Elevate Church: Recent Episodes
Elevate Church
Our experience living in inferior kingdoms with inferior kings should remind us of our need for a superior kingdom with a superior king. As Christians we see Jesus as The King of the eternal superior kingdom of God. We now eagerly await the return of Christ who will establish fully the Kingdom of God where the rule and reign of the perfect king will endure forever and ever.
Come Lord Jesus, our hearts await your return.
While there are many good things which we can pursue in our lives none are as important as knowing God and being known by Him.
We have been saved by grace through faith and are enabled to perform good works motivated by the grace we have freely received. While our works cannot earn God's grace or favour they can be evidence that God is working in our life.
We are to understand that God is the source of all that we need to truly be blessed. Our blessing is more than just material things but is deeply rooted in all that Christ purchased for us on the Cross. Since it is His work that supplies our blessing it cannot be taken away through the events of our life. We are safe and secure in Christ alone.
The gospel is the good news from God that man can be reconciled to God through the work of Christ. This Gospel affects each and every part of our lives including our work life. This sermon seeks to allow you to view your work as a way to bring glory to God who is the rewarder of those that have their sights set on Him.
In this modern world we increasingly live digitally connected lives yet in reality so many continue to experience the loneliness and isolation that a lack of community brings.
Those who follow Christ learn that He has called us to live in deep honest connection with other believers within the confines of an incredibly safe community.
This sermon addresses how we grow deeper connected to each other as we pray and confess our sins. Prayer really is a weapon designed to communicate to God and to embolden our faith as we experience suffering.
As God has loved us we are to love One Another. God out of His goodness and rich kindness extends to us the title of 'Dearly Beloved'. This being dearly beloved of God is the fuel which drives our love for one another. When this is evident within the life of a Church community everyone benefits from it.
It's often the simple things in life that are the most satisfying and the free gifts of salvation is one such thing. The simple truth is that Jesus alone can provide salvation what a glorious and liberating truth that is.
A look into our three main values as a Church Community and a reminder of how our local vision needs to fit within the larger vision which God has for His Church.
A sermon based around Revelation 2, more importantly a call back to our first love in Christ.
There is the God who is and the God we often create in our imagination. Only one of these images is a true depiction of who God is.
The New Testament teaches that God is building a spiritual house made up of believers who were once dead in their sin but this isn't a dead house, it's a house full of life because it's members have been made alive in Christ.
Within this context Paul then prays that we would know in our Inner Being how vast God's love is towards those who believe in HIm.
All are invited into such a compelling relationship with God so that He would have 'A People' The People of God who once were dead but now get to enjoy God forever.
God is Gathering people from all over the world who may have nothing else in common except their love for Christ. This message highlights the gathering nature of God towards His people and the great news is that all are invited.
Elder Member - Pete DeVries teaching on how to reset your expectations and come to Jesus.
If Joy is the fuel needed for the believer to give of their time, talent and treasure. Then we need to spend some time to discover where that joy comes from. This Joy leads us to celebration in every season of life when we comprehend that Jesus is in fact our true source of Joy. He came to give life and light to all mankind and this life is what inspires our love of others.
Evangelism flows from recognising that true life and wisdom can only be found in Christ. It is the overflow of this life and wisdom in the life of the Believer in Christ which fuels our witnessing to others.
A look at the story of Jonah to discover God's Heart of Compassion towards a people that Jonah was reluctant to deliver God's message to. Jonah saw God's kindness confirmed and learnt that there was no where he could run from God's presence.
This sermon explores the motivation for personal evangelism and how this motivation affects the way we approach our Gospel presentations to those around us.
Through faith in Christ our fellowship with God is restored. This restored fellowship then becomes the very foundation for us to enter into the rest which God has always planned for those who would believe in Him.
There remains a rest for Gods people, it's the end of striving and begins with a faith that leads to an assurance and confidence that our value and worth are found in Christ, not in titles or accomplishments. Intrigued? Listen along to learn more.
Faith is the means by which we approach God and this faith inspires us to keep coming back to God in prayer as we continue to place our trust in Him. Our faith is valid because it's rooted in God perfection and His faultless character.
To have faith in God is an incredible privilege for the Christian and is the secret to walking in peace amidst challenging circumstances.
To end the Beatitudes Jesus reminds us of an incredible promise that those who are persecuted for righteousness have The Kingdom of Heaven as their inheritance. The promise of our citizenship in God's Kingdom is the Joy which enables us to endure persecution as nothing can separate us from the love of God and His promises to those who believe in Him for their salvation.
Jesus, who was the perfect Peacemaker invites those who follow Him to be the same. Peacemakers who imperfectly seek true peace in every situation out of the Peace they have so generously received through the work of Christ.
Those who are pure are able to apprehend or 'see' God in ways that the impure simply can't. The good news is that purity is available to all who submit to Jesus through repentance and confession.
