Fellowshipmtz

We took a break from Genesis this week in order to explore the Lord's Supper. The service encompassed a sermon, reading, and hymn about communion, as well the actual observance of the ordinance. The recording has both the sermon and the communion reading. The sermon explores (via Paul's instructions to the church at Corinth) how the Lord's Supper is a sign-gift established by Christ so the Church may continually celebrate the Gospel.  

Interestingly the "toledah" in Genesis 11:27 (a word explained in the message) doesn't highlight Abram/Abraham, it highlights Abram's father, Terah!  Understanding what we can about this family prepares us for Abram's call in chapter 12.

The sin of mankind continues at the Tower of Babel. This display of man's arrogance brings about God's divine retribution as he disperses them and confuses their languages. Yet, our gracious God ultimately redeems Babel through Jesus Christ and the event of Pentecost. 

We are now at a point in Genesis to begin exploring God's plan to redeem the nations and make a people for himself. Genesis 10 details the individuals and nations who descend from the sons of Noah. Yet, the passage is more than a list of names. It serves a crucial part of God laying the foundation for the rest of the drama of redemption so he may ultimately establish his supreme kingdom. 

Genesis 9:18-29 Some years after the disembarking from the ark we have one final story regarding Noah: he's drunk and uncovered inside his tent.  Ham sees his father condition and (apparently) finds it amusing.  Further dishonoring his father, he goes out to tell his brothers.  All of this ends with Noah's stern pronouncement upon Ham's youngest son, Canaan, along with words associated with blessing for his brothers, Shem and Japheth.

Romans 13:8-14 The conclusion to last Sunday's message on "knowing the time."  This week's emphasis is on "waking up" to what God has saved us for!

Romans 13:11 reads: "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." Correctly knowing the time requires knowledge of the "nowness" of salvation.  Or stated negatively, it is impossible to rightly know the time apart from rightly knowing the "nowness" of salvation. Today's message sets the background for what Paul writes in chapter 13 by considering what Paul previously wrote to the Roman church about "now".

Christians just celebrated Advent and now await the second coming of Christ. The Apostle Paul offers instructions to the church at Thessalonica as to how they must live faithfully and obediently until the day the Son of God comes back. We consider his exhortations for ourselves as a local church and discuss how they apply to us going into 2026. 

Zephaniah 1-3 This message combines two themes of Advent (Joy & Peace) since winter weather prohibited us from meeting on the third Sunday of Advent.  An informative & delightful overview of Biblical prophecy in general and of Zephaniah in particular.

Micah 7  This week's Advent theme is "Love" and to explore that we turn (again) to the minor prophet of Micah.  Micah concludes his prophetic letter by celebrating God's merciful character in "pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance."

We began our observation of Advent with the theme of hope. Micah 5:1-5 offers a word of encouragement to Israel in a time of sin and injustice. The titular prophet speaks of the coming Son of God who will bring hope to a broken and weary world. This passage allows us to see Christ as the perfect servant of God who restores sinners back to the Father and calls us to live under his reign as our prince of peace. 

God brought about a second creation event through the flood. Since God favors Noah, he enters into a covenant with him once his family leaves the ark. In this sermon, we explore how the covenant with Noah demonstrates that God loves to bless his people. 

Genesis 8 The chapter opens with such a wonderful declaration: "But God remembered Noah..."  

Genesis 7  Was Noah's Flood global or regional (as some scholars have advocated recently)?  Spoiler alert (and I won't leave you guessing as to my own persuasion): I don't think the details in chapter seven are at all ambiguous about the extent of the flood.

Genesis 6-9 Today we briefly "step back" from the slower verse-by-verse format in order to make observations pertaining to the "big picture" of this very important narrative, along with it's relationship to Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper.

We have now reached the flood narrative in Genesis. In this sermon, we look at God's instructions to Noah about building the ark. This passage is more than just a set of technical instructions. It shows us amazing and encouraging truths about God establishing his covenant, keeping his promises, preserving life, and providing us with a refuge in Christ.  

Genesis 6:3-9  The LORD "saw" that the wickedness of man was great and the LORD "regretted [repented]" that He had made man, so He determines to "blot out" what He has created -- but Noah found favor (grace)!

