Sermons on The Nature of the Church
Real Faith
The difference between people with faith and those without is night and day; people of faith live with spiritual clarity about the future and encourage one another in spiritual community.
Foundations
No follower of Jesus can be healthy in his or her walk with God without a healthy connection to the local church.
Give Truth
We must encourage and exhort one another every day so that each person in our church family finishes life with a good, believing heart.
The Shepherd’s Authority
In this message from Deuteronomy 31, Dr. Daniel Bennett (Senior Pastor of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois) teaches about the limited, temporary and fragile nature of the authority given to church shepherds, and the God-honoring example Moses offers for church leaders today.
Moms in the Church
Pursuing godliness calls us to take responsibility for the spiritual support, encouragement and improvement of others in our local church. In this message from Titus 2:1-8, Pastor Ritch explains the Biblical call to mothers in the local church to commit to serving women in the church.
Loving Our Neighbor
Devotion to God leads us love our neighbor as ourselves. Love is the beginning, middle and end of our obedience to God. If we love God and love our neighbor truly, we do not need any other command.
Stirring Up Love through Financial Gifts
In this message from 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Pastor Ritch teaches that God loves cheerful givers because He loves to be glorified through our thanksgiving. God does not delight in our giving as an act in and of itself, but rather God delights in our cheerful giving. He is not just concerned with what we give, but in how we give.
Stirring Up Love Through Encouragement
Love for our own local church family is a central mark of Christ-following discipleship. No one faithfully follows Jesus without loving their own local church. God advances His Name through His local church, so let us live in ways that spurs the local church to health.