Fallingbrook Heights Baptist, the Church at the Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
PODCAST We are continuing our mini series on touchy topics that many pastors don't like to talk about. This week we are talking about tithing. Tithing, giving 10% of our income to maintain public worship, is an act of trust, worship, gratitude and participation in what God is doing around us. The whole earth is […] The post Touchy Topics – Tithing appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Happy Mother's Day! We are looking at a series of touchy topics. This week we are asking if it's ok for women to be preachers, or pastors? Some people who say no say that those who believe it's ok “aren't following the Bible.” This isn't the case at all. When we read the Bible […] The post Touchy Topics – Women in Ministry appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST One of the functions of an intentional interim pastor is to address touchy topics that a permanent pastor might be hesitant to tackle. To that end, this month we will be looking at 3 touchy topics: divorce, women in ministry and tithing! When it comes to divorce and remarriage, the Bible is far more […] The post Touchy Topics – Divorce appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Happy Easter! This week we are looking at some of the facts and consequences of Jesus' resurrection, the central event in all of history. The Resurrection was always part of God's plan for creating free willed creatures who would live with him in love for eternity. Prophesied in the Old Testament, predicted by Jesus […] The post Jesus The Christ – Resurrected! appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We are all familiar with the story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. But only Jesus understood what was about to happen. All the other people misunderstood what it means that Jesus is the Christ, but they misunderstood in a variety of ways. We should be careful we don't repeat their mistakes and, instead, […] The post Jesus The Christ – The Triumphal Entry appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST As we approach Easter, we are going to consider Jesus the Christ. We often speak of Jesus Christ as if Christ were his last name, but Christ is a title, it is a role, not a name! This week we are considering Peter's famous answer to Jesus' questions, “Who do you say that I […] The post Jesus The Christ – Peter's Confession appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST What do pastors do? Last week, looking at Psalm 23, we see that pastors, as shepherds, have a responsibility to lead and to feed the flock, to protect and correct the flock. What does it look like for a pastor to protect and correct the flock? The fact that we, as Canadians, tend to […] The post The Pastor As Shepherd – Protect and Correct appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST What do pastors do? We see them on Sundays and when they come visit us, but what do they do all week? The word pastor comes from the Latin word for shepherd. We are going to look at Psalm 23 to see what shepherds and pastors should do. Scripture: Psalm 23:1-4 (Recorded March 23, […] The post The Pastor As Shepherd – Lead and Feed appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We've come to our final installment on evangelism! The goal of evangelism is for people to take steps toward faith in Christ. But what is “faith in Christ”? It's a term we often take for granted as Christians. But it's our goal both for evangelism and for discipleship! So let's take a closer look […] The post Evangelism: Faith In Christ appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST As we have been learning about helping people take steps towards faith in Christ, we have been thinking of a particular person we know, our “reach one” person. Why is that? Because when sharing the gospel we must earn the right to be heard. By choosing someone we know, we already have that foundation […] The post Evangelism Principles appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Do you have a dramatic conversion story? We often call these “Damascus Road” experiences. But if you look closely, Saul wasn't a “down and out” sinner who hit rock bottom, which is the core of many “Damascus Road” stories. Rather, Saul was a righteous, moral, Bible thumping religious man! But it took a dramatic […] The post Evangelism: The Damascus Road appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We've been talking about cooperating with the Holy Spirit to help people take steps towards faith in Christ. Today, we will look at a passage about someone many people would have thought “too far from Jesus” top share the gospel with. However, behind the scenes, the Spirit had been using a number of unnamed […] The post Evangelism: The Road to Gaza appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST This week we are looking at the first of 3 stories Luke tells of people coming to faith in a road- the two on the road to Emmaus. These two were disciples of Jesus. They knew Jesus, knew his teaching and power, and even believed he was the Messiah! But they still needed the […] The post Evangelism: The Road to Emmaus appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We've talked about our role as Christ's ambassadors to the world. This means sharing the good news of God's rule – God's love lived out- to those who have not yet surrendered to him. This is called “evangelism”. Yet many people shy away from this word. Many Christians say, “I don't do evangelism” or […] The post What is Evangelism? appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST God has brought us together as a unique congregation with particular values, gifts and talents. He has placed us in a unique position to reach particular people with his light. Given who we are and who our neighbours are, what shall we do? We are going to brainstorm some mission activities for to set […] The post Our Values: What Shall We Do? appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Who is our neighbour? The Parable of the Good Samaritan shows us we are to love anyone who comes across our path, including people who don't like us. It eliminates the temptation to say “no” to being neighbourly to someone. But who, specifically, has God called us to minister to? Not at the expense […] The post Our Values: Who Is Our Neighbour? appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Happy New Year! As we begin 2025, we are doing something a little different. We will be asking ourselves 3 questions, Who are we? Who is our neighbour? What, then, shall we do? Building on our work in the fall through the THRIVE curriculum from the CBOQ, we are spending time in discussion together […] The post Our Values: Who Are We? appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Advent 4 We are continuing to look at the actual texts of the Christmas story to discern the actual meaning of Christmas. The scandalous Magi were unexpected and surprising guests that first Christmas, especially because they were the only ones in Matthew's account to actually understand what Christmas is about! As we count down […] The post The Magi's Story appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Advent 2 Many secular people want to keep Christ out of the Christmas holidays. Many Christians want to keep Christ in Christmas, but even many Christians have the wrong understanding of what Christmas is about! Christmas is about glorifying God because of the good news that a Saviour has come to redeem us and, […] The post The Shepherds' Story appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Advent 1 As we enter this time of anticipation of Christmas, we are going to look at the book behind the story we so often take for granted. God always fulfills his promises, but not as we expect. God also doesn't ask us for blind faith, but asks us to trust his promises based […] The post Mary's Story appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series Why has God put us here? Who is God asking us to reach out to? In what was probably Jesus' first cross cultural missions trip, we see Jesus going “to the other side” to reach one man. “The other side” was more than just the other side of the lake! It was […] The post The Other Side appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series Why has God put us here? Why has God put is where we live and put our churches where they are? He has a purpose for us in our neighbourhoods! Last week, we looked at how 4 friends brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus. Jesus dealt with the man's deepest need, the […] The post Jesus Seeks the Lost appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series Do our friends see our faith in action? As God's ambassadors, as the body of Christ, we all have a part to play in continuing Jesus' ministry on earth. That ministry is to show the world what it's like when God's rule of love is lived out. We have a ministry of […] The post Bringing People to Jesus appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series God has forged all of us into one body, with all of our diversity. Uniformity does not mean unity. We are all part of the body of Christ and should not try to separate ourselves from it, even if we are different. When we learn to love those who are different from […] The post Gifted By God appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series God equips those he calls. God calls all Christians to bear witness to his authority and equips us to do that with different spiritual gifts. Our focus should be on the giver of the gifts, the Holy Spirit, and using our gifts as he directs us to the glory of Christ. Part […] The post Gifted By God appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series We have been listening to God in order to discern God's values and mission for our church. Starting with the big picture of God's loving pursuit of fallen people, we then looked at God's call to all churches to focus on fellowship, formation and mission. Now we are zooming in closer to […] The post A Posture of Service appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series What is God's calling to all churches? Through fellowship, formation and mission we are to bear witness to God's loving pursuit of fallen people to reconcile them to himself. Mission means that we are God's ambassadors of reconciliation with a priestly role of making use of our direct access to God to […] The post Ambassadors of Christ appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series What is success for a church? What kind of life does our church encourage and challenge our people to live? Churches are called to bear witness to God's loving plan of salvation, by focusing on fellowship, formation and mission. Formation, also called discipleship, means becoming more like Jesus. This is a work […] The post Formation is Becoming More Like Jesus appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series Worship takes many forms. Living in response to God's reconciliation includes living in fellowship with one another, making one another's needs a primary concern. – Discussion Questions: What needs of mine have been met in this congregation? What needs to I see in our congregation? How can I respond to God's work […] The post Fellowship is Love Lived Out appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series – Week 3 God's plan of salvation is greater than we can even imagine! Jesus was always part of the plan, not God's “backup plan” when we fell into sin. – Discussion Questions: How is my perspective on life changed knowing Jesus was not plan B? How is God shaping me for […] The post Jesus Was Not Plan B ! appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Thrive Series – Week 2 God's story of salvation has four Acts: creation, fall, redemption and consummation. God's rule is God's love lived out! – Discussion Questions: Where do I see evidence of The Fall? Where do I see God's redemptive work? What would or could redemption look like in my life; in my […] The post The Good News of God's Rule – September 8 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST This week, Pastor Dave begins a 3 week series based on God's Call and Challenge to Every Person. This series, called “Thrive” was designed by CBOQ to help our church engage deeply with God's unique calling; to help us understand the values of our church. God's loving pursuit of fallen people – This Week's […] The post The Big Story appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Even good, religious people need to adjust their trajectory to head straight for God. Scripture: Acts 9:1-22 (Recorded