Perhaps, after reading and studying Romans 7, you feel Paul has put the perfect words to your current struggle. There, he eloquently described our ongoing battle with indwelling sin. That…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 13, 2019
United In The Workplace — Leaders (Ephesians 6:9)
Paul shifts his exhortations for the workplace from the slaves to the masters, from the working class to management. “Do the same to them,” he says. He had just written…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 8, 2019
A point comes in any church's life where atrophy sets in. The passion and joy and labor begin to dry up as people begin to grow discouraged in the mission.…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 6, 2019
He continues to quiet storming seas. He still settles the weary heart and soul. He is constantly in the business of taking unrest and bringing his people to a settled…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 4, 2019
United In The Workplace — Workforce (Ephesians 6:5-8)
The church, for every generation, consists of all types of people. Some have been enslaved, others have been upper class. Some have been laborers, others have been thought workers. Some…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 1, 2019
Goodness and gladness. Justice and joy. No human alive is perfectly balanced, but the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ will always be wholly righteous and overwhelmingly glad. From his uprightness…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 27, 2019
When Christ ascended, he gave his church various means with which to remember him. Partaking of the Lord's Supper, or communion, is a significant way we are called to remember…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 25, 2019
United in the Workplace — Slaves and Masters (Ephesians 6:5-9)
The situation of Paul’s day was horrific. Slavery teemed throughout the Roman world. Some estimate as much as half the empire was enslaved, a fact which was cause for concern…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 22, 2019
Each week at Calvary Monterey we hold an hour-long staff chapel. Currently held on Wednesdays after lunch, Staff Chapel is an opportunity for the staff of our church to gather…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 20, 2019
The Song of Solomon is the greatest love song ever written. In it, romantic love is evidenced from start to finish, from the beginning of life to the very end.…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 18, 2019
Jesus Is Better #10 — Hebrews 7 — Jesus Is The Best Priest
Teaching notes for Hebrews 7 (Sunday 2/17/19).
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 17, 2019
United In The Home — Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)
One might read Paul’s words to Christian children in Ephesians 6:1-3, particularly his exhortation to obey their parents, and wonder if the Christian home is a cold and harsh place…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 15, 2019
Who doesn’t love a good chase scene? It seems each generation of movie directors ups the previous one with grander and longer and edgier chase scenes than ever before. A…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 13, 2019
Arduous in every way, Ezra’s journey was about to commence. Pain, heartache, and difficulty awaited every traveler he'd recruited. Hundreds of miles and millions of enemies lay between them and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 11, 2019
United In The Home — Children (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Paul had a vision of the church as a body. Individual members, marriages, and households comprised this living, breathing organism. He envisioned and exalted and enthroned Christ as the head…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 8, 2019
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
King David was not King Hezekiah’s dad, not even close. Though they were related, Hezekiah was over a dozen generations removed from David, hundreds of years separated the men and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 4, 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