Line Upon Line

In Isaiah 44–45, God calls His backslidden people by name, promises to pour His Spirit and blessing on the thirsty, exposes the foolishness of idolatry, and proves He alone is God by naming the deliverer Cyrus over 150 years before his birth. The teaching urges believers to recognize their spiritual thirst, return to the Lord rejoicing, and trust the one true God who fulfills His word for His glory and our salvation.

Drawing on 1 Corinthians 3:9 and its surrounding verses, Pastor Miles teaches that the church—both corporately and in each believer's life—must be built upon the right foundation (Jesus Christ and His applied word) and constructed with care, because every believer's work will be tested by the fire of God's holiness. Salvation rests on Christ's finished work alone, but reward in heaven depends on how we build.

Teaching through Isaiah 43, Pastor Miles shows how God comforts a people facing exile by reminding them that He created, formed, and redeemed them, will be with them through every trial, and has chosen them by grace alone. The passage's declaration that God alone is Creator, Savior, and the First and the Last establishes the deity of Christ and our calling to be witnesses who proclaim His praises in a dark world.

Teaching from 1 Corinthians 3:1, Pastor Miles examines the tragedy of spiritual immaturity—Christians who, though indwelt by the Spirit, remain carnal "babes in Christ." He calls believers to crucify the flesh, remove the trash of the world, and feed on the meat of God's Word so they grow into mature followers who demonstrate Christ to the world.

A verse-by-verse study of Isaiah 42, identifying the "servant of the Lord" as Jesus Christ and exploring His character (servant, upheld, elect, delighted in, Spirit-filled) and His work (bringing justice, gentleness toward the broken, freeing captives), with applications to the believer's own calling and assurance of God's delight.

Examining 1 Corinthians 2, Pastor Miles shows that Paul deliberately came to Corinth weak, fearful, and trembling, preaching only "Jesus Christ and Him crucified"—a message that appears foolish to the intellectual and offensive to the religious, yet remains the power of God unto salvation. Believers are called to proclaim this same unaltered gospel boldly, relying not on man's wisdom or methods but on the demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God.

Teaching from Isaiah 41, Pastor Miles shows God summoning the idol-worshiping nations to judgment, proving His sole deity through prophecy of past and future events, while idols stand silent and worthless. He contrasts the foolish, fearful reaction of idolaters with God's tender promise to strengthen, help, and uphold His chosen servant Israel.

On Independence Day, Pastor Miles teaches from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 on why the message of the cross, though regarded as foolishness by the wise of this world, is the very power and wisdom of God. He shows that God deliberately hides Himself from human wisdom, calls the weak and despised, and grants in Christ true liberty, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

A verse-by-verse teaching on Isaiah 40 showing how God speaks comfort to a people facing judgment—comfort grounded in peace with God through the pardon and payment of sin in Christ, heralded by John the Baptist. The chapter then calls believers to "Behold your God," surveying His majesty as returning, ruling, rewarding Lord, good shepherd, Creator, and the God of all wisdom, who gives strength to those who wait on Him.

In a mid-year update service built on 1 Corinthians 1:26, Pastor Miles surveys how God uses the "foolish things of the world" to advance the gospel, highlighting the church's outreach, media, online school, Perspectives course, and chaplaincy/Hope Keepers ministries. He frames it all within a call to "arise and go," warning that the rising social-justice gospel cycle has historically preceded great moves of God for which the church must be ready.