Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Foundations of Our Faith – Theology Proper

What do you believe about God? Everyone has some form of “God Belief”.  Your God Belief may be that there is no God – you may be an atheist.  Your God Belief may be that there are many gods, so you would be considered a polytheist.  Or, as Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe, your God Belief says there is one God.  Those are the big categories of God Beliefs, but let’s get a little more specific:  If you believe in one God, how big is He in your mind?  Is He weak or all powerful?  Is He good or evil; …

Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Foundations of Our Faith – Bibliology

How confident are you that what we call the Bible is really God’s Word? Is it all God’s Word, or just part of it?  Are the ideas God’s, or the very words?  Maybe you noticed that a particular publishing company printed the version you are using; has it been changed from the original?  And how did it get written in the first place? These are some of the questions we will cover in this message.  The Bible is absolutely foundational to our faith, so it is important that we understand what it is, what it says about itself, and know …

Foundations of Our Faith / From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

The Foundations of Our Faith

“What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.  This quote by the great author and pastor, A.W. Tozer is true at so many levels.  Today, we tend to evaluate church, preaching, and religion in general at the surface level – personality, style, and atmosphere.  The very foundations of true Christianity, however, are often neglected, and sadly, very weak in the Western World.  For the next few months, we will try to remedy that here in our own little corner of the evangelical world.  This message marks the beginning of a series …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Allowing God to Enlarge Your Heart

I know it is not Christmas yet, and I am just as annoyed at the Christmas decorations for sale in the store as you are, but I was just thinking of an old TV Christmas special – “The Grinch That Stole Christmas”  I was thinking of that pivotal (literally) moment near the end when the sled is just about to fall and the Grinch decides to save it.  Do you remember what happened?  “His heart grew 3 sizes that day”! Well that is a perfect illustration of what I am going to be talking about in this message, “Allowing God …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Is Your Life Marked by Love?

What is the one universal characteristic of a true Christian?  Is it belief?  We read in James that “the demons believe and tremble”, yet they part of Satan’s ongoing rebellion against God, His people, and His plan.  Is it what church they go to or what specific good works they do?  No, those aren’t the primary attribute. While He was on earth, Jesus said these words: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). This message is going to dig into that statement; what it means, what it looks …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Final Words

As is often the case, the final words of Paul at the end of his letter to the Philippians are concise and profound.  I want to unpack the significance of these few verses for you and  capture the spirit of Paul’s intent.  I want to leave you with a message of hope and purpose. Join us for this final message from the book of Philippians. https://www.youtube.com/live/-eDQ8EmIhnw

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

The Benefits of Sharing God’s Provision

Do you know the benefits of freely sharing what God has supplied to you?  It seems counter-intuitive that giving makes us happier than keeping, but John Macarthur once said ““If you live for yourself, you will never be content.”  One of the many benefits of sharing God’s provision is how it helps us be content.  That is only one though!  There are several more and we will look at 4 others in this fifth message from the fourth chapter of Philippians.  Join as we uncover a sample of the rich blessings of sharing God’s provision.

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

The Pathway to Contentment

Are you content? If you are, what are the factors contributing to that? If you are not content, what is it that is interfering with your contentment?   What would you like changed in your life to make you content? In Philippians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul gives some insight into his life, his struggles, and the fact that he has learned a secret that helps him be content no matter what the circumstances.  This is extremely important, because we tend to base our contentment on our circumstances That is misguided, because circumstances are always changing, and we often can’t control them.  …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

50 Years of Ministry

Today we have our missionaries, Paul and Sandy Jewell with us.  The Jewells just recently retired, having served with Campus Bible Fellowship in Syracuse, NY for 50 years.  They will be sharing with us in Sunday School and Church today.  We are looking forward to hearing highlights of the many ways God used them during their time at Syracuse University.  You’ll want to come join us in person if you can to see this 50-year ministry report because for the security of some of the past students, the Livestream will not carry this report but rather a message that Paul …

Sunday Sermons

Controlling the Voices in Your Head

Isn’t it great when your mind is at peace?  When what you are thinking about, when what you are contemplating, is good and beautiful? How often is it like that for you?  What is the state of your mind right now?  In Philippians 4 God gives us some clear instructions for having a mind that is at peace.  In verses 4-7 we learned that we need to Rejoice in our relationship with God, Remember the unceasing presence of God, and Report all our worries to God.  These all lead us to God’s peace that exceeds our understanding.  Now we are …