Does God care when we're at our lowest point? Can we ever do so much wrong or mess up so bad that God can't forgive us? When God forgives do our actions still have consequences? Is it a sign of weakness to admit when you're wrong? Pastor Mirra follows the story of Manasseh which has much to say to hearts too proud to repent, even when they are brought to really low places in life.
Sirius Taylor talks about a life of character building as we explore the life of Moses. Different experiences in Moses' life caused him to cry out to God. Why is it that we often need to cry out? How is Moses' experience so much like our own as Christians? What can we learn from the lessons of Moses' life?
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? What is the purpose of water baptism? How do we access the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Are there requirements to experiencing the Holy Spirit baptism? What evidences in a person’s life demonstrate being filled with the Spirit? Is it a one time event? Is God really willing to give us the Holy Spirit today?
John Spellman preaches on the true meaning of Christmas. Though Jesus wasn't born on December 25th, the Christian world commemorates His first advent. But why did Jesus come to this world as a baby? What was the purpose of His arrival? What hope is there in the first coming of Jesus for people today? What are we really celebrating in the Christmas season? Was Jesus really the Son of God? Why was He called Immanuel? These questions are explored as we discuss the true meaning of Christmas.
God answers Job after his long speech and asks a series of questions. What is the purpose to God’s questions? When we pray should we expect God to answer back? What did Job learn from God’s response? Can we ever truly accuse God of wrong doing when things in life are not as we might want them? Job learns that God is awesome and that there is so much he doesn’t know. How might this story be a lesson for us when we go through times of hardship and we think God is unfair?
After Job’s friends attempt to comfort him, Elihu jumps into the conversation. Was Job guilty of justifying himself rather than God? How can God be righteous if good people suffer and God permits it? Does God have a purpose in human suffering? Was Job really just and upright? Why did God respond to Satan’s challenge? What does this mean for us today? How is God’s perspective different from the human perspective? Can suffering ever be a good thing?
As Jewish people celebrate the feast of Sukkot, Christians should be reminded of what it meant and what it pointed to in prophecy? What if I told you it had a hidden meaning that was significant for our time today? Was the feast of Tabernacles only a commemoration of freedom from Egyptian bondage? Or was there something it pointed to in the prophetic future and the ministry of Jesus? Why did God want the people to dwell in booths? We will take a brief look at salvation history as good and evil struggle for custody of humanity in the Great Controversy.
John Spellman speaks on Luke 17, focusing on the 10 lepers whom Jesus healed. Of these 10 lepers only 1, a Samaritan, returned to glorify God. What can we learn from this powerful story about our relationship with God. Are we like the 9 lepers who never returned? Or are we like the one that glorified God?
What can we learn about the unseen realm from the story of Job? What is the relationship between what goes on in heaven and what happens here on earth? What can we learn about the war between good and evil? Why did God defend Job against Satan? Who is God as a person? Can we trust God? Why didn’t God destroy the devil right away? What can we know about the Great Controversy from the Bible? What is the mystery of lawlessness? How did Jesus redeem humanity and vindicate the character of God? Why is God on trial?
What are the ways in which we hide from God? How does God get involved in our lives when we run from what He asks us to do? How can our choices impact the lives of others around us? How can God use situations in which we make mistakes to reach others, especially after we have been poor witnesses? Can God use unbelievers to reach backsliden believers? Can the difficulties we face in our lives sometimes be God drawing us back into relationship with Him? Can we be spiritually sleeping while others with less light than we have are more awake than we are?
How are Christians supposed to wait for the second coming of Jesus? What does this waiting time look like? Should they do nothing and be passive as they wait for the master, or are Christians called to do something? What is God’s mission and purpose for the church awaiting His return? What does repentance, revival, reformation, faith, and works have to do with our waiting experience? How did Jesus describe our responsibilities in his farming parables? In what ways do our roles differ and what should be our attitude toward sowing, reaping, and nurturing?
Christians are to seek the peace and prosperity of the cities we live in. How does this peace and prosperity help our mission? How did Paul minister to the needs of the various ethnic groups, cultures, personalities, and languages of his time? Is God really concerned with the hurting and suffering of humanity? What impact should the suffering of others have on believers? What are the different ways people may respond to the gospel and how can the church respond? How did the parable of the sower relate to our end time mission to reach the cities of the world?