Belong Church: Recent Episodes
Pastor Kevin Behrens
“Wait” is not anyone’s favorite word! Yet we all too often find ourselves in the position to wait - waiting on God for an answer can be a place of power AN ACTION WORD!
Everyone has had trying days when it seems like everything that can go wrong, DOES! Today, we look at little spoken about story of just such circumstances and the pressures faced.
One thing everyone has in common is struggles... or storms! But as we see in today's message, one storm that we can physically experience can turn into three.
Faith… is a seed that must be planted… faith without works is dead… It is how the men and women of God that have walked before us gained approval and their stories testify and encourage us... It is how we become persuaded... convinced..
There are many words that mostly have a "religious" connotation and aren't explained well -- resulting in misconceptions and then loses the power to change our life!
Athletes train with weights to prepare for the main event, often with them around their feet so that on the day of the race, they can "cast them off" and run faster. We see today, that scripture encourages us to cast off weights and run our race!
We all have found ourselves in a place where we need help. Like the old TV commercial, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" We see a parable told by Jesus of just this situation.
A couple of weeks ago, we looked at "CHANGE" and often we can look at others and think we know what is going on... presume that this is "rock bottom" or nowhere but up from here...
Today, we celebrate five years as a church! We look at the two foundational scriptures and how they impact all of us.
This week we have an awesome message from Pastor Chris and Church of the Highlands... Unity and Becoming One!
One thing everyone has in common - it has been said, the only constant in life... Often, we face it with uncertainty and feel uncomfortable ... but God is with us ... in CHANGE!
There is POWER in the NAME of Jesus! It is more than a tag line at the end of our prayer, we look in depth into the names and attributes of the Name that is above every name.
Most people know of "the Lord's Prayer" and many can even quote it. It is the only recorded time that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something, and as we are in 21 Days of Prayer, it is enlightening to dig deep into the prayer modeled by Jesus!
It is easy to "GIVE UP" when you can't see God working. Prayers seemingly unanswered, situations worsening and you just get tired of doing "the right thing!"
One thing common to all of us is difficulty and temptation - We look at the life of Daniel and see how he dealt with extreme difficulty.
We see that KINDNESS is what God uses to lead us to a change in our life. It is also one of the challenges we have to be like Him...
It has been said… we are to be "Jesus with skin on…" What does that look like? It should be a representation that we model... making people and God comfortable...
One of the most life-changing potentials we have occurs when we understand Who God is and His plan for our life!
Circumstances in life can often leave us feeling surrounded in fact, that there is NO WAY OUT... But we see that when God is on our side, who can be against us.
We are blessed and honored to have Pastor Kevin's wife, Lenore, bring a Father's Day message... ENJOY!
Today, we are privileged to have another of the Overseers, Pastor Joe Cadena. He is the Senior Pastor of Centro Vida Nueva in Bradenton, Florida.
We are so very privileged to have Pastor Tad Mathews bring a message to us. He is one of the Overseers of our church, and loves Pastor Kevin, family and Belong Church very much!
Jesus said that not everyone who says, "Lord" will enter the Kingdom, but those who do the WILL of the Father... so we are looking at what that means.
We are privileged to have Pastor Matt Wagner from the Underground Network minister the Word this week, on the Secrets to Success!
God created every single one of us UNIQUE! And He has a plan that ONLY you can accomplish...
Happy Mother's Day! To honor your mother is one of the top priorities from God and demonstrated by Jesus. We take today to see examples from the Bible and honor our Moms!
It is the enemy's primary goal to get us to a most dangerous place... Isolation! Jesus provided a way out for us including this... You and I are not ALL ALONE!
We are wonderfully made... made well in construction, and also made well... in health and healing... God has a plan for each of us and it begins with being made well.
A special message from Pastor Chris Hodges (Church of the Highlands) this week after Easter!
Happy Easter... better accurately put, HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY! Today, we look at WHO HE IS... He is ...
