“Those who want to serve Jesus must follow Jesus. I cannot be a good Christian by being so others focused that all I do is focus on other people. I can only be a strong Christian if I only follow Jesus first. And when I follow Jesus first, out of the overflow of that, I am able to be a blessing to other people. Listen, following Jesus will turn your life upside down. It really will. Jesus invites us to follow him wherever he takes us. And when we do, Jesus promises that he will be our reward.”
“When you mess up, when you screw up, when you sin, listen to the word of God that beckons you back to him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Go to him. Run to him. Cry out to him for his forgiveness and mercy. Trust that Jesus has paid for all of your sin, and by faith in him, has forever restored you to a right relationship with God.”
“Notice he doesn't say continue steadfastly in your programs. Continue steadfastly in Awana, in men's bible study, in whatever we are doing, in your outreach programs. He says, continue steadfastly in prayer. Why does he tell us that? Because missions, ministry is a spiritual matter first and foremost. It requires a supernatural person and a supernatural empowerment. Because you can have all the programs in place. You can have your outreach events planned. You can have people even communicating and trying to live out the gospel, but it will be for nothing if it is not undergirded with prayer.”
“God wants us to give to him and give generously. What you give to the Lord though is entirely worth it. In light of all that Jesus has given you through Calvary, like when he died on the cross, what else can compare? Like when I think about what he gave to me, everything else I could ever give to him just seems like pennies on a dollar. Doesn't compare, but he is worth it. He is due it. Jesus deserves all of us to give sacrificially and humbly because he has given to us himself.”
“When Jesus substituted his perfect holy life on the cross, he paid for all of our sin debt so that when we receive Christ, none of us need to worry. We don't need to worry. Is there anything that I've ever done that God's gonna hold against me? No. Jesus paid it all. And when he paid it all, not only is the debt paid, but the scriptures teach us that reconciliation occurs between those who were far off and enemies and God who is holy and righteous. Reconciliation means these parties that should be at odds with each other, sinners, and a holy God are brought together.”
“And then we walk through the grief that these sisters were showing as they watched their brother die. Now today, he comes out of the grave. And what we see is that Jesus is able to do what seems impossible merely by speaking a word to a dead corpse. Jesus speaks. Lazarus comes to life. Church, we can't miss this. If Jesus can bring a dead man back to life, we can trust that he is able to do all that he has promised for us.”
“God must be the first one that we are honest with to express how we feel. He already knows, but that expression acknowledges to him what we are thinking and feeling, and it's okay to ask the questions. Give it to him. Let him know how you're feeling. If you need another reminder that it's okay to talk to God with how you're feeling, read the book of Job. Basically, the whole book is Job saying to God, I don't understand this, And God listens, and then God speaks.”
“One key component of making that transition out of that self pity compromising mentality is called forming your identity in Christ Jesus. What does God and his word say about me? Not what I say about myself. Not what I may have heard parents or somebody say about me. Not what the world is saying, and certainly not what Satan is trying to whisper in your ear. But what does Jesus say about me? What does God's word say about me? And you have to consciously adopt into your heart and your life that identity in Christ Jesus. When you do that, it makes you confident and strong and joyful and victorious and your posture changes and it's really a key component in discipleship.”
“I cannot guarantee that God will miraculously work in every situation that you pray for the way that you want him to work. Sometimes, and sometimes, But I will say this, that God will always be glorified and use the hardships of this life to conform us into the image of his son. He will not waste a moment of our grief, our pain, our suffering, or our hurt. He is the sovereign king. All of it will be used so that you will become more like Jesus. Would you want it any other way? I wouldn't.”
“Often, faithfulness to Jesus brings human trouble. And I'm not just talking about minor trouble. I'm talking about major trouble, life changing trouble, life taking trouble. But the steadfast testimony of those who believe gives credible witness to the claims that Jesus made that he is the son of God. The world is watching you. They may not agree with you, they may not believe you, they may undermine you, but they are watching you because when you change your testimony, they will notice and they'll call you out on it. John did not. He was faithful to the end. And as a result of his testimony, many people came to believe Jesus.”
“Nothing, nothing will separate you from God's love. If you know him and he knows you, you are secure in his hand. Not only will nothing be able to snatch us out of the hand of Jesus, but verse 29 to it. My father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand.”
