Playlist: World, Influence of (topic)
The Christian and the World (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe entire world is antagonistic to God because of the spirit generated by an unseen ruler. Our Christian duty is to stay awake and keep our guard up.
In Search of a Clear World View (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The apostle John warns us to be vigilant about the world, not loving its attitudes, mindsets, and frame of mind. We cannot both love the world and love God.
The World (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur intimate fellowship should not be with the world, but be concentrated upon God and those who have made the Covenant, loving them as we would ourselves.
John 3:16: Does God Really Love the World?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod does not love everybody equally. Nowhere does He tell us to prefer the ungodly world. Though He tells us to love our enemies, but not to be affectionate.
The New World Order Rises
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The Beast is a reality, and it is coming to pass in the scope of globalism. Satan has a vast reservoir of people he can work through; we used to be a part of it.
Conforming to This World
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIt is far easier to conform to the world than to Christ. We must yield to God to renew our minds, living in the spirit rather than in the flesh.
In Search of a Clear World View (Part Four)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Satan can fine-tune the course of this world (Zeitgeist), customizing it depending on whom he may seek to murder. We need to be thinking and vigilant.
Success in This World
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe must invest in our own self-improvement and preparation, continually striving against stagnation and deterioration, and the powerful pulls of the world.
In Search of a Clear World View (Part Three)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Each member has been gifted by Christ. We must not go beyond the gifts that have been given to us, but must use them humbly, employing them to edify.
How Easily Influenced Are You?
Commentary by Martin G. CollinsWe are all susceptible to evil influences, which encourage us to compromise. Each time we act righteously, we increase our ability to resist temptation.
Political Correctness In Spades (Part One)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Having been intimidated into conforming for the sake of social acceptance, those duped into political correctness deny both logic and reality.
What's in the Bucket? (Part Four)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, considered the black race inferior, and sought a way to reduce it. The black population is beginning to die out.
Submitting to Sin?
Sermonette by John W. RitenbaughWe must analyze and evaluate everything that enters our minds from the media sources that primarily promote a leftist, secular humanist agenda.
Christianity Is a Fight! (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe must avoid following the negative examples of our forbears. We have been enlisted into spiritual warfare on three fronts: the heart, the world, and Satan.
Points of Reference
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityAncient mariners recognized they were off course due to stormy weather, unlike those of us today who may be unaware that we are off course on our journey.
Friends
Sermonette by Craig SablichGod's people should not waste their time on entertainments dedicated to spreading Satan's lies, but rather turn their attention to pure and wholesome things.
What's So Bad About Babylon? (2013) (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Babylon is a system, virtually irresistible to the carnal mind, appealing to ambition and self-centeredness. It is far greater than any church institution.
Unequally Yoked?
Sermonette by Bill OnisickWe are greatly influenced by whomever we spend the most time; we become like those with whom we associate.
Communication and Coming Out of Babylon (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod commands us to come out of Babylon, giving us spiritual resources to do so, including faith, vision, hope, and love. These come through knowing Him.
Communication and Coming Out of Babylon (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughAll of us are influenced by the culture of the world, guided and inspired by the prince of the power of the air. Satan has deceived the whole world.
Laodiceanism
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur love for beauty must be coupled with love for righteousness and holiness. Our relationship with Christ must take central place in our lives, displacing all else.
Faith (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe example of Lot's wife teaches us that God does not want us to maintain close associations with the world because it almost inevitably leads to compromise.
Childrearing (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughOur children internalize our values; we teach largely by example. If we do not take seriously the responsibility for rearing our children, somebody else will.
You Shall Call Your Walls Salvation
Sermonette by Martin G. CollinsAt the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, when the frightened Israelites had their backs to the Red Sea, Moses commanded them not to fear, but to stand still and to witness God's deliverance as the walls of the Red Sea protected God's emancipated slaves. A similar set of watery walls emerged, allowing Joshua to bring the Israelites …
Frequencies
Sermon by Ryan McClureHuman bodies have frequencies and react to incoming frequencies. As we live in the Babylonian system, Satan's frequencies penetrate into our nervous systems.