We see 3 Hebrew children convinced that God is able, and trusted Him in their difficult spot, and also Jesus, in His humanity, experienced sadness and loneliness. He came not only to pay for our sins, but to show us how to live.. because GOD IS ABLE!
We began this year with many cheesy slogans about vision. As we continue to face times of difficulty and uncertainty, VISION is even more relevant. Clear vision is only beneficial based upon WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT!
As the entire world is faced with uncertainty, and is predicted to get worse… our “life as we know it” will never be the same. So many can’t work, thousands laid off, and others may not have a place of employment to return. There is so much to validate WORRY – YET, there is a God in Heaven Who loves and is still OUR SOURCE of health, provision, and sanity… THERE IS HOPE!
One of the things we all face as a struggle is the transition between the world we live in, and pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven. We often find ourselves going in circles... but you are not alone! We see that many faced this struggle and we look to overcome... going in circles!
Jesus describes 2 worlds in John 10:10 – one is the earth and world as we know it, filled with death, destruction and our joy, happiness and enjoyment stolen… bad things happening to good people… “BUT I HAVE COME” Jesus said, so that we may have LIFE in the fullest possible way!
When we decide to take the journey of FAITH, we should be advancing and growing! This growth is described in Galatians as the Fruit of the Spirit!
When we decide to take the journey of FAITH, we should be advancing and growing! This growth is described in Galatians as the Fruit of the Spirit!
When we decide to take the journey of FAITH, we should be advancing and growing! This growth is described in Galatians as the Fruit of the Spirit!
When we decide to take the journey of FAITH, we should be advancing and growing! This growth is described in Galatians as the Fruit of the Spirit!
As we advance another year, many focus on resolutions, desires and purpose for change. When we make a decision to follow Christ, we should also become more like Him… that His Kingdom is being exemplified in us. The desired fruit of our becoming more Christ-like, is also described as the Fruit of the Spirit!
As we enter into a New Year and New Decade, we have to put the past behind and focus on what is ahead! Coupled with the beginning of 21 Days of Prayer, we are starting off choosing to take every opportunity.
As we stand on the threshold of another calendar year, we look at how time counted down to Christ's birth, and since has been advancing.
We are progressing day into week, week into month, and month into year. Setting goals is a part of a new year, and the key to making a difference... that next year advances beyond this year!
The story of Christmas is one that most people know or have an idea about. Popular songs celebrate this season, and one even asks Mary, "Did you know?"
While we sing "Joy To The World" as an upbeat Christmas carol, we see that it turned Mary's life inside out, and upside down!
God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has great plans for us! We look at the progression between a dream to a goal, steps to a plan, and action to success!
God is NOT MOVED by NEED! This is often difficult to understand within our human understanding. As we look at leaving a LEGACY, we see that everything God desires to get TO us requires something FROM us!
Giving is about YOU, NOT the church! It is the instrument designed by God to meet our needs!
Legacy is the common thread throughout the Bible. It begins with God's promises to our forefathers and their covenants with Him!
We continue to leave a legacy, WHO we are... HOW we changed (or not) the world around us!
John 17 reveals the longest recorded prayer of Jesus... He prayed the same request 5 times, and is the only prayer yet unanswered!
Philippians 1:6 tells us that God, Who began a good work, will complete it... Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a great plan for our life.
God's plans are His work in our life, but it requires our surrender... I cannot "do" life by whatever I think, I must seek Him.
Jesus' mother, Mary, put a demand on Jesus even before His ministry time was released... His first recorded miracle! She ignored His objection, and told the servants, "do whatever He tells you..."
We know that God desires us to ASK... We can, and He desires us to, pray and put a DEMAND on His anointing!
John 1:1 and Gen 1 start with "In the beginning..." they continue to describe creation. In John, we see that Jesus was the WORD... In Genesis, we see the God spoke.. "and it was so!"
What did God speak? the WORD!
A famous story found in the book of Luke is the parable of Jesus describing the "Good Samaritan" in which we see many qualtities to ascribe to. Mercy is evident and we see kindness, in the book of Romans, we see that it is God's kindness and love that leads us to a change.
