Salem Evangelical Free Church: Recent Episodes
Salem Church
God invites us to sow seed, to invest in His kingdom. Generosity is one of the most tangible and beautiful expressions of God's love to the world. Generosity is not limited to money. The Bible teaches us to be generous with our time, knowledge, talents, words, and possessions.
When we live in a world of busyness and noise, we become starved for solitude and silence whether we may realize it or not. Intentionally removing ourselves from interactions with other people and the noise of the world to create time alone with God and quiet to hear His voice, we feed our soul.
We study and meditate on God's word, for it reminds us that our identity and purpose in this life are rooted in God’s deep sacrificial love for us.
As powerful and wonderful as God’s grace is, it’s pretty easy to drift from it. As Peter ends his letter to those exiled and suffering, he calls us back to true grace and to stand firm in it.
Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between fiction and reality. But a godly church knows who the real enemy is…Satan. And he is out to devour.
The church is designed to be a humble community, led by humble leaders, who follow Christ's example. Why? Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Suffering for proclaiming Jesus or following Jesus can be exhausting and painful, but eternal victory awaits. Suffering forces us to refocus on the eternal rewards, rather than the problems of our current circumstances.
The resurrection in the central defining event of the Christian faith. It not only provides us with eternal life, it gives us new life now. As a part of God's family, we have new purpose, new perspective, and new priorities.
Suffering as a Christian is unavoidable. While challenging in many aspects, the aim of 3:18-22 is to bring hope. To remind us that Jesus is vindicated, and so are we.
Scripture reminds us to be prepared to give an answer, or make a defense, to anyone who asks about our faith. Are you prepared? Are you living differently enough that others notice and ask?
Most people know physical retaliation doesn't resolve conflict. And yet we seldomly realize how powerful our words really are. Christ set an example to follow: We are not to curse, but rather to bless. In so doing, we invite people into a life of flourishing.
Marriage in Peter's day looked a lot different than today, but something that spans across time is that healthy marriages are patterned after the example of Christ.
Our obedience honors God because non-believers are observing how Christians respond to authority.
As a part of our new Christ-identity, Peter reminds us that we are called to grow into Christlikeness and to proclaim his great news, which in the end will bring God glory.
The author ties together Hope and Holiness - reminding us that we are called to be different because God himself is different.
Do we realize how much we've been forgiven? When we recognize how forgiven we are, we can more fully take in how deeply we are also loved.
There's no avoiding suffering in life, but how we respond to our trials will either shape us in good ways or for the worse.
We all endure trials and suffering. God's word reminds us that no matter how hard they may be, there is always joy in our salvation, which means we can have joy in all things.
The moment you receive Christ, is the moment you become an exile. And we are exiles, because we were chosen.
Really loving someone is one of the hardest things we can ever do, because it goes against some of the deepest fibers in our being. But because of Christ's extravagant love, we can love others genuinely.
Fruits of the Spirit show my maturity, while gifts of the Spirit reveal my ministry. As we grow closer to Jesus and experience His love at deeper levels, we grow in the fruits of the Spirit. Nobody can do what God has uniquely created you to do, with your spiritual gifts.Pastor Ken referenced a free online spiritual gifts test in his message, and you can take that test here: https://giftstest.com/
We don't want Christmastime to be just another event in the year, or to miss the majesty in the midst of the magical. As we head into the new year, we can ask ourselves: What is my distress? Who am I choosing to trust? What am I celebrating most? Asking these three questions will help cultivate thankfulness.
Is it possible we might just be going through the motions concerning Christmas? The problem might be that our view of Christmas is too small... which means that our view of Christ is too small.
Faith in Jesus must be grounded in a proper understanding and acknowledgment of who He truly is. What do you think about the Christ?
When we're forced to wait, we feel an intensity because we have to surrender control. But in Psalm 40, David reminds us we can wait patiently for the LORD, because despite our desperate situation, there is deliverance in Jesus.
God created the enormous heavens and mysterious earth. He saw mankind, He sees you, He sees each of us throughout all time, and sent His only Son to be born in a humble stable. Jesus died on the cross for each of us, because God loves us.
As we wrap up Daniel, we find more details about the challenges that lay ahead for Christians. No matter the chaos, we continue to hold firm to our belief in Jesus, because our future hope is built on all that Jesus accomplished and will continue to accomplish for us.
Chapters 7-12 take the thrust of chapters 1-6 and put them into fresh perspective. But the message is the same: God is sovereign and we can have hope! But even when God lays out the future, like Daniel, we often still have doubts. The beauty is that those doubts don't have to hinder us from living faithfully and joyfully.
Our God delivers us from evil, delivers on his promises, delivers love and provision, delivers us the Way, the Truth and the Life through Jesus and he rescues us from ourselves, rescues usfrom evil. This doesn’t mean that God will rescue us from every danger or every evil, but he delivers and rescues us from the things that separate us from him and his perfect love.
