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WEBCAST – In the crescendo of the Apostle Paul’s treatise on the Gospel in Romans Chapters 1-11 all people, being sinners by nature, are consigned to being disobedient to God. Therefore, all are under God’s judgement and wrath. However, divine mercy trumps judgement for all who place their trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for them. The […]
WEBCAST – When Jenny and I were young parents raising our small children were diligent to have them memorize the questions and answers in the The Shorter Catechism for Children. Here are the first three Q&A’s: 1. Q. Who made you? A. God 2. Q. What else did God make? A. God made all things […]
WEBCAST – A Forbes Magazine study reported that religion is good for individuals and society. People who attend religious services weekly add seven years to their life expectancy, have stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure, as well as less depression and substance abuse. They graduate at higher rates than their non-religious peers. Society benefits […]
WEBCAST – A Pew Research survey in September 2021 reported that 73% of Americans believe in heaven while 62% believe in hell. 39% of Americans believe that people who do NOT believe in God can go to heaven. Surprisingly, 34% of Protestants and 68% of Roman Catholics believe that people who do NOT believe in […]
WEBCAST – So, what about the Jewish people and the Isrealite nation? Are they God’s chosen people, or not? Are they in some sort of favored category apart from all other people? What is the bottom line for the Isrealites, now that Jesus has come? To complicate their condition even further, in the initial three […]
WEBCAST- On April 23, 1962 Karl Barth, the renowned 20th Century Swiss-German neo-orthodox theologian, spoke at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago. Following his lecture during a question and answer period a student asked him if he could summarize his whole life’s work in theology in a sentence. Barth said something […]
WEBCAST – One of the most wonderful aspects of the future for those who have placed their trust in Jesus is that our old, weakened, and worn-out bodies will be remade and resurrected to be with Jesus at the time of His return to earth. Our old “bag of bones” will be reconstituted to be […]
WEBCAST – One of the most wonderful aspects of the future for those who have placed their trust in Jesus is that our old, weakened, and worn-out bodies will be remade and resurrected to be with Jesus at the time of His return to earth. Our old “bag of bones” will be reconstituted to be […]
WEBCAST – Even as a child I had the understanding that if Heaven is a perfect place then I would not fit there because I was not perfect. Perhaps other really good people would be suitable to reside there, but I certainly would not. Later in my life someone told me that if I went […]
WEBCAST- When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus early in His ministry He explained that the Holy Spirit in His followers’ lives is like the wind. The wind cannot itself be seen, yet its presence can readily and undeniably be observed. If you see a tree branch moving, a kite flying, or hair blowing you can be […]
WEBCAST – There seems to be a correlation between the current state of the Coronavirus infection and that of the presence, power and manifestation of sin in people’s lives. In recent months many people who test positive and are declared to be infected with the recent strain of the Coronavirus are “asymptomatic”. They have the […]
WEBCAST – Most mature people come to realize and accept that they have attitudes and behaviors that are wrong and harmful to themselves and others. If a person is religious she or he may label such attitudes and behaviors as “sin”. That is a good start to change oneself, but it is only a start. […]
WEBCAST – Our battle against sin is exhausting and grievous. Earnest Christ-followers can easily fall into two wrong responses to the reality that we continue to sin. First, we can presume that we can overcome sin by our own focus, discipline, and power. Second, we can react with hopelessness in the face of our persistent […]
WEBCAST – When a professed “Christian” does not live differently than others in the culture and not in-line with traditional Judeo-Christian morality, others observing them raise their eyebrows. They wonder if the self-declared saint is really what he or she claims to be, or if they are merely a religious hypocrite. On the other hand, […]
WEBCAST – We rarely ever think about the fact that we are “citizens” of our country, more specifically “natural born citizens”. Because of that we often take for granted the rights and privileges we have as “citizens”. Others who immigrate to the United States and earn their “citizenship” are far more aware and appreciative of […]
WEBCAST – The concept of and loyalty to a “clan” or “tribe” has been lost on most of us. Perhaps if you have a Native American, Scottish, or Irish heritage you may be able to identify your family’s “clan” or “tribe”. For most Americans, however, when our ancestors came to this country they took the […]
WEBCAST – The Gospel can be confusing and even confounding to many people. Consider this… We tell children to “be good” and “obey” both rules and authorities. The better they comply and obey the more they are told that they are “good”. We then tell these “good children” who then grow up into teens and […]
WEBCAST – When you were in school didn’t you love when the teacher stated that she would be grading “on the curve”? That meant that you didn’t need to know all or most of the information on a test to get a good grade. You only needed to know more than a percentage of the […]
WEBCAST – We had rules in the family I (Jim) grew up in. Some rules stated things we children had to do. Others stated what we should not do. All were reasonable and easy for us to understand. I am glad that we had these rules. As I approached adulthood I didn’t need my parents […]
