Modern parents can learn much about their role by learning how the apostles led the early church. They considered their role a parental one, for they were spiritual fathers caring…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 6, 2019
Husbands and Wives: A Recap (Ephesians 5:32-33)
The oneness of men and women in marriage, in a mysterious way, hints at an important truth. In the same way husbands and wives become one, so also Christ and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 1, 2019
Job, the sufferer. Christians shudder when they pick up his tale. A man at ease, and then the ease evaporated. Pain and misery flooded in. A human tested. (3 Minutes/400…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 28, 2019
Husbands – Sacrificially Love, Part 3 (Ephesians 5:28-31)
Paul continued his exhortation to Christian husbands by pointing to the oneness married couples have with one another. They are one flesh, made so by God. Paul went back to…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 25, 2019
In the midst of a powerful outworking of God’s Spirit in Samaria, Philip was told to depart and go to Gaza. He was one of the first deacons, a spiritual…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 23, 2019
King Jehoshaphat was one of Judah’s godly kings. He established reforms and devoted himself (and the people) to the worship of the LORD. One initiative of his was to reestablish…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 21, 2019
Husbands: Sacrificially Love, Part 2 (Ephesians 5:26-28a)
In speaking to husbands regarding the need for sacrificial love for their brides, Paul continued to hold out Jesus as their example. Jesus loves His church by sanctifying her, washing…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 18, 2019
King Asa was a good and godly king. He sought the Lord when trouble came upon the land, and he experienced firsthand the power of God in battle. After a…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 16, 2019
You have favorite people, I’m sure, and so do I. One of mine is Denise Buck. Together with her husband, Pastor Geoff, Denise has positively impacted my life and our…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 14, 2019
United In Marriage — Husband, Sacrificially Love (Ephesians 5:25)
That Paul does not have a brutal or tyrannical marriage relationship in mind when he exhorts the wife to submit to her husband is evident in this next section. The…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 11, 2019
Hannah had been childless for many years. In a society which saw infertility as a curse from God, Hannah fell into despair. She cried out to God, continually asking him…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 7, 2019
United In Marriage — Wives, Respectfully Submit (Ephesians 5: 22-24)
Now we come back to this word from Paul. Wives are to submit to their own husbands (not all men). In Christian marriage, the wife should respectfully submit to her…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 4, 2019
Saul had no idea. God wanted him, having chosen him to become the first king of Israel. God had plans for Saul’s life, but Saul puttered along in search of…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 2, 2019
Impact Every Relationship With Your New Unity to Christ (Ephesians 5:21)
Popular notion says one must find themselves before they enter into marriage. Our society has increasingly viewed marriage as a sign of arrival, rather than a right of passage. People…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 21, 2018
A few years into the new church age, Jerusalem was still its only location. It would take a decade or so for the gospel to break into the Gentile world,…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 19, 2018
Not counting little fender benders here and there, I have been in two major car accidents. Every day, I feel fortunate to be alive. In both collisions, however, I saw…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 17, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Wisdom (Ephesians 5:17-21)
Paul next takes us into the wisdom of our Father, for he is true and right and good. As the designer of humanity, he knows how we are best satisfied.…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 14, 2018
Northern Israel, during a time of egregious apostasy against God, blamed the drought and despair and death on God. He was, in their minds, to blame. Elisha wanted them to…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 12, 2018
Mornings, it seems, are for singing. The birds know this. There is a freshness of a new day which elicits a song. But what song will I sing? The song…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 10, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Light, part 2 (Ephesians 5:14-16)
Paul, wanting to urge the church to walk in the Father’s light, uses a quotation to exhort his readers. Many think the quote is a mashup of a few exhortations…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 7, 2018
Inhale, then exhale. The lungs expand and retract, the good stuff in, the bad stuff out. All day long, during sleep, while awake, your body breathes. You do it without…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 5, 2018
It didn’t take much. A chariot, some fanboys, and a daily ploy to convince the people of Israel he was more available than David, and Absalom stole the hearts of…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 3, 2018
Video – Hebrews 1:5-2:4 — Jesus Brought Our Salvation
Pastor Nate continues our study in the book of Hebrews. Link to Pastor Nate's Sermon Notes /blog/jesus-brought-our-great-salvation-hebrews-15-24
Nate HoldridgeDecember 3, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Light, part 1 (Ephesians 5:7-14)