Jesus in the Beatitudes instructs Christians on how to live a blessed life. His words here serve not only as instructions for how to live but also as beautiful promises that we can hold onto.
The Story Of Nehemiah reminds us not only that God can restore the broken things in our lives but more importantly that Nehemiah stirs our affections towards Jesus who is a true and better Nehemiah in our lives.
It is Christ who was sent from the King of all Kings to restore what was broken about humanity. Just as the Jewish people had to place their trust in Nehemiah to see the walls rebuilt, we too must place our full trust in Christ to see His restoration mission fully accomplished.
Amnon and Tamar are one of those stories that you may rather skip over. 2 Samuel 13 describes the event which brought immense pain and irreputable damage, into innocent Tamars life.
Sin not only separates us from God but also inspires abuse towards others who have beautifully been made in Gods Image. As devastating as this is, as those who belong to Christ we must allow our pain to point us to a God who wipes our pain away. In our disappointment's we are pointed to The One who will never disappoint us.
Our God is the one who restores the dignity within us which sin seeks to strip away.
The idea that God is ultimately in control will either drive you to fear or faith depending on who you believe God to be.
The podcast aims to establish that God is ultimately in control and that it is a good thing.
Advent is a reminder that Christ came Near to Humanity. Born as a Child in a lowly stable yet His life has such significance to those who would believe in His message, that God has made a way for people to enter into the most life giving relationship possible.
As Christians, we benefit from Christ’s finished work on the Cross as He fulfilled Gods Masterplan.
God’s mysterious plan has now been made know and is given to The Church.
Key Scripture is EPHESIANS 3:1-12
The topic of generosity can cause anxiety for many who have heard the subject preached on but this shouldn't be the case. When we give we should do so with a cheerful heart and there is something about how God is able to move a person to a place where they are genuinely happy to give of their time, talent and treasure. This sermon attempts to reclaim what generosity means to the Christian Church.
In our post modern, post Christian Culture people can become disillusioned with The Church and while The Church isn't a perfect institution it is the only one Jesus started. What if perfection wasn't His intention but rather a community of people who have one thing in common. Christ as their deliverer.
Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Philippian Church explains that in the past his life was all about his efforts to get God's approval but now Jesus Christ has done away with that kind of living. Paul's only desire now is to know Christ and we are invited to do the same and enter into this liberating saving grace through Christ.
Paul in His personal letter to the Philippian's models for them to ground their Joy in the work of Christ and not to allow their circumstances to affect that Joy. God always has a plan and a purpose for the trials we walk through. In this message you will be encouraged to 'Take Heart' regardless of the circumstances which currently surround your life.
God invites all who follow Him to be on Mission as we play our part to see people restored to a good relationship with Him. As we do this we are also called to have unity with other believers as a sign that God is truley among us.
God's desire to see humanity come to believe in Him has been demonstrated through Jesus on the Cross and is displayed through His Church as we live life on Mission.
Our emotions provide us with an opportunity to see what is really going on beneath the surface of our lives. This week we ask what do our emotions say about what I am chasing in life. Am I chasing after the things of God or am I chasing worldly success and why should you even care?
As we discover how we are uniquely made we are then better equipped to surrender those specific parts of our personality to God. This message is a short encouragement to surrender your personality while resting in who God says you are in Christ... His child.
The person who follows Christ does so because they have recognised their need for Him, this is a gift from God. We, therefore, have no reason to pretend to be someone we aren't but rather to walk in humility before God and authenticity with ourselves and others. Jesus is the ultimate mask remover and is able to heal our deepest wounds.
Is it possible to be spiritually healthy while remaining emotionally unhealthy? This message is an encouragement to allow yourself to feel certain emotions and then allow those emotions to lead you back to your deep need for Christ.
Pledge Week for our Others Programs. These funds will go towards many initiatives which will be used to benefit the lives of those both near and far, locally and globally.
Jesus not only preached the Gospel but He also lived it out. The message Christ came to give isn't just to be enjoyed for ourselves but rather to go into all the world through His Church. We believe that that God has a harvest of people who are ready to receive the good news now so lets not delay any longer.
When Jesus left this earth He entrusted His followers with the task of teaching the world what they had learned about Him. For us to truely partner with God in His mission we must understand in whos Authority we stand.
Once we take the time to fully appreciate the stunning beauty of the work of God in the heart of those who believe in Him, only then are we able to join God on His mission to bring reconciliation to the world who so desperatley need Him.
As Christians, we are called to love God and to love our neighbours but who are our neighbours? The Good Samaritan is a parable which answers this question well but also paints an incredible picture of the redeeming work which God is doing in the life of those who believe in Him. All of this informs us how we are loved by God to love each other and show mercy to the suffering.
We were not meant to live out our Christian life alone, instead, God has made us alive in Him to live in close relationship with other Christian believers in such a way that others desire the healthy relationship that we have, both in Christ and with each other.
God is concerned with both your inner and outer life. As Christians, we are made clean from the inside out when we accept Christ's finsihed work on the Cross.
