Scripture Readings: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Ps. 124; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50 Sermon by Ted Johnston from James 5:13-20 Drawing from commentary by Warren Wiersbe (Bible Exposition Commentary), Peter H. Davids (New Bible Commentary) and Luke Timothy Johnson (James, Anchor Bible). Let Us Pray! Introduction In today’s reading in the Epistles, James, the half-brother of … Continue reading "Sermon for September 30, 2018" Read the article
Scripture Readings: Prov. 31:10-11; Ps. 54; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 Sermon by Martin Manuel from Mark 9: 30-37: Prov. 31:10; Prov. 9:10; James 3:13-16 Restoring Humility to our Humanity Introduction Though we all possess the corrupt, fallen human nature that resulted from Adam and Eve’s rejection of God, there is good news: The eternal … Continue reading "Sermon for September 23, 2018" Read the article
Scripture Readings: Prov. 1:20-23; Ps. 116:1-9; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38 Sermon by Lance McKinnon from James 3:1-12 A Word Fitly Spoken In his epistle, James, the half brother of Jesus, begins by seeking to strengthen the faith of Christians going through difficult trials. Then in the section of the letter covered in today’s reading, he … Continue reading "Sermon for September 16, 2018" Read the article
Scripture Readings: Isa. 35:4-7; Ps. 146; James 2:1-13, 14-17; Mark 7:24-37 Sermon by Linda Rex from Mark 7 and Isaiah 35 Hearing and Speaking the Word Introduction Stories about animals that talk and understand humans are fun and fascinating for children and adults alike. Perhaps that’s because God created us for relationship. We see our … Continue reading "Sermon for September 9, 2018" Read the article
Scripture Readings: Deut. 4:1-2, 6-9; Ps. 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Sermon by Sheila Graham from Deuteronomy 4, Mark 7 and James 1 (drawing from the Expositor's Bible Commentary) Embracing True Freedom Introduction According to popular legend, just over 500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, German priest and theologian Martin Luther defiantly nailed … Continue reading "Sermon for September 2, 2018" Read the article
Kid’s Korner this month is from Georgia McKinnon. It’s the time of year when churches may want to offer a “Back-to-School Blessing” event for the kids (children and teens) and teachers in their congregation and target community. If you’ve never held an event like this, you may wonder what one would look like. Or you … Continue reading "Kids Korner: Back-to-School Blessing" Read the article
In recent travels visiting GCI conferences and congregations around the world, I’ve been addressing our vision for Healthy Church. A key aspect of realizing that vision is having in place within each of our congregations what we call the “faith, hope & love avenues”—places where, by the Spirit, church health emerges. Below is our Team … Continue reading "Healthy Church: Faith, Hope & Love Avenues" Read the article
By Ted Johnston, GCI Publications Editor As Greg Williams mentions in his letter, with this issue of Equipper, we’ve begun a series examining the related topics of worldview conversion and whole-life discipleship. In this article I’ll help lay the foundation for the series by addressing what worldview is and why it matters a great deal. Stated … Continue reading "Worldview Conversion: What and Why" Read the article
By Gary Deddo, President, Grace Communion Seminary Sadly, some Christians embrace the non-biblical belief that if they have sufficient faith, God will not allow them to suffer severe trials. This erroneous belief is part of a false gospel called the “prosperity gospel” or, sometimes, the “health and wealth gospel.” It not only places huge burdens … Continue reading "God’s Answer to Suffering" Read the article
By Rick Shallenberger, GCI-USA Regional Pastor This is number 9 in Rick's series on leadership. For other articles in the series, click a number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. I’ve had some great bosses in the many jobs I’ve had over the years. I’ve also had some not-so-great ones. Some seemed to bend over … Continue reading "On Leadership: Power Test" Read the article
