Faith Stults oversees an organization called Science with Faith, in which she partners with schools, churches, and nonprofits to help people experience science not as a threat to faith but as a powerful tool for knowing, worshiping, an...

Up to this point in the book of Matthew, we’ve been watching Jesus getting ready to begin His ministry time.  This morning, we’ll see Jesus start His work, and we’ll see when He starts, where He begins His ministry, and what His main messa...

Satan knows that Jesus has come to reclaim His Father’s world, and Satan is not happy about it.  He will do anything in his power to derail Jesus, to make Jesus unable to do what He came to do.  This morning, we’ll look at the attack ...

This morning we’re going to see John the Baptist being surprised.  His cousin Jesus, the Messiah Himself, shows up to get baptized.  John isn’t sure what to do.  Jesus doesn’t have any sins to confess.  Why does He need to g...

Have you ever had someone stop by your house unexpectedly? If you have, maybe you thought to yourself, “I wish I had known. I would have put everything away. I would have cleaned up the house. I would have vacuumed and dusted!” This morning, we...

Pastor Arek O’Connell addresses the question, “Why would a loving God send someone to hell?” by breaking it into three parts—hell, a loving God, and “sending” someone—and stressing that people usually ask it from a place of pain. He explains bi...

Christmas often brings us a warm feeling–peace on earth, goodwill to all. But not everyone felt that way on the first Christmas.  Matthew tells us that while Jesus came to save us, not everyone wants the salvation He brings.  For some...

By now, we're all pretty familiar with the classical manger Nativity scene. The baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Shepherds, and Wise Men. While the addition of the 'Wise Men' doesn't seem so odd or important to us today, to Matthew's audience, it w...

Pastor Ron Kool

Your name is an important part of your identity. It is the first bit of information others learn about you, and for some it is all they will ever know about you. In our story this Sunday, we see how Jesus received His name. And we'll discover h...

We began looking at what Matthew is telling us about Jesus in his genealogy last week, and we’re going to continue that this week.  As Matthew continues to name ancestors, he continues to tell us who Jesus is and why He came. This week, we...

Matthew is going to tell us the amazing story of Jesus the Messiah, the King of kings and the Savior of the world.  He’s got so much to say. But he starts with a list of names—a genealogy.  It’s not something that many of us find very...

In this second session on “How Can There Be One True Religion?” Pastor Ron Kool focuses on how Christians should respond when someone they love says, “I don’t believe what you believe anymore.” Instead of rushing into arguments, he urg...

In the wonderful Christmas carol Joy to the World, we sing the words, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” We need to do that! This morning, we begin the season of Advent—a time when we prepare room in our hearts for Jesus to come to us...

Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on the goodness of God in our daily lives, provisions, relationships, and in God's faithfulness. This Thanksgiving, Pastor Morné Marais will share on being thankful for hope.

We all have rhythms in our lives—patterns, certain times when we do certain things.  This morning, we’ll see that God knows we need some of those patterns in our lives, as we look at the rituals, celebrations, and offerings that God called...

Pastor Ron Kool opens by noting the enormous religious diversity in the world—over 11,000 religions—yet almost everyone falls into seven major groups, with Christianity and Islam comprising more than half of the global population. Using worldwi...

God's people are just about to head into the Promised Land, but are completely unaware of a threat behind the scenes. The prophet Balaam was hired to curse the Israelites and damage their relationship with the God of Israel. What we'll explore ...

God’s people are on the move and the nations around them are getting extremely nervous.  They band together and call on a Prophet for Profit—Balaam.  Balaam knows God and knows he should obey God.  But, like us, sometimes it’s ha...

In this session, Pastor Arek O'Connell explores the central Christian claim that Jesus is truly God. He begins by affirming that for Christians, the trustworthiness of Scripture matters deeply because so much rests on what it says about Jesus. ...

In one of the strangest and most memorable stories in the book of Numbers, God sends salvation to His people—but it’s a bronze snake on a pole! The people at the time didn’t know it, but that snake on a pole would become a great picture of Jesu...

One of the lessons we’re learning about being in the wilderness with God is that the wilderness is a mixed bag.  There are extremely difficult moments followed by instances of amazing grace.  This morning, we’ll see that so clearly as...

What do we do when challenges to leadership arise from within? What should we cautiously consider before challenging our leaders? How do Godly leaders respond to challenges? How does the community caught up in the mess respond in a way that hon...

Kristin Hileman kicked off a practical session on “Can I trust the Bible?”—framing it as the foundation for the whole "Defending Your Faith" series.After a playful fact-or-fiction opener, she shared Sean McDowell’s story to underline th...

There are times when the challenges ahead of us feel overwhelming. As a person, a family, or a church, there are times when we feel like we don’t have what it takes to keep moving forward, to stay faithful to God in the face of the temptations ...