audio files


		The Origin of the Bible Many of us hold the Bible as the ultimate authority, but how much do we really know about how this book came to be in our hands? Even skeptics who regularly dismiss the Bible seem remarkably uninformed when it comes to the facts supporting the transmission of the Old and New Testament. How do we know that the Bible has been copied accurately over such a long period of time? Who decided what books to include, and which to exclude? How do we know that the text has not been changed since we don’t have any of the original manuscripts? [more]

		Examining Evangelism If our relationship with Christ is such “Good News,” why are we always trying to convince ourselves that we should be evangelizing? In an age of social media, we don’t have any issue telling people the “good news” about the latest movie, our favorite music artists, the causes we support, or even our views on political issues. Why then is it so hard to share about our relationship with Christ? Is it because we really aren’t excited about that relationship? Is it because He hasn’t made a real impact on our life? Have we been silenced by society and shamed into thinking that faith is a “private matter?” Are we put off by the methods of others, and use that as an excuse to avoid sharing the gospel altogether? Or is it that we have our own doubts about the truth of Christianity that keep us from telling others about Jesus Christ? [more]

		Stewardship – An Update To Our Money Series Year after year, surveys reveal that Christians give little or nothing to Kingdom causes. In contrast, Jesus makes the incredible claim that “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” How can we reconcile our refusal to comply with Christ’s ethic of generosity and productive use of our talents with the fact that so many of us live entirely for ourselves? In this series that updates our original series on Money (found here), we examine the role of Stewardship, and look deeper at this crucial relationship we have with Jesus concerning money and our possessions. We also take on the traps that prevent us from being good Stewards: materialism, debt and living for ourselves. [more]

		Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil? Christians and Non-Christians alike cite this question as the biggest hindrance to their faith. Far from being a philosophical inquiry, when suffering befalls us, we are tempted to question the very existence of God. Reading through a large number of writers and theologians who have tackled this subject, we examine the answers that clearly fall short, while struggling with the various (and often surprising) views that are presented by the Biblical writers. If God knew humanity would fall, why give us free will or even create us in the first place? Can we really blame free will for so much suffering? What about suffering that can’t be explained by free will, such as natural disasters, illnesses, and tragic death? Does God cause suffering, or does He merely allow it? [more]

		Rediscovering Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew - Volume 3 Our audio commentary on the Book of Matthew continues. In Volume 3, we pick up in Chapter 13 (for Volume 1, covering Chapters 3-7, click here; for Volume 2, covering Chapters 8-12, click here). As Christians, we often spend much of our time talking about the Bible, or talking about Jesus, without spending much time reading the words of Scripture itself. In this series, we go back to the actual text of the Gospel of Matthew and soak up each chapter, line by line, as we encounter Jesus all over again. Our goal is to rediscover passages we have forgotten, struggle with some of the more difficult teachings of Jesus, and compare what many of us think Jesus said with what He actually said. [more]

		Questions about Prayer So many Christians struggle with prayer. Despite hundreds of books and millions of sermons about how and why we should pray, most of us are left with unresolved guilt about not praying, or rigid formulas designed to force us to pray. After having examined prayer through the model of the Lord's Prayer (found here) and as part of our series on Spiritual Disciplines (found here), we now turn to answer some of the toughest and most honest questions about prayer: Why pray if God already knows my needs? Does God ever change His mind? If God is sovereign and in control of all things, why pray at all? Why does Jesus teach that God will do anything we ask, when that doesn't seem to happen in my life? [more]

		Biblical Justice When Jesus denounced the Pharisees as hypocrites, He highlighted again God’s special concern for justice: “justice and mercy and faithfulness; these are the things you should have done.” (Matt. 23:23) Yet most of us would have a very hard time defining what it means to “do justice.” We tend to think of justice only in terms of God’s punishment, or some sort of holy retribution. What is Biblical justice? [more]

