The gift of public speaking is a powerful one. People can be persuaded to good just as they can to evil. Emotions can be stirred to anger, sorrow, or joy. But the gospel doesn’t require this gift to be effective, its power is in Christ. As Pastor Ricky continues our study of how Jesus has been at work since His ascension, he reminds us that the apostles, Peter included, were not generally well-educated or trained in the art of public speaking. Yet through them, God has had an impact on millions of people.
What Jesus Did Next - Jesus at Work in the Message, Part 1
Most religions of the world dictate what you have to do in order to attain God-like status or favor with God. This puts you in a place to boast of your own self-discipline and commitment. That’s not how Christianity is supposed to work. As Pastor Ricky reminds us in today’s message, your only boast should be in Jesus. Your salvation isn’t based off of anything that you did. It only required that you trust in Jesus and He did everything else to bring you into right relationship with His father.
What Jesus Did Next - Jesus at Work in a Miracle, Part 3
God can, and sometimes does, work supernaturally to meet a need or provide healing. But as Pastor Ricky challenges us to ask in today’s message, how often do you pray for someone in need knowing full well that you have the resources to help them? Keep on praying, that’s good, but ask yourself if God might want to use you to facilitate that miracle in someone’s life. As a member of His church, a physical extension of Christ in this world, you need to be open to act when God gives you the opportunity.
What Jesus Did Next - Jesus at Work in a Miracle, Part 2
Like the Israelites as they wandered freely in the desert or Peter as his gaze shifted from Jesus to the waves he was walking on, how quickly you forget what God has done for you. He has cleansed your soul and given you freedom from the power of sin. He has healed physical and emotional wounds for countless people throughout history and He’s still doing it. Yet as Pastor Ricky points out in today’s message, so often our focus is only on the problem instead of the one who will rescue us from it.
Loving - Loving Jesus, Part 1
When the disciples asked Christ what laws they should keep, Jesus said to them, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength”. All the commandments are summed up in this. In this text today, Pastor Ricky will be teaching on the importance of falling in love with the real Jesus. Many people worship a Jesus that they make in their own image, a Jesus that they’re more comfortable with. Are you worshipping the Jesus of the Bible or an idol you’ve made?
What Jesus Did Next - Jesus at Work in a Miracle, Part 1
We like to make things as efficient as possible. The number of people we can reach with the least effort is a common fixation for many churches. That's not wrong, we are called to spread the gospel to the ends of the world after all. But as Pastor Ricky points out in today’s message, Jesus didn’t seem to be concerned with efficiency. Instead of prioritizing big crowds or the rich and powerful, He would take the time to stop and interact with individuals, especially those that society had overlooked.
The God of Chance - The Great Reversal, Part 2
The story that plays out in the book of Esther is one that begins with impending doom for an entire people, it ends instead with their victory over their intended destroyers. It’s remarkable to watch the intrigue and behind-the-scenes dealings of a real-life drama playing out before our very eyes. Pastor Ricky will be teaching about the providence of God and how His hand works in our lives even when we can’t perceive Him. It’s beneficial for us to pay attention to history because we can learn from it.
The God of Chance - The Great Reversal, Part 1
We all like celebrations, right? So did the Israelites. It’s interesting that God mandated not just solemn assemblies like the Day of Atonement but also joyous ones like the Feast of Tabernacles where people camped out and ate for a whole week. Pastor Ricky will be teaching from the book of Esther focusing on the creation of the feast called Purim. He’ll be showing the importance of remembering events through celebration and how these lessons from the past apply to us today.
The God of Chance - Perfect Justice in God's Timing, Part 3
It can definitely be vexing to observe injustices being done around us and it’s hard not to get frustrated with God in those regards. We want justice and we want it done now. At those times, it's best to listen to Pastor Ricky. He’ll be teaching about the importance of our submitting such frustrations over to God and understanding that His timing will always be perfect. He also is the only just judge because He knows all of the circumstances as well as the heart of those involved.
The God of Chance - Perfect Justice in God's Timing, Part 2
As Christians, we believe that what the Bible tells us is true. It indicates that in the last days, there will be a final judgment. Although that’s sometimes not a comfort at this present time, it is comforting to know that God has not turned a blind eye to what’s occurring. Pastor Ricky will be teaching from Esther, emphasizing that God is indeed watching over all and is keeping track of what men are doing. He alone will be the final judge and His verdict will be final.
