New Sermon Series- The Book of Acts

How did the Church begin? What happened after Jesus rose again? Who is the Holy Spirit? How did Christianity spread throughout the world?  How is all of this applicable to us today?  You are invited to join us as we open God’s Word to answer these questions.  At Berean Bible Church, we use expository preaching, which means that we cover entire books of the bible, verse by verse. In doing so, we obtain a full understanding of what the original author, inspired by God, meant. We also avoid the temptation to skip over passages that are challenging or uncomfortable. While being thorough in our coverage of the holy scriptures, we also strive to make them understandable and applicable to everyday life.

What in the world is a Berean?

Often I’m asked the question “Your church has a strange name.  What is a Berean?”  Our church gets its name from a Bible passage in Acts 17:11.  In this passage the people from the area of Berea were held to be more noble.  Why?  Because of the importance they placed on God’s Word.  It says that they read God’s Word eagerly and searched it daily.  At Berean Bible Church. we aspire to have this same high view of God’s Word.   All teaching and beliefs are directed to the Bible rather than man’s ideas.  Our desire in being Bereans is to follow the Bible eagerly, daily and let it determine our beliefs and guide our lives in all that we do.   In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were regarded as being more noble for seeking out God’s Word.  Are you a Berean?

True Power

Yesterday our nation was hit by a devasting winter storm that crossed over 2000 miles.  Chicago, and most of Illinois, was pummeled by a blizzard of snow.  My community of Oxford, Ohio, was not immune either.  Ice poured down most of the day and into the night forming a thick coat of slickness on everything including trees and powerlines.  About 2 am I woke to the sounds of branches and ice falling heavily on to our roof.  Not long after the power went out.  I sat in bed thinking about my wife and children and worried about when the power would come back.  I worried about warmth and food in the refrigerator.  I prayed for God to allow us to have this natural power back in our home on which we were so dependent.  But as I did so, He brought to my mind a verse we have been studying in the newest sermon series in Acts 1, v.8 which says “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..”  I realized just as I can often take for granted the natural power in my home so to can I forget the need for the power of the Holy Spirit.  We want our homes to be filled with the natural power to function properly but as Christians we need to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to function properly as Christians.    Are you filled with the power of the Holy Spirit?

Sermon Series-Jonah

Our new sermon series is on the remarkable story of Jonah.  Many people have heard  of Jonah and the whale but there is so much more.  Join us as we dig deep into God’s Word to obtain a thorough understanding of not only the events in Jonah’s life but on the amazing extent of God’s grace for the people He loves.   

At Berean Bible Church, we use expository preaching, which means that we cover entire books of the bible, verse by verse. In doing so, we obtain a full understanding of what the original author, inspired by God, meant. We also avoid the temptation to skip over passages that are challenging or uncomfortable. While being thorough in our coverage of the holy scriptures, we also strive to make them understandable and applicable to everyday life.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Father’s Day

We just celebrated Father’s Day.  Being a father myself it makes me reflect on my 14 years of being a dad.  I now have three children and it is an incredible blessing.  However, it is also a challenging job that gets more difficult over time.  Pondering how I could be a better father led me to a passage in the Bible, Luke 15:11-32, that describes a father with two sons.  This familiar passage is often known as the parable of the prodigal son.  In fact much of the story focuses on the younger son who shamed his father by demanding an early inheritance and then wasting it quickly with immoral living only to find himself literally with the pigs.   However, what caught my attention the most was the father’s response when his son finally came home.  It was not anger.  It was not even reluctant acceptance and begrudging forgiveness .  Rather the father ran to his son.  He kissed him.  He gave him a robe, a ring and shoes.  In other words he fully restored him.  This is all a picture of God’s love for us and how He is quick to not only forgive us but to fully restore us.  As an earthly father I want to emulate my heavenly Father by displaying this type of love and forgiveness for my children, even when they make mistakes.  As a pastor, I want to be like my heavenly Father by sharing the love of God and His wonderful grace to a hurting world, including those that like the prodigal son.