"Sola Fide" (Romans 4:1-16)

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Exactly 507 years ago this week, German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his local church in Wittenberg, Germany. This began what became known as the Protestant Reformation - and it is how, in God's Providence, we are worshiping Christ in 2024 at Ruggles. Central to the Protestant Reformation was recovering the biblical teaching from our passage this Sunday - that we are justified, or made righteous, before God not by our works, but by faith alone. We'll see this Sunday what revolutionized and reformed the Church, and why "sola fide" is such glorious good news for us today!

"Faith in God's Will" (Genesis 48:1-22)

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Have you ever considered what you might say on your deathbed? What would be your last words? In all of the Jacob’s long life it is what happens on his deathbed that the New Testament book of Hebrews records as his greatest act of faith. We’ll see how Jacob trusted in God’s will, God’s plan, and God’s choice even more than his eyes could see.

Big God (Judges 6:1-16)

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This Sunday we welcome back Pastor Ron Bouthillette. Pastor Ron served for many years as Senior Pastor of The Bridge Community Church in Milford, New Hampshire. He is currently Associate Executive Minister of The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM) and is a former member of Ruggles from back in the 1970s!

The Power of God's Presence (Genesis 26:1-33)

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How do you persevere amid the ups and downs in life? God's word consistently points us to his presence with us. Often we may ask God to be with us, but what does this really mean? And how does his presence practically help us? In Sunday's passage, we'll learn the significance of God's presence with us as we learn from the ups and downs of Isaac's life.

Dangers of Discipleship (Matthew 17:14-27)

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When was the last time you made a mistake and looked foolish? This passage shows the disciples doing just that, again! In this week's text, Jesus performs two extraordinary miracles. And yet, the miracles are almost an afterthought as Jesus focuses on training his still-weak and confused disciples. Through the disciples' mistakes, we'll see the dangers of our own discipleship so we can avoid too little faith and too much offense.

Stepping Out in the Storm (Matthew 14:22-36)

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This last year has been an unexpected storm for all of us. When we're surprised by the circumstances in our lives, how can we survive--or even thrive? Matthew is the only Gospel writer to include Peter's attempt to walk on the stormy water with Jesus. So we'll explore how we might find faith not only to step out of the boat but to stay above the water as well.

The Root and Fruit of Faith (Matthew 13:1-23)

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Do you have family or friends who don't believe the gospel? I'm sure you do. Or perhaps you're seeking but struggling to believe the gospel yourself. Have you ever wondered, if the Good News is so "good" then why do so many people reject it? Why does it seem so hard to believe? Well we come to the teaching portion ("discourse") in Part 3 of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus explains why so many people aren't seeing the "good" in his good news. From his famous parable of the soils, we'll hear Christ's defense of his message and see both the root and the fruit of true belief in him.

Give Me A Sign (Matthew 12:38-50)

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Wouldn't it be nice if God always gave us a clear sign when we asked? Then we would always know the right job to take, the right place to live, the right person to marry, and the perfect time to speak up. Yet in this week's passage, Jesus says asking for a sign is only a sign of unbelief, not belief. Through the continued opposition he endures in Matthew 12, Jesus will show us where we should look for faith, assurance, and wisdom.