Sermon Podcast - Round Rock Church of Christ: Recent Episodes
Round Rock Church of Christ
Sermons from Round Rock Church of Christ outside of Austin, TX. Load up your phone with messages to listen to on the go.
In part three of the series, we explored what can happen when we recognize that God is sovereign over rejection of the Gospel and receptivity to the Gospel. And we explored the ways that through witness, God gives churches a unified vision to seek and save the lost.
What Can Happen When We Witness? Matt DeLano
In part two of this series, we explore practical ways to stir your heart, show the love of God, and share the good news of Jesus with those around you who may not know Him.
How Do We Practice Witnessing? Zane Witcher
In part one of this series, we explore and define witnessing through Jesus' invitation to Simon Peter to become a "fisher of people," revealing God's desire to partner with us in His work of helping others know Jesus.
What Is The Rhythm of Witnessing? Zane Witcher
In week seven, Paul reframes stress by showing us that the strength to endure life's challenges is found not within ourselves, but in Christ.
Reframing Stress Zane Witcher
In week six, Paul reframes the messiness of life together in the Body of Christ through his encouragement to two members of the church in Philippi, showing how God forms us in this midst of difficulties or disagreements.
Reframing Church Drama Zane Witcher
In week five, Paul surprisingly reframes spiritual maturity as a life centered on Christ, surrendered to His will, and marked by long-term faithfulness.
Reframing Maturity Zane Witcher
In week four, we looked at how true humility and love for God compel us to truly love people.
Reframing Humility Clark Sullivan
In week three, we looked at how the gospel changes what we think greatness really is for everyone who follows Jesus.
Reframing Greatness Zane Witcher
In week two, we explored Paul's understanding of the difficulties that come with following Jesus and what God produces in and through us in the midst of challenges and hardship.
Reframing Setbacks, Difficulties, & Hardships Zane Witcher
This week’s message looked at some common misunderstandings and offered encouragement for keeping the main thing the main thing as we follow Jesus as His disciples.
Reframing The Spiritual Journey Zane Witcher
This week we looked at the lie that conviction is condemnation, and combatted it with the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Conviction is Condemnation Luke Cochran
The pattern of this world is not God’s pattern for us. This week in our series Behind Enemy Lies we unraveled the lie that our worth is worthless. That we are not enough. Jesus says otherwise. God has called us to our true identity as worthy servants seat with Christ in heaven.
Worth Is Worthless Jimmie Harper
This week’s lie is that trusting God is trivial. In Psalm 73, Asaph shares his struggle to understand how remaining faithful has benefited him when the world around him seems to prosper despite its ungodliness. But everything changes when Asaph enters the sanctuary of God’s presence and finds renewed relief, perspective, and hope of rescue.
Trusting Is Trivial Josh Pruitt
This week in part 2 of our “Behind Enemy Lies” series, we explored the lie that hiding is helping. Looking at Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, we talked about vulnerability, community, burden-bearing, and the temptation to pretend we’re “fine” even when we’re not.
Jesus didn’t hide His anguish from those closest to Him…and maybe we weren’t meant to carry life’s heaviest things alone either.
Hiding Is Helping Eric Posadas
This week, we jumped into part 1 of a new series about the unseen battle where truth is twisted just enough to deceive and entrap. Yet in the confusion, God speaks light and truth. In part 1, we combated the lie that our weeping is wasted by recognizing the truth of God's past faithfulness, his redeeming waters of life in present anxiety & the tears of redemption for future joy.
Weeping Is Wasted Matt DeLano
What are some of the ways the Lord works when His people host Him together in worship and prayer, even in the darkest hours?
After The Lord Has Hosted Us Zane Witcher
What are some ways for us, collectively, to be hospitable to the Lord in a way that reflects the same posture as the woman Jesus encounters in Luke 7?
Hosting & Hosted Zane Witcher
Before we host the Lord together, what does it look like for each of us to individually respond to Jesus’ invitation to hear His voice and open the door of our hearts?
Before We Host Zane Witcher
Easter asks a surprising question: how can an empty tomb be the most wonderful news the world has ever heard?
He Has Risen (Easter At Round Rock) Zane Witcher
In Part 3 of this series we explore how God can deepen our love for Him and for others through the practice of fasting.
What Could Happen When We Practice Fasting? Zane Witcher
This week, we jumped into part 2 of this series as we looked at the logistics of how to abstain from food and the invitation of what to replace food with in the midst of fasting.
How Do You Practice Fasting? Matt DeLano
In part 1 of this series, we explore the what and why behind the rhythm of fasting.
What is the Rhythm of Fasting? Zane Witcher
What word of caution and invitation does the final commandment offer concerning coveting?
Redirecting Our Cravings Zane Witcher
"What does it look like to say yes to the invitation of God to be with him and be like him? To allow our whole lives to bear witness to his truth."
Handling the Truth Luke Cochran
What might it look like to embrace a God-centered rest that isn’t about improving your life, but about setting aside time each week to delight in the Giver of life?
Built Different Zane Witcher
What does God’s word about adultery reveal about the importance of sexual faithfulness for a follower of Jesus?
Sexual Faithfulness Zane Witcher
What does it mean to honor family amid the diversity of experiences and complexities that shape our upbringings?
The Weightiness of Family Zane Witcher
Life belongs to God, and the sixth commandment forbids taking what belongs to God alone. God's commands are good for us because they show us how to follow Jesus. Jesus gives us the power to be doers of the word, and not only hearers.
The Life That Is Truly Life Brad East
What does it look like to love God by learning, guarding, and carrying His name wherever you go?
Carrying The Name Zane Witcher
What does it mean to no longer expect anything above, under, or beside us to provide what only God can truly give?
Boxing In Our Imaginations Zane Witcher
We often assume the Ten Commandments are an irrelevant or boring list of rules, but in this series, The Ten Words, we explore how they are relational directions that reveal God’s very nature and the life we so desperately crave as those made in God’s image.
No One Else Zane Witcher
“How can these things be?” is a question we ask in frustration, grief, and self-reflection as we face messes, broken relationships, and patterns we can’t seem to escape. This question echoes across time because it names the tension between our hopes and our reality. The good news is that through Jesus, the Spirit moves into even the most tender places, carrying the Father’s love and mercy and bringing new life where we thought none was possible.
How Can These Things Be? Matt DeLano
In this Christmas Eve message, we announce the good news that Jesus is still approachable for all who have either overlooked His story or become overfamiliar with it.