As we read through the gospel of Luke, we find Jesus paints a picture and describes "WHAT" the Kingdom of God is all about. Reading through context, we find continuity in His description of "HOW" we are to not merely "hearing" but becoming "Christ Followers!"
Jesus was sent by our loving Father in Heaven with purpose even beyond the ultimate gift of paying for our sins. In Luke 4, we see that Jesus had a mission statement, a mandate directing Him and validating Him!
The word "faith" is often seen in the Bible... have faith... seeing their faith... now faith... We look at examples and the root meaning on the word and applying to our life.
We look at the evangelism heart and the journey that has been our experience to date, and the experience of 2 women in the Bible. As we celebrate 4 years as a church, we celebrate every life that has experienced change from God and "look what THE LORD has done!"
We all face schemes from the enemy, but we need to be wise in dealing with them. We all have days and situations where we seem to be at a "low point" described by the psalmist as the "valley" and even death seems to overshadow everything around us.
But with a relationship with God, He is right there with us!
Jesus said of the parable in Mark 4, if you don't understand this, how can you understand any of the others or the Kingdom of God?
The parable of the sower, seed and soil reveals even more of the progression of change that we experience.
All of life surrounds seed, time and harvest. Jesus said that if we don't understand this parable, how can you understand all of the others and how the Kingdom of Heaven works.
There are many words associated with religion, and one of the most skewed connotation is the word, sin. Literally means, "to miss the mark" and encompasses all our failures as humans, sums up lack of discipline, and so much more.
The Bible says that we all, everyone, SIN and fall short of the Glory of God. In fact, we first see it in Gen 4:7, and the instruction to subdue it and be its master.
Top questions that are most asked are: how to hear from God, direction for my life, or how to know what to do... Our default is to "go it" alone, or by what "I THINK" and we end up missing it.
The Bible says, God has all the chapters of our life written… The plans that HE HAS for us, LIFE TO THE FULL! But it REQUIRES US… to HEAR… to LISTEN…
The power of God is often associated with an highly esteemed individual, but it is not, or even in a group. God wants to be released into everyday situations everyday, and He chose to use everyone of us... not superstars!
As we begin a season of reading one of the Gospels as many times as possible in the next four (4) months, we lay down context of what was in the "silent years" between the book of Malachi and the New Testament. We also look at John the Baptist and Jesus
We are all on the quest of living life, and we often speak of it. Phil 3:10 starts with "that I may KNOW HIM" - KNOWING GOD is the beginning and a continual process!
Last week we looked at how it is NOT What, Who or How you think... that there is an enemy who is seeking someone to "take out." This week continues with that theme as we look at how the enemy lays out traps and tries to trip us up!
We often use terminology that everyone doesn't understand. Each week in the prayer Pastor Kevin often uses the phrase, "I surrender my life..." and this week we look into the meaning.
Unfortunately, the "L" word that is most associated with God and church is legalism... but Jesus came to show us what true love, unrestrained love looks like... and to experience it, then give it!
A popular lesson in Kid's Church, Sunday School and illustrations are that we are "precious in His sight" and it a great, warm and fuzzy feeling. But sometimes, we miss seeing the preciousness of others...
Many times TODAY looks like yesterday, and there is NO HOPE for tomorrow to be different. We may feel stuck, scared or maybe even paralyzed walking through the darkest of valleys... but God is here to give us hope. Ps 25:3 shows us that no one who hopes in (the Lord) will ever be put to shame!
Today is about people with PASTS and PAST REGRETS... which includes... pretty much all of us... God desires for us to continue and not get eliminated because of "missing it!"
Most people do not realize their potentiality - the seed.. the plans... what God has purposed for us. We see only one piece of a puzzle and can't figure it out... But God sees the whole picture.. our life as a whole and how we are to make a difference!
A most unusual topic - CONCRETE! Comprised of 60% - 75% sand and used everywhere to build impressive road, bridges, buildings... We see that buildings all around are going higher and more impressive... and the parallels with our life in what our building materials are.