		The Spiritual Disciplines and Spiritual Transformation We have all heard talks about the Spiritual Disciplines that have left us confused as to how they benefit us, or guilty because we are not engaging them all the time. The Christian life seems busy enough without the added worry of how to work the Disciplines into our lives. In this series, we try to get to the heart of the matter: how do the Disciplines open us up spiritually to allow God to do the work of transforming us from the inside? Which Disciplines are most beneficial to us, and how do we know when we should be engaging in a particular Discipline? [more]

		Rediscovering Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew – Volume 2 We are back in the book of Matthew. After spending thirteen weeks going through the start of Jesus’ ministry up through the Sermon on the Mount (see first part of the series here, we continue with Jesus’ miracles and the commissioning of the disciples. As Christians, we often spend much of our time talking about the Bible, or talking about Jesus, without spending much time reading the words of Scripture itself. In this series, we go back to the actual text of the Gospel of Matthew and soak up each chapter, line by line, as we encounter Jesus all over again. Our goal is to rediscover passages we have forgotten, struggle with some of the more difficult teachings of Jesus, and compare what many of us think Jesus said with what He actually said. [more]

		The Beliefs of Major World Religions As Christians, it is our hope to encounter others in sacred conversations that point people to the Truth, Jesus Christ. But we as Christians know so little about the beliefs and practices of other religions. Our ignorance often comes off as arrogance. Christians are therefore perceived as only being interested in discussing their own beliefs, and not caring enough to listen to the beliefs of others. If we truly want to engage others in discussions about our faith – and theirs – we need to know something about the beliefs of those around us. [more]

		How NonChristians View Christianity Many Christians think that NonChristians reject Christianity because they want to avoid the Truth, or because they want to live immoral lives. But what if many NonChristians actually reject Christianity because of the hurtful and harmful ways in which Christians act every day in the name of Christianity? Barna Group president David Kinnaman in his book “UnChristian” conducted three years of research including thousands of interviews and surveys to document why a majority of NonChristians believe Christians are judgmental, hypocritical, anti-homosexual, too involved in politics, out of touch with reality, insensitive to others, and focused only on converting others to Christianity. In this series, we take a hard, critical look at the church and the way that so many Christians live out their faith in an “UnChristian” manner. [more]

		Rediscovering Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew We often spend much of our time talking about the Bible, or talking about Jesus, without spending much time reading the words of Scripture itself. In this series, we go back to the actual text of the Gospel of Matthew and soak up each chapter, line by line, as we encounter Jesus all over again. Our goal is to rediscover passages we have forgotten, struggle with some of the more difficult teachings of Jesus, and compare what many of us think Jesus said with what He actually said. [more]

		How to Ruin Your Life by 40 Based on Steve Farrar’s book by the same title, we examine the decisions that many Christians make in their early 20s that have significant consequences for their life by the time they reach 40: decisions about education, career, marriage and ministry. A recent Barna Group study found that 75% of people with some exposure to Christianity at the start of their 20s abandon their relationship with Jesus Christ by the time they are 29, and Steve Farrar points out that only 1 in 10 will make it to 40. What happened along the way? [more]

		The Mystery of God's Will Does God have an individualized will for every single person? Does He care about every decision we make? Can God’s will be changed or thwarted? How does God’s sovereignty and His control over all things intersect with our free will? If there is an individual plan for my life, how can I find it? Does God’s will encompass all things, including evil, suffering, and sin? [more]

		Spiritual Gifts So many Christians have little or no knowledge about the subject of Spiritual Gifts. In this series we cover some of the most frequently asked questions: What are all the spiritual gifts? Where are they found in the Bible? Are they still active today? Why is there such a divide in the church over spiritual gifts? What about miracles, tongues and healing, are those still active? Does every Christian have a spiritual gift? Are certain spiritual gifts a sign of salvation? [more]

		Examine Your Vision So often, Christians debate amongst themselves without stopping to examine the validity of their own beliefs. In this series we take time out to explore some of the places where Christians miss each other in the discussion. What exactly does it mean to be "saved?" When, or where, is the Kingdom of God? How should Christians engage culture? What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? [more]