It takes only 31 verses in Aramaic to describe the events leading up to the fall of the Babylonian empire. The LORD weighed him out and found him lacking. As a result of the king's pride and mockery his days were numbered and his kingdom divided. But the same judgment against the king is the same judgment we each face apart from Christ. For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). While in Daniel God reveals great mysteries, we are reminded that the greatest mystery ever revealed - whether past, present, or future - is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God is full of both grace and truth. His desire for us to be drawn near to Him and to be loved by Him. Yet, as King Nebuchadnezzar learns, we are called to be humble before God.
Christians are pressured to conform to the culture of the world, every day. How might your commitment to God be a witness to others where you live, work, study, and play?
Some things may seem impossible, while still some things actually are impossible. The good news is that there is a God who reveals mysteries and makes the impossible possible. The greatest of which is human salvation.
The story of Daniel beings with God allowing the unthinkable to happen: an exile. For us, life in a dominating culture teaches us a valuable lesson...that wherever our conviction stops is ultimately what or who we'll conform to.
Paul reminds us how much joy there is in the ministry of reconciliation. But he also reminds us that our job is not to be impressive. Our job is simply to point people to the one who is: Jesus.
We are all disciples of someone or something. The question is whether or not we are being intentionally formed into Jesus.
Though Jesus' strategy was simple (Be with - Be sent), it takes a lot of intentionality.
Our vision at Salem is to build a disciple-multiplying culture, because more than anything, we value Jesus.
So often religion is about achieving, but real faith is one that would trade everything for Jesus.
As Christians we are called to seek the things that are above, which includes celebrating the diversity of God's people.
God created us to work. But because of sin, it's only by the power of the gospel, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that we can work heartily for God.
The gospel of Jesus Christ impacts every aspect of our lives. The imprint of a Biblical worldview is evident in the origins of the science historically, and the opportunity for a Christian to pursue science as an act of obedience to the cultural mandate, and an opportunity to cooperate with God as stewards of His world.
The gospel promises eternal life. But it's also an invitation to participate in the redemption and flourishing of all creation.
We live in a world that's far too easy to exchange one "good news" for another, but the gospel must be the defining good news for those who believe.
Life is often unfair and leaves us asking "why?" In verses 1-4 we set the context for Habakkuk's prayerful dialogue with God.
As we follow Jesus' footsteps to Gethsemane, we see both His humanity and His divine sonship on display. We also see the comparative weakness and failure of Peter, James, and John. Jesus submits His will to that of His Father. Through his example, we can learn how to walk the path of suffering in this life and how to gain strength through weakness by depending on the work of the Holy Spirit.
God is doing amazing things in our younger generation! What a blessing to hear from these students and worship with them.
Remembering how God has delivered us in the past is foundational to preparing our hearts as we come to the Lord's table.
This week we take a break from Mark to take a look at where we feel God is leading us over the next five years. Spoiler alert...it connects to Mark!
Jesus reminds us that the core of God's law is about a loving relationship with God and others.
Man's rejection of God isn't absolute. God's patience, love, and judgment all lead us to Jesus.
Jesus challenges us with powerful words about spiritual deadness, while inviting us into a life of worship.
The beauty of the story is that Jesus looks at us in all of our brokenness, loves us, and invites us to surrender so that we might have eternal life. But the reality of this story is that both religion and riches can rob us of Jesus.
Can you imagine being held by Jesus? Him speaking directly to you…"you have been created by God, you are a son or daughter of God, you are loved…so the love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, mind and strength." Jesus invites us all to receive the kingdom of God like a child. That invitation is available to you and to me.
Though challenging, we must be sensitive to what God says about marriage, both in its design and in what cases God allows for divorce.
Because of the toxic effects of sin both for ourselves and those that we are in community with, we are called to ruthless self-examination. Rightly understood, the doctrine of Hell serves as a sobering reminder of the judgement to come and a reminder of the salvation that is available through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our purpose in this life is to bear fruit, to be the salt of the earth, and to live at peace with one another.
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others." - C.S. LewisThe disciples struggled with pride and we struggle with pride, but Jesus offers a better way.
Who do you say Jesus is? We are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus!
Sin, legalism, and hypocrisy are all too prevalent in our lives. Jesus reminds us that we don't come to the Father because we are good. We come to him because he alone is good.
Sometimes being in a storm is right where you're supposed to be because Jesus wants to show you his glory.
Exile is forced or voluntary absence from one's country or home. Sometimes you move, and sometimes things around you move. Do you feel like an exile? Being an exile is not something to fear, but something to embrace.
In our study of Mark we have been focused on the marks of a disciple. As we begin a new year, we turn to the book of Joshua to learn valuable lessons about how God’s promises and our discipleship choices can help us follow Jesus.
Because there is desperation in the world, opposition to the gospel will be a daily occurrence. But, in the midst of the messiness, not only can we experience true peace, but we can also share it with others.
There are always moments and circumstances in life that lead us to a place of utter desperation. But desperation really is a daily thing. It's in that desperation that we find the richest hope in Jesus.
