Rediscover the Practice of the Early Church (NTRF.org)

A homeless man entered our church building, then left. I didn't interact with him; I didn't even know he had been there. Yet, when I later entered the area, I immediately knew it. The area he had been in reeked. He was gone, but his "aroma" lingered. So too, Timothy stopped the false teaching, but the impact of their stinky doctrine remained. Paul prescribed prayer as the air freshener.

My goal in this lesson was not to squeeze every jot and tittle of truth out of the text. To do so might be to obscure the forest because of the trees. Instead, my purpose was to help believers ferret-out the big picture of the chapter. Aside from the introduction, there are four main paragraphs (ESV). We'll try to get the main point of each one, and how they fit together. So, here it is, in all it's unedited, participatory glory!

Preaching is not a casual task—it is a divine charge given in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will one day judge every soul. In this expositional message from 2 Timothy 4:1–2, we will discover the sacred responsibility, reverence, and urgency with which pastors are called to proclaim God's Word, and how we as a church must respond to it.

In a world filled with confusion and compromise, the Word of God remains our unshakable foundation. Hear this sermon to explore the transformative power of Scripture—how it shapes lives, strengthens leaders, and equips the church for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Discover why Scripture is not only inspired but also essential and life-giving for every aspect of Christian living.

A Christian author remarked, "We have become perhaps the most emotionally exhausted, psychologically overworked, and spiritually malnourished people in history." The remedy to survive in the busyness of life is to also get busy with God. This message provides insights into how believers and pastors can integrate God into their busy lives.

Helga Henry, wife of the renowned theologian Carl F. H. Henry, reminds us that "Christian hospitality is not a matter of choice; it is not a matter of money; it is not a matter of age, social standing, sex, or personality. Christian hospitality is a matter of obedience to God." This message explains the significance of hospitality.

New Covenant Theology, Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology explained and contrasted. .

Baptist theologian JL Dagg wrote: "they (the Apostles) have taught us by example how to organize and govern churches. We have no right to reject their instruction and captiously insist that nothing but positive command shall bind us. Instead of choosing to walk in a way of our own devising, we should take pleasure to walk in the footsteps of those holy men from whom we have received the word of life ... respect for the Spirit by which they were led should induce us to prefer their modes of organization and government to such as our inferior wisdom might suggest." Listen to find out why!

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To view the video, click on the "external link" above ↑ Jesus said church leaders have the same authority as children and slaves, two groups in Roman society with the least authority. Then, to drive the point home, Jesus washed the disciples' feet. What does this tell us about a church leader's management style, or about how decisions are to be made in the church? This lesson explores an ancient leadership style given by Jesus for building consensus.

The Lord's Supper—as practiced by the early church—was designed to create supernatural unity and strong community, to encourage love and good deeds, and promote purity in view of the seconding-coming. Did you know ... • The early church ate the Lord's Supper as a fellowship feast that looked both back to Jesus' death but also forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb? • God confers grace unto unity through the one cup and one loaf? • The Lord's Supper is a second-coming prayer we enact? • The main reason the church met every week was to eat the Lord's Supper? • Communion is to be more of a celebration than a funeral?

To view the video, click on the "external link" above ↑ The Lord's Supper—as practiced by the early church—was designed to create supernatural unity and strong community, to encourage love and good deeds, and promote purity in view of the seconding-coming. Did you know ... • The early church ate the Lord's Supper as a fellowship feast that looked both back to Jesus' death but also forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb? • God confers grace unto unity through the one cup and one loaf? • The Lord's Supper is a second-coming prayer we enact? • The main reason the church met every week was to eat the Lord's Supper? • Communion is to be more of a celebration than a funeral? Click on the external link to view to the video.

To view the video, click on the "external link" above ↑ Do your church meetings qualify as a spectator sport? Discover the biblical alternative in this message, an ideal approach for bi-vocational pastors and small churches.

Eternal Security, Limited Atonement, Five Points of Calvinism, Doctrines of Grace, Synod of Dort

Scripture clearly declares that God's choice, God's election, is based on God's foreknowledge. "Foreknowledge" has two possible meanings: 1. The mental apprehension of events beforehand; to know in advance 2. To love beforehand; to regard with favor beforehand, or to choose beforehand.

In our passage from Hebrews 12, we encounter a startling description of our God as "a consuming fire." This is not a warm, comforting fire on a cold night. No, this is an image of God's terrible holiness and His fierce judgment. This sermon encourages Christians to have a balanced view of God - His comforting grace and consuming judgment. May God build His people through this expositional sermon.

It is a Biblical fact that in eternity past God elected (chose) to save some members of the human race and to let the rest perish. But, what was the basis for God's choice; why did God elect these certain few and no others? People's differences line in WHY God picked who He picked: What was the basis for God's choice? Did God pick you because He foresaw that you would one day believe, or, do you believe because God picked you to believe? Did we come because we were chosen, or were we chosen because we came? Whose choice is causative?

This expositional sermon contrasts the terrifying experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai under the Old Covenant with the glorious privileges believers now have under the New Covenant, including access to the heavenly Jerusalem, the worship of innumerable angels, fellowship with the righteous, and the mediating work of Jesus. The sermon emphasizes the security and hope believers have in Christ even in the face of suffering and persecution.

Episode description not available.

Is Hebrews 12:14 speaking about personal or corporate pursuit of peace and holiness? What kind of bitterness is the author addressing here? What is the point of the author in speaking about sexual immorality, which seems to have no connection to the context? What is the responsibility of believers in the church? This sermon addresses some complex issues of the text with encouraging applications to believers.