Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

With a handful of exceptions, Christians are overwhelmingly united in their willingness to worship God on the first day of the week. After all, we have been doing this for two thousand years, and we are rarely questioned about it. Why not just go with the flow? The answer to that question is that we should want to be deliberate Christians in everything we offer up to God. We never want to be guilty of the “will worship” that Paul condemns in Col. 2:23. We are constrained to offer to God what He requires of us, and not anything else. So why do we worship on the first day of the week? Why didn’t the Church remain with the seventh-day Sabbath of the Jews?

The Text: John 11:1-6

THE TEXT: Isaiah 8

This psalm overlaps a good deal with what David prayed in Psalm 18, as well as in 2 Samuel 22, near the end of his life. His life had been a long series of battles and conflicts, and he certainly knew the truth of what he was expressing here. This is a psalm of jubilation, rejoicing in the sort of prosperity that the deliverances of Jehovah can bring to a people. It begins with war, but concludes with the harvest of true peace.

Join Andrew DeBartolo, Director of Operations at Liberty Coalition Canada, as he discusses biblical sexuality. From contrasting worldly views on sexuality to exploring biblical teachings, objections from the gay Christian movement, and the importance of defending sola scriptura. Dive into the transformative power of the gospel in liberating individuals from sexual perversion.

This psalm is offered up to God in a time of great distress. We do not know if it is from the time of Saul’s persecution, or from Absalom’s rebellion, or from some other time. Regardless, the need is pressing and great, and David is presenting his prayers to God with great urgency.

THE TEXT:1 Thessalonians 1:1-7

This year, for my State of the Church message, I want to take a 30,000 ft. view. The church at large is beset with great danger to moral compromise. However, locally, we should not think ourselves impervious to the onslaught which is attacking the church of our Lord Jesus. We live in perilous times, and I want to summon our local congregation to look at the perils which surround us, and to take heed.

As you might know by now, the tone coming out of Moscow has gained a little bit of notoriety. For good or ill, this reputation shows no signs of going away, and because you are likely to be fielding questions about it, I thought that it would be good to use our annual “state of the church” message to help you sort through the relevant issues.

First, imitation serves as an example of God’s design in how he made the world. He is the master craftsman, and his world is built to run on a certain mix of fuel. Inputs drive outputs, and imitation links these together. In this sense, imitation is inescapable. It’s not if, but who? Second, the principle of imitation is intricately linked to how we live our lives and how we raise our kids. Finally, Scripture show us to how we can take this principle of God’s design and push it into the corners of our daily lives. The fact that we are starting a new year, adds the spice of considering how we can work our understanding of imitation into real change in our lives versus vain resolutions.