Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church
Episodes
584 episodes
Rich Man, Poor Man
Jesus tells a story which is very likely recalling a couple of famous tales of his day, but then changes them for his purposes. In his story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus isn't condemning wealth (Abraham himself was very wealthy, and...
Jeremiah, The Weeping Prophet
Jeremiah is God's mouthpiece against (politically) unwise and (spiritually) evil kings. The destruction of his nation, his city and his temple leaves Jeremiah weeping in the streets of a devastated Jerusalem, lamenting for what might have...
Living Faithfully
This summer we are going to ask the question: what does it mean to live as a Christian> That was the question Paul was trying to answer in his letters to the Thessalonians. These new converts in the city of Thessalonica were asking what was ...
Prophetic Promise: A Renewed Covenant
We've talked a lot about how the prophets condemned the sins of Israel and Judah, and prophesied exile as punishment: Israel would fall to Assyria and Judah to the Babylonians. But in the later parts of their prophesies, both Jeremiah and...
Living as a Loving Witness
After Paul had to flee Thessalonica, enemies tried to discredit him with a malicious smear campaign. They tried to lump him in with the many false teachers, charlatans who preached for money, prestige, power, and fringe benefits. To...
Who Speaks for God?
Zephaniah's not very original. In speaking of a God of justice, he condemns the people's sins, calls them to repentance, and warns them of the "day of the "Lord", he simply echoes the prophets before him. Maybe that's why we're not ...
Living to Encourage
Being parents is more than just giving birth. And the same is true for being a spiritual parent. Paul described himself in the previous verses as mother and father to the Thessalonians. This infant church was barely walking when Paul had to fle...
Habakkuk: A Silent God?
Where is God when bad things happen? It is a popular question that arises when major catastrophes hit the news: coronavirus pandemic, flooding, tornados, an airplane crash. It also arises in our personal lives: at the loss of a job, a serious i...
Living to Please God
Living to Please God – 1 Thessalonians 4One of Paul’s favorite pictures of the Christian life is the walk of faith (translated “live” in most Bibles), which actually comes from the Hebrew halakh (“walk”, but used for one’s conduct of life; ...
Daniel: Faith Tried by Fire
| Daniel: Faith Tried by Fire – Daniel 1-3Our focus in the prophets up to this point has been prophecies about the coming exile. Now we find ourselves in exile itself, as Daniel and his friends were taken captive and brought to Babylo...
Living in the Face of Death
Death is part of life, even for Christians. However firm our Christian faith, it is natural and healthy to grieve, for to lose a loved one is to lose a part of oneself. But according to Paul, there are different ways to grieve. The Thessalonian...
Daniel: The Writing Is on the Wall
It’s likely that somewhere along the line you’ve heard the phrase: “the writing is on the wall.” The phrase is used to foreshadow trouble: a baseball manager about to be fired; a factory about to be shut down; people about to be laid off; a uni...
Living in Peace
The Thessalonian church was worried about Christ’s return being like a sneak attack, catching them off guard (and making them liable to judgment!). Not wanting to be trapped by a false sense of peace, they had no peace. So Paul reassures them o...
Blessed to Be a Blessing
We focus on one last story from the exile, and it’s quite a story! From rags to riches, from a captive to a queen. Does every girl, when she is little, want to be a princess? My granddaughter does. She loves all the Disney princesses, especiall...
Christian Suffering
Why do Christians suffer? It's an age-old question, and the Thessalonians were asking the same question. Persecution increased even while their lifestyle became more Christian. How do you encourage people in that situation? Ho...
Building God's House
In 538 BC, the Jews were released by King Darius; a few faithful Jews returned to Jerusalem and began restoring the foundations of the Temple. Now it is 520 BC, 18 years later, and there is still no Temple. They've given up on what ...
Standing Firm in the End
Have you ever looked at what’s happening around us and wondered if the world could get any worse? Any more lawless? Any less Christian? Have you ever wondered if this might be the lawless “end times” the Bible talks about? The Thessalonian Chri...
A Story of Human Restlessness
We often focus on the New Testament gospel story, the life of Jesus Christ, and ignore the Old Testament, particularly little stories like that of Ruth. It’s a neat little tale, yet seems insignificant. But, in reality, Ruth is really an Old Te...