Our walk with Christ is sometimes difficult when we can't "see" it.. see how it is going to work out.. yet we are meant to follow and walk by faith!
Mothers are a blessing from God! The most solid foundation that is constant and today we honor Moms...
The example Jesus gave continues to baffle today, in that He loved without judging or classifying. His love transcends social classes, bad choices, deserving and non-deserving. He chose not to "play it safe" knowing that everyone will stand before God one day equal.
Every facet of our life will always have a NEXT STEP... but it always BEGINS with the first step... We look at how personal Jesus describes intimacy!
Good Friday was about Jesus paying the price for humanity's "missing the mark!" BUT Sunday, TODAY, is about LIFE! Jesus came to BRING US LIFE... Newness of Life!
Most churches have guest speakers come in during the year, and while we are not big enough to do so YET, Pastor Kevin wanted to share a great message from Andy Stanley via podcast video. Original can me found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t27SdvAmaLo
John (the Baptist) and Jesus both heralded the same message... "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" - Yet our understanding of this is DRASTICALLY different... we look at the literal meaning and how it applies to us.
Jesus speaks about a life we can have through pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven... in John 10:10 NIV, He describes it as "Life to the FULL!" There are many ingredients and today we look at LISTENING!
Jesus speaks of a different life than normal, one that is escribed as "life to the FULL!" in John 10:10 NIV - We see the ingredient of Worship and how it changes the atmosphere and breaks yokes!
Part of living life to the FULL, is living life with others, we are #BetterTogether - there is danger in living life alone!
In end of the Bible, there is a description of how people overcame the enemy... it has 2 parts, the work of Christ and the testimony of those who have "gone through" issues. It is an integral part of living life to the FULL!
We continue looking at the ingredients of living life to the FULL as depicted by Jesus in John 10:10 (NIV) with part two - FAITH!
There are ingredients in our "Living Life to the FULL" as described by Jesus in John 10:10 (NIV) and today we look at FAITH!
As we look at the ingredients for living life to the FULL as Jesus talks about, we look today at NOT GIVING UP! ENDURANCE!!
We continue in the series - Ingredients! Like baking, our lives have ingredients that are necessary to experience the "life to the FULL" that Jesus described in John 10:10 (NIV) and this week we look at the Word of God!
There are ingredients for baking a cake and if you mistakenly miss one or have the wrong amounts... you can tell! The same is with our life, in order to have the "life to the full" that Jesus describes, there are ingredients that we need... today we look at PRAYER!
There is a war! An UNSEEN war... As we finish up 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, we look at the power of intercession and the authority that Jesus gave the disciples and us.
It is God Who is at work in YOUR LIFE! The Bible shows us that we are HIS workmanship, and He Who began the good work is faithful to complete it.. Even when we make different choices, God is always there with a way out!
We all make mistakes, cause someone else hurt and we have all been hurt by someone. There are 3 simple, but VERY POWERFUL words which change everything for both parties involved...
As we start a new year, most everyone has resolutions or goals. With a new season is new opportunity, but opportunity must be met... We all have repetition in our lives, but we can direct our future by what we choose to repeat.
As we stand on the THRESHOLD of 2019... we have to leave 2018 behind us, and we see that we need faith for 2019... Faith that comes by the Word of God!
God's gift to us was in the form of the baby Jesus... Who was born, grew in knowledge and stature, then stepped into His destiny... God chose to use PROCESS... He is God of the Process...
Have you ever had something that didn't work out like you thought or prayed that it would? Ever wonder where God was in the midst? How it would have been different... if only ______!
Pastor Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands shares a message on being a sample of the love of God to those around us.
The Bible instructs us to GIVE and we PURPOSE, or DECIDE! Often people have been manipulated or compelled and as a result the church has received a bad connotation when it comes to giving. Today, we look at what the Bible truly says and how it ULTIMATELY ABOUT YOU!
As we approach Thanksgiving, we are looking at being FULL of thanks... or thankFULL! This week we look at the mercies of God and how they are provisioned beyond what we could ever use and renew every morning!
