Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church: Recent Episodes
Matt Walton
Our commitment is that we will seek the face of the Lord sufficiently enough to discern which of those potential risks are from the Lord and which are from our imaginations. When we have clearly discerned the Lord is in a thing, we will be able to stand up with confidence before you as our congregation and declare, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit….and to us…that we should do….” We believe this to be the call of God on our lives for this season.
To help us facilitate this concept I want to look at a passage from 1 John. The Apostle John was one of Jesus’ original twelve followers and closest friends on the earth. He was the last of the Twelve Apostles to die and is nearing the end of his life as he writes this letter to the community he had been pastoring for some time.
In the book of Acts chapter 15, verse 28, James says, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us….” In other words, the method for making their decision is clarified. Yes, they listened to both sides. Yes, they debated the impact that those things would have on the church. But most importantly, they prayed. And the result of their prayers was a clear indication of what pleased the Holy Spirit. And when that was discovered, they were pleased as well and enacted the Spirit’s pleasure over the situation.
Did you catch that? James had the authority to make the decision but it was really the Holy Spirit who made the call. The focus of the leadership and James in particular was to find out what pleased the Holy Spirit more than any other group of people.
If the Enemy is going to be giving his best to destroy the Kingdom; shouldn’t we be willing to give our best to build it? Shouldn’t It get our best thoughts, our best plans, our best efforts, our greatest resources, and our full attention? This is why we have to take risks! Desperate enemies take risks to accomplish their goals. We should be willing to risk to counter them! No risk it! No Biscuit!
Leaders need our support. The enemy is constantly trying to harm the Church of Jesus Christ. One of his most frequent attacks is to seek to discourage those who lead the Church. If he can discourage them, then he can take their focus off of equipping and mobilizing the people of God. That leaves those under their care ill-equipped and without direction in the work of the Kingdom.
God has a plan for our lives when He saves us and that plan leverages all the pieces of our life to accomplish it.
Each and every time one of the Holy Spirit’s grace gifts manifests itself through you it is because the Holy Spirit shows up. He manifests Himself through you in that moment to accomplish His will.
Failing to recognize this is why we can sometimes become prideful when those grace gifts operate through us and people recognize their effectiveness. We delude ourselves that those gifts are taking place because we’ve been endowed with a particular amount of the Spirit’s power and it feeds our ego. It deceives us into believing that there is something special about us when in reality it is something powerful about Him.
Each and every human being longs for significance and meaning in life and where we seek to find that meaning will set the very trajectory of our lives.
Instead of focusing on methods or techniques to repel the Enemy’s attacks, we’ve set out to lay a solid foundation of understanding regarding the spiritual realities around us. Techniques don’t matter if our fundamental understanding of God, the Enemy, and ourselves is flawed.
Jesus described the Devil as one who does not hold to the truth and has no truth in him. Falsehood is tied to his very existence.
Every single human being who has ever lived apart from Christ has followed the lies of the Devil. It’s our default setting as human beings. We are born into sin, we know nothing but sin, and we naturally follow the ways of the world and the ruler of the earth which is Satan himself.
Our level of freedom from deception will be directly proportional to the depth of our relationship with Jesus!
The goal is to eliminate as much deception from our lives as possible by living as closely connected to Jesus as possible. As we walk closely to Him and live in obedience to Him we are susceptible to less and less deception in our lives. Only in heaven will we know the truth completely but we can live lives of freedom on this side of eternity as well!
Easter Sunday marks the culmination of all our hopes and dreams as followers of Christ. It is the day that we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and the effect it has had on all those who have submitted to Christ as Lord. The Resurrection is proof that Christ was exactly who He claimed to be. It was the ultimate victory over sin, death and the Devil and heralded our final victory to come at Christ’s return. It secured our eternity but offers so much more to us if we will understand its power. But the road to resurrection is not an easy one. For Christ, the road to resurrection was death; marked by pain, humiliation, and powerlessness. For us, it requires dying to self, sin, and control of our lives. But resurrection is worth the pain of dying. Let’s see how this played out for Christ so that we might be encouraged to embrace our spiritual death and receive the resurrection extended to us.
I’ve found that one of the greatest obstacles to pursuing a depth of relationship with Jesus is a sense that Christ can’t relate to what we are going through. We have heard that Jesus was the God/Man who came down to earth and lived among us but we struggle to believe that He was actually like us. Of course we know that He faced difficulties but we tell ourselves that He had all the power of God at His disposal so His struggles are not like ours. Besides, He lived hundreds of years ago and can’t possibly understand what it’s like to live in modern times.
If we don’t believe that Jesus has experienced what we’ve experienced we’ll never bring our experiences to Him. In fact, we can actually push away from Christ in our woundedness, our misunderstanding and our pain. Which is why Isaiah 53 is such a valuable passage of Scripture.
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Last week we began our series on knowing the Lord. We saw how the Lord has moved heaven and earth so that we might know Him and we saw that He took the first step but the next step is ours.
This week I want to put a bit of a fine point on why it is critical for us to know the Lord. Knowing the Lord gives us the power to Thrive in life; not just get by.
Let’s look at some Scriptures together.
Take Away Truths:
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God made the first move; the next move is yours.
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God did all the work; we simply respond to His gift.
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Every time we exert even the least effort to know Him more the Lord leverages all His resources to aid us.
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The more effort we exert, the deeper He’ll take us.
Hebrews 11:13–16
- They did not receive what was promised.
- They welcomed it from a distance.
- They were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Moses was tasked with leading somewhere between 1.5 and 2.4 million people in a harsh wilderness with limited resources. Even with all the miraculous provision God had made for His people along the way, such leadership would have taken an astounding amount of faith and trust in the Lord.
-In order to stay as focused on the Lord as possible in his leadership, Moses did something that was not commanded of him. He pitched a tent outside of the camp where he could seek the Lord. He called it the “Tent of Meeting” because the Lord would descend on the tent when Moses entered and meet with him there.
What are some of the thoughts that come to mind when you hear the challenge that we should set up a Tent of Meeting where we can meet regularly meet with the Lord?
Think about your average day. Think about the problems that you face each day. How much time do you estimate that you spend thinking about those problems, worrying about them, strategizing how to solve them, or worrying about the outcomes of your efforts to solve them? Don’t include the time you spend on actually trying to solve the problems.
What are some of the things that you might need to say ‘no’ to in order to set up a Tent of Meeting for yourself?
Discerning the voice of the Lord consistently and accurately is much more about being the right kind of person than having the right method.