Not only is our Father a God of love (Ephesians 5:1-6), but He is also a God of light (Ephesians 5:7-14). In the passage before us, Paul tells us we…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 30, 2018
The dawn’s mist settled in my beard. The trees looked different than in my memories. Something about the early morning hours made them more alive. To my left, movement startled…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 28, 2018
Christ’s resurrection secured the future resurrection of his people. Believers have hope and confidence and surety and resolve that their bodies will experience redemption. We will put off the man…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 26, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Love, part 2 (Ephesians 5:3-6)
Paul has just instructed his readers to imitate the love of God as demonstrated in the sacrificial cross of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2). Our love is to be one which lays…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 23, 2018
Ease Today, Pain Tomorrow (Proverbs 20:21) “An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.” (Proverbs 20:21 NLT). The wings strain. Push. Press. Push. The…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 21, 2018
Each week, the Calvary Monterey church staff meets for Bible study, worship, and prayer. Right now, we are making our way through the books of Acts. Recently we inspected Paul’s…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 19, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Love, part 1 (Ephesians 5:1-2)
In other New Testament passages, believers are told to imitate God, to work towards godliness, because of the new nature Christ has implanted within them or because the Holy Spirit…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 16, 2018
Homefield advantage is a thing. Some athletes say they thrive on opposition, that they love playing in front of a hostile crowd. But, time and time again, it is a…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 14, 2018
Buck the dog, in Jack London’s classic *The Call Of The Wild*, had grown up in lazy and sunny Northern California. He had lived what many would call the good…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 12, 2018
The New You (Continued)/ Hardworking, Edifying, And Kind (Ephesians 4.28-32)
(cont’d) Third, Paul told them to be hardworking — “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 9, 2018
As the sun rose, she hoped. Despair was not hers, not today. Here confidence melted the morning dew. Ruth turned to her mentor, her mother-in-law, her companion in life. (3…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 7, 2018
Calvary Monterey, the church I pastor, embraces a simple ministry model. We aren’t a collection of Sunday plus a billion ministries to subspecific groups. The left-handed-golfers-with-a-plus-13-handicap will have to look…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 5, 2018
The New You: Truthful And Free Of Anger (Ephesians 4:25-27)
After reminding the Ephesians of what they had learned from Jesus, namely to put off the old and put on the new, Paul explained five areas to take off and…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 2, 2018
Under cover of darkness, they walked. Jesus would bring his disciples, on that final night together, to the garden. There, in Gethsemane, he would pray and await Judas’ betrayal. (4…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 31, 2018
Like smoke’s residue, the stench of his rebellion clung to him. The waves and billows of David's sin had pushed him to the floor. He felt unable to stand. (500…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 29, 2018
Remember What You Learned (Ephesians 4:20-24)
Paul now reminds the Ephesian church what they had learned by first telling them who they had learned. They had learned Christ! (4 Minutes / 700 Words)
Nate HoldridgeOctober 26, 2018
In a recent sermon at Calvary Monterey, my father — Bill to you — taught on the point of life. His teaching was based off Romans 8:28-30. His bottom line?…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 24, 2018
In his younger years, he never would have said it. Samson, though gifted and called by God, was a self-willed as they come. But God would often redeem his self-determinate…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 22, 2018
United To Your New Self — Who You Are Not (Ephesians 4:17-19)
The transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly stands as a poignant illustration of the truth Paul next communicates to the Ephesians. He dreams of the Ephesians living in the…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 19, 2018
When I was a boy, I loved to play with model trains. I remember learning about the engine, the car that pulled everyone else, but also the caboose, the car…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 17, 2018
Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
Philippians 4:4 (ESV) — 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Nate HoldridgeOctober 16, 2018
When the people of Israel returned from their captivity in Babylon, significant challenges awaited them. They had small numbers and resources, but big obstacles and enemies. To rebuild Jerusalem and…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 15, 2018
The Maximal Functionality Of The Church (Ephesians 4:13-16)
Paul demonstrated how the word of God is meant to interact with the body of Christ to build it up for a life of ministry. Much of this ministry is…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 12, 2018
No two people are alike, and if by some miracle they are, they won’t automatically like each other for it. We are people with brokenness, sinful desires, and bad histories,…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 10, 2018