WEBCAST – Do you remember your life just prior to you trusting in Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Can you recall not only where you were in life at that time and what you were doing, but also what you were thinking and how you were feeling about the spiritual dimension of your life? […]
WEBCAST – Who are your “go to” people? What I mean is this – when you are facing a really tough and uncertain situation, who do you most want around you? Who do you want to sit with you, listen to you, talk with you, pray for you? They give you comfort and hope by […]
WEBCAST – As we have examined the ministries of the Apostles in Jerusalem, of other key individuals whose ministries were highlighted in The Acts of The Apostles, and then that of the Apostle Paul and his missionary companions, it is obvious that God’s people need other believers around them in order to live for Jesus […]
WEBCAST – If you are meaningfully involved with others for a period of time, eventually there will be disagreements and tensions between you. Most often such issues are minor and do not escalate to the level of hurt feelings and open conflict. However, sometimes they do. When that happens it takes a lot of […]
WEBCAST – There are people in your life with whom you have had a very “complicated relationship”. You and them may have begun as family members or acquaintances and then became close friends for a season of your lives. Then, surprisingly to you, events unfolded that brought tension into the relationship. From there the subsequent […]
WEBCAST – If a person read through the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the young Christ-followers in the Greek city of Corinth, he or she would certainly get the sense that there was a lot that had gone wrong in the nearly three years since he had left. That was not due to the believers […]
WEBCAST – Easter Sunday is about the past, present, and future. Regarding the past, it is a joyful remembrance that nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus rose from the dead in a glorious body that was fit to go from this earthly realm directly into heaven. Regarding the future, it is an illustration for those who […]
WEBCAST – The religious culture in 21st Century America is vastly different from that of mid-1st Century Corinth. Therefore, Christians in that time and place had questions about many issues that we as Jesus’ followers don’t face today. The differences in believers’ perspective about pagan religion led to differences in conviction and practice within the […]
WEBCAST – If we focused only upon the problems which were reported to the Apostle Paul and then addressed in the letter called “1 Corinthians”, we would conclude that nothing good was going on in or among the believers in Corinth in 55AD. But that was not the case. The letter mentions a lot of […]
WEBCAST – Not everyone trusts in Jesus and begins their Christian life at the same place ethically, cognitively, or spiritually. When God redeemed people in the Greco-Roman city of Corinth in the mid-first century through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, there were people in two categories. Devout Jews who had come to Christ there […]
WEBCAST – Many years ago an older pastor friend of mine (Jim) jokingly told me that he wanted to be called by and serve in a church with no people. That was because, he explained, “when you have people in your church there will be problems.” Looking back over the past decades of local church […]
WEBCAST- As the Apostle Paul had given birth to many local churches on his missionary journeys, each of those local fellowships continued to need encouragement, guidance, nourishment, and protection. His work was not done once individual people were converted to Christ and a new Christian fellowship was formed. As their spiritual father he was passionate […]
WEBCAST – While in ancient Ephesus, the Apostle Paul confronted the popular belief in Greek/Roman gods, evil spirits, exorcists, magicians, and those who made their living in these activities. Then in the 1920s after the death of his mother, Harry Houdini began focusing his energy on debunking psychics and mediums. One hundred years after Harry […]
WEBCAST – When Jesus’ followers in the city of Antioch began to send out missionaries in 46 A.D., they went to and focused their efforts in urban areas. As D.L. Moody declared eighteen centuries later, “The greatest and deepest reservoirs of our nation are the cities, and water runs downhill. If we can reach the […]
WEBCAST – As the Gospel of Christ began in the East, its future was sovereignly forged most significantly through a “western expansion”. Although it grew modestly in the regions North, East, and South of Israel, the Christian movement would expand and flourish in the West. The Book of Acts details the story of the initial western […]
WEBCAST – The letter James wrote to Jesus’ followers in the mid-40’s AD is not dissimilar to the Boy Scouts’ Fieldbook. It does contain the experience accumulated by those who have gone before and had known Jesus personally and best, but it declares much more than that. It also contains God’s will and wisdom for those who have pledged […]
WEBCAST – As James sat down to write the Holy Spirit was sovereignly controlling his pen without taking away or negating the natural process of his human authorship. James wrote freely and creatively, yet was penning God’s very words as he was carried along by the Holy Spirit (2Peter 1:21). What he wrote on parchment was […]
WEBCAST – How do you know that you have had your sins forgiven by God and that you are now in the state of His favor? Is it based solely upon the fact that you had previously prayed “the sinners’ prayer” and “asked Jesus into your heart”? In addition, perhaps you have been baptized as a symbolic profession of your inner faith in […]