Jesus took the disciples to the other side of the lake, a place they did not want to go, to a people they probably did not think we’re worthy of saving, and when they get there, the results are only one man having his life changed. In terms of what they have seen, the feeding of the 5000, the calming of storms and the healing of many, this one demon possessed man being exorcised of evil spirits and having his mind attuned to his Lord, may have seemed like a bit of a failure. But what it was, was the start of a movement. It was seeds being planted, so that many people would come to know Jesus. What would it look like for you to go to the other side?
As we continue our series of “Marks of a Disciple”, this week we turn to Mark 4: 35-41, the Perfect Storm.In this passage we find the disciples afraid in the middle of a storm. They learn that they are going to be ok because Jesus is with them. This is a good lesson for all of us as we go through the storms in life.
Want to WIN? Remember: Jesus is the Wonderful Light. God’s Word has Innate power. There are No boundaries for God’s Kingdom.
Really listening to another person is functionally one of the hardest things we’ll ever do, which is why Jesus so often spoke in parables. Jesus wants us to really listen, so that we come to grips with him as King and the kingdom that he’s building.
In Mark 3:35, Jesus said, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Are you Jesus’ BRO? Do you Believe? Do you Repent? Do you Obey?
Discipleship is both relational and missional. Mark offers us a simple look at Jesus, who called to himself people to be with him, so that he could send them out.
The beauty of Jesus is that he called the unlikely, reclined with the undesirable, and forgave the unhealthy.
Jesus heals and cleanses a man with leprosy who humbly and expectantly come to him. The man’s life was dramatically changed and he experienced new hope for the future. As we marvel at Jesus’s power and compassion, we are motivated to ask: “What do I need to humbly bring to Jesus for healing and cleansing?”
It can be easy for us as fallen people to see Jesus as a good communicator rather than authoritative communicator. Today we find that Jesus has authority over creation because he created it.
Jesus offers a new identity that comes with a new purpose. Mark makes it clear that we can't have one without the other. The question we must ask is, are we all in?
More than anything we long to be drawn close to the real Jesus. But in order to do so, we must first make room for him.
Who in life is helping you follow Jesus? Who are you helping follow Jesus? Paul & Timothy's spiritual friendship paint a picture for how we can encourage each other to step courageously into God's plan for us.
Do you ever feel like you don’t know how to pray? When asked, Jesus taught his disciples a simple posture that can radically change how we think about and practice prayer.
Serving God with our Treasure - Part 2 Healthy churches, like healthy families need to talk about how we spend our money. From Genesis to Revelation, we see how God – who is supremely generous – invites us to be generous with our finances, not just in our personal living, but also by giving our first fruits to building his kingdom through the church.
Serving God with our Treasure, Part 1 The parable of the Good Samaritan is an invitation to be generous like Jesus. How might we better understand gospel generosity, and allow it to mark our own lives, including how we spend our money?
The hardest part about Christianity is not believing or studying the bible. The hardest part is seeing our lives actually come into alignment with Jesus. Cave-Table-Road challenges us to live like Jesus and invest those rhythms into the next generation.
Today we learn that what we talk about and how we talk about it matters, both in our prayer life, and our personal conduct.
Ever feel like sin is winning inside of you? Inside each of us is a battle between our old self and new self. But at the center of that is a gospel identity, that reminds us we can look more and more like Jesus.
Youth Sunday - various youth such as Hazel Striker, Kailyn Wyland, Sammy Mauriello and Zoe Bundy.
Have you ever found yourself working hard, but feeling like you're not getting anywhere? In order to find rest and purpose we need to keep coming back to the good news of Good Friday and Easter over and over in our lives. Having a regular Cave time is a good start!
Think about how often you run to the things you hope will bring you life. Yet often do we go home feeling empty? What if we're looking in the wrong place? Whatever our story, five words pierce the noise "I have seen the Lord!"
Did you know that incorrect assumptions can inhibit your ability to see what's right in front of you? It's true! Today, as we look at the triumphal entry of Jesus, we find when we're focused on the small, we can miss the greatness of God's redemption.
Ruth chapter 3 is an intense chapter full of strategy, risk, and purity as Naomi and Ruth seek to act on what they’ve been praying for, a husband for Ruth. It’s a romantic scene on the threshing floor that involved a lot of risks and defied many cultural norms. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming love for us and challenges us to love others with strategy, risk, and purity.
Have you ever been hungry? I mean really hungry! Today we learn that God is inviting us to a meal. It's a place where those who are empty can come and eat and be full. God's table is a place where you are fully known, fully loved, and fully cared for.
As life unfolds it will undoubtedly contain struggles. Some of those leave us feeling abandoned and empty. What saves you in those moments? Who saves you? And what if you could struggle well? In Ruth we see the need for Jesus and the hope we have in him.
Ruth may be a short book of the Bible, but it holds a lot for us. Also features a God Story from Tifanie W.