-If you use all the right techniques but are not the right kind of person you’ll never accurately discern the will of the Lord. The power does not lie in the techniques; it lies in the unhindered ability of the Holy Spirit to speak to us and to work through us.
In this episode we are going to center our attention on the Word of God.
If we are not committed to keeping the Word of God central to our experience with God we will not consistently or accurately discern the voice of God.
What is so unique about the Word of God that warrants its centrality in our lives?
The Uniqueness of the Word:
- It’s eternal.
-1 Peter 1:22-25
- It’s perfect.
-Proverbs 30:5-6
-Psalm 12:6
- It’s powerful.
-Hebrews 4:12
- It’s corrective.
-Psalm 19:7-13
Memory Verse for the Week:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Take Away Truths:
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God always speaks first.
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God wants us to discern and understand His voice even more than we do.
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Though God speaks in a variety of ways to each of His children, He always speaks in a way that we can know it is Him speaking.
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Discerning the voice of God is a path to be walked; not a destination to arrive at.
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The Lord speaks most clearly and consistently to those who are most willing to obey His voice.
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God speaks to those who prioritize listening to Him.
Because of our human limitations and spiritual weakness, the Lord is going to have to do the Lion share of the work if we are going to regularly tap into Him as our Source of life. That is not to say that we have no part to play in staying connected to the Lord but it can be helpful for us to realize that the Lord is doing most of the heavy lifting for us so that we may give Him credit for.
Sooner or later in our relationship with Christ, a time will come when God seems distant. Perhaps you won’t be able to feel His presence as you once had. Maybe you heard something from Him very clearly, but that word hasn’t come together as you had anticipated it would. Maybe you stepped out in faith to honor the Lord, but now He seems silent. This can be a very disorienting experience for us as Christ's followers, and we need to realize how the Lord is often at work in these silent times.
Pruning is an essential part of regular fruit bearing. For starters, when the optimal time in the growth season comes, the gardener prunes the vine so that it will respond properly to nutrients and produce fruit when the time comes. This involves cutting away the parts of the branch that are dead or that sap the nutrients that should be prioritized for fruit growth.
Our good shepherd cares for us in ways that we can’t possibly understand. We will never know the enemies and attacks that He shields us from every moment of everyday.
Jesus equates His care for His people with how a good shepherd cares for his flock. From there, He starts a discussion of how sheep are protected by a sheep pen and the shepherd’s role in that.
-Manna was a physical provision but a spiritual lesson. -The means of provision was designed to test their obedience. -It was a faith solution to their lack of trust in God. -The Lord provided as much as they needed. -The Lord provided it as long as they needed.
The call of Jesus on our lives is to take the message of reconciliation and become ministers of reconciliation. We cannot leave that work to others and hope it gets accomplished. We must be willing to serve those whom no one else will. We must be willing to get uncomfortable to see the Kingdom pushed forward. We must be willing to learn how to share the Gospel clearly and then have courage to share it faithfully. People are far from Jesus. He wants us to become His hands and feet in the world to reach them. Will we step up to the challenge?
Christ has challenged his closest followers that the way of Kingdom leadership is the way of servanthood. Christ himself modeled this for them throughout His ministry but especially in the next few hours. He will lay down His life for those who did not deserve it and serve them despite their betrayal, unfaithfulness and rejection.
The blood of the lambs led to Israel’s transformation. -It freed them from bondage. -It marked them as a people. -It charted their future.
The blood of animals was given to God’s people to provide a means of atonement for them. Atonement is an act performed so that relationship with God may be restored. In other words, the blood of an animal was shed so that the blood of God’s people would not have to be. The shedding of an animal’s blood each year covered the sins of God’s people for another year so that they could remain in right relationship with God. So why do we not continue to kill animals to make atonement for our sins?
This week we are doing a deep dive into some of the things that Christ told us the Holy Spirit would do on our behalf. Salting these ideas away can help us relate to the Holy Spirit as a person more fully but also deepen our trust in Him as we experience Him in these ways.
In John 16:7-15, We see 6 life-altering truths regarding the Paraclete that, if we internalize them, can forever transform our approach to Him.
One of the most overlooked aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work is the role He plays in our salvation. From start to finish, it is the Holy Spirit’s work to initiate our salvation, sustain it, and seal it until our death or the Lord’s return. Having a working knowledge of this powerful work on our behalf leads to gratitude in our hearts and a confidence that emboldens us to purse deeper relationship with the Spirit.
If He is a person then we can relate to Him. And if we are able to relate to Him then we should do everything in our power to cultivate that relationship. One of the keys to relating well to the Holy Spirit is to understand the role He plays in our growth and on-going relationship with the Lord. One of the little-known roles of the Holy Spirit is that of the Paraclete.
The personhood of the Holy Spirit. If we do not view Him as a person to relate to, we will mistake Him as a force to be utilized. -We do not serve forces, we are served by them. I don’t serve fire; fire serves me. I don’t serve electricity; electricity serves me. I don’t serve water; water serves me. I believe the symbolism surrounding the Holy Spirit in Scripture is meant to help us understand how He is often experienced but not to communicate that He is a force. If we view Him as a force we will make Him our servant rather than submitting to His Lordship over us.
God tells us something different than the voices around us, he tells us that we are unique, that he created us with value, with purpose, and for a purpose; our calling to serve him and be about his Kingdom work is a calling to live faithfully into who he has created us to be, trusting that he has equipped us to do his work.
To this point in our study we have seen the faithfulness of God on display. He has laid out for us the principles and promises we will need for success. But those alone will not make us successful. For us to be prosperous and successful in all that the Lord is leading us into there are things that are going to be required of us. We will have to do our part if we desire to succeed in all that the Lord has called us to.
Let's see three powerful promises that God made Joshua as he prepares to lead the people into the Promised Land. Verse 5 says, “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.” While these promises were unique to Joshua’s call and circumstance of the day I believe that they are ours for the taking as well as we seek to lead as Joshua led and step into the new things God has for us as a church.
The Lord has promised to give us every place where we set our feet. But for this promise to be realized we must understand some critical principles.
This passage from the Book of Joshua lays out a blueprint for how the Lord worked as the Israelites moved into the land the Lord had promised them. The various circumstances changed but the outline remained pretty much the same at each stage of their conquest. If they followed the pattern, they were successful….every time. If they strayed from God’s pattern they faced defeat….every time.
Mary’s submission to what the angel promised is astounding. It was complete disruption of all her life and all her plans up to that point. Not only that, it would dominate every aspect of her life moving forward, especially over the next 9 months.
