jesus taught that He is the way, and without the way, there is no going; He is the truth, and without the truth, there is no knowing; He is the life, and without the life, there is no living.

A number of questions and answers were given at the end of the session.

Pastor Wilfred Matham reported on recent ministries and reflected on the eye problem he experienced while with Fellowship Bible Church about 9 years ago. For the opening message in our Fall Bible Conference, he preached on an overview of the three stages of salvation from Philippians 3. The stages are justification, sanctification, and glorification.

A report was given on today's ministry at American House apartments, followed by Pastor reporting on the chartering service at Fellowship Bible Church of Howell. Then Pastor reported on the Bible Conference in Salem Ohio at which he spoke, and then on the ministry trip to Chile, South America. Such reporting is Biblical, inasmuch as Acts 14:27 models it for us in the lives of the apostles and early church at Antioch.

Pastor Postiff carefully explains the four soils, six outcomes, four levels of fruit (zero, 30-, 60-, and 100-fold). The main point of the parable is that where there is fruit, there is a picture of salvation. Where there is no fruit, there is no salvation.

We learn more about the Holy Spirit's ministries. Last time we looked at the convicting, regenerating, sealing, baptizing, and indwelling ministries of the Holy Spirit which begin at the moment of salvation and are permanent going forward for the believer. Now we consider how the Spirit continues His work in us in the ministry called the filling of the Spirit.

Pastor O'Dell makes four basic observations from Daniel 4 and 5 before serving the Lord's Table. The observations are: 1. Salvation is instant, but evangelism is a process. 2. Pride is a sin that brings God's judgment. God judges pride in believers and unbelievers. 3. No one can know whether I'm saved but me and God. It is a personal issue/transaction.4. That which we often view from our human perspective as a defeat, is in God's hand something that is a great victory. Like the cross of Christ--seen as a great defeat by the world, but providing a great victory for God's people.

Pastor O'Dell emphasizes the historicity of this account in Daniel. In other words, it is not a story that Daniel was thrown into the lions' den. It actually happened.

Daniel gives us lessons about how to stay faithful in difficult times. We see Daniel's character, his job, and his test. God delivered Daniel through the trial and right out of it; other times, God sees fit to deliver people through the trial by having them enter the gates of heaven.

Pastor O'Dell makes some application to our present electoral situation.

Our teacher leads us through a number of New Testament texts that describe various aspects of the Holy Spirit's ministry.

This message concerns the parables of our Lord that are recorded in the gospels. There are about 40 of them. We examined what a parable is and why the Lord used them in His teaching. We saw that parables conceal truth from unbelievers and reveal truth to believers.

This message concerns the Spirit's work in salvation. Five works of the Holy Spirit impact every believer at salvation and qualify us for specific applications and responses designed to glorify God as we continue to pursue His will and mature in our service for Him in the present Church age. They are: conviction, indwelling, regeneration, sealing, and baptism.

Pastor O'Dell points out that Daniel 1-3 is not a collection of three separate stories, but rather three connected accounts. One major point: We need to be sure to know that doing what is right does not always bring earthly benefit, but doing right because it is right does bring a heavenly blessing later on.

Pastor O'Dell continues his new series in Daniel 2. Particularly remarkable is the praise and thanksgiving of Daniel when he received revelation about the dream after praying for that.

Pastor Borden continues his series in the upper room discourse with a focus on the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Other texts in John 1 and Acts 1 are also considered. Every believer has been a recipient of this gracious ministry when we were not seeking God (Rom. 3:10-11), nor when we thought we were choosing Him but later learned that He had chosen us (John 15:16). By these things [1] the Spirit affirms that our salvation is all the work of God and [2] stresses our need to clearly understand what only God can do, as well as what we can and cannot do as privileged partners with the Spirit in this amazing ministry.

Our preacher taught us that Daniel 1 covers a period of three years in which Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon, instructed in the wisdom of the Chaldeans, and placed into positions of great influence in the Babylonian kingdom. God has His plan and is fulfilling it even when evil reigns in the world. We were reminded that obedience to authority is a matter of testimony. We must not be indifferent to the things going on around us, but we have to live for God despite what is going on around us.

We start with Matthew 16:18 on the first teaching about the church, but then continue in the upper room discourse and the promised ministries of the Holy Spirit. This studies details those Holy Spirit ministries that would be a part of the future Church, such as the permanent indwelling of every member of the Church, conviction of the unsaved, and His being a Helper, Teacher, Comforter, Example, and Intercessor. We also learn a definition of persecution as it relates to the Christian faith.

Our study of Paul's final chapter concludes with his reviewing the latest happenings in his situation. We learn some interesting things about the punishment Paul was expecting and how God strengthened him in the midst of this awful end-of-life trial.

After reading of Matthew 11, Pastor Postiff shared some of the material that he has been asked to teach on in the upcoming pastors conference in Santiago, Chile. In particular, tonight's study focused on how to handle differences in doctrine between individuals in a fellowship of pastors or churches.

Here we meet nine men, with seven defining character traits. The main point of these verses is that Paul is appealing to Timothy to come quickly and bring several things with him.

Pastor Borden continues the teaching on the Holy Spirit, using the text in the Lord's discourse in the upper room. In this text, Christ teaches the disciples about vital things including His death and resurrection, that had to precede the beginning of the Church. He also told them of the primary role of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and following. He assured them that the Church would continue on earth until the Rapture and would be unique and spiritually superior to anything they had experienced.

We took the opportunity of the Lord's Table service to conclude our exposition of Ecclesiastes. At the end of the book is an important part about fearing God and keeping His commandments, knowing that God will bring all of our lives into judgment. Christians are thankful that the sinful works we have done are taken by Christ at the cross, and so we gladly remember the Lord at His Table. The New Testament's revelation adds to what Solomon wrote is that the Christian's sinful works are judged at the cross so that he will not have be judged for them when he stands before the Bema seat of Christ.

In these verses, the apostle Paul reflects his belief that his death is coming very soon. Reading this portion is a sad undertaking, yet at the same time we sense a remarkable trust in God. We learn from it that we should consider our lives like Paul considered his: an offering to God, which when we die, is finally poured out to the last drop in His service and worship.

This message has to do with the revelation of God and the the inspiration and illumination of the Word of God.

Tonight's question and answer session had questions on 1 John 5 and the sin unto death; and the cessation of prophecy and other miraculous gifts.

The passage is structured like a sandwich, with the bread as Timothy's responsibilities in verses 1-2 and 5. The middle of the sandwich describes those who will reject sound teaching in verses 3-4. This is one sandwich with good bread but terrible contents!

Paul issues Timothy a command to preach the Word of God. This is made consciously, openly, and fully before God the Father and God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our teacher taught through the entire book of Hosea in review fashion in about 38 minutes! Listen in as the series of study is completed which started back on December 27, 2015.

Tonight the church had the high privilege to formally recognize Terry Scott for the gospel ministry. The audio explains the background of the situation, records Pastor Postiff's charge to the candidate from 1 Peter 5:1-4, and then has the prayers for Pastor Terry. May the Lord bless his ministry richly. Join us in rejoicing by listening in, and praying. Thank you!

We have studied the entire third chapter in two sections, but there is more to be said. Remember the basic outline of the passage. Verses 1-9 deal with the dangerous times that will exist in increasing measure at the end of the age. The character and conduct of the people who are at the center of these dangerous times are detailed.

In verses 10-17, Paul instructs Timothy as to how he can successfully navigate the evil days in which he lives. The basic tool in his toolbox is the Bible. The Word of God will outfit him for everything that he needs. We can be ready by taking heed to the same message.

What is going to happen to us down the line, at the end of our lives, has to shape our current activities, choices, values, priorities, etc. We need to avoid certain things like sorrow and evil so that we will not incur unnecessary judgment at the end of our lives. We also look at a translation issue in 12:2, and the metaphors of the end of life in 12:3-5. Listen in as we study these matters in more detail.

The last half of the third chapter of 2 Timothy instruct the Christian pastor, and the believer, what to do in response to the growing threat of apostasy and idolatry that will characterize the end of the age before the Lord's return.

After reviewing last week's study, this message continues the exposition of Hosea 14. In it, the people of Israel were instructed to bring repentant words to God to draw near to Him. This is wise instruction for anyone who has strayed from the ways of God.

We began to look at Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:7 and focused on its theme of "remembering" in connection with remembering the Lord's death at the communion table. In the next Sunday evening sermon, we take a closer look at the same passage.

Warning! This is message with some gloomy content. The Bible prophesies of the growing evil and apostasy of mankind as the time grows closer to the coming of the Lord. We learn of the character and conduct of these ungodly people in verses 1 through 9. Next time we will see how to face this threat by the equipping power of the Word of God.

Our teacher reminded us from Hosea 13 that the people of Israel made idols with their own hands and worshiped them. We then continued into chapter 14 and saw that disaster awaited them if they did not turn back to the Lord their God--and ours.

The first six verses of Ecclesiastes give us great wisdom on various kinds of investments and how to live in a world where many things are outside of our control.

Last time (2:20-21) we asked ourselves whether we really want to be useful to God, like a vessel that is used for honorable purposes in God's house. Undoubtedly there are vessels in God's house that are more useful than others; and some are downright useless, like Hymenaes and Philetus.

