Essentials Conference audio

Audio from the recent Essentials Conference on fellowship, hosted by Countryside Bible Church is now available. The messages included: Sunday, Feb. 9 “The Challenge and Limits of Biblical Koinonia” (Romans 15:5-7) — Mike Fabarez “The Kind of Body Life God Favors” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15) — Jerry Wragg “Body Life: Deformity or Symmetry” (Romans 12:3-8; 1 […]

What does it mean to be united to Christ?

From a recent sermon by Keith Palmer (quoting an unnamed source): What does it mean to be united to Jesus Christ? The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am united to Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be […]

Sermon: Love One Another (Pt. 3)

Love One Another, Pt. 3 1 John 3:19-24 February 9, 2014 Many people struggle with the question of whether or not one is saved. John Piper gets to the central issue about assurance when he writes: The most agonizing problem about the assurance of salvation is not the problem of whether the objective facts of […]

God and man: sovereignty and responsibility

Charles Spurgeon, “Three Arrows, or Six?” in Intended for Good: It is a very difficult task to show the meeting-place of the purpose of God and the free agency of man. One thing is quite clear, we ought not to deny either of them, for they are both facts. It is a fact that God […]

God is working today

Melvin Tinker, Intended for Good: …it is in and through the ordinary day-to-day things of life and the most unassuming of people that God is mightily at work, moving secretly and silently to bring about his great plan of salvation for the world.…We are not to make the mistake of thinking that God is only […]

God and Exodus

A few theological thoughts about while doing today’s Bible reading (Exodus 5-8): Pharaoh’s initial response to Moses’ request to release the Israelites was similar to and a precursor to the way many unbeliever’s today reject God — “why should I do that? Who is God and why should I obey Him?” (Ex. 5:2) God actively […]

Who won the Ham/Nye origins debate?

After last night’s debate on origins between Ken Ham and Bill Nye, the tempting question to ask is, “Who won the debate?” I suspect that both evolutionists and creationists will claim victory by their representative in the debate. But for the believer in Christ the debate isn’t about winning and losing. It was encouraging to […]

Expunged

Dear Ann Landers: A few years ago, I committed a crime (a misdemeanor). I was arrested and charged. Since I had never been in trouble before, my lawyer had my record expunged. Will this show up on a police background check? I’m looking for a job and want to be sure my prospective employers won’t […]

Sunday Leftovers: Why God gives us material possessions

With all the cultural talk about the economy, it’s easy to get confused about financial priorities. And it’s hard to keep a biblical perspective for why we have money and material possessions. But the Apostle John won’t let us forget. “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his […]

Sermon: Love One Another (Pt. 2)

Love One Another, Pt. 2 1 John 3:15-18 February 2, 2014 The story, an open secret in the crowded nylon city of Mount Everest base camp, trickled out from the high Himalayas: A British mountaineer desperate for oxygen had collapsed along a well-traveled route to the summit. Dozens of people walked right past him, unwilling […]

View Ham/Nye debate here

If you are unable to attend the debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye at our church on Tuesday (we will be playing the event stream in the sanctuary) you can also watch it here: Or, you can view it at debatelive.org.

Bill Nye/Ken Ham Debate

On Tuesday, Ken Ham will debate Bill Nye on the topic of origins. The event will take place in Cincinnati at the Creation Science museum. However, it will also be live streamed at debatelive.org. Our church will stream this event in our sanctuary — and if needed we have other rooms set aside to receive […]

God promised Abraham

The book of Genesis is commonly known as the book of beginnings. In part, that is because of the beginning of the world with Creation and the name of the book in the Hebrew Bible, which is taken from the first word, “In the beginning” (which is one word in Hebrew). And another beginning in […]

Sunday Leftovers: Don’t be surprised when the world hates you

The churches in Asia Minor had been infiltrated by false teachers that were leading them astray about the relationship between the believer and sin. The result was that some who were genuine believers became unsure about their salvation. In addition, these false teachers were not only indulging in their licentious sins but they also were […]

Sermon: Love One Another (Pt. 1)

Love One Another, Pt. 1 1 John 3:11-24 January 26, 2014 It’s a story I’ve told before, but it’s a good one… Paul Tripp has written of himself — “When I got married, I did what every other groom does. I repeated vows to my wife that said I would love her sacrificially all the […]