Sermons Archive - Ottawa Church of Christ: Recent Episodes
Sermons Archive - Ottawa Church of Christ
What does it really mean to “Be strong and courageous” as Christians today? This week, we’ll dive deep into the ancient world of Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel to explore the incredible value placed on courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Through the lens of ancient warfare, we’ll unpack rarely preached texts that reveal…
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We explored Deuteronomy 11 through two perspectives: Moses’ speech to the Israelites on the verge of entering the Promised Land, and King Josiah’s rediscovery of the Deuteronomy text during a period of spiritual decline in Judah. Just as Moses’ words prepared the Israelites for their battle to claim the Promised Land, centuries later, these same words fuelled Josiah’s reform efforts.
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Why are we here? We are here to live, give, and love make sure we exemplify these ideas in our daily lives. God gave us talents that we can use to showcase God’s love to people around us. Talents do not just come naturally. They require hard work and consistent practice. In a world of…
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In this message, we’ll explore the profound meaning of forgiveness in our relationships with God and with others. This sermon guides us on how to seek forgiveness, extend it, and experience the transformative power of mercy in our lives.
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We are exploring the powerful topic of prayer with a sermon entitled “How to Pray.” Whether you’re looking to strengthen your prayer life or curious about how to begin, this message is sure to resonate with everyone.
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God provides us with strength and hope in our daily lives. Whether you are seeking comfort, inspiration, or a deeper understanding of God’s presence, this message is for you.
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We are called to worship God in spirit and in truth. Therefore, truth matters because our thoughts about God must be true to qualify as worship, and without truth, our worship is hollow at best. It's not about our truth, it's about God's truth. And the greatest truth we can bank on is this: God did not spare his son but gave him up for us.
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How much time do you spend thinking of the Holy Spirit? We have Jesus with us every day, but we ignore him or don't recognize his presence. God desires to take us from the darkness of the world to live out the fruits of the spirit. He made it possible to do this through his son, Jesus, and then through sending us his holy Spirit to be with us, live in us, guide us, speak to us, remind us, teach us, and make himself known to us
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When we look at a map of a place we’ve never been, it has little meaning to us. But as we travel the roads and experience the place, we add dimension and depth. We take a flat piece of paper and fill it with memories and meaning. The Lord’s Prayer is just a handful of verses; seven thoughts. But if we are brave enough to pour ourselves into each section and set our souls on discovering each place, the Lord’s Prayer can become like the map of our favorite vacation destination.
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One of the things that God forms in his people in the wilderness is culture. Israel’s culture was multifaceted and revolved around family traditions, priestly rites, and days, weeks, and years of celebrations centered around fasting and feasting. As we continue to read Scripture, we see that these festivals were more than just vacation days on the Hebrew calendar. They become a part of God’s cosmic calendar, with each celebration taking on greater meaning in the life of Jesus and the church.
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Just as the intricate design of the Tabernacle followed a pattern so the people could experience God in worship, Jesus’ incarnation was intricately designed so we could experience the presence of God in our lives and the church. This Sunday, we’ll examine the state of our tabernacles and the difference God’s presence should make.
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How does the law of Jesus compare to the law of Moses?
The Torah is the closest thing we get to a set of rules from God. But even amongst the 613 commands, there is narrative, mystery, and tension. No set of rules could be complete enough to guide the human heart. The Spirit knew we needed more and has given us a rich set of 66 books. The result is that we are often unable to just turn to a simple answer for the things we face. Rightly handling the word of God means that we must engage with the Spirit, engage with spiritual people, research theology and history, and above all else, pray.
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We all have things that we rely on or look to in our lives. Often we don’t give these strong influences much thought. As Israel makes their escape in Exodus they are given a physical reminder of the presence of God in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. Day and night, God was with them, leading their steps, and protecting them powerfully. What are you leaning on? How do you know where God is leading you? Is the presence of God a pillar in your life?
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In Christ, we have been gifted with a lifetime of opportunities that if grasped, help us find our place in God’s story. We will look at David who grasped his opportunities and subsequently was described as one who fulfilled God’s purpose for his life. We will look to see what we can learn from David’s life to help us find our place in God’s story.
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We all need to grow in our understanding of God’s process of formation. We want growth to be easy. But that’s not the reality we see in any part of creation, including our own souls. When God wants to grow us (and he does!), he takes us into the wilderness to be formed into people…
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In the Great Commission, we are tasked with making disciples and baptizing them. The Exodus story powerfully shows that this has always been God’s plan. But just as there is much more to the Exodus story than moving through the parted waters, there is much more to the Great Commission. The freedom that comes from piercing the waters of baptism should be celebrated as the Spirit-enabled beginning of an incredible journey marked by learning to obey all that Jesus taught.
