As a church, most of our teaching is expository, meaning we go through a text in the Bible, normally a whole book, and examine it chapter by chapter and verse by verse. The lessons below are different. For these, we start with a topic and look throughout the Bible to see what God has revealed to us through His Scriptures about it. In addition to these topical lessons, we have also tagged the key topics that are discussed in our expository lessons. To find lessons (either topical or expository) that address a specific topic, click here.
Image credit: 1 Chronicles 4:39 © Annie Vallotton
In Genesis 1 we learn that God created man in His image. Over the centuries, Christians have wrestled with what this means and the implications for our lives. This lesson explores how we are made in God's image and what is our role in conforming to the image. Teaching Notes The Image of God -
Why did the early church pray so much? How were their prayers so effective? Could it be that they simply prayed as Jesus taught and showed them? May we experience this type of prayer! This lesson is built on a short devotional taught by Chuck Pike in 2020, adapted from Tertullian's work "On Prayer". Teaching
This is an unusually challenging message that could disrupt your spiritual life! In it, we make the case for memorizing extended passages of Scripture, then meditating on that day and night. While this is hard work, it will produce wonderful blessings for those who persevere. We begin by reviewing Bible passages that encourage this, then
I Have Hidden Your Word in My Heart: Memorizing Scripture! View Lesson
I Have Hidden Your Word in My Heart: Memorizing Scripture! View Lesson
One of the great challenges to Biblical unity is unresolved conflict between Christians. Fortunately, in Matthew 18, Jesus not only gives us a process to revolve conflict with one another, but also the heart we are to bring to conflict resolution. In this second of a two-part series on unity, we cover Jesus' simple, challenging,
Before going to His death, Jesus prays for the unity of His followers. He promises that by this unity the love and glory of God will be revealed, and the world would believe that God sent Him. In this first of a two-part lesson, we examine why this unity is so difficult and how to
Most of us are familiar with Luke's account of the birth of Christ. However, this message adds insights from early Christian writers and little-known prophecies that can encourage our faith, add greater significance to certain details of this story, and equip us to rebut critics of the account of the virgin birth in Bethlehem. Also, we address
Throughout Scripture, significant events took place at Bethlehem. As we remember the details of our Lord's birth, we see how this event was foretold in various times, places and events that took place centuries before. May this give us even more reason to rejoice and stand in awe at the birth of our Savior! Teaching
This lesson uses three parables to illustrate why it is so important for all Christians to be immersed in the Scriptures every day, and to study through the entire Bible (Old Testament as well as New Testament). The concepts presented here are simple, memorable, and have the power to transform our lives as well as
Jesus and the apostles spoke frequently about Satan and his active role in the world and the church. Why is it that so few teach what they taught? In this lesson we take a deep dive into the role and tactics of Satan, our enemy who seeks to destroy God's people. Understanding what the scriptures
In this message we tackle questions that have been raised throughout the ages related to the birth of Jesus, drawing on insights from early Christian writers. When the angel Gabriel spoke with Mary in Luke 1, what was the prophecy he alluded to (not footnoted in most Bibles)? How do the two different nativity accounts