Then we examined a key piece of wisdom from the Bible on how exactly to be such a useful person for God. What that involves is cleansing yourself from dishonorable vessels, which means to disassociate from sin and from the people who are like the dishonorable vessels. In other words, if you want to fly like an eagle, you don't hang around with a bunch of turkeys! (That's a sort of paraphrase of Proverbs 13:20!) Avoid contamination by bad fellowship, by bad input, by bad company, whether inside or outside of the church.

When you actively take this step of cleansing yourself, God will see to it that you will be sanctified, useful, and prepared for His service (v. 21).

The text carries forward with more sound counsel on how to be useful to God. This applies especially to pastors. But since pastors are supposed to be mature Christians, and all Christians want to be mature Christians, this applies to the Christian reader as well. Paul's words concern the pastor's holiness, his wisdom, and his manner of life.

This message continues the series in 2 Peter 1, particularly starting at 5. Because of what the Christian has been given, he is obligated to continually add various Christian character traits, both internal and external. We learn here about an endowed potential, an enduring project, an excelling performance, an eternal prize, and an extensive prompting.

Pastor Postiff gives an exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:8 through the end of the chapter.

During this special service one year after the passing of Hayden Smith, his father Bill Smith testifies how the Lord has sustained the family during this past year and gives thanks to all who have helped them. Pastor Postiff shared about Hayden's current situation and upcoming events, followed by a defense of the goodness of God in the face of tragedy, and finally gave some words of comfort from Isaiah 61. If you doubt that God can be good, and all powerful, and permit evil and tragedy in the world, this is a message you need to consider carefully.

Guest teacher Pastor Mal Borden introduces us again to the bondservant Peter and his second letter with the opening four verses.

Our series in Ecclesiastes continues with a study of chapter 10 and how to live in a world full of fools. In Ecclesiastes, the fool is not only one who denies God, but one who has little understanding and wisdom about how to best live in this world.

Please forgive the audio quality on this message. Something evidently needs attention in our sound system.

Last time we examined the minister's job description. We learned that he must remind the church of divine truth; charge them not to participate in profitless word-wars; work hard to be an approved worker before God in terms of handling the Bible properly; and shun empty talk. Earlier the pastor was likened to an athlete, a soldier, and a farmer. Now, the minister is likened to a skilled workman who has a job to do. He doesn't have time to waste on useless talk, and he certainly doesn't have time to spend on word-wars that damage his workmanship.

The next message in the series was entitled "Useful for Honor." Unfortunately, on 8/14/2016 we had no electricity at the church during the morning service so could not record the audio. Following is a summary of what we learned.

Do you want to be useful to the Lord? Do you have that as one of your life’s primary goals, right alongside loving God, honoring God and witnessing for God? If you do not have that desire to be useful to God, here is a diagnostic question: what is wrong with you? Do you want to be useless? Do you care? Do you love God? As we study, you will see that the word useful brings out a key idea in this passage of Scripture.

For the Lord's Table this morning, Pastor Postiff taught from a number of passages having to deal with our thinking and hearts. The internal matters, the matters of the heart, are the core of Christianity. The Christian faith is not only or merely external.

We learned that the minister has a job in the face of serious doctrinal error. The profitless words and the babbling that Paul speaks about are not just humorous or trivial matters; they may well contain diabolical lies that try to ruin the hearers. These are to be rebuked and avoided like the plague that they are.

Our teacher takes us through the history of the kings of Judah and Israel in order to study a bit more about Hosea 13:11 and the king that was taken away in God's anger.

The next message in this series, #28, was lost because our church building had no electricity on 8/14/2016.

We examine the hymn or poem that Paul records in these verses which is a "faithful saying." We are reminded that those who died with Christ will live with Him; those who endure persecution will reign with Him; those who deny Christ will be denied by Him; but our faithlessness cannot break the faithfulness of God.

In Hosea 13, Ephraim's destruction is foretold. In this study, we reviewed the material in the first portion of chapter 13 and then continued further into the chapter. As a postscript, we investigated the identity of Samuel and the issue of his sons not following in his ways.

Solomon provides four bits of advice in the following areas: recognizing the inherent dangers of life, making good use of tools for your work, taking care to avoid foolishness, and maintaining your possessions.

The verses we study today contain a motivation for continuing in Christian ministry despite the difficulties that arise in it.

Deacon Widgeon's series in Hosea continues with an exposition of the 13th chapter.

Listen in to study some of the "one anothers" in the Bible. Be reminded that the church members do have a responsibility toward its brothers and sisters. One kind of responsibility is to avoid doing things to harm fellow family members, like not provoking others and not slandering others or gossiping about others (see James 4:11-12). The other kind of responsibility is to do things that help others, even those outside of the faith. The glue that holds churches together is forgiveness and forbearance toward one another!

Our speaker explains the content and significance of the miracles in the sixth chapter of John's gospel. The setting is the feeding of the 5,000 men (probably more like 20,000 people) and the disciples' journey by boat over the Sea of Galilee. Jesus performed five miracles. First, he saw the disciples several miles off in the middle of the night in a storm. Second, He walked on the water. Third, He enabled Peter to walk on the water. Fourth, the wind immediately ceased (Mark 6:51). Fifth, immediately the boat arrived at the land where they were going (John 6:21). All of this is meant to help the non-Christian understand who Jesus is and to repent of sin and believe in Christ.

But it also has an application for the believer. Jesus is sovereign over everything in the created realm--which is everything! Jesus knows and sees everything. Jesus rules over the greatest forces of nature. Jesus is king over time and space. The miracles Jesus did were as easy as any normal activity of a person. He ensures that all things are for the good of the believer and for the glory of God. This should help us handle all situations with calmness and tranquility. Jesus' presence should eclipse all fear. The mere fact that Jesus is here should banish all fear!

Our missionary reported on his ministry in various places around the world. He reminded us that we are all missionaries in our locale. They teach pastors to teach the Word more accurately and to shepherd God's people more Biblically in order to reach their lands with the message of the gospel.

Pastor Postiff connected Acts 8:26-35, a passage in 1 Peter, and Isaiah 53, hoping that we would read it with fresh eyes as if we were hearing it for the first time.

In this sermon, missionary Joe Valentin encouraged us to cleanse our spiritual palettes and grow in our desire for the Word of God. As a worker in Bible translation, brother Valentin knows and really believes in the value of the Word of God in our own language.

The church had the privilege to hear an update on the Bible translation ministry of Joe and Bonnie Valentin with Bibles International. We also had some Q&A (the questions are hard to hear). Listen in!

After reading of Matthew 2, Pastor Postiff reviewed Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 and moved into an exposition of the remainder of that chapter. Solomon reminds us that after we die, we cannot do the activities of life anymore. We have one opportunity to live, and that opportunity is precious and must be maximized for God. Solomon further expresses that although the unexpected often happens despite skills that would indicate to the contrary, such skills as wisdom are still better than foolishness.

After reading of Luke 23:26-56, Pastor Postiff preached on 2 Timothy 2:1-7. Chapter 2 is structured around seven metaphors or illustrations by which the apostle Paul wants us to learn what Christian life and ministry is all about. This message addresses the metaphor of a spiritual child, a soldier, an athlete, and a hard-working farmer.

Our teacher reminds us that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for us, including the book of Hosea, although it was written so long ago. Much of our study has been taken up with the sins of Israel through idolatry and the consequences of those sins. Some of Israel's history is reviewed as it connects to Hosea 12 and 13.

Pastor O'Dell preached on five precious truths in Peter's epistles. For instance: trials are hard, but God works something great through them. Listen in!

After a couple of classic hymns and reading of Luke 23, Pastor Postiff taught from 2 Timothy 1:13-18 about examples of people who were ashamed of the gospel, and those who were not. We pray God will help us Christians to stand strong for the faith and not be ashamed of Christ.

Hosea chapter 12 is our starting point this morning. The life of Israel is difficult because of its disobedience to God; and it is about to get worse with the dispersion at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C. In conjunction with this, we studied the account of Jacob and Esau and their father Isaac.

Subsequent to reading Matthew 1, Pastor Postiff preached through the opening portions of chapter 9. Despite the fact that Solomon lacked later revelation including the entire New Testament, his writing is no less inspired than any other portion of the Bible (11:21 in the audio). What he writes comes from the perspective of a man observing life and seeing that all people, whether good or bad, end up in death (14:32). This frustrating reality is true, although incomplete (14:50) because Solomon does not have the benefit of a completed personal eschatology. The frustration is that when you die, you cannot live anymore! Humanity's one opportunity to live is precious and needs to be maximized. While doing so, God tells us through Solomon, we can enjoy the wonderful gifts that He gives us. No do-overs on life!

After public reading of Scripture in Luke 22, Pastor Postiff explained 2 Timothy 1:9-12 with its additional reasons why we should not be ashamed because of the gospel. The message ends with a brief explanation of and rebuttal of Pascal's wager as a philosophy of the Christian life.

In this message, our teacher reviews Hosea 11 with a concise outline, and moves into chapter 12. A very helpful thought from the message was this: people love to have the choice of what to do, but they lament that they cannot choose the consequences.

After reading Lamentations 5, we studied the critical need to remember Christ at the Table of the Lord.

Pastor Postiff reminded us of Samuel and his parents from 1 Samuel in preparation. This teaching set the stage for a dedication ceremony and prayer for young 4 month-old Samuel who is a gift to one of the families in our church. They brought him for public dedication.

