The God of the Bible is not enamored with the same kinds of people that the people of the world are. He seems much more fascinated by the people just below the surface. The people none of us would have selected to have played major roles in the telling of the Gospel story. Unusual Suspects...

One of those such people happened to be hanging right next to Jesus on the hill of Calvary.

This week, in our UNUSUAL SUSPECTS series, we'll talk about "A Thief on A Cross", and how his experience with Jesus has shaped our perspective on salvation and life.

We asked you to tell us what you wanted to hear a sermon about, and we ended up with 4 terrific topics… the last of which is an examination of what makes a Christian Marriage a Christian Marriage.

In a world where marriage is expendable and cheap, what could be more important than that Christian Marriages stand out as the actual high ground God always intended for it to be?

You asked for it! Here it is…

We asked you to tell us what you wanted to hear sermons about.
So far, we've covered "the Bible" and "sexuality".

This week... Parenting.
There's no question that raising a child in 2023 is a nuanced, complicated, and sometimes frustrating experience. But, what would it look like if Mom & Dad had a battle plan?

Find out in today's sermon from Pastor Richie Fike, a self-admitted imperfect parent himself.

We asked you to tell us what you wanted to hear sermons about.
One of the top answers was “sexuality” and “homosexuality”.

What does God have to say about this issue?
What does God have to say about your issue?
What should Christians have to say to those who disagree with us?

You asked for it… so here it is!

We asked you to tell us what you wanted to hear a sermon about, and we ended up with 4 terrific topics… the first of which is an examination of the weight, the worth and the wielding of the Word of God.

The Bible… YOU ASKED FOR IT.

As we close the door on our months-long Ezekiel series, we have come to one of the most beautiful, pivotal, hopeful moments in the entire book. Ezekiel 47 is the picture of what happens when God’s people take what happens in the holiest of holy places into the world with them.

Our Pastor, Richie Fike, took this opportunity to give us a bit of a state-of-the-union address, replete with a brand new song, “We are the River”, included on this podcast.

We pray you share this particular message with anyone you think might want to participate with us in being a church that says to its community: “God is for you… and so are we.”

Verse1:
There is a river, it flows from the sanctuary Everything it touches turns to good There is a people, growing in love and sharing Everything the father gives to us
Chorus:
And the further we get The deeper it flows And the more that we give The more we grow And with every step, The more we behold This is the river of the grace of God
Verse 2:
There is a reason we did not fly to Heaven At the very moment we believed As long as we’re breathing, we’ll give you every breath and Offer up our hearts, our hands, our feet
Bridge:
Oh let us be a people of your presence Lord let them see a God who’s not against us Let mercy and peace flow through us from Heaven We are the river, Lord make us the river…

As we near the end of this sprawling Ezekiel series, we arrive at the most famous passage from the book… the Dry Bones.

God is revealing to Ezekiel a problem, a prognosis, a process and a promised product through the analogy of the Dry bones.

That’s great and all, but, what do these dry bones have to do with you and with me? What is the analogy God is speaking to us today?

One of the most important jobs on the planet is the job of a parent. To lead, to love, to guide, to protect, and to teach young souls how to discern the difference between the truth and a lie. But, in order to do that, parents have to first distinguish the difference between the lies they’re told in regards to parenting.

Melissa Janish’s sermon aims to do that. To juxtapose worldly lies against Scriptural truth.

Happy Mother’s Day!

We were blessed to have the first lady of Vanguard Church with us at VTL to speak to us about something we all want, we all need, and only God can provide... SANCTUARY.

There are 3 major sections in the book of Ezekiel.

The first one is all about Israel’s past, and why God did what He did.
The third one is all about Israel’s future, and what God is preparing.

This middle one, which we cover in one sermon, (so you should do yourself a favor and go read it all comprehensively... ch. 25-32) is all about:

“God’s Animus for Our Enemies”.