Faith (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFaithfulness in a person ultimately rests on his or her trust in God, and if a person is going to be faithful, its because he or she believes what God says.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Ten)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLike with the heroes of faith, our testing will be commensurate with the job God has prepared for us. We must make our relationship with God our top priority.
Making Faithful Choices (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGideon began his life as a coward, became a conqueror, and ended a compromiser, all the while needing assurances from God to bolster his flagging faith.
What Does It Take to Be a Hero?
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamGod has chosen the weak and base things of the world, yet we can still sacrifice our personal concerns for the greater good just as our Savior did.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFaith permitted Enoch, Noah, and Abraham to receive God's personal calling. Like our patriarchs, we were called while we lived in the wicked world.
Faith (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFar from being blind, faith is based on analyzing, comparing, adding up from evidence in God's Word, our own experience, and our calling by God's Holy Spirit.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod's calling is personal and individual rather than general, opening otherwise closed minds, replacing spiritual blindness with spiritual understanding.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Nine)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe heroes of faith may have had a longer period of testing than those called now, but the trials will come at greater intensity here at the end.
Faith (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe would like God to instantly gratify our desires. Consequently, we find living by faith difficult; we do not trust that He has things under control.
Faith versus Doubtful Things
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsFaith falters when our attention moves to ourselves. God periodically allows storms to test our faith. We are driven back to God when there is nowhere else to turn.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughAbraham embodied living by faith. Through perpetually living in a tent, he demonstrated his complete trust and reliance upon God.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Bible abounds in metaphors of warfare, indicating that the Christian's walk will be characterized by stress, sacrifice, and deprivation in building faith.
Faithful, Following Firstfruits
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThose reveling in the 'new freedoms' of apostasy cannot be persuaded to return to former beliefs because they no longer believe in the sanctified Word of God.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBoth the 'eternal security' and 'no works' doctrines are destroyed by the remarkable example of Noah, who performed extraordinary works based upon faith.
Hope and Faith
Sermon by Clyde FinkleaGod requires His people to put their faith in action, giving evidence of their hope, demonstrating godly behavior rather than abrasive carnal behavior.
What Does It Take to Be a Hero? (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by Ronny H. GrahamAccording to Plutarch, heroism is not about nobility, strength, boldness or even courage. The critical component in the ancients' view of the hero is compassion.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh, reflecting on God's gifts to Abel and the other luminaries in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11), suggests that all of us called-out ones are in the same spiritual predicament, needing to humbly use the gifts God has given to us, faithfully pursuing God's purpose for us. Nobody evolves into a God-being on the power …
Challenges
CGG Weekly by Gary MontgomeryLife is difficult to navigate. Adversity is a common part of life, yet now, having been called by God, we must work hard to overcome and conquer these challenges.
Light Affliction?
'Ready Answer' by Pat HigginsAffliction seems to be an integral part of Christianity. However, when it is viewed in the context of eternity, it is relatively light.
Motivation to Endure
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid, focusing on Luke 21:9, encourages the development of patience, perseverance, and endurance in the horrific times ahead, safe-guarding the precious calling God has given us. We have been mandated to endure to the end, processing all the trials and tests which we will be called upon to endure. God is in complete charge …
Dealing With Change (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeWhen we were baptized and gave our lives by covenant to God, we committed ourselves to a lifetime of change. This change would be partly internal ...
Much Greater Than Ourselves
Sermonette by Martin G. CollinsMartin Collins, maintaining that American culture prides itself on rugged individualism and independence, cautions that in spiritual matters, dependence upon God gives us the resolve, firmness, and tenacity for our spiritual journey. None of the heroes or heroines of faith faced their challenges by themselves, but were aware of …
Change and Hope
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)As God found it necessary to test our forbears, He allows us to go through grueling experiences (trials, tests, and temptations) for maximum growth.
Remembering Our Veterans
CGG Weekly by John ReissChristians are not called to fight in this world's wars, but we are called to spiritual battle. Hebrews 11 speaks of some heroes of faith—spiritual veterans.
Wisdom for the Young (Part Four)
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughThe young often lack the wisdom to distinguish mere fun from real joy. Sometimes such wisdom has to come from the hard knocks that result from bad decisions.
Jephthah's Vow: Did He or Didn't He?
'Ready Answer' by Richard T. RitenbaughJephthah's vow has been a bone of contention for centuries. Did he really sacrifice his daughter? What kind of man was Jephthah?
Hebrews (Part 13)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAbraham, the father of the faithful, did not have a blind faith; it was based upon observation of God's proven track record of faithfulness.
Moses, Servant of God
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughMoses sacrificed great worldly honor to become a servant of God, demonstrating real servant leadership. God praises Moses for his faithfulness and meekness.
Persistence
Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid, focusing upon a diary excerpt of a pioneer woman on the Oregon Trail, asserts that the trait of persistence is impossible without a transcendent and ardent vision (Proverbs 29:18). Having vision prevents us from casting off life-saving restraint and gives us the will to keep on. The Father and Jesus Christ have …
Defining Trials
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)Trials define who we are by placing choices before us, forcing us to have faith in God. Character is built by making right, though difficult, choices.
Discouraged? Why?
Article by StaffAs God's children, we have no need to become discouraged for long. God has given and done so much for us that we have no reason to get down.
Leadership and Covenants (Part Fifteen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe quality of leadership affects the morality and well-being of a nation, and the quality of family leadership trickles up to civic and governmental leadership.
Hebrews (Part 14)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughLike Jesus and other heroes of faith, we need to look beyond the present to the long term effects of the trials and tests we go though, seeing their value.
Laying Aside Every Weight (Part Three)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeOur sins can drag us down, but there are other weights that impede our progress, limit our usefulness to God, hold us back, and hinder us in our race.
Motivation to Endure
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid (1930-2016)John Reid, taking a cue from prisoner of war examples, identifies four factors that will boost a person's resolve to endure sore trials: (1) Hope (that the war would end) (2) Faith (in the ability to tough it out) (3) Vision (of being able to escape), leading to a (4) Determination (or mindset not to give in.) We can profitably …
Israel's Missing Characteristics of God
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFaithfulness is living continually by faith, acting even though doing so may cost us. Love is not primarily a feeling, but faithfulness in applying God's Word.
Leadership and Covenants (Part Ten)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod and Noah worked side by side to deliver the remnant of humanity through the Flood, God supplying the sanctification and grace and Noah obeying in faith.
David the Prophet
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughAmong his many other accomplishments, King David was a significant prophet. Psalm 22, for example, is a clearly recognizable prophecy of Christ's suffering.
The Sovereignty of God (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughNothing and no one can thwart God's purposes. We need to develop the faith to yield and conform to His will as clay in the potter's hands.
Hope in a Turbulent World
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGreek and Roman myths have shaped the world view of Western culture, including our attitude toward hope, a concept which is often abused and distorted.
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, …
The Providence of God (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJohn Ritenbaugh emphasizes that a spiritual Israelite, following Jacob's example, undergoes a metamorphosis in which his own stubborn, self-centered will is broken so that God's creative work can be completed within him. Abraham, whose very name connotes faithfulness, learned to work through fearful catch-22 dilemmas, walking by …
Abraham (Part 5)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWe learn from Abraham's experience to trust God even when we have incomplete information. When we attempt to take the expedient way out, we will run into trouble.