Scripture was read from Luke 22 and then Pastor Postiff offered exposition of 2 Timothy 1:9. One point that was emphasized in this message is that the power of God enables hte believer to not fear but rather be bold for the gospel. Another important idea we find in verse 9 is that salvation is NOT according to our works. It is rather based on God's purpose and grace.

The study recorded here concerns Hosea 11. One important point that brother Widgeon made was that leaning upon one's own understanding is a dangerous place to be.

The listener will observe that there is some audio distortion and jumps. These are due to adjustments to the audio recording computer which was replaced just before this message was recorded.

Missionary Tom Gibbons challenged the church to recognize the spiritual circumstances of the world around them and then to do something about what we see. Missions and evangelism is gospel revolutionaries taking the gospel revolution to enemy territory. We need to see our world clearly, feel the burden of evangelism profoundly, and speak the truth fearlessly.

GMSA Missionary Tom Gibbons gives an update on the church planting and camp development ministry in Chivilcoy, Argentina. Tom and his wife Debbie are one of three families that FBC supports in that region. The other two are Tim and Cristina Goossen in Gualeguaychu, Argentina and Mariano and Becky Proto in Carmelo, Uruguay.

After reading Lamentations 4, Pastor Postiff gave a verse-by-verse exposition of Ecclesiastes 8. The key take-away comes at the end of the chapter. It is there that we learn that if we ask a lot of questions about the meaning of life and God's administration of the affairs of life, we need to realize that we will NOT be able to come up with satisfactory answers. We are incapable. Pastor Postiff suggested that the two-fold reason for this is that we are finite and sinful. Only God knows how He is directing the affairs of the world. This humbles us, which helps us to keep our trust in God instead of in our own intellects!

After reading Luke 20 and 2 Timothy 1, Pastor Postiff emphasizes Paul's message that urges us not to be ashamed about the gospel. While the world attempts to heap shame upon the Christian for his beliefs and morality, the real shame is that people don't acknowledge Christ or believe the gospel. We must be bold, not shrinking back. We have the most glorious and powerful message of all.

The study of Hosea continues with the remainder of chapter 10 and beginning of chapter 11. We saw a connection between Hosea 11:1-2 and Exodus 4:22. The phrase "they called" of 11:2 offered an interpretational difficulty. We understood it as the prophets calling the people of Israel, while the people continually turned away from their message and from God.

After reading of Lamentations 3, Pastor Postiff concludes the study of Ecclesiastes 7. We also addressed a question about the ministering presence of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament saints.

Paul addresses Timothy and reports on his prayer for his younger sidekick. It is encouraging to read Paul's mention that he was persuaded that Timothy was a genuine believer. Paul was hoping to see Timothy one more time before he died. His death, he felt, was imminent. Pastor Postiff reminded the church that there is no such thing as apostolic succession, and gives several reasons why that is the case. Luke 19 was read publicly at the beginning of the service.

The text of Scripture in Hosea 1:1 emphasizes that the word of the Lord came to Hosea. He was not reporting his own word, but the word of God. God sent the prophet Hosea to a people whom He loved. But they still refused to listen.

For our worship service scripture, we read from Lamentations 2. In our continuing series in Ecclesiastes, Pastor Postiff explains the middle portion of chapter 7. The difficult passage that speaks of being "overly righteous" and "overly wise" is explained in a way that fits the context much better than a "moderation" or "self righteousness" explanation. Listen and learn!

Today is Ascension Sunday. This Sunday is the closest to the Thursday which is 40 days after the resurrection, which is May 5 this year. Since we have not observed this holiday before, we thought it was important to spend some time considering the ascension of Christ.

The ascension of Christ to Heaven is a pivotal event because it marks the shift from the preceding phase of Jesus’ work to the new phase of it through the Spirit and apostles. It is also connected to the present ministry of Christ and His coming again to rule over His kingdom. We consider these truths in this message from God's word.

We study a portion of Hosea 10 that offers some interpretive difficulties. It also has some riches in it that remind us, for instance, that we should not have a divided heart, but rather a heart united to fear the name of God (see Psalm 86:11).

Before the Lord's Table service, Pastor Postiff read from 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and shared a message on several verses in Scripture that show our connection "together with Christ."

This recording includes reading of Luke 17 with a few comments; the reading of a letter received by Bill and Andi Smith from an organ recipient from their late son Hayden Milton Smith; the presentation of a graduation gift to Hanna Welch, recent UM graduate, and preaching from Philemon. The closing words of the letter contained a lot for us to consider. We summarized our study of the letter by reminding ourselves that it encourages us to be an intercessor like Paul, to be a penitent sinner like Onesimus, and to be a loving Christian like Philemon.

Hosea chapter 9 is the subject of today's study led by Deacon James Widgeon.

After a brief report by one of our teenagers regarding a spiritual life enrichment program, and reading of Lamentations 1, Pastor Postiff took up Ecclesiastes 7. It expresses that it is good to have a good name and to make it to the end of life with that good name, among other truths. This is the passage that says that it is better to go to a funeral than a fun-filled party, because that is where we will all end up, and this in turn influences our priorities and how we live now.

Our study of Philemon has reached the theological climax of the letter in which Paul proposes an exchange of merit and demerit between himself and Onesimus, to permit Phielmon to accept Onesimus once again. This exemplifies what Christians should do in their personal relationships, and illustrates what God does for the believer through Christ. At about the 5:00 minute mark, Pastor gave a brief testimony about Joyce Cartwright and prayer for her and Chuck as they move away.

Hosea 8 comes back in review form, and then our study moves into chapter 9.

After reading of Jeremiah 52, the last chapter of that great prophecy, we studied Ecclesiastes 6 together. This chapter offers a glimpse into the frustratingly fleeing nature of life, and gives a reminder that we should not be dissatisfied with the lot God has assigned us.

Paul now makes his appeal for Onesimus. An important note about this message is that Paul does not lay on Philemon an obligation, but makes a request that he hopes will be motivated by Philemon's Christian love.

Hosea chapter 8 is the subject of the study in this Sunday school Adult Bible study class. The prophet wrote against a northern kingdom that was in a moral mess of idolatry.

Pastor O'Dell reminds us of the importance of sound doctrine and bringing up our young people in the Word of God.

Guest speaker Pastor John O'Dell gives an exposition of the latter portion of John 6, reminding the church that the entire chapter must be kept together in order to avoid unsound doctrine.

Deacon Widgeon picks up the study of Hosea in chapter 7 after a couple weeks off.

Pastor Postiff goes over the answer to a question that he received about gender reassignment in the Bible. See the associated blog post.

Our introduction to Philemon continues with an explanation of Paul's prayer for Philemon. Paul heard of the love and faith of Philemon and that was a major impetus of Paul's prayer.

As you probably know, there is a big debate as to how the Lord is present in the Table. Liturgy-centered believers have grown up understanding there is some mystical or sacramental presence of the Lord in the bread and wine of the Table. They can be shocked when they learn the symbolic view which we hold. In this message, Pastor Postiff gives a brief explanation of the various views and challenges us to think carefully and theologically about the presence of the Lord in the Table ordinance.

A message on the Lord's teaching of the two disciples as they walked to Emmaus, recorded in Luke 24. It is a fascinating portion of the Bible, and if you look carefully throughout Scripture, you can learn just what those disciples learned that day from Jesus.

Starting at 07:56, Pastor Postiff opens his sermon with a brief history of how Ann Arbor, Michigan was started. Our so-called "city of trees" evokes the memory of two more important trees: the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the tree that Christians call the cross of Christ. These trees remind us of the need and provision of salvation that is what Easter is all about.

For this Easter morning service, the church read through all the resurrection accounts in the Scriptures and saw how they fit together.

A dear and very sick friend of our church asked us to participate in special prayer in the manner of James 5:13-18. Because he was able to make it to the church at this early stage after his cancer diagnosis, we had the blessing of sharing together in a study of the James passage and then to have special prayer with anointing. In our ministry this is a very rare occurrence, and it was a first-time experience for many in the church. This was not a 'spectacle,' however. Pastor Postiff spoke on the James passage to help us understand better how prayer is to be offered in the case of severe illness and what the Bible teaches that God does about such prayer. The service ended with the prayer of Deacon James of Widgeon and Pastor Postiff. Deacon Widgeon's prayer was not audible, so we have omitted it, but kept the rest.

Pastor Postiff took questions on a number of topics, including burial versus cremation; donation of one's body for medical research; organ donation (living and deceased); the enigma of Lot and how he could be a righteous man living in the midst of Sodom, along with his use of alcohol and the incident of incest with his daughters; the reason that the location of Lot's tent is given in Scripture; how Lot could have attempted to give up his daughters to the assailants outside his home; a brief mention about the justified use of deadly force; about the "wisdom" of Solomon given all his sins; when Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes; and about Luke 13 and how it is that people will attempt to enter the door of salvation but will not be permitted.

Fellowship Bible Church enjoyed a special commissioning service for their members who will be launching Sunday morning services in Howell, MI. Pastor Postiff outlined the history of the work in Howell and encouraged the church in Ann Arbor as well as the group in Howell to be faithful to the Lord and wholeheartedly take up the task of church planting and strengthening of our sending church. The service concluded with a time of prayer in which the planting team members were committed to the Lord.

The study of Hosea continues with chapter 7.

Pastor Postiff reminded us about the opening of chapter 5, that taught us to "watch our tongues." Then we examined the portions that have to do with societal corruption, material things, and enjoying the work God gives us.

