South Ridge Church FXBG: Recent Episodes
Jeff Geyer
Listen here to the most recent and relevent messages from South Ridge Church.
In 2016, Jeff and Jenny Geyer dreamed of starting a different kind of church for their community. A church where people can belong before believing. A church where people cannot wait to bring their friends. A church where next steps are clear and simple. A church where people willingly invest their money to make that type of church happen.
What began with two adults grew to sixteen adults in a Chick-fil-A. Together and committed, God began to shape and grow their dream into South Ridge, a church in southern Stafford County with the mission to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus.
We want each community beyond the greater Fredericksburg area to experience what we are experiencing: a family of individuals that have found hope in Jesus, and simply want as many people as possible to experience that exact same hope.
Have you ever wondered what God thinks about when he thinks about you? It might be different than you anticipate.
We all have a tendency to drift from God, but we are never too far from God to restore our relationship with Him.
When it comes to what we think God is like, and who he likes, we need a much bigger perspective. The way Jesus lived was meant to expand our view of God and his love for us.
Jesus is coming to make all things right. He brings the fairy tale ending for those believe in Him. With His return, we were not made for heaven, we were made to be in His presence. What is one thing you are looking forward to Jesus’ return?
This all goes back to a father and two sons. God made a covenant with Abraham that included land, lineage to the Messiah, and Himself as the one true God (Jehovah). Now imagine God, who you didn’t know even existed, calling you out of nowhere to pickup everything you own, along with your spouse, promising that you would have kids when you couldn’t, and you don’t stop moving until He tells you?
Why does it matter who or what I listen to? Unexpectedly, Habakkuk ends his book with a song. This wasn’t common for a prophet to break out in song...but he did. Even in the darkness of the prediction (prophecy), Habakkuk knows his hope is in God. Even in the corrupt culture, Habakkuk filled his mind and soul with the promises of God and it led to a song. What can it lead to for you?
It’s predicted that Babylon would take control of Judah by force and take many of its citizens into slavery, including Daniel, who had nothing to do with the evil of the king. When it all goes down, it seems like God is silent when His people are being hurt, enslaved, and killed. Why does God seem silent?
Discipline is a necessary means to develop character and maturity. God patiently does this with His people—whether Israel or the Church—consistently. Babylon painfully conquering Judah is God’s discipline for the evil done by the kings. As the kings go, so does the nation. Why is discipline necessary? Why does God disciple His people?
Habakkuk lived during two kings with different outcomes. King Josiah led a spiritual revival, broke free from Assyrian rule and became an autonomous free state. Then after Josiah died in battle, Egypt installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king. Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, rejected God and His ways. Why does God tolerate corrupt leaders? Why do law-abiding citizens suffer for the sins of their king?
We should fear the consequences of closing our hands more than the consequences of losing what’s in them.
At some time, we could all find ourselves slipping into a bargaining posture with God: “God, if you will... I promise I will…” But how often do we keep our end of that bargain? And, maybe a better question: Is that really the kind of relationship God wants to have with us?
Guilt is powerful. Shame can be crippling. We all have things in our pasts that haunt us. We know we can do better from this point forward, but how are we supposed to fix the past?
During childhood, you may have been handed a faith framework through which you began to view the world. For many of us, that childhood framework didn't survive the rigors of adulthood.
The three largest faith traditions—Judaism, Islam, and Christianity—claim the same starting point: a man named Abraham. God made a series of promises and Abraham’s responses to those promises had large implications.
Everything that exists had a starting point . . . including you. You may have started on purpose. You may have started by accident (from your parent’s perspective). You may even have started through the magic of medical science. Whatever the circumstances, you had a starting point and it began before you were aware of it. Faith has a starting point as well.
We constantly look for evidence to support what we believe. But how do we know that Christianity isn’t just a made-up concept with massive success?
Rules are often the centerpiece of religious life. What if a relationship with God doesn’t depend on our obedience to a set of rules?
Jesus predicted he would start a movement—the church—that would spread all over the earth outlasting the Roman Empire. It would change the world. Here we are, two thousand years later, and Jesus’ church gathering is still going strong.
As we gather on this Christmas Eve, we’ll see how Matthew using Jesus’ family tree reveals that Christmas is for everyone. The Christmas story is an invitation to come as we are, with all our imperfections, knowing that in Jesus, we find love, grace, and the ultimate gift of redemption.
Christmas is a time where we love to invite family and friends over for brunches and dinners. It takes effort and a cost. Have you ever thought about Jesus inviting you into a relationship and the cost of that relationship? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is to invite sinners to receive spiritual healing.
Have you viewed Jesus as a King? What might keep us from viewing Him as King? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is for our full allegiance in a world distracting us with empty promises.
How do you handle pressure? How do you go about getting a desired outcome? We’ll learn that one of the reasons Jesus came is to do what we were unable to do.
What if God has given us what we’ve been asking for but we don’t see it because it’s not what we had in mind?
The local church is a picture of the family. Men and women have unique roles to compliment each other as church leaders. As men and women embrace these roles, the focus of the church is the mission.*Disclaimer: Jeff received feedback about the Kenneth Boa and Lauren Thompson quotes. Those quotes were intended to show how the pendulum has swung in culture as it has changed in 103 years. Jeff unequivocally believes that women should be able to vote.
Men and women have unique roles to compliment each other as spouses and parents. As men and women live in these roles, it helps reinforce clarity when raising kids.