The Lord is still using stars that shine in the darkness to lead outsiders to His Son. But now those stars are not shining in the heavens but shining in our lives.
Christ wanted His followers to understand that the giving of things is always more blessed than the receiving of things. The world tells us the opposite and constantly assaults this truth. Which is why we must reclaim it in our hearts again and again…especially at Christmas. If we are going to reclaim the attitude of giving verses receiving we would do well to look to the life of Paul as a model of what such a life looks like.
In Matthew 21:43-46 Jesus tells an incredible parable that clearly portrays the unfaithfulness of the religious leaders of His day in their responsibilities before God. The parable ends with Christ’s challenge that the Kingdom will continue to advance but not in their hands. In fact, It would be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce its fruit. This is exactly what took place beginning with Acts 2.
If we want to secure our future as a multigenerational community of faith it will take you and I submitting the Lord’s leadership and making space for each other. May God give us the grace to do so!
Our American Christianity is telling us that grace is a means by which we can keep on sinning without consequence. Scripture teaches the exact opposite. Grace teaches us to say 'no' to sin and makes us eager to do what is good.
Our vision is as follows: The Vision of Trinity is to be a dynamic fellowship that loves Jesus Christ and which unites cultures and generations through the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel to love and transform individuals, families, and communities. Our mission flows out of that: The Mission of Trinity is to make disciple-makers who are committed to gathering for the teaching of the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship, and then scattering for ministry, service, and proclaiming the Gospel from Western Florence to the ends of the earth.
Being included in the Family of God is an incredible expression of love towards us by God the Father. Being a part of His family is not only to be loved by Him but also to become like Him. Amazing.
While our culture’s notion of FAM has no plan to eventually integrate and restore one’s biological family the Family of God looks to redeem it using Kingdom principles.
- Approaching God together. -“Let US draw near to God….”
- Holding tenaciously to the Truth. -“Let US hold unswervingly to the hope we profess…”
- Considering the growth of others as well as my own. -“Let US consider….one another….
- Spurring on the growth of others and allowing them to spur mine.
- Being present enough to deeply connect.
You’ll never realize your full potential in Christ without the Body. The Body of Christ will never reach its full potential without you.
The one constant in life is CHANGE. You may not like it…you may try to resist it…but change is inevitable. Jesus final words to his disciples was about a change that was going to take place in their lives. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8) The change which swept over these timid followers of Jesus is the same ONE who desires to bring “change” in you and me.
People don’t just become disciples of Christ. They must be discipled by other disciples who have been discipled by others all the way back to Jesus Christ Himself.
How Did Peter Move From Familiarity with Jesus to Following Jesus? 1. Jesus got into his boat. 2. Jesus asked more of Peter than he expected Him to. 3. Jesus disrupted Peter’s reality. 4. Peter humbled himself and repented. 5. Jesus invited him to discipleship. 6. Peter responded to the offer.
We despise the day of small things when we lack revelation. We despise the day of small things when we listen to the accusations of the enemy rather than what the Lord has said about us. We despise the day of small things when we lean on our strength rather than the Spirit. We despise the day of small things when we focus on the foundation and have not yet seen the capstone. We despise the day of small things when we do not have a vision that can outlive us.
If you are doing God’s will, In God’s Ways, and With God’s Resources you cannot lose the battles you face.
As we talk about learning how to fight from victory it is essential that we understand why we fight. We do not seek victory in the battles we fight for our own glory or comfort. We fight so that we can see men and women become disciples of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ’s victory over sin, the world and the Devil on the cross, we are now empowered to go and make disciples.
What we often overlook is that the victory of Christ makes every other victory possible. Because of what He accomplished we too can be victorious over death when the end of our life comes.
Jesus modeled for us one basic principle that is key to every other relationship: Focus on The primary relationship with the Father and THEN the secondary relationships that come our way. This week we’ll look at why this is critical.
It is clear that Jesus entrusted Himself to Mary while He refused to entrust Himself to the crowd. What made her different than the fickle crowd that wanted Him to deliver them?
When we can’t understand God’s plan He is deeply moved.
When we groan in our waiting, He prays for us.
When we suffer, He works all things together for our good.
His greatest good for us is always that we become more like Jesus.
Big Victories...Big Battles. Trust....Not Always Easy. Solitude...Not Always Good. Strength....Always Important. Truth....Listen Carefully.
-Jesus was full of Grace and Truth. -He wasn’t full of Grace or Truth; but Grace and Truth. -We tend to gravitate towards one or the other.
Key Idea: 1) What does it mean to be known by God? (Amos 3:1-2) (John 10: 27-28) It means that we are chosen people It means that you are part of Israel Yada 2) What are the characteristics of those who are known by God? 3) How the power is displayed?
Let’s go in depth into the main two ways we tear each other down rather than build each other up: Gossip and Sarcasm. I call Gossip the Outer Cut because it tears apart other people’s perception of the person I gossip about. The second cut is sarcasm. I call it the Inner Cut because it is a silent assassin that slowly kills our hearts.
We are called to speak the Truth in love to each other as one of the mechanisms by which we reach that maturity. There are two components to this command that are equally important. First, we must speak the Truth to each other. Falsehood and flattery will never spur us to the love and good deeds Christ has called us to. At the same time, we are called to speak that Truth in love. Without love motivating and guiding the communication of Truth we will end up wounding those we seek to help grow in their faith.
We cannot simply be content to be blessed by God; we must realize that we are blessed to be a blessing.
The road to transforming our tongue starts with a deep realization of how devastating our tongue can be to our lives and to the lives of those around us.
Those who embrace suffering in the body find victory over sin. Peter ties suffering to increased obedience
Fasting is denying the desires of our flesh. The great paradox is that as we weaken the desires of our flesh it actually strengthens it to be more supportive of our spirit.
Jesus came into the world through the faith of Mary. Christ enters the world through our faith as well. Every time we step out in faith Christ is able to be born into the lives of others and into every place we go. Lord, grant us the vision to see how faith can transform everything around us.
The Lord calls us to trust in Him for deliverance but we often look to the world instead. But if we do, the same thing that happened to Judah will happen to us; we will become enslaved to those from whom we sought help. We must repent of our dependence on the Lord and trust only in the Lord for our salvation.
Once a tree falls or is cut down a stump is all that remains. No one walks up on a stump and assumes something positive happened to that tree. You just realize from experience that it’s the last remnants of a tree that has been felled. Praise God that He causes Branches to grow up from the stumps of our failures.
Sooner or later, the storms of life, the difficulties of this world and the attacks of the enemy will overwhelm us. When that happens our ability to survive and thrive will depend on the refuges that are available to us.