“``Jesus is clearly stating that he will lay down his life. Jesus is willing to do what is necessary to protect his sheep even at the cost of his life. He's stressing the truth that when when he dies on the cross, his death was not the result of religious Jewish people that wanted to kill him. That his death was not the result of the crowds on Good Friday shouting, crucify him, crucify him. His death was not the result of Roman soldiers that beat him within an inch of his life and made him carry his cross to the Hill Of Golgotha. Jesus is stressing that even the cross itself was not going to kill him. Jesus is stating clearly that he is in full sovereign control of all of the events that surround his death. Nobody took the shepherd's life. The shepherd laid it down.”
“``There is no other one that will care for you like Jesus Christ. Trust him. Come to him. Listen to his voice. Read his word. Follow him wherever he takes you. This shepherd will never let you down. He will never leave you in danger, and he will always protect and provide for you, especially when it cost him his life. He is certainly a good shepherd.”
“``And if that's you this morning, there is still time. Time to respond. To come to the end of yourself and realize that the only way you can receive spiritual sight is to receive Christ by faith and worship him, because there is no other way. But if you do, your eyes will be open for the first time to see Jesus for who he truly is, The gracious savior that the father has sent to pay for your sins so that you could be forgiven and have right standing before him forever.”
“The question I want us to think about as we close is this, what about you? How would you respond to such criticism? Rather, how do you respond? I mean, we live in a world that wants the miraculous. They long for it. They seek it out, but they do not want to acknowledge the miracle worker. And you might be sitting here saying, I don't have a testimony like the blind man. I I I don't have evidence of this miraculous showing up of God that has changed the course of events like him. And I would say to you, yes, you do. If you know Jesus Christ this morning as Lord and Savior, a greater miracle has occurred in your life than a blind man receiving sight. The fact that God brought a dead person to life through the sacrificial death of his son and now sees you as a righteous person having been given the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is an absolute miracle.”
“``That had to have been crazy too. Think about it. The blind man is still blind at this point. He's up there at the Temple Mount begging for alms. Jesus is passing by. The Pool Of Siloam is let's see. I wrote it down somewhere. It's 2,000 feet away from him. It's downhill. It's 300 foot drop from where he was to the Pool Of Siloam. He's a blind man. How in the world is he gonna get down there? to the Pool Of Siloam and you're still blind. You've gotta take that step of faith when you're still blind, when you can't see the next step in front of you. That faith of a mustard seed, that faith to receive the most unusual out of spittle, that faith. That's pretty amazing. Amazing faith goes with amazing grace.”
“``So what did we learn about spiritual conflict from John eight? Well, the first thing is your true enemy isn't the unbeliever. It's the leader of the dark, unseen world that is the enemy. We call him Satan, the devil, the father of lies, who has blinded the spiritual eyes of all who are in unbelief. And as you live in a fallen world that is full of sin, always remember what Paul said in second Corinthians four four, that this evil one blinds the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel. They can't see it.”
“``You're either a child of God by hearing and obeying the word of God and by loving the son, where you are brought into the master's house not as a slave but as a son who has access to everything, or you're a child of the devil, who's a murderer and a liar from the very beginning. And I pray that as you hear the word of God, that your hearts are open to listen and to obey the word of God, to hear Jesus' voice. And when you do, you will know for sure that you truly belong to God's family forever as he has set you free. You're not gonna find freedom anywhere else. It's only through the son. And when you find it through the son, you are truly set free.”
“``That's the way I want it. That's the way God designed it. We weren't designed that's what Solomon said in in Ecclesiastes four that we just read, isn't it? It's no good to be alone. Your burdens were desired and designed to be too much for you so that you take them to Christ and so that we have the body of Christ to help us.”
“I think the struggle that we often see see today is that so many Christians try to plan out their lives, and then we try to fit God in where we can. God gets Sundays and some spare time on weekdays. We pencil him in in case something comes up so that we can kinda erase it and move him around in the schedule. But the truth is that God never intended to be an afterthought or a weekend appointment in our carefully scripted lives.”