Approachable Zane Witcher
Christmas celebrates that Jesus came. Advent contemplates that He will come again. What does it mean to live in the holy tension between what Christ has already accomplished and what we are still awaiting?
Approaching Zane Witcher
In the final message of our In My Head series, we heard from a panel of Round Rock members as we explored not only how to truly see one another, but also who we can be for one another in the midst of what is heavy, challenging, or burdensome.
How Can We Help? Zane Witcher
Our second message in the In My Head series explores what it looks like to welcome the Lord & His resources as we navigate our mental health challenges alongside our faith.
The Tale of Two Ditches Zane Witcher
Our first message in the In My Head series addresses three common stigmas related to faith and mental health.
Silencing The Stigmas Zane Witcher
This week, we spent time remembering as family the importance of testimonies. Unlike ordinary stories that merely convey information, testimonies reveal God’s power and serve as spiritual weapons against darkness. They proclaim that God’s reign is greater and more authentic than any other power!
Family Talk: Testimones Matt DeLano
Why give to the local church? How do we discern what to give? And what does the Lord do through the financial offerings of His people? All of this is explored in the final installment of our Invested series.
Invested In The Local Church Zane Witcher
What do our finances have to do with our discipleship in following Jesus?
A Different Kind of Storehouse Zane Witcher
What does a life invested in the purposes of God look like in everyday life?
The Long Term Return Zane Witcher
What does Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead reveal about who He is and how He works in the world? What does it reveal about His invitation for us to partner with Him through intercessory prayer to bring God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven?
Miraculous Intercession Luke Cochran
What does Jesus’ restoration of sight to the man born blind reveal about who He is and how He works in the world?
Miraculous Vision Zane Witcher
What does Jesus’ rescue in the midst of the storm reveal about who He is—and how He works in the world?
Miraculous Rescue Zane Witcher
This week's message is about letting God surprise you, letting Him come in whatever form He takes, and being prepared to receive Him when the way He works is unexpected.
But The Lord Was Not In The Wind Justin Gerhardt
What does Jesus’ provision of food for the crowd reveal about who He is and how He works in the world?
Miraculous Provision Zane Witcher
What does Jesus’ healing of the powerless man at the pool of Bethesda reveal about who He is and how He works in the world?
Miraculous Healing Zane Witcher
What does Jesus’ miracle of speaking words of life over the royal official’s son reveal about His identity and work in the world?
Miraculous Words Zane Witcher
What does Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine reveal about His identity and work in the world?
Miraculous Change Zane Witcher
What might our future look like if we begin sowing the rhythm of solitude into our discipleship with Jesus?
What Could Happen If We Practiced Solitude? Zane Witcher
In practicing solitude, we follow Jesus—who drew near to the Father, drew out the Enemy’s lies, and drew from God’s Word.
How Do We Practice Solitude? Zane Witcher
In practicing solitude—stepping away from external distractions and quieting internal noise—we ensure we are not susceptible to at least three missteps in our life with God.
What Is The Rhythm of Solitude? Zane Witcher
What do we do in the long and short delays of life? And what does it mean to wait on the Lord with a trust that surpasses the weight of waiting on the promises of God?
Weaponizing The Waiting Matt DeLano
What kind of worship does God desire? Unpacking what the Bible says about worship in spirit and truth.
Enthroned On Our Praises Clark Sullivan
What does God's future look like—and who are we called to be as the people of Jesus in light of that future?
People of the Future Zane Witcher
How do you cultivate a life of right belief in your discipleship to Jesus?
People of Right Belief Zane Witcher
What does it look like to practically participate in the divine nature as a follower of Jesus?
People of Divine Participation Zane Witcher
Why is humility so essential? What does it look like for followers of Jesus to be a people of humility?
People of Humility Luke Cochran
How can I not only recognize but faithfully steward the gifts God has given me to serve others?
People of Service Zane Witcher
What does it mean for followers of Jesus to not be surprised by the hardships or challenges that come our way?
What does it mean for followers of Jesus to avoid the ditches of assimilation and retaliation, and instead live lives marked by faithful proclamation?
What might it look like for you to set aside a small amount of time each week to stop, remember, embrace, and feast?
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What is the practice of sabbath, and how do we define it at Round Rock Church of Christ?
The resurrection of Jesus is a word of hope for all who are tempted to expect the worst or anticipate disappointment.
Context matters to any dramatic entrance. The context of Palm Sunday sets the stage for the most dramatic week in the life of Jesus. A week that will change everything. Does Jesus come to Jerusalem as a conquering king or suffering servant? Would you welcome this King?
What did a king do for God? And why is Jesus an even greater King than any who came before or after Him?
What did a priest do for God? Why is Jesus an even greater priest than anyone before him?
Humans often envision the wilderness as a dry, barren, and desolate place. In contrast, the Scriptures portray the wilderness as a spiritual state where the Lord’s words are often amplified for our strengthening.
What did a prophet do for God and with God? Why is Jesus an even greater prophet than anyone before him?
The hope of participating in these spiritual rhythms is to be drawn into the work and reality of God's vision for the future.
To begin our series, Wells & Wineskins, we unpack three tendencies that delay us from drinking deeply in our relationship with God.
The glory of Jesus is revealed at the wedding in Cana. He turns water into wine, not just to help the couple, but to reveal His identity. If you want to know who He is, listen and find out.
In a story full of incredible moments, this may be the most amazing one in all of the Exodus. But what does it have to do with us? Everything.
What kind of stories does God want to be housed in His church? The final chapter of Ruth reveals that He desires stories driven by a fervor for legacy rather than a fear of loss.
Home is more than just a physical place; it’s a sacred space where God's story unfolds in our stories. In Ruth chapter 3, we see that family is built through ordinary acts of vulnerability and sacrifice as we engage with each other's stories. Home is the place where God's story is housed within the stories of God's people. There is no story that God turns down because there is no story that He cannot turn around.
Even though humanity's sense of home may undergo change, loss, and even suffering, the promise in the second chapter of Ruth is that God is invisibly working behind the scenes to bring us home—both to one another and through one another.
Everyone longs for the sense of being 'home.' Finding home is not just a geographical question but also a spiritual one. In Home At Last, we explore the behind-the-scenes work of finding, grieving, and joining with God on the journey to feeling truly at home.
Taking our cues from Paul, we took time to consider the reality that even though we are often inconsistent and second-guessing people, God's Yes to us in Christ is not flippant or fleeting.
The birth of Jesus is filled with gifts available to humanity. In this message, we unpack four of the many gifts found in the good news of 'God with us.
