Faith Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Faith FWB Church
Know your Enemy: Identifying the Source of Sin
led by Don Prow
We know many actions that are sinful, but do we know sin’s source? Like doing a river cleanup only to find that a trash company is actively dumping their waste in the river, we may be wasting our efforts and only left frustrated at the continued struggle. How can we clean the river, stop it at the source. How can we stop choosing sin? Knowing our enemy.
Malachi: The Last Prophet of the Old Testament
led by Dustin Walters
The prophetic books of the Bible can be some of the most difficult to read. The book of Malachi reveals that God knows our sin, judges the wicked, and will bring healing and joy to his people. This study will teach you how to dive into the prophetic literature of the Bible through the specific book of Malachi.
Know your Enemy: Identifying the Source of Sin
led by Don Prow
We know many actions that are sinful, but do we know sin’s source? Like doing a river cleanup only to find that a trash company is actively dumping their waste in the river, we may be wasting our efforts and only left frustrated at the continued struggle. How can we clean the river, stop it at the source. How can we stop choosing sin? Knowing our enemy.
The Preservation of Scripture and Why the Bible Deserves your Trust
led by Lee Garrett
If the creator of the world spoke to humans and preserved that speech in a book, there is nothing more precious in the world. How do we know that the Bible is God’s work? How can we be sure the Bible we have today has been faithfully handed down over thousands of years?
Malachi: The Last Prophet of the Old Testament
led by Dustin Walters
The prophetic books of the Bible can be some of the most difficult to read. The book of Malachi reveals that God knows our sin, judges the wicked, and will bring healing and joy to his people. This study will teach you how to dive into the prophetic literature of the Bible through the specific book of Malachi.
The Preservation of Scripture and Why the Bible Deserves your Trust
led by Lee Garrett
If the creator of the world spoke to humans and preserved that speech in a book, there is nothing more precious in the world. How do we know that the Bible is God’s work? How can we be sure the Bible we have today has been faithfully handed down over thousands of years?
Know your Enemy: Identifying the Source of Sin
led by Don Prow
We know many actions that are sinful, but do we know sin’s source? Like doing a river cleanup only to find that a trash company is actively dumping their waste in the river, we may be wasting our efforts and only left frustrated at the continued struggle. How can we clean the river, stop it at the source. How can we stop choosing sin? Knowing our enemy.
Malachi: The Last Prophet of the Old Testament
led by Dustin Walters
The prophetic books of the Bible can be some of the most difficult to read. The book of Malachi reveals that God knows our sin, judges the wicked, and will bring healing and joy to his people. This study will teach you how to dive into the prophetic literature of the Bible through the specific book of Malachi.
Deuteronomy: Family Discipleship
led by Eric Pope
What is God‘s vision for parenting and the orientation of our homes? How can we establish a Christ centered home in the digital age and with busy schedules? How can we be intentional with the discipleship of our children?
The Preservation of Scripture and Why the Bible Deserves your Trust
led by Lee Garrett
If the creator of the world spoke to humans and preserved that speech in a book, there is nothing more precious in the world. How do we know that the Bible is God’s work? How can we be sure the Bible we have today has been faithfully handed down over thousands of years?
Know your Enemy: Identifying the Source of Sin
led by Don Prow
We know many actions that are sinful, but do we know sin’s source? Like doing a river cleanup only to find that a trash company is actively dumping their waste in the river, we may be wasting our efforts and only left frustrated at the continued struggle. How can we clean the river, stop it at the source. How can we stop choosing sin? Knowing our enemy.
Malachi: The Last Prophet of the Old Testament
led by Dustin Walters
The prophetic books of the Bible can be some of the most difficult to read. The book of Malachi reveals that God knows our sin, judges the wicked, and will bring healing and joy to his people. This study will teach you how to dive into the prophetic literature of the Bible through the specific book of Malachi.
Deuteronomy: Family Discipleship
led by Eric Pope
What is God‘s vision for parenting and the orientation of our homes? How can we establish a Christ centered home in the digital age and with busy schedules? How can we be intentional with the discipleship of our children?
When culture strikes down a truth-teller, what do God’s people do?
This sermon, preached in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, explores Ezekiel 33 and the calling of the watchman.
Pastor Daniel Edwards challenges the church to wake up, recognize the cultural moment we are living in, and be faithful to sound the alarm—no matter the cost.
📖 Scripture: Ezekiel 33
🔑 Key Themes:
Why watchmen are necessary in the “Negative World” we now live in
Why they are rarely popular, yet desperately needed
How the church must respond with courage, conviction, and hope
The call to repentance and revival, brick by brick, disciple by disciple
If you’re wrestling with how to think biblically about our cultural moment and the growing hostility toward Christianity, this message will give you both clarity and courage.
✝️ Formation Church
📍 Chandler, IN
🌐 formationchurch.life
➡️ Subscribe for more sermons and resources that will challenge and encourage your faith.
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us
➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life
formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
The world promises happiness through self-focus, success, and comfort—but it never delivers lasting joy. In Acts 2, the early church experienced a deep gladness that couldn’t be shaken, even in the midst of challenges. In this message, Pastor Daniel Edwards unpacks four truths about biblical joy: it’s personal (found in Jesus), pure (a singular heart for Him), purpose-filled (serving in God’s mission), and perpetual (lasting forever in His presence).
Discover how the Holy Spirit replaces fake news about faith with the real, life-giving gladness that only comes from Christ.
📖 Scripture: Acts 2:40–47 | John 16:20–22 | Psalm 16
🎯 Topics: Holy Spirit, Joy, Christian Life, Discipleship, Purpose
🙌 Formation Church — Building the church our friends will join and our children will one day lead.
HolySpirit #Acts2 #JoyInChrist #FormationChurch #DanielEdwards #ChristianLife #Sermon
What if the presence of God has been with you all along—you just haven’t noticed? In this message from Genesis 28, Pastor Daniel Edwards unpacks Jacob’s life-changing realization: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” God’s presence isn’t something we strive to achieve—it’s already here, right where we are. Discover how to shift from striving to awareness and learn what it means to encounter the God who comes to us, not the other way around.
👉 Don’t miss this if you’ve ever felt distant from God.
👉 Subscribe for more messages that help you grow in your faith.
What does it really look like when the Holy Spirit completes His work in the life of a believer and a community?
In this message, Pastor Daniel unpacks the final marks of Spirit-filled transformation from Acts 2 — a radical devotion to both truth and love.
Too often, we've settled for a watered-down version of Christianity — one that claims the name without the marks of true discipleship. But Acts 2 paints a different picture: a people who are devoted to doctrine and devoted to one another.
Discover:
Why completion doesn’t mean perfection
How the Spirit empowers us to live in both truth and love
Why “normal” Christianity isn’t enough
Let this message challenge you to reject cultural conformity and embrace the Spirit-led life of devotion, simplicity, and supernatural unity.
📖 Scripture: Acts 2:40–47
🕊 Series: Works of the Spirit
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us
➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life
formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Have you ever missed an invitation that could've changed everything?
In this powerful sermon from Acts 2, Pastor Daniel Edwards explores how the Holy Spirit doesn't just convict us—He calls us.
God's invitation isn't just for the “spiritual elite” or those who have it all together. It’s for the broken, the distant, the doubting… it’s for you.
Listen as we unpack:
Why God’s call is inclusive but requires a personal response
How repentance is about direction, not perfection
What it means to be baptized in the name of Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit
A powerful testimony of transformation and grace
🎯 Whether you feel far from God or unsure if He’d ever want someone like you, this message is a clear reminder: you’ve been invited, and the invitation came at great cost.
🔔 Subscribe for more messages that help you follow Jesus with boldness and clarity. ____________________________________________________________________
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________________________
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us
➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life
formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Confusion. Chaos. Crowds searching for answers.
In Acts 2, something extraordinary happens—God brings clarity through the power of the Holy Spirit. In this message, Pastor Daniel Edwards continues our series on the Works of the Spirit by unpacking how the Spirit enables believers to see, speak, and receive truth with crystal clarity—just like Peter did on the day of Pentecost.
🔍 Discover: Why clarity is a work of the Spirit—not just a product of strategy How Peter interpreted the moment through the lens of Scripture Why truth-telling is the kindest thing we can do in today’s world
🎯 Whether you're feeling spiritually foggy or trying to share your faith in a confused culture, this sermon will help you tune into what the Spirit is saying—clearly, boldly, and truthfully.
📖 Main Text: Acts 2:14–36
💬 Key Quote: “Clarity is kindness—and the Holy Spirit makes the truth unmistakably clear.”
🙌 Subscribe and join us as we seek more than information—we seek transformation by the Spirit.
__________________________________________________________________________
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us
➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life
formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
In this moving sermon, Pastor Eric draws a contrast between how David and Saul respond differently to confrontation over their sin. While Saul attempts to justify his actions, David acknowledges his sin and repents.