“The only way we can be free is to listen to and obey the words of Jesus. The only way you can be free is to listen to and obey the words of Jesus. Doesn't that sound like a contradiction? I thought freedom meant I can be free to do whatever I want. Well, that's not freedom. That's not true freedom. I mean, so you might be thinking, how can we be free by putting on another yoke of obedience or slavery?”
“``Now why would we proclaim his death? You would think as people that are set free, we would wanna proclaim his resurrection, And we do that. We live as resurrected people who have been raised to new life through Jesus, but we proclaim his death because his death becomes the sacrifice that pays for our sin and sets us free. There is no resurrection without death, and the death is the perfect substitutionary death that pays for every sin that has been ever committed.”
“So what we think of Christ is of paramount importance. You can think he's the greatest teacher. He was a sinless person, that he dwelled in perfection. You can believe that he was brave and kind and honest, that he was compassionate, that he was truthful. You can make an idol out of Jesus. You can pray to him, but it's not enough. If you don't believe that he is God himself, you will die in your sins.”
“Now notice something that Jesus says in this statement. I am the light of the world. Jesus didn't say, I am one of the lights. He states, I am the light of the world. There are no other competing options or vary variations that are possible. In a spiritually dark world where everyone is groping for light, they want light to guide them, and they think that they're trying to find it in a multitude of different ways, Jesus clearly states, I am the only light that is possible. The only way to find comfort in the darkness, the darkness that sin brings, is to find our way to God and to receive the light of Jesus Christ.”
“When you come to Jesus, you are set free, no longer known by what you used to be. That's not you anymore. The scriptures say that you were bought with the precious price of the blood of Jesus Christ. You are no longer slaves. You are no longer condemned. You are no longer labeled by the shame that hung over you for all the things that you were once known for. Because in Christ, he has removed all of it, and he calls you a child of God.”
“``The fleshly plans of Sarai and Abram could not frustrate the plans of God. God is completely sovereign in this situation even when it seems confusing for us of what's actually taking place. It doesn't mean that God is pleased with the sinful choices that this couple took and getting ahead of him to of his declared will in ways to bless and to multiply, but that God is sovereignly working all things for his glory in the midst of this. And so chapter 16 closes with Hagar returning home and giving birth to her son.”
“Apart from Jesus Christ, mankind is thirsty. Let me ask you again, what's on your list, and why is it there? And it's a very humbling thing to acknowledge that there are things in our lives that we are honestly pursuing that we think can replace what God provides. The crowds and us are parched. Our souls are dry apart from Jesus. All the things in the world will never satisfy.”
“Listen. Time was running out both for the for Jesus to finish his work and for the Jews to believe in him. The Jews had only a little while longer to place their faith in him before he would leave and depart. And after Jesus left, many Jews would seek their messiah, but they're not able to find him. And that is what's been happening in the world ever since he ascended.”
“Praying longer won't remove the guilt nor will spiritual sacrifices or good deeds. The Lord doesn't say this, when I see your good works I will pass over you. We can only escape really the judgment of God through the blood of His Son. Of course we can't literally apply His blood to our heart when we receive the benefits of His sacrifice through faith. That blood once applied as our permanent means of access is a God's presence in this life and heaven in the next.”
“But the concept of authority is something that God has provided within the framework of society for our welfare and good. We need to have governing authorities over us due to our sin nature. Everyone and and and I wanna stress this. Everyone is ultimately accountable to someone. Peter wrote this in first Peter chapter two. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.”
“Basically, what they're saying is, why do you come to the place of the dead when he's among the living? The question indicates the inappropriate response of the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus. The angels are like, ladies, why are you here? You know better. You know what he said. You know what he promised. You were there with the disciples. Why do you seek the living one amongst the dead? Then they speak words that have changed the course of history, the angels. He is not here, but he has risen.”
“Or maybe you've never actually begun a relationship with God. Maybe you would come to church. Maybe you've done you know, you're just kinda going through the motions or whatever. But you never actually done what Jesus called you to do. He said deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me. You never actually died to yourself to say, Lord, what do you want from me? Not what do I want from me in my life. What do you want? Never received his forgiveness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit because you haven't actually walked with him yet.”
