First Love (Part One)
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsA Christian's foremost responsibility is to love God wholeheartedly. A decline similar to the Ephesians' loss of their first love affected the first-century church.
First Love (Part Two)
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsJesus Christ's reprimand of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:4, "You have left your first love," seems odd being said to a church that appeared so busy doing God's will. Martin Collins explains, not only where the Ephesians' problem lay, but also the remedy Christ provided within the letter itself to improve both their …
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.
Keeping Love Alive (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWorks demonstrate our faith, our response to God's calling and His freely given grace. Reciprocity is always a part of our relationship with God.
Hebrews, Love, and the Ephesian Church
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike the Ephesians, the weary veterans in Hebrews were becoming apathetic through outside pressures, losing their former zeal and devotion to Christ.
What Are You Leaving?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeDavid Grabbe, reminding us that the Days of Unleavened Bread are about leaving one venue (sin and Satan) and moving toward deliverance, warns us that as we leave sin, we do not want to leave our first love, as did the Ephesus congregation as recorded in Revelation 2:1. The Ephesians had a strong sense of duty to not let down, as …
No Real Love Without God
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)We are called to take on the very nature of God, to put on the love of God. Surprisingly, We can rekindle our first love by ardently keeping God's Commandments.
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.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaBob Dylan's lyrics in 'The Times They Are A-changin' seem prescient; within a few years of Herbert Armstrong's death, heresies were imported into the church.
The Seven Churches: Ephesus
Bible Study by StaffChrist's first letter to the churches focuses on the Ephesians, a people who succeeded in trying the spirits, but in the interim left [their] first love.
The Importance of Follow-Through
Article by David F. MaasJust as important as follow-through is in an athletic motion, its spiritual counterpart is vital to our life in Christ. We must have the will and commitment to carry our devotion to God through to the very end.
Hebrews (Part Two)
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.
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.
Hebrews (Part Twelve)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughHebrews 11 provides examples to bolster faith. The faith described is not blind, but is carefully developed from systematic analysis of available evidence.
Hebrews (Part One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIn terms of spiritual insight, Hebrews is a pivotal book, whose function is to bridge the purposes and themes of the Old and New Testaments.
He Who Overcomes
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid contends that intense struggle is, by design of Almighty God, an integral and necessary part of the overcoming process. Just as fighting to escape its cocoon strengthens the butterfly, our calling requires effort above what the world has to endure to become free of Satan's cocoon. These struggles lead us through this …
Hebrews (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus blazed a trail, giving a pattern for qualifying (through suffering and resisting sin) for our responsibility as priests, reconnecting man and God.
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.
Unity (Part 6): Ephesians 4 (C)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughUnity has to come from the inside out, with God raising a leader which His people, having their minds opened by His Spirit, will voluntarily submit to.
The Providence of God (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod uses calamities as part of His creative process. Like Jacob, who initially succumbed to weak faith and fear, we must repent of our loss of devotion to God.
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 …
What Is the Church's Work Today (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe easiest part of God's work is preaching the gospel to the world. Much more demanding is the feeding of the flock, producing life-changing faith.
Hebrews (Part Seven)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWith godly hope, we need to envision the successful accomplishment of God's purpose for us, realizing that God has bound that promise with an oath.
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsJesus Christ warns us to hold fast to true doctrine. Secular historians help us discover the identity of the small flock repeatedly rescued from apostasy.
Exalt With Music
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh focuses upon the intense power of music to stimulate the emotions, trigger the imagination, set the mood of the services, and serves as a teaching vehicle for godly instruction. God Almighty, as the inventor of the human voice and the capacity to make music, has repeatedly commanded that we must sing ' exalting …