For many Christians we live between salvation and rest which can feel a bit like wandering in the desert. Today we find that knowing where we're going changes how we live. Fortunately, when we are hesitant to be strong and courageous, we remember that Christ was strong and courageous for us.
Therefore, Go....This week we take a look at how far and fast the Gospel has spread, and what our part is in helping it to reach the rest of the world. Update on Salem's missions from Pastor Tom.
In our final week of our series, we recognize we are still on the Acts 1:8 journey, and that as Christians we have the opportunity to turn the world upside down, so that the world can experience what it's like to be right side up.
Have you ever noticed how people tend to clump together with people like them? Today we find something radically countercultural: the church is designed for diversity! The gospel crosses all boundaries that the world would use to define us and unite us together in Christ. What a beautiful family we belong to. The diversity of God's family reminds us why the church chooses to send missionaries internationally, and why the church chooses to live sent locally.
Do you feel like you need more peace in life? If you're like me, you long for a good cup of coffee at a local coffee shop, with zero work or stress on the mind. But the reality is that to get peace in one area of life is often at the cost of losing it in another area. In the bible peace is not simply the removal of something, it's to replace it with something better. Jesus came to bring peace that would restore wholeness to creation.
Finding Joy – Luke 2:8-14“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.” Luke 2:8. On the third Sunday of Advent, we look to the joy that arrived in the person of Jesus as our Savior entered this world in the humblest of ways.We frequently think about joy as being happy or getting what we want, or having things go our way. But joy is much deeper and transcendent than that. Joy isn’t necessarily being happy when circumstances would dictate despair or sadness. Joy is more about trust and hope. Trusting that our God cares for and loves us and that his ways are good and that he is always at work, even when we struggle to make sense of our situation. Setting our eyes on Jesus and the hope and peace he provides.Come and listen to how God shows up and brings joy when circumstances might declare sadness and despair.
Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot. As we continue in Advent, we find that God's love - manifested in Jesus - is an invitation to experience life giving AHAVAH (love) with the one True God.
Today we find that when we understand and use HOPE the way God defines it and designed it, it can provide joy even in our most difficult trials.
Life is full of unexpected moments and stories. Today we find that God chose the most unlikely of people to become the most unlikely hero of the gospel going forward. As Christians today we are faced to consider: What is our story? What is our reputation? And what is our proclamation?
Have you ever wondered that when a problem arises that it's so easy for us as humans to complain? And yet Jesus never complained! Today we see Satan's third installment of his strategy to keep the church focused on anything other than God's kingdom plan.
Ever wish you could celebrate your birthday every day? Would be nice! At Salem we want to continuously celebrate what God is up to in us and through us. As we focus on just a few verses, we see how God's grace fuels Christian unity, generosity, and our testimony.
When you think of prayer, what exactly do you think of? For many, the first thing we go to is our needs. But what if prayer was more transformational than transactional? Today we see that God wants to meet our needs, but he also wants to work powerfully in us and through us. We want to be a church that prays for boldness whatever our circumstances!
Whether it be a local news report, or a neighborly dispute, it's a part of everyday life that we come across people who are annoyed or worked up about something. How do you respond? Today we learn not to shy away from conflict, but with boldness in the gospel enter into it with grace and truth.
Every time you meet someone new there is a chance it may be awkward. But the good news is that we can shift from awkward to amazing if the gospel is at the center.
When you hear the word church, what do you think of? For most people we think of a building with different services. But what if church was more than that? In our passage today we find beauty in the raw portrait of early believers who after growing from 120 to 3,000 were intentional, integrational, and invitational.
Have you ever wondered what God was up to? Sometimes it happens in small ways and at other times in huge ways. But isn't it true that how God works is rarely the way we'd expect? In Acts 2 we find God doing something amazing that will radically change the way the world has access to the gospel message! As witnesses today, we have the opportunity to speak about what we love most - Jesus!
While the book of Acts is the story of the early church, it's also simultaneously a story about how we live our lives today. And in the opening verses we find that at the center of the church is a God-sized mission that can start here, goes there, and eventually everywhere.
Obligation is force that drives many people, but it's ultimately a path that leads to bitterness or burnout. Sometimes it feels inevitable to feel like you're running on empty. What if that wasn't the case? As we're wrapping up our series - There is More - we learn the "why" and the "how" behind serving with a healthy heart.
Jesus has been in community for all of eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit and when he set out on his earthly mission, he modeled community by gathering twelve guys with whom he would do life with for the next three years. In the story of the man on the mat, we find a guy who had four close friends, who literally and figuratively carried him to physical and spiritual healing. His friends carried his mat and changed his life. Who is helping carry your mat?
For many when we talk about worship, we automatically think of song. But worship is much bigger than that. In fact, as humans we are part of a much larger orchestra that is praising God.
