Priorities
Sermonette by Ryan McClureRyan McClure suggests that each year the calendar is filled with meaningful events, but what we consider important is modified by maturity and experience. Eventually, we learn that the world does not revolve around us and we defer to the needs of others. Our children teach us the magnitude of the selfishness we have emerged out …
Baruch and His Wrong Priorities
CGG Weekly by Charles WhitakerGod told Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, "But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking!" He thought he could leverage his privileged position.
Put God First
CGG Weekly by John ReissIt is easy to be distracted by things other than prayer, Bible study, and our relationship with God. He rarely zaps us to remind us to study and pray.
Focus Is The Key
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, citing the findings of Dave Crenshaw, a business chaos crusher, alerts us that the average worker is interrupted 15 times per hour, many of which are self-inflicted, suggesting that these interruptions resemble small cuts which drain the life blood out of productivity. One of the most deceptively innocent, but …
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!
Weeds!
Article by Mike FordDrawing an analogy between kudzu and the thorns in the Parable of the Sower, Mike Ford shows how we have to "weed out" detrimental habits that choke our lives. If we want to produce quality fruit, we must weed the garden!
Beware the Second Flood (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeThe immediate danger lies not as much in the specific teachings of the flood from the serpent but in their sheer volume. The peril lies in being swept away.
Parable of the Great Supper
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe Parable of the Great Supper is Jesus' response to a fellow dinner guest exclaiming, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" In the parable, Jesus exposes and corrects the ignorance of those who, in their pride, misjudge their true moral condition.
Intimacy with Christ (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh warns that the narrow "pay and pray" mentality experienced by many in our previous fellowship took our attention away from the more important overcoming and growing aspect, preparing for the Kingdom of God. We desperately need to become immersed in a cause, yielding to God's creative power, personally …
Staying On Point
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, reflecting on our prayers for God to "bless the electronics," asks whether the marvels of modern electronics are really a God-send or something less than a blessing. Perhaps some of us need to change our thinking about electronic devices as we strive to stay awake while awaiting Christ's return. At …
Start Now to Begin Walking
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, reiterating that the people of faith walked to their destination, focuses on both the literal and metaphorical contexts of walking in the Bible. In the scriptures, walking refers to interacting with a person, and as a way of life, implying conduct and habitual behavior. Regarding the impending worsening …
Listening
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh, reflecting upon the average American's pathetically short attention span (largely caused by media over-stimulation), admonishes us to improve our listening and concentration skills. Listening, which is far more important than simply hearing, is a vital spiritual skill—actually an act of love—that …
Why Hebrews Was Written (Part Five)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIf church members are to grow in grace and knowledge and be zealous in producing fruit to God's glory, they need to have their priorities in the right place.
Where Is Your Heart?
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughWhen speaking with a new client, career counselors, after getting all the pertinent information on job history and the like, will often ask their clients, "Now, what do you really want to do? Where is your heart?" ...
Don't Be Indifferent
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe frightful Trumpet Plagues are coming on the world because of the breaking of covenants on the part of people who should have known better.
Intimacy with Christ (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughSatan has deliberately designed this world to burn up our precious time, creating an artificial sense of urgency and a perpetual state of discontent.
Deadlines
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityJoe Baity reports on a recent UCLA study on human aging in which scientists declared that, regardless of lifestyle or environmental factors, each human being has a built-in biological clock with its own unique expiration date, corroborating the insight Moses revealed to us in Psalm 90, that we are allotted a finite number of …
Seeking God (Part Two): A Foundation
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughChristians need to have a conscious plan in seeking God. Here are several essential qualities that must be included in any successful course of action.
Don't Lose Your Focus!
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPaul urged that we get our focus more balanced, emphasizing love over prophetic correctness, not remaining indifferent to what Christ deemed important.
Acting the Fool
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRichard Ritenbaugh observes that meaning of foolish has changed over the years from the context of "lacking in judgment or prudence" to "silliness." Greek and Hebrew usage focus on different but related nuances. The main focus of the Hebrew words for foolishness is on a person living his life without …
Studying the Bible
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)Bible study provides a personal means of attaining the mind of God, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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 …
Watch What?
'Prophecy Watch' by Pat HigginsJesus does not specify in so many words what we are to watch. The evidence points to the fact that watching has everything to do with spiritual preparation.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, focusing upon II John 5, an epistle which cautions about deceivers who would denigrate the value of work, considers the straining on the point "we cannot earn salvation" a red herring, diverting our attention from the true value of Christian work. God indeed judges the quality and quantity of what we …
Looking Back to the Future
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe dwelling in booths and the sacrifices were the context for rejoicing at the Feast of Tabernacles. The booths depict our current lives as pilgrims.
Ditching Tithing? Consider Carefully
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughIn tough financial times, some Christians reduce or cut out altogether God's tithe. They justify it with an excuse like, 'God wouldn't want me to starve!'
Our Core Business
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid cautions that when corporations get rid of their core business, they become less effective. Likewise when we deviate from our core job of preparing for God's family, we risk the danger of assimilating into the world, losing our calling and salvation. God the Father has called each of us for a specific purpose. We need …
Preparing for the Feast
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughWhy does God want us to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? John Ritenbaugh shows that the Feast is far more than a yearly vacation!
Hebrews: Its Background (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, suggesting that most of us resemble the Samaritan woman in our understanding of the value of our calling, maintains that our relationship with God is our sole protection from carnal human nature and the deadly pulls of the world. Whatever consumes our time has the power to either edify or distract us. Faith and …
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 …