For the Children
Sermon by David C. GrabbeFor too many youths, God's way of life is not real because their parents are not fully convicted, but merely express a lukewarm preference for God's truth.
What Spirit Are You Drinking?
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamDuring the pagan holiday season, the world becomes intoxicated, both deadening its senses physically and spiritually to God's purpose and master plan.
How Far Have We Fallen? (Part Four)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Respect for God is declining all over the world. Even in the scattered Church of God, an increasing casualness threatens to detract from respect for God.
Its All the Rage
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The mercurial fads in fashion and music have a lot to do with what the Germans refer to as Zeitgeist - or the spirit of the times or spirit of the age.
Dating (Part 2): The Proper Order of Things
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMany singles have found dating in the church difficult, consequently turning to the world for companionship, courting dangerous consequences.
What's So Bad About Babylon? (2003) (Part 1)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe world's political, religious, economic, and cultural systems pose a danger to God's people, but God wants us to work out His plan within the Babylonian system.
Maintaining Good Health (Part 12)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe church of God today resembles a patient languishing from a deadly disease, resulting from a diet of spiritual junk food and neglecting the bread of life.
What's So Bad About Babylon? (2013) (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Babylon's way is the culture of the Western world, having the same religious, economic, and political systems, enslaving people to the state.
The March Toward Globalism (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The cat has been let out of the bag in terms of plans to establish a New World Order, possibly the precursor or foundation for the Beast of Revelation.
Are You Being Brainwashed? (Part 1)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe must embrace the fruits of the Spirit, preferring God's truth to the deceitful spin, brainwashing, and doublespeak of the world's institutions.
Foundations of Sand
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe all have a measure of sand in our foundations, symbolic of the world's evil standards, prioritizing badly, becoming neglectful, and letting things slip.
To Him Who Overcomes (Part One)
Sermonette by Levi W. GrahamOnce we are baptized, the law begins to come alive, helping us see what God defines as sin so that we can strive to overcome our former lives.
Stuff
Sermonette by Mike FordEverybody has the carnal habit of accumulating stuff, cluttering up both our physical surroundings, as well as the inner chambers of our minds.
The March Toward Globalism (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Self-will must be extirpated from our children; God's will must take its place. Childrearing must begin at the start of a child's formative life.
Freedom, Liberty, and Bondage
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Grace places limits on our freedom, training us for the Kingdom of God. Our behavior must be clearly distinguishable from the non-believers in society.
Is the United States a Christian Nation? (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)In evaluating the dubious fruits of a false minister, we must realize that belief and conduct are inextricably linked and the linkage must be with God's Word.
Letters to Seven Churches (Part Five): Thyatira
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Thyatira epistle carries a central theme for all seven churches, namely the tendency to syncretize or mix worldly ideas with the truth of God.
Darts
Sermon by John O. ReidWe must put on the full armor of God to stand against the demonic principalities, an army of 1/3 of the angels, bent on the destruction of God's elect.
Matthew (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Jesus resisted Satan with the knowledge of God, resisting appeals to vanity, using power selfishly resisting to lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.
Hope in Christ Purifies Us
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe must remember that hope is sure, but we must wait patiently for God's plan for us to unfold. In the meantime, we purify ourselves of corruption.
The March Toward Globalism (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Parents have incrementally abandoned the responsibility of disciplining their children. Satan has taken over the responsibility through his matrix.
What to Do in Babylon
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)There is nothing to be desired in the Babylonish system, but we can grow spiritually in spite of the downward pulls.
Deuteronomy (Part 7)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughSanctification is an incremental process in which we systematically destroy the sin within us as our forebears were asked to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan.
Handwriting on the Wall: Without Natural Affection
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughNarcissism and self-centeredness have snuffed out out-going concern, and everyone does what is right in their own eyes as the love of many grows cold.
God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur carnal nature's desire to satisfy an addictive self-centeredness can eventually overrule the Christian's loyalty to God and His commandments.
What's So Bad About Babylon? (2013) (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Because Babylon is a system, we cannot physically flee it. We have to flee by keeping our minds clean from the customs, traditions, and cultural influences.
