John Coblentz. Five hundred years ago, a group of seekers determined to follow the call of Christ in the Scriptures without regard to the cost. As they followed the New Testament pattern of repentance, baptism, and surrender to the Spirit, a believers’ church was born. In the years that followed, the commitment to follow Christ supremely was tested by pressures both within the church and from without.

Strength to Strength welcomed Sam Baer to discuss crossbearing.

What has it cost you to be a disciple of Jesus? Are you willing to make the sacrifice? What did Jesus mean when he asked us to bear our cross?

We readily agree that Jesus has asked us to bear our cross but are we willing to clarify what that means?

Jesus not only calls us to bear our cross; He offers the resources needed and great reward.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

Dorcas Hoover. The Victor’s Crown of Glory takes the reader to the frontlines of the battle in the Middle East where God’s miraculous power is displayed in the midst of evil. Stories of God at work in the 21st Century feel as if they come straight from the book of Acts. Gripping accounts showcase daring, modern day heroes of the faith risking all to follow Jesus in the face of radical ISIS terrorism, kidnappings, bombs, secret police, and imprisonment. The book is filled with heartwarming eyewitness accounts of miracles of God at work in the midst of the darkest, most dangerous of circumstances.

Strength to Strength welcomed Marlene Nisly to share about the blessings and challenges of living in a population center like New York City.

Having grown up in rural Pennsylvania and now living in Brooklyn, NY, for nearly twenty-five years, Marlene will talk about the call and the challenge to live well as followers of Jesus, with specific focus on an urban setting.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

December 28, 2024

Strength to Strength welcomed David Anderson to discuss the value church history is to our lives today.

We are the product of, not only our reading of scripture, but two millenia of church history that has shaped our culture and experience. Only by knowing the past can we be informed to chart a way forward.

Skeptics of the value of church history are encouraged to bring their hardest questions for David.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-why-study-church-history/

Salt & Light is a Bible-based financial teaching course to help you demonstrate God’s kingdom locally. It helps you discover how to become better stewards of God’s resources and actively engage with your local community, church, and youth.

SALT reaches out globally to people in material poverty in dozens of countries through savings groups, agricultural development, microloans, and vocational training. We foster hope and opportunity to people in communities where life seems hopeless.

The Salt & Light course provides Biblical stewardship teaching and endeavors to bring this same hope to our North American communities. The course is designed with four “Tracks” tailored for investing in our own churches as well as for reaching out to others. Many Anabaptist communities have been blessed for generations with godly homes and biblical teaching. The overarching goal of the Salt & Light course is to provide a tool to help “Kingdom Christians” walk with their neighbors, coworkers, employees, and others, demonstrating Christ while providing sustainable, long-term way-of-life help.

[email protected]

https://saltbooks.org/

Strength to Strength welcomed Finny Kuruvilla to reexamine the record of the church as recorded in Acts.

Is the book of Acts an historical account which is not intended to be repeated? Or is it supposed to be the template for the Christian life? This talk will explore this age-old question and make a biblically grounded proposal.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-the-book-of-acts-descriptive-or-prescriptive/

Books recommended by Finny particularly for those with Anabaptist heritage, in order of priority:

Book: “Conrad Grebel: The Founder of the Swiss Brethren” by Harold S. Bender https://www.amazon.com/Conrad-Grebel-Harold-S-Bender/dp/1532666683/

Book: “The Legacy of Michael Sattler” by C. Arnold Snyder

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Sattler-Classics-Radical-Reformation/dp/0874862566/

Book: “The Anabaptist Story” by William Estep

https://www.amazon.com/Anabaptist-Story-William-R-Estep/dp/0802808867/

Book: “The Sources of Swiss Anabaptism: The Grebel Letters and Related Documents” (primary source)

https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Anabaptism-Classics-Radical-Reformation/dp/0874862620/

Book: “Writing of Pilgram Marpack” (primary source)

https://www.amazon.com/Writings-Pilgram-Marpeck-Classics-Reformation/dp/0874862582/

Book: “Complete Works of Menno Simons” (primary source)

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Menno-Simon/dp/1015480578/

Other recommendation by Finny in the context of continuationism:

Study: “Is There a Pattern to the Bible’s Miracles?” by Joel Arnold https://joelarnold.com/is-there-a-pattern-to-the-bibles-miracles/

Book: “A Story of God’s Faithfulness” by George Chavanikamannil https://www.amazon.com/Barren-Mango-Orchard-Faithfulness-Architect/dp/B0CTN4DNHC

December 14, 2024

Strength to Strength welcomed Finny Kuruvilla to explore how, and more importantly, why the earliest church flourished.

One of the themes of the Jesus’ preaching was the kingdom of God. In the book of Acts, we watch as the kingdom of God expands throughout the Roman empire. This talk will explore the biblical theology of the book of Acts and practical principles of the kingdom.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-the-book-of-acts-the-kingdom-of-god-fills-the-earth/

December 7, 2024

Strength to Strength welcomed Gina Martin, Laura Smucker, and Delphine Martin for a panel discussion to share about lessons that walking through grief can teach us.

Can life ever be good again after devastating loss? What questions should I be asking God about the valley I have experienced? How can I look outward in my muddled state? Join us for this panel discussion on Navigating the Journey of Grief as the panelists discuss these questions, as well as how grief matures and helpful and harmful words and how they impact grief. They plan to share ways people walked beside them to support them in their grief.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/navigating-the-journey-of-grief/

On the one-year anniversary of S2S Books, the Strength to Strength team met to discuss the latest news and updates.

Sam is headed to Europe in 2025, leading a new initiate called “Kingdom Connect,” which is an effort to bring together European kingdom Christians.

S2S Books is collaborating with the Salt team from Christian Aid Ministries to bring new Salt & Light courses to the market.

Joining us was a special guest from Mexico, Phil Reiff, to discuss the latest developments with his new café in Creel, Mexico. This was previously introduced in November 2023 when he shared his vision for a during a “Walk the Talk” episode. Consider partnering with this ministry and help us spread the word about this opportunity to advance the kingdom. You can get more information at the link below, or check out their page on the Extend Cafés website.

• Click here for a newsletter (PDF) about the new La Cosecha café that Phil Reiff is starting.

Also, we shared an update on the Sacred Roots series.

All this and more in this episode. Thanks for being a part of Strength to Strength!