The depth of God is revealed in the counterparts—men and women. God has intentionally created men and women the same to bear His image but different in our roles to compliment each other.
Those unexpected things life throws our way can end up being pivotal circumstances in the growth of our faith.
There is no growth without discipline. And many times, what begins as an “ought to” becomes a “want to.”
The defining moments and seasons of our lives usually revolve around providential relationships to grow our faith.
Nothing causes us to grow in our dependence on God more than pushing through our inadequacies to help other people.
Gaining knowledge is not enough to grow our faith. Without applying our knowledge, we’ll stop growing.
When you make a financial donation to Be Rich, every penny supports the needs and efforts of these organizations. Your contribution will fund projects that are game changers for our nonprofits and life changers for the people they serve. Together, we can make a difference!
Trusting God with your leftovers leaves you hungry and unsatisfied. We can have a lot of excuses on why we can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t give. Whatever excuse or explanation we use…it’s depending on our own understanding. We’ll find that we’re called to more than trusting in ourselves.
If our money could talk, what would it tell us? You might be shocked to find that what our money would say is pretty close to what Jesus did say—and what we should still consider today.
We inherited and built our version of the local church on what was passed down from the previous generation of Jesus followers. In turn, we are now the stewards of the local church for the next generation.
In order to maximize our potential and fulfill our mission as a church, everyone should serve somewhere. What would it take to reverse the trend of a declining church in America? What our church will look like in 15 years depends on us adults.
There is a gap that exists between who we want to be and who we actually are—it’s part of the human condition. Experiencing God’s best isn’t about sin avoidance. It’s about transformation.
There is a gap that exists between who we want to be and who we actually are—it’s part of the human condition. The apostle Paul says that if we are in Christ, our sin nature has no more power over us… but it still has as much influence over our lives as we choose to give it.
Our human condition is the state in which we exist and live. The apostle Paul shows us that this tension is bigger than we are and we can’t fix it on our own. The problem of sin within us required the power of God beyond us.
As the Israelites sung this psalm, they were looking forward in their faith, they were looking forward to the promise of the coming of the Messiah. For us, Jesus has already come, He lived, He died, and He rose again, and He will come back. So what are we to do in the meantime?
Critical thinking builds up and being critical tears down. Critical thinking creates a conversation...it begins with a question. It requires work and intentionality. Being critical requires zero work and zero intentionality. When it comes to our relationship with God, are we critical of Him or are we critical thinking how we can grow our dependence on Him?
For those of us who are followers of Jesus, it’s true of our relationship with God that until we’re honest to Him about our lives, we won’t fully experience Him in our lives. As long as we’re living in denial towards God, even just a little bit of denial, we will limit our connection with Him and our experience of Him.
Most of the emotional stuff we cover up and refuse to deal with revolves around loss. We all struggle with expectations that went unmet, goals we failed to achieve, or dreams that were broken. How we handle our loss matters. It impacts the quality of our lives. If we bury those negative emotions alive, they will come back to haunt us . . . and the people we love.
Establishing healthy habits will benefit the relationships you care most about. Others will reap from the emotional habits you sow.
Many of us learned from an early age to hide what we were feeling from other people. We even learned to hide our emotions from ourselves. But hiding isn’t a sign of courage or strength. If we want to grow, we have to stop saying, “It’s fine,” and start being honest—with ourselves and others—about what’s going on inside.
Is finding approval a good thing? Is it a wise decision? We'll see how this is very important for men, especially dads, this Sunday.
Pride is thinking highly of yourself that you din’t need help. Perhaps you’ve thought: I’ve always done it on my own before. And that’s worked out for me in the past, so I’m fine. Or even they don’t see in me what I see in myself. How does pride lead to strife, which hurts yourself and others?
In reality when you lie, when you bend the truth, what you’re really doing is setting a timer. Will it pay off? Will it prolong or preserve or protect something?
The early church living in Rome lived out God’s values and outlasted the Roman Empire, which was not founded on the same principles as America. So imagine the impact on living out God’s values in America, which was founded on values influenced by the Church?
This week we’ll look how we’ve all experienced the racing heartbeat, goosebumps, stomach in our mouth feeling, shortness of breath, or eyes wide open in fear of something or someone. So if fear is hardwired in all of us, how do we fear without losing faith?
Jesus wept. It’s the shortest verse in our entire Bible. John, the author, shares something personal about Jesus as His close friend died. How can sadness help us during times of loss, hurt, and pain?
Uncontrolled anger can lead to destructive behavior that damages relationships beyond repair. So if anger, as an emotion, is from God, then why are we warned to stay away from it?
How you live your life on earth impacts how you will experience heaven. We’ve all heard the phrase, “You only live once.” But what if we considered the phrase, “You only live forever.” How would our lives change if we embraced that phrase?
What you do now is an indicator of what you’ll look forward to later. After this life, believers will no longer struggle physically, no longer wrestle spiritually, and no longer have internal longings. What will you be most relieved to no longer battle with?
Jesus talked about heaven in several different ways. Today we’ll look at three conversations that reveal the way Jesus viewed the realities of heaven.
Jesus didn’t ask for people to just believe in him. He invited people to follow him. How do you justify accepting God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross while resisting Jesus as the Leader (Lord) of your life?
Being right doesn’t give us the right to be self-righteous. Has your good behavior seemed to have been overlooked by God?