“All the laws that God gave his people, all the celebrations that they were doing was all pointing forward to Jesus, was all pointing forward to when the Messiah would come, who would fulfill all the promises and the requirements of the law. So John in his gospel provides for us how salvation history, that is how God has been working since the very beginning to bring salvation to mankind culminates, comes together in Jesus, the Messiah.”
“Are we willing to set aside those expectations, those needs that we think we have, our desires of what what we think we need from him? Are we like the disciples willing to surrender ourselves to his leading? Are we willing to place ourselves under his authority as the holy one of God, the God of the universe, and say not my will, but yours be done? Or do you wanna go away as well as Jesus asks? I hope today that our answer is that that of Peter and of the disciples, Lord, to whom shall we go?”
“There was no other way, no other means. Effort doesn't work. Morality doesn't cut it. The more we try, the more it is apparent we cannot attain salvation on our own. There must be a heaven sent provision. There must be something sent from God, who is the creator, that can come into our lives, move into our neighborhood, and say, let me give you what you desperately need and could never provide on your own. This heaven sent bread is a gift from the father. The father has sent the son to provide what we need and could never attain.”
“Yet we find ourselves going through life trying to pay for a free meal, and in the process, we insult the Lord. Jesus offers free bread, and we say to him, boy, that sounds really good, but what can I do to get it? Jesus says in verse 29, the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent. In other words, the bread that endures unto eternal life is the bread that is freely given and that we freely receive. It comes through belief. You do not pay for your salvation nor can you earn your salvation.”
“We need to be very clear in understanding the word order of what Jesus is saying here. Because I think it teaches us something about how Jesus comes to us in the midst of our storms. Because notice Jesus Jesus didn't say first, don't be afraid. It's me. Jesus says first, it is I. In fact, the Greek construction of that phrase, it is I, is a phrase ego ami. Essentially, means I am. And I am is a big deal statement that Jesus makes in John's gospel.”
“Listen, we're gonna go through more times in life than not when the statistics say and the resources show it seems impossible. And there's a lot of people in their life that try to make a plan for everything, and then what happens? Life hits them, and the plan changes, and they think to themselves, Oh, no. What will I do? Because everything that I plan for is now impossible. And friends, I would just say to you, that's a really good place to be. Because it's when we come to the end of ourselves that we begin to see what God is more than able to do.”
“I I can point you to the facts of scripture, but if I do not point you to the savior of scripture, then I'm missing the point in teaching the Bible to you. It's a great problem to just fill our minds with knowledge that never penetrates the heart and settles into the recesses of our desperate need of why we read what we read about what God wants us to know, that we are sinful and that God is loving and that he invites us to come to him through his son, Jesus.”
“``And I would add even this morning in a room like this, that there are some here this morning that haven't decided to follow Jesus fully. And maybe you are here because you're exploring, you're trying to figure out some things, you wanna know more about who Jesus is. You are listening to this message and you're seeking to learn what the bible says. You're also watching us. You're seeing if following Jesus really makes a difference. And just now, I'm praying for you this morning as we open the text of scripture. That if you if your eyes have never been opened to Jesus, you will see him for who he is today.”
“``In other words, you are now experiencing the reality of resurrection living as God has made you spiritually new. You're raised. You're no longer dead. So don't live as dead people do. We live today by the Holy Spirit. We've been renewed. We've been sealed by the spirit to live in such a way that we can praise God and honor him with our lives.”
“``And it's in this passage that Jesus articulates with great clarity who he is. And as we will see, Jesus declares that he is more than a man, and Jesus announces to the religious leaders that he is God. He's not just a good man. He's not just a good teacher. He's God. God in flesh. Who is Jesus? God.”
“``The Jews held on to the rules of the Sabbath so hard that they would rather see a man stay paralyzed than to be healed. Jesus' attitude toward and use of the Sabbath teaches us what to emphasize in our spiritual lives. Listen. Legalists, rule keepers, law followers do not celebrate. They do not rejoice. They observe. They keep. But we know again and again that God's mercy and grace overrule religion.”
