All Things to All People

James Rochford

1 Corinthians 9:1-23

Paul exemplifies God's grace by foregoing what he is owed by those people to whom he brought the gospel and becoming like those people to better love them. As Christians, we are called to do likewise: to belong to the culture around us, for the sake of bringing the gospel into it.

Religion

Mike Sullivan

John 7:37-39

God is clear that He does not ask for rituals or for lofty prayers with no actions to back them up. He asks for the Israelites to hear what He wants and to obey. Manasseh led Israel into idolatry and God judges them for religious compartmentalization and hypocrisy.

Spiritual Authenticity

Ben Foust

Matthew 23:27-33

In the story of Ananias and Sapphira, we see God protect the church from another serious threat: hypocrisy.\r\nHow do we answer the difficult questions raised by this passage? And how does Christ free us from the pull of hypocrisy?\r\n

That Time the Whole Church Almost Lost It

Scott Risley

Galatians 2:16

The Pharisees try to divide the Church by sowing the idea that new believers need to be circumcised in order to be saved. Their influence even reaches Peter and Barnabas. Both Paul and Peter set the record straight, uniting the church in its theology of salvation by grace alone.

A Crucial Juncture

Conrad Hilario

Romans 3:23

The Jerusalem Council is used as a springboard to contrast Grace with being under the Law.

Stephen's Defense

James Rochford

Acts 6:7-7:58

Stephen, the first martyr, is brought before the Sanhedrin to give his defense. He uses Abraham, Joseph, and Moses as examples to explain that God is at work outside of "Holy places, spaces and races". Putting God in a box results in 1) a diminished view of God; 2) hypocrisy; 3) distraction and confusion; and 4) idols which replace and confine God.

The Most Deadly Bacillus

Dennis McCallum

Acts 5:1-11

Ananias and Sapphira were deceitful. How God dealt with their hypocrisy, and why, is discussed.

Hypocrisy

James Rochford

Acts 4:36-5:14

As the church is growing Satan attempts the tactic of hypocrisy to bring the growth to a halt. It is easy to judge Ananias and Sapphira for their hypocrisy, however, if we're honest we can see ourselves in them. In this teaching we learn 4 aspects of hypocrisy: 1) definition of hypocrisy; 2) problems with hypocrisy; 3) identifying hypocrisy; 4) battling hypocrisy.

A Leavening Agent

Conrad Hilario

Luke 18:9-14

The story of Ananias and Sapphira and the choice they made to try and deceive their fellow Christian workers. God prevented the corruption of the early church by hypocrisy. Satan still uses this "leavening" to try to discredit God and Christianity.