The Devil's Great Commission
When someone says they believe in Jesus, we can’t presume it’s the real Jesus. False teachers are proclaiming many different versions of Jesus to give people what they want to hear—and lead them away from the Truth. This is Satan’s commission. In this lesson from 2 John, Pastor Davey unpacks John’s warning about the deceptive messages being spread (as true now as it was then), equipping us to identify the false teachers so prevalent today.
How to Keep From Growing Cold
Can love be commanded? Isn’t it a “feeling†that’s out of our control? According to Scripture, Christians are, in fact, commanded to love one another with a divine agape love—love that is choice, love that overcomes feelings. In these verses, the Apostle John defines agape love as obedience to God’s will. Here, Pastor Davey expounds upon this truth, describing how walking in love keeps our hearts from growing cold toward others and toward God.
Wearing the Dust of the Savior
Today, as it was in the Garden of Eden, the enemy chips away at God’s truth through patient erosion—he tweaks and adapts it until what is believed is no truth at all. Therefore, it’s not surprising that our current culture embraces so many lies. As parents, our goal is that our children choose to walk in truth, and this lesson from 2 John calls us to be encouraged when they are…and to keep praying when they’re not.
When Nothing Seems to Last
In our culture of moral relativism, “truth†is often defined as “yours†or “mineâ€â€”but it’s never absolute. However, as Believers, we can rest in the knowledge that there is a Divinely determined truth. In this lesson, Pastor Davey looks to the words of the Apostle John to remind us that Christ-followers are bound together by our love for truth. And, despite the waxing and waning cultural norms, truth endures forever, transforming us through its mercy, grace and peace.
A Letter to a Lady
Even in the salutation of the Apostle John’s Second Letter, he offers profound words of encouragement to the anonymous woman to whom he is writing. He calls her “chosen.” His letter’s opening reminds this woman that she and her children have not been forgotten, and they are loved—by John and the Lord. Whatever our circumstances or challenges, let us remember who we are in Christ and stand firm on the promises of God.
Question and Answer Program No. 61
Stephen and Scott discuss questions phoned in by listeners. Please note that there is NO transcript available for this program.
A Gallery of Grace
In typical fashion, Paul wraps up his letter to the Romans by greeting and thanking diverse individuals who are worthy of affirmation. But before they get too big-headed, Paul reminds them that God is the One who really deserves the credit. The gallery of our faith is just a hall in the greater gallery of God's grace.
Surviving Vanity Fair
At one point in John Bunyan's famous work, "A Pilgrim's Progress," Pilgrim and his friend travel through a town called "Vanity Fair." The town is a lot like yours and mine: materialistic, self-absorbed, pleasure-seeking, and God-rejecting. Temptation was lurking around every corner. In this message Stephen asks us to consider how well we are surviving the onslaught of temptation that surrounds us every day in our own Vanity Fair. In Bunyan's allegory, Pilgrim's friend didn't make it out alive. Will you?
We Interrupt This Letter
In Romans 16:17-18, the Apostle Paul interrupts his letter of commendation to warn the Church about false teachers. It's a warning as relevant to us today as it was to those Christians in Rome. So let's join Stephen in this message as he gives us the marks of a false teacher.
The Hall of Faith
There's a hall of fame for just about everything nowadays. There's a basketball hall of fame, a bicycling hall of fame, a nurses hall of fame, an aviation hall of fame, a quilters hall of fame; and the list goes on and on! In Romans chapter 16, however, we discover that God has a hall of fame as well. But unlike our worldly displays, the heroes in God's hall are not praised for great feats of strength, brilliance, or artistry. They are honored for their service and humility. So let's join Stephen now as he shows us a few of the people on display.