Having laid the foundation in the past three weeks about slavery in the Bible, we now turn to Philemon and Onesimus and Paul's letter to Philemon. This message focuses on the background of the circumstances that surround the letter and Paul's greeting.

The focus of this message is Hosea 7. Pastor Postiff added some reminders having to do with questions raised by the audience during the lesson regarding the purpose of the Old Testament for us today.

Pastor Postiff explains the bases of Christian assurance of salvation. We outlined four different views on whether one can have assurance of salvation and upon what bases. We then discussed briefly several factors that weight against assurance, talked about why it is important, and then detailed the three-fold basis of assurance.

After a brief review, Pastor Postiff continues the study of slavery in the Bible by going over Old Testament regulations for domestic and foreign slaves in Israel. The terrible so-called justification of slavery based on Genesis 9:21-27 is also explained and dismissed as a terrible example of Bible interpretation. Pastor Postiff takes a clear and strong abolitionist position at the end of the message. The weight of Biblical theology and morality demand that property slavery and any abusive forms of that institution be eliminated. Servant arrangements or debt-payback arrangements are not forbidden and can be done righteously according to God's word.

With this message, the mini-series on slavery is completed and next time, we will start looking at the letter to Philemon and learn about Onesimus and his slavery situation.

The exposition of Hosea continues into chapter 6, with references to Acts 8 about a man named Simon whose heart was not right with God.

In this message, we complete the study of Ecclesiastes 4 and continue into chapter 5. The study at the end of chapter 4 concerns the comparison between an old and foolish king and a young and poor but wise youth. In chapter 5, we saw that Solomon urges us to watch our mouths.

Pastor Postiff extends the discussion of two weeks ago with a study of New Testament regulations for slaves and masters, freedom for slaves, slavery in ancient Rome, and the Old Testament regulation on Israelite servants and masters. There will be one more part to this series on March 5, 2016.

Deacon Widgeon continues his explanation of the text of Hosea, this time dealing with chapter 5. One interesting portion had to do with the removal of a landmark, which amounted to stealing property. The study continues into chapter 6 with a call for repentance.

Pastor O'Dell gives some overview of Hebrews and then focuses on the opening verse of the fourth chapter where the idea of the fear of God is mentioned. He emphasizes the proper definition of fear, which goes beyond mere reverential respect for God. It is helpful to take note of the object of our fear and the reason for our fear.

After reading from Scripture in Luke 9, from about 7:50 to 12:39, Pastor Postiff offered special prayer for the Smith family who lost their beloved son Hayden 6 months ago today. Pastor O'Dell then preached on the bad character of Haman with his character traits of anger and pride and the like.

Deacon Widgeon continues teaching through Hosea 4 and moves into chapter 5. He reminds us that we should obey God even if we don't understand all the ins and outs of what He has asked us to do. He also reminds us that Israel was full of pride instead of being humble and ashamed of their sin.

After reading Jeremiah 40-41, we reviewed the opening verses of Ecclesiastes 4 and continued an exposition of the "two better than one" portion of the chapter.

In answer to the issue of slavery raised in Colossians 3 and 4, as well as in preparation for a study of Philemon, we spent some time examining the issue of slavery and how the Bible talks about it. A key takeaway from this message is that kidnapping or "man-stealing," as it is called, is a crime punishable under the Law of Moses by death. Such slave trading was therefore unlawful in the nation of Israel. The next message in this series will take up a couple of difficult issues that arise from the Old Testament.

We continue our exposition of Hosea, with special attention to the remainder of chapter 4, reference to Israel's covenants in Genesis 12, the charges that God brought against her, and the lack of knowledge that ended up destroying the people of Israel. An interesting thing comes up about the responsibility of the priests of the people.

The well-known account of the sinful woman who washed Jesus feet with her hair is the subject of our communion meditation for this evening's Lord's Table service. Listen in as several brothers in the church share reading and comments, followed by Pastor's exposition of the end of Luke 7.

Don't stop paying attention just because it is the last few lines of the letter. Sometimes the most significant words come at the end! The Bible covers four issues in the final verses. First, Paul gives final greetings. Then he exhorts the people to read the letter and another letter that they will receive via Laodicea. He makes a public admonition to Archippus to fulfill the ministry he has been assigned. And finally, he gives a closing salutation.

Thus ends our study of Colossians for now! Do not be wowed by anything other than Christ, and let His gospel transform you from a worldly person to a person full of the fruit of the Spirit.

Our exposition of Hosea continues, with reference to a number of other Old Testament passages of Scripture. One audience question arose, having to do with the nature of demonic influence on people who practiced idolatry. This brought up the issue of the stubbornness of the human nature which does such things even when the care of God has been clearly manifested.

After reading of Jeremiah 38 and 39, Pastor Postiff answered some Bible questions. Included were questions (1) about the KJV translation of Hosea 2:16 with the words "Ishi" and "Baali"; (2) about why the Lord commanded the crowd to stay quiet about the healing that He had just performed and why then the people did not obey Him; (3) about why the demon in Mark 9 did not immediately leave the boy when the Lord commanded him to do so; (4) about where demons go after they are cast out; (5) and a general question about demons, demonic influence, the relationship of a Christian believer to demons, societal influence of demons, and the like.

We continue our study of Paul's apostolic helpers by looking at Aristarchus, John Mark (the cousin of Barnabas), Jesus Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Two stories come to the fore: about Mark's departure from Christian work and subsequent restoration; and Demas's departure without a restoration. Listen in for encouragement in the midst of failure, and warning to avoid apostasy.

Brother Widgeon continues teaching through Hosea, moving into chapters 3 and 4.

About 15 years ago Pastor Saxe preached on this section of Scripture and titled it "Apostolic Partners." That title captured my attention and for some reason I never forgot it. As I think on it now, the title interested my mind because it spoke of a team effort, of fellowship in the work of the gospel, of partnership, of a precious inter-personal relationship that was shared between Paul and his co-workers, and of people instead of just doctrines or ideas. Such special team partnerships are part of our own experience in this church and in our sister churches.

In this message, we examine this passage afresh, looking at reasons why we should study a section of the Bible on greetings: after all, it doesn't seem very important. But we will see that the examples of faith that we see here are important models for us to follow.

We review Hosea again and continue into chapter 2 and 3. An emphasis is made on God's betrothal of Israel, her unfaithfulness, and His readiness to take her back again.

Pastor Postiff answers Bible questions about Genesis 4:7, the nature of the Holy Spirit's ministry in the Old Testament compared to His New Covenant ministry (Prov. 1:23 was one passage we examined), how the Spirit's work of rebirth is related to the Old Testament's New Covenant promises (Ezekiel 36:24-27), and a continuation in our study of Ecclesiastes 4. Despite Qohelet's depressive mode in the opening verses of chapter 4, we understand that there is a very great good to living, and that is that we can fellowship with Jesus Christ. Apart from God, this perspective does not become evident.

The previous verses have addressed specific matters of personal conduct, conduct in the church, life in the family and home, and toward God in prayer. The last general instruction in the letter (before greetings and final words) has to do with our conduct toward those who are outside the church.

Deacon Widgeon advances our study of Hosea into chapter 2.

We continued our study of Ecclesiastes 3. We thought about the rhythm of life in the opening verses of chapter 3 last time. But now we see God's perspective on life, in which his actions are forever. Furthermore, the text considers the problem of wickedness in places where righteousness is supposed to be. Finally, Solomon considers the matter of the great likeness of people and animals.

Christians have responsibilities in several areas of their lives: to know true doctrine and not be deceived by false teachers (Colossians 1:1-2:19), to be involved in personal sanctification (2:20-3:12), inter-personal relationships (3:13-15), corporate worship (3:16-17), marriage (3:18-19), family life (3:20-21), and employment (3:22-4:1). All these responsibilities must be combined in a wise and God-honoring way so as to be operational in our lives. But there is another area that, in a way, is foundational to these, and that is prayer. It is impossible to faithfully carry out our Christian responsibilities without praying.

This message explores how we can carry out our duty to pray in our personal lives and for our pastors and missionaries.

Our series in Hosea continues, moving well into chapter 1 with this study.

We studied what is probably the most well-known passage of Ecclesiastes, but not because people study their Bible carefully! The idea of "a time for everything" has gotten into pop culture in America through an old song, but we carefully considered what it means that there is a time for every event in God's wise plan.

Our study of the Bible's "household code" continues with instructions for children, fathers, servants, and masters. The idea of submission and obedience comes up again as it did in the prior message. Pastor Postiff only briefly touches on the issue of slavery in the Bible, reserving a fuller treatment for another time.

The book study in Hosea is still in a very introductory phase, with some review of 1 Kings followed by an examination of the opening verses of chapter 1. A question was raised about the propriety of God's command to Hosea to take a wife of harlotry, or whether it even was a command.

Pastor Postiff reviewed some of the sermon material that was covered during the 2015. Two questions were addressed, regarding the problem of evil and the gospel of the kingdom.

Pastor Postiff deals with the unpopular but important truth dealing with wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives. If you are having marital problems, this passage is a brief instruction manual that will be a great help to you.

Following on from the study of Psalm 78 in the Adult Bible Study, our teacher, James Widgeon, takes us into a study of 1 Kings to set the stage for Hosea.

A somewhat obscure text, Matthew 2:15, forms the basis of the Christmas Eve message from this worship service. Israel was called out of Egypt; Jesus was called out of Egypt; the believer is figuratively called out of Egypt into the salvation-land of promise. Meditate on that truth with us as you listen in.

