Teaching from Curwensville Alliance (Pastor Steve Shields)
If I said to you, “God came to love,” you’d know what I mean.
If I said to you, “God came to reach,” you’d probably know what I mean.
But if I said to you, “God came to proclaim,” what would you think I meant?
That’s what this Advent Podcast explains today.
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If Christmas speaks of anything, it should speak of love.
But what is love?
While our world spends a lot of time talking, singing, and writing about love, it often misses the mark that God establishes.
In this Advent podcast, Pastor Steve looks at Mary’s fiance, Joseph and uncovers the love of God in this carpenter.
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One of the most important concepts in Christian faith is that God wants us to know him — personally.
That’s a key reason that he came in the flesh. So that he could be one of us. So we could know him and he us.
This podcast explains how he knows us and how we can know him more deeply.
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I am not good at wheeling and dealing. In fact, I generally lose more than I gain.
However, there’s one trade I have made that was well worth it. It was the day I traded my unrighteousness for Christ’s righteousness.
When we make that change, God unfolds a whole portfolio of blessing in our lives.
This podcast looks at Revelation and speaks to the concept of trading up.
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Have you ever wondered why your life doesn’t seem to have the meaning you once thought it did — or dreamed it would?
As strange as this may seem, the answer might be tied up in your view of The End Times.
The Bible teaches us that history is going in a specific direction — that history itself has a destiny. And we do also.
This podcast looks at how Revelation 20 ties into our own sense of meaning and destiny.
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I would guess that if you asked one hundred people to describe The Book of Revelation in one word, not one of them would choose the word “celebration”.
And yet, you find heaven rejoicing over and over as the book unfolds.
Likewise, while some may call communion a “celebration,” most don’t have a celebratory attitude when they receive the elements in the Lord’s Supper.
But celebration is an integral part of our Christian experience.
This podcast helps us see this and, perhaps, offers hearts a new perspective on some ancient subjects.
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Off and on, I have taken this time of year, Halloween, to talk to you about spiritism, the occult, and such things Not because I think Halloween is bad. But because I think the occult is real – and bad.
I basically use this holiday as an excuse to address these issues.
Giving some thought to the difference between Christian faith and paganism you might realize that a big part is the difference between light and darkness. Christian faith is light. Paganism, spiritism, the occult, witchcraft – not so much.
In fact, historically, these things are referred to, by critics and practitioners alike, as the dark arts.
Dark arts. Darkness. Spiritual darkness.
This is the danger of paganism, spiritism, the occult.
And this podcast addresses these very things.
-Pastor Steve
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What’s your priority in life?
Who are you serving?
What meaning does your life have in the face of eternity?
Pastor Bernie Knefley addresses these questions in this podcast.
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Most of us feel like we are overly aware of our shortcomings. And, indeed, self-condemnation is commonplace in the graceless culture in which we find ourselves.
But along side of this, the very same people who struggle with being overly critical with themselves often miss the real problems in themselves. It turns out that self-reflection isn’t being done with a well polished mirror, but with a fun-house mirror — giving distorted perspectives of every kind.
Robert Burns noted our failures at self-assessment with the words:
O wad some P’wer the giftie gei us To see oursels as ithers see us.
If you’re struggling with that phrasing, this is what he meant:
O would some Power the gift would give us, to see ourselves as others see us.
I’d like to one-up Rabbie and say that the Power has done so. But it’s even better. God, by his Spirit and his word gives us the ability to see ourselves objectively — as he sees us.
In this, there is a paradox, for he sees those who are in Christ as pure and holy — yet as needing to grow in our walk with him.
This podcast looks at Revelation 18, sees the End Time Kingdom, Babylon, and looks into our hearts to see if there are elements that need addressed there.
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Dr. Rob Reimer speaks about the need we have to empty our suitcase — the baggage we’ve picked up as fallen people living in a fallen world — so that we can experience the fullness of Christ’s presence. The Suitcase Analogy is central to his Soul Care material.
Some might note a parallel between us unpacking our suitcases to rid our lives of evil and God unpacking the suitcase of the cosmos so that his radiant glory can shine, unrestricted.
What will it be like to see that — the glory of God shining without shadow?
This podcast addresses the judgment of God as spelled out in Revelation 14-17, giving us hope for the future as we look forward to that glorious day.
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