“``believe that the Bible has inadequacies and errors and shortcomings that need correction and addition think about this are we to believe it needs to be bolstered by people who are more sophisticated than the Holy Spirit who wrote it are we to believe that people have to go someplace to learn a formula to get rid of their sin or to have an inner healing because the word of God isn't sufficient to deliver them from sin”
“``He came for you. He left heaven and humbled himself to the point of death for you so that he could take your place as the perfect substitute for all the sin that you have committed that separates you from God. And by trusting in him and who he is, this good and generous king provides forgiveness for your sins and he provides eternal life.”
“But God was not willing to leave us in our sin. And so he sent Jesus, the one whose birth we are celebrating this Christmas season. And Jesus came to show us what it was like to live in a right relationship with God and ultimately to die in our place for our sins. And now, because of Jesus, we can be forgiven of our sins and have a relationship with God and spend eternity with him rather than apart from him.”
“On Judgment DayGod's Not Going To Ask You How Did You Do Down HereGod's Going To Say What Did You Do With My Son You'reEither Going To Be Lost Trying To Get Yourself To Heaven By All The Good Deeds That You Think Are Good Enough Or You're Going To Be Justified Made Right By Trusting In The Sacrifice”
“``If you know what it means to know Jesus personally, that he is Lord and King in your life, because by faith you have accepted what he has accomplished on the cross to redeem you, to ransom you, to bring you back to the Father, and that your sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. What news of comfort and joy that is. To be free from Satan's power. Comforted to know this was done for us while we were astray. Far from God. Knowing that we, as Jonathan Edwards said, have done nothing to contribute to our salvation, except the sin that made it necessary. We've done nothing. Christ has done it all.”
“Crises are often the crossroads of your life and for your faith. You can either blame God for your circumstances or you can believe God that he will use the trial that you are facing for his glory and your good. So this morning we're going to learn the exceeding value of a faith that trusts in God and continues to trust in God through the seasons of trouble.”
“When we talk about being born again, we're talking about what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, that to enter the kingdom, you must be born from above. And to be born from above, you must look to the Son who has been lifted up. And as you look to the Son who has been lifted up on the cross, you acknowledge that he died in your place for your sins. And in his death, he was buried and resurrected three days later to overcome and give us victory over our sin. That to be born from above is a God-ordained, spiritually energized process.”
“How many times have you left our church thinking, man, I just wasn't feeling it today? Whether it was the music or even the message. And when we make a declaration like that, sometimes we're admitting that we are thinking more about us and how we feel than about the Lord. And in that way, we become consumers because we want to feel something. But it's not about us. It's always about the Lord.”
“So what if I told you that what you are looking for is only found in Jesus? That everything that you've been searching after and all of those things and many more is found in the one came to this earth to give his life so that we could find life in him. See, we can spend our whole lives searching for satisfaction and miss the opportunity to see how Jesus truly satisfies the longing heart.”
“In every area of your life, the Lord must increase. In all that you do, Jesus must increase. Jesus is at the center. And we should shrink away to the background. It's all for him.”
“Spiritual gifts are God given abilities to serve the body of Christ. They are given to you at the moment of your salvation. That doesn't mean you understand what they are, but they're given to you. Now it's up to you to discover them. And as you discover them, you employ them, you engage them, not for yourself, but for the strength of the body of Christ.”
“Because the Gospel is beautifully simple. It really is. It is so simple that Jesus says, invites us to have a childlike faith that a child can understand it and believe in it, and so can the smartest person that is walking on the earth. We get tripped up because I think sometimes we either forget something like, oh, no, what if I mess it up? What if I say too little? Or what if I say too much?”
“Jesus told Nicodemus that the most important thing that you can know is that you have to be born from above. That it's not about how religious you are, it's not about how much you know about the Bible, it's not about how you look on the outside, but what needs to take place in your life is an inward above from heaven change. There must be a new birth.”
“See, this phrase, born again, has been attached to the conservative evangelical movement. But I would say that that's a misapplication. See, it's not just an evangelical term. It's a Jesus term. Jesus is the one who says that a person must be born again.”
“While our anger can often be uncontrolled, Jesus' anger was righteous and controlled. There was no sinfulness in Jesus' anger. Jesus displayed a righteous anger and he was in full control of accomplishing his stated purpose.”
“If there's any people, any place that should be a people that can defend the faith, to speak the truth, and to love, it's people that love and follow Jesus Christ. And so I believe that God is putting us in a prime position in the world we're living in, in the age that we're living in, to shine the light like no other time.”
