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!

Gregory Weaver. Jesus told his Jewish audience, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” What did Jesus imply with this statement?

In this book, Gregory Weaver examines how Jesus and his apostles understood the promises made to Abraham. Rediscover the historic view of the promises to Abraham, and see how dispensationalism is exposed as a modern, errant innovation.

https://strengthtostrength.org/a-great-nation/

November 23, 2024

Strength to Strength welcomed Zack Johnson to discuss truth-telling and swearing of oaths.

Can the imitation of Christ truly involve oath-taking? This talk traces the evolution of oath-taking from the Old Covenant through the teachings of Jesus and James, the nuances in Paul’s writings, and the convictions of early Christians like Maximilian. It explores why James highlighted Jesus’ reversal of Mosaic teachings on oaths as essential for believers, demonstrating how early disciples were willing to die for this principle. Concluding with a call for contemporary Christians to embody integrity and consistent truthfulness, it challenges followers of Christ to reject society’s reliance on oaths as both a substitute for genuine honesty and faithfulness and as a means of pledging loyalty to anything other than Christ the King.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-why-above-all-matters/

Strength to Strength welcomed David Bercot to discuss the purpose of studying the doctrine and practice of the earliest disciples of the faith.

Jude, the brother of Jesus, tells us:

Why can we not just read our Bible and be confident we’ve got it right?

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-why-study-the-early-christians/

Strength to Strength welcomed Mary Z. to share a testimony of living a life of wholehearted, passionate service to God.

We are created in the image of God. Mary will be sharing about how believing that with all her heart, changed her and led her to where she is today. Living on foreign soil for most of the past seven years has given her deeper insights into the heart of God and His will for the people she works among. She will be sharing about how she can keep her passion for the work alive.

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/my-journey-to-living-as-a-faithful-emissary/

• November 2, 2024

Strength to Strength welcomed Melody Schrock to discuss beauty, designed by God, created for our enjoyment.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we have a worldview of beauty. Beauty was God’s idea and He has a standard. As women, we are image bearers and we display the beauty of God, but how? When people see us, are they drawn to us or to worship of our Creator? What does it look like to veil ourselves spirit, soul, and body? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? We’ll explore some of these questions in our time together. God has a design and it is good!

An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

https://strengthtostrength.org/gods-design-for-beauty-our-creators-standard/

Alan Kreider. How and why did the early church grow in the first four hundred years despite disincentives, harassment, and occasional persecution? In this unique historical study, veteran scholar Alan Kreider delivers the fruit of a lifetime of study as he tells the amazing story of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Challenging traditional understandings, Kreider contends the church grew because the virtue of patience was of central importance in the life and witness of the early Christians. They wrote about patience, not evangelism, and reflected on prayer, catechesis, and worship, yet the church grew–not by specific strategies but by patient ferment.

https://strengthtostrength.org/the-patient-ferment-of-the-early-church/