Laodiceanism and Being There Next Year
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur biggest danger at this time is to be lured into spiritual drunkenness by the pagan Babylonian system. Our God is not what we say we worship but whom we serve.
Intensity is Increasing: Are You Listening?
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)It is far more important for God's called-out ones to be ready than to know the time of Christ's return, an event to which even He is not privy.
God's Perseverance With His Saints (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe seriously err if we rely on the secular media to give us spiritual understanding. God sends strong delusion to those who do not love the truth.
Remaining Unleavened
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughOur carnal natures must be displaced by God's Holy Spirit, motivating us to refrain from causing offense, but freely forgiving others as God has forgiven us.
The Fifth Teacher
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeCorinth had four positive teachers, yet a mysterious fifth teacher was also influencing them and instilling beliefs that were the source of all the bad fruit.
Knowing God: Formality and Customs (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the matter of godly standards for dress, we must adopt the humble, childlike, sincere, unassuming, and teachable attitude, loving God intimately.
Our Faith Is the Victory
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWhile the carnal mindset is hostile to everything in God's word, we have been provided a gift to enable us to overcome: the faith from being born of God.
WHAT?! Me Submit to Someone Else?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsSubmitting is repugnant to the carnal mind. The church is no place for uncompromising people who demand their own way.
Confronting the Field of Battle
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe must put on the entire armor of God, not just the defensive parts. We must proactively rather than reactively assume out part in the spiritual battle.
Letters to Seven Churches (Part Eight): Overcoming
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEach of the letters in Revelation 2 and 3 speak of overcoming. By examining those churches, we can understand what we are up against and what we must do.
Hebrews: Its Background (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The frightful conditions during the 1st century are typical of the times ahead. To weather these circumstances, we need the encouragement of Hebrews.
A Leader in Every Man!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAs Joshua felt fearful at assuming leadership, most men also feel the same trepidation, but God Almighty has placed in their DNA the ability to lead.
How Much Leaven Can God Take?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe tares and wheat must coexist until the harvest when the fruit will become clearly seen, at which time a separation and judgment will take place.
God and Reality
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWhat God puts us through is designed to reveal reality to us. Accepting His doctrine without looking for loopholes will keep us true.
The Wisdom of Men and Faith
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe pressures and conflicts that the church has undergone is part of the spirit of the time that has embroiled religious and political institutions worldwide.
Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 6)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughChrist emphasizes that the internal, weightier matters, which change the heart, take precedence over external ceremonial concerns that don't change the heart.
Lessons From First-Century Christianity
Sermon by David C. GrabbeEven though the believers of the first century experienced extraordinary events, because of entropy, their zeal atrophied after the shockwaves dissipated.
Hope to the End (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The church must forcefully deal with the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness or it too will succumb to the terrifying vortex of despair.
Who Are We and Where Do We Fit (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God has placed us all in the body where it has pleased Him. We dare not imitate Satan by letting self-centered goals eclipse God's purpose.
Conscience (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughA conscience can only function according to what it knows, and will automatically adjust in the way it is exercised. Conscience follows conduct.
Four Warnings (Part Four): Founded on the Rock
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughMixing the solid foundation of Christ's teachings with the sand of worldly philosophies and traditions ends in calamity. We must build on the Rock.
Think on These Things
Sermon by Mark SchindlerThe epistle of Philippians contains some valuable advice to God's people today, having suffered some grievous trials which have bonded them together.
Make Sure of Your Focus!
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughDistractions produce a movement toward randomness and confusion, seriously endangering one's calling. We must sharpen our focus on God and His purpose.
Increased With Goods
Sermonette by James BeaubelleThe Laodicean congregation had a penchant toward materialism, which sidetracked them from their primary goal of following Christ.
The Reset
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityThe World Economic Forum, has been conspiring for years to establish a globalist New World Order, revamping all the world's institutions.
Keeping Our Focus Through Stormy Seas
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingDistractions of any type may cause us to shift our attention from our Creator, as Jesus' disciples did on that stormy night in the Sea of Galilee.