“This morning, we find spiritually hungry people that are eager to follow Jesus. And in each case, we see a Savior who is willing to invite those who are seeking to follow him. That's an important statement. That the Savior invites those who are seeking to follow him. Jesus does not turn away people who are seeking him honestly. That's true today as well.”
What languages are services conducted in, and is translation available?
The provided material shows sermons and worship in English, but it doesn’t specify whether translation is available or whether services are conducted in other languages. ([42:02 from February 17, 2025])
What is the worship format, and does it vary by service?
North Annville Bible Church’s Sunday worship appears to include congregational singing, a message, prayer, and a closing song. For example, one service recording moves from a closing prayer into the hymn “Victory in Jesus.” ([01:12:23 from March 17, 2025]) ([01:14:05 from March 17, 2025])
The available information doesn’t indicate that the format varies between services or describe separate service styles. The church emphasizes that worship is about the heart, rather than a preferred musical style or outward expression. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/podcasts/media/2025-11-09-john-4-16-26)
Do children need advance registration, and can visiting families participate?
Children do not appear to need advance registration; the only sign-ups mentioned are for people who want to decorate a car or provide a snack. Visiting families can attend too—the event information says food and drinks will be available for all who attend. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/events/trunk-or-treat--119/2026-10-31)
North Annville Bible Church’s statement of faith centers on these beliefs:
- **God and Scripture:** There is one Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old and New Testaments are God-breathed, inerrant in their original writings, and the final authority for faith and life. - **Humanity and salvation:** Humanity was created in God’s image but fell into sin and cannot remedy its lost condition. Salvation is God’s gift of grace, received through personal faith in Jesus Christ. - **Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit:** Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man, died as a substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily, and now intercedes for believers. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, indwells, seals, and guides believers. - **Christian life and the church:** Believers are secure in Christ and are to grow in holiness through the Spirit. The church is the body of Christ, expressed in autonomous local churches that practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Believers are called to witness and proclaim the gospel. - **Future events:** The church affirms Christ’s imminent return for believers, followed by his return to establish a millennial kingdom; bodily resurrection and eternal destinies for both the saved and unsaved; and the reality of Satan and his eventual punishment.
The church describes its elders as spiritually mature men, and Pastor Todd refers to the elder office as a leadership role set aside for men. ([45:06 from August 21, 2023]) The sources provided don’t specify whether women may serve as deacons.
What are its stated policies concerning LGBTQ people?
I don’t find a published policy specifically addressing LGBTQ people—for example, rules about attendance, membership, leadership, or same-sex relationships—in the church website material provided. Its statement of faith does affirm the authority of Scripture and calls for separation from “sinful” practices, but it does not explicitly apply those beliefs to LGBTQ people. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/about/statement-of-faith)
A sermon does express a conservative view about how children are taught about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools: the speaker defends parents’ role in directing their children’s upbringing and presents the family as the primary setting for teaching biblical values. This speaks to the church’s view of education and family, but does not establish a policy on LGBTQ people’s participation in church life. ([23:59 from April 04, 2022]) ([29:12 from April 04, 2022]) The church also describes a “Sexuality by Design” resource for youth and homeschool groups that approaches current issues from biblical and scientific perspectives, without specifying its conclusions in the provided material. ([33:14 from January 22, 2024])
Who leads the church, and how are leaders accountable?
**Jesus Christ is the church’s ultimate authority; pastors and elders lead by shepherding the congregation under his authority.** North Annville Bible Church says its appointed, spiritually mature elders provide general oversight, alongside the staff pastors, including Senior Pastor Todd Shoemaker and Pastor Dustin Ulrich. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/users/elders)
The elders’ accountability is both to Scripture and to Christ: they are to lead by the Bible, shepherd the church without “lording it over” people, and serve as examples. The sermon also cites Hebrews 13:17, which says church leaders keep watch over people’s souls and will give an account; it describes Jesus as the chief Shepherd to whom pastors and elders are accountable. ([46:43 from August 21, 2023]) ([50:02 from August 21, 2023]) ([39:59 from April 13, 2026]) The church also describes elders as overseeing all members, including one another. ([24:54 from September 29, 2025])
Which recent sermons would help someone understand the teaching?
