For several summers, we hosted retreats in Pennsylvania for fellow travelers along Jesus’ way. In addition to significant fellowship time together, each retreat was focused on a specific teaching theme.
This opening devotional for our retreat was a call to open our eyes to the spiritual battle we are in, and to recognize that God's supernatural power is far greater than the power and authorities that oppose God. May we have the faith of Elisha and the righteousness described in Scripture, to see God's Kingdom […]
Those Who Are With Us Are More Than Those Who Are With Them (2 Kings 6:16) View Lesson
The Scriptures call us to do two apparently contradictory things: 1) to become all things to all men, that we might by all means save some (1 Cor. 9:22), and 2) to keep ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27). Many churches focus on one command, while ignoring the other. One church is so relatable […]
Why is Biblical unity so difficult? Why do so many churches end up splitting apart, even churches comprised of Christians serious about following Jesus' teachings? This sad pattern is in stark contrast to early Christianity, where the church remained one for the first 200 years. Drawing on Scripture, examples from the early church, and his […]
Worthy of the kingdom of God? Wait…I thought we are all unworthy of the kingdom! Yet when we take another look at the Scriptures, we find that all Christians are indeed called to live lives that are worthy of the kingdom. This opening message from our retreat weekend in Pennsylvania draws a sharp contrast between the message of […]
One of the secrets of the Kingdom life is to work diligently on our hearts and inner life. During this talk at our retreat in Pennsylvania, David Bercot makes the case that a strong devotional life is the key to living a strong Kingdom life. With humor and candor, David shares lessons from his own […]
Developing a Strong Devotional Life - David Bercot (2018 Retreat) View Lesson
We are in a spiritual battle against a powerful Enemy out to destroy us. In this lesson we study Satan's tactics and activities, so we are prepared for his attacks and wise to his ways. The Scriptures also provide us with the weapons for our battle and examples of spiritual heroes to inspire us to […]
The night before He was crucified, Jesus told His closest disciples that He must depart in order to be able to send them the Holy Spirit: a Helper who would abide with them and be in them. Yet some churches today virtually ignore the role of the Spirit! We start this lesson by recounting the […]
The Holy Spirit (Pt. 1 of 3): The Nature of the Holy Spirit View Lesson
Understanding the nature, purpose, and role of the Holy Spirit is essential to our Christian faith. In this second of three lessons on the Holy Spirit, we begin by looking at the Trinity. We borrow from early Christian insights to understand (and explain to others, including 1.6 billion Muslims in the world) the "oneness" of […]
The Holy Spirit (Pt. 2 of 3): The Mission of the Holy Spirit View Lesson
In this third of three foundational lessons on the Holy Spirit, we build upon Old Testament stories (introduced in the previous lesson) to explore what it means to live a life that is led by the Spirit today. We review the Spirit’s role in leading the apostles to “all truth” and inspiring the Scriptures; and […]
The Holy Spirit (Pt. 3 of 3): Walking in the Spirit View Lesson
On Saturday evening of our 2019 Retreat, several brothers taught on different topics in a session entitled The Spirit of Wisdom. In the first session, brother Mahlon Fisher spoke about how to stay strong without an ideal local fellowship, providing key principles that have helped him continue to grow as a Christian over the past […]
The Spirit of Wisdom: Staying Strong without an Ideal Local Fellowship View Lesson