From the Pulpit

Short doesn’t necessitate insignificance. Brevity doesn’t mean a lack of gravity. Today we begin our series, “Biblical Postcards,” in which we are studying some of the shortest—and, thus, oft overlooked—books of the Bible. First up is Second John, a brief note from the Apostle to a church family encouraging them to follow Christ’s commands to love according to the truth.

Key Passage: 2 John

Speaker: Andrew Longmire

God’s people are blessed to be a blessing. That’s been the over-arching theme of the Joseph narrative and its a main thrust of Genesis as a whole. So, it comes as no surprise that, as we now arrive at the final three chapters of the book, the same message is highlighted in unmistakable fashion.

Key Passage: Genesis 48-50

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

The world in which we live is marred by hurt and fear, imperfection and  injustice, brokenness and frustration. Some people don’t merely notice  this, they experience it. So, the big question is, how does God invite  us to change it?

Key Passage: Genesis 46-47

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

God’s people have been given a number of difficult tasks—assignments  that, at times, appear overwhelming and nearly unachievable. However, as  we study them in the pages of Scripture, without exception we see that,  along with said charges, God provides resources to assist and promises  rewards to incentivize.

Key Passage: Genesis 44-45

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

As the Joseph narrative arrives at one of its climactic moments, the  spotlight lands on the brothers. While, back in chapter 37, these men  had schemed and lied to get rid of Joseph, now, by God’s providence,  they find themselves face to face with him who they betrayed. How will  they respond when confronted and convicted by their past sins? And, what  can you and I learn from their example?

Key Passage: Genesis 42-43

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

While the battle with fear and anxiety is not unique to the days in  which we’re living, our current cultural reality has exposed and  exacerbated these struggles in many. What does God say about a “spirit  of fear” and how are we to, by His power, defeat such a foe?

Key Passage: 2 Timothy 1:7

Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie

It’s a question that all of God’s people must ask and answer for  themselves: Is the God we serve and worship worthy of our trust even  when it seems he’s nowhere to be found?

Key Passage: Genesis 40 & 41

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

God’s people are agents of divine blessing when we demonstrate, share, and defend the life-giving, thirst-quenching water of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What happens, though, if our personal water reservoirs, our lives, becomes polluted? What happens to my ability to be a conduit of God’s blessing if I use my life as a waste disposal site for ungodly living, fleshly thought-patterns, and justified sin habits? Genesis 39 explains the importance of integrity to the call of God upon the lives of the people of God.

Key Passage: Genesis 39

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

If a Christian remains exposed to the harsh elements of sin for an extended period of time, signs of the life we have in Christ can all but fade from detection. We become less pliable, less useful, and less sanctifiable. And yet, dealing with sin is an inevitability for us all. Is there hope for the believer caught in sin? Can God resuscitate and use a once-unrepentant heart for his glory?

Key Passage: Genesis 38

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

Key Passage: Genesis 37

Speaker: Josiah Boyd