We live in a fallen and sinful world which assures us that at some point our lives are going to be shaken. The key to surviving this is to embrace the idea and prepare for it. How do we prepare?
Moses pictures creation as beginning with the presence of God and the presence of chaos. God the Father is about to speak. He is going to speak light into darkness. Order into chaos. Stability into instability. This is what God did and this is what He still does.
If you have walked through the process of eliminating your personal preferences and hearing from the Lord that you should vote, you must do the hard work of being an informed voter. I challenge folks to ask the Lord which issues they should prioritize and then order them as He leads you. From there, research those issues and identify the candidates that most align with your values. This helps you truly be informed on the issues.
If we believe that America is the hope of the world disappointment is headed our way. If we believe that money, or power, or popularity, or possessions are going to fulfill us we are headed for heartache. But if we look to the King and the Kingdom as our source of hope we can endure anything that goes wrong in this world.
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God doesn't choose people how the world chooses people.
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God can take you from anywhere and place you in his will.
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If you submit yourself to God's will and authority he will supernaturally prepare your purpose.
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If you don't submit fully, to God's will like Jonathan and David, God will raise up someone else to do it.
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You as a Christian have even greater access to the Spirit of God than David did!
Theme: We rest in the Lord our God because of who He is.
I. The God who knows everything.
II. The God who is everywhere.
III. The God who is with you from before conception to death.
IV. The God who directs your steps.
If we seek to love people in our own efforts then eventually we will come to the end of ourselves. But if we bask in the love of Jesus poured out into our hearts each day then that love will flow out of our lives into the lives of those around us.
Just as a gardener prunes the plants under his care so that they will be more fruitful the Father does the same for us. And just as a seasoned gardener knows each plant in his garden each of their individual needs our Father knows each of our needs as well. No two of us need to be pruned in the same way.
Sometimes we can obsess about whether or not we are growing, whether or not God is using us, or whether or not we are even accomplishing anything for the Kingdom. This is because we want fruit now. The problem is, fruit takes time.
Remaining in Christ can be a nebulous concept at times, to help us wrap our minds around this idea I offer this definition of remaining in Christ: We are remaining in Christ when we have positioned ourselves to receive His Affection, Revelation, and Provision.
There is a certain pride we have in being able to work hard, make our own way, and build ourselves up into something great. But there’s a problem with this mentality. We weren’t designed to live that way. God created us to be dependent on things outside of us to meet our needs. He did this so that we would ultimately look to Him as our source of every good thing in our lives.
The example of Jesus is amazing. As the crowds grew larger He preached the Truth harder. As people became more confused and offended He did not back down. When people started walking away He didn’t beg them to stay. In fact, when the crowds had left and only His closest disciples remained He offered them the chance to leave too! But their relationship with Jesus kept them close.
The reason it is so hard for most of us to believe that God wants to use our anger and that anger does not have to be a sinful thing is because few of us have ever seen righteous anger modeled.
It is important to see that there is a place for anger in Kingdom work. As we talked about last week, not all anger is sinful. However, it is one of those emotions that can very easily slip into sinful action if we are not careful.
Whenever I communicate the idea that it is possible to be angry and not sin I am usually met with surprise or disbelief. That’s because so few believers have examined anger from a Biblical perspective and even fewer have ever seen Biblical anger modeled. If you are a person that is naturally prone to anger I want to float an idea to you; God may very well have wired you that way for His glory.
There are 16 different nations and regions that were present when Peter preached the Gospel. The fact that God founded the church as a multicultural church tells us everything we need to know about His heart for what His church should be.
How we love our God will be revealed by how we love our neighbor. -Our flesh rises up against the command to love our neighbor as ourself. That’s because loving ourself is the root of all our sin.
Having been reconciled to God and given a new identity we can now venture out and begin to be reconciled to each other. It takes listening. It takes hard conversations. It takes commitments to community. It takes humility. It takes asking for and receiving forgiveness. And all that takes courage.
We can teach tolerance in all our workplaces. But only the Kingdom of God made manifest through God’s people in the power of the Holy Spirit can solve the racial divide in our nation right now.
“You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides Him, there is no other.” Clearly this plague is a wake-up call for our world. God has either sent it or allowed it to come so that this world might wake up to the reality of who He.
In the middle of the uncertainty, we have been living in the past days. The Word of God brings comfort and peace.
We cannot lean on our experience, our past victories, or our knowledge of the landscape if we are going to be successful for the Lord in the future. We must learn to lean on Him in faith instead.
Jesus said that Peter was able to make that confession because it had been revealed to him by the Father. This challenges us with a powerful truth: Facts are not enough! Tradition is not enough! What others tell us about Christ is not enough! We must have a revelation from God.
If you read 1 and 2 Samuel you’ll see that the battle with Goliath was the turning point for David as a warrior and Israel as a nation. Israel slowly gained more and more of the upper hand and David became more and more powerful as Israel’s leader. The Giants must fall because we want a better future for our friends and family. They have to fall because they oppose the expansion of God’s Kingdom. They must fall because our victories can be the fuse that ignites the victories of generations to come. Are you willing to stand and fight not only for your well-being but for the benefit of all those who will come behind you?
David wasn’t Saul. He wasn’t a warrior and he didn’t wear armor. But his unique skill set was what God used to defeat Goliath. If we desire to be used by God like David was we must learn to embrace our uniqueness and submit it to the Lord’s plan for us.
When the challenge of Goliath came Saul was paralyzed to lead. He was so absorbed in himself that fear of loss kept him on the sidelines. What a powerful warning to all of us! It does not matter how we start out in leadership; we can often lose our way. Dependent connection with the Lord is critical to long-term faithfulness and victory as a leader
God’s plan was that Israel conqueror the Promised Land completely. He was raising up David to eventually bring that plan to culmination. But Goliath stood in the way. That’s what giants do. They oppose the move of God among the people of God. But that’s why they must fall! Listen to the message and consider if there are any giants opposing the movement of God among His people in your region.
It is critical to acknowledge God at the beginning of things. But we must continue to acknowledge God throughout those things as well.
God does not follow the patterns of this world and trough Scripture he urge us to not follow them. We can live and extraordinary life following the patterns of God rather than the ones from this world.
During this Message, we learn about 3 different kinds of faiths showed in the Bible that fall in the category of questionable. Many times we found ourselves having that kind of Faith.
In Psalm 107 we are commanded to tell others about the wonderful things that God has done for us. When we have been “redeemed from the hand of the foe” or “gathered from…the east and west, from north and south,” we are to tell others about it. It is critical that we do this so that God might receive all the glory and credit for what He has done for us.