Christians have a glimpse of what’s in store for the future. The resurrection of Jesus marks the inauguration of what is to come for heaven and earth. In this final message of the series, we discuss how we rely on the promise of Jesus’ return and prepare for the renewal of all things. The best part is that it has already begun.
How does the maker of heaven and earth engrave God’s words in our heart when you don’t know where to start?
"I'm only human" is often a phrase we use to imply that failure and brokenness define our nature. However, the story of God in the Scriptures presents a far more dynamic and multifaceted view of what humans are capable of in their lifetime. In this message, we explore what it truly means to be made in the image of God.
The Holy Spirit is often neglected and discounted by many, yet is equally fundamental to our understanding of God's nature and work in the world. In this message, we explore how the Holy Spirit, known as the Breath of God, actualizes the Gospel in our lives.
The life and death of Jesus is unlike any other in the history of the world. In this message, we unpack the fundamental characteristics of Jesus, the Son of God, and explore the implications for those who call Him Lord, Savior, and Christ.
It’s essential to have a solid foundation in our faith journey—a fixed point to hold onto through every season of life. In this series, Foundations, we will explore the core beliefs handed down to us that ground us in the fundamentals of faith.
In the final message of this series, we discuss how the Spirit of God provokes & encourages us all towards selflessness through the local church.
How do we steward our appearance and the way we present ourselves to others as a way of loving God and others?
How does God shape us into more other-centered disciples of Jesus through our homes and families of origin?
There is something about persistent prayer tha tmoves God’s heart in a different way. What does it look like for us to take on that labor of prayer?
How do we ensure that all the work God entrusts to us is focused on God and serving others?
Being housed, fed, and safe are not the only things humanity needs to truly come alive, regardless of the environments they find themselves in.
This message unpacks the leadership's discernment process & decision for Round Rock Church of Christ providing multiple (one acapella & one instrumental) worship expressions on Sunday mornings in the future.
What might happen if we desperately seek proximity to Jesus? How might He empower us to lay it all down?
How do we cultivate a life of awareness & partnership with God for those who have not yet come home to God?
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One of the ways we respond to the forgiving work of Jesus is through faithfulness to His work & ministry he places in front of us individually & collectively.
Seeking the presence of God through silence & solitude is fundamental in our faith journeys because it is a way in which our heart's are realigned to God's heart.
What happens (and why does it matter) when we gather together under the roof of God's house?
Sensing God calling us to action is a vital part of our Christian walk. This week, we dove into what it looks like to be willing to trust God in all circumstances through obedience and sensitivity to the Spirit's promptings.
This week, we started a new series where we considered these questions: Are love and hurry incompatible? And if they are incompatible, why do we often choose to hurry even at the cost of love?
How do we invite Jesus into the mental landscape of our sexual thoughts, desires, and tensions?
What awaits us in the midst of living sacrificial lives for God's eyes only?
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How do we discern when the Spirit of God may be inviting someone at Round Rock Church of Christ to serve as an elder?
Why is it important to financially give to the ministry needs of Jesus on a regular basis?
Societal changes, such as increased screen time & mental health challenges, are impacting our young people greatly. In a world full of intergenerational tension, the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:39 is the way forward for all of us to support one another.
What does pouring out our dependence & trust on the feet of Jesus look like in our daily lives?
What does it look like to no longer compartmentalize our relationship with God but have it infiltrate into every facet of our lives?
How can meaningful moments with God amongst individuals lead to communal momentum for all those who call Round Rock Church of Christ home?
There are a couple of realities we can always remember & never forget about our stories when we trust in the resurrection story of Jesus!
How do we not only prepare for our own death but participate in the freedom Jesus offers us in light of his own death?
This week, we looked back at the beginning of Scripture to name that Death was not God's idea before jumping into what we learn from Jesus on the cross when it comes to lament, to making space for grief and to witnessing God on the loose.
Death is saddening, disheartening, & at times a disturbing topic to think about or discuss in public. And yet, Jesus didn't avoid talking about his death. He faced it head on. What does Jesus facing & conquering death mean for us in our own wrestlings about our mortality?
An update on how we are becoming Jesus followers who are Spirit-filled & Spirit-led for those who have not come home to God.
We should be a body that sees the truth in God calling the unqualified for his name to be glorified. Embracing boldness and not allowing our doubts to hold us from our destiny.
How do we proceed when a decision of great importance is in front of us but we do not sense any particular direction, insight, or further guidance?
What does it look like to partner with God in younger generations coming to know the love of Jesus?
Jesus tells us that His followers bear “daily crosses,” long-term suffering that results from obeying Him. We’re often tempted to drop these crosses and move on with our lives. This sermon is about why you should bear your cross one more day.
The practice of discerning is not simply having an open mind but opening our minds to the mind of Christ as we consider the decisions before us.
What is the practice of discernment? How is it different from simply making a decision?
Do you know what kind of decision-maker God is in the world? This might be the best place to start as you invite God into your next decision...
If it was good news to the world the first time Jesus arrived on earth, then it will be good news when he returns as well. Merry Christmas!
There is a word of hope that exists for all of us in this time of the year where we are reminded of the blessings and complexities of our immediate & extended families.
Have you ever taken a look at all the trees used in God's story? The Bible begins and ends with a story involving a tree. The language and imagery of Isaiah is filled with references to trees. What if all the trees around us this December could remind us of a more significant tree?
Good news awaits anyone who has felt like God's love is unpredictable or unstable towards them.
How do we move forward with our faith even when our questions aren't fully answered yet?
What are some helpful guard rails when you or someone in your life is walking through a phase of questioning, critiquing, or re-evaluating their beliefs?
Is there an alternative to walking away from our faith when we are disappointed or disillusioned with life?
What do you do when you're "in your head" about all the things regarding your faith and/or Christianity?
The stories of Acts are filled with people being led to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Have you considered being baptized in the name of Jesus?
What is helpful for every Spirit-led church to know as they begin welcoming those who are far from home with God?
What do Spirit-filled disciples of Jesus fill their prayers with as they pray about something or someone?
How could the Holy Spirit invite us to share the name of Jesus with those who might not know him yet?
The Holy Spirit is the promise of Jesus for everyone of his followers. Where do we start in regards to embracing this promise?
For much of our lives, it can be easy to avoid the question that Jesus asks of all who are broken, "do you want to be healed?"... And yet, Jesus willingly offers healing to us regardless of where we find ourselves revealing how much we need his healing touch to make us whole and to prepare us to be conduits of healing for others.
