Sermons and classes from our weekly church of Christ services
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 10:00 AM Session
Location: Room 116
Instructor: Andy Baker
Title: Preaching - Countercultural Preaching
Summary
In this lecture on countercultural preaching, instructor Andy Baker argues that the core message for preachers in any era is "Jesus has a better way." He begins by referencing 19th-century hymn writer Priscilla Owens to emphasize the timeless need for scripture. Baker then outlines three unhealthy alternatives to countercultural preaching: anti-cultural (law without love), a-cultural (love without law), and pro-cultural (abandoning both). The lecture is structured around the components of his core message, asserting that preaching must focus on Jesus, recognize the Bible's enduring relevance, convey that Jesus offers a comparatively "better" path of continuous growth, and proclaim this as a guiding "way" for a world moving in the opposite direction. Baker emphasizes that effective preaching requires not just proclaiming this message but living it with authenticity, humility, and conviction. The ultimate goal is the transformation of listeners, urging them to become living sacrifices by renewing their minds. The lecture concludes by framing preaching as an unapologetically optimistic and hopeful task, especially in challenging times, meant to bring people to the cross and show them Jesus's better way.
Duration 43:20
5 days ago
5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 10:00 AM Session
In this episode John offers a personal, text-driven tour through the names of God found primarily in Genesis and throughout Scripture, trading a purely academic approach for a pastoral, relational look at who God is. Rather than only cataloguing lexical definitions, John shows how each divine name reveals character, purpose, and a pattern that points forward to Jesus as the fullest revelation of God.
Topics covered include the opening name Elohim (God the Creator) in Genesis 1; the tetragrammaton (Yahweh) introduced in Genesis 2 and echoed in Exodus 3:14; titles such as Adonai (Lord), El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Roi (the God who sees), and Yahweh Yireh (the Lord who provides). John weaves these names with key biblical passages and images — Paul’s road-to-Damascus encounter, Abraham’s covenant and the test on Moriah, Hagar’s encounter in the wilderness, Melchizedek’s blessing in Genesis 14, and New Testament connections in John and Colossians.
Key points emphasized are the complementary truths that God is both transcendent (the Creator who speaks the universe into being) and immanent (a hands-on, compassionate God who sees, provides, delivers, and enters human history). Listeners will hear how the names function theologically: as proclamations of sovereignty, as covenant promises, as pastoral comfort for the lonely and afflicted, and as foreshadowings of Christ.
Illustrative stories and applications include Paul/Saul’s recognition of divine presence, Abraham’s faith and obedience, Hagar’s encounter with the Angel of the Lord (El Roi), Melchizedek’s title “God Most High,” and New Testament scenes where Jesus reveals and embodies the divine “I Am.” John also references a neighbor-turned-Bible-student and a mention of Brother Higginbotham to show how these biblical insights play out in real conversations and ministry.
What to expect: a blend of careful exegesis, vivid narrative examples, and pastoral reflection that invites listeners to move beyond knowing God’s will to truly knowing God. The episode closes by pointing to Jesus as the ultimate revelation — the Word who was with God and was God — and encourages listeners to study the names of God to deepen love, faith, and devotion. (If you’d like the PowerPoint used in the talk, John offers to share it on request.)
Duration 41:33
5 days ago
5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 10:00 AM Session
“The things that were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.” In this episode Steven guides listeners through a careful study of Genesis chapters 4 and 5, examining how the first post‑Eden generations responded to sin and what their stories teach us about worship, judgment, and hope.
The speaker walks through the narrative of Cain and Abel—contrasting Abel’s faith‑filled, firstborn sacrifice with Cain’s inadequate, instinctive offering—and explores God’s response: just and holy, yet merciful and corrective. Listeners will hear close attention to key verses (Genesis 4:3–5; Hebrews 11:4; Jude 11; Luke 15; Matthew 5), practical reflections on anger and unresolved resentment, and a careful look at the consequences of sin culminating in Cain’s murder of Abel and the ensuing curse and protection placed upon Cain.
The episode surveys the society Cain builds—technical skill and worldly progress without godliness—and contrasts it with the line of Seth, introduced as a God‑ordained substitute and remembered for “calling on the name of the Lord.” The host draws out the theological significance of that phrase and the priority of spiritual legacy over secular success, emphasizing the role of parents and congregations in cultivating faith in the next generation.