The Bible does not command the Christian to celebrate Christmas. We are told rather to remember the Lord's death. His incarnation, however, is still significant because it was on the way to the crucifixion and death that provided forgiveness of sin. In this message, Pastor Postiff takes a tour of the "doctrine of Christmas" and expands upon several key ideas about Christmas--what it means in the secular mind, and what in means in the Christian mind.

Brother Widgeon continues his exposition of Psalm 78 with more on the history of Israel and what we can learn from it.

A wonderful program of Christmas music, Bible readings, and a sermon that illustrates the saving program of God using the outline of Handel's Messiah. This Christmas program is all about Jesus the Messiah.

The Bible continues in Colossians 3:17 to encourage the Christian to live a godly life by saying that whatever we do--whether words or actions--needs to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus and with thanks to God the Father through Jesus. This is a comprehensive statement that doesn't leave room for another valid compartment in our lives in which we live outside of the name of the Lord Jesus and without thanksgiving to God.

In the Sunday school, we continue a study of the 78th Psalm.

We continue our study of Ecclesiastes, and see that Solomon advises us to enjoy the gifts that God has given us: food, work, family, etc.

After reading of John 21, Pastor Postiff exhorted the church that every believer needs to know his Bible well. The entire Word of God must live in the believer and have an impact in his life. It is the center of the church's teaching and music ministries.

Pastor Postiff briefly explains the meaning of the Lord's Table, and makes a timely exhortation on the matter of prayer for the pastor's ministry and for Christian ministry in general. Various passages are briefly examined, followed by an explanation of 1 Samuel 12:19-25.

We come now to the very important "put on" section of Colossians 3. God graciously grants the Christian believer the freedom to live a life of kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love. it takes some good participation on our part to implement these virtues, but we can do so.

James Widgeon gives an exposition of Psalm 78. His outline follows MacArthur: (1) Verses 1-11 has an exhortation and instruction to children; and 2) Verses 12-72 include a lecture on the graciousness of God in two parts, verses 12-39 and verses 40-72.

Andy Reyes preached on justification in James and the problem passage having to do with justification by faith and/or works with the Old Testament illustration of Rahab. Pastor Postiff followed up with a brief exhortation from Luke on the ten lepers, only one of whom returned to express thanksgiving to the Lord.

Pastor Postiff takes us on a high-level tour of Ecclesiastes, showing the theme, key ideas, the boundaries of the introduction and conclusion, and features used in the body of Solomon's book including his experimentation, reflections, conclusions, and exhortations.

We come now to a restatement of a core truth of spiritual transformation in the Christian’s life. I say restatement because we have seen already the idea of dying with Christ and rising again with Him. These truths speak to our Christian identity, that is, who we are in Christ. More particularly it speaks to how believers have that identity, because they are identified with Him in His death and resurrection.

And so because of that, we are to make our priorities heavenly priorities and our thoughts heavenly thoughts. We expect that the Lord will return suddenly, and perhaps rather soon, at which time it will become evident who we really are in Him. The world will not scoff at us then!

We must therefore mortify (kill) the things in our lives that are earthly, sensual, and demonic, like fornication, passion, covetousness, anger, filthy language, lying, etc. In this sermon, we learn more about why we must do that and how it is possible.

Deacon James Widgeon shares thoughts from a very well-known Psalm, the 23rd. See if you gain some new insight into God's word as you listen in.

We continue our study of the introductory matters in Ecclesiastes, covering more about the message of the book, including the enjoyment of life theme, the vanity theme, and the idea of grasping for the wind, all of which recur several times in Solomon's book about life.

We continue our study of Colossians 3 in the ‘practical’ section of the letter. Paul gets specific and personal as to how Christians are to live. Simply put, believers are to mortify sin because the sinful lifestyle characterized our past and brings the wrath of God both now and especially in the future. We also look forward to being glorified with Christ at His second coming, so we want to move decisively in the direction of purity starting NOW.

This passage offers many interpretive difficulties, the first being its setting in God's eschatological timeline. After discussing this point, Terry Scott taught the body of the chapter with an emphasis on the unknown timing with signs building up to the revelation of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of the kingdom.

In this message, Pastor Postiff begins to introduce the book of Ecclesiastes. Issues of authorship, canonicity, and the meaning of "vanity" are considered along with several other things. The book of Ecclesiastes has a positive, godly message for us all, even 3000 years after it was written.

We begin our study of the practical section of Paul's epistle by looking at the resurrection mindset of the believer. Immediately we were faced with an issue of the grammatical construct of a "first class condition" and had to learn how to properly translate and handle that construction at the beginning of verse 1. Then we learned that we must have heavenly priorities operational in our thoughts and lives. Why is this? Because Christians died with Christ and rose again with him when they were saved.

Terry Scott teaches through Matthew 18, particularly about child-like faith and forgiveness of sin in the family of God. The matter of church discipline is covered as well. Pastor Postiff added some material on these matters in the last 12 minutes or so of the class.

After the reading of Jeremiah 20, Pastor Postiff shared the last two verses in 1 Corinthians 11:33-34 to prepare for the Lord's Table.

Isaiah, like us, lived in a wicked society. Isaiah saw a vision of God seated in heaven, the thrice holy God, separate from all creation, the Holy One of Israel. Today, we see God through His Word. We must humbly confess our sins, because we need God. We must not try to find any other "attraction" to the church but God Himself.

Missionary Jack McMahan reminded us that Acts is a tale of two churches: the church in Jerusalem, and the church in Antioch. He reminded us that God uses frail vessels to save the souls of others. The church must have the priority of evangelism and teaching the Word of God. It must also prioritize Christ-like leaders. It must also put emphasis on serving the Lord in the local church. It must also put a high priority on prayer. It must prioritize the sacrifice of good leaders to missions work.

Guest teacher Andy Reyes takes us through the passage in James about applying the Word of God in our lives.

After reading in Jeremiah, Pastor Postiff read a number of Luther's 95 Theses posted on the door of the Wittenberg church in Germany in 1517. The church then watched a video about Pastor Olaf Latzel on CBN News.com. We saw that the Reformation is needed today in Germany just as it was nearly 500 years ago.

Pastor then completed a sermon he started in Sunday school on worldliness that should not be present in the life of the believer. The PowerPoint slides for that talk are available here: Don't Be Like the World.

In the previous message, we focused on Colossians 2:16-17 with an emphasis on the fact that Christians are not permitted to submit themselves to religious rituals as a way of salvation or sanctification. The present study extends from verses 18 through 23 and adds that Christians are not permitted to worship angels nor to submit to asceticism as a method of solving the problem of sin. These things are idolatrous and take away from the finished work of Christ as it applies to the believer's life.

After an amazing sequence of verses on the preeminence of Christ and the work He has done for us in salvation, Paul turns his attention to exhortations to protect against the man-made traditions that were flooding Colossae. The first of these was Jewish rituals. The other two--angel worship and ascetic practices--will be addressed in a future message.

Pastor Postiff answered a young audience member's question about Hebrew poetry, discussed briefly with the congregation the doctrine of God, and then starting at about the 13:00 minute mark covered the matter of essential truths of young earth creation to arrive at a definition of what that doctrine is.h

In verses 8-10 we were told to beware lest we be captivated by the empty philosophy of deceitful, man-made, worldly traditions. We should not be captured that way because we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom dwells all the fullness of deity and in Whom we are complete. Anything less than Christ would be a raw deal. We have Jesus, the God-man Who is over all things; what else do we think we need?! Who else do false teachers think we need? Some new religious book? Some best-seller? Some movie? Pop psychology? Music to draw in the lost? Some "new revelation" or religion?

Beyond the facts of the deity and headship of Christ, the Bible explains several more truths that double as reasons why we should never be drawn away from Christ to follow another form of doctrine. Look at what Christ has done for those who are His. If you in Christ, you have been spiritually circumcised, Spirit-baptized, regenerated, forgiven, and freed from the power of demonic forces.

This message is a study of Matthew 10, with its limited 'mission mandate' which Terry Scott correctly contrasts with the global missions mandate of Matthew 28.

After reading in Jeremiah, Pastor Postiff shared from 1 Corinthians 11 regarding judging ourselves so that we would not be condemned with the world. We saw how the text presupposes that the world will in fact be condemned, and that the believer can do something to avoid experiencing God's condemnation.h

The apostle Paul, under God’s direction, writes to combat the false teaching that was sweeping into Colossae. He tells the believers there, and Christians today, not to be carried off with false teaching. There are two reasons why. First, Christ is God, and second, all believers are complete in Christ. So, there is no need for any one or anything else! Christian salvation is all you need, and beside that, it is the only real salvation there is.

Matthew chapters 6 and 7 were the subject for the Sunday school in Terry Scott's continuing series on the Lord's discourses in Matthew's gospel.

After reading Jeremiah 10 and 11, Pastor Postiff taught on two topics. First he gave an analysis of several Christian songs in terms of their repetition and interacted with the audience's questions about that matter (starting at 8:15; Powerpoint available here, blog post here). The second part of the message was an extension of the morning sermon on Colossians 2:6-7 concerning the matter of the Scripture as our sufficient and sole rule of faith and practice (starting at 34:30).

