Douglas Daube

So many people think they are a Christian for a variety of reasons. They come from a Christian family; they pray before bedtime; they do Christian things like going to church or serving others. But there is only one way that someone becomes a Christian, putting your faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross. The book of Jonah gives a perfect example of what it looks like to fake being a Christian. In this four-part series, Pastor Douglas takes people verse by verse what it looks like in Jonah's life, and possibly their life, how to feign serving God and instead invites them to walk away from their fake religiosity and to instead follow after Jesus.

The Bible is filled with stories of how God gives new names to people. Abram becomes Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, Simon becomes Peter, Saul becomes Paul. In the midst of these name changes, the recipient rarely lives up to the new name they receive. But God works within them to help transform them to who He has called them to be. God has done this with us as well. While we were still sinner, Christ died for us to make us saints. When Paul addresses the churches in the New Testament epistles, no matter how many struggles the church had, he did not call them sinners, but saints. In this series, Pastor Douglas walks through how Jesus redeems his people and through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, He transforms us into the people He has called us to be.

Pastoral ministry is a dangerous field of work. Anyone who can do something else, anything else, should consider not being a pastor. But for those who have been called by God to lead His people in the context of a local church and can do nothing else but follow God's will must do so. In this study, Pastor Douglas walks through the high calling to eldership in this series intended for pastors and those hearing the call into ministry.