As we enter in the season of Thanksgiving, let us be challenged to seek out things to be FULL of thanks... or thankFULL!
Continuing from last week's message, "it" often looks a particular way, but the truth is different... emotions will lie to us, but what we focus on determines our outlook and direction.
This weekend’s message - Comparison leads to blurred focus and distortion which ends in DISCONTENTMENT!! Discontentment is a tool of the enemy to shift our focus onto our circumstances and then be dissatisfied with "life" in general!
One of the greatest illnesses plaguing the world currently is depression. Pastor Kevin recently heard this message and it resonated that we, the church, need to do a better job understanding depression, mental illnesses and that everyone is vulnerable. This morning we replay a podcast from Church of the Highlands where Pastor Chris Hodges ministers on this topic, depression.
Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens..." we often consider this to mean one thing, but we see that it applies continually to us... Just Come!
As we finish the 3rd week of looking at a parable of Jesus told 3 different ways, we see that Father God sees value where we often don't. In the story of the lost son, Jesus depicts an older brother who thinks his brother deserves what he got!
God created the economy on earth and gold as the premium, but in Heaven it is paving material. The object of greatest value in Heaven is... PEOPLE!
As we celebrate 3 years as a church, we look at the foundation of what we have been called to be... like Jesus! And our founding scripture, John 3:17
You were created to MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Not to live a mundane, boring life... inside you is the full potential planned and mapped out by God, our Father!
We see the hand of God throughout Scripture and today look at the experiences of 2 disciples who were with Jesus.
What happens to us is external, how we handle it is the more important focus. Today we see that Jesus prayed for Peter to go through his upcoming trials and is still praying for us today!
Pastor Chris Hodges delivered a message last week at Church Of The Highlands kicking off 21 Days of Prayer which really spoke to Pastor Kevin. He decided to bring that message to Belong for Day 8 of our 21 Days of Prayer... enjoy!
We all miss the mark and today we see how that relates in scripture and the teachings of Jesus!
Prov 3:5-6 is a familiar scripture to many... But the beginning of verse 6 has a secret to experiencing a "smooth" life...
It is great that the Bible doesn't hide the weakness and failures of people. We see that the disciples didn't "get it" even after seeing all the great miracles of Jesus. We can be encouraged even when we don't understand!
As we turn our attention to celebrate our nations freedom, we see parallels in the freedom purchased by Christ for us!
Reminder - prophecy given by Dr. Mike Maiden at Church On The Rock - Palmetto's 30 Yr Anniversary service after we announced that we would plant a church in Dallas. Launched as Church On The Rock - Dallas, re-branded as BELONG CHURCH on June 17, 2018!
Accepting Christ is private and between you and Him... The NEXT STEP in following Christ is Baptism which is the public declaration of your faith.
The heart of Father God is people... the one who left the 99... the one who feels abandoned, all alone, and without hope. Today, on Father's Day, we honor dads and Father God as we look at the heart of God and each ONE is valued and important...
Paul and Silas were on their way to pray... Sometimes, we find ourselves in bad situations when we are doing what is right and good. We look at how our perspective changes everything for us and even people around us that we don't know.
PERCEPTION is the EMOTION of the wrong being done to you, PERSPECTIVE is the DECISION you make while being wronged! Your PERSPECTIVE is swayed and kept by your FOCUS...
Most people will have a "Wilderness Experience" at least once in their life... often it is part of the Spirit leading... We see that Jesus had a great "launch" to His ministry, and then was led into the wilderness where He faced challenges to His ministry and Sonship. We see that the principles apply still today... when we experience the wilderness...
Elijah found himself in the wilderness - once by God's leading the other by running in fear, depression and giving up. God has a plan for our life and "NEXT STEPS" for walking in His will, or a "way out" from our failures.
At some point on our JOURNEY of LIFE, all of us want something to be different! Often, there are barriers to us taking the NEXT STEPS, we look at three areas that can keep us from taking the NEXT STEP with God.