When we realize that we are to image our Creator we can begin to gain an understanding of both our value and purpose. Sin had separated us from this reality and only through Christ can this be restored. What an incredible opportunity we have to be continually reminded that we belong to God and that He desires to use us to reflect Him to a lost and broken world.
Too often Christians view Salvation as the final and end event for those who follow Christ however as believers we have been invited into much more than this. Salvation is the beginning of God's desire to make a people for Himself, a people who are Like Christ.
God is not only 'up there' keeping the universe going but He is also involved with each of us individually. God Himself initiates contact with His creation and seeks to restore relationship with us no matter how often we hide from Him, He always seeks us.
Job endures a hardship which most of us couldn't identify with. Not only did he endure suffering but it wasn't even his fault. This raises a few questions which we address in this sermon.
How did God encourage Abraham when he doubted God's promise? The answer isn't as straight forward as you would think.
When we surrender ultimate control of the circumstances of our life to God, we are then able to be content regardless of the circumstances we walk through.
Living a life of surrender can be difficult when we experience suffering or loss of any description. However, it can be through these times that we experience what it's like to have Jesus walk with us in a profoundly comforting way.
When we see everything we do as an opportunity to Worship God then all of a sudden we gain control of our attitude regardless of our circumstances. All this is only possible when our hearts warm in the glow of the love of God towards us through Christ. Our Heart then informs our Mind which then affects our actions. We, in turn, become Gospel-motivated worshippers in all we do.
When we are led by the one who made us and actively shepherds our soul we have no lack regardless of the events and circumstances which happen around us.
Have you ever read the scriptures to witness the people who God used and think I could never do that? Many people have and yet we must believe that those whom God used and still uses today have the same limiting beliefs, disappointments and struggles that we face each and every day.
In this message Ps Daniel Abou-zeid will explore what it takes for us to become SOLD OUT to the cause of Christ for your individual life and the World.
As Christians, we have a glorious hope in Chris. This hope is not only for us but also is intended to become a Glorious Hope to those who would hear the message through us. This is otherwise known as The Great Commission and we all have a part to play.
As Christians, we have more than enough reason for hope to overwhelm us because we believe in Jesus. Even when things don't go as we think they should or circumstances leave us feeling hurt or wounded, hope still stands.
This sermon follows the life of Stephen in the book of Acts to discover how this Glorious Hope governed his actions and what our responce should be.
Because of the work of Christ we have a glorious hope. In this message we will look slow down, take a step back and marvel at the glorious work of Christ that provides us with this hope.
Lead Pastor Daniel Abou-zeid lays out the Vision for 2017 outlining that as we keep the Gospel as central to everything we do that we would become a place where real change and restoration is possible.
The Pursuit of Joy can lead us to many differing endeavors, as Christians we believe that true Joy, everlasting Joy can only be found when you have peace with God and this is only accomplished through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The Pursuit of Joy can lead us to many differing endeavors, as Christians we believe that true Joy, everlasting Joy can only be found when you have peace with God and this is only accomplished through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The Pursuit of Joy can lead us to many differing endeavors, as Christians we believe that true Joy, everlasting Joy can only be found when you have peace with God and this is only accomplished through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Christ has set us free from the authority of Sin through His stunning victory on the Cross. This then sets us free to pursue holiness and become more into His intended image for our lives, without fear from Sin.
Jesus has and will always be the only credible answer to our sinful condition, in this message we look at how important our focus can be to reigning in life through Christ as Believers.
Our view of The Church should not just be based off our experience but rather the vision that Christ Himself has of her.
It does our soul well to contemplate the Glory of God in His largeness yet His attention towards us as His Children. This is the theme in Psalm 8.
As Christians our Hope comes from our belief in Jesus' ability to cover our sins not our ability to impress God with our morals. This acceptance is a free gift and this free gift releases us to pursue good morals in response to God's profound work in our lives.
This week we had a bit of fun since the kids were in the service with us looking at why Jesus is better than Chuck Norris. Even though we had some fun there is also some great truths to learn as we paralleled our topic with the story of David and Goliath.
It's simple really, stay connected to Jesus and you will bear much fruit. Things get messy when we complicate things.
Jesus declared that He was preparing a place for those who He would call His own and that He was the Way to find that place. If we know Jesus then we know the way, this knowledge should bring comfort to our hearts in a profound way.
Jesus made a massive claim that He and the Father were one, then He describes Himself as The Bread of Life. Jesus is the source of our sustenance and in Him we will never hunger or thirst again.
We can chase many things in this life | make sure being faithful to God's calling on your life is one of them. Don't compare your fruitfulness to someone else's instead be faithful to the One who enables us to bear fruit.
Here Ps Daniel Abou-zeid explains why Jesus is the only one that we can trust with our hope. So many people put hope in things which can never deliver but Jesus is the only One who can provide Unfailing HOPE.