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The theme of this week’s service is formation. That might not be a word we use every day – but it is something that God is doing in our lives every day whether we realize it or not. Formation means that God has big plans for our lives, but he needs to mold us or form us into the kind of person who can accomplish his will.
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As we look into what our vision is for the church, we must ask ourselves who are we and where are we going? We get many of our answers to these questions in the book of Matthew where Jesus tells us that sight/vision is more than just physical - there is also spiritual sight. We are reminded that, while we must "go and make disciples of all nations," church is not just about getting more people into the church but about transforming lives through love.
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We are challenged to remember the ways God has shown his works in the past and to believe that the God of today is just as powerful as the God of yesterday. Then, we are told how we can ignite our faith through appreciation of God's creation. Finally, we are shown how the humanity of Jesus can help us remember that he also suffered in this life and that we can deal with our trials as he did, through prayer.
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Using our own lives as well as the lives of biblical characters such as Simon Peter as examples, we are reminded that God never fails and that he is willing and able to do all things. We are reminded that we are all following someone/something and that others are following us. Therefore, if we want to live in the kingdom ever after, we need to stand firm in Jesus and declare, "I will follow you."
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Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 tells us that there is a time for everything, including death. Today's sermon looks at death as our eternal retirement (from life) and asks us how we are preparing for it. We are reminded that even Jesus was conscious of time and that what we do with our time is critical. We are reminded that God has expectations of his children and their time on earth. What are you doing with your time?
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Holiness is often misunderstood even by Christians. Our minds might picture Puritan preachers yelling or solemn church services in cathedrals. There’s much that we can learn from Moses’ encounter with our holy God at the burning bush on Mount Horeb. When we better understand the holiness of God, holy living as disciples of Jesus becomes more accessible.
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Preparation and consecration for a journey with God is important if we are to make it to the end.
As we embark on a new journey this season let’s make sure we prepare our hearts and minds for new challenges, new sacrifices and new attitudes. To get to a new level of relationship with God our time with Him has to be consecrated and uninterrupted by worldly things. Let’s start a new chapter in our walk with God!
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We never know what life will bring and when. Therefore, we must examine ourselves that our faith is based not on man's wisdom but on the work of the cross. As humans, we are often more concerned with how we look than with how we worship Christ. As Christians, however, we try to concern ourselves with nothing else but Christ and Him crucified so that none can boast.
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As we look at the story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 we see that, when we encounter Jesus, our priorities change. This woman who went to the well in shame to get some water during the high noon heat left her water jar behind to share the news of Jesus with her neighbors. Like the Samaritans in the story, when people are truly thirsty for a Saviour, they go from curious to present to changed as Jesus works in their lives. Are you thirsty?
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Can you live your life without regrets? With faith in God, you can. Living by faith does not mean your life will be easy or have no challenges. God gives you a purpose that makes your life meaningful. Do you feel like your life is making a difference? Does it have a purpose that would give it a lifelong meaning? What can you do with your life right now so that in the end you have no regrets?
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The world that we live in has many distractions that take us away from our loving devotion to Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ. Come as we learn together how to be watchful and wait for the return of our lord Jesus Christ
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Storms come into our lives irrespective of how deep our faith is. One tried way of weathering through a storm is to remember that God is near, God is present, God is faithful.
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As we embark on our summer let us remember about the holiness of our God. Sumer is not the time to take a vacation from God. It's time to be even more vigilant about our spiritual lives. Our culture teaches us that we need to 'domesticate' our God. Make create gods that are comfortable to worship. Our God is to be revered and honored. Day in and day out. Not when it's convenient. But every single day.
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This Sunday we cast a vision for the summer and the rest of the year. We discussed how the church works and the work of the church.
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The Spirit compels us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father!” This Sunday we will examine why this salutation is so appropriate when we address our heavenly Father!
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It is very easy to lose perspective when we’re not practicing spiritual hygiene, and we think that everything around us is the problem. Jesus cultivated habits like prayer, scripture, fellowship, and thankfulness. By imitating these habits, we sow habits and reap the rewards of spiritual hygiene
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Though God has promised to be with us, and we are created to be with Him – we can often feel alone and distant from Him. Join us as we journey together toward an encounter … with the Almighty. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no…
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Mother’s Day is a great day to think about and thank your mom (and the other godly women that God has placed in your life!) for showing you a part of what God’s love looks like. There’s just something different about a mother’s love. And that great feeling you have when you get a hug from mom is just a small taste of God’s love for you. The Bible says that God is our Father, but there are times and ways that He loves us and comforts us just like a mother comforts her child.
