Whenever Christmas rolls around and we are reminded through songs and nativity scenes about the Christmas story, one significant part of it usually gets left out: the birth of John the Baptizer. John's life and ministry was also a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and an important part of the Christmas story. Today, Stephen tells us more about this great prophet.
How did this brilliant agnostic physician go from having a certainty of evolution to believing in the magnificent creative hand of God? Discover how the Lord brought Dr. Olsen and his wife to saving faith through intensive scientific research and observation, and then carried them to Bangladesh where they served in medical missions for decades.
What if the gospel was your priority? What if you shared the Truth to those around you without holding back? Like Peter and John in Acts 4:13, E.V. Hill and S.M. Lockridge preached with confidence inspired by their passion for Jesus. What if we followed their example--and changed our world?
Katharina, the wife of Martin Luther, is one of the unsung heroes of the Protestant Reformation. She lived as a revolutionary role model for her time--and ours--devoted to her husband and family. She and Martin established a godly partnership for the Gospel, profoundly impacting the definition of Christian marriage.
Katharina, the wife of Martin Luther, is one of the unsung heroes of the Protestant Reformation. She lived as a revolutionary role model for her time--and ours--devoted to her husband and family. She and Martin established a godly partnership for the Gospel, profoundly impacting the definition of Christian marriage.
Discouragement is one of Satan's most powerful tools against believers and unbelievers alike. This was true of 18th-century English poet and hymnwriter William Cowper, whose life was riddled with bouts of severe depression and asylum stays. But the Lord used one such residency to reveal to Cowper the Truth of the Gospel. His life of struggle demonstrates several valuable truths for us today.
Jesus promised in Matthew 6 that God would supply all our daily needs and George Mueller took that promise seriously. His life became a stage whereon God would constantly display His faithfulness in unforgettable ways.
Spurgeon is often heralded for his flowery language and his rich commentary on the text, but it wasn't his ability to speak that made him a great pastor. It was his ability to listen. While other preachers turned to cultural and scientific experts for direction, Spurgeon held fast to the Spirit.
John Newton's conversion from a hated slave-trader to a beloved pastor is almost as astonishing as Paul's conversion from a persecutor to an apostle. Only God can write a story as wondrous as this.
Do you witness a riot every time you go to church? Are you threatened by angry mobs on a weekly basis? For us, that would be extreme persecution. For Hudson Taylor, it was just another day at the office.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey recounts how Katharina Luther’s courageous escape from a convent and marriage to Martin Luther helped reshape the church’s view of marriage during the Reformation. Transformed by the truth of justification by faith alone in Romans 1:17, she entered a union that modeled commitment over compatibility, humility over self-interest, and ministry partnership over isolation. Despite public slander, hardship, and relentless labor, Katharina managed their home, finances, hospitality, and farm, enabling Luther’s preaching and teaching ministry to flourish. Their marriage demonstrated that the home could serve as a living testimony of the gospel and an extension of ministry. Davey concludes that Katharina’s quiet perseverance and sacrificial faithfulness became a revolutionary legacy of light for generations to follow.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey recounts how God sustained William Cowper through lifelong battles with severe depression and despair while using him to leave a lasting legacy of gospel truth. Though Cowper repeatedly wrestled with feelings of abandonment and even attempted suicide, God anchored his soul in the doctrine of Christ’s propitiation, especially through Romans 3:24–25. Davey explains that Cowper’s suffering did not signal God’s rejection but became the soil from which some of the church’s richest hymns of grace were written. Through faithful friends, Scripture, service, and God’s providence, Cowper continued to testify of salvation by grace alone. Davey concludes that powerful faith does not eliminate suffering, but it carries believers safely through it, proving that God’s mercy shines brightest in the darkest valleys.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey traces how God used Amy Carmichael’s strong will, suffering, and obedience to build a lasting legacy of eternal impact. From childhood determination to missionary service in India, Amy chose costly sacrifice over comfort, guided by her life verse about building with gold, silver, and precious stones. God redirected her ministry to rescue children trapped in temple prostitution, leading her to found the Dohnavur Fellowship, where hundreds of children found physical safety and spiritual life. Though misunderstood, criticized, and bedridden for her final twenty years, Amy continued to serve through writing and prayer. Davey concludes that God values the quality of faithful obedience over public success, and a life surrendered to Christ will shine long after it ends.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey traces how God used Hudson Taylor’s deep trust in the finished work of Christ to shape a life of radical faith, humility, and endurance. Converted as a teenager through meditating on Jesus’ words “It is finished,” Taylor learned early to rely on God alone for provision, direction, and strength. Davey highlights Taylor’s willingness to suffer loss, poverty, misunderstanding, and criticism in order to reach China’s interior with the gospel. By identifying with Chinese culture and trusting God through relentless trials, Taylor helped establish hundreds of mission stations and the China Inland Mission, which transformed an entire nation for Christ. Davey concludes that Taylor’s enduring legacy was not strategy or success, but childlike faith in an illustrious Master who accomplishes His work through willing, surrendered servants.
In this sermon, Stephen Davey traces how God used Oswald Chambers’ surrendered life to leave a lasting spiritual legacy far beyond his brief lifetime. Converted as a teenager, Chambers pursued ministry marked by humility, doctrinal depth, joyful faith, and an unwavering dependence on the Holy Spirit rather than methods or popularity. Serving as a YMCA chaplain during World War I, his Bible teaching and prayer ministry brought revival among soldiers facing death and despair. Though Chambers died at just forty-three, God multiplied his influence through the faithful work of his wife, Biddy, whose preservation of his sermons led to writings that continue to shape millions of believers worldwide. Davey concludes that a life fully surrendered to God may appear obscure for a time, but faithfulness empowered by the Spirit produces eternal fruit beyond imagination.