__________________________________________________________________________
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
__________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us
➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life
formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
What really happened on the Day of Pentecost? And what does it mean for us today? In this message, Pastor Daniel explores Acts 2 and the powerful confirmation of the Holy Spirit’s presence—not just through signs and wonders, but through the Spirit's role in affirming our identity as God’s children. Whether you're curious about speaking in tongues, the charismatic movement, or just want to understand how the Holy Spirit works in everyday life, this sermon will bring clarity, conviction, and encouragement. 📖 Key Text: Acts 2:1–4🔔 Subscribe for more sermons in the Holy Spirit Series __________________________________________________________________________Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us ➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life #formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #loveJoin us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610__________________________________________________________________________Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us ➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life #formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #loveJoin us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
What if the key to revival isn't striving, but waiting—together? In this message from our Holy Spirit series, Pastor Daniel Edwards explores Acts 1 to uncover how the early church’s unity and desperation positioned them for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Learn why patient, prayerful waiting is not passive but powerful—and how we, too, can posture ourselves for a fresh move of God.
📖 Scripture: Acts 1:1–14
🕊️ Series: Holy Spirit – Message 2: United Desperation
📍 Formation Church | Pastor Daniel Edwards
👉 Subscribe for more messages that awaken faith and form community.
Is it possible that the modern church has lost its spiritual power? In Part 1 of our Holy Spirit series, Pastor Daniel Edwards dives into Luke 24 to explore Jesus' final instructions and the vital role of the Holy Spirit in renewing the church's purpose and power.
Whether you're deeply rooted in faith, raising a young family, or looking for something real and meaningful, this message will challenge and encourage you to embrace a Spirit-empowered life.
🕊️ Discover how the early church was birthed in the Spirit—and why we need that same power today.
📖 Scripture: Luke 24:44–53
📍 Series: Holy Spirit – Part 1: Make the Church Spiritual Again
🔔 Subscribe for weekly messages and more resources to grow your faith.
💬 Drop a comment below: What does it mean to YOU for the church to be "spiritual"?
Pastor Dustin shares a Palm Sunday sermon. ___________________________________________________________________
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us ➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life #formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Formation Church Grand Opening Sermon: How Renewal Happens | Formation Church, Chandler, IN 47610 Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us ➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life #formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #loveJoin us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Accountability Sharpens Us - How Formation Happens
Formation is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
Connect with Formation Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Formation Church: https://formationchurch.life/contact-us ➤ Website: https://formationchurch.life ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formationCHURCH.life ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formationCHURCH.life #formationchurch #formation #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming #Jesus #Lord #God #christian #church#ministry#JesusChrist #Christians #faith #prayer #amen #blessed #thankful #memories #praise #encouragement #blessed #hope #love Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
__________________________________________________________________Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
Andy Anderson shared a unique and powerful message on a lesser known figure in scripture, Epaphroditus. Even though Epaphroditus was ill and near death, he was still a brother, a worker, and a Soldier in the kingdom of God. __________________________________________________________________
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________\
Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
__________________________________________________________________________Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610__________________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana#churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
Money tells us lies and truths. One of the truths money tells us is who we serve or who are master is. Proverbs teaches us that debt makes us a slave and intertwines us to the lender and these attachments choke out our ability to be generous.
__________________________________________________________________________
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610
__________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
A man who suddenly had more than ever thought he had all that he needed, but he didn't have what he needed most. Money will tell us it can give us security and confidence, but only God can give us what all need most. __________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
Money will tell you that it's the secret or source to joy and happiness, but what we find in Scripture is those are only available through a relationship with God. Giving is a Spiritual Discipline that points our heart toward the true source we need. __________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 __________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
As the holiness of God and the brokenness of our hearts become more and more apparent, the gap between us and God is larger, but the Cross grows in our hearts and minds to fill the gap. ____________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/ #FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming
Bitterness is an issue we all have to deal with because we live in a world with people who will hurt us and sin against us. Jesus tells us that if forgiveness has flooded into our lives from above, that it will flow outward around us as well.
FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ____________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Scripture teaches us to guard our hearts because out of it come all the issues of life. We are going to spend 4 weeks learning how to best guard hearts.
Have you ever felt totally alone? As though no one was standing with you? Paul found himself standing alone, but in his loneliest moment, God was with him AND strengthened him.
FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Isaiah was given a hard calling. He would spend his life as the bearer of bad news, but no matter how hard the cultural moment and how hard everything would get, there was still substance and hope.
FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
God is holy and God is on a mission.
That mission is the gospel.
That mission is also powered by the gospel.
FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
When Isaiah saw a vision of God, Isaiah immediately recognized his own desperate need for cleansing. Isaiah said he was a man of "unclean lips" but we know that source of his sin was deeper down. Our lips are unclean because our hearts are broken. #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
The Church and the Disabled // 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Is There Purpose in the Pain? // John 9:1-5; 11:14 Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10 AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
How to become Unoffendable // Ephesians 4 #faithchurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10 AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ___________________________________________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 10 AM at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
FaithChurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana#churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming___________________________________________________________________________________Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610___________________________________________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
What do disciples do? // Matthew 28 #faithchurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ____________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
How Can We Be Like Jesus? // 1 John 1 #faithchurch #FaithFreeWillBaptistChurch #ChandlerIN #ChandlerIndiana #churchservice #churchserviceworship #churchsermons #churchservicelivestreaming ____________________________________________________ Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 ____________________________________________________Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN) ➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Abide in His Words // What is a Disciple? // John 8
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams. Join us any Sunday at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/ ➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
The Call to Follow Jesus // What is a Disciple? // Luke 5
Faith is a life-giving church in Chandler, Indiana. We value the ancient truth of God's Word and seek to bring it into everyday life. We welcome everyone because we know God can rescue anyone. Our mission is to build the church our friends and neighbors will join and our children will one day lead. We know we accomplish this best by following Jesus, growing in groups, and serving on teams.
Join us any Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 at 303 N 5th St Chandler, IN 47610 _________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Faith Free Will Baptist Church (Chandler, IN)
➤ Contact Faith Church: https://faithinchandler.com/contact-us/
➤ Website: https://faithinchandler.com/
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FaithFWBChurch/
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Apologies for the audio cutting out for a moment.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "FAITH IS A GIFT" 2 PETER 1.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "FAITH AND DOUBT" -HEBREWS 11.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "SHEEP AMONG WOLVES" Matthew 10.
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE PRAYERS".
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "Gratitude".
Join us Sundays at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Here is our Sunday Sermon recording titled "Sanctification". Open Your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 5!
Most people avoid worry by pretending or minimizing. Jesus provides us with peace through a promise.
Our communications are shaped by the relationship we have with the person we are communicating with. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father. Our prayers are not transactions or negotiations. They're calls to our Father.
Martha was preoccupied with many things but Mary had chosen to focus on the most important thing: Jesus. Martha wanted Jesus to get on her timetable and agenda, but Jesus used this moment to bring transformation in Martha.
The two most important questions that everyone must answer are "who is Jesus?" and "what are you going to do about it?"
When we answer those question correctly, everything changes. In fact, because a small group of people got those 2 questions right the world was changed. The movement of disciples that Jesus started showed incredible resiliency in the face of war, persecution, plague, and martyrdom because they got those questions right.
They were not only resilient, they regenerated and reproduced whenever it got hard.
In Luke 8 we find that true discipleship always reveals itself. Like seeds that actually put down roots are revealed by the fruit they produce, the life of believers who accept and follow the teaching of Jesus show fruit.
Jesus is who He is, not who you think He is. So when your expectations of Jesus don't meet up with reality, it's your expectations or perspective of Jesus that needs to change. It's actually a good thing when we are disappointed with how God is working, because it gives us an opportunity to realign with the truth.
Have you ever realized you've been singing the wrong lyrics or calling someone the wrong name and you wonder, how long have I been wrong on this? Today we are going to make sure we aren't wrong in what we think when we hear the word "disciple."
Though we didn't deserve Him, Jesus came among us and His presence started the spread of divine holiness among humble and lowly people like us. Those who experienced this holiness were those who welcomed His presence and even sought Him out. We too should seek out the presence of Jesus in our lives if we want His holiness to cover us and make us whole.
In Luke 4 we see another demonstration that Jesus is uniquely qualified for His calling as the Son of God who has come be among us as a man. We also see that this demonstration serves as a great example to us on how we can face temptation.
In Luke 3 we see that John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. He accomplished this through the preparation of hearts with repentance. Today we are praying for God to send revival and we prepare for this through repentance.
Maturity isn't an accident. You can grow older without growing wiser. You can grow taller without growing deeper. In this message we look at the way Jesus developed and grew into the life that would change the world.
Luke wrote 2 books and they're pretty remarkable. Today we'll see how Luke's first book stands apart and deserves our attention in a world crowded with content and information. Luke's gospel brings us into the presence of Jesus and that presence is significant and transformational.
Christmas not only brought hope to dark days, dark places, and dark hearts, it brought hope to a dark church. 2020 has been a dark year for the church and for our church, but when we are focused on Jesus our hearts are filled with hope and we can look to the future with anticipation.
Jesus arrived in a dark time and in a dark place, but it was in that shape because of the decisions of mankind. Jesus arrived when and where He did in order to turn back the darkness at the source, our hearts. Jesus would win back the world by winning back our hearts.
Pastor Eric shares with us that the hope we have in Christ is more than having a positive outlook.