Have you ever intentionally disregarded something you felt God prompted you to do? Whatever your next step is, take it. You don’t know what will happen if you don’t.
The followers of Jesus shaped civilization. Regarding your faith, have you become more of a consumer than an advertiser? If not, how have you kept that from happening? If so, what needs to change?
Christians are not expected to believe based solely on a collection of ancient manuscripts. The foundation of our faith is anchored to something far more substantial and sustainable.
In an unexpected series of circumstances, Jacob is reunited with his thought-to-be dead son after decades. Through the truth coming out and forgiveness being extended, the entire family eventually settles in Egypt where there is food. God uses this moment for Jacob to bless another son through whom people from all nations would have their relationship with Him healed.
Joseph’s life up and until now led him to this opportunity, which was a gift from God. Although God seemed silent, He was at work all along in Joseph’s life. Each moment led to the next and eventually to an opportunity to not only save his adopted home but his family from starvation.
Have you ever spent time reading the Bible and praying; then looked at the clocked and realized 15 minutes felt like 2 minutes? Time to God is different than time to us. Time is like an island to God while time is like a moving train to us. How do we react when we believe God is silent?
It’s been said, “Repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth.” Sometimes it’s not the number of times a lie is repeated but the influence of the person who is repeating it. How do we respond when someone lies about our integrity? How do we react when something we tried to hide comes out?
If Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams were right, he was a threat their way of life. The normal reasons for betrayal are unhealthy ambition, greed, or lust. Trust makes betrayal possible. How we respond to betrayal can reveal what we believe about God.
How do you respond and react when things are going well? Who do you call, text, or see? When things are going well, we find ways to keep everything going well. It’s likely that things going well in our lives has little to do with us. God is writing a bigger story and invites us to be a part of it.
When you think of the church, what is the first word that comes to mind? If you were to ask your neighbor or your co-worker, what would be the first words that come to their minds? In other words, what is the reputation of the church? What is the reputation of your local church? More importantly, how can we begin to repair the reputation of the local church?
Our reputations are important because they impact our influence. But when we look at the life of Jesus, he often risked his reputation for the sake of connecting with the excluded and marginalized. If we are to help repair the reputation of the church—and by extension, Jesus—we may have to follow that example.
Our reputations matter because they impact how much people trust us and how much they engage with us. But it’s even bigger than that, because when you represent something bigger than you, your reputation’s impact goes beyond you. How people see the church—and, by extension, Jesus—is often a function of how they see those who claim to follow Jesus. We have an opportunity to help repair that reputation.
How is it that a baby born in a very unremarkable village, to otherwise two unremarkable peasant parents, in what was considered the armpit of the Roman empire, how is it that this baby, born 2000 years ago, in those circumstances, is adored by people all over the world 2000 years later?
Jesus, who was more of a king than any other king, came to interact with his people like no other king. He came to offer what no other king could offer. The character of the King shows us he is worth following.
As Jesus followers, we are required to look at the cruelty, injustice, and suffering in the world. It’s a reminder to us of why God sent his Son. He sent a King to lead and instruct us in a different way of living. It’s the reason God sent Jesus and the reason we have Christmas.
On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a king, not merely a forgiver of sin and a conscience cleanser. Jesus didn’t come primarily to forgive. He came to be followed.
When you make a financial donation to Be Rich, every penny supports the needs and efforts of these organizations. Your contribution will fund projects that are game changers for our nonprofits and life changers for the people they serve. Together, we can make a difference!
When we begin to see God as the perfect father, we understand his pure love for us. No matter what we do, or where we go, we belong and are welcome to come back home to him. That’s not always easy to embrace, which is why Jesus told three stories to a crowd of misbehaviors to help them see God for who he really is – our loving, Heavenly Father.
What does it mean when we say we have individual rights? Do we all have the same rights or do we have different rights? In American culture, we are asking whether or not gay marriage is like interracial marriage and whether or not a woman has a right to abortion? Jesus shows us a different set of rights.
Our world is doing everything it can to provide humanity with the perfect life. Our world is attempting to establish human flourishing apart from God. How effective has the world been with re-establishing human flourishing? We’ll find that humanity only flourishes when we live under His authority.
If you repay evil for evil, you will write a pretty predictable story. But there’s a way to write a remarkable one instead.
The Christian faith is not based on a sacred space, but a sacred relationship—a relationship with God through Jesus. You don’t need a building to start or restart believing. Sure...there are great reasons for buildings. But it’s not required for faith.
The Church has always dealt with those who do something that causes them and the Church to lose credibility. Jude faced it with leaders using Scripture out of context and bullying people with intellect. We face it too with those who attempt to manipulate people, sell out, and desire the spotlight.
Is there a right way to handle differences of opinion and resolve conflict? Even with a deep connection, Solomon and his bride found themselves looking at the same thing differently. One way to settle differences of opinion is to act and not react...to talk and not walk.
How many of us have prayed for something we wanted? Then we waited and nothing. Then we prayed some more and then we just stopped. It felt like a “no” from God. When we stopped, perhaps we’ve asked whether or not God loves us or what can we do to change His mind. We’ll learn that the cross was a result of a “no” and what happened to Jesus after the “no.”
When you make a financial donation to Be Rich, every penny supports the needs and efforts of these organizations. Your contribution will fund projects that are game changers for our nonprofits and life changers for the people they serve. Together, we can make a difference! It all starts with asking the right questions.
