The Church in the time of Luther added the burden of meritorious works and the sale of indulgences to the sufficient work of God's grace, and Luther and the reformers sought to free God's people by dismantling the scaffolding.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 22. 2017

Having established that we are justified through faith alone, the question remains: faith in what, or whom? The Bible tells us that whoever believes in Jesus will be saved. The Reformers restored to Christ's followers the understanding that it is faith alone in Christ alone, and that Christ is our only savior, the only sacrifice, and the only mediator between a holy God and sinful man.

Acts 4:5-13

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 15, 2017

With our foundation built upon Scripture Alone, we continue our observance of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation with our look at the doctrine of Sola Fide - we are justified by faith alone, not by works. This flies in the face of the Catholic doctrine of Luther's time (and affirmed at the Council of Vatican II in the 1960s) that we are justified at the time of baptism but need continual practice of the sacraments of Communion, Penance, Matrimony, Extreme Unction (last rites), and, for the chosen few, Ordination, in order to maintain our salvation. Luther showed by Biblical texts that we are justified by faith alone and not by works, so that no one may boast in themselves but in what Christ did on the cross.

Romans 3:21-4:9

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 8, 2017

We begin a new series based on the five "solas" of the Reformation. It was five hundred years ago on October 31 that Martin Luther nailed his protest, titled "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," more commonly known as the Ninety-Five Theses, to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. Five hundred years later, we mark the occasion by examining the principles of the Protestant Reformation and how they apply to us today. We begin with a foundational principle, Sola Scriptura - scripture alone is the final authority.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Recorded at Hudson UMC on October 1, 2017

Paul exhorts the church in Philippi to live a life worthy of the gospel. In today's lesson from Philippians we examine what that means, and also what Paul means when he says "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on September 24, 2017

In the prayer that we often call "The Lord's Prayer," we say "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." But think about it. If God forgives us the way we forgive others, does that make us feel good? Or are we lacking in our forgiveness, according to God's standard of forgiveness?

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on September 17, 2017

The finale to our Riches in Romans series brings to a fine point the central theme of the Gospel. Why does God show grace to sinners? Why did Christ go to the cross for my sins? What sets Christians apart from other people? When faced with unlocking the mysteries of faith, we find that love is the key.

Romans 13:8-14

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on September 10, 2017

The common thread throughout the reading today is "Let love be genuine." By this we will examine all the exhortations of Paul to the church in Rome. What does genuine love look like? In order to avoid the counterfeit, we must first know what the genuine looks like, and Paul gives us a glimpse into genuine love through his teaching today.

Romans 12:9-21

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on September 3, 2017

Paul exhorts the church in Rome to not be conformed to the ways of the world (in contrast to the ways of God), but to be transformed (completely remade in God's image) by the renewing of our minds.

Romans 12:1-8

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on August 27, 2017