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Heaven the place, teaches us that a promise fulfilled is powerful, especially when the promise maker is Christ.
In a world filled with decay, we wait in eager hope for heaven, the place we go to where our physical bodies will be renewed and God will create for us a place with no tears, no more death or decay.
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As we finish our series in God and Money, we reflect on the fact that Jesus talked about money as a thing to be joyful about. We are encouraged to consider how we manage the money God has given us and to stop trying to live up to the expectations of wealth that we form by looking at the people around us. We are left with the questing of if we are rich toward God or rich toward money and are cautioned to choose wisely.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4SQNzFKZw
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We continue with our series on God and Money. Tony will be preaching the sermon called The Generosity of God
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We continue our series on God and money. It is important for us to remember that our treasures on earth are temporary so we should invest them back into God's Kingdom, where we truly belong. This World is Not Our Home.
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In continuing our series on God and Money, we are reminded that the Bible tells us that our relationship with money (especially when regarding the portion we give to God) should be one of joy rather than sacrifice. Jesus, in Matt. 6, doesn't say we shouldn't store up treasure but rather tells us WHERE we should store it (Heaven v. Earth). Since we can't bring money with us when we leave the earth, why would we invest in something that we know is worthless? Instead, we are encouraged to send our treasure ahead by investing in the Kingdom of God since it all belongs to Him anyway.
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Our outreach can actively help people to understand the saving message of Christ. We need to ensure our focus is on Christ (not so much that we become narrow-minded/ judgmental but in a way that allows us to make good choices). Ultimately, these 7 rhythms (along with other healthy Christian habits) are intended to keep us from withering and to help us bear fruit.
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Three more habits of effective disciples: having relationships that lift us up; being embedded into a community of faith; investing your heart into servitude of others.
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Our series on being effective disciples continues. We are reminded that God is always with us. However, it is us who allow things around and within us to separate us from him (not the other way around). By putting on God's yolk of grace and focusing on one thing at a time, we can bring ourselves back into a right relationship with God.
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Stories play a fundamental role in our lives by reminding us of who we are and connecting us to those around us. These stories often don't go the way we planned (or would like) but if we stop in the middle we might miss an amazing ending.
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If your happiness is based on earthly things, you will be stuck in the "Prison of Want". Psalm 23 shows us how we can be free from this prison by following the lead of our Shepherd who loves his sheep and gives his life to protect them and ensure their happiness. We are reminded that there is a part of us that only God can fill and, like sheep following their shepherd, we need to follow God's lead because we can't get to where God wants us if we are only focusing on ourselves.
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Like Jesus, we need to choose to pardon - not punish, - and to focus on God, not ourselves. If we do this, and, ultimately, follow God in faith, we can trust Him to do the rest.
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It is not about how much we have been forgiven but about how much we REALIZE we have been forgiven. Our human nature tends to get in the way of God's grace. We are reminded by both that when we trust God's will for our lives, we will be reminded of God's grace and filled with gratitude for what he has done.
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Messes come in a lot of different ways. Sometimes they come through a strain in a relationship, a misunderstanding with a family member, a mistake at work or perhaps a financial mistake at home. We all have regrets, failures, temptations, struggles with certain sins and past pain and failures that can trip us up in life. But your story is not done being written by God. Life can be a mess sometimes but through faith in God – God changes our story to a, "Beautiful Mess".
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Endurance is closely tied to the ability to overcome. We all have a part to play in God's plan but answering our call requires us to overcome the challenges placed before us. The life of Job is held up as an example of endurance through hard times by holding to the truths we know about God and holding on to the promises of God given to us through his Word. In the end, we are reminded that staying within and trusting the word of God is what helps is to endure in our faith.
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Glorification has a lot to do with hope. Hope can mean different things to different people but, ultimately, hope allows us to endure and keeps us from giving up (even in the face of despair). He reminds us that death, ultimately, is part of the process of Glorification (where we spend eternity in God's glory) and hope provides us the security to hold on to God's promises (because God cannot lie).
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Today we learn about having a servant’s heart through the sharing of two powerful testimonies. First Dwayne shared how faith is not enough and that, when we serve, is not about what we are but who God is. Alex then followed this up by teaching us that, when you have a servant’s heart you will…
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Jesus is active in heaven and on earth using the Bible as a guide to the evidence of his work. We are reminded that our job is to be witnesses to Jesus through the use of mercy and compassion in a broken world as we let God work through us.
