How Can the Church Nurture and Encourage Spiritual Gifts?
November 12, 2024 • Michael Durham, Lee Dodd • 1 Corinthians 12
In this discussion, Michael Durham and Lee Dodd explore the question: How can the church nurture and encourage spiritual gifts? They share practical ways churches can identify, develop, and support the spiritual gifts of their members, focusing on building up the body of Christ.
Sacrificing Family on the Altar of Ministry?
October 18, 2024 • Paul Washer
How many times have we heard, "I had to sacrifice so much for my family to do God's will"? If you've ever said that, you really need to go before the Lord and repent because He's going to call you on the carpet. What you've done is accused Him. - Paul Washer
The Gospel of David's Tabernacle
August 21, 2024 • Michael Durham • Acts 15:13–18
When Amos spoke, he was referring to David's tabernacle as an example, highlighting that Christ's original intention—the Gospel—was to reconcile both Jew and Gentile to Himself, putting to death the enmity between them.
Acts 15:13-18 - After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this, the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.'"
Long Live The King
August 23, 2024 • Paul Washer
There is something to live for! Eternal glory—and that’s what this prayer is all about. What you need to understand is that preaching, witnessing, preaching on the streets, and going into mission areas are all part of the cleanup—it's all cleanup. The real battle is fought on your knees. The battle is fought on your knees. - Paul Washer
About the sermon: This sermon explores the deep significance of Jesus' life as our ultimate example, focusing on His humility and total dependence on the Father. Even though Jesus was fully God, He chose to live as the "Second Adam," perfectly obedient and reliant on God to undo the damage caused by the first Adam's fall. The message emphasizes the vital importance of communion with God, showing that true strength and wisdom come from a life of prayer and intimacy with Him. It's a call to believers to recognize their own weaknesses, lean on God for strength, and live each day seeking His glory and advancing His kingdom. Through this, we are reminded that our spiritual life thrives only when rooted in a deep, ongoing relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Exhort Your Own Soul
September 3, 2024 • Bryan Elsey • Psalm 103
Do you wrestle with your own soul in order to embrace by faith the benefits of the LORD? Do you say to yourself, "O my soul, do not forget all of His benefits!"
The Mockery of Formalism
September 6, 2024 • Michael Durham
Standing against the doctrine of cheap grace, which dismisses the pursuit of holiness, is crucial. At the same time, we must be vigilant against the spirit of legalism. This discussion will delve into the formalism of self-righteousness and explore how to maintain a genuine faith while upholding a commitment to holiness.
The Cross: Engaging Both Mind and Heart
September 13, 2024 • Lee Dodd
Lee Dodd | 2024 Fellowship Conference | Session #5 | My sermon has two simple parts, first an informed look at the Cross, and secondly, a felt look at the Cross.
Longing for Christ: How God Deepens Our Desire for Him
October 31, 2024 • Lee Dodd
This sermon dives into the heart of Christ's desire for fellowship with us, exploring the depth of our responsibility to seek Him persistently. Through the lens of Luke 24 and stories of the Canaanite woman and blind men, we learn that Christ not only hears our cries but often orchestrates circumstances to deepen our longing for Him. Will we respond and ask Him to stay, or let distractions pass by the greatest reward—Christ Himself?
Gospel Intimacy: Reformed, Informed—And Deeply Knowing God
November 5, 2024 • Michael Durham
Michael Durham | 2024 Fellowship Conference New York | #7 | Intimacy with God is not based upon your pursuit of God; it’s based upon God’s pursuit of you. - Michael Durham
“You’ll never pursue God unless He creates a hunger in your heart for Him. He is always the great initiator, the great pursuer.”
"The desire for God that sets you to seek Him... is the very proof that God is in your soul. That doesn’t originate with you—it’s God-given."
Is Your Preaching Actually Clear? & Youth Group or Not?
September 17, 2024 • Paul Washer
I love theology, but how’s that theology getting down to the children? You boast about having all the children in the service—wonderful. But what are they doing? My whole question is, what is the fruit of it? There’s a lot of pride now about not having youth groups or children's church. If you want to boast about that, fine, but I know places—like John MacArthur's church—where they have children talking about truths I don’t even hear adults talking about, and they learned it in that children's group. We need to rethink things. - Paul Washer
True Spiritual Growth Takes Time
September 6, 2024 • Paul Washer
And He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby so that I may preach there also, for that is what I came for.” Now, it switches from the ministry of healing and demonstrations of power and signs and wonders to what we all know is the priority: proclamation. And how well is that going to go for any of us without prayer? I want to be very careful with what I say. You can teach a parrot to speak sound theology, but it doesn’t mean that any of it has impacted him.
Let me say something else, and this is hyperbole—it’s a bit exaggerated, but I want you to see the main point. I have two young men in front of me. Both of them have the same sound theology; both of them speak the same. One of them got it from reading all the best systematics, and the other got it from reading the Word of God and then comparing what he learned to other books. I can tell the difference.
Look, it’s not just about knowledge, even the good knowledge that I found in many of the systematics. It’s about the Bible. The Bible is the living Word of God—it is alive, supernatural, and transformative. And yes, I love the Puritans and the Reformers, and John Gill, and so many others, but their writings are not the same. They’re just not. And so, you must spend time with Him.
Now, before I go on, I want to say this: someone who hasn’t worked out for 20 years comes to my garage and says, “Brother Paul, I want to work out with you, and I want to do everything you do.” The next day—well, the next month—they can’t walk. They’re like a spider that’s been stepped on. They’re so sore that they’re never coming back again. Now, why did I give you that illustration? If you’re sitting here tonight and you’re thinking, “I neglect the Word all the time. I neglect prayer all the time. If I even read a chapter a week, it’s amazing. And I’m always on the run,” I don’t want you, first of all, running out of here thinking that God has scolded you terribly and is waiting to judge you. I want you to know that what I’m speaking are words of love.
Secondly, I don’t want you going home or getting up tomorrow morning and reading 35 chapters and trying to pray for two hours, because it won’t last. It never lasts. What I want you to do is start where you are. I want you to go back to your pastors or go back to other men or women and say, “Hold me accountable. I have seen that this is absolutely essential, and I need help until I get moving in this.” If, next week, you are reading one chapter a day every day and praying for 10 minutes, it’s still better than the zero of this week. Grow. Talk to your pastors. Talk to other men. Make commitments with each other to get in the Word of God and study it. Make commitments to pray. Make commitments to simply walk with Him in communion, and everything in your life will gradually begin to change, and He’ll become real. He’ll become real.
Relying on Ourselves Can Ruin God's Work
August 27, 2024 • Michael Durham
Michael shares a powerful testimony of how he unknowingly shifted from relying on God to building his church on his own strength. During this season, the church grew in numbers, but something was missing. It wasn’t until Paul Washer preached a convicting message that the Lord opened Michael’s eyes, revealing that his congregation feared him more than they feared God. This realization led to a deep spiritual awakening and a humbling experience, where God stripped away what Michael had built to restore the church on a foundation of true faith and reliance on Christ.
$80,000 For A Youth "Mission Trip"? Paul Washer's Assessment
October 11, 2024 • Paul Washer
Paul Washer | 22:43 | Q&A | 2024 Fellowship Conference New York | In this video, we dive into the misconceptions surrounding short-term mission trips and the biblical definition of a true missionary. Using real-life examples, we address the danger of sending untrained youth to the mission field and why missions should be focused on elder-qualified men who are proclaimers of the gospel. We also discuss the importance of understanding that the Great Commission is a theological endeavor and explore the vital roles of evangelists, pastors, and teachers in missions.
