When God Gives You More Than You Can Bear by Dr. Abidan Shah
This weekend, we will examine the beginning of the book of James and the assurance of trials in our lives. We often quote the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Is that true, though? Does God give us more than we can handle in our own human capacity? James seems to indicate there might be a deeper truth that we will discover this weekend.
When You’re Waiting for an Apology by Dr. Abidan Shah
This weekend, as we continue to walk through the book of Job, we encounter Job justifying himself before his friends. The Bible goes to great lengths to remind us that Job remained righteous before the Lord. That does not mean he completely understood and followed God’s plan blindly through his suffering. At times, he was waiting for an explanation, justification, or even an apology.
Build Your Trust In God’s Word by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will take a look at those individuals who stepped into Job’s story: his three friends, as well as the mysterious Elihu. These men are important to the story and development of Job, but they are also found elsewhere on the pages of Scripture. This shows that not only is Job’s account factual rather than mythical, but also that you can trust Scripture as the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God.
When Life Seems Unfair by Abidan Shah, PhD
As we head toward the holidays, I want to begin a series that will help us sort through all of the emotions that these months can bring. Our culture talks about the importance of self-care, but what about spiritual self-care? In this weekend’s message, we will examine the life of Job. Although he encountered intense hardship, Job remained focused on God. This message will help us understand how to do that as well.
End-Times Prophecy | Act Two: The Foreknowledge of God
This weekend, our students are on their annual fall retreat. They are studying the concept of Christ time and how it impacts our understanding of our past, present, and future. Paul says that God “foreknew” his people. That terminology has raised many questions over the years. Does that mean that God knows the future and makes decisions based on his knowledge? And if he knows who will be saved, why does he create those who won’t choose him?
End Times Prophecy | Does God Elect?
As you know, we are in our series on end-times prophecy, looking specifically at how God’s plans for Israel are still intact. In this weekend’s message, we turn our attention to the doctrine of election. This divisive doctrine has caused much contention through the ages. But what does the Bible actually teach about election? Does God choose in advance who will be saved? We’ll find out together!
The Secret to Reconciliation: Service by Abidan Shah, PhD
THE SECRET TO RECONCILIATION – SERVICE by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC Introduction: Summer is over and schools are in full swing now. We began a mini-series two weekends ago to help families with children, whether small or adolescent, deal with the struggles of life. There’s so much noise about “dysfunctional families,” “trauma,” and “toxic […]
Influence by Abidan Shah, PhD
INFLUENCE by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC Introduction: It’s quite sad for me to watch that video of Mary Lou Retton. I remember the year 1984 – TV had just come to our hometown, and mom and dad had bought our first TV set. I was in 6th grade, and this was the year of the […]
Public Square by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will examine what the Bible says about Christians being involved in the public square. There is a pervasive misunderstanding of what the separation of church and state truly means. People, usually those with an anti-Christian agenda, use this rhetoric to claim that Christians have no place in the political sector. That was never the original intent and is an entirely harmful line of reasoning, not only for believers but for America as a nation. What will it take to return us to being “one nation under God?”
End-Times Prophecy: Spirit-Minded by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will take a look at what it means to set your mind upon spiritual things. Our thoughts reveal the posture of our hearts. If your mind perpetually wanders toward carnal desires, it may be that your heart has replaced God with another object of worship or desire. To fix our minds, we must fix our hearts and submit them to the Lord.
End-Times Prophecy: War Within (pt. 3) by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend, we will continue to examine the war within us between our old sinful flesh and the Holy Spirit. What we fill ourselves with is where our hearts will lie. If we are focused on the things of this world and of the flesh, that is where our focus will be. However, if we focus on God and what his will for our lives is, our minds will be focused on heavenly things.
End-Times Prophecy: Law-Abiding by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will turn our attention to the law. Often, people mistakenly think the law was abolished by the coming of Christ. However, understanding the true function of the law is necessary for our understanding of end-times prophecy. Without understanding the law, we can’t truly understand God’s grace in sending Jesus to the cross. Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.
End-Times Prophecy: Mapping History (pt. 3) by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will continue to trace God’s providential plan throughout history. God worked of course with his people throughout the Bible, but his hand can be seen in the rise and fall of many different nations, civilizations, and kingdoms. While history has had many different eras, God’s hand has consistently been guiding this world through time. Today is no different and as we head toward the future, it is critical that we see the end in light of his sovereign plan.
End-Times Prophecy: Mercy to the Israel of God by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend marks the beginning of our study of end-times prophecy! This series will shape our church and our understanding of God’s plan. While we will spend a considerable amount of time in Revelation, this weekend I want us to begin by looking at the book of Romans. We cannot rightly understand end-times without first grasping the relationship between God and the nation of Israel. God has always had a special plan for his people and that includes what will happen in the time to come. This first installment in our series will focus on the relationship between God and Israel and why that matters for our understanding of end-times prophecy.
Soul Winning by Abidan Shah, PhD
In this weekend’s message, we will examine the concept of evangelism. When people hear evangelism, they automatically begin drawing conclusions about what that should look like. While there are several good approaches to sharing the gospel, the practice of evangelism is one that is frequently side-lined in the Christian life. Evangelism is not only a key component of the Christian life, but vital for our understanding of end-times prophecy. The title of this weekend’s message is “SOUL WINNING”.
Truce by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend, we are continuing our study through the life of Samson. Samson made what appeared on the surface to be questionable choices. However, when we understand the culture of that day and the circumstances in the book of Judges, Samson’s choices not only make sense but he is presented as the hero he was always intended to be. This even affects how we view communion. The title of this weekend’s message is “TRUCE”.
Outgunned by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend, we are continuing our study through the life of Samson. Samson’s strength was perplexing to his enemies, meaning he did not look the part of a strong man. His strength came from the Lord, and it was evidenced in his displays of power. Much like Samson, when we are made weak, then God has the opportunity to make us strong. This is not of our own power or might, but the power of God in us. The title of this weekend’s message is “OUTGUNNED”.
Shootout by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend, we begin to study the life of Samson. A popular figure, Samson is often portrayed as a cautionary tale. However, there is much we can learn from his life and his fighting against the Philistines. He clashed with them several times, even provoking them to battle at times. How does that affect our understanding of Samson and his status as a judge? We’ll examine this and more in our message titled “SHOOTOUT”.
Sightings by Abidan Shah, PhD
This weekend, we will look at the precursors to Samson’s life. His parents had an encounter with the angel of the Lord, who is much more than just an angelic messenger. Throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of the pre-incarnate Christ interacting with God’s people. What does this mean for our understanding of Scripture? How does this affect our view of Jesus? We’ll unpack this and more in our message titled “SIGHTINGS”.
Act of God, Man and the Devil by Abidan Shah, PhD
ACT OF GOD, MAN, AND THE DEVIL by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC Introduction: The social media videos and pictures from Hurricane Helene will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It has been especially sad for Nicole, our kids, and me to watch them because for the past 22 years, we have […]