Tim Sprankle has served as pastor of Leesburg Grace Brethren Church since 2007. He loves to preacher, teach, instigate, and innovate. He earned his B.A. in Biblical Studies from Grace College (2001) and M.Div in Pastoral Ministries from Grace Seminary (2004). He is married to Liz, his encouraging and lovely bride; they parent two daughters, Claire and Margot, and someday will bring home a son from Ethiopia. In addition to pastoral ministires, Tim serves on the boards of GraceConnect/BMH and CyberCenter for Biblical Studies. He is an associate member of the Evangelical Theological Society. He is also known to throw a mean drive in disc golf.
Sun, Mar 12, 2023
Duration: 48 mins 13 secs
If Simple Living sounds like a magazine title, it's because it is. If it sounds too easier said than done, it's because it is. Living simply is counter cultural. We live in a busy, noisy, greedy age. We want more and do more to get it. We do more and want more as a result. This is not good for Christian witness. Thus, Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians remains relevant: keep striving to live simply. We can do less, buy less, and speak less to excel more for Jesus.
Sun, Feb 05, 2023
Change is challenging. We like our routines. We get stuck in our ways. Predictable is comfortable. However, God invites us to change. The living and true God wants our full allegiance, which means rooting out idols and serving his purposes. This opening sermon in the new series will provide background to Thessalonians, Paul's gratitude for good work, good news, and good examples. And it will inspire a call to change that could turn the world upside down!
Sun, Jan 22, 2023
Duration: 36 mins 19 secs
All who are in Christ are incorporated in the church. To illustrate this, Paul loved using the body as an organic metaphor. The human body is fearfully and wonderfully made. It is comprised of many parts, working together to help us labor, play, grow, and live with others. The church should be a picture of unity in diversity. Different gifted people share a goal and an ethic in helping others know Jesus better and give Jesus their best.
Sun, Jan 15, 2023
Duration: 47 mins 36 secs
"You be you. Express yourself. Find your inner shine." These are common exhortations in our age where the individual reigns supreme. They are also at odds with life "in Christ," where our real ID comes from our relationship to God. Jesus made a way for us to join God's family. To be "in Christ" is to be a beloved child of God. Our real ID is eternal; it will outlast any earthly status. We'll talk about it today and hear from a panel on the subject.
Sun, Jan 08, 2023
Duration: 43 mins 12 secs
Jesus left the earthly stage, but his show goes on. We serve in his absence. We serve by his Spirit. Everyone in Christ is a participant in his great redemption story. As great as this news sounds, we must constantly resist the contamination story we inherited from Adam. In this message, learn about the Tale of Two Adams, contamination scripts, and how spiritual disciplines help you overcome sin.
Sun, Dec 18, 2022
Duration: 40 mins 17 secs
Christmas is a story of giving and receiving. All kinds of giving surface, from Herod's hateful orders to the Magi's magnificent gifts. However, the most remarkable gifts come from Mary and Joseph, who give sacrificially. They give themselves to God's call on their lives. Through their story, God's grace accumulates. May the same be said for our lives, since God is with us.
Sun, Dec 11, 2022
Zechariah saw into the future. In his final two oracles (9-11; 12-14), he envisions God's victory over the nations, judgment of bad leaders, elimination of idols, and restoration of Jerusalem where God's people and the nations would worship. Central to these visions were glimpses of a messianic figure: priestly, humble, pastoral, and pierced. This figure came later, not sooner, in the first coming of Jesus Christ. Zechariah's words provided a script for his life. As his followers, we wait for his second coming. Indeed, we live for later.
Sun, Dec 04, 2022
Duration: 49 mins 39 secs
Zechariah responds to an earnest question about fasting with four words from the LORD. He warns his people against simply going through the motions. Rather than faking their faith, they should show sincerity, practice justice, keep building, and seek God. Fasting had become an automated response, rather than a sign of real remorse. Moreover, fasting robbed them of the joyful anticipation of God's return. Whether we fasting or feasting, the people of God must keep moving forward.
Sun, Nov 27, 2022
Duration: 41 mins 56 secs
We see evil all around us. We see it if we look within us. Evil is pervasive. But it does have a divine expiration date. Zechariah learns in his final three visions that God will take care of evil. He will banish it, cover it, prevent it from taking over the earth. He is in control. This is encouraging news to Zechariah and should be for us.
Sun, Nov 13, 2022
In Zechariah's second and third visions, God shows the prophet the future of Jerusalem. The old days of displacement will be replaced with a new day of worship. God will open the city's gates, widen its borders, and welcome worshippers from all directions. More importantly, God will remove Israel's enemies, her guilt, and dwell in her midst. This is the way God works: old losses are fertile grounds for new beginnings.
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