Tanglewood Bible Fellowship » Messages

Some Conspiracy Theories are Actually True An Inside Look: The Conspiracy to Murder Paul v12-15 …a plot was organized and men bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the Chief Priests and Elders and said, we have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul…give notice to the Colonel to bring him down […]

Keeping the Faith (and Love) in a Hurricane of Hatred Today in the real world/when when trying to share the Good News, if nothing else “comes to mind” tell your story…really His story in you (your testimony as to how you came to trust in Christ)…and then (I would say) 1: close with John 3:16 and 2: ask the leading question “Does that make sense to you?” And yet, as Paul experiences in this passage, we will not always see […]

Looking Back and Looking Forward Final Phases of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey   1 Gospel, 28 Chapters/27 Years, 12 Apostles: Described in 1 Sentence The Book of Acts = JESUS IS ALIVE AS HEAD OF HIS BRIDE  J esus Ascends  E stablishment of the Church S alvation of a Lame Beggar U nleashing of Persecution S in in the Church I mpact of Deacons S tephen’s Stoning  A broad with Philip (Samaria and Gaza) L ife comes to Saul/Paul I […]

Acts 20:17-38 A Snapshot of a Great Christian Life Paul’s Farewell to the Leaders of Ephesus Bible Fellowship Reveals Key Truths about Excellence in the Christian Walk Take This To Heart If consistency was easy, everybody would be consistent… …but be consistent even though it is hard! If you want to be better than average in anything, including in the Christian life, you must do certain things “average people” simply won’t take the time and/or make the effort to do……but […]

IYNTK about Easter (Information You Need to Know) The word “Easter” was derived from the proto-Germanic word meaning “to rise.” This is seen in the contemporary German cognate “ööst-” and the English word “east,” the direction from which the sun rises in the morning. It is not true that the word was derived from the pagan goddess Oestar or from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. The first Easter, the literal, bodily, supernatural resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, occurred on the […]

True Spirituality is Relational Not Just Ritual Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus Focused on the “Preaching” of the Gospel and the “Teaching” of the Word Take This To Heart As our Lord Jesus said: If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Salvation and spiritual growth are relational not mechanical. The ministry of the Word calls for personal reception of truth in a way that is transformational (from the inside: priorities/convictions) not just informational (rote knowledge of […]

Acts 19:1-5 From Fuzzy to Focused Paul connects the dots between John the Baptizing Jew and Jesus and emphasizes the fact that “saving repentance” is of the very essence of “saving faith” John preached a baptism (as a sign) of repentance (metanoeo) = as he told people to believe (pisteuo) in the coming Messiah who in fact is Jesus of Nazareth Take This To Heart Faith is ART and it is Only as Good as Its Object. True Saving Faith […]

The NT Church Is Not a “One Man” Team Take This To Heart The Apostle Paul Wasn’t a ONE MAN Team…Neither are World-Class Christians Like James Mitchell, Janice Skinner, Eric Ward and Olga Pollock. God’s Design is for All of His “Draft Picks” to Play Our Positions and Work Positively with our Teammates to Score Points for the Kingdom/Contribute to His Game Plan: Living the Great Commission.

Acts 18:12-22 One Key Characteristic of Spiritual Greatness One Key Characteristic of “Spiritual Greatness” is Faithfulness Through the Ups/Downs, the Joys/Sorrows, the Good/Bad of Life. Regardless of the Madness Around Them, Faithful Believers Keep on Trusting/Obeying and Serving the LORD Resting in the Fact That God Works Through the Mundane as Well as Through the Miraculous, Through Both Supernatural and Natural…and He Doesn’t Change When Our Circumstances Change Drastically. Keep the Faith Brothers/Sisters. Take This To Heart An Algebraic Expression […]

Rebooting Our Study of the Book of Acts Getting Back on the Wagon Where We Got Off of It We took a break from this series after we studied 18:1-11 on 12/6/15 The How Can We Keep Track of the Storyline of the Book of Acts? Memory Aid = Jesus Is Alive As Head Of His Bride The Bottom Line of Our Last Study of Acts (and Today’s Reboot): Routine Faithfulness Isn’t Routine, Easy or Automatic