WEBCAST – The purpose of the letter of James is not apologetic or doctrinal, but personal and practical. He challenges professing mid-first century and early twenty-first century “Christians” to examine the quality of their daily lives against the behavioral standards of true faith. Genuine faith in Christ will produce, James states, real changes in a […]
WEBCAST – In the roughly fifteen years since Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, new communities of His followers had been established in hundreds of villages, cities, and towns. The Holy Spirit prompted James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, to write to the dispersed believers that there were many significant issues in these “new covenant” communities to […]
WEBCAST – From the day of Pentecost onward the Good News had been spreading out in all directions from Jerusalem. However, during this era of slow travel and equally slow communication there was infrequent uniformity of thought and practice between local fellowships of Jesus’ followers. Somebody had to give authoritative instructions to the new Christian movement […]
If you have trusted in Christ and followed Him earnestly for some time you have undoubtedly observed people coming into and wandering out of the Christian faith and community. People who had earlier expressed some measure of identification with Jesus do forsake Him regardless of how energetic their initiation was. The Apostle Paul was very […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, I don’t know about you, but my life has not gone the way I thought it would go. That is true for the overall path of my life, but also true for many of the smaller episodes within it. Often when circumstances led me to believe that the […]
WEBCAST- The Apostle Paul seems to be such a perfect person. Before he was converted to faith in Jesus on the road to Damascus he appeared to be a perfect Jew. Once he was converted he appeared to be a perfect Christian, yet he was not. When Paul left the city of Athens after proclaiming […]
WEBCAST- When the Apostle Paul arrived in Athens after fleeing from persecution it was the university center of the world. Nearly 400 years had passed since the greatest philosophers of antiquity had taught there – Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Sophocles. Almost all modern philosophies have their roots in these men. Yet they and those […]
WEBCAST – Two thousand years ago as the Good News about Jesus was being spread westward into Europe it encountered a culture and worldview that were vastly different from the Jewish world it came from. In Athen, Greece was the pinnacle of classical philosophy and the cradle of western civilization. It also was overflowing […]
WEBCAST – The reinstatement of sharia law in Afghanistan has heightened the world’s awareness of Islam’s perception and treatment of women and girls. In recent decades Christianity has received similar criticisms that it was rooted in misogyny and has throughout history denied the full equality of women. The key question on the subject, however, is whether […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers Albert Einstein was once asked what he believed to be the best formula for success in life. He replied, “If ‘A’ equals success in life, I should say the formula is ‘A = X + Y + Z’. He went on to say, “X being work and Y […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, What are you good at? What activities are you naturally gifted to do? For what tasks or jobs have you been trained and experienced to do? In what roles do you feel both comfortable and confident? For example, if you have a degree in education and have taught […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Believe it or not, it was everyday people (Thanks, Sly Stone) just like you that won the western world to Christ. With the arguable exception of the Apostle Paul who was marvelously gifted and educated, the expansion of the New Community of Jesus followers was done by everyday […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Do you know that both Jews and Muslims practice circumcision as a sign of their being in a covenant relationship with God? That’s right…even the Muslims who are now controlling Afghanistan. Both groups look back in history to their common ancestor, Father Abraham, and hold firmly to God’s […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Jesus told a number of parables using the characters of a father and his son(s). In some of those stories He either assumes that His hearers know, or He describes the differences between a son (or daughter) and a servant/slave. Sons (or daughters) are in an advantaged position […]
WEBCAST- Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Note: The introductory paragraphs below are the same as I sent out last week. They apply precisely to this week’s discussion Bible study, and it is doubtful that I could improve upon them for this Lord’s Day. The “Table Discussion Questions” are updated. It is unlikely that we today […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, It is unlikely that we today can overstate the amount of internal tension and strife the New Community of Jesus Followers were experiencing in 48 AD. Although it had grown immensely in numbers and geographically in the 18 years since Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven, its […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, You say that there is only one God Who is always the same and never changes. You say that He has spoken to humanity in the Scriptures and there given us His laws. And, you say that you are one of HIs followers. So, if that is so […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, When God sent Barnabas and Saul from the city of Antioch to the West in 46 AD He had a plan to eventually bring the majority of the people in Europe and the Americas to identify as followers of His Son. This plan has played out over the […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Certain seemingly small decisions made in the past impact the subsequent history