So often, we find ourselves hiding the parts of us that are most broken but what if that only leads us to withering away slowly. This week, through a story of Jesus healing on the sabbath, Jesus invites us to reveal our true selves and to stretch ourselves so that in turn he will heal every part of us!
What four questions could we ask to discern if we are leaning into our God given purpose (individually & collectively)?
Friends in the Lord. Do you have them in your life? How do we cultivate & deepen this type of friendship?
Despondent? Depressed? Unmotivated? You may have what we call a bad case of the "meh's." Resurrection Sunday is the assurance that in the midst of our apathy towards life that Jesus will raise us, come to us, and surprise us.
What does Jesus provide us when our life is overwhelmed by self-induced burdens along with burdens induced by those around us? The good news is that he provides to us the gift of rest, giving us a way with him where we can find rest in the midst of the things that are burdensome & weary.
Despondent? Depressed? Unmotivated? You may have what we call a bad case of the "meh's." Resurrection Sunday is the assurance that in the midst of our apathy towards life that Jesus will raise us, come to us, and surprise us.
It's easy to be excited about God's mercy when it's shown to us or to people we like. But what about when God's mercy is shown to those who have hurt us? Is there anyone you don't want God to show mercy to?
The practice of repentance isn't only turning away from the things God doesn't desire for us (sin), but also turning towards the things God wants for us. In this message we unpack three ways to turn to God as we prepare for Easter.
One question to ask in a season of repentance is , "What pain in your life have you not invited God into yet?"
If you've ever wrestled with repentance -- whether for yourself or others -- you might resonate with the story of Jonah.
One of the gifts before, during, & after a tough talk is how they organically offer us an opportunity to talk & depend on God. In this last message we discuss how to wisely move forward in our relationships after finishing a tough discussion.
So much of our problem as human beings revolves around a misunderstanding of what it means to be human. Or at least what did God have in mind when he created human beings. Oftentimes, we are pursuing either independence from God (living into our fleshly desires) OR trying to simply become God so we can depend on ourselves. This week, Randy invites us to the third way which God had in mind all along in the beginning.
Is it possible to share our differing convictions while also sharing life with one another? This message discusses how it's not only possible but needed as a disciple of Jesus.
What's the first temptation when engaging in a tough talk with someone who either disagrees with you or sees things differently than you?
Jesus provides good news to anyone who is spread thin & burned out on the daily grind of life.
How do we know when it's the right time to have a hard conversation? This message provides three ways to consider how followers of Jesus speak truth in love (in a non-cliche sort of way).
Sometimes the best place to learn how to have tough conversations is through examining how (and if) we want to receive tough words in our own lives.
Whenever there is disconnection (of any sort) with those around us we tend to have what we like to call a Tough Talk on our hands. Very few of us love them. Many of us run from them. Some of us fight when we are in them. So why even consider having one?
In this new year, we find ourselves met from every angle with the idea that we need new year's resolutions to change who we are: a new workout, a new self-help book, new control of our lives to reach a better self. This week, we look into the reality that God is not inviting you to new years resolutions but instead is inviting you to experience a wonder in every moment of what has been, what has come and what will come when Jesus returns through the eyes of two pregnant moms over 2000 years ago.
There are moments when wonder forces itself on us. Moments that are so full of the extraordinary that we can't help but be in awe. But, will we be open to finding wonder in the ordinary as well?
Wonder or control. The arrival of Jesus tends to stir one of these two postures in us. This message helps us identify which one we are cultivating in our life.
Wonder isn't a naive emotion. Wonder is a way of life with God. How much do you find yourself in a place of wonder and awe at the mystery of God revealed in Jesus Christ?
Have you ever considered how you approach your mornings? This message unpacks five morning practices that help us to simply love God and our neighbor.
Have you ever considered how you spend your evenings? This message unpacks five evening practices that help us to simply love God and our neighbor.
Some of us find ourselves struggling to find places of belonging, we are unsure of whether we are loved and we might even feel hopeless about the future. This week, Matt invites us to search for Belonging in the one place that will actually change us, save us and restore us. Amongst the heaviness of the world, the story that realigns us and redeems us is one in which we can claim through Good alone, our adoption by way of the Holy Spirit.
If we are not careful, many of us can fall into the trap of living in a reality where the way we measure our life is solely based on whether we did all the things, made all the money, retired comfortably before we run out of time. This week, Zach Carstens invites us to hear from Jesus himself the one thing that's absent from the task mindset that often rules us. A mindset that rescues us from the ruthless trap of a hurried life.
Fasting is a bodily response to the work of God happening around us and in us. In this final message we unpack how the Holy Spirit can possibly reveal two different realities about our life with God.
Fasting creates space for prayer. And prayer creates space for God. The fourth message of this series unpacks how fasting & prayer can be interconnected.
The third fundamental of prayer is being attentive to the multifaceted promptings & nudgings of God in our lives.
The first fundamental of prayer is opening ourselves up to the transforming presence of God.
How do we begin to love those people who have hurt us so badly that we can't even bring ourselves to be in the same room as them, much less love them in a direct way? Or what about the people we struggle to love who we only know from afar, like a politician or celebrity? Is there a first step we can take in loving these people?
How do we begin to love those people who have hurt us so badly that we can't even bring ourselves to be in the same room as them, much less love them in a direct way? Or what about the people we struggle to love who we only know from afar, like a politician or celebrity? Is there a first step we can take in loving these people?
Whenever we open ourselves up to love we also open ourselves up to the possibility of disappointment or difficulty. This message outlines three ways we rely upon the love of God when love gets difficult.
Whenever we open ourselves up to love we also open ourselves up to the possibility of disappointment or difficulty. This message outlines three ways we rely upon the love of God when love gets difficult.
We all tend to have different definitions for the word, love. In this message, we discuss four practical ways to express love in the same way that God, in Jesus Christ, expresses love.
We all tend to have different definitions for the word, love. In this message, we discuss four practical ways to express love in the same way that God, in Jesus Christ, expresses love.
Fed up. Burned out. This is where many of us find ourselves when we try to love those who are difficult to love. Sharing life with Jesus offers a different process based off of the words found in the third chapter of 1st John.
Fed up. Burned out. This is where many of us find ourselves when we try to love those who are difficult to love. Sharing life with Jesus offers a different process based off of the words found in the third chapter of 1st John.
Where is a good place to start with those who are hard to love? The letters of 1st John illuminate our path of how God is involved in our moments where we fail to love.
Do you have someone in your life who is difficult to love? Love, contrary to popular belief, isn't always instant or instinctual. The Process of Love unpacks the words of a Christian letter, 1st John, and how Jesus followers receive & extend a love that enables them to love those who aren't always easy to love.
