As a church, most of our teaching is expository, meaning we go through a text in the Bible, normally a whole book, and examine it chapter by chapter and verse by verse. The lessons below are different. For these, we start with a topic and look throughout the Bible to see what God has revealed to us through His Scriptures about it. In addition to these topical lessons, we have also tagged the key topics that are discussed in our expository lessons. To find lessons (either topical or expository) that address a specific topic, click here.
Image credit: 1 Chronicles 4:39 © Annie Vallotton
Jesus had important things to say about how we use our money. In this lesson we look at the Parable of the Unjust Steward, a parable Jesus told to the Pharisees who "were lovers of money". With the help of a sermon given by John Wesley in the 1700s and insights from early Christian writers,
The entire Christian faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus from the grave on the third day. Either it happened or it did not. From the beginning, there were two competing explanations for the empty tomb, with each claiming a conspiracy by the other side. In evaluating the competing claims, we consider the powerful, logical argument made by early Christian writer Eusebius. We close by looking at implications of the resurrection: our hope of victory over death, and a demonstration of the incredible power of the Spirit.
One year ago we lost Chris Traganos, our dear friend and brother, to death. Chris ended his race strong, an upward call to us all. What happened to Chris after his death, and what will happen to us? In this lesson we look to Jesus and the apostles for the answers, and also consider how
In the last stanza of the famous hymn, "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" is the line, “Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! ...Risen with healing in his wings." Charles Wesley took this prophecy about Jesus from the end of Malachi. In this message we explore this and other prophecies that speak of Christ as being like the
Is "the Lord's prayer" a general outline of what Christians should pray about, or does Jesus want us to say the very words of this prayer? This short lesson provides wonderful insights from Tertullian, an early Christian writer who considered the Lord's prayer to be "the highest and best prayer" for Jesus' followers to pray.
Should fear of God motivate Christians, or should we be motivated purely out of our love for God and His love for us? This lesson examines three men in Scripture who were commended for their fear of God. We dive into the role fear played in their lives, and the relationship of the fear of
God uses animals throughout the Scriptures to teach us important spiritual lessons. Our instructors today include the ant, the honeybee, the rock badger, the locust, the lizard, the ox, the pig, the dog, the sheep and the cow. This lesson, written for the young at heart, provides inspiring examples of animals for us to imitate,
Paul is able to write that he takes "pleasure" in his infirmities, needs, persecutions, and distresses. How can this be? In this third lesson on dealing with bitterness in our hearts, we focus on Paul’s example in the face of extreme suffering, and the unexpected ways God used Paul’s afflictions (and Christ-like spirit) to His
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 3 of 3 (Paul and Jesus) View Lesson
Let No Root of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 3 of 3 (Paul and Jesus) View Lesson
Since the beginning, Satan has sought to use injustice and man’s sin to turn people against one another and against God. Yet God has a very different plan. In this second of three lessons, we examine the example of David, who faced terrible injustice and persecution, but responded with great faith and righteousness. We also
Let No Root of of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 2 of 3 (David) View Lesson
Let No Root of of Bitterness Spring Up, Pt. 2 of 3 (David) View Lesson