"Bottom Line: Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when the end would happen. He explains to them that the end would happen when certain signs would occur. Decades later, John echos that the same signs have continued and will continue. Even with the uncertainty, we have no reason to fear."
Life is unpredictable. There are days that are mundane and we’re wondering if anyone will notice we emptied the dishwasher for the second time. Other days are memorable and we’re taking mental notes. Then there are tragic days and we’re wanting a redo. The unexpected ways Jesus helps us navigate the unpredictability is worth telling others!
Healthy effective communication is complicated. Our words are powerful as they carry the power of life and death. We’ll dissect a verse that will help us with life-giving communication. The words you use are the words you choose. Why do you choose the words you use?
If you have a hard time believing that God wants anything for you, remember that it’s not fair to transfer any jadedness to God. God is God. You get what you get with Him…He doesn’t change. Who wouldn’t want someone who empathizes, offers grace, slow to get fired up, committed, and trustworthy? We’ve settled for less than that in other important relationships.
If we allow self-discovery to lead to self-focus, we begin a happiness chase that will never end. But if we allow self-discovery to lead us to our part in God’s common purpose, we will discover lasting fulfillment and joy.
Something that has stuck out about Jesus in His biographies has been the lessons He taught and the community He built while at the table with His students/disciples. In all of these situations with Jesus, it was less about what was on the table and more about who they were becoming at the table. When we’re pursuing Christ and each other, the Holy Spirit is using that community to change us into being more like Jesus.
Burnout is a syndrome caused by stress that was not successfully managed. It’s believed that burnout leads to cynicism, health problems, isolation, depression, and spiritual melancholy. We’ve seen people over the last twenty years of ministry burnout—pastors, seminary students, and volunteers. It’s impossible to provide peace in the local church when the leader isn’t at peace.
Since we easily falter when left to our own devices, we need somewhere to turn for genuine wisdom. The Bible serves that purpose in every area of life, including with our money. The Bible does talk about money and finances. It contains hundreds of references to money and our possessions. Some of them relate to a proper view of money, while others deal with spiritual warning signs that we are letting our “stuff” get out of perspective. Many verses teach us about practical, tactical things we can do to handle money God’s way.
Getting out of debt, getting on a budget, living on less than you make, saving, and giving allow you to start building some wealth. God’s plan works! When you handle money God’s ways and follow His principles, you get to experience His work in your life! Again, it’s not magic or prosperity theology. It’s a matter of God using people who are open to handling His resources for His glory.
Debt is one product in our society that has been marketed so aggressively, so thoroughly, that many folks in our North American culture can’t imagine life without it. People actually get angry when you suggest that it’s possible to live without debt. Debt has dug its claws into our lives. It has warped our thinking to the point where we are willing to fight for the lie.
Prosperity can lead us down the wrong road. If we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves in a whole lot of trouble in a short amount of time. That’s why we need a biblical pattern for how wealth is supposed to work in our lives. We need guidance so that the wealth God provides becomes a blessing for our families—not a curse.
Do you have a bad habit, something you wished you didn’t do and you’ve tried to break that habit, but you can’t seem to break it? Have you been to a counselor or prayed and it didn’t work? Are you still asking why can’t I stop?
Jesus talked about Hell more than anybody else, which is confusing because Jesus was the most loving, and yet he talked about Hell. Why would a loving God send good people to Hell? Why did God create Hell?
Have you seen God answer some prayers where you say—Wow, God, You showed up and you showed off? And then other times when you pray in a similar way, with a similar type of faith, believing that God could do it, He didn’t do what you thought He should do and knew He could do?
Have you ever doubted God? Have you ever doubted the goodness of God? Have you ever been told as a Christian that we’re not supposed to ever doubt? Have ever thought: How can I see the goodness of God when my life is falling apart? If God is so good, then why did this happen?
If you repay evil for evil, you will write a pretty predictable story. But there’s a way to write a remarkable one instead.
Hurting someone because they hurt you doesn’t end the cycle. It perpetuates it. And it makes you look like the person you dislike.
Is there a right way to handle differences of opinion and resolve conflict? Even with a deep connection, Solomon and his bride found themselves looking at the same thing differently. One way to settle differences of opinion is to act and not react...to talk and not walk.
Did you know that sex starts before the bedroom? In their song, Solomon and his bride understood that God-honoring sex starts before the bedroom. As we live in a culture that is sexually saturated and misrepresents God’s design for sex, we’ll learn that there’s a rescue waiting for all of us.
Life is unpredictable. There are days that are mundane and we’re wondering if anyone will notice we emptied the dishwasher for the second time. Other days are memorable and we’re taking mental notes. Then there are tragic days and we’re wanting a redo. The unexpected ways Jesus helps us navigate the unpredictability is worth telling others!
Connection is one of the most important factors in any successful relationship. When it comes to marriage, connection to the other person is vital to any success. Without connection, relationships suffer from isolation, which may lead to separation and divorce. Connection to Jesus is the path to success.
Attraction is a powerful thing and it’s designed to be developed. As we look at Solomon’s song, there are four qualities that we need to develop within ourselves that honor to God and the person we are attracted to. The results of getting the development of these qualities right will lead to a lifetime of honor.
We know God is for us because Jesus died for us not because things always work out for us.