In the church, when we hear about sheep and goats, our mind immediately takes us to final judgment, to a split between those who are saved and those who are not. This week, we pause to take a look at the fuller picture of the here and now which might just bring us to encounter a whole new reality that is one of justice and grace.
We are all called to serve, and when we do it's easy for us to take center stage, but service isn't meant to elevate us. When we serve, we have to do it with humility so that God can be revealed.
The work of God is happening all around us. In this message we unpack 3 practices that help ignite our ability to see & join God's work again (or for the first time) in our lives.
Oftentimes we have a picture in mind of what care from God looks like, but stories such as this one reveal how God might have something else in mind in the midst of our distress.
We all have ideas of what we want for our lives, however our scope is limited. Through God's all-loving, all-loving nature, we are able to adopt his greater vision and make it our own. And that is what could make all the difference.
When's the last time you've met God in your grief? David's sharing of his own grief provides us three simple ways in which we can invite God into our own moments of mourning.
With God in our corner, we gain the courage to take massive, impossible steps just as Peter did when Jesus called him to walk on water. If we are without the Lord, we are destined to sink, however if He is with us, we cannot fail and can conquer our own sea of Galilee.
Part of sharing life with God is sharing the dialogue that goes on in our heads. God actually speaks to the words we tell ourselves (and in unexpected ways). The question we must all ask ourselves is "Are we listening?"
Anytime humanity is mixed in with the things of God can get messy but they also have the potential to be beautiful.
We all have choices. How will we choose to react to others, who are loved by God, and act in a way that we don't see as right? David's brother Eliab is faced with this choice, and from his story we are able to learn about who God says we are and how we should react to the complicated people in our lives.
We all have our fair share of complexities at work. When's the last time you've taken an inventory of God's work in the midst of your work?
The human heart is divided. The good news of God seen through the life of David is God has a heart for divided hearts. What better news could our hearts receive in the midst of navigating a complicated world?
What do we do when it seems as though God goes missing in our lives? One way, among many, is to hold on to the words Jesus shares with Mary after the resurrection.
Let's take a deeper look at the Lord's prayer to see if there is more than meets the eye.
The resurrection of Jesus is a response to the wounds & failures in our worlds. Tucked away in the stories of Jesus is a depiction not only of what God's response to our failures looks like but also of what our response to God's love looks like.
Doubt, even though it's an unpleasant condition, is not an uncommon condition. As you will see in this message, the resurrection of Jesus provides peace in the midst of our doubts and wrestlings about God.
Resurrection is an invitation to look again at the testimony of God raising Jesus from the dead. This message unpacks three different ways we process the testimony of those who first discovered the empty tomb.
God is not silent in our doubts, questions, and longings. God has spoken through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This message unpacks how we can we internalize this good news even on the hardest days of our lives.
How much of your life is filled with dreading or anticipating what's coming next? If you're like most of the world, your life tends to be completely wrapped up in pursuit of the destinations of life in a way that always leaves you empty. Whether it's the next milestone, the next trip or the next flashy event. If you want to find true contentment in your life, there's a simpler way, you can choose to take off your shoes.
What does your calendar reveal about your life? Simplifying our schedules begins first with evaluating our internal motivations to our external commitments.
How often do you examine all of your stuff? Jesus invites us to regularly evaluate our hearts by observing what we treasure. This message provides five different questions to reveal what you treasure most in life.
What do you tend to consume a lot of in your life? Shows? Dessert? News? This message unpacks how there is an invitation from Jesus waiting for all of us to simplify our lives in what we over-consume or collect in our lives.
In the words of Jesus we are all "lacking one thing." This message explains how Jesus invites all of us to simplify our lives by taking one simple step.
This week, our Student Minister, Michael Waldrop alongside many of our students at RRCOC invited us to imagine the ways that God invades the ordinary and calls us to be open to saying yes to God’s will even as it might unravel and challenge all of our expectations and comforts.
We are often too busy and too burdened to observe the good things going on around us. Celebration often wakes us up to the goodness of God all around us. This message unpacks how the practice of celebration begins with initiation, meditation, and celebration.
In a world inundated with information, our hearts crave for transformation. God's transformation is unlike any other change in this world. This message will unpack how we begin to invite Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to transform us into God's likeness.
How often do you find yourself held captive by the fear of other people's perceptions of you? People-pleasing is a form of bondage. In this message guest preacher, Rick Atchley, unpacks how life in Christ frees us from the desire to impress or please others.
God has a heart for those who are far from home. How do we cultivate a heart and culture that welcomes people home? This message gives three simple ways of how to be a reason for someone to come home.
Many of us have vastly different ways we view fear. We struggle to understand the purpose of fear. This morning we uncovered how necessary it is to recalibrate our understanding of fear in order to be brave in the context of Jesus following. This message invites us to consider the bravery that is possible based on our proximity to God and the reality that we aren't meant to face fear alone.
Everyone has weaknesses, limits, and wounds as they travel through life. The good news of life with God means there is something powerful to be found in our most powerless moments. This message explores how we choose this kind of vulnerability.
What does it mean to be open-handed? What's one of the main obstacles that prevents us from sharing what's been shared with us? This message spells out how to practically be open-handed to those around you this week.
Faithful followers faithfully gather to be together. It's our 101 of the faith. This installment unpacks the three leading obstacles in us being together and what uniquely happens when people gather in the name of Jesus.
As we leap into the day after Christmas, Matt invites to hear and respond to Jesus's words by holding onto a particular set of good news. We must hold onto this good news even when it doesn't seem good to us or the group we find ourselves in OR even when the good news just doesn't make sense. Join us to see who this good news is for and why it matters for us today.
Christmas is all about celebrating the arrival of Good News! In this message we describe how the good news of Jesus is good and relevant news for all of us today. Speaker : Zane Witcher
God pays attention to those who no one else pays attention to in the world. Therein lies the question: during this busy time of year, how do we begin to pay attention to those who God pays attention to in the world?
Do you thrive or survive during the Christmas season? No matter how you answer this question, spiritual significance can be found in beholding the news that God's with us. In this message we unpack what it means to behold God through the eyes of Joseph, the father of Jesus.
What do you do when the promises of God feel empty or barren? The words of Isaiah 54 not only resonate with our own hearts but also reveal the heart of God in the midst of these difficult questions.
How do we join a dream that's bigger than ourselves? What does it take? Who is with us? In this final message of the series we discuss how we collectively keep dreaming for the long run!
