Christian Zeal
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughZeal has been discredited as the tool of the charlatan, but Christians must develop passion and zeal for the Christian way of life and the Kingdom of God.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Eight): Romans 10
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughFrom the days of Sinai on, the ancient Israelites fixated on the notion that they were God's chosen people. This perspective proved counterproductive.
Christmas, Syncretism, and Presumption
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany think keeping Christmas is fine, yet God never tells us to celebrate His Son's birth. Celebrating such an obvious mix of biblical truth and paganism is presumptuous.
Hypocrisy: The Last Sin of America
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIn this sermon, Martin Collins marvels that hypocrisy has been elevated to a more egregious position than murder or adultery, used as a weapon to destroy political opponents. Having its roots in a Greek word denoting actor, hypocrisy suggests pretending or deceiving—a filthy inside disguised by a clean outside. Pride can …
Humanism's Flooding Influence (Part Two)
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, continuing his appraisal of humanism as an alternative to religion, suggests that humanism pervades the entire spectrum of the arts and the sciences, as well as theology. Because this world's educational system is so immersed in humanism, people are unaware of the depths of their entrapment, and that they are …
The Foolishness of Bias
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, allowing that expectations determine outcomes, gives the rationale for double-blind experiments. Zeal is not the hallmark for truth. Saul, before he was transformed into Paul, was an evil zealot. Public education has been promoting tolerance for foolish points of view as they feel good to the holder and as long …
The Commandments (Part One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWhat have we accepted as our authority for permitting ourselves to do or behave as we do — our value system, our code of ethics or code of morality?
The First Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIdolatry is probably the sin that the Bible most often warns us against. We worship the source of our values and standards, whether the true God or a counterfeit.
Sincerity Without Truth Is Worthless
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIt is dangerous to judge something on the basis of apparent 'sincerity,' which is often the opposite of godly sincerity. Godly sincerity is paired with the truth.
I Never Knew You
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, focusing on a survey of college educators and their self-appraisal of their 'lack of bias,' coupled with the lesson in Matthew 7:21-23, warns that everybody is in grave danger of becoming self-deceived. All of us are subject to self-deception and self-delusion. Nothing helps us to see God except for living by …
Love and Works
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod expects works from all He has called. We show our faithfulness and loyalty to God by our works or conduct - what we produce by what we have been given.
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 …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn Galatians, Paul took issue with the Halakhah, not God's word. Halakhah was a massive collection of human opinion that placed a yoke on its followers.