Week of 7/26/26
Week of 7/28/2026 Berean Enjoyment
As I sit down to write some further thoughts on this week’s sermon, I find myself eagerly awaiting the return of our two Pastors and their families. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 3:6, But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— What an interesting aspect of the body of Christ, that we are a part of one body, and that each member has been given gifts for the building up of the body, and we long to be a part of the whole body. We are greatly blessed to have Pastors Philip and John, please pray for their safe return, and remember that each of us is a necessary part of the body and the body is blessed by everyone’s presence.
Berean Enjoyment
Apologetics
When we consider all the words and effort that has been spent over the centuries to develop arguments to prove the existence of God, is that effort well spent?
What would you say are the main reasons Christians develop these arguments? Here are my ideas:
Evangelism – to ‘crack’ the defenses of the unsaved who consider themselves intellectuals
Nagging Doubts – To combat the doubts that creep into the mind of the believer
When we consider the greatest commandment, Mark 12:30, ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Does this commandment influence how we see the effort spent on intellectual debates that consider the nature and existence of God?
Cosmological argument The Cosmological Argument
Trinity
How many of us have had discussions on the Trinity with other people and in the end everybody just kind of throws their hands in the air. Even solid Bible believing Christians often struggle with the idea of the Trinity. It is important to understand that this debate has been happening just about since the beginning; humans trying to understand and describe who God is. Listen to this short video from Wes Huff, it’s very good:
Wes Huff on Trinity Trinity Explained: One God, Three Persons | Christian Theology
Why is it important for the church to have a statement of belief that describes the nature of God?
Can you think of religions today that in part are based on heretical understandings of the nature of God?
Because of time I removed the section from the sermon on Sunday that dealt with 1 John 5:7-8 in the KJV. It is the perfect trinitarian verse in the KJV. But it is not the same in any modern translation of the bible. I’m going to give one more Wes Huff video link, skip ahead to the 10:00 minute mark if you want to just hear the part on 1 John 5:7-8 it goes to mark 17:50.
Can You Trust the Bible? | Wesley Huff on Manuscripts, Miracles & Misconceptions
Loving God through Obedience
Some final thoughts on sacrifice and submission. Why do you think it is when we read about the sacrifice and submission of a biblical character like Esther we are so moved by her faithfulness? Yet when we consider personally sacrificing or submitting we often struggle so greatly.
Was it easy for Esther to go present herself to the king at the risk of her own life?
What did Esther do to prepare herself? What did she ask others to do?
Esther 4:15-16, Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
When facing difficult situations in our own lives where the biblical response might require sacrifice/submission on our part, where do we turn to prepare ourselves to obey from the heart?
Even more than faithful people like Esther, Christ is our example. In what ways has Christ sacrificed for your benefit?
Think about How great was Jesus’ submission to the Father when He had the right to call down from the Father more than 12 legions of angels to save Him from crucifixion, and yet He didn’t.
What can we learn about loving God with our whole being by looking to the example of Jesus?
Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Be Blessed and may you love our God more and more each day!
Peter Engdahl
As I sit down to write some further thoughts on this week’s sermon, I find myself eagerly awaiting the return of our two Pastors and their families. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 3:6, But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— What an interesting aspect of the body of Christ, that we are a part of one body, and that each member has been given gifts for the building up of the body, and we long to be a part of the whole body. We are greatly blessed to have Pastors Philip and John, please pray for their safe return, and remember that each of us is a necessary part of the body and the body is blessed by everyone’s presence.
Berean Enjoyment
Apologetics
When we consider all the words and effort that has been spent over the centuries to develop arguments to prove the existence of God, is that effort well spent?
What would you say are the main reasons Christians develop these arguments? Here are my ideas:
Evangelism – to ‘crack’ the defenses of the unsaved who consider themselves intellectuals
Nagging Doubts – To combat the doubts that creep into the mind of the believer
When we consider the greatest commandment, Mark 12:30, ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Does this commandment influence how we see the effort spent on intellectual debates that consider the nature and existence of God?
Cosmological argument The Cosmological Argument
Trinity
How many of us have had discussions on the Trinity with other people and in the end everybody just kind of throws their hands in the air. Even solid Bible believing Christians often struggle with the idea of the Trinity. It is important to understand that this debate has been happening just about since the beginning; humans trying to understand and describe who God is. Listen to this short video from Wes Huff, it’s very good:
Wes Huff on Trinity Trinity Explained: One God, Three Persons | Christian Theology
Why is it important for the church to have a statement of belief that describes the nature of God?
Can you think of religions today that in part are based on heretical understandings of the nature of God?
Because of time I removed the section from the sermon on Sunday that dealt with 1 John 5:7-8 in the KJV. It is the perfect trinitarian verse in the KJV. But it is not the same in any modern translation of the bible. I’m going to give one more Wes Huff video link, skip ahead to the 10:00 minute mark if you want to just hear the part on 1 John 5:7-8 it goes to mark 17:50.
Can You Trust the Bible? | Wesley Huff on Manuscripts, Miracles & Misconceptions
Loving God through Obedience
Some final thoughts on sacrifice and submission. Why do you think it is when we read about the sacrifice and submission of a biblical character like Esther we are so moved by her faithfulness? Yet when we consider personally sacrificing or submitting we often struggle so greatly.
Was it easy for Esther to go present herself to the king at the risk of her own life?
What did Esther do to prepare herself? What did she ask others to do?
Esther 4:15-16, Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
When facing difficult situations in our own lives where the biblical response might require sacrifice/submission on our part, where do we turn to prepare ourselves to obey from the heart?
Even more than faithful people like Esther, Christ is our example. In what ways has Christ sacrificed for your benefit?
Think about How great was Jesus’ submission to the Father when He had the right to call down from the Father more than 12 legions of angels to save Him from crucifixion, and yet He didn’t.
What can we learn about loving God with our whole being by looking to the example of Jesus?
Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Be Blessed and may you love our God more and more each day!
Peter Engdahl
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