Stephen and Scott discuss questions phoned in by listeners. Please note that there is NO transcript available for this program. Due to recording issues, this program is a repeat of QA14, which aired in December of 2014.
There are many fascinating stories of prodigals in the Bible, but the story we find in 2 Chronicles is especially fascinating. Why? Because this prodigal is a King. What made him run away? Find out now.
In this message Hezekiah asks God to grant him a wish and God accepts. But what happens next in Hezekiah's life is a warning to all of us. If the moral of this story could be summed up in a single phrase, it would be this: be careful what you wish for!
When you get saved it doesn't mean your troubles will be end. It most likely means your troubles will begin! That's not a great sales pitch for following God, but understanding that helps us to not harbor unreasonable expectations. God never promised to keep us away from the Goliaths in our lives . . . but He did promise to give us strength in our stand against them.
A new king is seated on the throne in Judah. He comes from a line of men who gave no regard to God or His law. It looks to be the same old, same old. But is it possible for a man who grew up in a pagan home with unbelieving parents to love God? Is it possible that this King will finally turn the nation back to the Savior? It would be a surprising conversion, for sure . . . but God is full of surprises!
The most amazing thing about the Gospel isn't that God saves sinners . . . It's that He saves the worst sinners. Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. Is that you today?
If Barnabas had taken a personality test, he would probably have been tagged an ENFJ: Extroverted intuitive Feeling Judging. Stephen calls him a 'bridge builder.' He was there to give Saul the support he needed in his early Christian experience and helped set him on his way to spiritual greatness. In this message Stephen tells us that we can be a bridge builder, too.
God sent Ananias on a mission to find Saul -- the merciless persecutor of the Church. But Ananias didn't know that Saul was a changed man. He didn't know that instead of meeting a blood-thirsty, religious zealot he would meet a blind, humble, newborn Christian. Jesus had forgiven Saul for his crimes . . . would Ananias?
That God would save anyone is amazing, but that He would save someone like Paul is particularly remarkable. In fact, Paul's conversion might be the greatest reversal in human history. How God would change him from the Church's greatest persecutor to the Church's greatest preacher is a mystery that Paul never quite understood . But it's also a gift he never quite got over!
Do you think of yourself as a very committed Christian? Well consider Philip for a moment. God called him to leave the comfort of his home and walk a desert road. No mission, no time-table, and no promise of a safe return . . . just a call to go. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?
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.
