Contend Earnestly
Article by John O. Reid (1930-2016)All the signs point to Christ's imminent return, yet the Bible warns us not to let down. Hebrews 10 exhorts us to strive to please God and finish our course.
A Feast Message From Hebrews
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Bible shows a clear pattern of how people leave the faith: looking back, drawing back, looking elsewhere, and then going backward and refusing to hear.
God's Power: Our Shield Against Apostasy
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod is not only powerful, but He is the source of all power. We can tap into God's power to avoid slipping into apostasy.
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.
Parable of the Ten Virgins (Part Two)
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe Parable of the Ten Virgins is prophetic concerning the attitude of Christians at the end time. The wise and foolish virgins each have things to teach us.
Hebrews 12 and 13: Advice for the End Time
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe must lay aside every weight, accept God's chastening, receive encouragement from those who have gone before, and get back into the spiritual race.
Finishing Your Gun Lap
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)The most dangerous lap we encounter is when everyone around us tends to be compromising. Today, what was once aberrant behavior is now considered normal.
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.
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!
Forgiveness and The Unpardonable Sin
Sermonette by Mark SchindlerMark Schindler, clearing up a misunderstanding on the part of an individual who had expressed concern that he had equated "lack of forgiveness with the unpardonable sin," shares the contents of his e-mailed response. We find the context of the unpardonable sin in Matthew 12:25-32 and Mark 3:38, when the Pharisees …
What Is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
'Ready Answer' by David C. GrabbeIn Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus warns the Pharisees about crossing a line that cannot be uncrossed, an act commonly called 'the unpardonable sin.'
Compromise
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid, claiming that we live in dangerous times, warns us about the insidious temptation to compromise with the law of God. Many in our previous fellowship have gone back to the ways and customs of the world. Without prayer, study, meditation, and strengthening our relation with God, we run the risk of compromising with the …
The Five Warnings of Hebrews
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe modern church stands in danger of allowing salvation to slip away. Hebrews gives warnings to help us turn our lives around so we do not fall short.
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe scattering of the church was an act of love by God to wake us from our lethargic, faithless condition. The feeding of the flock is the priority now.
Intimacy with Christ (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh emphasizes that we ought to be devoting considerable time getting to know our prospective bridegroom, like the apostle Paul desiring to conform to Christ in every way before the marriage. This challenge becomes extremely complicated because Satan has deliberately designed this world to burn up our precious time, …
Hebrews (Part 2)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughHebrews is addressed to a people living at the end of an era, who were drifting away, had lost their devotion, and were no longer motivated by zeal.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughEverything that we go through has been engineered by God. We are His workmanship, created for good works, a response to the faith He has given us.
How to Know We Love Christ
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe cannot become weary of well-doing, allowing our first love to deteriorate, looking to the world for satisfaction. Here are 8 tests of our love for Christ.
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.
Living by Faith and God's Justice
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughAmong the spiritual realities that a faithful Christian must understand is God's sense of justice. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu are a case in point.
Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?
'Ready Answer' by Martin G. CollinsIt seems that some sins should be worse than others in God's eyes. Though all sin merits the death penalty, some sins carry greater consequences and penalties.
Hebrews (Part 12)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh characterizes the spiritual condition of the recipients of the Hebrews epistle as dangerously complacent, drifting into apostasy through neglect rather than from any blatant sin or perversion. Losing their zeal and first love after the manner of the Ephesians, having a complacent disregard for Christ's sacrifice, …
Maintaining Good Health (Part 12)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod has often used micro metaphors to illustrate macro events. For example, in Isaiah 1:4-6, God compares the whole nation of Israel to a sick patient with an incurable disease, signalling impending captivity. The church has been alternately compared to a bride, vine, virgin, woman, mother, and body. Extrapolating from these …
A Pre-Passover Look
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe must thoroughly examine ourselves, exercising and strengthening our faith, actively giving love back to God, to avoid taking Passover in a careless manner.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFocusing on material and temporal things undermines faith. The Sabbath is holy time, created for building faith, energizing our minds for fellowship with God.
Remaining Unleavened
Article by John O. Reid (1930-2016)We tend to put matters behind us once we are finished with them, but we cannot afford to do this with the lessons we learn from the Days of Unleavened Bread.
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod personally handpicks individuals with whom He desires to form a reciprocal relationship. This relationship must be dressed, kept, tended, and maintained.