How would you expect a book on wisdom to end? That chances are that what you expect is probably not what you'll get. As we finish in Proverbs, what we get is a look into humanity's dilemma, our need for divine intervention, and an invitation into a relationship with God himself. Wisdom as it turns out is about who you know, more than what you know.
Have you ever stopped and considered how expensive life is? Not to mention that it’s so easy to buy even the smallest things we may want. But what does God say about how we should think about money? In today's text we find that God is concerned more about our priorities than our percentages.
A lesson in how to connect our Sundays to our Mondays and bringing faith into the workplace.
The entertainment industry right now is booming. With the release of Disney's Obi Wan Kenobi, Marvel's ever-expanding universe, & Stranger Things the world is hooked! But have you ever stopped to think about what it is you're watching and listening to? Better yet, how does it affect you? How do we wisely approach the entertainment industry without becoming overtly dogmatic? While this might be a topic that many would rather leave tucked under a rock, the gospel demands that we take a closer look.
It’s a pretty common desire for us as humans to want more of something. But did you know that we were designed for more? We were created to want more of God! The challenge is that there is another voice pointing us in a very opposite direction. The question is, what do we want more of - God or the world? And is it something I take for myself? Or given to me as a gift?
Join us a we look at Insights for Marriage and the specific directions given to both Husbands and Wives.
Ever feel stuck wondering what you should do in a given situation? Or wonder if it really matters what decision you make? The reality is that life is often too complicated for simple rules and the truth is that the decisions we make are shaping our character moment by moment. Join us this week, and the rest of the summer as we journey through the book of Proverbs and how and how the gospel is the new wisdom for all who choose it.
As we continue in Jesus' final prayer in the upper room, we find that the pure relationship that exists between the Father and Son is something that the disciples are invited into. In the midst of the trials that life provides, including hatred from the world, we can have joy together in Christ!
This Sunday is a day of celebrating some of the things the Lord has done at Salem this year.
Have you ever wondered what God's "call" is, means or looks like in your life? In our final week in Jeremiah, we return to two key passages to help us better understand what living a called life looks like, and how idolatry impedes the life God has designed us for.
While Jeremiah doesn't have a "happy" ending, it does have a "hopeful" ending. After years of hardship God picks up his story in Ezra, as he begins stirring in people's hearts. As people today we wonder what's next? This week we allow ourselves to dream a bit by asking what if God wants to show up in a powerful way in this next season of the church?
As consumers of TV and movies, we may not realize how much we are hardwired to expect happy endings. As we come to the final chapter of Jeremiah, we realize that it doesn’t have a happy ending, but it does have a hopeful ending. As God's story continues to unfold, we can ask ourselves, would we rather be happy, or hopeful?
When we hear a word from the Lord, whether through the Bible or through the Holy Spirit in another way, we find ourselves at a fork in the road. Will we believe what we have heard and act accordingly, or will we reject it? Our choice will draw us closer to Him or further away. There are only two responses and we will pick one of them. Regardless of the choice, we will be changed by it. The Lord offers yet another opportunity for repentance in Jeremiah 36 where we see perhaps the most positive responses and the most negative response in the whole book of Jeremiah.
Ever feel like God is working on a different time frame than you? Perhaps like he’s even working opposite of how you’d expect? Each of us has circumstances that it’s hard to see past, but for Jeremiah God shows up and helps him see through the rubble, by pointing him and us to Jesus. We can trust God because his covenant cannot be broken.
These past years there has been no shortage of things to remind us how broken the world is. In Jeremiah, to a people in exile, God points his people to a time when he would make things right. This Easter season, we can have hope and rejoice with joy inexpressible, because the plan that was laid out to forgive sins was accomplished in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection!
Often times in life we're caught off guard because the way that God is writing the story is different than how we would have written it. But God's story is ultimately about unfolding the beautiful message of peace in the midst of conflict, which is ultimately fulfilled and secured in Jesus.
We are surrounded by noises and voices constantly trying to get our attention. As followers of Jesus, we need to be able to distinctly separate his voice from every other voice, so that we can hear it and follow.
Do you have a moldable heart or a hardened heart? Are you listening to God or shutting him out?
For 40 years God had Jeremiah warn the people - for 40 years he gave them every chance to get their lives right – to follow him again – to restore the relationship. As David writes in Psalm 23:6, Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. The same thing is true for you and me. But we must receive and respond to that goodness and mercy.
God is the Potter and if you’ll allow him to do his work, to form you and transform you, he’ll make you into something useful, something beautiful – not just physical beauty but inner beauty. Loved, valued, restored, freed from shame, pure and useful in the eyes of God! By the grace and power of God, we can be remolded even when we mess up.
Have you ever struggled with anxiety? Anxiety most easily stems from our lack of control. Given the past couple of years and months (Ukraine) it's no wonder that 1 in 2 people struggle with it right now. This week in Jeremiah we interrupt the "woe is me" mantra to see God interject some powerful hope. It's in reorienting our future around God, and trusting him, that we can find peace in the present.