In light of the danger to the Colossians, posed by persuasive false teachers, Paul reinforces to them how they should live in Christ. He does this by reminding them of the teaching that they had received about Christ. They received Christ under a certain form of teaching, and they were to follow through faithfully with that teaching. We learned that we need to evaluate the teaching we receive today by the gold standard in the Scriptures. We also read John 11 and were blessed with an arrangement of an old hymn "Face to Face with Christ My Savior."

Terry Scott begins a series of studies on the discourses of our Lord recorded in Matthew's gospel. The subject of today's message is the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-6.

Pastor Postiff shared at the prayer meeting a message about the sources and Christian solutions of worry. There is more to be said, but Psalm 127:1-2 was our starting point to see how useless it is to worry about things that are outside of our control. We can burn the candle at both ends, but if God is not in it, it is empty. We learn again then the desperate need we have to trust the Lord in all of life.

Pastor Postiff taught part 2 of this message on September 30, 2015. Unfortunately it was not taped. Contact us if you would like the notes.

Pastor Postiff continues calling the church to look at theology as the highest of all areas of knowledge. It has been fashionable in the past generation or two to call the church to greater involvement in many fields of human knowledge, to "redeem" those fields or "take them back" for God. His thesis is in an entirely different direction, namely that we should remind ourselves that God and the study of God are the highest and best field of knowledge that exists. We should focus our attention on Him, because without God, no other field of knowledge would exist. Furthermore, an academic knowledge of a certain sub-speciality will be impoverished to the extent that it does not know God.

The Bible here describes Paul's struggle of concern and prayer for the believers in Colossae that they may be lovingly connected to their church and on guard against false teachers who use persuasive words to lure people away from Jesus Christ.

Intern Andy Reyes offers his first exposition of the book of James. In it, he covers the opening verse of chapter 1, and addresses the servant mindset of James.

Pastor Postiff begins to lay out a case, from a Christian perspective, that the study of God is the most important science of all fields of sciences. This message is a call for Christians to reassert that theology is in fact the queen of sciences. The unbelieving world will likely not agree. But we need to move past the arguments between atheism and Christian theism, for God does in fact exist. There is no higher or perfect object of study than God.

We would not even have spiritual life, much less any further blessings, unless it were for the mystery of the gospel made known by God through His apostles and prophets. God is at work through His servants, and in you, to accomplish His great goal to perfect you. Each of us needs to strive toward that goal according to His working which works in us.

The gospel took you from where you were in sin and death to where you are in life and freedom. But God is not done! He wants to take you from where you are to perfection in Christ Jesus.

For this Lord's Table service, we thought about Ephesians 4:31 and its parallel, Colossians 3:8. Then, Pastor Postiff tied those in with 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 to remind us of the need to judge ourselves in order to avoid the chastening hand of God for sins concerning the Table.

Paul begins in verse 24 to focus on the ministry that God gave him to proclaim the gospel and make sure that people grew to maturity in Christ. To begin with, he gives us some insight into his theology of suffering. In particular, he tells how he rejoices in suffering as a way to fill up the afflictions of Christ, to help the believers in Colossae, and to propel the mission of the entire Church forward. Considering Christians who have come under attack throughout world history, and the believers who are suffering at the time of this message, we must consider our own view of suffering and what we will do if it is thrust upon us.

Pastor Postiff gives 14 reasons why you should not partake of alcoholic beverages at all, and answers several objections. Listen in--it's only about three and a half minutes of your time, but it may save your life.

Dr. Mark Snoeberger reminded us on Sunday of Jonathan Edwards' ninth resolution, to consider his own death. Death is a common circumstance to all, but Christians know that God grants the blessing of resurrection and immortality for all believers. In the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 5, Paul gives a defense of the facts of immortality, and then gives God's expectations for us in view of our immortality. There is a permanent sphere of existence to which we graduate when we die. We will experience a greater life in the age to come. But this truth is not only for comfort during grief; this future reality calls for us to shape our present life in view of our future life.

Pastor Postiff offered introductory remarks. Bill Smith testified of how God has led their family in the immediate aftermath of their son's Hayden's tragic death. Then Missionary Mike Brunk opened Daniel 6 to help us understand a message cleverly entitled "The King of the Beasts."

Daniel 6 contains one of the most famous stories in all of the Bible. The text is outlined like this: the jealousy of wicked men, the integrity of faithful men, and the snare of foolish men. A big lesson we learn from it is that when we face difficulties, we have to go on, like Daniel did. He faced the king of the beasts, the lions, but there is one greater King than even the lions, and that is God. God delivered Daniel from the lions!

The series in Daniel continues in our Bible conference this weekend. We see in this message how God gives grace to the humble, and resists the proud. Missionary Brunk encouraged us to be sensitive to the things of God during a time of very difficult emotions. Listen in to hear where the title "Kingdom Digits" comes from!

To begin the service, Missionary Brunk showed a brief video updating the church on his ministry. Then he turned to the conference series in Daniel.

In chapter 2, God gives Nebuchadnezzar a dream about the future of world government. That is God's plan for the world. But in chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar has his own plans which are in conflict with God's plan. God reveals truth; the king defied God's truth; and God confirms His truth.

When our plans don't match God's plans, our duty is to humble ourselves under the hand of God.

After Wednesday's message on unity in the church, one of our church's teenagers was killed in a car accident. The initial plan for our Bible conference did not seem appropriate to the new circumstances of the church family, so Missionary Mike Brunk changed the series to look at some texts in the book of Daniel to remind the church family of the sovereignty of God over all the events of the world, world kingdoms, and in the lives of His people. The book of Daniel is about how God is in control when things seem out of control. The remaining messages will be the Kingdom Dreams, Kingdom Digits, and the King of the Beasts.

We saw that God lovingly trains and disciplines His people. Daniel resolved not to be conformed to his worldly surroundings.

Missionary Mike Brunk begins a planned series of five message on Ephesians and unity in the church. This first message has to do with the effect of sin and how it spoils unity by separating people from God. The remainder of the series is slated to cover different aspects of Biblical unity: the second message will show that Christ has determined to make a unified whole of his creation; third, Ephesians 4:1-6 will show the standard of unity; the fourth message will be unity empowered, focusing on the centrality of the Bible to true unity; and finally the series will cover the demonstration of unity by appropriating the word into daily life.

In addition to the singing of hymns, we read Jeremiah 3-4 in this service. Pastor Postiff spoke about further qualifications of a pastor. We touched on the topics of seminary training, apprenticeship, humility in the pastorate, and openness in the pastoral search process.

Our worship service consisted of a reading of John 6 and preaching from Colossians 1:21-23, in which we are reminded that Christians were formerly estranged from God, but Christ reconciled them through faith.

In verses 21-23, the focus shifts from the Lord's provision of reconciliation to the individuals who are recipients of that reconciliation. Our condition prior to reconciliation was horrific. We were alienated and enemies of God. The outcome of reconciliation, Christ's goal in the believer's life, is that we would be holy and without blemish. The continuing evidence of reconciliation is that Christians continue in the faith--and if we do not, that is "anti-evidence" of reconciliation.

We resume our study from some weeks back on the doctrine of the church in this message. The qualifications of the pastor are the particular subject we take up, in addition to beginning the reading of Jeremiah 1-2.

Christ is above all because He made reconciliation for sin toward God. He did this for all things, as the text tells us, whether things on earth or things in heaven. His cross-work provided reconciliation for enemies of God to become friends of God. This is the last portion of the chapter that deals with the emphasis on the supremacy of Christ, as the next verses turn to the subject of the application of that reconciliation to believers in Christ.

The Truth Tracker's program will be starting on September 2, and we thought we would give you a sampling of what the children do for the year by looking back to the 2014/15 school year. One of our 6-year-olds, Daniel, will recite the memory work that he learned in the Tiny Tracker's program, which is the youngest age group of our Truth Tracker's club.

There is no sleight of hand here. What happened was that during the school year, the children would learn a key word and a verse to go with it. They would have a story lesson about that word and verse, and then they would be responsible to learn the verse. Parental involvement at home is a very important part of this, as the parents review the verse with the child several times in the following week, and review the previous weeks' verses as well. By repetition, Daniel remembers all thirty weeks of verses, and still retains them now, months later.

Your child can do this too in our Truth Trackers program!

After reading of Esther 8 through 10, Pastor took questions from the congregation. Questions included the nature of the decree made by King Ahasuerus both through Haman and Mordecai; whether a woman needs to wear a head covering and the principle of submission to authority; a question about free will, determinism, and total depravity; a question about how to handle a partner in witnesses who does not share your theological system.

One notable question was about the doctrine of election and whether Fellowship Bible Church believes in evangelism. In short, yes, we do preach the doctrine of personal unconditional election, and YES, we do evangelize because God told us to, and because evangelism is the means by which He calls people to salvation!

Another question was whether the phrase "through his blood" is missing in Colossians 1:14 and the KJV-only error. There was a question about the different versions of the Living Hymns hymnal that we have acquired over the years. There was another question about whether time ceases to exist after eternity begins, and from where time originated. The origin of sin was also discussed.

Christ is above all as the head of the church, as the first resurrected and glorified One, and as the One in Whom dwells all the fullness of God. We learned not only that Christ is the head of the church and that the church is a body, but also the practical implications of these truth for church life. Christ is the first-born from the dead, indicating that He has priority in time of resurrection and in rank over all creation, of which He is not a part since He is uncreated. Verse 18 uses first-born in a somewhat different than the use of the same word in verse 15, but in neither case does the word indicate that Christ was generated or had a beginning. Finally, we thought together about the the idea of the term "fullness" which has to do with the complete essence of deity which was pleased to dwell in Christ.