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Sanctification is about being set apart; not because of how great we are but because of how great God is. It is a process that takes time by letting what happened on the inside through justification be expressed by what's happening on the outside (highlighting the difference between who we were before Christ and who we are now)
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Justification is a free gift by God's mercy and grace through faith (and the death of his son) which, without any action from us, makes it "just as if you've never sinned".
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The book of Colossians is full of concepts of thankfulness. In today's sermon, Tony reminds us that true, overwhelming gratitude comes from God's grace and if we are not overflowing with it, we need to reexamine our relationship with God and remember what we have been saved from. We are reminded that, as Christians, we can always overflow with gratitude (regardless of what we do or do not have); we just need to reflect on where our heart is and keep our focus on God.
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Sticks and stones may cause immediate, temporary harm to us but, in today's message, Tony reminds us of the power of words to cause lasting harm. We are shown how sometimes it is the smallest things that can have the most power to incite change (for good or for evil). As we use our tongues to praise God, we are encouraged (and challenged) to also use them to uplift our fellow humans who are created in his image.
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Our summer interns share what they have learned over the last 8 weeks. They reveal the importance of relationships as well as a mature understanding of God's timing not only for the next generation but also for the NOW generation.
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When we look at some of the most famous/influential people in history, most of them started off as nobodies. The biggest nobody in history was Jesus who built his church on nobodies. Today we are reminded that, as Christians, we are just nobodies helping nobodies to find hope. That is the power of nobody.
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In Ecclesiastes 7, we learn that wisdom is a good thing that is so powerful and universal that it affects everyone in the world. However, we are also reminded wisdom doesn't involve living in the nostalgia of the past but rather looking ahead and planning for the future while living in the present.
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In Luke 14 (15-24), Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a banquet. Banquets require invitation, preparation and attendance. Today, we are reminded that Christ has prepared a great banquet for us. Are you coming? Are you prepared?
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In our world of advanced technology, it's often difficult to determine what is real and what is not. The Bible talks about the importance of speaking the truth to our neighbors. In this vein, we are encouraged to seek the truth and reminded that the greatest truth that matters is what Christ did on the cross.
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God wants our whole heart, mind, and soul. Not just lip service. praising him needs to be a deliberate act of gratitude not forgetting His faithfulness in our lives. To that end, we need to take time to contemplate and give thanks to God.
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Though we often try to 'earn' our salvation by our actions, God doesn't really 'need' anything from us. Thus, our worth to God doesn't not come from what we can do for him but rather from just being who we were created to be. He created us to be his partner not his slave and He sent Jesus to demonstrate how to bring God's kingdom into the world and be the perfect partner for God.
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Just as shadows are not a reality of what they are reflecting, sacrifice (in the old testament) was a reminder of sin and not the actuality of forgiveness. Christ's once (and for all) sacrifice was the real road to forgiveness and communion is our reminder of Christ's bodily death and bodily resurrection. As Christ's sacrifice required a bodily presence among us, so too our physical presence is required when joining together in order to build lasting relationships.
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Moving on can be fearful and uncertain but it can also be useful for growth. However, we allow ourselves to get so beaten down that we wonder if we should even go on and, in the process, we resist trusting God. We need to push aside this fear and not be shackled by what we were. Instead, we need to learn to forgive ourselves and press on to be who God made us to be.
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Father's Day reminds us of our heavenly father and his perfect template of fatherhood. Good, who is father to all, adopted us as we are and makes and treats us as equal to Christ. Today's sermon reminds us that the greatest responsibility for men is to be a father and using God's template to break generational cycles that keep us from comforting and encouraging our children.
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Can you imagine a world with no "no"s? Today, Guy Hammond reminds us that freedom is not the ability to do what you want but the ability to choose NOT to do what you want. We are then encouraged to remember that Christianity isn't about how bad sin is, but about how good Jesus is and that is the message we should be sharing.
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Today's meeting of the Canadian churches reminds us of how the pandemic forced us to rethink what "church" meant. We are encouraged to remember that God has a way of bringing us where he wants us, regardless of what our plans might be. As long as we are together, unified, and focused on God, we can stay strong and be secure in our place in the world.
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We are taught that God takes great ideas like compassion and graciousness and shows us what that looks like in Jesus. Tony reminds us that it's not enough to look at who God IS but we must also look at what He DID. Like Jesus, you don't need a lot to have compassion, you just need to have the right heart.
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As we finish our look at the book of Philippians, we look at the importance of attitude in the face of adversity. We are all different people facing different challenges, if we live in a community of harmony and humility, we can live joyfully regardless of our life circumstances. Ultimately, we are reminded that it is not enough to just say we are something (i.e. Christian), we must also be the face of that to which we claim.