The Hope we celebrate at Christmas shines brightest on the darkest of days and in the darkest of places. Celebrate HOPE with us this month to close out a most difficult year.
We didn't gather for our testimony service, so we've put one together digitally with a message on being realistically thankful. We hope you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you'll plan to join us in person or online again this upcoming Sunday as we focus on HOPE for the month of December.
People think Joy will be found in stuff, experiences, money, or popularity- but none of them deliver. In this worship experience Pastor Daniel shares the the secret ingredient to joy is gratitude.
We need to be thankful in good times and bad, but especially in the bad. This Sunday Pastor Daniel will share with us why this Thanksgiving is so important.
It's a new season and what was appropriate in the previous season doesn't fit now, not because it is or was wrong, but because it's not the right season. God is doing a new thing and that means we need new wineskins.
In this sermon, Pastor Daniel points out that we are more than physically and emotional tired. We are soul tired and the rest our souls need can only be found in one place.
Even the strongest Christians face doubts and lose hope. In our message today we look at how Jesus responded when His closest follower was confused and full of doubt.
When we focus on the world and allow God to get small in our hearts and minds, we'll be filled with fear and anxiety. When we focus on God, our troubles will get small and our hearts and minds will be filled with HOPE.
This World is geared to distract us with what doesn't matter, so we need to "Win the Day" each day so we are focused on what truly matters. Winning the Day means starting with God's Word before turning to any other form of information or media. We know how you start your day will impact how you spend your day, so start it out with God's Word and you'll win the day!
God used the ever present crisis of the desert to teach the Israelites to depend on Him daily, and God wants to use this ever present crisis of the pandemic to teach us to depend on Him daily.
David tells us in Psalm 1 that a person who delights in God's law will be like a tree planted by a river. This means that when we delight in God's law, we won't be dependent upon our circumstances. We'll have roots in the source of life in good times and bad.
Our world and culture is designed to grab our attention. The people running the businesses and organizations of the world are putting a lot of thought and hard work into getting our attention, our support, and our money. Believers should work just as hard to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus so that we become people of substance. Holy habits and patterns develop resistance to the strategies of this world and fill our inner worlds with substantive truth.
We are all ready to be on the other side of the pandemic, but there may be a lesson for us in the middle of this storm. In this sermon we look at how Jesus and the disciples handled the interruption of a storm as they may their way across to the other side of the sea.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Have shame or regret you can't let go of? Did you miss the opening message to our new series? Here's the sermon from this past Sunday. Get your reminder to join us this Sunday at 9:30 or 11!
9:30 - https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/videos/234010597941122
11:00 - https://www.facebook.com/FaithFWBChurch/videos/2951898844893946
God built us for relationships and then modeled the best environment for those relationships. We flourish when we are known, loved, and challenged.
This armor doesn’t just go on us, it’s gets into us.
It becomes a part of us. It enmeshes itself into our soul and spirit.
To celebrate God's goodness, we took communion together, watched a video of ministry highlights, and clarified what we are truly celebrating at Faith Church.
The Bible is not a choose your own adventure book that leads all of us on a personal and private journey of discovery. Instead, it’s a book that leads each individual toward a corporate redemption of all things. God has called us to study this truth together and work together to share this truth with those who do not yet know it.
http://www.faithinchandler.com/the-bible/why-we-read-the-bible-together/
The Bible is more than a collection of inspirational quotes and powerful statements to help with some areas of life. The Bible is a grand work of literature built upon layers and layers of ancient truth. This truth is not for personal or partial interpretation, but a holistic and full application. http://www.faithinchandler.com/the-bible/how-we-apply-the-bible/
The Bible is a book for the common man. You do not need a college degree or specialized training to benefit from the Bible, however these practical steps will help you go deeper, faster in your understanding of the Bible.
http://www.faithinchandler.com/how-we-read-the-bible/
Most people think the Bible is important, but we fail to believe the Bible is most important so we fail to make time to read the Bible. The Bible is most important because it is the words of God that point us to Jesus.
To prepare us for our new series on How to Read the Bible, Pastor Eric gives us a better understanding of how we came to have the Bible in our hands.
The angel delivered good news of great joy because it was no legend, it was real, and messy, and wonderful!
We can sing songs of hope and joy because we have been adopted into the family of God. Christmas is the "how" of this adoption. In the fullness of time Christ was born of woman under the law, making it possible for us to be adopted as sons and daughters.
John 21 is the after credits bonus scene of John's gospel and in it Peter is restored, told to "feed my sheep," and given a glimpse of what's ahead.
Jesus could give the customary greeting of "Peace be unto you" as one who actually has the power to give peace.
John wants us to see the cruelty of the crown and the cross, the innocence of Jesus, the guilt of Pilate, the reality of the crucifixion, and the necessity of it all.
Truth plays a central role in this courtroom drama and we learn that truth is real, truth is powerful, and the truth is wonderful.
When Jesus Prays in His final moments with the disciples, He prays for the Glorification of God, the persistence of the believers, the sanctification of the believers, and the unification of the believers.
In John 16 Jesus tells the disciples that though there will be adversity there will also be a joy that can not be taken away, and this lasting joy will overshadow the difficulty.
The work of the Spirit is testifying of Jesus, convicting the world of sin, and guiding believers into all truth.
The final I am statement of Jesus illustrates His life giving role and clarifies how the Father brings about fruitfulness in our lives.
In Jesus' final conversation with the disciples He explains the Holy Spirit will comfort them by enabling them to do greater works through His presence.
Jesus comforts the disciples letting them know that though He's leaving, He's making a way for them to join Him. When they're confused Jesus makes it clear that He is THE WAY.
John's life, ministry, and scriptural writings would be characterized by love. Perhaps all of that began with this transformative experience when Jesus washed the disciples feet on his final evening with them. Jesus showed them radical love in the face of heartache and betrayal and then called them to show that same love to others.
In John 12 Jesus tells us He will draw all unto Himself through being lifted up on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, everyone is welcome! He is now working to draw all unto Himself, no matter their background or disfunction. We should respond by following Him. When we do, we are with Jesus.
Pastor Daniel spoke on John 12 at the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Cincinnati this past Summer. Now that we've made our way to John 12 in our Sunday morning sermon series, we are posting the message from Cincinnati and our Sunday services. Though the text and interpretation is the same in both messages, the application is different.
The worth of Jesus does not depend on our understanding or appreciation of Jesus. In John 12 we see the worth of Jesus demonstrated in the acts of worship by Mary and the people of Jerusalem. Though these were moments of joy and excitement, Jesus was worthy of worship before and after their response.
Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, confirming once again that he is the Son of God. He also shows us that He has the power to dissipate all the darkness and sin. He can fix all that is wrong with our world.
The religious leaders of the day did not care for the people but rather wanted to steal, kill, and destroy them. In contrast to these "shepherds," Jesus is the good shepherd who lays his life down for us sheep. When we follow the Good Shepherd, we find a life abundant with meaning and significance in the midst of an evil and broken world.
Jesus gives sight to a man blind from birth but the religious leaders refuse to see their need of Jesus. We'll be plagued by blindspots until we open our eyes to Jesus.
When we follow Jesus, we abide in His truth and this truth sets us free from the brokenness and sin of this world and our hearts.
Jesus once again claims to be what we've been looking for, but this time it's in the middle of an important feast and right after demonstrating He doesn't judge like we judge. He came to save, not condemn.
In the 2nd part of John 6, Jesus explains that He is the source of true life and offers His followers something far greater than what they're craving.
Jesus demonstrates once again that he has power over the physical and authority above the law, so that we might know that He can heal what is wrong with us at our core... sin.
When Jesus ministered in his hometown, the people didn't respond like others had in other places. Jesus would say that prophets have no honor in their hometown. No matter how familiar you are with Jesus, He demands a response to His power and message.
At the end of this 3rd chapter in Jesus' life story as told by His best friend, John the Baptist explains why Christ must have the preeminence in our lives, homes, church, and community.
As a part of our VBS Program we focused on this important and powerful verse. There's no wonder this verse is one of the most famous Bible passages.
When the leading teacher of the Pharisees come to ask Jesus some questions he's astonished to learn that to enter the kingdom he must be born again. Jesus explains what this means and why it's possible.
John goes from telling us the story of Jesus converting water into wine at a wedding to Jesus flipping over tables inside the temple. These extremes show us that John wants us to see who Jesus is- all of Him.
Jesus didn't change the water into wine because He had to, but because He could. That's generosity.
The first chapter closes with the origin story of the very first core group, the disciples. Jesus could see their past and knew their potential. He invited them to follow Him because He knew His own power to lead them into their calling.
John the Baptist is extraordinary because of the location, the manner, and the substance of his testimony.
Find this message on our website here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/gospelofjohn/john-the-baptist/
Jesus was no man sent from God, He was God as a man. He created all that we see, including us. He made us and then came to buy us back.
John wrote his gospel with a simple overarching principle, he'd show us the signs that would lead us to believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God so that believing we'd have life in Jesus' name. We'll start our study through the Gospel of John in chapter 1 next Sunday!