It is clear that the Magi had anticipated finding a young boy being raised in the royal household of the Jews. They had anticipated finding a child of privilege but they found a child of poverty. It must have been stunning for Mary and Joseph be greeted by the Magi in all their splendor. Yet something clicked when they found Jesus. Though He was not what they had anticipated they knew he was indeed the King of the Jews. Something was different about Him.
When we’ve received the present of His presence in our lives, we will share it with others. It’s time to make a plan. How will you share the present of Jesus’ present with someone in your life this Christmas week?
There was no sinister motive behind denying Mary and Joseph a place to stay that night in Bethlehem. It was just how the circumstances came together. But there is one truth we can be certain of: had the homeowners in this story known whom they were turning away they would have made room for Jesus.
Truly Mary was blessed to experience Christ so thoroughly in her life. But never forget, through the power of the Holy Spirit; we also can experience Christ with the same intimacy.
How can you create intentional, lingering, times of connection that are relationship focused rather than object focused or event focused? How can you leverage the activities of the season to accomplish this?
A thankful heart keeps our heart and motives pure and focused on what really matters. Let's learn how to keep the focus on what really matters.
We always have a choice regarding the source of life. We can look to God and receive His provision through faith and obedience or we can seek to meet our need through our own efforts. But Scripture is clear, the provision that comes through our own efforts is a poor substitute for God’s perfect provision.
True freedom from the opinions of others comes from knowing who we are and what we are called to. Paul desired that men view him as a servant of Christ and as a man entrusted with the secret things of God. He desired that because that is how he self-identified. How you define yourself?
John 13:1 reveals the key to Jesus’ ability to step down and serve His disciples. He knew who He was. He knew God’s call on His life. And He was secure in those things. That security created a bedrock for Him to stand on and ultimately serve from. Have you taken the time to search the Scriptures and seek the Lord in prayer so that you can root your identity in who He says you are?
Are you willing to receive from Him less than your dreams if that is His plan? John was willing to. His faithfulness to the Lord led to the slow decline of his ministry and then the loss of his life. But he humbly received it. Can we follow his example?
Many of us feel waiting like a waste of time but when we are waiting on God thats not a waste of time. God will be working in us and through us! What to do while we wait on the Lord's answer?
Humility starts with a mindset. It is choosing to reject the siren call of our culture that encourages you to exalt yourself in every possible context. The Spirit through the Scriptures calls us to Step Down. Step down from our position so that we might serve. Set aside our rights so that we might become vulnerable. Celebrate our weaknesses so that we might revel in the strength of Christ.
If we seek to be the convicter of those around us we will end up pushing them away through condemnation and bitterness. Not only that, but if we seek to be the Savior of anyone around us we will end up enabling their sin; not seeing them delivered from it. However, when we are empowered by the Holy Spirt to be a tool in His hands to convict others it will lead to genuine conviction and repentance.
Jesus promises His followers that the Advocate will teach them all things and will remind them of everything He had said to them. This is incredibly important to our faith in the Word of God and our ability to hear from God now.
Revelation, Rest, Yoke. What this words have in common? Let's listen to this encouraging message and allow God's Word to transform our perspective.
Jesus told His followers that whoever believes in Him would be doing the works He was doing and would do even greater things than He had been doing because He was soon going to the Father. In other words, Jesus desired that we would model His life and ministry. Just as He looked to the Father, Christ desired that we would look to Him. As the Father revealed Himself to Christ; Christ desires to reveal Himself to us.
The enemy is in the business of tempting us to doubt God’s goodness. If we begin to doubt God’s goodness then our trust in Him begins to erode. That is why we must fight with every fiber of our being to affirm God’s goodness no matter what is happening around us. Trust in His goodness is the bedrock on which we stand.
It takes humility to go to the Lord every day to receive spiritual provision. It is an admission that your resources are not enough and that you are not the source of every good thing in your life. We are a self-centered people living in a self-centered culture. A daily dose of humility is critical to living out the call of God on our lives.
One of the often-overlooked aspects of Christ’s relationship with the Father is His efforts to be alone with Him. Christ was constantly surrounded by crowds, disciples, and admirers. As a result, He worked hard to find time to get away by Himself and be in His Father’s presence. This is one practice of Jesus’ that is critical to imitate if we would truly know the Father personally.
The two greatest treasures for any Christian are: First, we are always with Him. Second, everything He has is ours. And in that order. Let's go deeper into this great truth.
We are new creations and our lives have been given meaning and purpose. There is no greater treasure. But the key to truly valuing what we have been given is not to focus on the treasure itself; but to realize how much we ourselves have been treasured by God.
We must never lose sight of one idea....all our efforts to know Him are preceded by His knowledge of us!
Serving the Lord is a vital aspect to any thriving relationship with Jesus Christ. There is something about serving Him that endears us to Him and causes our passion for Him to flourish. At the same time, serving Him can become a subtle substitute for knowing Him. Let's find what's God's opinion about this.
The best way to grow in our understanding of the Word is by reading the Word; not reading about the Word.
The accuracy of your perception of Jesus will always be tied to the depth of your relationship with Him. The closer you are to Him the more clearly you’ll see Him.
There is no way to argue that one of the main things that allowed the momentum of God’s movement to continue in the early church was godly men moving from the sideline to the frontline. Take an honest inventory of your approach to Church. Is it primarily a place for you to be entertained, served, or spiritually fed? Or has it become a place to live out your faith in service to the Lord and others?
Many times we get accustomed to God's Word and we forget about its POWER and how essential it is for our lives. Let's hear Dr. Hayes message and Tremble before God's Word.
Go to the Lord and pray to Him in your secret place away from others. Ask Him to teach you truth in your inmost parts and don’t settle for someone’s second hand truth. Sit at the feet of healthy teachers and leaders but refuse to be dependent on them. Ask hard questions and refuse to settle for easy answers. And above all, keep Christ the center of all you do. He is the greatest teacher, the greatest leader, and the greatest mentor of all.
When we know The Way God has for us but we don’t know how to get there it is critical that we continue to press into Him and listen to what He is saying to us.
We can prepare for a way or we can be prepared by The Way. The Lord knows our circumstances completely. He also knows His perfect plan. He is going to be faithful to align those two if we will seek after Him, listen to His instruction, and be obedient.
