Category: bible study

• What Does It Mean to Receive Christ?

  Christians often talk about “believing in” Jesus or “receiving” Jesus. What does this mean? How does “believing in” or “receiving” Jesus impact ad change our life?

  Ryan Stratton

  12/15/2022

  believe, Bible, bible stories, bible study, children, Christian Life, Christianity, confession, disciples, eternal life, faith, good news, gospel, Gospel of John, holy life, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus’birth, leadership, Life, light, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, passion, pastor, preaching, transformation, trust, Truth, uncategoried, worship, writing, youth ministry

  Christian life, God is with us, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, how Jesus transforms our life, how to receive Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 1, John 1:1-18, John 1:9-13, new life, Trust God, Trust Jesus, what does it mean to believe in Jesus

• God Leads

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 17. These are the stories that capture our imagination and restore hope. Rudy, The Karate Kid, Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby…these are all stories where the “wrong person” wins. But these stories stick with us. Why? Because of who wins! We love for the underdog to win. Why? I […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/22/2021

  anxiety, attitudes, awakening, believe, belonging, Bible, bible stories, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, legacy, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, motivations, preach, preaching, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Worry, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 17, Christian life, David and Goliath, faith in Christ, God leads to victory, Good News of Jesus Christ, Jesus changes everything, rooting for the underdog, transform the world, underdogs win

• God Sees

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 How good a judge are you of someone’s character? How well do you have the ability to choose/pick who the next leader should be? Has it worked out for you in the past? These are questions that we should be thinking about when we read the passage today. […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/15/2021

  belief, believe, Bible, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, evangelism, faith, faithful, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, maturity, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, preparation, prepare, transformation, trials, trust, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 15:34-16:13, anointing of God, bible study, choosing leaders, God chooses, God chooses leaders, God sees the heart, Good News of Jesus Christ, Jesus king of kings, king David anointed, new life in Christ, prophet Samuel, Trust God

• God Calls

  Click Here to Read 1 Samuel 3:1-10 I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the Old Testament. Yeah, there are many things I still don’t understand, but I do know this, what we call the Old Testament takes up 66% of our Bible, so taking the time to understand the storyline is vital for […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/01/2021

  belief, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conflict, conversion, devotionals, disciples, freedom, freedom in Christ, glory of God, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, preach, preaching, speech, Spirit, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 3:1-10, bible study, Christian life, God calls, hearing God’s voice, knowing God’s voice, knowing Jesus, live differently, love the Old Testament, new life in Christ, responding to God, sermon on 1 Samuel 3, trusting God

• Revival Can Come

  “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~2 Chronicles 7:14 NRSV I see this Bible verse posted on yard signs, in windows, I hear it from […]

  Ryan Stratton

  11/13/2020

  belief, belonging, Bible, bible study, born again, challenge, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, faith, faithful, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, journaling, judgement, leadership, learning, legacy, Life, live stream, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new creation, new life, passion, pastor, Prayer, preaching, preparation, renewal, repentance, resurrection, revival, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, witness, witnessing, Wonder, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  2 Chronicles 7:14, Christian life, God, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, it begins with me, Jesus Christ, life transformation, new life in Christ, praying for revival, revival, Trust God, trusting Jesus, what is revival

• God’s Story, Your Story: The New Testament

  If you could sum up the Bible in one word, what would it be? This may be tricky for some. Some may be thinking we can’t sum up the Bible in one word. I think we can sum up the Bible with the word, JESUS. After all, in Luke 24, Jesus tells the disciples on […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/08/2020

  belonging, bible, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, comfort, conversion, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, example, Failure, faith, family of God, Forgiveness, God’s grace, God’s promises, Golden rule, good news, gospel, heaven, holy, holy life, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, kindness, leadership, learn, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, passion, pastor, power, prasie, preaching, Relationships, religion, renewal, revival, sin, Sinners, Spirit, Spirit led, transformation, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, world, worldview, worship, writing, youth ministry

  end times and revelation, God wins, gospels of Jesus, letters of Paul, live faithfully, New Testament overview, stand firm in the faith, trust in God, what is Jesus like, What is the new testament, what’s the Bible about, who is Jesus

• Who is YHWH?

  The Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible) begins with a land that is fertile and ready for humanity and ends with the people of Israel on the cusp of moving into the land of promise. Beginning in Genesis 12 through Deuteronomy 34, the promise of land is a key theme for the people of […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/04/2020

  belief, bible, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, faith, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, Life, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, pastor, patience, reconciliation, Relationships, repentance, sin, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, writing, youth ministry

  books of the Bible, Genesis – Deuteronomy, how can I know God, knowing God, what does the Bible say, what does the Bible say about God, what is the point of the Bible, what is the Torah, who am I, Who is God

• God’s Story, Your Story: The Old Testament

  How well do you know the biblical story? If we’re honest, we all should say we don’t know it as well as we want. One of the most beautiful things about scripture is that it continually speaks, even today, the words of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit. If I were to ask […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/01/2020

  bible, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, Creation, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, reconciliation, redeemed, Relationships, repentance, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, worship, youth ministry

  old testament introduction, people of God, Who is God

• Rahab: The Past Does Note Define You

  How would you describe yourself before coming to faith in Jesus Christ? How is that different from your life now? What do other people think about you? Do your family and friends see something different and new in you since you began to follow Christ? Even if you have be “in church” your whole life, […]

  Ryan Stratton

  08/04/2020

  anxiety, attitudes, awakening, belief, Bible, bible stories, bible study, born again, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, faith, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, home, Jesus, Jesus Christ, legacy, Life, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, new life, preach, preaching, redeemed, Relationships, revival, Spiritual transformation, transformation, Uncategorized, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  fall of Jericho, following Jesus, Jesus changes everything, Jesus defines you, Joshua 2, keeping your word, know who you are, know your worth, new life in Jesus, overcoming the past, people can change, People like us, Rahab the prostitue, story of redemption, trusting Jesus

• Esther: “Wrong” Place, Right Time

  We have been in this series where we have been looking into the lives of biblical characters to see how we can still see ourselves on the pages of scripture. As we said last week, our way of life, and society may have changed, but human nature really hasn’t changed. We still fall prey to […]

  Ryan Stratton

  07/28/2020

  anger, awakening, beauty, belief, believe, belonging, bible, bible study, calling, Challenges, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, controversy, disciples, example, facing challenges, Failure, faith, faithful, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, judgement, Life, Lifes Journey, mercy, methodism, methodist, mindset, ministry, mission, pastor, revival, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, worship, writing, youth ministry

  book of esther, called by God, Esther, for such a time as this, God is always working, greater purpose in life, Happy with your life, Life mission, mission of God, new life in Christ, no coincidences with God, People like us, personal mission, trusting God, whats in the bible