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Today we are shown how God uses mothers to reflect certain parts of his own character. Through the sharing of four individuals, we see various perspectives highlighting the importance of mothers in the world as well as in the church.
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Whatever may happen, each member of the body of Christ belongs to each other. We must meet the needs of each other through communication, playing our unique parts and striving together to play our part
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We don't get to choose our families. And yet often they are the closest people we've got. In the same way, we don't get to choose our spiritual family. We've got to find a way to love one another. After all, deep love for one another is the only way people will be able to tell that we are from one spiritual family.
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Today we reflect on and celebrate the events which took place around 2000 years ago. Tony reminds us that the truth of the bodily resurrection of Christ is one of the most important parts of our faith. For, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 if these events are not true, then where is our hope and what is the point of our faith at all?
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When God is going to do something, He will supply what is needed even if we don't know where it will come from and might not be what is expected. The Jews of Jesus' day were expecting a warrior king but got an itinerant preacher. We are challenged to ask ourselves, "If I was there for the events of Matt 21:1-11, who would I be in the crowd and where would I stand?"
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New citizenship always requires certain prerequisites for those hoping to acquire it and these should form our actions and mindset. In Philippians (3:15-21), Paul reminds us that how we conduct ourselves matters, ultimately, we need to ask ourselves, is our mind on earthly things or are we focused on the hope of heaven?
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Today's lesson teaches us that we must focus not on a faith that is fast but on a faith that lasts. We must remember that faith is more about keeping our eyes on Jesus than it is about our performance. In the end, we should be amazed (not surprised) by Jesus' work in our lives.
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In Philippians 3, Paul tells us about the importance of knowing Christ. Just as there are different levels of intimacy with those around us, there are also different levels of intimacy with Christ. Paul reminds and encourages us that we should desire such a level of intimacy with Christ that knowing him is worth more than all other things/knowledge in the world.
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Philippians 2 teaches how disunity comes from self-interest and how the church requires a deeper connection than just a social club. Paul uses two examples to describe what servants of Christ look like and reminds us of the importance of bringing others' interests above our own.
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In the books of Romans and Philippians, Paul admonishes the disciples to shine like stars in their warped and crooked generation. When it is dark, is when stars are seen the best. Disciples of Christ can shine like stars by holding onto the word of life, and by conducting themselves in a manner worthy of Christ.
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Have you ever lost something important to you and spent hours searching for it? In Luke 15, Jesus shares 3 parables that reflect God's attitude toward the lost and the extent he will go to find them. God was willing to become human and die just for us to have a chance at being found. How far will you go for the lost?
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In Philippians, Paul reminds us of the importance of reflecting Jesus' mindset in how we react to the world around us. The world's mindset is peace through strength; Jesus' mindset is peace through humility. Just as Jesus (though fully God) did not elevate himself, we too must humble ourselves so that God may be glorified in us.
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Philippians 1 shares how we can be joyful in our partnership with the church and Christ. We see that the mark of the disciple is one who conducts themselves in a way worthy of the Gospel regardless of their situation. Paul's faith was prison-proof. Is your faith pandemic proof?
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“Today” is a word that reflects being in the moment or living in the present. There are opportunities and decisions we make each day or today that impact us and shape us into who we will be tomorrow. Hebrews 3 is both an encouragement and a warning for us to make the right decisions today so we can be who God wants us to be in the future.
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How can our lives make a real impact in the world around us? Listen in as Mark and Connie Mancini explain why the message of the cross is so important for galvanizing faith. They remind us that, as Christians, we are not the center of our universe; Jesus is. Therefore, if we are truly going to follow Christ, we need to go ALL IN.
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We cannot avoid the storms of life, so where is your safe place in the midst of it? In Matt. 14 (22-33), Peter learned that the safest place was not in the boat with the other disciples but rather on the water in the middle of the storm in the presence and connection of Jesus. He understood that, the moment of trial is the moment we NEED to connect with God and that hard times won't last forever; the storm will end eventually.
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How can we be safe in the COVID world? The Israelites wandering in the desert also worried about where the safest place would be. They were so worried that they took their eyes off God and wanted to return to slavery while rebelling against God. But God often uses the thing that is hurting us to actually bring about our salvation. Therefore, the safest place is when we are gazing upon God (no matter what is going on around us).
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A new year doesn't necessarily mean that everything magically gets fresh, new, or better. Change can't come from a date in the calendar and a promise (resolution) is only a good as the person who makes it. God has the power to fulfill ALL his promises. Trust him!
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