The Canaanite Woman was out of options when she came to Jesus. Being out of options is an incredibly scary place to be. It lays bare our inadequacies and assaults our hope. But being out of options can push us towards Jesus. Sometimes our pride, our experience, or our education can keep Jesus on the sidelines. But when all our other options are taken from us it opens our hearts and minds to what only He can do.
Because he had taken time to hear from the Lord, John the Baptist understood his role and he was faithful with it. What are you doing to position yourself to hear from the Lord?
6 different times the Book of Acts calls the religion of the early Christians “The Way”. Why? How does it apply to us?
It’s the resurrection that allowed Christ to make it right with Peter. How does that apply to us today? Let's hear this message of hope and prepare our harts to make it right with God.
We need Christ’s authority over all things if we are going to bring His Kingdom to this earth. Our strength and power are not enough! Only His authority is enough! and it is available for us today.
- You were crucified with Christ.
- You were buried with Christ.
- You have been resurrected with Christ.
- You are seated with Christ.
Have you ever considered that disobedience is about control? Think about it: the all-knowing God of all creation who loves us completely commands us to do something. That seems like the most desirable thing to do in all creation! So why don’t we do it? Control. Let's hear this powerful and life changing message.
How long, Lord? Perhaps this is also your prayer. Lets hear this message and learn how God has been answering this same question over the years.
Studying the Word of God so that we can know the Word of God must never be the goal! We study the Word of God so that we can know the God of the Word!
The decision to stand consistently in the council of the Lord begins with a firm belief that His thoughts and His ways are better than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us of this. Unfortunately, it often takes us some hard failures to realize that we don’t have all the answers.
Fasting shows the Lord, I want YOU more than I want this! and releases a new perspective about God, our life, circumstances etc.
FaithFULLness frees us to serve the best master. Let's see the difference in between serving God or serving money.
The amount in our giving is not the problem, God is concerned about the hearth behind it.Obligation gives to God, faith gives to God first.
Never underestimate the power of a personal invitation. People in our culture are used to being sold products through slick marketing and finding things to be overhyped once they try them. But sharing personal experience really moves the needle because people trust the opinion of people they know and trust. This is why a personal invitation to church is 10 times more effective than any marketing we can do.
Prayer in the Den is not enough to survive the Lions! In our life it is much easier to plan or to work hard to execute something. But pre-prayer allows everything we undertake to be bathed in God’s power before we ever seek to bring it into being. Carve out the time for pre-prayer for every opportunity before you. You’ll be shocked at how many things fall into place without your efforts when you do.
Your ability to endure the furnace is proportional to your intimacy with the Lord.This is because He is the one who will be with you in the furnace. Those who know Him best trust Him the most. Only those who trust Him will follow Him into the furnace but remember surviving the furnace is not the goal; Jesus is the goal.
Daniel “resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine”. If we are going to have a New Year’s Revolution this year you’ll have to resolve to not be defiled with the royal food of this world.
The take away challenge as we look to 2019 is this: We have no idea what circumstances we will find ourselves in in the coming year. Perhaps it will be the greatest year of your life. Maybe the hardest. Regardless, you have the ability to set the tone in whatever environment you find yourself. You can set the tone for your walk with Christ, for your family, for your children, for your church and for your community.
The path to powerful faith is painful faith. There is no easy road to powerful faith. Paul was knocked off his donkey and blinded on the Damascus Road. Peter sank in the water and heard the rooster crow after his denial of Jesus. David wandered Israel’s wilderness for 30 years before he became King. We all want powerful faith. But are you willing to pay the price to have it? Are you willing to let the Sword of the Word pierce your soul too? I pray our answer will be “yes” today.
Let's meditate on Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s message. Let's be astounded at the amount of faith required to believe that she would become pregnant in a way that no other person in history ever had! Think about how hard it would have been to trust God in this instance given the lack of evidence to stand on. Let her Forward Faith in God bolster your own.
When we hear “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." into our minds comes the picture of Christmas. But let's see what meant to the original receivers of this prophecy and we will understand better the implications this has for our lives today.
From the stump of Jesse new life springs. This is the story of Christmas.And we need to hear this story again. We need it because our lives are full of stumps. God always does His best work on dead things! Why? Because only dead things need resurrection power!
Most of us spend these days hustling from store to store and website to website to find the best possible deals for all our Christmas needs. But how can we make sure that in all our acquiring that Christ comes before all things? How are we going to personally stay focused on Christ and how are we going to keep our family focused on Him?
Knowing our position in Christ will affect the way we face this life. Lets hear this message and find the great places he have seated us in.
God the Father sets the seal. Only the Father can break the seal. The Holy Spirit guarantees what He is sealing. And the Holy Spirit IS the seal.
Great encouraging message. Let's listen to it.
In Roman culture, the culture where the New Testament was written, adoption was irreversible. Those adopted into a family had more legal standing than actual blood born children. Understanding the Roman adoption system will help us to understand how God sees us as adopted children.
Before you were ever born, God looked down through the years of history forward and saw you. And because of His perfect plan and complete understanding He decided you should be saved. All the work of your salvation proceeded you. If that’s true then you can rest assured that your salvation is not dependent on you but on His grace; from start to finish.
Desiring what we lack rather than delighting in what we have is one of our greatest problems as a human beings. Coveting comes naturally but contentment must be learned. Let's allow The Scripture to teach us how to be content.
Many times we are lying without realizing it. Let's be challenged with this great message and become a persons of truth in every area of our life.
Christian Adoption Services is non-profit agency that is committed to connecting vulnerable children with a Christian family. His president Kevin Qualls shared with us a great message explaining what means being adopted in to the Kindom of God. Let's listen to it!
When we learn to give thanks “in” every circumstance; we may one day find ourselves in a place where we can give thanks “for” every circumstance. Let's learn how to develop a thankful heart.
There is ways we steal but we don't want to think about it like stealing. Let the Holy Spirit convict you and even better to show you the way to overcome this miss-conduct.
Physical adultery and marital unfaithfulness is no longer the rare case in society or in the church. And considering the easy access to sexual content that our technologies have brought us mental adultery is exploding all around us. What is the solution to this problem? Let Scripture speak into our lives through this powerful message.
Matthew 5:21-26 It is Christ’s teaching on murder ultimately being a heart issue and not just centered on our actions. He makes the bold claim that to be angry with our brother to the point that the only thing keeping us from killing them is fear of the repercussions is to murder them in God’s eyes all the same. Sit before the Holy Spirit. Let Him put His finger on any anger issues that you might be dealing with.
It should challenge us that the command to honor our parents is so vague. If it was more specific we might settle for doing only the bare minimum to fulfill the God’s command. But the challenge to honor our parents brings in a wide range of responsibilities placed on us. Let's learn about them.