Easter changes everything, but Palm Sunday shows us HOW. On Palm Sunday Jesus demonstrated once again He is more than a good man or an incredible teacher. He rides into Jerusalem in direct fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming Messiah, the Son of God, and hope of nations.
The people praised Him as KING as he entered Jerusalem for Passover. Then he went to die on the cross where (as a slight to the Jews) even the Romans labeled Him King of the Jews.
The throne was His, but He walked past it to the cross. He deserved a crown but He wore the thorns.
He did not die as a mere martyr or a fallen King. He died as the ultimate, cosmic, and final payment for the sin of mankind. No man, martyr, or king could do that- only the Son God could.
That’s how Easter changes EVERYTHING.
Pastor James Bullock was brutally attacked and stabbed by 2 men. This tragic event triggered PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. All of this eventually put James in a Psychiatric Hospital. However, God brought the light back into his life and he shares with us how God moved in a mighty way in his life. To wrap up our Break the Silence series, we invited him to speak on the subject of depression. He shared a moving song and a powerful message on Psalm 88 which we are glad to share below.
Anxiety is a more prevalent and complex issue than ever before, but it's not a new issue. The desire for status and the fear of being rejected is as old as sin. However, we can receive a new status and identity in Christ that can never be taken from us. It's incorruptible. It will never fade. It's secured for us through God's mercy.
This past Sunday Mandy Smith shared how suicide has taken the lives of people close to her. There was more than we could share in the video on Sunday, so we've included the extended version here on the debrief followed by a discussion of the sermon.
Sunday's message as well as the video we shared of Mandy's Story can be found on our website here:
http://bit.ly/BreakSilenceSuicide
Following a moving testimony from Mandy Smith, Pastor Daniel shared this message on the Spiritual Battle that is waged in the life of someone who is entertaining thoughts of ending their life.
James Lindsay did an excellent job of closing out our revival service with a message that demonstrated that the life of a disciple does not consist merely of learning, but of obedience. Often that obedience is the opposite of convenience and deals with people who are difficult.
We were so glad to have Charles Cook back with us as a part of this revival. Charles delivered a clear and compelling message from Ephesians 5 on our call to be in the light, grow in the light, and live out the light Christ has brought into our lives.
We were honored to welcome Guest Speaker Corey Minter from New Hope FWB Church in Joelton, TN. Corey delivered a powerful message on hypocrisy from Mark 7 which highlights 3 characteristics of hypocrites: Empty Words, Filthy Hearts, and Prideful Worship.
We were honored to welcome Zach Taylor from our sister church in Owensboro, KY. Zach shared an important message from Paul's letter to the Romans on our need to be ready to go, indebted to those around us, and unashamed of the gospel.
Seasons of repentance and renewal lead to revival. We can't schedule revival, but we can plant the seeds of repentance and renewal and await the harvest of revival.
Lent is a season of renewal. A time when the light and heat of the cross brings us out of dormancy and spurs new life and new growth in us. David was moved out of his dormancy when the message of God brought his sin into the light, so he wrote Psalm 51 in response to this repentance and renewal.
Bob Johan's life experienced a major transformation, but it didn't come on suddenly. It was a process of being drawn to Christ over many years, but then suddenly his fear and guilt were gone.
Lent is a season or a period of time when we give ourselves to repentance, to turning from self and sin and shame to follow Christ. It's a time of giving in to the call and leading of Jesus.
We are currently in the part of the year in Southern Indiana where you get to experience all 4 seasons in one week. It's a time of year when you can wear shorts and a t-shirt on Wednesday and have to consider whether or not to venture to church in the snow on Wednesday. I did that this week...
One of the stranger traditions that our country celebrates is groundhog day, a day wherein we are supposed to get a clue as to how much longer the winter will be. The legend has it that if the Groundhog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Apparently this tradition comes from an old legend in Europe that our ancestors brought over when they immigrated to the New World and it was Americanized over time. In Europe they had Candlemans day, where on the 2nd of February if the sun was shining, it was a sign that winter would be extended and they need to buy more candles while the sun was shining… Kind of sounds like a holiday made up by candle manufacturers like greeting card manufacturers create holidays today…
The idea of the sun shining is where the Groundhog seeing his shadow part of Groundhogs day comes from…
Today we are going to talk about Lent, a season that helps us look toward Easter for 6 weeks, and as we do I’d like for us to look at a passage where we see Jesus looking toward the crucifixion as well.
Read John 12:23-37
It is probably hard to believe, but Easter is 7 weeks away. Maybe it feels difficult to believe to me because this winter currently feels like it will last forever…
I’m pretty frustrated with the weather forecast for this week- it seems that we once again will come down to Sunday morning unsure if we’ll be able to have worship due to snow.
There are other times with Easter seems to sneak up on you… Of course this is partly due to the fact that Easter moves around on the Calendar each year. Last year it was 3 weeks earlier in the year that it is this year.
Because Easter was a solemn day in the early church, Lent was established to focus the hearts and minds of the people on the celebration well in advance.
Looking at church history it seems that pre-easter fasts were common, but they varied in length and manner from church to church and region to region- Lent became a common and long standing occurrence for a few of reasons.
1- Easter became a day that was common for baptism, and the church would often encourage candidates for baptism to fast beforehand to give them a period of repentance before identifying with Christ in the act of baptism.
2 - The Council of Nicea in AD 325 brought a commonality among the practice of many churches…
3 - as the devotion and zeal of the churches seemed to wane, the fast was lengthened to emphasize the seriousness and devotion of the Christians.
This is where we are at, our lives are so busy, so filled up, so tight…
The Breaker App - skip silences… another way to fit more in…
When we’ve heard the story of Christ again and again, we can take it for granted…
This passage is about the impact and effect of the cross…
No matter the climate, we need to focus on Easter.
We are currently in a season of reaching for renewal, reaching for zeal and devotion… a season of repentance, a season of revival.
We are observing Lent beginning this Wednesday.
We will focus on renewal of covenants on the 10th.
We will have our revival beginning on the 17th.
Lent is a season of repentance.
The word Lent actually comes from the old English word “Lenten” which means lengthen, and speaks of the season when the days begin to lengthen.
I’ve had a couple of conversations with you this week about how the days are longer, that when you come out of work or when you head to work, it’s daylight… It is a dreary time when we go to work in the dark and return in the dark.
This is a season of the preparation for Spring, the season for the beginning of the lengthening of days, the beginning of warmer weather, the beginning of the greening up of everything all around us…
The passage we read in John 12 is the phase of Jesus’ ministry where he is headed toward the cross, he is in his final days.
Even though chapter 12 is only about halfway through John’s book, the focus has been placed on Jesus’ final week.
The reason for this is clear, this was the reason that Jesus came.
It is the reason he is here.
That’s actually what Jesus says in verse
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Jesus came for the purpose of dying on the cross.
You see, there must be a death before there can be resurrection.
Just as there must be winter before there can be spring.
The death of Christ was essential to the resurrection of Christ.
The death of Christ is essential to the resurrection of us.
This is what Jesus is referring to in verse
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone:
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Jesus uses the analogy of a seed, specifically a grain of wheat, saying that unless it dies, goes into the ground, it will only remain a seed, but if it dies and goes into the ground, it becomes wheat, which reproduces and bears much fruit…
Jesus is speaking of himself, and he makes his meaning explicitly clear in verse
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Jews would cast you down if they killed you.
Romans lifted you up on a cross.
(MacArthur)
Apparently this was a familiar phrase, like someone would know what you meant if you said,
You commit that crime and you’ll fry or you’ll get the chair and people would know that you meant the electric chair…
The cross was far more ubiquitous. Where in our culture capital punishment is only used for the worst of offenses, Jesus would be crucified between two thieves…
The people obviously knew what Jesus meant because they ask why he’s talking about dying in verse 34.
Jesus came to die on the cross, being lifted up by the Romans for crimes he did not commit to take the punishment for the crimes we did commit…
I want to go back to Jesus words about the grain of wheat.
While Jesus is referring to himself, he gives us an application for ourselves.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
We do not have to live in the winter forever…
Christ has made it possible to for us to experience the spring.
However, we must die to self.
We must turn from our old life to follow Christ.
We must like him, die to become bountiful.
There is a line where the seed is no longer a seed and it is a plant,
it is a shoot...
For the seed, it’s not that it experiences death as we think of death, it doesn’t have a heart that stops beating or brain waves which stop functioning..
Rather, at some point it crosses a line where it is no longer a seed and it is a plant. It has lost it’s identity as a seed and gained a new identity. It is transformed into something greater, something better, something it was always designed and purposed to be..
When we come to Christ we cross the line into a new identity that is better, greater, and what we were always meant to be.
At some point we cease to be who we were-
We lose the identity we’ve walked in all of our lives and we become something new, something better, something that we were always designed and purposed to be…
But it isn’t that the work as then done it is just beginning…
For this reason Jesus says “let him follow me.” We use this phrase in our steps-
Follow Jesus
Grow in a Group
Serve on a Team
We have intentionally stayed away from phrases like “get saved,” even though that’s correct, because we want to make it clear this is not a line you cross and then you’re done.
It’s not a finish line, it’s a starting line.
Trusting in Christ is a starting line, not a finish line.