As we'll find in chapters 15 & 16 it's far too easy to find ourselves living in a false narrative, believing a lie, and complaining about the state of the world. Jeremiah found himself in between God and his people - which led him to despair. The gospel reminds us that Jesus ultimately put himself directly into the middle of that conflict that he might bear the weight of our punishment.
Jeremiah’s message remains the same in chapter 13: Listen to the LORD, humble yourself, repent, and worship God and God alone. Choose to allow God to B.R.E.A.K. the chains of sin in your life today!
At the end of every day, truly hearing someone else is one of the hardest things you'll ever do. In Jeremiah's time God had some pretty important things to say to his people. But while Jeremiah was listening, the rest of God's people were not - which had disastrous results. But the positive piece for us today, is that in Christ, our hearts have been transformed. We are able to listen. The question is, are we listening?
Someone once said that when you enter into a room it's impossible not to compare yourself to others. The comparison trap is easy for us to fall into. Often times that has damaging effects. But sometimes it's in the contrasts that we find the lies that have been hidden all along. In chapter 10 Jeremiah paints a picture that shows just how stark the contrasts are between idols and the Living God.
Do you ever feel like you've come to a crossroads in life? Maybe it's a new career, picking a college or university, or whether or not to get married? The reality is that every day is filled with choices, and our lives are a string of decisions that have led us to today. Right now. Sometimes we need encouragement, comfort, and sometimes we need people to speak hard truths. Even Jesus spoke hard truths. And while there isn't a lot of encouraging words in Jeremiah 6-7, we can take solace in standing before the cross and the radical love of Jesus.
Have you ever been in love with someone or something, and then fallen out of love? That's exactly the problem with God's people. God says that they've forsaken him - in all of his glory - and exchanged him for lesser things. In this text we begin to see the depth of the Israelites heart problem: Idolatry.
Have you ever seemed to have an impossible decision in front of you? The reality is that we make choices every day that have different consequences - some good, some bad - some big, some small. Believe it or not, but God has uniquely wired each and every one of us to help build the kingdom in a unique way that only we can do. The question is, will we choose to listen to God's voice? Or our own?
Do you long for heaven? Are you excited for what Christ as prepared for you as a believer? In this message, we will explore what it means to long for heaven while living on this earth.
Heaven is something that we talk a lot about, but what do we actually know about it and are you really looking forward to it? Dr. Brian Wright explains what scripture teaches us about what we will be like in eternity and what life might be like there. This is our blessed hope, and it is important that we know what is waiting for us so we can live well now.
No matter your life circumstances, hope is something that we all need. In our Christmas Eve service, we look at the humble and traumatic events as Jesus enters into the story to restore the world as the true and final King.
Do you ever find yourself putting your hope in the wrong people? This week we continue to trace the theme of hope from Genesis to Jesus, looking at the hope the people place in the kings to make the world right. They've already waited for 1,700 years will it work out the way they hope it will...? Or will the story continue?
Hope wanes, but HOPE remains. Our world can feel like it's unraveling. It can feel like stability has been rocked and that evil is winning. What is amazing is that God has been providing hope in the midst of despair since the Garden of Eden. No matter how bad things got, God showed up and provided what His people needed while pointing towards a King that would one day, make everything right again! This week we'll look to the hope of God from Genesis to 1 Samuel. Come experience hope!
Have you ever wondered about Satan and his role in our everyday life? What is spiritual warfare and how do we combat it? Do you think about this a lot? Or very little? As we are wrapping up his letter to the Ephesians, we as readers find ourselves confronted with some very practical, though odd advice from Paul, that is of tremendous importance for today's Christians.
As human beings we are hard wired to imitate. The problem is that it's far too easy to imitate the wrong thing, or the wrong person. In today's passage we find that Paul continues to urge us to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel, imitating God, while walking in love, light, and wisdom.
Have you ever noticed that people seem to have unique and subtle variations in how they walk? It's something our bodies have grown so natural to that we don't even think about it. In order to walk any differently, we need to engage our minds. The same can be true about our spiritual walk.
There is no shortage of things to be divided over in todays world. We've learned a ton about the heart of the world, but we've learned an equal amount about the heart of the church. But it's out of an understanding, and experience of God's love, that provides the fertile ground for us to walk in unity together, with Christ as the head.
Have you ever experienced a shift from understanding something conceptually to experientially? This happens a lot as we grow older! We often times find ourself saying, "Oh, now I get it." It's a whole new world for Christians as they get to experience God's love in way that surpasses knowledge. But that's Paul's prayer for the Ephesians! We long not only to know him, but experience him personally.
Discover the Minister's privilege in the mystery that is revealed, delivered and the results.
Have you ever felt alienated by somone? Like you just didn't fit? Last week we saw that the barrier between God and man has been eliminated - by grace through faith. This week we look at what is possilby the most important text in the New Testament on the church, on how the gospel tackles the barriers & hostility that divide mankind.
