Tonight we will finish Hebrews 11, the great chapter of faith. The chapter starts with what has become our definition of faith, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” From that definition the rest of the chapter filled with examples of faith that illustrate the definition. From...
Author: City of Refuge
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Sermon on the Mount: “A New Language for a New Kingdom”
A few months ago I had a friend come and visit from out of town and he asked if I could take him to see some of historical sites in Philadelphia. We went to Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell and went to the National Constitution Center. During the opening presentation at the Constitution Center...
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The Entrance of the King
Matthew 1:18-24 What does the incarnation of Jesus mean? Technically it is that God became a man but that answer is so theological that I think we miss the point and power sometimes. Why was Jesus born? Why did the Creator take the form of His creation? Why did the King of Glory become a...
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Hebrews Study 11:7-22 “Faith is . . . ” Part 2
Hebrews 11 begins by telling us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen.” The rest of the chapter then reveals faith in action through the examples of the men and women that lived by faith in obedience to God’s voice in their lives. In this week’s...
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“Extravagant Devotion to Jesus”
This week our prayer pastor, Geannine LeBude shared the Sunday message. Weaving together the devotion of Mary of Bethany to Jesus with the great love the Bridegroom reveals for His bride in Song of Solomon Geannine taught profoundly that “our lives will only bear fruit if they are founded on a deep devotion of love...
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A Life of Harvest
Ephesians 2:4-10 We started this year with the theme of “Harvest”. Today we are going to revisit some of those thoughts and not conclude the theme as we often do but in some ways redefine it and I pray become reinvigorated to make harvest a permanent lifestyle rather than a temporary theme. As a group...
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Hebrews Study 10:32-11:6 “Faith is . . .”
The author closes Chapter 10 with a great promise of identity for his readers, “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” Chapter 11 is then the foundation for this promise. We are not those who draw back because faith won’t allow...
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“Project Feed” Davao, Philippines Food Program Video Update
One of the missions projects we support is “Project Feed”. This is a program that provides freshly cooked meals to children in Davao, Philippines. The food is purchased in local markets and then prepared and served to the children in thier “neighborhood” each week. This program is run by the YWAM base in Davao. Below is a...
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Philippians Series: Bridges of Joy: Conclusion “For or From?”
We have spent four months studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians, today we will conclude this series by going back over several of Paul’s most famous statements from the letter and seeing that they all have a very common thread. From the beginning we called this series “Bridges of Joy”, the letter is filled with...
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Philippians Series: Bridges of Joy: “The Joy of Giving”
Philippians 4:14-25 Last week we saw that as Paul closes out his letter to the Philippians that he reveals to us that the reason for writing the letter was a gift that they had sent to him. The gift gave Paul the opportunity to write and share the heart of God with them. In the first...