Genesis 5 is considered for its sober reminder that death now marks humanity because of sin, yet it also highlights two exemplary figures—Enoch and Noah—who “walked with God,” showing that faithful obedience is possible even in a broken world. Key theological takeaways include: God’s provision, God’s justice, God’s holiness, God’s grace and long‑suffering, and the assurance that calling on the Lord leads to life eternal (Acts 22:16).
What to expect: a sermon‑style Bible study (no outside guests) that combines exposition, pastoral application, and practical challenges—how to worship according to God’s standards, how to guard the heart against anger and resentment, why spiritual legacy matters, and why, even amid death and judgment, Genesis points forward to God’s mercy and hope for repentance and redemption.
Duration 40:13
5 days ago
5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 9:00 AM Session
Date Time: 2026-04-24 09:00
Location: Room 116
Instructor: Wayne Miller
Title: Leadership - How to Keep the Focus on God When You Succeed
Summary: Wayne Miller’s lecture examines the spiritual risks that accompany success and prosperity, drawing from Deuteronomy 8. The core message is that success, though a blessing from God, brings a major battle for focus and humility. Prosperity can lead to forgetting God, elevating personal pride, and losing spiritual purpose. Success is not an end but a means to glorify God, serve others, and witness for Him. Miller offers practical guidance for staying focused in success: deliberately remember God as the source, reject pride through genuine humility, and recognize that blessings are meant to point others to God—not to oneself.
Duration: 39:36
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5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 9:00 AM Session
Good morning, everyone. In this episode the Denny walks listeners through Matthew 19, using the first-century rabbinic debate (Hillel, Shammai, and Akabah) over Deuteronomy 24 as background to explain why the Pharisees’ question about divorce was a trap. The talk highlights how cultural interpretations opened the door to easy divorce and remarriage in Jesus’ day and draws parallels to similar challenges facing the modern church.
The speaker outlines Jesus’ three-part response: (1) God’s original plan for marriage in the creation narrative (one man, one woman, for life), (2) the bond of becoming “one flesh,” which encompasses more than sexual union and implies an inseparable partnership, and (3) the declaration that what God has joined, no one should separate. The presentation emphasizes Jesus’ authority in reframing the discussion and redirects attention from permissive rabbinic readings to Genesis 2:24.
Key doctrinal points include the meaning and limits of Deuteronomy 24 (Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of heart), and Jesus’ clear ruling in verse 9 that porneia (fornication/sexual unfaithfulness) is the sole biblically authorized ground for divorce and remarriage. The speaker also addresses the Apostle Paul’s related language and common attempts to reinterpret or soften Jesus’ words, clarifying that Jesus calls remarriage after unlawful divorce adultery.
The episode closes with pastoral application: the need to prioritize repairing and protecting marriages rather than seeking easy exits, the continuing pastoral and cultural challenge of divorce and remarriage in the church, and the call to align practice with Scripture’s original intent for marriage.
Duration 36:38
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5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 9:00 AM Session
This episode features guest speaker Caleb Colley, a scholar with degrees in Communication, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Humanities, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy. A longtime teacher in graduate theology and philosophy programs, he joins the conference to lead a chapter-by-chapter walk through Genesis, focusing here on Creation and the Fall (Genesis 1–3).
The talk examines contemporary pressures on young Christians who face conflicting messages from church and school—between a literal six-day creation, naturalistic evolution, and theistic evolution (the view that God used evolution as His method). Caleb outlines the three common responses and explains why he argues theistic evolution is incompatible with the New Testament.
Central to the episode is a sustained New Testament case: twelve facts and theological connections (drawn from Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke, Hebrews, and Jude) that the speaker contends cannot be true if Genesis 1–3 are read non‑literally. Highlights include arguments that Adam and Eve were literal first humans, the first woman was formed from the man, Adam is the representative progenitor of all humans, the formation of Adam from dust, the serpent’s real deception of Eve, the historicity of Abel, Cain, and Noah, and the theological necessity of God’s rest and the flood for NT teaching.
The episode also explores the fall itself: the clarity of God’s revelation to Adam and Eve, the devil’s calculated temptation, the step‑by‑step progression into sin, Adam’s failure of leadership, the fracturing of relationships with God and one another, and God’s merciful provision (animal sacrifice and the proto‑evangelium in Genesis 3:15) that foreshadows Christ’s defeat of the serpent.
