Panorama of Preaching

FFC Leadership   -   December 1, 2015

FFC believes in and holds to the philosophy of text-driven preaching, more commonly referred to as expository preaching. That is our gold-medal standard when it comes to biblical communication from the pulpit. We believe that since the Word reveals Christ, and Christ is the revelation of the Father, our aim must be to teach the Word. That’s when and how people see the light of God (2 Cor. 4:1-6).

Consequently, when we began in 2004, we set out on a tour of the Bible – a multi-year exploration of God’s divine revelation, the Scriptures. Essentially, we took an in-depth look in at least one book from every section of Scripture, which enabled us to get a good look inside the Godhead during various points in time and in different historical settings. In doing so, we knew we would better understand God’s timeless character as well as his timely actions—how he operates and why!

But why? It’s simple—So that we can imitate him in our own attitudes and actions! Getting to know God, then living out what he does within us, is the ultimate goal of our teaching. We aren’t just learning about the Bible; we’re seeking to understand God so that we can better relate his love and redemptive plan to others. As Paul said, we want Scripture to “equip us for every good work.”

Though we actually completed our initial goal after our series through Acts in 2012, there is still so much yet to discover in God’s glorious Word. So we’re making it our aim now to teach through/from every other book of the Bible we have yet to focus on in a church-wide series. After all, we have only scratched the surface! A proverbial goldmine of spiritual wealth and wisdom awaits us in the years to come as we wade deeply into each cavern and crevice of God’s Word, searching out the rich truths he uses to help us become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It is our sincere desire, generation after generation, to “receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.”

While receiving the Word is an integral part of the life-change equation, responding to it is also critical. Which is why, at First Family, our response avenues are purposeful and personal. In other words, they are designed with the long-term in view and deployed with individual responsibility in mind. Guilt-driven pressure, flesh-based appeals, or half-true offers don’t represent the biblical invitation Christ modeled when he called for people to respond to his message. Instead, he called for careful deliberation, personal examination, and sacrificial participation. We seek to employ these same values in our response avenues as well so that the fruit born from an encounter with God’s Word is “fruit that remains” (John 15:16).

It is the deep prayer of the leadership of First Family Church that the Father, Son, and Spirit will arrest your attention and bring incredible transformation to your life because “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thess. 2:13).

So far on our journey, we have:

  • explored God’s future plans in our series “Ready or Not, Here He Comes” (Revelation-New Testament Prophecy)
  • zeroed in on how to make family your favorite folks in “No Place Like Home” (topical).
  • discovered what it means to live a lifestyle of praise in our series “Worship 101” (Psalms-Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry)
  • experienced God’s deep love and care for his church and our subsequent responsibility in our series “His Beautiful Bride” (Ephesians-Prison Epistles)
  • encountered Christ on-mission in our series “Mission: Possible” (Luke-Gospels)
  • charted God’s process of developing faithfulness in our character in our series “Trusted: Lessons from the Life of Joseph” (Genesis-Old Testament Law)
  • understood the full ramifications of the ‘one-and-only’ Gospel in an ‘everything-goes’ society through our series “The Good Ole’ Gospel Ship” (Galatians-Epistles)
  • journeyed towards a deeper understanding of victory in our series “Joshua: Claiming Your Promised Land.” (Joshua-Old Testament History)
  • appreciated the best kinds of gifts – the ones money can’t buy – in our Christmas series “The Small Gifts of Christmas” (Micah-Minor Prophets)
  • gazed at the greatness of God’s nature till it humbled and changed us in our series “Captured By His Character” (Isaiah-Major Prophets)
  • examined the parameters and expectations of a truly biblical worship gathering in our series “Why We Worship the Way We Do” (1 Corinthians-Epistles)
  • grasped the scriptural components of a biblically functioning community in our series “Got Church?” (1 Timothy-Pastoral Epistles)
  • learned the value of obeying the first time in our series, “Nowhere to Hide: When God Exposes our Excuses” (Jonah-Minor Prophet)
  • comprehended the full impact of a winning “home” team in our series “Home Run: Rounding the Bases of Your Most Important Relationships” (Psalm 128-Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry)
  • unlocked the art and skill of living wisely in our series “Proverbs: Life-Changing Lessons for the Life-Long Learner” (Proverbs-Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry)
  • refined our spiritual senses in our series “Reboot Now: Critical Updates for the Last Days” (2 Peter-General Epistles).
  • marveled at the unexplainable work of God in salvation in our series “Different, Not Just Better” (Romans-General Epistles).
  • camped out in the bloody book of Leviticus and saw Jesus gloriously prophesied as our once-for-all sacrifice in our series “Offering: Giving and Living for the Glory of God” (O.T. Law).
  • walked through God’s Hall of Faith for a close-up look at some of God’s choicest servants in “By Faith: The Heroes of Hebrews 11.” (Hebrews-New Testament General Epistles)
  • delved deeper into the concept of worship in a 3-week series, “This is Worship” rooted in Psalm 95 (Psalms-Old Testament Poetry).
  • evaluated ourselves by God’s standard of conversion, checking to see if we are really in the faith, in our series “This is Salvation” (1 John-General Epistles).
  • heard Jesus’ insight and stories about the kingdom of heaven in “Like: What Jesus Said About the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew-Gospels).
  • cemented our feet in God’s view of marriage in “It Takes Two” (Hebrews 13-General Epistles)
  • traced the lasting legacy of the First Century church in our series “Unhindered: God’s Church Then and Now” (Acts/New Testament History).
  • adored Almighty God in all of his power and splendor in “Our Sovereign God” (Isaiah/Psalms)
  • discovered our role as ambassadors of Jesus Christ in “God’s Heart for the World.”
  • dug deep into the person and majesty of Jesus Christ in “Jesus: Loud and Clear, Front and Center” (Hebrews).
  • in Majoring on the Minors: The Big Messages of the Bible’s Small Books” (Minor Prophets) we saw the questioning faith of Habakkuk, the persevering love of Hosea, and the divine perspective through Malachi.
  • explored the divinely architected plan for our families in “God’s Blueprint for a Biblical Home” (Colossians 3, General Epistles).
  • reminded ourselves of the importance of the mission given to us by Jesus Christ to carry the gospel across the street and around the world in “Understanding the Great Commission” (Matthew, Gospels).
  • examined the focused themes in the one-chapter epistles of the New Testament in “One” (Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude).
  • celebrated Christmas with “To Fulfill: The Unwavering Promise of God Seen in the Incomparable Person of Jesus” (Matthew 1-2).
  • buckled down regarding the nitty-gritty of our faith in “Shoe-Leather Theology” (James, General Epistles).
  • rested in the wonder and awe of “This Incomparable Gospel” (1 Corinthians 15, General Epistles).
  • committed to communicating with God in prayer in our series “Praying Like Jesus Taught” (Matthew, Gospels).
  • increased our active patience through our series “While We Wait” (2 Thessalonians, General Epistles).
  • revisited the early churches, learning from their commendations and criticisms, in “When Ancient Meets Current” (Rev. 2-3, Prophecy).
  • highlighted the tiles given to Jesus in our Christmas series, “Born This Day” (Luke 2, Gospels)
  • set our eyes on staying true over the long haul in our series “Doctrine That Goes the Distance” (topical).
  • focused on the basic expectations of those within Christ’s body in “Church 101” (Titus, Pastoral Epistles).
  • remembered the two things Jesus commanded us to do till he returns in the series, “Ordinances of the Church” (topical).
  • developed a deeper commitment to sharing Christ with others in “Intentional Evangelism for Normal People” (Acts 17, History).
  • absorbed the many Old Testament pointers to the real King—Jesus—in a 4-season series, “The Kings and the King” (Samuel-Chronicles, OT History).

Thanks for joining us on the journey!
Todd