On the first day of spring, we do not receive enough sun or rain for the whole season- we must receive it everyday.
A month from now the farmers will need the weather to be conducive to growing corn, and 2 month from now…
It is a glorious thing when someone truly welcomes the kingdom of Christ into their hearts at the end, but that’s a lifelong winter with a day or two of spring.
Spring comes in starts and stops... in southern Indiana we have spring one day and winter the next and back and forth for a while...
Sometimes people move forward and backward in their relationship with God
We don’t have to stay in winter.
In this episode Pastor Daniel interviews James Bullock who will be our special guest speaker on April 7th to cover the topic of depression. Our debrief of Sunday's message on burnout felt like a great opportunity to introduce him and hear just a little bit of his story.
Pastor Daniel and Pastor Eric discuss how Sunday's message on emptiness can apply to everyday life and share an interview with Amy which also relates to the topic.
Find all of the messages in this series here:http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all of the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all the messages in this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all the messages in this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all of the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rethinking-church/
Find all of the messages in this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/dollarsandsense/
Find the rest of the messages in this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/dollarsandsense/
Find all the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/dollarsandsense/
Find all of the Problem of God message in video, audio, and text here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/theproblemofgod/
This bonus message in the Problem of God series was preached in the 6:00 PM Sunday evening service.
Find all the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/theproblemofgod/
Find the notes, video, and audio for this message at: http://www.faithinchandler.com/theproblemofgod/the-problem-of-exclusivity/
There was some really tragic news this past February.
JNCO Jeans are going out of business.
If you don’t remember JNCO, let me show you a picture of the jeans they were known for…
These were a hit in the late 90’s.
They were a fad, honestly I was amazed to learn that they were still in business. When I heard they were going out of business I was actually pretty impressed they had hung around this long.
These were a fad, much like the jeans or pants that some of you that are more experienced might remember- Bell Bottoms.
What’s funny about Bell Bottoms is that the first time I ever saw a a pair of Bell Bottoms was when I was kid watching star trek with my dad- It was a star trek that had been made in late 60’s and early 70’s and the show portrayed someone hundreds of years in the future wearing bell bottoms.
Everyone thinks that what is popular when your young will be popular forever, but trend come and go.
This is especially true in fashion, but it is true in all facets of life.
The cultural moment that we are living in right now has trends in thought. The trend right now is radical inclusiveness.
This trend is no doubt in response the discrimination, racism, repression, and abuse of authority that we experienced in the “modern” age, so post modernity is swinging like a pendulum to the other extreme.
In an age of extreme inclusiveness or “metaphysical pluralism” the exclusive claims of Christianity are problematic for many people.
It’s seen as out of step with culture- it’s like wearing a pair of JNCO jeans today- it seems out of place.
Christianity makes many exclusive claims, and for many people who like Jesus, they think his teaching is helpful, and they would like to follow him, they hesitate because of the exclusive claims…
I’m not going to pull any punches, Jesus is incredibly exclusive.
Let me read you some of the most exclusive words Jesus said.
John 14
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
There are many people who view Christianity as bigoted, religiously racist, and culturally intolerant.
In a poll done by Maclean’s magazine in Canada published that 30% of Canadians were “most uncomfortable” around evangelical Christians, which is close to the figures they found for drug addicts and child abusers.
Our culture influences us. The current cultural trend is toward the extreme inclusivity which says that all religions are true, and the overwhelming impression is that Evangelical Christians are exclusive and therefore not tolerant.
Christianity is not the only religion that is exclusive.
Muslims don’t think that I’m going to heaven.
Mormons don’t believe I’m going to heaven.
Hindus don’t think I’m going to heaven.
Buddhism is considered to be the most inclusive religion, but it split away from Hinduism and rejected major tenets of Hinduism and established it’s own monks and belief system.
Buddhism couldn’t abide with Hinduism so it established it’s own path…
Lack of religion doesn’t lead toward inclusivity either…
The original title of Charles Darwin’s book was
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
“Man scans with scrupulous care the character and pedigree of his horses and cattle and dogs before he matches them but when it comes to his own marriage he rarely, or never, takes any such care…both sexes out to refrain from marriage if they are in any marked degree inferior in body and mind.” - Darwin
Eugenics - Margaret Sanger - Nazi Germany
In response to these horrors, our culture has responded with a pluralism….
“My position that all the great religions are fundamentally equal.” -Ghandi
“One of the biggest mistakes humans makes is to believe there’s only one way. Actually, there are many diverse paths leading to God.” -Oprah
This is our current cultural moment.
A culture of Metaphysical Plurism.
Last week I challenged atheism which says all the religions are false, today I’m looking at Metaphysical Pluralism.
Now, I’m going to get there but this is different from saying that all religions have some merit or that all religions are welcome or that everyone is allowed to believe what they wish, Metaphysical Pluralism means that all religions are true.
Cultural Pluralism is the acceptance of different races and religions in society.
Metaphysical Pluralism holds that all religions are true.
There’s an important distinction… I’m going to try and help you make this distinction.
Cultural Pluralism holds that people of all types are welcome and have a role in society. Cultural Pluralism requires us to be welcoming of others who think, act, look, speak, and live differently than us.
Metaphysical Pluralism requires us to accept relativism, that what’s true for you is true for you and what’s true for me is true for me.
Its’ metaphysical pluralism because it’s beyond the laws of physics and logic- it requires opposing ideas to be simultaneously be true.
Before I point out how this is problematic, let me say that I can relate to the desire that drives this…
How many of us enjoy going to the dentist? I didn’t like going to the dentist- I really dislike it, but as mush as I dislike going to the dentist, I’d rather go to the dentist than take my kids to the dentist. It’s not that the kid’s dentist is mean or cruel, in fact the kids love it.
The trouble is that every time I go I feel judged.
You sit there while the kids teeth are being worked on and they ask you about the thinks your kids eat and drink…
Are we letting them eat fruit snacks, dad?
What kind of drinks do they drink at home?
Last time we went, they asked this drink question and before I could say, milk, juice, water, and soda on special occasions Lincoln interrupted with “SPRITE!”
In our effort to be nice, accommodating, and welcoming, we’ve gone to the point that beyond being kind, we’re being intellectually dishonest by saying that everyone is right!
No one is wrong!
Now this comes from a good place, where want to show others kindness and hospitality.
Metaphysical Pluralism partially springs out of our desire to be accommodating and inclusive.
Being inclusive is not bad. It’s not wrong to be welcoming to other cultures….
In fact, believers are instructed to do this.
In Jeremiah the people are instructed to seek the Shalom or the peace of the city in which they live- even though they were captives in a foreign land, among people who weren’t their race or practiced their religion, they were to work to produce flourishing.
God’s word calls us to seek the good of our society and culture, and we can do that without saying the beliefs of another religion or worldview are valid.
I work with people I disagree with all the time…
There are often moments where Christians, Mormons, and Muslims can work toward common goals….
We can work together, we respect one another, but that doesn’t require for us to agree on everything.
Our current culture thinks that for us to be agreeable that we have to always agree…
One of the greatest contributions we can make to our culture our society our community is if we show the world that we can disagree sharply, think distinctively, but still treat one another with love and respect.
We can peaceably live in a culturally pluralistic society without falling for metaphysical pluralism.
We can welcome and respect people of differing faiths without accepting their beliefs as truth.
Our culture believes that if I disagree with you that I hate you…
I disagree with a lot of people that I love…
Metaphysical Pluralism is very problematic.
While it comes from the good place of a desire to be accommodating, it also comes from a place of arrogance.
Now that might seem counterintuitive to you, to say that a person who doesn’t tell anyone they are wrong and says that everyone is right, that they are being arrogant, but let me show you how this works.
One of the major illustrations that people who believe that all religions are true use is the 3 blind man and the elephant.
3 bling men come upon on an elephant- one grabs the elephant’s tail and says, it’s a whip! Another blind man reaches out and feels the elephants side and says, it’s a wall!
The other grabs hold of leg of the elephant and says, it’s a tree trunk!
The moral of the parable is that the 3 blind men are all explaining what their limited abilities allow them to experience, but that all 3 are pointing to the same thing, so all the religions of the world are pointing to the same thing, just giving us the best they can understand of what is unknown or unknowable.
This story is always told from the perspective of the narrator who can see the elephant and knows more than the three blind men who are grasping the elephant.
To hold the position that all the religions of the world are the same, they just can’t see it, is to put yourself in the position of the only person who can see it all while the religious people of the world are only grasping for what they can…
It’s an arrogant position to say, everyone is right because you’re saying I know more than rest of you…
Metaphysical Pluralism also comes from a place of pride which says I know the truth everyone is attempting to find.
Do you know how offensive it would be to go to people in the Middle East who have lost loved ones because of religious wars and say, listen don’t worry about. You’re both right.
Well, you’d probably say, well people who kill in the name of religion aren’t right?
Where do we draw those lines? Because certainly not all the religions of the world are right.
Not Islamic Jihadist, not primitive religions that sacrifice humans and even children, not Jim Jones or David Koresh…
But who? Religions that won’t let women drive? Religions that don’t allow women to uncover their face?