		The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is a central tenant of Christianity which, if proven false, would seriously call our beliefs into question. A recent Discovery Channel documentary written and directed by Simcha Jacobovici and produced by James Cameron claims that the bodily remains of Jesus and his family have been found. This series examines all of the claims of the documentary, as well as the historical evidence for the resurrection. [more]

		A Fresh Look at the Parables of Jesus Why did Jesus teach in parables? If His message was so important, why use a device that kept some people from the true meaning of His words? For those who think that the parables were taught at an elementary level, take a deeper look at the parables and discover some of Jesus' hardest teachings. [more]

		What Will Heaven be Like? As Christians, we spend a good deal of time preaching about how to get to Heaven, but the truth is, most of us know very little about what life in Heaven will really be like. This series examines some of the most common questions about Heaven. [more]

		Money in the Kingdom of God The Bible contains 2350 verses on money, and 16 of the 38 parables Jesus taught were about money. Money is a complicated subject in the Bible, and Jesus' words may actually surprise you about what he expected us to do with money. [more]

		Can We Believe in the Bible and Still Believe in Science Many Christians mistakenly assume that we have to make a choice between a belief in the literal words of the Bible or scientific discovery. But if the God of the Bible created the entire Universe, wouldn't scientific discoveries be consistent with the revelation of that God in scripture? [more]

		Spiritual Warfare Some Christians blame everything on Satan, while others deny that he exists and think that our sin is the only thing that makes this world so tough to live in. Somewhere in the middle of those two extremes lies the truth about spiritual warfare and our call to be part of the battle. [more]

		Understanding the Mystery of the Trinity Nothing is harder for us to comprehend than God’s true nature: a triune being who is fully God, yet made up of three distinct co-equal and co-eternal persons. In this series, we take on the task of gaining a better understanding of the Trinity in the hopes of dispelling common misconceptions and seeking to better worship the Triune God of the Bible. [more]

		Learning to Pray the Lord's Prayer Christians authors have written hundreds of books on how to have a more vibrant prayer life, but it seems that despite all the expert advice on the topic, we continue to struggle with what should be a simple conversation with our Lord, Father and Friend. In this series, we break through some of the “noise” that surrounds the subject of prayer, and instead focus on the model of prayer which Jesus left us in the Lord’s Prayer. [more]

		Sex in the Body of Christ Every year, studies confirm that the level of premarital sex and other sexual sins within the church is the same as it is outside of the church. Why does our belief in Christ make no impact on our sexual behavior? In this series that reaches into the heart of the problem, we address the toughest questions about why God’s people continue to sin sexually in open defiance of God’s word [more]

		Messianic Prophecies Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies. The odds of any one person fulfilling eight prophecies is beyond scientific improbability. And yet, most Christians have difficulty identifying messianic prophecies or locating them in scripture. God has given us a tremendous gift in these prophecies – each of them provides us with an assurance that Jesus was the One True Christ. These prophecies also give us assurance that scripture is inspired by the Living God. How else could different prophets, writing in different eras, predict such detailed events that would only take place hundreds of years later? [more]

		How Could a Loving God Send Someone to Hell? Perhaps the most often asked question by skeptics, we take on the tough issue of how a loving God could send someone to hell? Is hell even real, and why would God intentionally send anyone there? [more]

		Basic Training: The Basics of Christianity Once in a while, we need to put down some of the tougher topics and make sure we have a firm foundation about the basics. In this series, we spend one week going through the basics of Christianity, and the second week having participants from the group respond to some of the basic objections nonbelievers have about Christians and Christianity. [more]

		Responding to the Claims of the Da Vinci Code The book sold over 40 million copies, becoming the most widely read fiction book of all time. But the book and its author have intimated that there is far more truth found in its pages than fiction. What claims does the Da Vinci Code make, why was it written, and do any of its claims affect the truth of Christianity? [more]

		Miscellaneous Audio Files A collection of audio files from special events, guest speakers, Sunday morning sermons and other miscellaneous recordings. [more]