How many of us have prayed for something we wanted? Then we waited and nothing. Then we prayed some more and then we just stopped. It felt like a “no” from God. When we stopped, perhaps we’ve asked whether or not God loves us or what can we do to change His mind. We’ll learn that the cross was a result of a “no” and what happened to Jesus after the “no.”
What does it mean to be male and female? How do people know who they are when they don’t believe that they fit? Amazingly enough, Jesus addresses the transgender questions years before that term was coined.
What does it mean when we say we have individual rights? Do we all have the same rights or do we have different rights? In American culture, we are asking whether or not gay marriage is like interracial marriage and whether or not a woman has a right to abortion? Jesus shows us a different set of rights.
There is a saying that goes like this: Love is love. Whether between friends or couples or between parents and their kids, love is said to be all the same. During the time of Jesus, the Greeks had 8 words for love. In English, we have one word for love. Jesus modeled different kinds of love.
Jesus modeled diversity pretty early on in His teaching ministry. His students and disciples had different views and different hues. His commitment to diversity came from what He established on the sixth day of human history. How does diversity in Jesus’ Kingdom compare to the BLM movement?
Why are we, as humans, drawn to the promises of hope and change? What is so appealing with hope and change? Many have come and many will come promising a better tomorrow, more equality, more harmony, and better justice. What Jesus promises is a different kind of hope and change.
The world doing everything it can to provide humanity with the perfect life. The world is attempting to establish human flourishing apart from God. How effective has the world been with re-establishing human flourishing. We’ll find that humanity only flourishes when we live under His authority.
The flesh is “the desires of our body that feel natural but are apart of God.” These desires are for control, dominion, and survival. Desires aren’t wrong in themselves but how they are applied. We all experience strong desires but just because they’re strong doesn’t mean we need to give into them. We’ll find that the flesh wants our desires disordered and God wants our deepest desires ordered.
We learn from Jesus that the devil is a master manipulator as the most effective lies are the mostly true lies. He provides some truth to each lie, which makes it believable. Most often it is the “you deserve to be happy” one. From teenagers to those married for 25 years, it’s the most believable lie. It’s a lie that fits in our culture and fit with our media. We’ll find that through lies, the devil tries to get us to distrust God and trust ourselves.
Taking a step just means doing something slightly out of your comfort zone, but on the other side can be a greater faith experience with God.
From the beginning, the Holy Spirit brought order to chaos and light to darkness. We may be capable of creating physical life, but only the Holy Spirit can redeem our spiritual lives.
It is in us all to try to fill our lives with temporary things. The world says we should look inward for what we want, but the gospel says to look upward toward what God wants. We have the opportunity to follow Jesus as Lord even when it costs us something.
If we allow self-discovery to lead to self-focus, we begin a happiness chase that will never end. But if we allow self-discovery to lead us to our part in God’s common purpose, we will discover lasting fulfillment and joy.
Our culture would have us look deeply into our hearts to discover our most authentic selves. The world says we should look inward, but the gospel challenges us to look upward. And by looking upward, we will not lose ourselves, but rather find ourselves—our true selves.
It wasn’t by accident that God messaged the shepherds first and entrusted them with the message that God is with us. Instead of trusting the angels or emperors or the religious elite, God has entrusted everyday, hard-working people like you and me with the Good News that He is with us.
First-centuries Jews expected the arrival of a messiah. Scripture had recorded God’s promise to provide them with a Savior. They believed that this messiah would be a political and military leader. He would save their culture by driving out the Roman Empire and making Israel a feared military power in the region once again. But when God orchestrated Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, he was up to something much bigger . . . and much more personal.
Maybe you wandered away from the church. Maybe the church pushed you away. You lost interest. You got busy. You got hurt. You thought you were done with God forever. But then you started to miss the peace. Despite everything you had experienced, you sensed a light out there. The doubt, the anger, the disappointment with God, the sin, and the shame didn’t put out the light. And here you are in church again. How did that happen?
The Christmas season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many people, it’s complicated. It’s a time of year that surfaces tensions in relationships, unmet expectations, and the pain of absent loved ones. What do you do when the magic and wonder of the Christmas season feels out of reach? How do you reconnect with the reason for the season?
Jude went from thinking his half-brother, Jesus, was a fraud at best and liar at worst to believing that Jesus was his Savior and Lord. It took the Resurrection to change his mind. Has the Resurrection changed your mind and changed your life?
Jude is writing in a time where Rome treated Christianity like Judaism...another distraction from full allegiance to Rome. But something happened over decades and decades against all odds the Church outlasted Rome. So what won people over to Jesus?
The Church has always dealt with those who do something that causes them and the Church to lose credibility. Jude faced it with leaders using Scripture out of context and bullying people with intellect. We face it too with those who attempt to manipulate people, sell out, and desire the spotlight.
Jude provides three examples with those who took what God offered without God. All three examples experienced severe consequences. Some would say they got what they deserved. But what if those consequences could have been avoided? What is the alternative to individualism?
Jude is writing to a group of people who took what God offered—grace—without God. This filter was called Gnosticism, which encouraged people to do whatever they wanted with their body because it didn’t affect the soul. Why is understanding grace so important?
Although Jude doesn’t address it because something else came up, he really wanted to write about salvation. Like Jude, we live in a world and culture that says there are many ways to get God to notice us and reserve us a spot for eternal safety. So why is getting salvation right so important?