of the entire world in immeasurable ways. Most decisions do not. Other previous decisions impact the lives and very existence of a much smaller segment of people. This concept is what historians and philosophers call “contingency”. […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, One of the troubling aspects of a secular view of the world is that there is no guarantee or mechanism by which the wrongs committed in this world will not ever be paid for and made right. The unrighteous actively wrong others with seeming impunity while those who […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, It had been around twelve years since Jesus had returned to heaven and the New Community of His followers was established in Jerusalem through their miraculous signs, preaching, and teaching. The great joy and excitement of the earliest of those years came to an end with the […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, My father was born in 1935 and grew up in the Polish neighborhood of St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in Cleveland. His family spoke both Polish and English in their home, although his older aunts and uncles spoke only Polish. Polish and English were spoken in his […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, For over six years the issue of border security has been front and center in our national discussions. Politicians and pundits flood the airwaves 24/7 bloviating on the subjects of illegal border crossings, undocumented aliens, building a wall, legal immigration, and a pathway to citizenship. Each side […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, The traditional motto of the United States is “E pluribus unum”, which means “Out of many, one”. It appeared on our country’s Great Seal along with the Latin words “Annuit coeptis”, which means “He approves the things undertaken”, declaring God’s approval of our nation’s founding vision and […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Since the great-great-grandchildren of Abraham were enslaved in Egypt they had always been at odds with the peoples around them. They were very different from other cultures, and nearly always the objects of criticism and oppression. Generation after generation of Jews had stories about the unjust and harsh […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, If you lived in New Testament times and God wanted you instead of the disciple Luke to investigate and write the history of the early years of the Christian movement, what details would you choose to include or exclude? What principles or paradigm would guide you as […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, After Stephen was martyred and persecution came to the new community of Jesus followers in Jerusalem, I wonder how many of them said to each other, “You know, God is going to bring good out of this”? As they were being dragged out of their houses and into prison […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers The very encouraging opening chapters of the Book of Acts would make readers presume that all which started so well for the new Christian movement would continue to be positive. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the twelve apostles were transformed into fearless teachers, miraculous healers, and […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, In a few short months following Jesus’ return to heaven it appeared inevitable that Judaism would be swallowed up by the new community of His followers. At the end of our last Sunday’s discussion Bible study the question was not “Would the new community of Jesus’ followers survive?”, […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, The Nicene Creed includes the statement, “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” The word “apostolic” refers to the fact that the Christian faith is not only founded upon the life and ministry of Jesus, but that it is also built upon the ministries and message […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, For the apostles, the first several weeks after Pentecost were dizzying and exciting. They had been told by Jesus to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to be sent to them, yet they never foresaw how dramatically and publicly the Spirit would arrive. They did not perceive that thousands would listen and respond favorably […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, People defend their turf. You can only encroach upon what they believe is rightfully theirs for so long. Then they will use whatever means they have at their disposal to push you off. They will begin by asking you to back away, but if you don’t oblige the […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, The whole of the nation of Israel, but especially the city of Jerusalem, had been simmering in tension for over three years. At the Passover festival more than three years earlier a prophet from Nazareth named Jesus had accused and physically thrown out the religious traders in the […]
WEBCAST – Dear Sisters and Brothers, Tomorrow God’s people around the world will gather with joy to proclaim and rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus the Nazarene from the dead. There is no greater event in history that deserves our attention and response. Fifty days following Jesus’ crucifixion and death and seven days after His […]