Genesis 6:1-4  The consensus among Bible commentators is that this passage is the most difficult to interpret (with certainty) in all of Genesis.  There are three main viewpoints (with some variations within each viewpoint).  We begin by looking at the advancing context in Genesis, we briefly identify the three views, and I advance the particular understanding that the "sons of God" are (types of?) fallen angels.

We continued to consider the genealogies in the early part of Genesis. For this week, we looked at the descendants of Adam from Enoch to Noah. The sermon emphasized the importance of living by faith according to the example of Enoch in a world of death and suffering.  

Genesis 4:25-5:20 By grace, the LORD's Promise (see 3:15) will be developed in the line of Seth (who is the appointed substitute for Abel).  Also interesting: What does it mean (or not mean) that Adam "fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image" ??

Genesis 4:17-24 To make good sense of the information recorded in Genesis chapters 4-5 it is important to understand that Biblical authors often are not driven by chronology (what happened first, second, and third), but by an important theme.  The theme you don't want to miss from Genesis 4-5 is that there are two traceable lines: Cain's line (ungodly) and Seth's line (godly, by grace through faith).  Today's message takes a closer look at the line of Cain.  Oh, it also provides the answer to, "Where in the world did Cain get his wife?"

Genesis 4:6-16  Today's sermon completes the narrative concerning Adam & Eve's first two sons, Cain & Abel.  Having been killed by his older brother, Abel's blood cries out to the LORD.  Cries out for what?  Justice?  Is Cain justly punished for murdering his brother?  If not, why not?

God created lament, and therefore, to lament is Christian. Lament is a way of bringing our anguish and frustrations to God in order to find comfort. We considered Psalm 13 today (which is an individual lament) using the four-part formula of turn to prayer, complain, ask boldly, and trust God. I pray it blesses you.  

Fellowship Church is currently spending two weeks in the psalms of lament. God created lament as a means of expressing and processing our sorrows in his presence. Thus, to lament is Christian. On August 31, we considered the community lament of Psalm 12 which celebrates the enduring word of God in a fallen world characterized by deceit. 

Genesis 3:20-24 Given that the man (particularly) is guilty of treason against the LORD Most High (to whom he owes his entire life & being), how is it that the full weight of God's wrath & justice does not immediately fall upon Adam?  Today's message explores the doctrines of "original sin" and "Christ's propitiatory life & death".

Genesis 3:16-19 After cursing the serpent and promising Satan's ultimate demise, the LORD God pronounces consequences upon the woman, and then upon the man, for their sin — but note, the "image of God" is not cursed.  They will still have the capacity to reflect God's image, though imperfectly -- something like a broken mirror.

Mark 4:21-34 Pastor Will concludes his three part series on Jesus's parables found in Mark chapter 4.  (Note the second message was not successfully recorded.)  In today's parables Jesus teaches the listener's responsibility to "pay attention" to the parables, the supernatural growth of the kingdom, and the eventual success of the kingdom.

Mark 4:1-12: This is Pastor Will. I am the new associate pastor at Fellowship Church. I hope you enjoy my first sermon in this role. It is the first of three sermons on the kingdom parables. 

Genesis 3:14-15 The message this Sunday had two distinct "parts" with several appropriate songs in between.  Verse 14 focused on the physical serpent's curse, and verse 15 focused on Satan's curse.  Unfortunately, the message on verse 14 was not recorded successfully, so it's missing from this audio file.

Genesis 3:8-13 Having disobeyed the LORD God, the man and the woman must inevitably face their Creator.  What then?

Genesis 3:1-7 For the most part everyone *knows* the story of temptation & sin in Genesis chapter three.  But in many cases, I think there has been quite a lot of unwarranted speculation as to what was happening.  For better or worse, this is my take on the details...

Genesis 2:24-25 Having created the man, and then the woman, the LORD God uses that very first relationship as His design & pattern (model) for for marriage -- i.e., "Therefore..."

Genesis 2:18-25 God's designed intention was to create the man, followed by the woman as the man's complimentary partner & helper.  These verses which are so often divisive are meant to a beautiful celebration of marriage before sin.

The first few minutes were not recorded, but it was basically review and setting the context for today's teaching.  We took a closer look at God's prohibition concerning "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" and the declared consequence, "death".  After that we surveyed the next section, verses 18-25 -- noting that verse 18 drives the unfolding narrative.