For this Lord's Table service we thought on the matter of our inter-personal relationships and how they affect our participation at the Lord's Table. Individualism is not the focus of 1 Corinthians 11 where we studied, but the group dynamics in the Corinthian church were definitely impacted by how individuals viewed themselves and how they interacted with others. This recording omits the congregational singing and sharing of the Table so it is shorter than normal.

After reading Esther 5-6, Pastor Postiff addresses a question posed during the song service about a portion of the sermon from the morning message that had to do with the fact that Christ had half-brothers and sisters. This raised the question of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. After this, we got to the message having to do with the future work of Christ, including the rapture all the way His handing the kingdom over to God the Father.

Christ, the very image of God, created and sustains everything. The Bible describes in more detail the Redeemer spoken of in verse 14 in terms so exalted there can be no question that the Lord Jesus Christ is peer to God the Father. He is the very same image of God that God is. There is no one more like God than Christ is. He is the first-born precisely because He created all things, as it says in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1-3. He is before everything and He holds everything together.

Our series on evangelism continues with a study of how to proclaim the Christian message to homosexuals. The approach is not to focus on the particular sins of the person who is receiving the message but instead to bring a positive presentation of Christ and how He has solved the sin problem in general. One type of sin is not in essence worse than others such that it would cause us to be side-tracked on issues that hang up a gospel conversation so that it does not get to Christ.

We continued the public reading of Scripture in Esther 3-4, and then shared testimonies about the Art Fair Outreach of last week. (A number of testimonies were not given at the microphone, so they have been omitted from the recording.) Then we studied the doctrine of Christ specifically with respect to his present sustenance of the universe and intercession for believers.

God has done three things for Christians that qualify them to be partakers of the heavenly inheritance: He rescued them from sin, death and Satan; He transferred them into the kingdom of His Son; and He redeemed them, through forgiveness of sins, from the obligation to pay the penalty would confine them eternally. These truths are cause for gratitude to God!

Missionary Proto testifies using Acts 16 how his family was called to the city of Carmelo, Uruguay, to plant a new church. Pastor Postiff followed with a challenge to the church to consider what it--the church--will do in its next term of missionary service. Normally we think about what the missionaries will do in their next term of four or five years of service until furlough. But the question is, what will WE do for God in OUR next term of service?

Mariano Proto, missionary to Uruguay, shares with the church some encouraging words about the renewal of our attitude, soul, and focus to help endure in the midst of difficult life circumstances and ministry.

One of our missionaries, Mariano Proto, reports on his ministry in Uruguay, and challenges the congregation to be real Christians instead of fakes.

Pastor Postiff and several men of the church share Bible readings and comments regarding the Lord's Table. The New Covenant again takes the focus in the message this evening, particularly the church's relationship to it as respects the blood of the new covenant. Several key passages in Hebrews mention this blood, as the blood of the covenant, the blood of sprinkling, and the blood of the everlasting covenant.

We advance the idea that the blood of the covenant is distinguishable from the covenant itself. These two ideas cannot be separated--they always go together--but there is the blood of the covenant, and then there is the covenant. The covenant is the setup, the terms, the promises. The blood of the covenant is what activates or solemnizes the covenant. The blood of the covenant is that thing upon which the covenant rests; it is the foundation or ground of the blessings of the covenant because of the purification necessary to have a covenant relationship between God and man. The blessings of the new covenant, such as forgiveness or remission of sins, all rest upon that foundation. God cannot enter into a relationship with someone who is sullied by sin. The blood of the covenant has to be there to wash away sin that would prohibit any blessings. Christians are not under the full terms or blessing of the new covenant, but we have been purified by the blood that is associated with that covenant, and we have received the blessings that are provided to present-day Christians because of it.

The Bible continues to record the prayer of Apostle Paul for the Colossian Christians. His prayer shows what he believes is most important for them. He wants them to be filled with the knowledge of God's will and to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Christ. Pastor Postiff also gives an illustration to help explain why good works are not pre-requisites to obtaining salvation, but are rather to flow out of the Christian's life after salvation.

After a reading of Psalm 19 by visiting former FBC member Rob Meisel, Dwayne Reid introduced the reader as well as the preacher for the evening, Pastor John O'Dell. Pastor O'Dell read from Hebrews 1:1-3 and reminded us that "the most important part of building a house is the foundation." The opening verses of Hebrews are the foundation of the entire book, and the book is very applicable to our present day and culture. Great numbers of people who once claimed to be Christians in our nation have dropped off even in the last 8 years. Others are not growing spiritually. Hebrews deals with both of these problems.

The Christian Gospel totally transforms the lives it touches. In this passage, we learn to exercise love, know the nature of God, see how to live like a faithful minister, give thanks and give others a reason for thanksgiving. We also are reminded to look forward to our hope of future blessing at the final installment of the blessings of salvation.

Before getting to the passage itself, Pastor Postiff presents a clear position statement of the church on the matter of of gay marriage in light of the June 26, 2015 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States.

After reading Esther 1-2, our study consisted of a review of the Scriptural reasons for labor. Last time we looked at bad attitudes toward work; this time, correct attitudes are mentioned. The public policy on labor is discussed at the end of the message, including the Christian view on the government, benevolence, job creation, labor, outsourcing, the consumer side of the economy, and the minimum wage.

We are excited to delve into a new expositional series in the book of Colossians. The opening verses declare that Paul is the author, an apostle of Jesus Christ by God's will, and he is writing to the saints-and-faithful-brethren in Christ in the city of Colosse. Paul never visited that city; it was evangelized by Epaphras. The latter has recently visited Paul and shared that there were some serious problems in the Colossian church. The letter is Paul's response.

Our study of the doctrine of salvation and how to evangelize our loved ones continues. Today's class focused on the content of saving faith, and reminds again that the Christian's trust is to be in Jesus Christ--not in faith itself or one's profession of faith, or anything else.

In our evening meeting, we read from Daniel 11 and 12 as well as discussed some negative ideas about labor/work. Next time we plan to study the positive theology of work that is commended to us in Scripture. We also had the privilege to hear from Hayden Smith regarding a special trip to Haiti to do benevolence work. Unfortunately the recording was not the best quality, so it is excluded from this audio file.

We are closing our study of 2 Thessalonians by looking at Paul's benediction, a bestowal of blessing on the Christians in the young church. The apostle prays for God's people to experience the Lord's peace and grace. What exactly does that mean? Find out by listening in!

The New Covenant has puzzled many dispensational and covenantal theologians. In this Lord's Table service, Pastor Postiff gives some clarifying remarks about the New Covenant and encourages the church family to marvel at the provisions God has shared with Gentiles in a pre-fulfillment blessing connected to the New Covenant.

The middle of 2 Thessalonians 3 has to do with disorderly conduct in the church, and specifically with laziness in work habits. Paul gives instructions as to how to handle such problems. We started our study in verse 6, and then veered into similar passages regarding church discipline. In this second message we come back to verse 6 to resume the exposition by explaining who the culprits are in the church, and Paul's commands to work diligently, to keep doing good, and to separate from disobedient believers.

Pastor Postiff continues his Sunday school series on practical evangelism. The last few weeks we have been looking at the Biblical conditions of salvation and in particular repentance as a descriptor of the genuine kind of faith.

The title above is actually only half the story. Our teacher not only outlines the responsibilities of the church toward its pastor, but also the responsibilities of the pastor toward the church. This is a great reminder for both shepherd and flock. May God be honored as you listen.

In this message, our teacher builds a case from the entirety of the Bible for setting aside Sunday, the Lord's day, as a day for worship and refreshment. Our culture has wholeheartedly embraced a secular Sunday model of life, where stores are open and very little is thought of worship of God on Sunday, much less any other day of the week. One of the key ideas here is that Christians should dedicate time to worship and rest. The message notes particularly the repeated nature of the 1-in-7 pattern that God set out at creation and carries through the Bible.

Our spring Bible conference continued with our teacher challening the church to the task of evangelizing those around us. This is a convicting message that reminds us of a key reason for which God has left us on earth.

The theme of tonight's Bible Conference message was "We are committed to glorifying God through our trials." Trials reveal the quality of someone's character, and they change someone's character. The service opens with a hymn by Mrs. Naomi Postiff.

The opening message in our 2015 Bible conference is on the Christian's committment to prayer. The service opens with a prayer-hymn sung by Mrs. Naomi Postiff entitled O God You are My God, followed by an exposition of James 5 on prayer by our teacher. Listen in and remind yourself that a Christian has to be diligently involved in prayer.

We studied the resurrection, the ascension, and session of Christ. Some of the evidences for the resurrection are considered.

The general subject matter of the middle segment of chapter 3 has to do with disorderly conduct in general, and more specifically with laziness in work habits, and what must be done to handle those problems. In this message, we start a study of the verses by visiting the foundational supporting passages that address the same subject matter and connect them to Paul's exhortation to separate from disorderly brothers.

This is a special audio presentation of Fellowship Bible Church. This audio records the memorial service for a faithful believer named Laura Jacks. Laura was a very active member of Fellowship Bible Church who died at the end of April from cancer. Today, May 23, 2015 was her memorial service. Many of her family, church friends, and co-workers and volunteers were present to participate and honor her memory.