Taking the Lord’s name in vain is so much more than whether or not you attach it to a cuss word or use it as a slang term. When we call ourselves His followers and we live lives that are no different than the people of the world, we empty His name of its power. This is ultimately what it means to take the Lord’s name in vain.
Every time the Lord creates a rhythm for His people to practice in Scripture it is so that they can constantly be reminded of some truth. When it comes to the Sabbath, What does the command to rest teach us as a Christ followers in our ultra-busy world? Are you challenged that you might not really believe that God can sustain the things around you if you rest?
Hear, obey and submit to the Lord is key to live in His rest. Be challenged to enjoy the rest and peace that is coming just from Him.
The dethroning of an idol is a long process that takes a willingness to fight it over the long haul. This message will be a helpful guide in the process of dethroning idols.
Contentment is the key to freedom from idolatry. Contentment leads to coveting. Coveting causes us to seek out that which we feel we are lacking. That seeking motivates us to make idols out of the good things God has brought into our world. Just as Aaron used the gold that God had given the Israelites to make the golden calf, we use the good gifts of God to make idols to meet our wants and needs.
Our heart determines our worship. Our worship either prevents or creates idolatry in our hearts. The heart is always the key.
On the surface, this can seem like the easiest of the Ten Commandments to obey, but our God is not always the God we profess with our mouths but the God that is honored in our actions.
One of the hardest things to overcome as followers of Christ is how our perception of our earthly father has shaped our perception of our Heavenly Father. Let's allow the Scripture to shape our perception about God as a Father.
If God Knows and God Rules, Why Do We Pray? Is non uncommon question. Through this message we explore 4 great answers to that.
When we focus on getting what we want in prayer we’ll eventually mix up our desires with His. But center your prayers on your relationship with Jesus and you’ll never go wrong.
Praying in Jesus's name communicates to the Father that in everything we ask, we only desire that He do the things that are going to bring Jesus pleasure and fulfill His plan.
Paul recruited Lydia to solve an issue within the church at Philippi. He saw her skill sets, knew her influence, and listened to the Lord. Are you keeping your eyes open for the specific assignments that the Lord might have for you? There is no greater joy than figuring out that unique place that God has created for you and then beginning to operate in it.
It’s so easy to do. Our prayers can become focused on what we want, what we need, and what is affecting us. So how do we avoid being self-centered and self-focused in our prayers?
Be challenged to live lead by the Holy Spirit. He shouldn't be just #1 in your priority list but He should be everything in your life.
-Just a thought…..when you sin….do you pursue forgiveness or restoration? I think that for many of us we are satisfied with being forgiven but do not pursue anything beyond that.But God's purpose is restoration. Let's see the life of Peter and let's discover how the restoration takes place.
You will never have an educated faith until you’ve experienced doubt. Doubt makes us ask hard questions and keeps us from being satisfied with easy answers. Doubt drives us to our knees and to the Word. Doubt didn’t push Thomas away from Christ or the other disciples; it moved him to the place where all his doubts would be answered through an encounter with Christ.
The disciples who walked with Jesus for 3 years didn't understand the resurrection right away. If they experienced this kind of confusion about what He was doing then be encouraged if you’re feeling the same. When the Lord is ready He brings clarity. His timing is perfect. Choose to walk with Him through your confusion trusting that clarity is coming. And trust that He is with you every step of the way until it comes!
Just as the snake had to be lifted up for Israel to be healed; Jesus had to be lifted up for us to be healed. Encouraging message on Easter Sunday. Let's see Jesus and receive the healing from our sinful life.
Passion Week was a trying time for everyone involved in the story. We talked about the crowds that turned on Jesus because their knowledge of Him could not sustain their misunderstanding of Him. But don’t forget that the majority of Christ’s closest followers also struggled with their misunderstanding of Him. What about you? Who is Jesus for you?
Triple A batteries bring power to our technology; but Triple A worship brings power to our lives! Anytime, Anyplace, Anyone can worship. Listen to this life changing message.
Triple A worship is the idea that Anyone, Anytime, and Anywhere can worship God. Let's notice how specific Paul gets in these last few verses of Colossians Chapter 3. We have no greater opportunity to worship God consistently than within the roles we have been placed in life.
We'll unpack that a little more over the next few weeks as we plumb the depths of worship but for now, realize that you can worship the Lord in millions of different ways. It all starts with the commitment we talked about in this message: "If creation is worshipping God all around us; SO WILL I!"
If your worship could be measured only by what you do outside of the Sunday morning service, how strong would your worship be? Worship is key to Spiritual Warfare if we are weak in worship we will be easy prey for our enemy. Listen to this message and learn how to apply worship into your daily battles.
Prayer is key for the spiritual battle. Look at the prayer that is described in Ephesians 6:13-18. Does rhythmic, specific, Spirit-Guided, and Varied describe your prayer life? What steps can you take to develop your prayer life along these lines?
The starting point for spiritual warfare has to be a deep realization that Christ Himself is the greatest warrior and that He goes out to battle before us. Listen to this challenging message and be encouraged to step in into the battle.
We need to know who our enemy is and how dangerous he can be but we can't live in fear of him. Our hope in teaching this sermon would be that through it we can all find that middle ground. Perhaps the most important part of this passage is the realization that the people of God were able to overcome Satan in his all his attacks. They did it by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
There are no major and minor roles in the Kingdom of God. We often view ministry from a worldly point of view.But God doesn't view His work like that. Every person who steps up in obedience to Him is equally important to Him and equally important to the work in His eyes. Listen to this message and be encourage to embrace God's plan for your life.
Every person called to be part of the body of Christ has a purpuseful part on it. Lets discover how we are gifts to body and embrace our role to God's glory.
Getting engaged is not just about you. Your engagement with the Lord has profound effects on all those around you. Take the focus off yourself, put it on what God is wanting to do in His world and in the lives of others this year.
The Magi made tremendous sacrifices to engage in what the Lord was doing. What will you be willing to sacrifice this year so that you may be a part of something great?
There are places that need Christ and God wants to bring Christ there through you. Will you allow Him to birth Christ into those places through you?
So as we think about the birth of Christ and the gift that He is to us, we need to make sure that we understand what we are committing to. We all want the benefits that Christ brings to us but we aren’t always committed to sacrifice that is demanded with the gift. Let’s look at a total picture of Christ so that we know what we are signing up for when we receive the gift of Christ into our lives.
