Sermons | Ordinary Faith: Recent Episodes
Micheal Maynard
A healthy relationship is one where there is alignment (our goals, ideals, desires are the same or similar), reciprocity (a flow of give and take that brings life and purpose), and most importantly a sense of responsibility for our own actions, choices, and behaviors. Relationship is NOT about merging our selves with others but working in harmony in such a way that our individual uniqueness combined with our partner’s uniqueness creates a greater harmonic beauty.
When we learn to rest in the midst of difficulty and discomfort, we find great power. Rest is how we build our reserves for great resilience and victory. But, Rest and escape are different things. Learning the difference leads to victory.
There are rhythms in life that will sustain us. We are not the first generation to face difficulty. There are ways to strengthen our souls and stay our hearts. Our journey begins with our attention to the moment in which we currently reside.
The resurrection solves one of history’s greatest mysteries. The fact that Christian churches exist is a phenomenon that defies logical explanation. The reason they do gives everyone a reason to strongly consider putting their faith in Jesus.
Anxiety, isolation, and fear eat away at our well-being. Our emotional, physical, and intellectual resources quickly decline. We live our lives with bated breaths, waiting for the next difficulty. It’s time to unsubscribe from the issues that surround us and breathe deeply.
Love is the foundation of all that is truly Christ-following. In our series on Spiritual Gifts, we must claim Love as our motivation for sharing and using our gifts.
Love is the foundation of all that is truly Christ-following. In our series on Spiritual Gifts, we must claim Love as our motivation for sharing and using our gifts.
The Gifts of the Spirit are very special. They are also much more fluid than we realize. Certain gifts remain with us for our lifetimes while others appear and recede as needed. God will equip you for anything and everything to which you are called. Know that when you need it, you will have it.
Everyone is gifted and needs to participate. If we respect each other, we will learn to make room for each other’s unique talents. There is room for all of us in the body of Christ as we learn to use our gifts for Jesus’ sake.
God’s desire for you is much greater than ritual and religion. God is actively saving and redeeming the world. You are a major player in this great story of God. You have been given great power. Will you lay hold of it?
We need a good source for our soul. How do we answer the question, “What will guide my life?” How will we know what God desires and what is best? The Word of God is our best source.
True Christianity is building something. It takes work, but it can’t be accomplished by human effort. It takes sacrifice, but how can any sacrifice compare to Jesus’ sacrifice? The purpose of everything we do is to build people.
Going to church is not enough. Assent that Jesus lived, died, and resurrected is not enough. Believing in Jesus is not simply accepting these as facts. Jesus established a baseline for His Disciples to demonstrate real righteousness and real love. The process he used is called discipleship. Are you a disciple?
Going to church is not enough. Assent that Jesus lived, died, and resurrected is not enough. Believing in Jesus is not simply accepting these as facts. Jesus established a baseline for His Disciples to demonstrate real righteousness and real love. The process he used is called discipleship. Are you a disciple?
We have an insatiable desire to find meaning and purpose in even the most random events in life. We long for a meta-narrative: a comprehensive explanation of history and experience. If we can find it, we feel there’s a purpose to everything—that this story is going somewhere.
There is so much noise. There are so many demands for our attention. We are under constant pressure from the things we have to do and the many things we wish we could do. It is possible that it is more difficult to focus on the important things at Christmas than at any other time of the year? In the Christmas Story there are at least four narratives that teach us to make room for some essentials.
Gift-giving is a wonderful expression of love and appreciation. And, of course, the Christmas gifts that we share have their roots in the Christmas story. We see the Wise Men giving gifts to Jesus and His Family. But the greatest gift of all is the Gift God has given us in Jesus. By giving us His own Son, God has give us the only Answer that we will ever truly need.
God came to be WITH Us. He came to serve, to demonstrate what real Love looks like. We can learn to be WITH Him and WITH Others in order to serve them and demonstrate His Love.
God came to be WITH Us. He came to serve, to demonstrate what real Love looks like. We can learn to be WITH Him and WITH Others in order to serve them and demonstrate His Love.
Sometimes we struggle to give thanks. Our daily difficulties often blind us to the wonderful realities that sustain those who follow Jesus. Today is a good day to remind ourselves that short-lived troubles will never displace eternal realities.
Living a kingdom life requires a Kingdom foundation. Jesus gave us just such a foundation. Obeying Jesus isn’t about pleasing God, it’s about working with God’s Plan and Kingdom. When we take Jesus’ words seriously we live as Kingdom Citizens and not merely as church attenders.
What is coming out of your life? When the pressures of life squeeze us, what comes out of us? Do we express Love, patience, and gentleness in those times? Or, does something darker “leak” from us? Jesus' desire is that our lives always release a reminder of His nature and person.