Do you ever feel like you're walking in cirlces, or without purpose? Under the influence of this world and its ruler, it's far too easy to either miss completely, or to stray from the power of the gospel, and live with a cheap imitation or truncated gospel. In this passage Paul continues in God's gospel story by unpacking God's grace and mercy. Every beliver can walk with purpose, having full confidence in their story because God's act on behalf of sinners is nothing short of extravagant.
If you're anything like me you might find that it's easy in the normal rhythms of life to miss, or perhaps forget, just how great God's gift to us is. This week we dive into what seems to be Paul's spontaneous Hebrew poem about how richly God has blessed us with not just one, but every spiritual blessing. As a result, it's indicative that God is worthy of our praise.
Do you ever feel like Christianity is simply about "believing" and/or "doing" the right things? Or like there is a disconnect between what you believe and how you act? Or do you ever feel like in such a broken world why there isn't more unity? This week we introduce the book of Ephesians, and explore why being rooted and grounded in Christ's love is not only the most important, but also why it's so often missed.
Have you ever debated with yourself, or with Jesus, just how much Jesus should or shouldn't be a priority in your life? It's possibly a conversation we're all too familiar with. In todays passage we find Jesus "setting his face towards Jerusalem," determined to accomplish his mission, but how will Jesus finish his final year of ministry, and what are some of the challenges to following Jesus?
Not unlike today, in Jewish customs the table was a place for your most intimate friendships. Yet in today's passage we find Jesus recling with a group of despised outcasts. Scandelous! The reality is that we can choose to be inside the home with Jesus, or outside peering in. It all depends on how much we realize we need Jesus.
While some people are gifted with the ability to learn multiple languages, for most of us it's a serious challenge. Today, as we begin to wrap up our Risking Church series, we'll discover that however difficult, it's vitally important for us as Christians to be fluent in the gospel as it relates to all areas of our lives.
Treating others the way we would have them treat us is something we can quickly forget. We often get ourselves into trouble when we compare ourselves others, seeing my own righteousness against someone else's sin as the basis for our confidence. But the reality is that we're all a mess, and gravitating towards the brokenness in each other will inevitably lead us face to face with other people's sin, not to mention our own sin. What do we do when that happens? How do we handle each other in a way that builds community rather than destroys it?
We've all seen someone in need and chosen not to help. After all, it's all too easy to overlook someone or make excuses. But however you want to cook it, compassion seems to be in short supply these days. Yet Jesus radically addressed the human heart, challenging our view of love. Part of Risking Church is having a deep compassion for those in need.
Have you ever said something that got you into trouble? Or said something you didn't realize would be taken that way? Haven't we all! Sometimes that's a daily battle. Today we will look at the health of a community by exploring the power words can have, either to bring life or death. Though dispositioned to speak destructively, as image bearers we are designed and called to bring life into this world. To heal not break.
Have you ever been invited to something you didn't want to go to? Or have you ever not been invited to something that you would have loved to go to? At the end of Jesus' ministry we find Jesus giving his ragtag group of disciples a monumental task - a task so big that it's by this task that the world will know that we are his disciples? What is this task? To love one another.
Have you ever felt like being a Christian is a bit like keeping up with Jones's? Somehow it feels like we are stuck on a Christian treadmill, never really getting anywhere. For many of us, it's almost as if the gospel has shifted over time. The excitement and freedom we felt at first has become burdensome and restrictive. What really is the gospel, and does it match with how I'm living?
Do you ever feel like you've made too many mistakes? How will people respond? How will Jesus respond? We long to be fully known, but we are fearful, because we don't feel safe. Today we see how Jesus meets Peter right where he's at, inviting him into a community of grace, and giving him a vision.
Being made in God's image we are designed for community. We long for community to celebrate the highs and lows, but we rarely "fully" disclose our hearts. Why? Naturally we have fear! Have you wondered how people would respond to you if you accidently slipped your deepest and darkest messiness? Risking Church is a series about taking steps to becoming a community - God's church - where we can be fully known because God shows us his grace together through transforming relationships.
Do you ever feel like life is a bit like a teeter totter? We go up and down, happy in our comforts, but unhappy in God's challenges. This week our series wraps up in dramatic form as God confronts Jonah, leaves the reader with a cliffhanger question to ponder, and points us to Jesus.
Have you ever been angry with someone? Anger can be righteous, or unrighteous and it is often a weekly, sometimes daily thing. Unrighteous anger often stems from the displeasure of God's plan not matching our preferences. Like Jonah when we long for judgment over justice our self-righteousness is exposed. We are continuously in process of being made into Christ-likeness so that we can enter into the mess of the world with gospel hope.
Have you ever wished ill on someone else while wishing grace on yourself...? It's something we all have! This week we find that gospel is an ongoing process as we learn to repent of our preference over purpose mentality.
This week we are challenged to not be content describing the goodness of God, but rather after tasting it, we are spurred into the lives of others with the full and powerful message of the gospel.