WEBCAST – Dear RCF Sisters and Brothers, Although we ended our series through Jesus’ life and ministry two weeks ago, the story continues on. What He did for fallen humanity did not end with the cross or in the grave. Nor did it end when He “led captivity captive”, taking Paradise and its inhabitants […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Four Sundays ago we began to address the questions, “What did Jesus do between His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb?”, and “Did He descend into Hell as the Apostles’ Creed states?” This Sunday morning we will complete that discussion Bible study. I hope that you will be greatly encouraged by the conclusions we […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, My Dad had a saying about a person who explained things in far too much detail. He described such a person this way – “If you ask him what time it is he’d tell you how to build a watch.” I’m afraid that I might be guilty of that in seeking to understand […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, When I was in my mid-20’s I was taught to study and interpret the Bible by Tom Brown. He would admonish his students NOT to use Bible commentaries or other books, but rather to use the Bible itself as THE main resource to interpret and understand itself. He told us that if we went to […]
Dear RCF brothers and sisters, We are continuing with our discussion Bible Study tomorrow morning, February 21st, about the mystery of what Jesus did between His death and resurrection. The Apostles’ Creed states that “He descended into hell”, but did He? If so, why? If not, then what did He do during those hours? Last week we looked at the key words used in the Scriptures […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, A number of weeks ago the question was asked in our discussion Bible study about where Jesus went after His death on the cross and before His resurrection. Specifically, did He “descend into hell” like the Apostles’ Creed states? We will be addressing and answering that question this Sunday, February 14th, and likely for the […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, In this final section of The Harmony of the Gospels Jesus gives His disciples their final instructions for a worldwide ministry before He returns to heaven. This was not merely a matter of information, but revelation. Whatever type of spiritual veil they had over their minds which prevented them from understanding His mission […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, Jesus’ transformation of humanity was never intended to end at the completion of His thirty-three year life. The plan which was conceived in eternity prior to the creation of the universe was always that Jesus would come to earth and provide the complete means of mankind’s redemption. He did that first by […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, After Jesus was crucified and buried, it was reasonable for Jesus’ closest male disciples to fear that the Jewish leaders might arrest and prosecute them. If that happened they could be crucified as well. The Sabbath which began at the time of Jesus’ burial gave them 24 hours of potential relief […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, When Jesus was crucified and died, the hopes of the multitudes who thought that He was going to redeem Israel from Roman rule were dashed. Thursday evening’s Passover was celebrated with expectancy as many Jews believed that Jesus was about to set them free, just as Moses did for their ancestors […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, Compared to Jesus’ public ministry the past three years, His arrest and trials were witnessed by comparatively few people. Many of those who observed what was happening to Jesus during and after His arrest, such as the Roman officials and soldiers, had only modest personal interest in the proceedings. The huge […]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, This coming Sunday, January 3, 2021, we will begin the new year by focussing on Our Lord’s final trial, condemnation, suffering, and death in our discussion Bible study. We will end our time together by reflecting upon these events in the manner He instructed His disciples to, by having “The Lord’s Table”. Therefore, please […]
Dear Friends, Two Sundays ago we saw how people, without even knowing it, can try to derail God’s plans. Since before the world was created God had planned that His Son would die as the Passover Lamb Who would rescue people from their bondage to sin and its penalty. God’s timeline was in jeopardy until […]
Dear Friends, If you knew that you only had only hours to live, it is likely that you would want to tell the most important people in your life the most important information they needed to know. That is true regarding Jesus’ final evening with His chosen apostles. During that final Passover evening Jesus communicated […]
Dear Friends, Sometimes you just have to just move on. Differences and tensions that you have experienced with others for a long time have not improved despite your best efforts to explain your perspective and position. In fact, despite your best efforts and explanations over time the more entrenched others have become and the die is […]
Dear Friends, The current political division in the United States demonstrates that it is nearly impossible to convince people that their views may be wrong. Because their minds are so entrenched that they are right they could never even consider that they might be wrong. That was certainly the case with the religious leaders of […]
Dear Friends, In our discussion Bible study last Sunday we saw Jesus send three more “miracle-bombs” into Jerusalem just prior to His final entry into Jerusalem to get those in the capitol city to believe in Him as their long-promised Messiah. “Miracle-bombs” are notable public miracles which Jesus did outside of Jerusalem which had an enormous impact within the city of […]
Dear Friends, There are three important happenings at RCF which you need to know about for this Sunday, November 1st. 1. Daylight Savings Time – Remember to move your clocks back. If you don’t stay up later than normal on Saturday you get an extra hour sleep! 2. The Lord’s Supper – We will be beginning our time together commemorating Our Lord’s sacrifice […]
Dear Friends, If you wanted to change a major policy in our nation today, there are two ways you could go about it. One way would be to travel widely and speak throughout the fifty states to get a majority of people to agree with your ideas. A second way would be to travel only […]