Dreams get lost. Dreams go stale. Dreams change. What if there was a place you could join, contribute, and test out a bigger dream?
Dreams make us ask hard questions about ourselves. "What's next?" isn't always clear. This message unpacks the process of how to not only dream alongside God but to also sense what God is already up to in the world.
Dreams can be rocket fuel to life. Unfulfilled dreams can be holes in the gas tank of life. What if when a dream is lost or broken, something else can still be found with God?
Betrayal comes in all shapes and sizes. This present moment in history has shown us it's not a question of if it happens but when it happens, what do we do?Whether we are betrayed or doing the betraying,there is good news waiting for us if we consider how Jesus handles the moment of his betrayal.
In the words of Winston Churchill, we live in the "empire of the mind" these days. Every day we are inundated with different ideas. Every message is begging for our attention. The message of God is that there is a unique moment waiting for you next time you open your browser, turn on the news, or enter into a conversation with a friend.
Jesus tells us that he must go to the cross to offer eternal life to humanity. But why? Why did Jesus have to suffer so greatly to rescue humanity? Why didn't God do it another way?
Nothing can rob us of being present in a given moment like our minds being consumed by the "what if?" questions of life. What if they can't help us? What if the results aren't what we are hoping for? What if we don't hear back from them? In this message we consider what opportunity with God could be available to us in the present when our minds are consumed with our fears about the future.
What's one question you are asked nearly every day of your life? This week we discuss a moment in the life of Jesus that shows us the reality that God seeks to put a face and a name with every ache we encounter in the world. If we take a moment to answer one simple question, we may just discover how we can share a meaningful moment with God and the people of God.
Unexpected moments in life call for in-the-moment decisions. Oftentimes in our fatigue or familiarity, we resort to what we've always done in the past. But just because we're creatures of habit doesn't mean that's God's desire for our lives. If we want to experience meaningful moments with God, it starts with this one simple step.
God's love continues to come in person to us through the people of God. Joining a church (and we hope it's ours) is a chance for you to not only experience but mature in the love of God as we do life together.
Josiah’s attempt to bring the people back to God was a significant period in Judah’s history, lasting 13 years during the ministry of Jeremiah, yet it isn’t acknowledged in this book. It’s what Jeremiah was calling for from the nation, but it’s like it never happened. The reason, it was only outward. We are at our best when we are in a personal relationship with God.
Are you haunted by your past, or current, sins? Jeremiah shares the comfort and joy that comes with forgiveness.
The need for belonging is part of the human condition. In this message, we'll explore the power of belonging and how we can be a people who ruthlessly eliminate barriers to belonging.
There is nothing better than belonging & yet so many of us have rarely been able to fully experience a place of home and belonging. This week, Matt invites us to dream about what it looks like to belong & to be transformed by the power of belonging. So whether you are sure about this God of belonging OR whether you can't imagine this God possibly being for you. Check this out.
Although fear in the sense of frightened has a limited role in our relationship with God, a fuller application of fear is one of awe because of his majesty. The people in Jeremiah’s day lost that. Life at its best is lived in awe of God.
God has always had a soft spot in his heart for the poor and needy. Their treatment of those less fortunate showed that the people of Judah didn’t really get God. A life lived at its best shares God’s heart for those less fortunate.
We live in a society with competing “deities,” such as money, power, beauty. This sermon will point to the value of a life that has God in his rightful place, at the center.
There is a strong message of impending judgement and punishment in Jeremiah, but the purpose was to help God’s people live like God’s people. The goal of this sermon will be to value obedience as an essential for living life at its best. We will never become so mature that obedience is unimportant.
Within a culture so often dictated by the pursuit of power through strength, how do we make sense of God's insistence that power is made perfect through weakness?
Jeremiah seems like an unlikely source for a series on living a full life, as his was marked by mostly rejection and failure. Jeremiah was, after all, the Weeping Prophet. But what Jeremiah teaches us is the value of being faithful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We’re not giving up on God, because God’s not giving up on us.
Something within us loves to be right and hates to be wrong. But what if I was to tell you that when God proves us wrong, this wrongness is a gift. Through the story of Jesus healing on the sabbath, we come to see what it looks like for God to rightly and lovingly prove us wrong for the sake of healing.
The goal of the series is to inspire and equip us to fully embrace the life to which God has called us. This sermon will introduce Jeremiah and his reluctance to accept God’s call for his life. Will we dare to dream the dreams God has for us?
Just before Jesus went to the cross, he reassured his disciples that they would not be left alone. He told them that they would have an advocate, one who would help them know the truth as they lived through confusing circumstances. That advocate is the Holy Spirit.
Satan is referred to in the Bible as the father of lies. He tries to deceive us into thinking things that will derail or limit our relationship with God. One of the roles assigned to the Holy Spirit is to come alongside us, and counter those lies with God’s truth. God is guiding us safely home through his Spirit.
One of the most valued blessings of the Holy Spirit being within us is that he knows our hearts. From that vantage point, he is able to convey to God all that we experience. In our text today, Paul says that the Holy Spirit intercedes with us before God.
In a sense, the Holy Spirit is our interpreter with God. Because he is a part of God, he knows and participates in the will of God. So he is able to blend our needs with God’s will.
In our text today, Paul challenges us to use the power of the Holy Spirit to align our lives with God’s will for us. The decision to repent may be ours, but the power is that of the Holy Spirit. Paul also encourages us by reminding us that we do so from a position of strength. Much of this same chapter is about the love of God that is stronger than anything that would trip us up. The grace of God inspires us to align ourselves with his will.
Normally, we do all we can to avoid thinking about dying. But what if thinking about death actually gave your more life? What if it encouraged you to be grateful for what is right in front of you?
Paul’s letter to Galatia deals with the problem of replacing Jesus with the law of Moses. Although most of us don’t deal with this particular tissue, there is a sense in which repentance can become a law; that is, a substitute for the grace of God. The way to keep repentance from becoming a law is to realize that the goal of repentance is to become like Jesus. God is trying to shape us so we look more like him.
This week we look at two more forces that can move us to repentance: Sorrow and grace. Sorrow means that our sin makes us feel guilty; grace means that we don’t have to feel that way anymore. Our lives are lived best when these two forces are kept in balance.
The woman in John 8:1-11 is a powerful model of sorrow and grace working together. Jesus puts his own reputation on the line by loving her enough to forgive her, but also by challenging her to do better from that point on.
Repentance can be intimidating because we usually associate it with something very difficult, a change of behavior. But repentance is not a change of behavior; that is the result of repentance. Repentance is a change of mind and heart that leads to a change of behavior.
