John has rejoiced greatly in Gaius living a life anchored in the Truth, exemplified in his assistance to Gospel missionaries and in the testimony of those men to Gaius faithfulness to the Truth. But problems lurk within the church manifest in the pride and self-absorption of Diotrephes. How can today's church learn from Diotrephes' corrupt character, to prevent such cancer destroying our churches? Keith Pond explains

[This sermon was originally preached October 31st in continuation of Pastor Mollenkopf's series through First and Second Kings]

One of the great Old Testament leaders and prophets, Elijah, is about to be taken away, but God has planned for his mission to continue.  God’s work is not dependent on us, but He graciously calls us to serve Him.

Ahaziah tragically follows the “like father, like son” adage. Yet, his continuing in sin and seeking after other gods leads to God’s merciful judgment. But since Ahaziah won’t learn and repent from God’s warning of judgment, God's sword of justice falls.

When should the believer separate himself from the world? Should a believer ever separate from other Christians? When does tolerance become sin? These and other questions come to light in looking at the King of Judah's relationship with the King of Israel. Jehoshaphat and Ahab. A problematic relationship or one we should emulate? Pastor Mollenkopf wades into these applicable waters.

Life is full of challenging and difficult realities. One of them is the existence of suffering and evil. Where did it come from? Is there any hope to overcome it? Will it always be this way? God’s word does not exhaustively answer every question, but it gives us true knowledge to guide us in paths by which we can trust and follow Him.

Ahab should turn to God in his sorrow, but instead he continues to seek pleasure in this life, even if that means having to kill, steal, and destroy. Nothing escapes God, though, who holds Ahab to account. Shockingly, Ahab repents and we see God’s mercy in postponing judgment.

There is a battle against the enemy that Israel and we must undertake. For Israel this was against real flesh and blood enemies, but as Paul says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." We must heed the numerous calls in Scripture to see the warfare in which we are engaged and be prepared to resist the enticements of darkness and sin.

God calls us generally to him, but also specifically to the tasks and callings he gives us. Each call has a cost, but the ultimate reward will be much greater.

Many will rejoice, "Thank God it's Friday," but will they say "Thank God it's Monday" at the start of a new work week? Visiting Missionary Richey Goodrich provides us a solid foundation from God's word for understanding how our work is good, highlights the truth of the gospel, and ultimately brings glory to God.

When Elijah despaired and asked God to take his life, God cared for him physically. Yet, God then also renewed Elijah’s mind and revived his spirit.  All three elements of our life must be considered when we deal with ourselves and others.