What are we to do about our internal deliberation regarding the faults of those around us? Our inner jury needs a rest. Jesus asks us to dismiss the jury, adopt a better standard, and encourage others toward God their Father.
Jesus teaches us to do things that are the opposite of what everyone else would do. He presses us into grief. He knows that grief is the only way to be free from our pasts, sins, and failures.
Jesus teaches us to do things that are the opposite of what everyone else would do. He presses us into grief. He knows that grief is the only way to be free from our pasts, sins, and failures.
Jesus presents hunger as an attitude. Not the hunger that comes from a complaining stomach. He is referring to hunger for justice and righteousness. As believers, we possess a hunger for greater things than this world has to offer.
Jesus often preached on our attitudes. We know because Matthew and Luke both credited Jesus’ sermons with an introduction to attitudes. These attitudes are what make the Kingdom of God function upon the Earth. So, kingdom living requires an attitude adjustment. Jesus began with the attitude of poverty.
There is a reason Christianity begins with Baptism. It’s kind of like a drowning, to end something that is broken and wrong within us. It is the point of no return for the believer. It says “I am All in.” And, All in is all in.
We are not here to be nice, go to church, and hide from the world. We are on this earth to participate with God in His redemptive plan to save the world. This is not really a game, so we must play to win.
Church is for Teams. We serve Jesus together, not separately. There are no lone rangers in the Kingdom of God. There aren’t any rock stars either. We are all God’s sons and daughters and we work together.
How does someone strengthen their faith? Are we just supposed to read the bible, pray, and go to church until Jesus comes back? No. A vibrant faith is a daily, active, and practical faith. It moves, breathes, grows, and conquers. With the faith of so many either on life support or missing in action, it is vital that we learn to build our faith.
Prayer is how we breathe. And, it’s how we stay in touch with Mission Control. Learn to pray and you will change your world.
Prayer is how we breathe. And, it’s how we stay in touch with Mission Control. Learn to pray and you will change your world.
Freedom and Slavery are different mindsets. Often when slaves believe themselves to be revolutionary, they are merely echoing their peers. The mindset that keeps people in bondage must be emancipated.
Freedom and Slavery are different mindsets. Often when slaves believe themselves to be revolutionary, they are merely echoing their peers. The mindset that keeps people in bondage must be emancipated.
Champions struggle too. Just because you struggle does not mean you are not a champion or have failed. We lose things in life… And, even though that is the way it is, it’s not right. It’s not good. It’s not okay.
Champions struggle too. Just because you struggle does not mean you are not a champion or have failed. We lose things in life… And, even though that is the way it is, it’s not right. It’s not good. It’s not okay.
Our world and our lives need better answers than just working harder. We do not have to live in despair. When you have an Awesome God, prayer changes everything.
Who do you worship? Who or what is your God? We can’t easily dismiss the question, because we devote our lives to so many things. That devotion is worship. And worship of anything besides the one true God will not end well.
Our World needs champions. Sadly, popular media generally present champions as demigods of uncommon and exceptional stature. And, we all want a hero who wins, so it sells books and movie tickets. But, it may also rob us of our most important champions. Those ordinary people, who simply refuse to quit.
The story of Christianity does not end with the Resurrection of Jesus. It begins there. Christ’s resurrection opens an entirely new world of possibilities. Jesus called that world “the Kingdom of God”. He told His disciples to wait until they received power from God. Your story is the same as theirs. You will need power to live as a citizen of the Kingdom of God upon this earth.
There is much more to the act of celebration than the escape from your problems for a while. Jesus encouraged praising and celebration as He entered Jerusalem, yet He knew well what He was there to do.
There is much more to the act of celebration than the escape from your problems for a while. Jesus encouraged praising and celebration as He entered Jerusalem, yet He knew well what He was there to do.
We cannot live without hope. Hope is like the air we breathe. It fills our lungs and fuels our dreams. Learning to hope again is like learning to breathe again.
The question, “Do I have enough faith?” reveals the placement of our faith. The question reveals our self-reliance. And, self-reliance is the enemy of faith. The question is not, “Do I have enough Faith?”. A better question is, “What object of my faith?”
What if we believed that there is more than enough? If there were MORE than enough, how would that change the way we live and give? We must not agree with our eternal enemy, Satan, that there is not enough. If we do we end up trapped in a rat race, scurrying about trying to get what is ours. We become stingy, frightened, and jealous of the success of others. Does that sound familiar?
You have an enemy who desperately wants to define your value. To assess your true worth, your value must be determined by God’s investment in you. Things that have happened to you and that have been said about you are not valid statements of your worth.