Genesis 2:7-17 Adam is formed from dirt; at the same time, the LORD God uniquely makes him in His own image, breathing into his nostrils the "breath of life!"

Minor Prophet: Joel 1-2 Our own Dylan Ackley preaches on important themes from Joel chapters 1-2 -- focusing especially on the significance and importance of "the day of the LORD."

Matthew 27:45 - 28:9 Curt Fleck, the Executive Director of Civil Servant Ministry, preaches a "condensed" message from the regular Bible study series  (Matthew's gospel) he hosts with various State governmental officials in Springfield.

Genesis 2:5-17 In today's message we consider difference between vegetation created by God on Day 3 and the description in 2:5, "When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground". We also survey the larger context of verses 5-17 to glean what we can know about the LORD God.

Genesis 2:4 -  Genesis 1:1-2:3 narrates seven chronological days of creation (6 days of activity followed by an explicit day of cessation).  Then (apparently without adequate explanation) chapter 2:4ff recounts what appears to be creation with significantly different details.  Are the two "versions" of creation irreconcilable, or are they complimentary?

Resurrection Sunday! On this year's resurrection Sunday we take a closer look at Death, because it's only as we face the reality of death that we can (by the grace of God) celebrate Jesus's resurrection!

Genesis 1:26-31 NOTE: The First five minutes (or so) are missing from the recording.  What was emphasized at the beginning is that the word translated in verses 26-27, "man" is the Hebrew word transliterated, "Adam," and that word is used in these verses as a collective noun for BOTH the first man and the first woman.  Both male & female are created in God's image & likeness, emphasizing a perfect unity and harmony.  I prefer the New English Translating the word as "humankind."  Later in the Bible, "Adam" is used as the personal name for the first man.  Otherwise, the message helps in understanding what it means to be created in God's image.

Guest speaker Robert Chapman preaches a message from Esther chapter four.  The highlight of the dramatic narrative comes in verse 14 when Mordecai tells Esther, "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Genesis 1:20-27 / Days 5 & 6 Note: The first 7 minutes the microphone was cutting out a bit.  After that, I used a handheld with better results. The biggest part of the teaching (and discussion afterward) was on the significance of the designation "living creatures".  According to the narrative, fish, birds, animals, and man are ALL created "living creatures."  That designation is something that man has in common with other forms of life; it is not what separates him as unique.

Guest: Will Cooper Text: Mark 7:24-30 - The Great Banquet & a Persistent Faith

Genesis 1:6-13 On an earth "without form" (verse 2) finishes creating His intended "forms" or "structures"; after which, He begins to "fill" the empty forms.  Day three concludes (culminates!) with God calling forth vegetation on the earth.  Today's message pays particular attention on the meaning of God's created "expanse, firmament" and the significance of created vegetation "bearing fruit" or "yielding seed according to it's kind".

Galatians 3:7-14 Our guest, Brad Corfman preaches today's message.  Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, the recording did not turn out well.  Besides being recorded at a level lower than normal, there are a couple of minutes when the recorder lost its signal.  At about the 12 minutes mark I cut (removed) the two minutes; that explains a rather abrupt progression after several seconds of silence.

Genesis 1 - Days 1 & 4 God created "light" on Day 1; and then on Day 4 "made the two great lights" [the sun & the moon].  How to understand and/or harmonize these two activities has been fodder for a lot of (unnecessary, in my opinion) discussion.  The simplest explanation seems best.

Genesis 1:1-31 We begin by defining three key words in verse 1: "God," "created," and "heavens." Then, we consider the "big picture" of the six days of creation, and does "day" ever mean something other than a twenty-four day?

Genesis 1:1-3 Today's message explains the best reasons why some might advocate for what is commonly known as the "Gap Theory" -- a gap of unspecified duration between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  To be clear, I am NOT recommending the Gap Theory, but I do want to evaluate it fairly.  I personally am unconvinced by the popular arguments that dismiss it.  It seems to me a speculative possibility.

Genesis 1:1-3 For our purposes, within Biblical Christianity, there are three general approaches to understanding the first three verses of Genesis.  (I am NOT including less Biblical approaches that discount or disregard what the text says.)  The point here is to fairly recognize how otherwise good Christians may approach the text different from one's own tradition or persuasion.

Genesis! (Laying the foundation for how the book -- especially the Creation account -- will be approached)