Someone will have to step up to the plate and decide which religions of the world meet the qualifications of being included.
We all recognize that some ideas are better than others, we make distinctions all the time, we make choices all the time…
If you go to the grocery store later and need to pick up some meat and there’s some green meat because it’s gone bad, you’re not going to buy that, because there’s better meat than that…
We know that there are better ideas, but we’ve taken this middle of the road, let’s not rock the boat, so that no one feels judged and everyone get’s along…
Jesus steps up to the plate and says, I’ll tell you. I’ll decide.
Not only that, I’ll back it up.
In the time of Christ, there were people who were making major movements forward in philosophy and they recognized that there were laws of nature and physics that seemed to operate the world. There was wisdom to be observed and discovered and understood.
Some would refer to this as the LOGOS, the truth, the word of wisdom.
John writes his gospel and says, the WORD the LOGOS, he showed up, he came to be with us. He has always been, he was in the beginning and he has come to be with us, and to as many as believe in him he gives them the power to be children of God.
Why does Jesus make the exclusive claim? Because he is the Son of God… He came from God. He came and claimed to be God.
You can’t believe that all religions of the world are right, because Jesus came and said He is the only way…
Either he’s good or he’s crazy or he’s conman.
Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or Lord.
Why does it matter? Why do I have to believe in Jesus, He’s the only one who died to pay for your sin… He’s the only one who went to the cross for you…
Here’s a typical scenario that plays out at our house.
I’m asleep and Nicole says to me, did you hear that noise? What was that?
Now when we were first married I’d spring out of bed and go see.
Now I respond with, “huh? I didn’t hear anything. You’re hearing things…” If she persists then I’ll say, “It’s nothing.”
Why? Because I’m tired and I’m half asleep.
Somewhere in between the beginning when I’d go check like some kind of ninja and now where I basically just roll over and fall back into sleep, Nicole woke me up because she heard a noise and had me go check. I was so out of it, but I went stumbling down the hallway, and some point between the bedroom and the kitchen I dozed and woke up- something happened and when I got to the kitchen I thought I had gotten up to get a midnight snack…
Soooo instead of checking for bad guys I started making a snack.
A few minutes later Nicole comes inching down the hallway…. whispering, Daniel? Daniel?
She’s been back in the bedroom terrified that I didn’t come back, thinking there really were bad guys…
She comes into the kitchen to find me eating a snack, and I ‘m so out of it that I don’t even think anything of it,
I’m like, “oh hey!” She’s like “really!?”
We say, oh it’s nothing because we’re tired, we’re sleepy, or we’re comfortable where we are at and we don’t want to mess with that, but we all know that it’s not nothing.
It’s something. It may not be a thief, but it is something.
This morning I want to tell you that I’m afraid we don’t like to wrestle with the Problem of God because we are comfortable with where we are at, and we really don’t want to mess with where we are at, the way that we live, the things that we do, etc.
So we look at the big questions of life, we look at this spectacular world around us and we say, “yeah, it’s nothing.” If you’re here this morning, I’d bet that you have some desire, some curiosity about is this something? Is there something more? Is there someone there?
So I appreciate you taking the time to join us this morning, I’m thankful your listening in or watching online…
We’re calling this series The Problem of God because it’s inspired by a book of the same title written by Mark Clark.
Mark Clark grew up in an atheist home.
His father was so anti-christianity that when Mark’s older brother was born and their mother wanted to name him Matthew, their father insisted they spell it with only one “T” to make it clear that he wasn’t named after the book in the Bible. When their second son was born he apparently didn’t know about the next book in the New Testament because he did not protest the name Mark at all.
Mark’s parents divorced when he was 9 and a short time after that he developed serious OCD and Tourette’s syndrome.
He would smack his face compulsively because ehe was convinced bad things might happen if he didn’t. As his Tourette’s developed, he would yell out every so often without thinking. Often he would yell the F word. When he got into high school his father died of lung cancer and he hand not told his family he was sick, so they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.
Mark says he stood at the funeral and wondered what this all meant, what life really was, and if his father was still out there.
He answered these questions by turning to drugs and then stealing from people to pay for his drugs.
Then something remarkable happened. A guy he knew in school who was a drug dealer suddenly was completely different and he told Mark it was because of Jesus. He challenged Mark to check it out for himself. So he did. He started reading up on science and philosophy and he came to the conclusion that there was not only a God, but that God had revealed Himself in the person of Jesus.
Now, this pothead who compulsively yelled the F word and smacked his face leads one of the fastest growing churches in British Columbia. He no longer yells the F word.
Mark says that one of the biggest break throughs for him was when he recognized that the debate in the public square has been rigged, or portrayed in a very particular way by media.
Now, I’m sure that everyone in here, whatever your political leaning might be can name a media source that to you is clearly leaning toward the political party, right?
Some of you would say, can you believe people watch that channel or listen to that guy, they are clearly biased. Meanwhile they’d say the same thing about the news that you watch.
I feel that way about the Faith vs Science debate that takes place in the public forum. Again and again it goes something like this…
Today speaking of this latest find at an archeological site we have Professor Smith who has 3 degrees from Cambridge, 7 from Oxford, and has written 19 books on the Pre-Cambria era.
We’ll also hear from Joe, a fundamentalist christian who was homeschooled and is best known for his appearance on the Television show “Swamp People.”
Seriously, some of the biggest publicity that Christian perspectives have received in the past decade were when the guy from Duck Dynasty gave us his thoughts on sexuality or when they asked the owner of Chickfila his views on marriage…
In a pretty shocking and telling admission, Harvard Biologist Richard Lewontin wrote in the New York Review of Books that he PREFERS a naturilistic explanation in everything he studies.
He’s biased! He says-
“have a prior commitment….to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes….We cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”
Because the debate has been portrayed in a very particular way, let me unravel four quick misconception that have been framed by this debate.
1.Science and God aren’t opposed.
In our court system cases are often referred to as Jones v Smith or the People of the State of Indiana v Green.
We look at that as versus, as in a head to head duel or competition. However, the “v” in Jones v Smith actually comes from Latin uses where it means “and” so the appropriate title of a case is not Jones versus Smith but rather it should be referred to as Jones and Smith.
Likewise, when people think of the case of God and Science or Faith and Science they view it as an opposition or a duel, when in reality there’s no battle between Faith and Reason or between Belief and Science. Instead, Reason can lead us to Faith and Belief can spur Science.
Where this get’s fuel is the idea that the church persecuted scientists and worked against them.
People will tell you, well the Catholic Church persecuted Copernicus, Galileo, and Giordano Bruno- they tortured them for their heliocentric view of the solar system.
Bruno was not executed for his heliocentric view, but rather because of his view on the trinity. I don’t think that was a good idea, but it wasn’t because he was a scientist.
Galiley was a practicing catholic and held audiences with the Pope and he later became critical of the Catholic Church so they became critical of him as well, but he wasn’t tortured for his views on the universe.
Oxford Professor McGrath said
The Ideas that science and religion are in perpetual conflict is no longer taken seriously by any major historian of science.
Nature just is — in all her complexity and
diversity, in all her sublime indifference to our desires. Therefore we cannot use nature for our moral instruction, or for answering any question within the magisterium of religion.”
-Stephen J Gould
Francis Collins who mapped the Human Genome was a doctor and researcher when it dawned upon in treating patients that he had not been scientific in his approach to many areas of his life, including his lack of belief in God. He determined to have an open mind and go where the science led him, where his research led him.
He said,
I have found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. God can be found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God's majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.
This leads me to my second misconception…
- Not all scientists are atheists
In addition to Francis Collins there are many reputable scientist making great advancements in research who believe in God.
Alan Rex Sandage, referred to as on of the greatest observational cosmologist of all time has said,
“It is my science that drove me to the conclusion that the world is more more complicated than can be explained by science.”
And these guys aren’t alone, this isn’t hey I’ve got 2 Diest scientists let me tell you about them…
In a 2009 poll done by the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that 51% of scientist believe in some form of deity or higher power.
The number is actually a little higher if you just zero in on the hard sciences, as in physics, cosmology.
However, belief in God is on the rise in the soft sciences. In fact a few years ago Quentin Smith wrote about how upset he was that so many philosophy departments had Christians in them.
He warned his colleagues that philosophy is being de-secularized.
He said,
“In Philosophy, it became, almost overnight ‘academically respectable’ to argue for theism.”
By the way, this is large part due to Alvin Platinga who is considered by many people to be the greatest living philosopher and calls himself a Christian.
- Christianity is not anti-intellectual
Earlier we read Psalm 24 which speaks of nature, then it tells us a couple times, “Selah.”
Literally, stop a moment and think on this. Consider it.
Scripture is full of calls to think! To meditate, to consider.
Christianity does not push us away from thought, it pushes us toward it.
Many great discoveries and advancements have been spurred by faith.
The university was a 12th Century Christian invention.
Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and several other presitigous institutions were all started as Christian institutions.
Many other cultures lacked a framework to develop significant technological and scientific advancements because they did not have a philosophical framework that led to expirement.
Why is it storming? The God’s are angry. We must just try to appease them, then it will stop!
