Wise Counsel for Christian Citizens (Part 1)
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1 Peter 2:16-17
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Silencing the Critics (Part 2)
In a struggling Chinese province, officials grew so desperate about drugs and crime that they bussed Christians into their worst village to share their testimonies—and watched as, one by one, villagers traded addiction for sewing machines, chickens, and pigs. Stephen Davey opens a new series, "Above Politics and Parliaments," with that true story before diving into one of Peter's hardest commands: submit to every human authority, even a mad emperor like Nero. Davey makes the case that respect isn't weakness—it's actually the only thing that silences critics for good. What happens when a Christian's quiet, honest life does more than any argument ever could?
Silencing the Critics (Part 1)
In a struggling Chinese province, officials grew so desperate about drugs and crime that they bussed Christians into their worst village to share their testimonies—and watched as, one by one, villagers traded addiction for sewing machines, chickens, and pigs. Stephen Davey opens a new series, "Above Politics and Parliaments," with that true story before diving into one of Peter's hardest commands: submit to every human authority, even a mad emperor like Nero. Davey makes the case that respect isn't weakness—it's actually the only thing that silences critics for good. What happens when a Christian's quiet, honest life does more than any argument ever could?
Wax Free … Sun Tested (Part 2)
Dishonest potters used to hide cracks in their pottery with wax, so honest merchants stamped theirs with the Latin words "sine cera"—without wax. It's where we get the word sincere. Stephen Davey holds Paul's own life up to that same light as he closes out his letter to Titus, and finds something surprising: Paul admits he doesn't even know which of two men to send to Crete. Davey walks through four marks of an authentic faith, found right there in Paul's final, personal sign-off—honesty about uncertainty, deference to God's plans, selfless generosity, and a church that learns to care for others together. What does it look like when nothing in your life is covered in wax?
Wax Free … Sun Tested (Part 1)
Dishonest potters used to hide cracks in their pottery with wax, so honest merchants stamped theirs with the Latin words "sine cera"—without wax. It's where we get the word sincere. Stephen Davey holds Paul's own life up to that same light as he closes out his letter to Titus, and finds something surprising: Paul admits he doesn't even know which of two men to send to Crete. Davey walks through four marks of an authentic faith, found right there in Paul's final, personal sign-off—honesty about uncertainty, deference to God's plans, selfless generosity, and a church that learns to care for others together. What does it look like when nothing in your life is covered in wax?
Warning: Two Strikes and You're Out (Part 2)
One out of ten drivers is cruising around right now with the check engine light on, half of them for over three months, because fixing it feels like too much trouble. Stephen Davey uses that stubborn streak to set up one of the toughest commands in his letter to Titus—a divisive, quarrelsome church member only gets two warnings before they're removed from the fellowship entirely. Davey calls it "two strikes and you're out," and makes the case for why real love sometimes means drawing a hard line. What happens when the warning light gets ignored one too many times?
Warning: Two Strikes and You're Out (Part 1)
One out of ten drivers is cruising around right now with the check engine light on, half of them for over three months, because fixing it feels like too much trouble. Stephen Davey uses that stubborn streak to set up one of the toughest commands in his letter to Titus—a divisive, quarrelsome church member only gets two warnings before they're removed from the fellowship entirely. Davey calls it "two strikes and you're out," and makes the case for why real love sometimes means drawing a hard line. What happens when the warning light gets ignored one too many times?
Learning the Art of Refusal (Part 2)
A kid loading up his cafeteria tray with pasta salad, Jell-O, two kinds of bread, lasagna, fish, and three desserts—only to end up with half of it uneaten and a stomach ache. Stephen Davey uses that memory to introduce what he calls the spiritual art of refusal: learning what not to argue about. He walks through four things Paul tells Titus to flatly avoid—pointless controversies, genealogies, strife, and legal disputes—and tosses in some genuinely bizarre ancient rabbinical legends about Noah's ark along the way. His point lands hard: you can win an argument and still walk away with nothing to show for it. What's actually worth putting on your plate?
Learning the Art of Refusal (Part 1)
A kid loading up his cafeteria tray with pasta salad, Jell-O, two kinds of bread, lasagna, fish, and three desserts—only to end up with half of it uneaten and a stomach ache. Stephen Davey uses that memory to introduce what he calls the spiritual art of refusal: learning what not to argue about. He walks through four things Paul tells Titus to flatly avoid—pointless controversies, genealogies, strife, and legal disputes—and tosses in some genuinely bizarre ancient rabbinical legends about Noah's ark along the way. His point lands hard: you can win an argument and still walk away with nothing to show for it. What's actually worth putting on your plate?
Bringing God to Life (Part 2)
A Russian official proudly shows a group of American pastors his town's finest building—only it's packed floor to ceiling with chicken coops. "God is not real," he tells them. "Chickens are real." Stephen Davey uses that moment to ask how Christians are supposed to prove God is real to a world that only trusts what it can touch. His answer: good deeds, done on purpose, over and over, until people can't help but notice. He tells a story about a man in work gloves who looks up from his yard and asks a stranger in a yellow volunteer shirt, "where can I get a heart like yours?" That's the whole sermon in one sentence.
Bringing God to Life (Part 1)
A Russian official proudly shows a group of American pastors his town's finest building—only it's packed floor to ceiling with chicken coops. "God is not real," he tells them. "Chickens are real." Stephen Davey uses that moment to ask how Christians are supposed to prove God is real to a world that only trusts what it can touch. His answer: good deeds, done on purpose, over and over, until people can't help but notice. He tells a story about a man in work gloves who looks up from his yard and asks a stranger in a yellow volunteer shirt, "where can I get a heart like yours?" That's the whole sermon in one sentence.