The key to being right in the center of what God is doing in His world is being filled by the Spirit and being led by the Spirit; just like Simeon. Great Christmas message to inspire us to worship no matter the circumstances.
Just as the amazing news of Jesus’ birth motivated the shepherds who found Him to tell everyone they encountered, we have the chance to share the good news of Christ with all the Lord brings our way. Will we be faithful to tell them?
Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were filled with the Holy Spirit during the events of the story we talk about in this message. In both instances, they led to praise the Lord and bless Him for all He was doing in their midst.We can have the same joyful experience Elizabeth and Zechariah had when we choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit each and every day. Listen to the message and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with His Joy!
Consider what it would have been like to live in Old Testament times and little to no real access to God. Allow that to propel you into a time of worship welling up from your gratitude for what you have now.
Think about what it would be like to be falsely accused because of your faith. Imagine being separated from your friends and family because of the Gospel. Allow these images to fuel your gratitude for the freedom you have to worship the Lord without fear of reprisal. Challenging Message for every christian who enjoys the freedom to live his/her faith without persecution.
Everyone desires a healthy church but a healthy church requires healthy leadership. Healthy leadership only happens when Godly people sacrifice and step up to lead. Listen to this encouraging message.
King Solomon was given wisdom to beyond any man in history and the wealth to match it. He had unlimited resources at his disposal. Through his teaching we can learn what are the finer things in life.
Jesus invites us to a daily encounter with Him, so we may reflect Jesus to all the generations. Great message from our Youth Director Sabdiel Reyes.
The Reformation finds its origins in making the Bible the main source of authority. Pastor Matt invites us to evaluate our source of authority and place it in the Word of God.
We are about to celebrate 500 years of the Reformation and at the heart of the Reformation was re-discovering God's Grace. In this message we will recall the history and power displayed during this great move of God.
You’d be surprised at how much revelation the Lord will give you if you choose to slow down and think deeply on His Word. Today's message invite us to go deeper in our relationship with God by meditating His Word.
Solitude was key in Jesus' life and also it is for us today but, you’ll never find time for solitude without being intentional about it. Let's listen to this compelling sermon and grow in this importan habit in our lives.
Bearing the yoke of Christ is both an initial decision and a daily choice. Let's learn about the meaning of this yoke in our christian life.
Don’t rush into a fast. Make it a well thought out, intentional act of worship. Listen to this encouraging message and renew your approach to fasting.
The key to navigating the difficulties of life is to cultivate our relationship with Jesus. The more we know Him the more we will know His character. The more we know His character, the more we will trust Him. The more we trust Him the more we will submit to His process of transforming us into the likeness of Jesus.
We are usually looking for the Lord to answer with action but He also wants to answer with words. Listening prayer is not a popular activity but is vital for our christian growth.
As Christians, baptism is the first eager step of obedience. Let's find great truths about it in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian.
Fear is rooted in the idea of a twisted view that does not necessarily represent reality. Fear finds its match when challenged by the truth embodied in Jesus Christ. As challenging as it may be to overcome fear, it must be evicted by our believe in the truth that sets us free.
As a child entrusts his father, so is God inviting us to trust Him. Faith is an act of love onto the Lord. He´s eagerly waiting for us to step out in faith and live the Christian life.
We need to be generous with our positions, our actions and our attitudes, but generosity isn't giving to someone who can give back to us, but giving to the least deserving and those who are least able to do anything in exchange for our generosity.
When we don't forgive we put ourselves in a prison, we think we are punishing someone else but we are the ones suffering the most.
- The best way to find spiritual sons and daughters is to bring them to the Lord.
- Our spiritual responsibility extends beyond their initial faith decision.
- Inviting others to ‘father’ alongside you requires great humility.
- ‘Fathering’ alongside others requires a great sacrifice.
- Healthy men and Healthy disciples are hand-crafted, not mass produced.
- They are going to become what you are, whatever that is.
Our giftings are worthless if anything drives them but love. Our love is measured by how we respond to others. Love is the only aspect of our relationship with the Lord that will never change. Loving well is the solution to all our problems. Gratitude is the key to loving others well.
There is a double edged sword to focusing on ourselves. We sometimes think less of ourselves because we see the giftedness of others in the Body. Other times, we think more of ourselves because we seem more gifted on the surface than others. But pride lies at the root of both. Freedom comes in repenting of our pride and allowing the Lord to create a healthy view of who we are in Him.
Lisa Giocondi shares her testimony regarding the Lord's faithfulness in the midst of all their suffering.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to His people so that the Body of Christ might be built up and so that the Kingdom may be built.
The cross was not God's first expression of love to His creation. Throughout the Old Testament, we see pictures of God's love displayed on the cross, even as far back as the Garden of Eden.
When we enter the adventure of giving we step into a cycle of spiritual and physical prosperity that can only be experienced, never explained.
If God could restore a clean heart to David after he committed adultery and murder then He can restore a clean heart to you.
The Lord desires to sow the Word into our heats but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things come in an choke the Word making it unfruitful.
We must make the decision to set our heart to honor the Lord before temptation comes if we are to know victory and freedom from sin.
When the Bible speaks of our "heart" it is speaking of the combination of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Christ desires to be the King of our Hearts.
Because Christ is the Prince of Peace we are able to choose peace in our daily lives no matter what the circumstances around us appear to be.
Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that He came to give us the best possible life in which we are fully alive in Him! This is the year you can Thrive!
If Bethlehem knew who needed to space that night, everyone would have made room for Him. If we knew the God who wants to have relationship with us we'd make room too.
The Magi were the most unlikely worshipers of all the Christmas story, but they brought the right kind of worship. May our hearts be like theirs.
The shepherds were outsiders to their culture yet they were the first to hear the news of Jesus' coming on the night He was born. You may feel like an outsider to the church but you're not an outsider to Jesus.
Elizabeth and Zachariah found God in the midst of their bareness. He is also present in our times of bareness. We must learn to lean on Him and trust Him through our difficulties.
The religious leaders of the day missed the birth of the Messiah because they weren't looking. We must make sure we don't get lost in all the business of the season and miss Him too.
When God began to move in Israel, Samuel set up an Ebenezer to mark God's work. We must learn to do the same.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must be on the front lines of honoring our law enforcement as well as seeking justice for those under their authority.
The Gospel is the hammer that can destroy the cultural walls that divide us; but we have to be willing to swing it.
Micah 6:8 calls us to be people who embrace three postures: justice, mercy, and humility. We will only be able to engage the problems of this world when we approach it through these postures.
In light of the racial tension and injustice in our country today, we begin our series on a Biblical view of justice and reconciliation.