Why is there this hurricane? Poseidon is Angry!
But when you have a belief system that says the world is ordered and has laws and principles, then you can go about looking for them and understanding them.
A Christian worldview promotes curiosity, observation, scientific research, and technological advancement.
Kenneth Richard Samples cites 10 variables which Christianity brings to culture that leads toward scientific experimentation and research.
- The universe is a distinct, objective reality.
- The laws of nature exhibit order and pattern.
- The laws of nature are uniform throughout.
- The physical universe is intelligible.
- The world is good, valuable, and worthy of care and study.
- Because the world is not divine, it is not an object for worship but of study.
- Human beings have been given intelligence to study the world.
- The free agency of a designer or greater means the empirical method a necessity.
- God encourages and propels science through his command to subdue nature.
- The intellectual virtues necessary for carrying out the scientific enterprise are part of God’s moral law.
Okay, so we’ve unraveled those 3 misconceptions,
God and Science aren’t opposed.
Not all scientists are Atheists.
Christianity is not anit-intellectual.
I want to quickly point to two scientific principles that point to Theism or belief in God.
The first is a weakness built into evolutionary thought.
Naturalism’s Flaw.
Charles Darwin revolutionized science with his book, Origin of the Species (not the full title, btw)
In this idea he tells us that everything is filtered through survival of the fittest. Natural Selection. The strongest survive and thrive, the weak die. So those with the best traits carry on and reproduce and those with weaker traits don’t reproduce or not to the same degree…
So everything about me is the result of generation after generation of my ancestors trying to survive.
So Naturalism, this idea revolves around 4 Fs.
Feeding, Fleeing, Fighting, and Fornicating.
Eating, getting away from danger, overcoming enemies or predators, and procreating, carrying on my genes to another generation….
So truth takes a back seat to survival, it doesn’t matter if it’s true, it matters if it helps me survive.
Therefore, they say that religious thought is an aberration, merely a coping mechanism that we created to survive harshness of life.
Atheists use that as a reason to not believe in God, that religion is just a coping mechanism or a crutch.
Naturalism’s Flaw
If you can’t trust your rational faculties to understand the truth about God, you can not trust your mental faculties to tell you the truth about evolution or even science.
“…because there’s no telling whether unguided evolution would fashion our cognitive faculties to produce mostly true beliefs, atheists who believe the standard evolutionary story must reserve judgment about whether any of their beliefs produced by these faculties are true. This includes the belief in the evolutionary story. Believing in unguided evolution comes built in with its very own reason not to believe it.”
-Mitch Stokes
PHD
Evolution saws off the branch it’s sitting on…
Guess who wondered about this too….
Charles Darwin…
“But then with me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man's mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?”
The Atheist’s Big Bang Problem
Many years ago, scientist who took issue with Theologians would say, there is no reason to believe in God. The universe has alway been and it alway will be. This reality that we are living in, it has always been here, there is no reason to try to deduce what caused it all to be because it has always been.
1800 Skeptic David Hume even said, I would never assert such an absurd position that things that are suddenly just came to be, that anything might arise without a cause…
Then just about hundred years ago in 1929 Edwin Hubble looked into his 100 inch telescope in California and started working on some calculations….
He was that the galaxies were rapidly moving away from one another, and based upon his calculations, he came up with a formal or two fast the universe was expanding….
He realized that space was getting bigger.
The galaxies weren’t moving, but they weren’t getting farther from one another because space itself was expanding like a balloon getting bigger….
Balloon illustration
So he ran his formula in reverse and could see that there was a time that it wasn’t all there, and then through further study concluded that something explosive had flung the galaxies…
Now all cosmology confirms that all the galaxies, stars, planets, energy, and matter had a common point of origin.
The Big Bang was not a challenge to Theists, but rather it was a challenge of Atheists because now they had to hold the position that all of this came from nothing.
Nothing x Nobody = Everything
Not only do you have to consider that everything didn’t come from nothing, you have to consider the precision at which everything came from something…
Stephen Hawking has concluded:
“If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in 100 thousand million millionths, the universe would have re-collapsed, before it ever reached it’s present size, into a hot fireball. The odds agains a universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think there are religious implications.”
In the beginning God said, let there be light.
After we moved into our house there were new sounds to get used to… One of them was the water softener. We hadn’t had a water softener before, so when it recharged in the middle of the night, it sounded like to me that a water pipe had burst. I sprang out of bed and ran toward the noise.
I hope that wherever you’re at, that what I’ve shared with you this morning will help you spring out of bed to see what all this is, because it’s not nothing, it’s really something, and I think it all points to someone….
Find the notes for this message here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/pagan-believers-religious-doubters/
Find video and full sermon notes for this message here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/jonah/jonah-worst-prophet-ever/
Find this message in video, video of Jim's song, and the Celebration of Life Service of Matt McComas here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/break-free/break-the-chains/
Find the rest of these messages and learn more about our upcoming Break the Chains event with Jim McComas here: www.FaithInChandler.com/Break-Free
Galatians 2 tells us of a situation in which Paul is confronting Peter about his capitulation to racism. Peter would not eat around gentiles when the "racially superior" Jews were around. Paul says the Gospel is greater, and there is no room for racism in the church. The Gospel is far an away more important than anything else.
Find full message notes and the sermon video here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/where-do-we-begin/
Find video and notes for this message here:
http://www.faithinchandler.com/stained-blood-divine/
- 4/16/17 Thanks for listening to our podcast! Learn more about Faith Free Will Baptist Church at http://www.faithinchandler.com
Find the Video and Transcript for this message at:
http://www.faithinchandler.com/a-wondrous-attraction-for-me/
Find video, audio, and notes for this message here:
http://www.faithinchandler.com/old-rugged-cross/
Find this message in video and text from:
http://www.faithinchandler.com/god-calls-us-use-relationships-blessing-others/
Find this message in video and text from:
http://www.faithinchandler.com/the-purpose-of-relationships/
Find this message in video and text from at http://www.faithinchandler.com/second-worst-enemy-relationships/
Find video, audio, and notes for this message here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/number-one-enemy-relationships/
http://www.faithinchandler.com/vision-sunday-2016/
In AD 30 there was a small group of people gathering in a room, terrified that the all-powerful Romans and zealous Jewish religious leaders would attempt to arrest and kill them all…
Those fears would eventually come true because most of them were arrested. Many of them were killed. However, their group was resilient and whenever one of them was stricken down, two more would rise up in his or her place.
They never fought back. They never resisted through violence.
They often fled danger, but they also often walked into the most dangerous of situations in broad daylight announcing on street corners in busy marketplaces that they were there…
This small group was the early church and from AD 30 on their message spread throughout all of the world and their group grew and grew and grew and grew.
Meanwhile, the Jews were conquered, their mighty temple was burned. Because it was overlaid with so much gold, as it burned the gold melted down in between the blocks and bricks of the building, so later every block would be separated to harvest out this gold that had melted down in between the blocks.
The mighty Roman empire would collapse and fall. This powerful nation which had over taken the world would not outlast the little group of people, meeting together in a room to pray.
You see, Jesus said that the church was His church and that not even the gates of hell would prevail against it. The Church that Jesus established is resilient. It lasts from generation to generation.
It his handed off to new leaders and new servants constantly and spreads quickly so military threat, natural disaster, global plague, governmental interference, and religious persecution have not threatened the church’s existence, or even it’s growth.
In fact, when we look back in church history, we see that the times that culture was most adverse toward the church are the times that it grew the most!
You know where the church grew the fastest in the last 30 years?
Communist China.
You know where the church is currently growing at the fastest rate? The Middle East!
You see the church is like a forest.
A wind storm might blow down a large tree, but it doesn’t blow down the forest and scientists have found in large forests that when a large tree is blown down that the sunlight that now pours onto the forest floor, the fallen tree decays and makes the ground around it fertile and in the place of the fallen tree an incredible amount of bio diversity springs up in it’s place.
When walking through a forest, a place or area that is most teaming with life and a diversity of plants is most likely a place that a large tree fell.
When a forest fire rages and cuts deep gouges into a forest, the forest immediately begins to rebuild.
Did you know that what makes a pine cone open up and release it’s seeds is heat?
So when a forest fire rages through,
it plants the seed of the next forest.
When church leaders are killed and imprisoned, their followers are not intimidated into silence, but rather they are inspired to rise up!
Now where there was one leader, there is now a host of leaders!
That’s exactly what happened to the early church…
Think about the logistics of the early church.
Thousands have been gathering to hear this inspiring, powerful, miracle working man named Jesus.
The Jews and Romans take Jesus, ridicule Him, publicly beat Him, and then execute Him in front of crowds of people during the passover which is when Jerusalem is the most full of people…
Jesus raises from the dead, appears to approximately 500 people over the course of 40 days, lays out a plan for this world changing organization called the church, and then He leaves!
What happened next was that instead of 1 inspiring leader, there were dozens. Instead of crowds gathering wherever Jesus was teaching, crowds started gathering wherever teachers were talking about Jesus.
The departure of Christ gave rise to a new wave of leaders. His ascension after the resurrection wasn’t the final act, it’s the opening scene.