Throughout, the speaker connects Genesis to key New Testament doctrines—original sin, Christ as the new Adam, baptism and the ark, typologies between flood and final judgment, and the practical moral consequences for marriage, gender roles, and human identity. Listeners should expect a vigorous theological defense of a literal reading of Genesis 1–3 and clear tracing of how that reading shapes New Testament interpretation and Christian doctrine.
This episode is recommended for pastors, students, and listeners interested in biblical theology, creation‑care debates, apologetics, and the pastoral implications of how Genesis is interpreted.
Duration 41:55
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5 days ago
April 24, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 2 - 8:00 AM Session
This episode opens with a vivid everyday analogy about buttoning a shirt to introduce a sermon-length study titled "From the Beginning." The speaker gives a concise, structured overview of Genesis—highlighting its primary aim to introduce man to God, its two historical sections (primeval history and patriarchal history), and three key time-frames that reveal God’s power, plan, and providence.
The program then focuses on the phrase "from the beginning," tracing its use in the New Testament (23 occurrences) and explaining two grammatical senses: reference to a span of time and reference to a specific point in time. The speaker outlines a three-part series approach that uses passages employing this phrase to teach how we relate to Jesus, to one another, and how to strengthen family relationships.
The heart of the episode is a close reading of 1 John 1:1–4. The passage is analyzed and applied: John’s purpose in writing (so believers might know they have eternal life, resist sin, and enjoy full joy), and three affirmations about Jesus drawn from the text—his message, his ministry, and his manhood. The sermon illustrates each affirmation with biblical examples: the Sermon on the Mount and its seven themes (attitudes, influence, authority, devotion, possessions, relationships, prayer); the healing of the leper as an example of compassionate ministry; and Jesus in Gethsemane and Hebrews to demonstrate his genuine humanity and ongoing high-priestly ministry in heaven.
Key practical points include the centrality of fellowship with God and one another as the solution to church division, the continuing relevance of Christ’s message for salvation and sanctification, and the comfort that Jesus both sympathizes with human weakness and ministers for us now. There are no external guests—this is a focused homiletic teaching combining Genesis orientation, New Testament exegesis, and pastoral application aimed at deepening listeners’ relationship with Christ and each other.
Listeners can expect theological exposition, close textual analysis, and concrete pastoral applications intended to encourage faith, foster Christian fellowship, and call hearers to heed the message of Jesus "from the beginning."
Duration 41:28
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5 days ago
April 23, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 1 - 7:00 PM Session
Room: Auditorium
Title: Getting to Know God Through Creation
Speaker: Andrew Itson
Summary:
The lecture examines the theological theme of God’s creative work as ongoing, using Copernicus’s heliocentric insight to argue that humans lack the “gravity” to hold life together, while God—and ultimately Christ—does. Drawing from Genesis, Psalms, Hebrews, Colossians, and multiple New Testament narratives, the speaker highlights identity, community, and purpose as core human needs addressed by creation. Key motifs include God as sovereign initiator and finisher; creation as continuing, not merely a past event; the Spirit bringing order from chaos; rest (Shabbat) as trust; and work as purposeful multiplication rather than punishment. Practical applications include making Jesus preeminent, embracing communal life, practicing confession and repentance instead of hiding and blaming, and trusting God to start and stop what’s needed in our lives.
Duration 37:36
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5 days ago
April 23, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 1 - 6:30 PM Session
The lecture by Steve Higginbotham seeks to rekindle awe for God’s power and greatness by examining His creation. The speaker argues that modern society often overlooks God’s work, becoming more impressed by human achievements like the pyramids of Giza. He contrasts the vastness of the universe (macrocosm) with the complexity of microscopic life (microcosm). Using examples such as Cassini’s photo of Earth, the James Webb Telescope’s Ultra Deep Field image, the finely tuned Earth–Moon system, and microscopic creatures like the hydrothermal worm and the resilient tardigrade, he underscores God’s immense power and intelligent design. He also explores DNA’s complexity to showcase God’s wisdom at the cellular level. The core message is that creation is a form of natural revelation, universally testifying to God’s existence and glory, urging people to seek Him. The lecture concludes by asserting that God’s ultimate display of wisdom is not nature, but the creation of the Church.
Duration 28:14
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5 days ago
April 23, 2026 - Equipped 2026 - Day 1 - 6:00 PM Session
Opening the 2026 version of the Equipped Workshop hosted by the Cumberland Trace Church of Christ, Andy Baker leads the assembly in a few A cappella songs.
Duration 25:16