We are all on a JOURNEY... People who want things to CHANGE, HAVE TO take NEXT STEPS! We often reject the path that God has for us because it DOESN'T LOOK LIKE what we think it should!
We all have things that are not as we would wish, but we see that when Jesus asked the man who was ill if he wanted to be "well" there is a deeper meaning, one that translates to today!
We all "make a difference" in the lives of those around us, sometimes good, or times not so much! We spill out WHAT is on the inside, as if we carried a bucket around...
The days following the death, burial and resurrection brought uncertainty for the disciples and Jesus showed up and gave them instructions - Ultimately, the same thing as when He originally called them... "Follow Me!"
The story of Jesus is love... It wasn't the nails that held Jesus to the cross... IT WAS LOVE!
We continue looking at women in the Bible - today we focus on a woman brought out of the shadows who became a prominent figure all the way to the resurrection of Jesus!
The story of Hosea and Gomer is mindblowing... first of that it is even in the Bible. But even though Gomer's Mom destined her to follow in her footsteps of prostitution, God had another plan!
Continuing in our series, we look at WHO do you see in the mirror? Is that person WHO you WANT to be?
Jesus said, "YOU will be MY WITNESSES...EVERYWHERE" We have personal responsibility to share HIS STORY!
David was in the middle of what could seem like a meaningless point in his life, but the lessons he learned built him for his future.
We continue in our series on "Guardrails" - Jesus pointed to the contrast of living by the world standards, and how He came to give us life to the FULL!
We continue with our message series, Guardrails. Our greatest regrets in life could have been avoided if we would have had guardrails, so our regrets can be avoided...
What will make 2018 different? What can we do to hit our targets, miss our targets less...
Most people have things that they would change looking back, if only there was an actual time machine. As we look forward to 2018, God's Word has much to say about how to live!
Jesus was born at a dark time in history... He said that He is the light of the world... Then He tells us to be LIGHT... Let There Be Light!
During a period of great darkness, and angel of God appeared to Mary. She trusted the Word of God and stepped into the process... then Jesus came as a baby.
When we are faced with dark times, discouragement and depression... we need to anchor to the HOPE... that is the baby born FOR US!
During this season of Christmas, we see how God foretold the birth of Jesus and confirmed with Joseph. The angel told him two of the names that He would be called, Jesus and Emmanuel. They have different meanings which still relate to us today!
The Christmas Season certainly makes us think about gifts and gift giving... We look at the gifts that God has given us and how they are for the group of us, and how we all belong and need each other!
When it rains, it usually creates discomfort in our lives... messes up our hair, clothes get wet, can be cold and miserable...
We look at the umbrella and how it protects us from the elements of rain and sunshine, in respect to the parallels with God's protection
As we enter this holiday season, we look at the 4th part of our purpose, "Make A Difference!" This season of giving is also a season in our church to create Legacy...
We continue to look at the core values we have - this week we look at the direction God gave Moses with the millions He had just delivered and gave instructions how to live. Then how Jesus revealed the heart of God, not in rules but based in love.
We have a choice in life... React or Respond! React is a natural function, common to everyone... Response requires a different level and here is where the fruit of the Spirit comes into play. God desires that we produce fruit... but not carnal fruit... good fruit... fruits of the Spirit!
New seasons can be welcomed or disappointments... Certainly many find themselves in adversity. What should we do during seasons of adversity? We see that God will make all things work together for GOOD... to those who LOVE GOD... KNOWING GOD is the first step!
We believe that God, the Father, has placed precious lives in our arms and we dedicate baby's to the path of God... Directing their steps... And we look at the example given through the life of Samuel.
We continue our "pastoral" series looking at core topics for how we live. Sin entered the world in the beginning by questioning God's Word, and continues today. Jesus was an amazing example of LOVE to sinners, and demonstrated God's love even in the midst of sin.
This week we continue to look at ANXIETY! 1 Pet 5:7 shows us that God cares for us, and wants us to cast or throw our anxieties on Him!
We are actually instructed to "cast" or throw our cares on God.. we were never meant to "do life" all alone, or by ourselves. The rest of that scripture says, "because He (God, Jesus) cares about you!"
