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The Return of the King-1 Samuel 16. 

David was taken from tending the sheep and made the king of Israel. Likewise, Jesus was placed in a manger because there was no room at the inn. The comparisons do not stop with the humble beginnings.

God promised to send a prophet like Moses to instruct and lead the people. Jesus filled this role in many ways.

Melchizedek is one of the lesser known characters in the Bible. Yet he plays an important role in the foreshadowing of the new covenant using the symbols of bread and wine and also the non-Levitical priestly office of Jesus.

What does it mean to be the church of the New Testament? Examining our roots. 

God promised Abraham (Abram) some very lofty things. One promise was that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his bloodline. This promise took over 2,000 years to be completed, but God was faithful to His promises.

The gospel can be summed up in 1 chapter--Genesis 3. In the midst of mankind's rebellion and passing out judgments to all guilty parties, God promised that He would fix the consequences of sin and repair man's relationship with God.

Prophecy and prophecy fulfillment play a big part in the Bible. These both show God's love for mankind and His unwavering faithfulness to His promises.

God will accomplish His plans through His people or in spite of them. Samson chose to focus on arrogance and vengeance instead of glorifying God with his life. Samson's life came to a tragic, arrogant end as he died with the very people he wanted to destroy.
 

Samson's arrogance led him to believe he was invincible and ignore God's guidelines. As a result, Samson spent far too much time in enemy territory leading to his eventual capture.

Sin always affects more than one person. This can easily be seen in Samson's life. His unrepentant sin led creative vengeance, unnecessary deaths, and an ongoing cycle of revenge. Judges 15

Samson's arrogance led unforeseen consequences--the death of 30 "innocent" bystanders and the loss of the wife he loved. Judges 14

God intended for Israel to remain ethnically pure to help them stay faithful to Him. Israel ignored this command and thus had trouble keeping their agreement with God. God worked through Israel's insolence to begin delivering His people.

Israel was once again doing evil in God's sight. God had a plan to deliver His people from the Philistines. The plan began with making a visit to Manoah and his wife.

The New Testament uses a number of sports metaphors to talk about the importance of spiritual training. We are in a war against Satan, and we must get and stay ready at all times.

When Jephthah was preparing for war, he made a very impulsive vow to God that cost him more than he bargained for.

Listen as Jeff Hostetter tells about the missionary work he and his family have been doing for 33 years.

When people think about the deliverers in Judges, bloodshed and war are often the 1st thing they think about. Jephthah tried a different tact when dealing with the king of Ammon. He sought peace first.

Wheel of worms. Join us as we examine various topics which are often glossed over.

Jephthah was an outcast until the elders of the city needed his help. He chose to rescue them even though they did not deserve it. Sin made us outcasts but God chose to rescue us even though we did not deserve it.

As Gideon was preparing for what against Midian, God did something unthinkable. He had Gideon send troops home--TWICE!!! After that, God did something amazing. He took 300 men and won a decisive victory! Insurmountable odds were not so insurmountable.

Before Gideon went off to war, he ran a couple of tests. He wasn't seeking to manipulate God, but he wanted to be sure he was doing what YaHWeH wanted him to do.

Love and Respect 3

Love and Respect 2

Love and Respect 1

Listen as Dave Stewart explains the role of the Christian husband and wife 

Guest speaker, Dave Stewart, presents a lesson on the compassion of Christ

In order to be able to serve God well, we have to be willing cleanse the sin and idolatry out of our lives. Gideon's 1st assignment was to pull down his family's altar to Baal and Asherah.

Gideon wanted to know why God was not performing miracles to deliver the Israelites from Midian oppression. God turned the question around and asked Gideon why he had not done anything to deliver the people!

God is able to use unlikely characters to accomplish His Will. God used of a prophetess, a reluctant leader, and a nomadic housewife to rescue Israel in Judges 4. This week , we will be examining this amazing story of deliverance and God's use of Deborah, Barak, and Jael.

God has used a number of colorful characters throughout history to accomplish His Will and discipline His people. Some of these were people of renown but some were considered disgrace to Israel possibly like Ehud, God's left-handed assassin. Today, we will be looking at God's use of Ehud to deliver Israel from its foreign captor. 

