Draw Me Close: Podcast - A Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, with Pastor Bob Lawrenz

DRAW ME CLOSE - Whitestone CF

Draw Me Close is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. All music on this podcast is used by permission: CCLI License # 2457349

  1. 4d ago

    Acts 9:26-43 - "Saul's Assimilation"

    DRAW ME CLOSE is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. We pray that the audio bible teachings will bless and encourage you in your Christian walk. It is our desire that you draw ever so close to our Savior, our Redeemer and Lord.  This week, in Acts 9:26-43, tells the dramatic story of Saul of Tarsus transforming from a violent enemy of Jesus into a bold follower and preacher of the Christian faith. Saul once the biggest enemy of the church, devoting his life to destroying it, is now a believer. And rather than using all his energy to destroying the church, he's putting all his energy into spreading the Gospel. This was not going to be easy for him. His power, his reputation and respect he resceived from religious leaders ... all gone. His former friends would reject him. Saul is trying his best to fit in with fellow believers, but the church, well, they just didn't trust him. While Saul is under deep suspicion, Barnabus intervenes. He advocates for him before the apostles, testifying to Saul’s authentic vision of Jesus and his subsequent bold preaching in Damascus. Finding out that the religious leaders are now plotting to murder him, the brethren take Saul to Caesarea where he boards a ship back to his hometown of Tarsus. What a turn of events. We’re all going to face moments when we need to believe God knows what He’s doing—even when we don’t. Just like Saul, we have been called out of this world and redirected to greater things. To proclaim the hope of Christ to a world that desperately needs hope. You’ve been chosen to bring peace to a world that doesn’t have peace. You’ve been forgiven so you can offer that forgiveness to others. Special thanks to Emmanuel Garilus for permission to use his instrumental track, the beautiful rendition of Draw Me Nearer.

    Acts 9:26-43 - "Saul's Assimilation"
  2. Sep 19

    Bobservations' Column - "Saul's Ministry Expanded"

    DRAW ME CLOSE is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. We pray that the audio bible teachings will bless and encourage you in your Christian walk. It is our desire that you draw ever so close to our Savior, our Redeemer and Lord.  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Colossians 3:16⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Bobservations' Column is written each week by Pastor Bob Lawrenz, and correlates to our weekly Sunday Morning teachings. To hear the full message just click on the following link: ⁠⁠The Book of Acts - playlist by Whitestone Christian Fellowship | Spotify⁠⁠ This week's Bobservations' Column is written in correlation to Acts chapt 9. Paul's conversion stands as a model to teach us that anyone can come to Christ. That there is no sin too bad, no evil too wicked, that can prevent us from receiving the grace of Christ—if, like Paul, we repent. The story then is rightly used as a paradigm of conversion. Certainly not all conversions are as dramatic! But all conversions to Christ are the regeneration of a sinful person, receiving God’s Spirit, and being declared righteous by faith in Jesus. Like Paul, if we are to be truly converted, we must be humbled. We must repent. We must start a new life. If we do that, we will be accepted, however bad our sins may be. Second, Paul also tells us that while on the one hand his conversion is paradigmatic of all conversions, it is also unique and different, and tells us instead that Paul was an apostle. The marks of an apostle (as we saw from the beginning of Acts chapter 1) are that a person was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus and is appointed by Jesus himself to be his representative (and not just a representative of the church). But what of Paul? He was not with Jesus before Jesus’ death. But Paul became an apostle through his Damascus Road experience. In other words, he did not merely have a subjective experience of Jesus, he actually saw the risen Lord. He insists on this in various places.

    Bobservations' Column - "Saul's Ministry Expanded"
  3. Sep 18

    Acts 8:25-40 - "The Eunuch of Ethiopia"

    DRAW ME CLOSE is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. We pray that the audio bible teachings will bless and encourage you in your Christian walk. It is our desire that you draw ever so close to our Savior, our Redeemer and Lord.  Last week we learned how Stephen’s death actually ended up triggering much more than just a wider spread persecution. It ended up triggering the church’s first great missionary outreach. Up until now, the church was growing, but it had been centered in Jerusalem. Jesus had told His disciples to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And again, in Acts 1:8, Jesus had said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jerusalem was just the starting point, and now we are seeing His disciples being faithful to take the gospel further. This week, our study is in Acts 8:25-40. After an incredible evangelistic moment, God calls Philip to go to a desert road. This is a surprising move, but Philip is obedient. On that road, Philip meets an Ethiopian Eunuch, a man who ran the royal treasury. This is a fascinating moment in the history of the church. What is most notable is that, despite being an outsider, the man also seemed to be a devoted believer. As we see how God works through Philip, it is clear that God is the one who calls, redeems, and makes new the new believer. Philip is simply being obedient to God in this. This is incredibly encouraging for us. Special thanks to Emmanuel Garilus for permission to use his instrumental track, the beautiful rendition of Draw Me Nearer.

    Acts 8:25-40 - "The Eunuch of Ethiopia"
  4. Sep 10

    Bobservations' Column - "The Eunuch of Ethiopia"

    DRAW ME CLOSE is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. We pray that the audio bible teachings will bless and encourage you in your Christian walk. It is our desire that you draw ever so close to our Savior, our Redeemer and Lord.  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Colossians 3:16⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Bobservations' Column is written each week by Pastor Bob Lawrenz, and correlates to our weekly Sunday Morning teachings. To hear the full message just click on the following link: ⁠The Book of Acts - playlist by Whitestone Christian Fellowship | Spotify⁠ This week's Bobservations' Column is written in correlation to Acts chapt 8. There are many elements of God’s providence and intervention in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. The account reveals the importance of these three things: the Word of God, the Holy Spirit’s leading, and a human evangelist. In order for a person to accept the truth, he must first hear the truth preached (Romans 10:14). It is God’s desire that the truth be preached everywhere (Acts 1:8). The Spirit of the Lord had been preparing the eunuch’s heart to receive the gospel. As the eunuch read Isaiah, he began to ask questions, and at just the right moment the Lord brought Philip across his path. The field was “ripe for harvest” (John 4:35), and Philip was God’s laborer in the field. This was no coincidence. It was God’s plan from the very beginning, and Philip was obedient to that plan.

    Bobservations' Column - "The Eunuch of Ethiopia"

About

Draw Me Close is the Bible Teaching Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, taught by Pastor Bob Lawrenz. All music on this podcast is used by permission: CCLI License # 2457349