Check Your Culture
Commentary by Richard T. RitenbaughGod's people living in America must prioritize God's Commandments over the U.S. Constitution and over American culture. We have a heavenly citizenship.
The Answer is in the Bucket (Part Six)
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughAmericans once held high ethical standards. However, America has egenerated into a cultural cesspool, now providing a poor example for the rest of the world.
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part Seven)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe letters to the seven churches of Revelation warn of losing our first love, heeding false teachers, compromising God's Truth, and forgetting right doctrine.
Drifting
Sermonette by Bill OnisickHebrews warns us to resist the pernicious pulls of the world and the flesh that cause us to spiritually drift, particularly pride and double-mindedness.
Indifference and Offering
Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Herbert Armstrong used his advertising skill to teach the truth of God, unlike the peddlers of the 'Prosperity' gospel who promise material blessings.
The W's and H's of Meditation (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David F. MaasMeditating on God's Law produces profound peace and vivid memory. Meditation fosters tranquility, safeguarding the integrity of our emerging spiritual body.
Tolerance
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamTolerating perversion in our midst will attract the wrath of Almighty God. Tolerance of evil out of political correctness is not an option for us.
His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)As the lives of the major biblical figures were predestined, so are our lives. God chooses, moves, and manages the lives of His servants.
The Great Divide
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityResentment unresolved can make us physically and spiritually sick. It raises havoc with our nervous system as well as jeopardizes our salvation.
The Parable of the Leaven, Expanded
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBitterness divides one member of Christ's Body from another. Individuals often look for a 'doctrinal' reason to justify leaving a congregation.
In the Wake of An Unnatural Disaster (Part Six)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Ezekiel's prophecies are unfolding right now. The haughtiness with which modern Judah and Israel embrace immorality makes Sodom appear moral in comparison.
Mightier Than the Sword (Part Three)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Jesuit-educated Rene Descartes never embraced religion, but instead apostatized by setting his own experience as his parameters of creation.
How Much Longer Do We Have?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeWhen Christ returns, we cannot be at odds with Him at all, but must have been attending to the salvation process, putting our spiritual houses in order.
Overcoming Hypocrisy
Sermonette by Bill OnisickWe are continually in danger of being deceived by our carnal nature, a nature which distracts us from following God, even though we go through the motions.
The 'Nones' One More Time
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The Americans who check 'None' when asked about religious affiliation have swarmed onto the American body politic, inflicting harmful, progressive thought.
Passionate Patience
Sermon by Mark SchindlerWhile waiting for Christ's return and overcoming our carnal minds, we must struggle to connect with God's will and purpose, developing passionate patience.
Corinthian Parallels to Sodom
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughI Corinthians is a practical manual for surviving in a Sodom-like culture, guarding against the corrosive aspects of our perverted culture and its excesses.
Vision (Part One)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables is a poignant reminder of the personal devastation that comes from not committing to a long-term vision of a good life.
Maintaining Good Health (Part 11)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughHuman nature takes chances, assuming the day of reckoning will come later, not sooner. We cannot ignore truth or God's laws without paying a horrific price.
Hebrews: A Message for Today
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe book of Hebrews provides reasons to recapture flagging zeal, focusing on the reason for our hope and faith, establishing Christ's credentials.
What Does God Really Want? (Part 6)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod provides the gift before it is actually needed so that when it is needed, everything is prepared for the person to do as he has been commissioned to do.
Globalism and the Wisdom of Men
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe disintegration of the Catholic Church and the greater church of God have eerie parallels. We must seek the wisdom of God rather than the wisdom of men.
Four Views of Christ (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the typology of the four living creatures (Revelation 4:6-8) lies the foundation for understanding the gospels as four representations of the same Life.
Revelation 10 and the Laodicean Church
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughRevelation 10 and 11 describe a time before the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, a time when the last of the seven thunders rumbles to a faint whimper.
Matthew (Part Twelve)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughTo establish sound doctrine, we must build on the foundation Christ's teaching, taking the straight and narrow course rather than the wisdom of this world.