For understanding our teaching on following Jesus, start with the sermon on **John 8:30–36**. It explains that genuine faith leads a person to continue in Jesus’ word and desire to obey—not to earn God’s favor, but in response to grace. ([42:05 from June 15, 2026])
The sermon on **John 6** is also helpful: it speaks about the cost of following Jesus, surrendering self-rule, and relying on Christ for life. ([35:01 from February 23, 2026])
How does the church talk about sin, confession and forgiveness?
North Annville Bible Church describes sin as anything a person thinks, says, or does that violates God’s holy standard. It teaches that humanity inherited a sinful nature and cannot remedy its lost condition by itself. (Sermon: [01:13:25 from March 30, 2026]; Statement of Faith)
The church teaches that Jesus’ death was a substitutionary sacrifice for sin, sufficient to redeem those who trust in him. Salvation is God’s gift of grace, received through personal faith in Jesus—not by earning it through good behavior. ( Statement of Faith; Sermon: [01:00:00 from April 12, 2020])
Confession is presented as bringing one’s sin honestly to God and believing in what Christ has done. The sermons invite people to confess their sins and receive Christ, and also pray the promise that God forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins. ([01:16:34 from March 30, 2026]; [19:38 from June 07, 2021])
How does the teaching approach community and honesty with others?
The teaching presents community as active fellowship, shared learning, cooperation, and mutual care. The church’s S.A.L.T. classes make room for Bible study and discussion, while its men’s and women’s groups build relationships through study and fellowship. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/ministries/adult-ministries)
It also encourages churches and believers to work together rather than become isolated or competitive, and describes the faith community as a place where people help protect one another from teaching that could harm their faith. ([30:14 from October 12, 2025]) ([01:09 from November 07, 2022])
Honesty is modeled as being open about who you are and why you serve: the Thailand ministry speaker describes telling people from the outset that they are Christians and representatives of Jesus, while doing their work sincerely. The teaching also encourages sharing the gospel through good works that point others to God. ([38:28 from February 17, 2025]) ([36:47 from February 17, 2025])
The church makes room for honest questions about doubt and suffering, while encouraging people to bring them to God humbly and seek answers in Scripture. We teach that some questions may remain unanswered: when Scripture speaks, rest in its truth; when it is silent, rest in God’s goodness and sovereignty. Questions should not become an excuse to avoid repentance and trust in Christ. ([01:14:20 from August 31, 2020]) ([01:17:35 from August 31, 2020])
Pastor Dustin presents suffering as something Christians should expect, not necessarily as a consequence of personal sin. He urges believers to entrust themselves to God, follow Jesus’ example, and keep doing good; suffering can be part of God’s refining work, though that does not make the pain disappear. ([01:06:41 from April 15, 2024]) ([01:09:53 from April 15, 2024]) Pastor Todd Shoemaker adds that delays and unanswered prayers can mature faith, and that God can use hardship for his glory and to make believers more like Christ, even when we cannot explain why a particular loss or trial happened. ([01:03:20 from September 07, 2026]) ([01:05:18 from September 07, 2026])
North Annville Bible Church teaches that salvation is God’s gift, received through faith in Jesus—not earned by good works or maintained by personal performance. But genuine faith changes how a person lives: it produces good works and godly fruit through the Holy Spirit. In other words, works are the result and evidence of saving faith, not its basis. ([36:24 from June 15, 2026]) ([01:14:35 from July 27, 2020])
Is an answer based on an official statement or an interpretation of sermons?
It depends on which material the answer uses: the Church’s **Statement of Faith** is an official statement, while conclusions drawn from sermon excerpts are interpretations of those sermons. For example, the website presents formal beliefs under “Statement of Faith,” while a sermon excerpt discusses the pastor’s authority as coming from Scripture. (https://www.northannvillebible.org/about/statement-of-faith; [44:06 from October 20, 2025])
Volunteering before membership is also supported by a church example: Jeff and Lisa Browning and Joe Crider had been attending and serving in ministries such as children’s ministry and Awana before they joined. ([22:22 from February 22, 2021])