When the World is Falling Apart Rather Than Panic, Pray/Plan and Persevere Week 4: A Modern Case Study: Every Parent’s Nightmare Kyle and Jen Porter “Why Us?” Replaced by “Yes Us and Many Others!” Facing Every Parent’s Nightmare in Faith The Testimony of Two Believers Who Refuse to Panic and Who Choose to Pray, Plan and Persevere In the Depths to Deep Pain/Horrific Loss. Fact: There are Some Scars That Cannot Be Healed This Side of Heaven, Where Jesus Is […]

The Book of Habakkuk God Honors Honest Questions from His Kids Take This To Heart God Honors Honest Questions from His Kids…and Gives Us Sufficient Light/Truth That We Can Trust Him in the Worst of Earthly Circumstances The Book of Habakkuk is God Telling Us: An accurate conception of the LORD’s Person/Program allows believers to trust humbly and persistently in His design of and providential control over all events now on Earth and ultimately/fully in an eternity separate from sin […]

Psalm 73 What in the World is Going On? So Often Good People Suffer and Bad People Prosper! Take This To Heart The Now Does (and Cannot) Make Sense Apart From the Not Yet Those Who Have Trusted in the Crucified/Risen Savior for Eternal Life Should Reject an Earthbound Perspective and Deal with the Distressing Realities around Us Now in Light of the Certain, Eternal Realities We Have in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 11 If the Foundations are Destroyed What Can the Righteous Do? Take This To Heart As we walk by faith and not by sight, there is one key question we answer in the way we think about ourselves, our world and our God: Am I the LORD’s Supervisor or am I the LORD’s Servant? “When we can’t trace His hand…trust His heart.”

2016 Here We Come The POGs of TBF with Some New Twists for the New Year Purpose: Matthew 28:19-20 Make Disciples (of Jesus not of Brad or Ginny or James or Olga or Even Ron) Objectives: Ephesians 4:11-16 The Church Gathered: Edification The Church Scattered: Evangelism Goals/Functions: Acts 2:42-47 Bible Study, Fellowship, Worship, Prayers…and Evangelism/World Missions Our Concept of Ministry Includes These Ideas We’re a Spiritual Battleship Not a Religious Cruiseship We’re a Spiritual “Whole Foods” Establishment Not a Religious […]

Great Christmas Songs Teach Great Theological Truth about Christ The Bottom Line: Following the example of Jesus, believers should freely submit ourselves to a lifestyle of servanthood to the glory of God even though this will involve giving up certain rights/privileges. Believers Need/The Bible Teaches Theology AND Practicality Theology without Practicality = Dry Orthodoxy Practicality without Theology = Moralistic Pragmatism

Acts 18:1-11 Routine Faithfulness Isn’t Routine/Automatic   Practical Principles God Works Not Just Through Miracles But Also Thru Mundane Events Wisdom + Work is the SOP for Christian Living/Ministry Rather than Allowing the Faithless to Freak Us Out, We Should Actively Appreciate Those Who Truly Believe in Christ and Who Walk with Him Final Practical Principle We Must Lean Upon the LORD/Seek His Encouragement If Our Lives are to Truly Be a Ministry Over the Long Haul Because Christian Faithfulness/Service […]

Acts 17:16-34 Being “Too Cool to Care” is Chilling to the Soul Being “Too Cool to Care”…is Spiritual Deadsville! Take This To Heart God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, and the fool declares in his heart there is no God. IOWs: They categorically (on faith!) insist that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Triune God of Scripture isn’t real. Everybody “believes in” (some form of […]

Acts 17:1-15 The Good News is Bad News to Many (What Does That Mean for Christians?) The Good News is Bad News to Many Which Among Other Things Means: Believers Should Expect Opposition When We Identify with Christ: So Let’s Get Over It and Live/Share the Gospel Anyway, the Right Way (with a Balance of Truth and Love, Tact/Timing) Take This To Heart Opposition Does Not Need To Stop Us, If: We Remember the Lord Will Guide and Provide Us […]