When a tragedy occurs we go to extraordinary lengths to search and rescue. Whether it someone lost in a snow storm, boating on a lake, Amber and Silver Alerts or the Military "no man left behind" - we place tremendous value on ONE... rightfully so!
It is our one year anniversary as a church! Jesus tells how He came "to seek and to save" and that is our goal as we enter in to the next year... We celebrate today, and have vision for the future.
Jesus said that He came that we may have life TO THE FULL, a rich and satisfying life (NIV/NLT) but whether or not we experience that depends on us!
Col 4:5 challenges us to make the most of every opportunity... We need to be INTENTIONAL in every thing we do... 2 Cor 5:20 tells us that God is making His appeal THROUGH US! But HOW WILL THEY KNOW UNLESS WE TELL THEM?
This past week we have faced gas shortages and panic. Today we looked at instances in the Bible of famine and warnings from God to Pharoah and Jesus warning us...
As we come to a close of 21 Days of Prayer, we were directed to have a service dedicated to building faith in the name of Jesus and prayer to see God heal.
Jesus came in the flesh to give us an example of how-to-live... Even as God, Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father doing.
In doing 21 Days of Prayer, we see that there are situations in the Bible where people were desperate for a touch... today, we see someone who had exhausted all resources and got worse... UNTIL JESUS!
Many people have the attitude that what ever happens is meant to be... We look at two stories from the Bible about how #PrayerChangesThings!
As we head into 21 days of prayer as a church, we look at the power and necessity of prayer!
In Genesis, we see that God gave us authority over everything, singled our creeping things... warning of things to come... and the Bible also warns of the devourer who wants to kill, steal and destroy your life.
John the Baptist said, "I must decrease, so that He (Jesus) may increase!" - That is true today... we need to create a capacity for God to fill us, and complete His work in our life!
Jesus was teaching and many had come to hear Him, so much that the room was packed and a paralyzed man brought by friends could not get it. While it would have been easy for them to leave and come back another time, they took extraordinary steps and changed their friend's life forever!
Independence Weekend - We look at the power of 3 friends who faced an unwavering king and their certain death. They show us how together we can stand for God!
If you have ever thought, or said out loud, "There Has To Be More To Life Than This!" this is the message for you!
Happy Father's Day! This message is probably unlike any message you have heard before on Father's Day.
ANXIETY!! PANIC ATTACK!! Just hearing the word, seeing it written makes you cringe and you can feel the pressure of it... Today, we look at what God and Jesus says about ANXIETY... and how to GET OUT!
Cars are measured by how fast they can get to 60 MPH... though all vehicles can get to 60MPH... We look at how Jesus spoke with the woman at the well and how she became the connection to that whole region coming to know Jesus.
Jesus, in Mark 16 shows us that we are to be involved locally, nationally and to the world. Today, we are honored to host Becky Kuelker from Kuelker Missions - missionaries to Mexico.
Jesus "had to go through" where everyone else avoided... It was controversial, and possibly inappropriate.. He met a woman who was also trying to avoid people... and her avoiding met Jesus!
Mothers are a blessing from God... today we look the stories of two women in the Bible, one of great faith and generosity and another hailed by King Solomon. There is nothing like a mother and her love... Happy Mother's Day!
The book of Job in the Old Testament is one of the most questioned and confusing stories... and is always a point of "gotcha" from unbelievers, but shows us valuable lessons that we can apply to lives today.
Christianity and the "church" have a branding problem... People often have a view of God that is not right and as a result approach God from a wrong view.
Today, we look at a story from the Old Testament prophet Elisha... 3 kings went to battle and ended up in a desperate situation in a wilderness... Their story applies to us today and can help guide us.
Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus... the death, burial and resurrection! It was a Friday, Saturday and Sunday... but did it take 3 days? God created the heavens and the earth with a word, in a moment... so why 3 days?