The God of Chance - Perfect Justice in God's Timing, Part 1
So often we see people get away with doing bad things, and that’s frustrating to us. We see people getting away with crimes without any consequences. It seemed like the same thing was going to happen in the story of Esther. Haman was planning to kill all of the Jews and no one realized it. But as Pastor Ricky will be teaching, God knew all about Haman’s plans and He had already put His own plans into motion. And as we’ll learn, God’s plans included appropriate justice for Haman and preservation for the Jews.
The God of Chance - Where the Story Turns, Part 3
We all have different stories about how we came to saving faith. The undercurrent in all of them though is God’s grace in showing us our need for Him and then providing the faith necessary to receive His son’s salvation. The story of Esther is in many ways a foreshadowing of our own redemption. Pastor Ricky will be teaching about how Esther and the exiled Jews’ deliverance by God is a precursor to our own rescuing by God. He’ll also teach us about God being the final arbiter of justice.
The God of Chance - Where the Story Turns, Part 2
So often it’s hard to see God working in our lives. Maybe we’re looking for something obvious, like being able to see angels stopping out-of-control vehicles. The truth is, God works most often than not behind the scenes. We only see His hand after the fact. Pastor Ricky continues teaching from the fascinating story of Esther where we’re allowed to peak behind the curtain as it were. In this story, we can observe all the players involved and watch God orchestrating circumstances for maximum effect.
The God of Chance - Where the Story Turns, Part 1
All around us, we see bad men and women prospering seemingly without a check on their actions or behaviors. It’s really frustrating and we wish for justice to be done to them and for them to be stopped. Pastor Ricky will be continuing to teach from the story of Esther where we find a similar situation. Pastor Ricky will be reminding us of God’s sovereign will and how He has the final say in all matters. This should be encouraging to us despite the aggravation we often have to endure.
The God of Chance - Risking Everything, Part 2
It’s difficult, or even impossible, to conceive how good can come out of accidents or disasters. We hear the verse that Pastor Ricky quoted and wonder how that can even be. Surely the Israelites in exile asked themselves what good would come from their situation as well. Pastor Ricky will be sharing from the book of Esther, and other scriptures, teaching us about the sovereign will of God. He’ll be teaching us how God with His ability to see the end from the beginning orchestrates events for our benefit.
The God of Chance - Risking Everything, Part 1
Throughout the Old Testament, we see where God’s people turned to foreign idols and God has to discipline them to bring them back to Himself. We in the New Testament era like to think that because we have chosen to follow Jesus, we don’t have those kinds of problems. Not true. We can at times put things like money or jobs ahead of our relationship with God. Pastor Ricky will be teaching on the disastrous result of Israel’s turning away from God and His faithfulness to them nevertheless.
The God of Chance - When Injustice Reigns, Part 2
There’s no question that there are unjust actions occurring in our world. There are wrong things being done on a personal level, as well as the corporate and even international level all the time. Part of the story in the book of Esther deals with a threat that is real faced from a man who is a member of a tribe that was hostile to Israel. Pastor Ricky will be teaching on this and showing how man’s rebellion against God allowed injustice to enter the world and how God saves the day for the Jews.
The God of Chance - When Injustice Reigns, Part 1
As we see events going on around us, particularly in the government, we’re tempted to feel completely helpless. We want things to change for the better and we elect people we think will do good things yet nothing changes. “Where’s God?” we might be tempted to ask. Certainly, the Jews must have felt like this being under the control of a heathen king, far from their homeland. Pastor Ricky will continue with the story of Esther and how God used this king to accomplish His purposes.
The God of Chance - The Girl With Two Names, Part 2
We all know the saying, “Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.” Many girls dream of being a princess, having the king fall in love with them and then becoming the queen. We don’t know if this is what Esther wanted but it happened to her nonetheless. Pastor Ricky will be teaching about this story and the apparent comprises Esther made in her life along the way to becoming a queen. This certainly can be a warning to us against putting aside Godly principles for seeming advancement.
The God of Chance - The Girl With Two Names, Part 1
As we witness our society’s descent into further ungodliness in normal living, we may find ourselves pulled toward the darkness as well. As much as we want to live godly lives, the sin nature resident in us is allured by the things of the world around us. As Pastor Ricky will be sharing, the Jews in Persia may have had the same difficulty. At such times, it’s all but impossible to give in and go along with everyone else. We’ll find out how Hadassah, also known as Esther, deals with this circumstance.