This week we begin a series on repentance by talking about the centrality of repentance to the Gospel message. It was very much a part of the message of Jesus, the early disciples and Paul. The message of our culture is that it doesn’t really matter how you live. The message of the Bible is that it does.
This week, Matt closed out our sermon series which focused on struggling and wrestling as a part of our Christian identity. Even more we focused on asking these questions: Who will we be as a church? Who will you be as a person? Will we be a people of apathy or a people of engagement? Will we be a people of the flab and atrophy that accompany unexercised relationships? Or, will we be a people who wrestle?
This sermon, delivered on Easter, will encourage us to elevate our participation in the resurrected life. Just as the grave, and along with it the power of sin, were robbed of their victims, so too were our lives robbed of futility and emptiness. The resurrection of Jesus catapults us into lives that are set on the realities of heaven. Easter invites us to live out our own resurrection.
The goal of this sermon is to increase our trust in God during times of struggle. Jesus died as a criminal but was given a king’s burial. Something transformative happens in the grave. Hope is stronger than fear because God does his best work in dark places.
This series seeks to bring the death, burial and resurrection into our own experience. This lesson seeks to inspire us to embrace Jesus’ call to die to self by reframing it from a negative to a positive. Beginning with physical death as a crossing over to new life, we will draw a parallel to what happens spiritually. When we die to self, we remove the biggest obstacle to fully realizing life in God.
When it comes to being a disciple, it’s possible to think only think in terms of externals. BUT Jesus is concerned first about who we are; what’s on the inside. We don’t neglect the externals, but following Jesus works best from the inside out. Jesus is concerned about the WHO more than the WHAT.
What places, people, or memories stir up pain in you? What if God is calling you towards these things, and not away from them?
Much of the church suffers from a bad reputation, but for the wrong reasons. Whereas our reputation, undeserved or not, is sometimes bad because we reject sinners, Jesus reputation was bad because he welcomed sinners. Jesus leads us to have a bad reputation for a good reason.
For Jesus to go to Jerusalem was a journey to his death. He knew what awaited him, yet he resolved to go, literally he set his face toward Jerusalem. Following Jesus means we are given courage to face the tough journeys in our lives. Jesus will lead you THROUGH to TO.
This week we will take a look at what it means to be a people destined for wrestling. Take a listen if you want more out of life than the hustle to top or the emptiness of seeking value and achievement, the American Dream at the cost of everyone and everything. God wants so much more for us. God longs for us to engage in the struggle with him!
This parable and others point to the expectation that disciples are going to bear fruit. In other words, we are going to be productive in ways that have eternal significance. Following Jesus make us productive in ways that matter. He gives us a mission. What you see in Jesus is what Jesus wants to see in you.
Returning to Peter’s response to Jesus, he said that Jesus gives eternal life. This is not just a quantity of life but is a quality of life. It is how we live, not just how long. This is why the life of Jesus matters, not just the death. What you see in Jesus is what Jesus wants to see in you.
Jesus is the clearest reflection of the love God has for us. Not only does he inspire us to love God in return, he also demands that we reflect that love to others. Love moves in all directions. Jesus is the expression of God’s love for you; you are the expression of God’s love for others.
This sermon will introduce the series by helping us see how we can be distracted from Jesus, and by honestly asking why we really need him. The big picture answer to the question is because Jesus can do for you what no one else can do. The remaining lessons will help us see exactly what this means.
Transitions can be difficult, painful, and confusing. Tim Curtis shares how the Bible speaks to these life transitions.
So many of us have felt like 2020 has been a year unlike any other. A year of joy and grief, a year of celebration and lament. A year where we feel like we've been wandering in the wilderness without direction and we are longing for refuge, longing for refreshment, longing for a change!
If this feels like you, rest assured that you're not alone and rest assured even more that God is ready to give you exactly what you need!
Does Christmas comfort you? It should. Does Christmas make you uncomfortable? It should. And it is a joyful thing that it does.
What's the best way to share your faith? Be a reason for someone to come home. Justin shares what this means for our church, and he offers some parting words as he prepares to leave us.
As a church, we strive to be brave, to be open-handed, and always to be celebrating. Justin explores why courage and generosity and celebration are central to Round Rock Church of Christ's identity and practice.
It's so easy to live our own little lives, unconnected to one another. And when we are together, it's easy to posture and pose, afraid to be our flawed selves. In this message, Justin explores two more of RRCOC's Core Behaviors: Be Together and Be Genuine.
If you follow someone, you’re going to end up in a different place. That’s how following Jesus works—he intends to lead each of us on a journey of constant transformation: changed, and always changing. In this message, we’ll explore the first of our church’s 7 Core Behaviors: Be Changed (and Changing).
Want to enjoy your life more fully, the way God intended? Then pay close attention to what He says about what to do with what He gives. In this message, we’ll explore a rare reflex you can develop that won’t just bless you, but those around you as well.
These ten words are a mantra of our society and whisper to you incessantly: To have more pleasure, you need to enjoy more things. But take heart: as destructive as that lie is, the truth is just two words away.
In this message Justin shares two stories, each of which encapsulates one of two very different ways to walk through the world. Which do you see yourself in more clearly?
In a song he wrote, King David shares two essentials to getting better at pleasure. In this message, we’ll explore what it means to See The Good and to Want The Best.
Pleasure, laced throughout creation, points us to God’s existence and goodness. We so often get pleasure wrong, but God longs for us to get it right. Is there a way for pleasure to deepen our faith, rather than lead us into danger?
As he closes this series, Justin answers three questions:
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Given the primary importance of the Resurrection (and therefore the gospels which attest to it, can we dismiss whatever non-gospel parts of the Bible we take issue with?
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You’ve said the Resurrection is the only reason to follow Jesus. Is it not feasible that a Christian could have reasons for following Jesus that go beyond the resurrection?
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Jesus’ resurrection changed history, but how, practically speaking, does it change a life?
If Christianity is built on the foundation of the resurrection of Jesus (and it is), how reliable are the primary documents that attest to his resurrection? In this message, Justin shared some of the reasons the gospels’ testimony must be taken seriously.
So how does someone come to faith in Jesus if they’re starting from scratch? In this message we’ll explore the answer and delve into a better understanding of the part the Bible plays In it.
Some people believe that the Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith. In this message, Justin explains why those people are wrong, and why that matters.
This is a story about a noticing God—a God who watches how your choices affect those around you—-and how their choices affect you. It’s a story about his devotion—in all those exchanges—to whoever comes up short.
