Foothills Church: Recent Episodes
Foothills Church
Weekly Messages and Podcasts from Foothills Church in Seneca, SC. Connect with us online at foothills.cc
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See others through the lens of God’s mercy.
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Pray for others through the lens of God’s mercy.
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Bless others through the lens of God’s mercy.
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If people get us without Jesus, they will be disappointed.
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If we think the praise and glory is for us, we will be disappointed.
- Put yourself in a position to be used by God.2. Trust in the sovereignty of God.3. Sometimes a “no” is as good as a “yes.”
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You may have to leave comfortable places
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You may have to leave comfortable people
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You may have to leave comfortable plans
Prayer is a private conversation not a public spectacle.
The length of the prayer is not a determining factor of the strength of the prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is more descriptive than prescriptive.
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Fasting might make you look better, but God desires a deeper change than our looks.
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Fasting deprives us on the outside, in order to receive more of God on the inside.
1. We can have peace without answers.
2. Never put a period where God puts a comma.
3. Grieving our losses is healthy.
4. God leverages our losses.
Recipe For Failure
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You believe you are stronger than you are.
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You believe you can follow Jesus at a distance.
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You believe your failure defines you.
Recipe For Restoration
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Embrace Conviction.
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Embrace Confession.
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Embrace Christ.
We don't do anything to earn our salvation, so we can't do anything to lose it.
We can't lose our salvation, but we can reject it.
Judas didn't lose his belief in Jesus, he faked it.
Signs of a fake belief in Jesus:
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If Jesus is only an accessory to your life.
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If Jesus is anything less than Lord.
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If you reject the love and grace of Jesus.
Faith will make you feel crazy sometimes.
Faith involves unanswered questions.
How do I overcome doubt?
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Stick with other believers.
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Trust what you know is true.
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Do the next thing He tells you to do.
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You were created and saved to serve.
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You are gifted to serve.
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Serving is a privilege that makes life more meaningful.
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Heaven will have amazing stories.
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Heaven will have amazing celebrations.
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Heaven will have complete reconciliation.
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Heaven will have complete renewal.
Hope - A future oriented faith that good is on the way.
1. Hope sickness is curable.
2. God's goodness is hunting for you!
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In life there will be valleys.
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The level of my fear or peace is directly proportionate to God's proximity in my life.
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Jealousy is looking for you.
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Jealousy demands your attention.
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Jealousy will ruin your relationships.
How to overcome jealousy?
Celebrate others' blessings.
Count your blessings.
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Doing things the right way is worth the wait.
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Long term blessings are greater than short term relief.
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It's okay if your history is a weakness.
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It's okay if your lack of experience is a weakness.
To see God's strength, I must show my weaknesses.
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Jesus gave everyone who believes a place to belong.
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Jesus gives everyone who believes a way to be forgiven.
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God's favor can be for a nobody from the middle of nowhere.
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God's favor does not depend on what seems possible.
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God's favor gives birth to God's purpose.
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God's favor is available for those who believe.
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God is sovereign over everything.
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God's plan has always been to save humanity from its sin through Jesus Christ.
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In spite of opposition, God's plans always prevail.
Jesus doesn't knock because He wants more from you, Jesus knocks because He wants more for you.
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They seek open doors to share the gospel.
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They recognize their dependence on God's power.
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They live by God's word.
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They persevere in their faith.
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
Revelation 3:1-6 NLT
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Culture shaped the church instead of the church shaping the culture.
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They were susceptible to false teaching because they lacked depth.
3 Ways to Guard Against Compromise:
- Beware of small concessions. 2. Don’t let your guard down. 3. Practice daily disciplines.
If the enemy can’t curse the church from the outside, he will deceive them from the inside.
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In first love, who you're with is more important than what you do.
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In first love, you sell out for the relationship.
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In first love, you tell everyone.
3 things that help us make it through a humble beginning:
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The Right Voices
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The Right Perspective
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The Right Resources
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Just because a priority seems good, doesn’t mean that it’s right.
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Every “Yes” is also accompanied by a “No”
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If we give God our first “Yes” then He will help us with our next “Yes”
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Saying "Not Yet" to God leads to regret.
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Today's "Not Yet" becomes tomorrow's problem.
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Saying "Not Yet" to God's process means saying "Not Yet" to God's promises.
How I speak is one way to measure my spiritual maturity.
- Be careful with your words.
Questions to ask before you speak… Is this the right time? Is this the right person?
Questions to ask before you speak… Is this the right time? Is this the right person? Is this the right way?
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Be consistent with your praise.
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Be quick with your apologies.
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We are saved by who we know, not what we do.
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You can do good without knowing God, but you can't know God without doing good.
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To love my neighbor, I must build bridges rather than walls.
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How much Bible you know is less important than how much Bible you live.
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Trials are an opportunity to make me bitter or better.
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Trials are an opportunity to show me where I turn for help.
When I turn to ______ in trials, I will be bitter.
When I turn to God in trials, I will be better.
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Take God's conviction seriously.
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Don't settle for your comfort zone.
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Count your new blessings.
1. Familiarity breeds contempt.
2. The response to God’s holiness should be reverence, worship, and conviction.
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Brace for Impact. a. The impact of offense. b. The impact of loneliness. c. The impact of disappointment.
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Go back to God's Word and ask for more!
