Joel Gilbert

Last week, I mentioned the name William Cowper, the musician who helped John Newton write many hymns. Together they published a hymnal entitled T he Olney Hymns. While Cowper was a devout believer, he was also riddled with internal angst and turmoil. He fought depression on and off through his life and…

John Newton was born to John and Elizabeth Newton in 1725. His father was a sailor and spent much of his life at sea. John’s mother was a devout believer who essentially raised John on her own, that is until she died when John was about 7. Upon his mother’s death, John went to sea with his father. While…

During the Communist era, under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, the country of Albania lived in fear of foreign invasions, which led to isolation and became known as the North Korea of Europe. Under the communist regime, Albania faced severe religious persecution. In 1967, Albania was the world's first…

Over the centuries, there have been countless stories of people who have died for their faith in Jesus Christ. Books like… Foxe’s Book of Martyrs written in the 16th century, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs , which chronicles the lives of some martyrs from the OT to today, The Insanity of Obedience…

If you have your copy of God’s Word, open to Acts 6 , you’ll find that on p. 870 in the pew Bibles. Last week, we found the early church facing a challenge from within as Ananias and Sapphira tried to lie to the Holy Spirit and conflict from the outside as the apostles were arrested, released by an angel,…

Pastoral Prayer Good morning Yahweh, we come before you in awe of you. Your name truly is majestic and glorious. You are like no other. We come to marvel at you, at the works of your hands. We see the evidence of your creative power in all of creation, from the vastness and grandeur of the universe to…

Introduction William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet shows the love between two people from rival families - the Montegues and Capulets. In the second scene of the second act, Romeo is in the garden outside of Juliet’s window. Frustrated by the name of this lover that she is forbidden…

Sermon Title: “What I Do Have I Give To You” (Show Slide 1) Sermon Text: Acts 3:1-26 Introduction Good morning, church! It’s always a pleasure and privilege to share with you from God’s Word. I want to start our time together by asking a question? Have you ever seen or had an interaction with someone…

Mark Dever testimony Grew up as an agnostic intellectual Alcoholic father - 3x divorced and remarried mom - un-religious - turned off by a deforming and debilitating fatal illness seen in her aunt - in spite of her aunt’s devout faith Mark - doubted that truths about God could be known - but stated that…

Beginning in Advent of 2024, we embarked on a study of the gospel of Luke. This was essentially Luke’s perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus. Over the course of a year and a half, we learned about the events surrounding Jesus’ miraculous birth. We got a brief glimpse into his adolescent years.…