The prophet Zechariah prophesied that the King of Israel would come riding in on a colt. When Jesus came riding in on a colt, everyone rallied around Him with palm leaves, shouting "Hosanna!" While they were looking for a physical Kingdom, what Jesus was actually ushering in was a new Kingdom.. SPIRITUALLY!
Jesus was about to face the cross - He chose to pray! and pray, three times it says He prayed the same thing!
When we sow a thought, we reap an action - Sow an action, we reap a habit... and so on until it turns into our destiny... what starts as a thought, ends up as our destiny! What we think translates into our actions, and become the sum total of all the things that we keep doing over and over!
Jesus said that everything in life has to do with sowing and reaping. Our destiny is determined by our thoughts, which are seeds that grow into emotions and ultimately control our destiny. Control your thoughts and you control your destiny!
Every way of a man seems right to him... No one thinks that they are going the wrong direction, but it is God Who looks at the heart... We need to know what God wants from us, and the path for our life. We look at the first miracle of Jesus.
What made Jesus different? What is supposed to make those who follow Christ different? It is not that all our problems are solved, that we have it all "figured out" or that we don't sin... It is how our faith helps us THROUGH every situation we face!
Jesus said, "It is impossible that no offenses come.." In EVERY relationship, there is opportunities for offense and conflict - the question becomes what to do!
WARNING!! Content is PG-13!! God created man and woman to be in relationship... and intimacy! A couple connected as God created is beautiful and an reflection of who God is.
So far as it depends on you... Rom. 12:18 shows us that we have responsibility when it comes to conflict. We also see that "sin" is crouching outside our door when we get angry.
What can I give to God that He doesn't already have? There's only one thing on this entire planet that a) God does not have, b) He did not create and c) He wants it!
We see FIRST FRUITS in the first book of the Bible, and through out the Bible. But contrary to many misunderstandings, it is not about the receiving,,, it is... All About You! Father God went first, He sent His Son... His first, His Best!
What can I give to God that He doesn’t already have? There’s only one thing on this entire planet that a) God does not have, b) He did not create and c) He wants it!
It is a fact - we will all face opportunities and blessings... We look at how to handle opportunity and adversity, with Joseph as our example.
Jesus prayed and fasted... He instructs us... "When you fast..." We are in 21 days of prayer and fasting, but sometimes we have to take life in 21 seconds.
God created man in a garden... we still have gardens today. It is a new season with the start of a new year... we must focus on our gardens!
Mary was very perplexed when an angel appeared to her. God had a solution for the world, and He gave instructions... "His Name shall be called... Jesus!"
We see that the disciples were with Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... There is no record of them asking Jesus how to preach, or any spectacular thing... They did inquire, "Teach us how to pray!"
Sowing and reaping are a way of life - Choices whether good or bad yield consequences... Jesus says, "If you hear AND do..."
This is the final installment of the "You Were Created To..." series. God had specifics in mind when He created you, and He always intended you to be FREE!
We continue to look at "You were made to..." - This week, we focus on God's intent that we KNOW HIM!
There is a deep-seated need inside of every one of us - to be accepted! We were created by God with that need... we can see in many places, such as being picked for a sports team, or invited to a party.
We were made to identify with groups... even sports teams... whose your favorite team? God created us as a "PEOPLE" and we do better together!
We may be uncomfortable at times when we think of reaching out to those around us to talk about our walk with Christ.
The story of the book of Daniel took place around 607 B.C. and the nation of Israel were captives during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem.
We see that before Jesus healed people it was preceded by the phrase, "He had compassion on them..." When His best friend, Lazarus, was sick and ultimately died, Jesus was again moved and it says, "Jesus wept."
Have you ever been in a storm? We look at the life of Jesus and how He calmed the storm. We also gain new understanding from King David and how he wrote Psalm 23.
Jesus walked up to strangers and said, "Come follow Me!" He furthermore was not moved by public opinion, His reputation or people's thoughts/misunderstandings.
First Service of Church On The Rock - Dallas. We look at God's desire that we walk on a "path" - which requires "steps." The entire journey can be overwhelming, but if we just simply look for our "next step" we can find our path better