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Keep your eye on the prize.
When God is about to do something, God will primarily use His people.
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You have to be available.
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You need to understand that His plan might benefit others more than you.
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You have to be willing to accept the struggles.
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God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
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God sends help in our time of need.
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God repairs and restores what is broken.
Two ways how God communicates with us
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God will sometimes interrupt us in unexpected places.
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God will sometimes interrupt us through unexpected sources.
Bottom Line: God's Interruptions will teach us to look for God so that we can learn how to follow Him.
How do you prepare for Interruptions
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Attitude - No agenda except God's agenda
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Action - Just take the next step of obedience.
Three things we can learn from Jonah that teach us that God has still a plan even if we reject Him.
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No one is big enough to interrupt the plans of the Lord.
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Anyone has the choice to reject being a part of God's plan
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God ultimately interrupts us to offer salvation
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Divine Interruptions are God's Invitation.
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Divine Interruptions are ultimately better than what I'm currently doing.
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The Holy Spirit empowers me to tell my story
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My Story helps people find and follow Jesus
Acts 1:1-11
Two points on how can we live this counterculture life: (Luke 6:27-36 MSG)
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By the Holy Spirit's power, love and live differently.
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When I feel like retaliating, remember the 'Why?'.
Jesus displayed that no matter what's the circumstances, you can have peace.
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Misplaced Security depends on our circumstances for peace.
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Correctly placed security depends on Jesus for peace.
Honoring others enables us to receive God's gift through them.
Three Practices that will help us to Honor one another and to honor God:
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Practice Curiosity
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Practice Admiration
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Practice Humility
Jesus is Inclusively Exclusive
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God wants you in heaven
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There is only one way to get to Heaven - through Jesus
Luke 7:36-43
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Jesus is not embarrassed by sinners
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Jesus is not surprised by sinners
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Jesus came for sinners
"We don't serve for our gain, we serve for His gain"
Luke 17:5-10:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
- Jesus was powerless so Barabbas could be free. 2. Jesus was rejected so Barabbas could be accepted. 3. Jesus was killed so that Barabbas could live. Following Jesus is not just the best way to die, it’s also the only way to truly live.
- I need a spiritual mentor to guide me. 2. I need spiritual partners to walk with me. 3. I need a spiritual apprentice to pour into.
1. Culture does not determine truth.
2. Feelings do not determine truth.
3. God determines truth.
1. God is the giver of life, and all human beings are created in His image.
2. It is a sin to take an innocent life.
3. There is forgiveness and healing in Jesus.
1. The Slippery Slope: he saw, he wanted, he took, he hid.
2. How to counteract covetousness:
a. Count your blessings.
b. Learn to find contentment in Christ.
1. The Basics of Idolatry
2. The Objects of Idolatry
3. The Consequences of Idolatry
4. The Remedy for Idolatry
1. God’s name is not a license for your own gain.
2. God’s grace is not an excuse to continue sinning.
The 10 commandments are:
1. A map of God's love
2. A mirror of my sin
3. A map to God's love
1. The need to be comforted brings us closer to God.
2. The need to be comfortable leads to a life of complacency, independence, and routine.
3. God disrupts our comfort for our benefit.
3 Characteristics of Being the Church:
1. Ownership
2. Embracing and Living Out the Mission
3. Jesus Over Everything
3 options for Christians in the world:
1. Isolate from the world.
2. Conform to the world.
3. Transform the world.
1. Remain flexible.
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21 NLT
2. Slow down and look for God-moments.
Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Mark 6:31 NLT
1. Build with a plan.
2. Build with people.
3. Build with a purpose.
4. Build with prayer.
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Luke 10:30-37 NLT
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Romans 12:4-5 NLT
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
3 Tips for Studying the Bible:
1. Prioritize quality over quantity.
2. Be patient and persistent.
3. Don't forget to connect with God.
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art ... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.
It just seems like some people have the ability to pray. And it is comforting to know who to turn to when you need prayer. But what would it look like to have that kind of power in your prayers? To feel like you’ve got the red-line directly to the Lord?
We recently learned from Pastor Greg that his time to hand the baton to the next leader has been made clear. In addition to that, God has made it clear who He has entrusted for the next leg of the race for Foothills Church – and that is Pastor Kevin Robison. Today we’re going to have a behind the scenes conversation to take an exclusive look at how we got to this significant moment in Foothills history!
God is consistent, never-changing, and 100% reliable. In fact, faithfulness is who God is.
We are called to love through thick and thin – through good times and bad times – forever and ever, amen
A couple of our leaders sat down this week to discuss the new opportunities that have been made possible because of what God is doing through you! Check out the video below.
For more info, visit:
Foothills East | www.foothills.cc/east
Foothills Espanol | www.foothills.cc/espanol
Community Outreach | www.foothills.cc/outreach
Hills & Hollows Podcast | Launching This Friday!
Taking care of your body is an act of worship. What will it take to be successful with your health?
The Bible is not about us and what we have to do. It is about God, who He is and what he has done, is doing and will do.
There is an ongoing battle for our allegiance with clear indications of which side is winning.
Loving those closest to us requires more of God's help than when we do something big for strangers.
God isn’t looking for “compliance”; He’s looking for people who whole-heartedly are trying to live for Him.
When faith, repentance, and commitment happen, you have transformation and life change.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.