Obedience has always mattered to God. The Israelites found out the hard way that disobeying God would not only lead them away from Him but start a nasty reoccurring cycle of rebellion, slavery, repentance, deliverance, and prosperity. Rinse and repeat. Today, we will be looking at Judges 1-2 to see what happens when God's people ignore Him.

 After Peter told the people they crucified God's Chosen Messiah, he told them how to be forgiven of all their sins. Some believed, obeyed, and were baptized. Some did not. The believers formed a new community dedicated to Jesus and each other. Today, we will be looking at the beginning of the church in Acts 2:40-47. 

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowd that Jesus' death was no accident but rather it was foretold centuries before. He also informed them that they were responsible for the death of God's Messiah. Today, we will be looking at Peter's sermon recorded in Acts 2:22-39.

 In the Old Testament, Joel prophesied about a time when God's Spirit would be poured out on all mankind. The Pentecost after Jesus ascended back to Heaven, God fulfilled this promise. We will be looking at this event recorded in Acts 2:1-21. 

 Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for "what the Father had promised." While they waited, they devoted themselves to prayer and reflected on what had happened. Today, we will be looking at the events in the upper room recorded in Acts 1

After Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to many witnesses and then was taken back into Heaven. As He was ascending, two men (angels) told the apostles that Jesus would return. Today we willing be looking at this event. 

Thankfully, the crucifixion of Jesus was not the end of the story. Jesus even told the religious leaders the resurrection was coming when He told them He would give them only one more sign--the Sign of Jonah. 

Horrifying Salvation—The Crucifixion Detailed.
Kevin Smith. Jesus' crucifixion is often idealized, but was a horrible and gruesome event. Examining the details of the crucifixion that offered salvation to all mankind is an eye-opening and disturbing experienced.  PDF here. 

Musical Instruments and Unity
Lucas Necessary takes us through an examination of musical instruments in the New Testament—it's incredibly fast-paced due to time constraints, so  check out the slide show attached for the information you'll need. This controversial class was designed to help us better understand unity, the apostle Paul, and Christ. This is a multi-part series. Please see the following resources:
-Slideshow.
-Review notes on Paul and animal sacrifices. 
-Personal questions from class.
-Class notes and questions. 

Death and Taxes! Luke 20.
Kevin Smith. When the previous attempt to question Jesus' authority did not work, the Jewish leaders turned to nationalism and the people's wallet. They had Jesus caught in a catch 22...or so they thought.

Who Do You Think You Are? Luke 20.
Kevin Smith. Evidence has always demanded a verdict. When the Jewish leaders questioned Jesus' identity, they refused to consider the evidence surrounding Jesus' response. As a result He refused to answer.

Drastic Times, Drastic Measures—Spring Cleaning—John 2
Kevin Smith. Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. The Jews were abusing God's temple. What did Jesus do about it? It was a whip cracking, table flipping good time!

What's Unity? How Far Would You Go?
Lucas Necessary asks, "What is Christian unity? How far would you go to preserve it? What is it based on?"  This might be less comfortable for us today than for the apostle Paul who went to great lengths to preserve it 2000 years ago. 

You Don't Have to Do This—Luke 4
Kevin Smith. Satan is sneaky good at convincing people to take the easy way out of a difficult situation. He even attempted to convince Jesus that His mission on earth could be achieved without the cross.

Animal Sacrifices and the Christians Who Made Them
Lucas Necessary leads an uncomfy (maybe?) class!  Did you know that Paul made animal sacrifices...AS A CHRISTIAN? Did you know that it was to bring about unity among Christians? He even took Nazarite vows. What does this tell us? 

Are you trying to run a faithful, spiritual race? There are some things you need to know to be successful. Today we will be examining some of the "Rules of the Race."  Download PDF Here

If you knew you weren't going to see some very good friends for a very long time if ever again in this life, what would you want them to remember about you? The Apostle Paul faced this issue and stressed his faithfulness to God.  We will be looking at his last meeting with the Ephesian elders. Download PDF here

Our first comedy podcast of the year! Kevin Smith asks, "What's your goal for 2016?" If you want to be pleasing to God, He has a goal in mind for you. He wants you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind! Download the funny version of Romans 12 here. 

Lucas Necessary and the congregation have a discussion on musical instruments, Ephesians 5, the REASON for the saints assembling, and faith. How can we better spread faith? What does faith mean? You'll find out here.