Jude understands who he is and explains who he is. Do you know who you are? Are you who you want to be? Until we understand our identity, we may struggle with understanding how compassion, love, and peace should look like.
Imagine if we as a church get these two things right and the impact that we have on our community. In order to love and serve strangers, we need to get it right with family. We should have plenty of practice with those we love. If we can’t get it right in the home, we will not get it right with strangers.
There are actually two things we can do to serve our community. The way we describe serving our community at South Ridge is by the tagline—Lovin’ the Burg. This has become more than tagline but a way of life for those who call South Ridge home. If we can get these two things right then this community might be willing to view the church favorably and most importantly receive God’s invitation to change their life.
When you make a financial donation to Be Rich, every penny supports the needs and efforts of these organizations. Your contribution will fund projects that are game changers for our nonprofits and life changers for the people they serve. Together, we can make a difference! It all starts with asking the right questions.
It is impossible to be honest/genuine in relationships when you’re imaginary. The imaginary you doesn’t have time for a group but the real you is craving to be known.
This has just been an observation but those who are less and less in community are the ones seem to experience more and more chaos in their life. We’ll discover that the following Jesus is more like a cluster of grapes than a bag of golf balls.
Jesus was a friend of sinners. And those who were unlike him genuinely loved being around him. In Jesus they both saw and experienced the heart of his Father. As the church, it is our joy and duty to continue his example, reflecting the Father’s heart and inspiring others to follow Jesus.
We gather to be reminded of his unconditional love, and in this season we get the opportunity to continue to gather in various forms. The form of the gathering is less important than the function of the gathering. We need to gather because unconditional love needs to be personally experienced and publicly practiced.
The Christian faith is not based on a sacred space, but a sacred relationship—a relationship with God through Jesus. You don’t need a building to start or restart believing. Sure...there are great reasons for buildings. But it’s not required for faith.
We are reminded that while we have different styles it’s vitally important that we appreciate each others’ style so we grow in unity and not division. Our unity gives the message of Jesus credibility to the world and shows that God loves us all and is for all of us no matter our style, no matter our story. We are better together!
The Bible says there is one way to God and that’s through the person of Jesus. There are a few staples for connecting with God...prayer and Scripture. In the Bible, Paul says that the Word of God should live abundantly in us. We are encouraged to publicly expose ourselves to the Word and privately give it time to soak in. We can interact publicly, privately, and personally with the Word of God!
This world keeps us from spending time with Him, but we need to connect with Him. Talking to God in prayer is a vital way we can grow a relationship with God, just like you need to talk to your friends in order to invest in your friendships. In Luke, God teaches us that there are four main principles for good prayer life: disconnect to connect with God, pray personally, pray persistently, and pray expectantly. God gave us these suggestions instead of a script to remind us that there is not a formula to pray the perfect prayer.
"The Sacred Pathways" are the nine spiritual styles discussed by Gary Thomas. It is important that we understand our spiritual temperament, because knowing how God has wired us could actually help us more effectively draw near to God. We hope that through this series, you can get a clearer picture of God’s unique design in your life and how that allows you to draw near to Him.
Can the church bridge the divide when compassion and national security collide? We say, “yes.”
Prayer can be challenging. We feel like we should pray, but we’re not sure we’re getting the words right. But what if our perception of prayer is inaccurate? What if the way we’ve been taught to pray or figured out how to pray over the years is misguided? What if there’s a better way? After watching Jesus for some time, His disciples went to Him and said, “Teach us how to pray.” And He taught them. What He said about prayer may surprise you.
It’s only through the sheep-shepherd relationship that someone experiences a full and overflowing life that only Jesus can offer. As “sheep” we get in situation that’s not going our way and we feel like we can’t go on…we think: God, where are you? Have you left me on my own? What has been or is your wolf? Financial, spiritual, emotional, physical, job, family, relational?
If you have a hard time believing that God wants anything for you, remember that it’s not fair to transfer any jadedness to God. God is God. You get what you get with Him…He doesn’t change. Who wouldn’t want someone who empathizes, offers grace, slow to get fired up, committed, and trustworthy? We’ve settled for less than that in other important relationships.
We’ll find that your mouth can cause your entire body to suffer consequences. Have you ever noticed that you don’t fire the mouth, you fire a person? Instead of putting your child’s mouth in time out; you put your child in time out. Words possess the power to control the direction and quality of our lives.
Did you know that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a religious saying? We’ll find that even though it may have good intentions, it’s not a Biblical idea. We recover from physical wounds far quicker than we do emotional wounds. What causes words to become weapons?
How are you using your words to build up your circles of influence according to what they need? We all have three circles of influence: inner, intentional, and influential. Each circle will have a different need but all need the language of grace.
Healthy effective communication is complicated. Our words are powerful as they carry the power of life and death. We’ll dissect a verse that will help us with life-giving communication. The words you use are the words you choose. Why do you choose the words you use?
Jesus made a promise that He would return. As He talks about His return, His followers from Galilee would have understood the imagery from a wedding. Jesus promise of a return provides hope to those waiting because it will be physical and public. We’ll find how the rapture is part of His return.
Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when the end would happen. He explains to them that the end would happen when certain signs would occur. Decades later, John echos that the same signs have continued and will continue. Even with the uncertainty, we have no reason to fear.