So often we have to come to recognize that build up walls both consciously and subconsciously which stop us in our tracks. These walls disable us from living love and recognizing that God is present in the people and places we aren't willing to interact with. Today, we will see how Jesus enables us to break down barriers and build bridges.
Am I growing? What does it look like for me to mature in my faith? Questions like these seem complicated to answer. Experiences like Acts 9 though, remind us what is simply needed to experience maturity in and around us.
We all know that it's hard to sacrifice. In fact, given it's difficulty, we may reject sacrifice altogether at times. Truth is, we always give something up. For example, you may choose not to sacrifice your comfort for the greater good but make no mistake in choosing comfort, you will sacrifice that greater good. We come to know this reality all too well through the story of a willfully blind king, a man unwilling to change and who's failure brings his world crashing down around him.
We are guaranteed the end destination of our faith: eternal life with God. However, if to be a Christian is to follow Jesus then the route we take to life has to be the same one that Jesus takes: death. Thankfully, the story of Jesus doesn't end on a cross and neither do ours. Eternal life with Christ is even better than we had imagined.
Who’s fit to follow Jesus? That’s a question people have been confused about for years. In this message, we’ll sit in on a moment when Jesus tries to make the answer clear to a man named Simon.
Sin is a chronic situation, bringing about all sorts of pain and hurt in the world. We often try to solve this problem by being and doing the right Christian stuff to be right with God. However, Jesus says that we’re only deceiving ourselves: the only real freedom to be found is by abiding in the truth of His promises. The story of Jesus has never been about who you are, it’s always been about abiding in who Jesus is.
18 years. That's how long his people have suffered under the hand of a gluttonous tyrant. They've deserved it, sure, but now--finally--God gives him permission to put the bullying to an end.
Have you ever prayed for Jesus to return? The earliest Christians did quite often. But why? Why would someone want to speed up the Second Coming? In this message, we'll explore the answer.
Our prayer lives are often centered around us, but this week we explore not only what it means to really pray for others...but what the world really needs the most. We need to make the spiritual health of others our main priority. Our preaching intern, Jacob Miller, helps us to explore what it means to pray "Bless Them" in a way we may have never considered before.
This week, our preaching minister, Justin Gerhardt sat down with Priscilla Black, a local pastor at Faith 4 Life Church to have a conversation about what it looks like to faithfully respond to the evils of racism and injustice experienced by Black Americans. Priscilla invites to us to hear the stories of the oppressed, to respond individually through immersion and education and to pray together, “Lord, by your power, fix it”.
As we continue to consider how we can influence real change in the world as Christ followers, Justin encourages us to recognize that without prayer, change is not going to happen in you and in us. Even more, Justin points us to the reality that all we have to do is to ask God to give us something we need to be different, to be wise, to be outside our comfort zone and to be brave! If you want to ask God to move you in the right direction, to get you where you're not, take a chance at this simple prayer for transformation, "Push Me"!. It's a guaranteed yes from God.
At this time, many of us are wondering and crying out to God, "How do we change things? and how do we change us?" Now what if I was to tell you that the heart of the problem for each of us and this world, the pain we are experiencing right now all centers around the reality that we don't love God hardly as much as we should. While this is true and it may be discouraging, there is a solution to this problem and there is one great first step to try and solve it. That monumental step towards being changed is a simple and dynamic prayer.
Quite often, God surprises us and makes himself known in unexpected places. In this message, we'll explore one time He did that and be reminded to keep our eyes open so we don't miss when He does it again (because He will).
Divorce, abandonment, racism—there's one thing at the core of so many painful realities. And it's something God has been working against from the very beginning.
Ever noticed how much of the creation account in Genesis 1 has to do with non-human creation? Most of it, in fact, is "stuff, plants, and animals." So what are we to make of that? Why does God spend so much energy creating non-human things? What's to be learned from that?
Whether it's a kindergarten classroom, the grass in a backyard, or the health of a marriage, the interesting thing about chaos is that all you have to do for it to take over is……nothing. The kids start fighting, the weeds sprout and the grass gets shin-high, the relationship gets distant and strained—do nothing and order, health, and function slip away. Why? Simply because it takes energy and intent to stave off chaos.
In this message, we'll see that God created human beings in his image so that we could join with him in the good work of creating and sustaining order in the world. And we'll ask what that means for us here & now.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ...But what does Genesis meanwhen it says that? You may be surprised at the answer. In this message, we'll look at God as Creator—both in the beginning, and right now.
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.” -Sue Monk Kidd
In this final part of the series, Justin shares 5 stories to lead us in a mediation on the application of Scripture's teaching on hospitality. These stories are offered as lit candles, reminding us of who we are and why we’re here, and marking the way home--the place of love and generosity and kindness and courage to which Jesus is calling us.
Here’s a helpful question: should Christians’ posture of hospitality toward outsiders extend to the Sunday worship gathering? Isn’t that a time for insiders only? If not, why not?
In this message, we’ll explore those questions and more as we look to a passage of Scripture that teacher us what “Sunday best” really looks like.
Have you ever stepped back to wonder what Peter and the Disciples felt as Jesus time and time again told them he would be crucified? Have you ever stepped back to think about what loss has looked like in your life? My expectation is that often times the answer to both of these questions for you is no. And while I believe that grief is a significant part of each answer to the questions above, I have no doubt that every time we grieve, Jesus has come and will come alongside us with joy that is only available through Him.
So much hinges on whether or not we insiders devote ourselves to loving outsiders…but once we get serious about doing that on purpose, how do we do it? What does it look like? In this message, we'll explore 4 practical guidelines that should shape our hospitality toward people who are far from God.
So how brave is your table? In this message, we’ll be challenged by three of the most difficult, most beautiful commands in Scripture. Three commands that change everything about how we use our tables—and who welcome to them.
Hospitality lies at the center of every Christian’s calling, and (like all good things), it will certainly cost something. In this message, Justin shares 4 things hospitality will require of us.
As we begin the Brave Table series, Justin shares two reasons we're bad at hospitality, two reasons hospitality matters so deeply, and what hospitality really is.
Ever struggle with the mystery of God's plans? What if you chose to see that uncertainty as an invitation to do some holy imagining? Let's look at an episode from Scripture that inspires us to daydream a bit about what's possible with God.
Do you have an open line of communication with God? You might be thinking most of the time, no. It makes sense. Sometimes, God is hard to hear. Sometimes, it feels as if there is no possible way that God could be speaking to you…But what if I told you there is a way to know if God is speaking to us. We often just miss it.