Line Upon Line

A verse-by-verse study of Isaiah 11–12, showing how the "rod out of the stem of Jesse" is a messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, who bears the sevenfold Spirit of the Lord, judges in perfect righteousness, and brings about a glorious restoration in which His gathered people draw water from the wells of salvation.

Paul arrives in Corinth, a wealthy, immoral commercial center, where he meets Aquila and Priscilla, works as a tentmaker, reasons in the synagogue, and is encouraged by the Lord to keep preaching boldly. The teaching then turns to 1 Thessalonians, written from Corinth, examining the young Thessalonian church's work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope amid tribulation.

Drawing from Isaiah 9:8–10:34, Pastor Miles examines God's fourfold judgment against the northern ten tribes of Israel, showing how God used wicked nations like Assyria as the rod in His hand to discipline His people for the purpose of purification. He argues that the same unchanging God still works through devastating events today, calling nations to repentance.

Paul, stirred by the idolatry of Athens, adapts his method—but never his message—to reach a pluralistic, philosophical culture, building a bridge through their own altar to the unknown god and their own poets before preaching the creator God, the call to repent, and Christ's resurrection. Pastor Miles argues that modern America is an Athenian, Hellenistic culture, and the church must change its method, not its message, to reach it.

Paul's team arrives in Philippi, the chief city of Macedonia, where God transforms three very different people—Lydia, a demon-possessed slave girl, and the Philippian jailer—demonstrating that evangelism begins with God opening hearts. The teaching emphasizes that the open heart, the enslaved heart, and the hard heart all yield immediate fruit when God's word and power break through.

Continuing through Isaiah 7–9, this teaching shows how the prophecy of Maher-shalal-hash-baz gave a near-term fulfillment to the virgin-birth sign promised to King Ahaz, and how Judah's refusal to trust the Lord ("the fountain") brought the flood of Assyrian judgment. It calls believers to make God their fear, sanctuary, and governor, pointing finally to the great light of Christ, the child born and Son given.

Continuing in Acts 16, Pastor Miles teaches how God leads His followers through several means—an apostolic request, a spiritual check, a supernatural vision, a prophetic call, and an open door—as Paul takes Timothy along, is redirected by the Spirit away from Asia and Bithynia, and is called into Macedonia to bring the gospel into Europe. Along the way he emphasizes discipleship, willingly laying aside our rights in love, and the simple teaching of God's word as the means of true church growth.

A year-end teaching that surveys current events in Israel and the Middle East against unfulfilled biblical prophecy, arguing that the worldwide call to divide Jerusalem and the threats against Israel align with Scripture's end-times warnings and signal the nearness of Christ's return.

Teaching on Isaiah 7 in its historical setting, this message follows the prophet's word to wicked King Ahaz during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis, the central charge "if you will not believe, you will not be established," and the dual fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy in both Isaiah's son and the virgin birth of Christ.

A Christmas-season teaching showing that Jesus, unlike every other historical figure, was foretold in striking detail by dozens of prophets centuries before His birth. Pastor Miles traces the messianic prophecies from Genesis through Isaiah, demonstrates that the name "Jesus" (Yeshua/salvation) appears 77 times in the Old Testament, and unfolds the titles and characters given to the coming Messiah in Isaiah 9:6.