Like last year as we were just a weeks into the pandemic, the message of Easter is more relevant to the modern world than it has it about 100 years when the world faced another global pandemic. Now we are over a year into the pandemic and the message of Easter is just as relevant to us as it was last year. Why? The events of Easter are relevant because they address our greatest fears.
Jonah is angry and we find the reason why he disobeyed in the first place. What we really find is a Jonah who isn’t willing to admit that he no longer values what God values. He couldn’t love and show grace because he didn’t understand love and grace. Even when we didn’t understand love and grace, God loved and provided us grace.
We find Jonah arriving in Nineveh. After everything he experienced in his relationship with God, he reluctantly obeyed and preached a heartless message. We’ll find that reluctant obedience is not complete obedience. Even when we heartlessly obey, God uses us in spite of us for His purposes.
We’re introduced to Jonah, a prophet who was called to speak on God’s behalf and decided that wasn’t for him. Jonah’s decision changed his life...and not for the better. The decisions we make have consequences. Even though disobedience leads to descent, God continues to pursue us for His purposes.
Pharaoh finally relented and allowed God’s people to be free. Perhaps angry from his defeat, he changed his mind and pledged to revenge the death of his son. Pharaoh was not going after Moses’ and God’s people he was going against God, who would defend the freedom of his people.
For freedom, there had to be sacrifice. God provided a salvation for His people but it cost something. Something had to die in order for there to be life. Those willing to sacrifice were spared or saved and those unwilling to sacrifice experienced great loss.
Moses was born into slavery. With a step of faith from his mom, Moses was born into slavery and adopted into the royal family. After running away to avoid getting caught for murder, God provides Moses purpose that redirects him back to the royal family.
What we mean is that found people find people comes down to talking to each other about something you enjoy or someone you find enjoyable, which in our case is a relationship with Jesus.
Trust is a currency in relationships. If there’s not much in the account, relationships are poor. There is no “expecting the best” in each other. If there’s much in the account, relationships are rich. There’s plenty of giving the benefit of the doubt to each other. There’s cheering someone on who may be better at something than you—no jealousy. There’s this love between each other.
From the very beginning of time, we were designed to work and serve. It was a good thing. This design never changed when sin entered the picture...it just became harder for us. When Jesus came to defeat sin, He never changed the design. Instead, He modeled it to perfection.
The Gospel doesn’t just save you or provide you your ticket in to heaven. It’s so much better than that—it’s the full experience of life with Jesus the leader of your life. The good news is not just for tomorrow but for today.
Every generation of Jesus followers is responsible to ensure the news of the Christian faith stays true to the original. So are you good news? What if you’re the only news someone gets?
People close to Jesus were convinced they had met good personified. So they documented the story. They were convinced it wasn’t just for a nation or for a generation, but for all nations and every generation. This was good news, great joy, for all people—perhaps especially for those of us who aren’t all that good. If it’s not good news, you may have the wrong version. It’s not a good story. It’s good news.
Gratitude is definitely more than an attitude. While we all have much to be grateful for, gratitude doesn’t always fill our hearts. Gratitude is a good goal, but not the best goal. So what is greater than gratitude?
Gratitude is definitely more than an attitude. While we all have much to be grateful for, gratitude doesn’t always fill our hearts. Gratitude is a good goal, but not the best goal. So what is greater than gratitude?
Gratitude is definitely more than an attitude. While we all have much to be grateful for, gratitude doesn’t always fill our hearts. Gratitude is a good goal, but not the best goal. So what is greater than gratitude?
What does success look like to you? Perhaps before you could describe it, how would you define success? It seems like all of us want success. With everything we’ve talked about over the last seven weeks, Peter gives us very practical handles on what success looks like at church and at home.
Suffering affects all of us. Some more than others. What if suffering was more than just a good thing or bad thing but a necessary thing? Peter helps us to expect suffering, understand suffering, and prepare for suffering because it’s coming.
Peter provides us clarity on God’s plan for the home. God has created men and women with different roles. As men and women live out their roles, it’s best for kids and the church. It’s clear that the love in the home overflows into the church. The church is a picture of the home.
Politics. It just means the way we make decisions as we live together. Politics is much more than just a definition. It brings emotions, avoidance, and debates. Peter wrote this while living under an emperor. As we live under two major political parties, what if there was more than just a donkey and an elephant?
Have you experienced family drama? It can be something that you laugh at later or something that leaves irreparable collateral damage. Peter helps us understand that our adoption brings us into God’s family. Our church is made up of other adopted sons and daughters of God. We’ll find best practices on how to best treat one another.
Have you ever said, “You just never know. I might need that.”? Preparation is important. Peter provides us a way to prepare our minds so that we can think clearly, act differently, see ourselves appropriately, and love our church correctly.
Ever receive an inheritance? Maybe know someone who has? Perhaps a better question is do you plan to give an inheritance to someone? Peter reminds us that we have an inheritance as adopted sons and daughters of God. Our future home is a place where we are completely safe, secure, and satisfied.
A couple decades after the Resurrection, Peter writes a letter to encourage local churches that there’s more to come! Looking forward to our true home can empower us to live Jesus-centered lives in our temporary home. We’ll see a tale of two homes: Earth 1 and Earth 2.
Jesus could not have been any clearer: God measures our commitment to him against our behavior, compassion, and generosity toward others. Love toward others is the appropriate response to God’s love toward us.