After prayer, we took up the reading of Daniel at chapters 8 and 9. Then we studied Christology again, particularly regarding the atonement. The study encompassed the doctrines of wrath, enmity, bondage, guilt, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption, expiation, and the extent of the atonement.

Paul requested prayer for himself and his missionary team that they would be able to take the gospel far and wide. He expressed confidence that the Thessalonians would continue to obey the instruction that they had received, and then prayed that the Lord would lead them into a greater experience of God's love and Christ's perseverance. We also learned that this passage was preparatory for a difficult issue that is going to arise in the following verses.

We offer a high-level study of the life of Christ. We looked at the proportion of the gospels that were devoted to various portions of the life of our Lord, as well as some other interesting details. This message is intended to be a helpful overview of the life and ministry of Jesus.

In light of the persecutions and false doctrine that had plagued the Thessalonian church, Paul records a prayer for them, that the Lord and God the Father would comfort and establish them. His desire is for them to continue in good speech and good works, with the truth of the gospel and God-honoring works foremost in the thought.

The Bible reading portion of our service was given to reading Daniel chapters 5 an 6. Most of our time was spent studying the matter of the blood of Christ and a wrong view that calls into question the complete humanity of Christ. We also studied briefly the impeccability of Christ.

God's work in salvation is worthy of thanks because it totally sets the believer apart from all who will be deceived by the Antichrist. Our study included the doctrine of divine election to salvation which is a major subject of verses 13-14. We learned a definition of election: That God in love chose all believers, before the foundation of the world, to salvation in Christ with all its attendant blessings and obligations.

We read Daniel 4 about Nebuchadnezzar's change of heart, and then studied the humanity of Christ including Jesus' human emotions, among other truths.

The Thessalonians had been attacked by one or more false teachers who were trying to convince them that hte Day of hte Lord had already come, and that they missed out on important end-time events.

The apostle Paul exhorts them not to be deceived and reminds them of what he had taught them previously. The mystery of lawlessness is presently under the restraining hand of God, but will be unleashed at the appropriate time, leading to a great apostasy and the disclosure of the man of sin who is the very embodiment of evil. Millions of people will be influenced to follow his evil ways and to worship him. In the end, Christ will return and destroy the Antichrist by throwing him alive into the lake of fire.

Listen in for more details and a challenge to make sure you are in Christ so that you won't be deceived by the Antichrist.

This audio discusses the doctrine of Christ's true deity and humanity. The controversy over the blood of Christ is dealt with very briefly.

In this brief message, Pastor Postiff gives a few practical thoughts on how to visit those who are sick and shut-in. Have a pencil and paper ready to jot down a few thoughts so you can be well-prepared to make your next visit.

Although the believers in Thessalonica were suffering persecution, they were NOT in the midst of the Day of the Lord. They had been falsely taught otherwise by someone who caused them a lot of emotional trouble because they believed they had missed the rapture and were going to have to endure an awful time suffering during the Tribulation. Paul exhorted them to stop being deceived and remember back to what he had taught them earlier.

In this message we look at some principles to help us proclaim the Christian faith. The focus today is on the spiritual disability experienced by non-Christians in their thinking. (Portions of the audio that contained audience interaction are omitted in this edition because voices from the audience could not be heard.)

On a recent Sunday morning, Pastor Postiff shared with the children why we should sing in church. We learned three reasons why we should sing in church: (1) Pastor asks you to; (2) God asks you to in the Bible; and (3) It makes God happy. As you might expect, this lesson is good for the adults too!

Pastor Postiff provides some theological instruction on the doctrine of Christ, particularly given more defense of the doctrine of Christ's deity. In short, Christ shares all the attributes of deity with God the Father.

Pastor Postiff gave a children's sermon on the matter of obedience. It might be helpful for your youngster to listen in too!

As often in his letters, Paul reports on his prayers for the believers. He prays that the Christians in Thessalonica will be counted worthy of participating in the future kingdom of God and of the glory of Christ. He prays that God would take the desires for faithful good works in the lives of the believers and fulfill them by His power. And He prays that Christ would be honored in their lives. This message includes some helpful application as to how we make plans to do things for the Lord.

In this message, we finish the study from a week ago by giving some more detail about the several tithes in the Law of Moses.

The Lord Jesus Christ delivers His people from sin and all its effects:

• Physical death – future, through the resurrection.
• Spiritual death – present, through new life given at salvation.
• Physical ailments and diseases – future, in heaven.
• Power and practice of sin – present, through salvation’s transformation and the Spirit’s presence gradually making us more holy.
• Guilt and penalty of sin – present, through forgiveness.
• Presence of sin – future, in heaven.

How He does all these amazing things is the subject of this message. In short, Jesus’ work entirely transforms the person who is saved, and fixes up their sin record or "criminal" record so that there are no more legal grounds for condemnation.

Colossians 2:12-13 teaches that death was defeated by the cross-work and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death was devastated in three departments: the physical death of Jesus was reversed in his physical resurrection; the physical death of the believer in Christ will be reversed at the physical resurrection; and spiritual death is transformed into spiritual life when salvation comes to a non-Christian and turns him or her into a Christian.

Our series this Resurrection weekend has to do with the powerful revelation in Colossians where the Bible speaks of the Christian receiving the Lord through faith and walking confidently in Him. Christians can be confident because they are complete in Him of Whom Scripture says the fullness of the godhead dwells bodily. This complete life is ours in Christ because He defeated Satan, death, and sin in His all-sufficient death at the cross and His super-victory at the tomb. We take these two amazing events as an integral pair, never forgetting that the once-for-all death of Christ was followed shortly by His resurrection.

In the first message, we see what the cross and resurrection did to the powers of evil headed by Satan. The church shared the Table of the Lord after this message.

In this message, Pastor Postiff explains how the Christian is not under the tithing requirement of the Old Testament. The tithe system was not a simple 10% rule for the Old Testament Jew, but consisted of several different tithes that had different purposes. This message and the next will help you to understand these factors as you consider your own stewardship over the money God has granted to you.

With the help of last week’s sermon, we are ready to tackle a challenging portion of the Bible. It is a challenge because it talks about persecutions and tribulations, and attributes to them a useful purpose that God wishes to accomplish in us. God does judge Christians, but it also sets unbelievers in their place, essentially swapping the present situation of troubler and troubled so that the persecutor now will receive punishment later, and the troubled now will receive relief later.

There are several important terms in the Bible that describe the pastoral office in the church. They are overseer or bishop (episkopos), shepherd or pastor (poimen), elder or presbyter (presbuteros), teacher (didaskolos, and preacher (kerux). It is debated whether these terms are used to refer tot he same office. This message demonstrates that the first three terms are basically synonymous as to the office they describe, describing different facets of the same office in the church. So, pastor = elder = overseer.

Paul extols the Thessalonians as an example to other churches because of their patient faith in the midst of deep trials. Then, to lay the ground work for a more in-depth study of verses 5-10, Pastor Postiff teaches about the uncomfortable truths that God permits suffering in the lives of Christians and that He even judges Christians during their lives.

Our mid-week study in the Old Testament sacrificial system continues with a study of the sin offering, with special attention to the definition of the unintentional sin.

An interesting subject in the general area of ecclesiology is whether the Bible requires a plurality of elders in a local church. That is, should a church have more than one pastor? Should there be multiple elders? The Biblical answer is that one elder or pastor is required in each local church, and the local church may have more than one pastor, but it is not required to have more than one. (Certain portions of this recording are cut out where an audience member asked a question and as a result there was a lengthy period of silence.)

A new expository sermon series in 2 Thessalonians begins with this message introducing the city of Thessalonica, its people, Paul's second missionary journey and the church plant that happened there, and the trying circumstances that the young church faced in its first years of existence. The apostle explains his obligation to thank God for what happened there with the Thessalonians growing in faith and love. Paul had taught them and prayed that they would increase in those characteristics, and they did. They are a great model for any church today.

In our theology series, Pastor Postiff continues teaching the Christian doctrine of Jesus Christ. This week we focus on texts that explicitly declare His deity. Jesus is the Lord, worthy of our worship and praise, co-equal with the Father in deity.

Missionary Jack Mitchell shares his burden for local and global outreach of the church for the sake of the gospel of Christ. There is a command for outreach, there are people that are do the outreach, there are people who need the outreach, and there is the time for outreach. In every place, missionaries are desperate for help. Churches and their pastors are desperate for help. What are you doing about that?

Our sermon series ends with this message in which we learn how Jude praises God with one of the most pointed and powerful doxologies in the Bible. God is able to keep the believer from stumbling. God causes the believer, moreover, to stand before Him. God is our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. And God is the glorious King of the Universe. There is no one like the Triune God worshipped by Christians.

Jack Mitchell shares how God led the ministry to Benin, Africa and about the ministry there and in the Philippines.

We study together, around the Table, what it means to participate at the Table in a worthy manner.

Jude tells us that a key way to contend for the faith is to be involved in rescuing the lost. The unsaved come in various shapes and sizes, as it were. Some are confused, some are further down the path of ungodliness, and others are totally invested in the ungodly lifestyle they have been taught. Our job is to have compassion, save some, and show mercy mixed with fear toward them.

Pastor Postiff continues the series of studies in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, dealing in this message with the matters of the virgin birth, incarnation, and kenosis.

In this message, Pastor Postiff continues his Wednesday series on the OT sacrificial system. The focus of this message is on the burnt offering.