August 18, 2024 - NOTE: There is an audio drop-out at just over 5 minutes into the recording.) The post Repentance: Paul, A Religious Man appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Repentance is a forbidden topic among most people these days, but it's actually key to an ongoing walk with Jesus. Scripture: Acts 3:1-20, 26 (Recorded August 11, 2024) The post Repentance: An Introduction appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We tend to think of the role of the Spirit in the world in terms of spectacular, charismatic gifts. But the main role of the Spirit is to produce agape love in believers! Scripture: John 13:34-35; 14:15-17 (Recorded July 7, 2024) The post Love: The Holy Spirit and Love appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We take for granted the story of the Good Samaritan, but it's an amazing example of agape love. Who is my “untouchable” neighbour that I must love? Scripture: Luke 10: 25-37 (Recorded June 30, 2024) The post Love: My Neighbour appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST How do we measure success and growth as a Christian? What should discipleship produce? Christian maturity isn't about serving, knowing the Bible or even spectacular gifts! It's about agape love. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Recorded June 23, 2024) The post Love: Christian Maturity appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Living the Christian life is difficult. We can easily make up rules about what Christians do or don't do. But it all boils down to agape love and everything else flows out of it. Scripture: Mark 12:28-34 (Recorded June 16, 2024) The post Love: The Greatest Commandment appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We talk a lot about the characteristics and character of God. Agape love is the key to understanding God's nature! Scripture: John 3:16-24 (Recorded June 9, 2024) The post Love: Agape Theology – June 9 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Paul calls us to be rooted and established in agape love. If God himself is love, what does it mean to be rooted and established in love? Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21 (Recorded June 2, 2024) The post Love: Our Foundation – June 2 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST The very nature of God is agape love, not that he shows love, but that he is love! What does that tell us about God? What does that mean for Christians? Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21 The post Love: God's Nature appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST When we have conflict, we are often quick to judge other people's motives and thinking. This is a huge sin! We can prevent many an argument, misunderstanding and conflict by clarifying expectations. Scripture: 1 Sam 16:7; Matt 7:1-3 The post Conflict: Only God Can Judge the Heart appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST We all feel anger sometimes. We need to make sure to check our reasons and not even let righteous anger fester and poison our souls! Scripture: Col 3:1-10 The post Conflict: In Your Anger Do Not Sin appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST Jesus himself experienced grief and loss. Through his submission to the Father, he wasn't led around suffering, but was lead to life through suffering to resurrection. Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9 The post Growing Through Grief and Loss appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST In our culture, we tend to suppress uncomfortable feelings like grief and loss. But the Bible models taking these feelings, and the experiences that cause them, to God so that, through them, God can draw us closer to Him and shape our character to be more like His. Scripture: Psalm 38:1-6; 142:1-7 The post The Humanity of Grief and Loss appeared first on FHBCatc.
Welcome Rev. David Williams! This week marks an exciting milestone as we extend a warm welcome to Pastor Dave Williams, who joins us for his inaugural Sunday as our pastor. We're eager to embark on this journey together, embracing his guidance and wisdom as we navigate this transitional period in our congregation. PODCAST The first […] The post The Wilderness appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST A Special Christmas Presentation for Advent 2022 Tonight we celebrate 2022 and prepare ourselves for a New Year – 2023. In the vast transition of Matthew 2: 12, we wonder in amazement about the Magi who attended Jesus' arrival to earth. In pivotal moments for the Magi, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and… the mad King Herod […] The post We Three…! – Episode 6 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST A Special Christmas Presentation for Advent 2022 Christmas day has come! Celebrating today with family, friends & faith community, we hope you are filled with Joy, Peace, Hope & Love. These four elements – so vital to humanity, are found interspersed throughout the story. In this 5th of 6 “We Three…!” episodes we consider […] The post We Three…! – Episode 5 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST A Special Christmas Presentation for Advent 2022 Imagine Christmas Eve for the Magi. Of course advent occurred over 3 years, but just think of their excitement the night before they saw Him – when, outside Jerusalem they turned to the short trek to Bethlehem. In this 4th “We Three…!” episode we consider this night as told by Clementarian, a […] The post We Three…! – Episode 4 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST A Special Christmas Presentation for Advent 2022 Ever wondered about the eastern visitors in the Christmas story – the Magi, Wisemen, Kings? “We Three…!” is a six-episode creative account of the journey of these ancient visitors as told by Clementarian, a librarian of Persia. We hope you ponder with the wisest of Jesus' birth […] The post We Three…! – Episode 3 appeared first on FHBCatc.
PODCAST A Special Christmas Presentation for Advent 2022 Ever wondered about the eastern visitors in the Christmas story – the Magi, Wisemen, Kings? “We Three…!” is a six-episode creative account of the journey of these ancient visitors as told by Clementarian, a librarian of Persia. We hope you ponder with the wisest of Jesus' birth […] The post We Three…! – Episode 2 appeared first on FHBCatc.