Sometimes in life we find ourselves experiencing dark seasons, cramped by the consequences of our sin, while other times we find ourselves living in the luxury of sin. Often it takes reaching the bottom to understand the simplest truth: we are fully known by God and fully loved. While we deserve death, we can find deliverance as God's grace intersects with the mess and brokenness of our lives no matter how deep or troubling it is.
This Easter Sunday Pastor Seth and his wife Nikki co-teach together, exploring Jesus as the good shepherd, who tends to & protects his flock with deep compassion. He offers us the ultimate & perfect hope - the forgiveness of sins and eternal life - through the laying down his life in his death and picking it back up in his resurrection.
In the final week of his life before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion, Jesus "earnestly desired" to share the meal with his disciples, as it would become a powerful symbol of the death he was about to die. This Sunday we will look at Luke 22:7-20 where we'll very briefly explore the historical and traditional elements of preparation and participation in the Passover Seder.
In this week's passage Jonah continues to run from YHWH, though his feeble attempt to be a substitute is met by the greatness of God. As readers we are pointed to Jesus who is the perfect substitute and challenged today to care about the things that YHWH cares about.
Pastor Kent continues our journey in Jonah as we look at Jonah 1:4-6; Jonah the runner.
This week Pastor Seth starts a new series on Jonah called God's Word in God's World. We dive into just the first three verses as we discover the mess inside us and in the world that only Jesus can resolve in this upside-down story.
This week we celebrate all that God is doing in the lives of people through baptisms & God stories. Pastor Seth briefly wraps up our Cave + Table + Road series, inviting us into new rhythms moving forward as we continue to celebrate what God is doing in us and through us.
Have you ever noticed that Jesus seemed to take risks that we are often unwilling to take? Not only did Jesus go to people he also chose to “go to the other side” where his fellow Israelites (including rabbi’s) were unwilling to go. This week Pastor Seth explores the second part of the Road where Jesus engages with authentic conversation with the world. (Mark 5:1-20; 6:53-56)
Have you ever heard the phrase "the elephant in the room"? So often in life we find ourselves staring right at one. It's in those moments that we have to choose, am I going to address this, or shy away from it? This week we see Jesus facing not just one elephant, but five elephants, as he intentionally chooses to engage in authentic conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. (John 4:1-45)
Have you ever wondered, where do find community? Or what does biblical community look like? This week Pastor Ken shares about the importance and rhythms of "one anothering" in scripture. He also looks at some of the practical ways we can get involved in community at Salem.
In a time when the entirety of the world is on pause, we long for and crave community perhaps more than ever before. This week Pastor Seth explores the nature of our struggle, and our need to struggle well. The more we identify the lies beneath our sin, so that we can engage each other in authentic conversation, pointing each other to Jesus' grace and forgiveness. Galatians 5:16-25
Have you ever run away from something that you knew you shouldn't...only to feel all the shame and guilt of your failure? This week Pastor Seth explores the life of Elijah in a literal cave, after God redirects him to a "thin space" where he is reminded of who God is and what God still hopes to accomplish through him in 1 Kings 18 & 19.
After the riots in our nation's capital this week, Pastor Seth takes a pause in our new series, to practice some cave time together, engaging us in short teaching (1 Timothy 2:1-6) and corporate prayer (Romans 12).
Whether you've ever made a new year's resolution or not, like the rest of humanity, the beginning of each new year typically causes us to reflect. We wonder how we've changed in the last year, for better or for worse. Have you ever wondered if there was a simple way to assess our spiritual lives? This week Pastor Seth is starting a new series called the Cave + Table + Road that will help us better assess our walk with Jesus. This week we start with Psalm 1, as we learn to be like tree's that are "replanted" next to "canals" of water.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of our savior. He called us all to repentance. A new year is often a time where we reflect and make new commitments. Listen in and reflect on what it is you need to repent from and how you can begin to spend more time with God.
God's story of redemption is large, it spans thousands of years; it's deep, it includes forgiveness of all sins; and it has a goal, to bring life and restoration to all of God's creation.
In week two of our Advent series, Pastor Seth explores God's mercy and how sometimes our pride gets in the way of our enjoyment of God's mercy.
It's Christmas 2020! We finally made it to December and as we draw nearer to the celebration of the birth of our Savior it's important for us to focus more on the gift and less on the box that decorates that gift.
Listen in as Pastor Tom takes us through Matthew 7:15-23 of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Listen in as Pastor Seth takes us through Matthew 7:7-14 of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
In this message Pastor Seth challenges us to be more aware of when we judge people and spend less time judging and more time pointing them to Jesus.
Ever feel overwhelmed with worry? Do you find yourself trying to cover up your sins? Do you find yourself struggling to seek God's Kingdom? Pastor Seth Dunham continues our series going over Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In this episode we learn about what Jesus says about each of these issues.
Listen in as Pastor Seth takes us through Matthew 6:5-15 of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Listen as Pastor Seth begins a new sermon series On the Mount where we begin in Matthew Chapter 5.