Volunteering makes a difference. When you serve with a nonprofit, you help them accomplish more and communicate value and dignity to those they serve.
Participating churches partner with exceptional nonprofits doing valuable work in communities here and around the world. When you make a financial donation to Be Rich, every penny supports the needs and efforts of these organizations. Your contribution will fund projects that are game changers for our nonprofits and life changers for the people they serve. Together, we can make a difference!
Would you believe me if I told you that you are a manager of extraordinary influence and unprecedented opportunity? This is true for all of us. All of us are managers of extraordinary influence and unprecedented opportunity. You became a manager because someone invited you to follow Jesus. Aren’t you glad someone invited you?
This has just been an observation but those who are less and less in community are the ones seem to experience more and more chaos in their life. They have been their own true north. We need God’s Word to be our true north and we need each other on this journey.
When it comes to God and faith, everyone has doubts. Too often, those doubts rob us of the potential for a relationship with God. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Believe it or not, your doubt can be a bridge to deeper relationship.
Most people are mostly honest with themselves. Unfortunately, relationships that are mostly honest are mildly healthy. Our most healthy relationships are our most honest relationships. Is God okay with full honesty? In this message, we unpack an overview of King David’s collection of Psalms to discover that God doesn’t just tolerate our honesty, he celebrates it.
The Greatest Generation. Baby Boomers. Generation X. Millennials. Generation Z. Each generation is distinct from those that came before and those that come after. They have different priorities and different experiences. They see the world differently. It’s easy for the generations to live in conflict and competition. But what is our responsibility to the generations that come after us?
The blood of Jesus breaks down barriers. By creating barriers, the implication is Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t enough. When we take the Lord’s Supper, we are saying that Jesus’ death is enough and it broke down the wall of hostility that I have towards people not like me.
What does Jesus have to teach us about it and knowing that, how can we move forward? There’s a difference between reacting and responding. Typically when we react, it’s emotionally driven without much thought as to how to be a part of the solution. Typically when we respond, it’s data-driven with thought as to how to be a part of the solution. The intent with this series is not to attempt to answer any questions or tackle topics like defunding law enforcement, reparations, tearing down monuments, protesting, rioting, and rallies. Instead, the intention is to provide observations from a story where Jesus saw the things we are seeing and elevated the things we need to be elevating.
If your money could talk, it would say, “I’m easy to keep up with, but I’m difficult to catch up with. Keep up or you’ll be playing catch up. Keep up with me and I’ll keep up with you.”
Are you mastering your money or being mastered by it? Maybe it’s time to flip the script. Instead of striving to have enough money to satisfy a me-first appetite, Jesus encouraged his listeners to have an others-first approach.
If our money could talk, what would it tell us? You might be shocked to find that what our money would say is pretty close to what Jesus did say—and what we should still consider today.
Many of us have an uneasy relationship with prayer. It’s as if we believe we have this huge prayer deficit and we’ll never catch up. There are times in our lives when prayer comes easy: when we need to make a pivotal decision or when we’ve hit a tough stretch. In these seasons, prayer comes naturally. But eventually life settles in and we go back to our normal routines. For most of us, prayer is something we know we should do more of and so we feel guilty. What would happen if we prayed more in the second half than we did in the first half of this year?
You have undoubtedly heard it said that time flies. Unfortunately, there are no “do-overs” when it comes to time. The past is in the past. The good news? At the time this message was delivered on June 14, there were still over 163 days left in 2020! While you can’t change the past, you can use your remaining time to make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. None of us is promised another day, so leverage the time you have with purpose.
Remember January? The new year resolutions and wishes can seem a long way away. And yet, it’s too not too late to finish strong. It’s only July. It’s only Halftime. Before we go any further into the second half of the year, the writer of Hebrews gives us a great perspective which leads to 4 great questions to ask at halftime. These questions not only prepare us for the rest of the series but the second half of 2020.
God wants me happy? God wants me to enjoy my life? Above all else, God only wants good things to happen in your life, and God never wants anything bad to happen in your life.
This is one of the most relevant and culturally believed lies. This is commonplace in our neighborhoods, in our jobs, and in our families. You may of heard it. You may of said it. You may even believe it but all over the world today people say this: “It doesn’t matter what you believe about God as long as you are sincere.” We’ll find out that God actually has a lot to say about this and it’s not what most of us want to hear.
The Bible did not create Christianity. Christianity is the result of an event (the resurrection) that created a movement (the church) that produced sacred and reliable texts that were collected and bound into a book (the Bible). But how do we approach not being at peace with everything we read in the Bible? Paul—the apostle, Pharisee, author, preacher, and church planter—offers us clarity and confidence to move forward.
“In the beginning. . . .” can be a loaded phrase—one that forces us into debate and doubt. But maybe we’re missing the point of Genesis 1:1—a point Moses made to a world where the violence and injustice of the gods justified and legitimized the violence and injustice of human rulers. Moses introduced a radically different, unparalleled, and untested worldview.
The cross satisfies God’s anger with what we do and it demonstrates His love for us because of who we are. In our English language we only have one word for love, in the Greek language in which our New Testament was written there were 7 words for love. Contrary to the English language, not all love is the same and good.
The cross satisfies God’s anger with what we do and it demonstrates His love for us because of who we are. We’ll discover that anger is the right emotion in the right moment and God had every reason to be angry. Perhaps we’ll fight the struggle to admit that we’re not good enough.