Let me point this out to you in several verses in Acts 1 and 2.
1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
This “You” is plural. If Jesus was in the south He would have said “ya’ll will receive power” If He were in the American north, He would have said “you guys will receive power.”
He was speaking to the entire group.
Then He said that they would be witnesses in all of these places, all over the face of the earth.
We’ve come along way with technology and even to this day we haven’t figured out how to be in more than one place at a time.
However, they were going to be spreading Jesus message in all of these places. They were going to have to do this together- they would have to set out in different directions.
But Jesus had told them to return to Jerusalem and wait.
So they return to Jerusalem.
13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode (names the 11 disciples)
14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15….(the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
With the disciples and the women and even Jesus’ mom there was a gathering of 120 people.
There were thousands that listened to Jesus preach.
There were thousands who were fed from a little boys lunch.
But the core group was this band of 120 people.
Those people who had heard Jesus’ messages, and been miraculously fed, and seen Jesus heal people, they probably be a huge part would be in the group that join the church in this first wave of growth, but in that moment they weren’t in the room. They weren’t in the core group.
They were just out there somewhere, familiar with Jesus, filled with a mixture of questions and doubt and faith…
They would be a part of the movement soon, but it would start with this core group of 120 people in the room praying that God would do something huge.
2:1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Peter preached the opening message of the church, but he was not the only one. He was one of twelve that were teaching from up front that day.
And the others that were part of the 120 were also a part of this movement of the Holy Spirit because they were all filled and they all spoke in tongues so that people of all nations in Jerusalem for the feast of booths could hear in their native tongue and understand the message of the gospel…
But I also want you to notice what Peter preached, or rather the text that he spoke of when he preached.
17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
God’s Spirit did not merely pour out upon the disciples.
God’s Spirit did not merely pour out upon the men.
God’s Spirit didn’t not merely pour our upon the seasoned veterans.
Young and Old. Male and Female. - All flesh.
41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Think about the logistics of baptizing 3,000 people in a day.
If just the disciples had been baptizing people, they would have each baptized 250 people.
If the disciples had an assembly line set up, with 12 equally long lines, this would have taken forever.
My speculation is that this was not something that just the disciples did, but the core group did and that those who were among the first baptized were then added to the group of those baptizing others…
What we have here is the entire group of 120 sharing the gospel, praying with people, initiating relationships that would change people’s lives…
Jesus was the central figure and Peter was the individual spokes person, but this entire group of 120 was neck deep in people serving, ministering, helping, praying, sharing, and changing lives.
Our vision for 2017 is to develop the new core group.
Let me tell you why.
Over the past 8 years our church has more than doubled in size.
Show Graph.
If we continue on the current track we are on,
we will have tripled in size in 10 years.
In 2008 we averaged just above 40 people in Sunday morning worship services. There was a particular Sunday morning that stands out in my mind in which there was only one family sitting on the left (my right) side of the sanctuary, and everyone else was sitting on this side, and the right (my left) side wasn’t really packed.
We’ve made many accommodations for growth through the years.
Whenever we’ve run up against barrier to our growth, we’ve broken it down. Through the years
we’ve added parking spaces,
added a toddler church,
setup an overflow room,
moved children’s church to a larger room,
moved the nursery to a bigger space,
added a second service on Easter, d
oubled our number of VBS volunteers,
and now we’ve built a foyer.
But I’d say that the next barrier may be the hardest we’ve faced yet. The barrier that we next face is a shortage of leaders, volunteers, and teachers.
(Back to “Our vision for 2017 is to…” slide)
Last year on Vision Sunday and again on Anniversary Sunday I shared that it is our dream that every child in our community would know of God’s love and grace and that addiction would no longer be an ever present reality but a painful memory.
That’s our dream and it’s a big, audacious dream.
This past year we chased after that dream and we strategically made a few changes, for example.
We had dino-night and we intentionally scheduled it in between Easter and VBS to hopefully bridge the gap between those two major events and hopefully increase the amount of outsiders that participate in VBS. VBS attendance jumped over 15% this year with more new families involved than ever before and even better yet was that VBS Sunday was the largest Sunday attendance we had except for Easter of 2016.
VBS Sunday of 2016 matched the attendance of Easter Sunday in 2015!
In 2016 we made that strategic move and it dramatically moved us toward that dream of sharing the love and grace of Jesus with all of the children of our community.
In 2015 we made the strategic decision of having 2 services on Easter because we were going over capacity in past Easters and we would have gobs of guests with us that day, but we’d struggle to connect with any of them, they were parking in the grass, sitting in the overflow or in a chair in the aisle…
Making that change in 2015 not only led to the largest gathering we had up to that point, our regular attendance jumped because we retained more of those guests than we ever had before.
As you can see 2015 was best year for growth that we had experienced since 2012.
The strategy decision for this upcoming year is based on the fact that we need more leaders, team members, teachers, and mentors.
Our vision is develop the new core group, so our strategy will be to emphasize discipleship, implement teams, and enlist volunteers.
Our Vision for 2017 is to develop the New Core Group.
Our Strategy for 2017 is to emphasize discipleship, implement teams, and enlist volunteers.
This passage here in Acts 2 where the church gains 3,000 people in one day is incredibly exciting.
We read here that the people are gathering for worship, sharing meals together, being generous to one another, it’s a beautiful thing. Plus, they kept growing.
Look at verse 47
“praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
More and more people came to be a part of this group and the city was changed because of it, in fact verse 47 says that they had favor with all the people because of the wonderful things they were doing in the city…
but it wasn’t long until there was trouble.
One of the efforts that the church undertaken was caring for widows- they had seen a need and decided to meet it, but before long the church had grown to the point that the disciples were have to say, if we are going to keep doing all of this ministry stuff, we’re going to have to cut back on the amount of time we spend studying the word and praying so that we are ready to teach everyone…
So they elected more, new leaders in Acts 6:1-6 and then immediately verse 7 says,
7And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
They brought more people onto the team and the immediate effect was a multiplication of the disciples in Jerusalem, the presence of the Word of God increased, AND…. AND even several priests became believers…
Did you notice that word in verse 7?
and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem.
When I was a kid, I memorized my multiplication tables. My mom had bought flash cards and we would work through them, she helped me learn those multiplication tables.
Once we had learned all the multiplication tables in our 3rd grade class, our teacher started playing “Around the World.” Are you familiar with it? You would stand next to the desk of a classmate and the teacher would show a flashcard and whoever answered first won and moved to the next desk. If you won again you kept moving. The game was over when a student made their way all the way through the entire classroom back to their own desk.
When they had “made it around the world” they won.
For a lot of the kids, moving from addition and subtraction to multiplication was really hard, but I loved it. I loved attempting to go around the world.
The Church moved from addition to multiplication when they brought new leaders into the core group.
When they did they set themselves up to go around the world with the message of the gospel.
Now when it came time to enlist these new leaders, the disciples didn’t get out a catalog or run down to the hardware store.
They didn’t get a quote from a contractor. They looked into the group of people that was gathering together to worship Jesus and called them to join the team, and in that moment no one expected the people who were enlisted to have years of experience serving in the church because no one did, it had only been around for a few weeks.
There was another reason that the disciples were comfortable with electing someone with no experience and a complete lack of what we would later determine to be ministry qualifications…
That’s exactly how they felt too.
In Acts 2 Peter stands up with the other disciples and preaches this incredible message which God uses to save 3,000 people.
To completely appreciate that moment, you need to read the gospels and get a full sense of Peter’s relationship with Jesus- to fully appreciate that moment you need to watch all of the time Peter puts his foot in his mouth, fails miserably after bragging, and weeps over his own deficiencies…
We don’t have time to cover all of that this morning, so I want to point you back to the very first meeting of Peter and Jesus.
It’s in John 1:42 - we’ll put it on the screen
42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Cephas is Aramaic, Petros is the greek version of Cephas, they both mean rock.
The very first time Jesus meets Peter He gives Peter the name we know him by. He changes his name from Simon to Peter.
He says, I’m going to call you rock.
Now Peter demonstrates anything but rock-steadiness over the next 3 years, but Jesus calls him rock anyway.
Jesus was calling Peter what he would be.
He says to him, you shall be called Rock.
You will be called Rock.
There’s authority here, but also it’s a prophecy.
Peter, you’re flaky right now, but you’re going to be called rock.
God is calling us to something we’re not ready for yet.
God’s calling you to be something you’re not ready for yet.
But just at is was Christ’s work in Peter’s life that made him the Rock Jesus had been calling him, Jesus wishes to work in you- to make you what He’s been calling you.
The first time I preached I was 17 year old kid who hated to do an oral book report. I loved cutting up and making jokes in a group of friends, but standing up in front of people i didn’t know that well terrified me.
My first sermon was at a nursing home that our youth group would go visit and sing to… Most of the people were sweet but some of them weren’t as much as the others.
When I was delivering my message a guy on the front row who couldn’t hear said loudly to the person next to him, and I’m sure he thought he was whispering but everyone int he room could hear him, he said
“You think he’s almost done?!”
Find the video and notes from this message here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rise-celebrate-jesus/
Find the notes and video for this message here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/rise-together-church/