Jul 3

Jul 3 Unity of Faith | Ephesians 4:1-16

Christians are commanded to be unified in Christ, but how do we know who is a Christian to be unified with and who is a false believer to be evangelized or avoided (false teachers)? What about denominations? How do I know who is a faithful brother or sister? More than that, what do we need to do to build unity in the Church that Jesus has bought with His own blood? Sometimes it seems that those calling for unity are the ones pressing false doctrine, but if we are not careful, those with good doctrine will cut off faithful Christians who simply aren’t mature in the faith enough to be grounded doctrinally. This sermon addresses all this and more from Ephesians 4:1-16.

Jan 31

Jan 31 Baptism | Ecclesiology 4

Daniel Samms

Ecclesiology

Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This command is critical to the great commission, but baptism is an oft-debated topic among Christians. What is baptism? How important is it? What is the proper mode of baptism? Pastor Daniel Samms teaches from several key passages on baptism and addresses key quotes from church history and the London Baptist Confession as we clarify the importance and function of baptism in Christianity.

Nov 30

Nov 30 The Headship of Christ | Ecclesiology 3

Daniel Samms

Ecclesiology

The headship of Christ is a neglected topic in evangelical circles. We so often forget that He is King over all (Matthew 28:18, Col 1:1-11). We see in Ephesians that Christ is the Head of the Church. The term “Head” was used to refer to Kingly authority as the king wears his crown on his head and the head controls the body. As it applies to Christ and His Church, it means that He has absolute authority. He has subsequently given us His Word (the Bible) which is authoritative and sufficient for all matters (2 Tim. 3:16-17). While God has placed pastors/elders to shepherd the Church, they do so as under shepherds submitted to Christ, Scripture being the authority for their office. This headship that Christ has is reflected in the home with husbands serving as head over the wife, loving her and sacrificing for her. In this sermon, Pastor Daniel addresses this critical doctrine of Christ’s headship answering theological questions about authority in the Church and admonishing us to submit to Christ as Head.

Oct 14

Oct 14 Living Stones and Holy Priests | Ecclesiology 2 | Ephesians 2:19-22 | 1 Peter 2:1-12

Daniel Samms

Ecclesiology

Continuing our First Sunday series on the study of the Church (Ecclesiology). In this sermon, Pastor Samms focuses on the assembly of believers as the temple of God and a royal priesthood. This metaphor for the church is used in both Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Peter 2:1-12 as the church is described as a collective group of stones that comes together to form the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The church must gather to fulfill this critical role (Hebrews 10:23-25). Last time we talked about the church’s role to put the truth of the gospel on display (1 Timothy 3:14-16. This week we talk more about the role of Christians as a “royal priesthood” that serves one another for the gospel.