The W's and H's of Meditation (Part Three)
Sermon by David F. MaasDavid Maas, reiterating the stark contrast between God's holy character and our inherent carnal nature, contends that developing the daily habit of meditation on God's Word (the very spigot of God's Holy Spirit) can displace that deadly carnal nature, replacing it with Godly character—the mind of God. Because character is …
Giving All Diligence!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, reflecting on the writing of II Peter, a document composed in prison during a time of intense persecution and a time of false teachings which condoned a virulent sexual permissiveness and moral relativity, asserts that this epistle was used to bolster those individuals with flagging faith. Through God's grace we …
An Ounce of Prevention
Sermonette by Bill OnisickBill Onisick, holding a cluster of grapes which had prematurely dried because of a fungus infection, laments that this blight could have been stopped by proactive maintenance rather than reactive maintenance. In Proverbs 24, we read an allegorical portrayal of a vineyard gone to ruin by neglect and laziness. Poverty and …
Elements of Motivation (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughHaving knowledge of God's law is not a guarantee of spiritual success or growth. Only those motivated to use the law will experience growth and produce fruit. The fear of God is the first element of motivation, ranging from reverential awe to stark terror. Fearing God leads to a determination not to bring shame on God's name or …
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, focusing on Proverbs 4:7, maintains that our supreme objective in godly living is attainment and cultivation of wisdom, which consists of attributes giving us skill in living. We learn that the Book of Ecclesiastes has no meaning for someone not called of God, relegating it as an epistle of despair from one of …
Indistractable
Commentary by Bill OnisickSocial media, text messages, e-mails, websites and blogs are competing for our time, eroding our attention spans and exhausting our ability to concentrate.
Resistance (Part Two): Solutions
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh continues his exposé of artistic and spiritual resistance, an analogy derived from Stephen Pressfield's The War of Art, a manual designed to overcome artistic resistance and many forms of self-sabotage. The core of self-sabotage is our carnal human nature, which absolutely abhors any change which leads to …
Resistance (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, drawing a powerful analogy from a book by Dorthea Brand, focusing upon strategies to defeat writer's block and self-imposed creative sabotage experienced by every major writer, applies these insights to spiritual self-sabotage, namely resistance (which is ground zero of our carnal human nature.) As writers …
Simplify Your Life!
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughTime—it marches relentlessly on, and we have only so much of it. Yet we waste a lot of it on foolish pursuits, procrastination and distractions. John Ritenbaugh explains how getting control of our time puts us in the driver's seat in our pursuit of God's Kingdom!
Why Count Fifty Days?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Bible has much to say about the number fifty, such as counting 50 days to Pentecost, the measurements of the Tabernacle, and the 50 year Jubilee.
The Present and Future Crisis (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, reflecting upon escalating energy prices, urges caution and self-control in spending and taking on debt. If the supply of oil should be drastically cut, all vital services would shut down, and our quality of life would deteriorate. In 1971, the U.S. reached the state of "peak oil" (when supply could no …
Love's Greatest Challenges
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLaziness and fear are the greatest challenges to love. When Protestant theologians disparage "works," connecting them to salvation rather than sanctification and growth, they encourage spiritual laziness. If we are lazy, we might still be saved, but we will have built nothing to fulfill God's purpose in us. If we …
Character and Reputation (Part One)
CGG Weekly by James BeaubelleObedience to God's laws brings great benefits. By living within the framework of what God has revealed, we receive the reward of developing godly character.
Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod emphasizes Ecclesiastes during the Feast of Tabernacles to show the result of doing whatever our human heart leads us to do. The physical cannot satisfy.
