South Fellowship Church: Recent Episodes
South Fellowship Church
This is the sermon audio from South Fellowship Church located in Littleton, Colorado. We are an evangelical church and we talk a lot about Jesus and the implications of his life and teachings.
Listen to our sister podcast, "Heart of Jesus" here: http://bit.ly/sfheartofjesus
This week, Pastor Aaron invites us to consider the gift and challenge of community in our walk with Jesus. In a world that often celebrates independence and self-reliance, Scripture calls us to something different—a way of living that’s deeply connected to others. Through biblical teaching and real-life examples, Aaron reminds us that we were never meant to follow Jesus alone. True freedom, healing, and transformation happen when we’re rooted in a supportive, honest, and Spirit-led community. We each have a role to play in the Body of Christ, and we thrive when we live out our faith together.
Join Pastor Alex as we reflect on the story of Pentecost in Acts 2—a moment when the Holy Spirit met Jesus’ followers in their uncertainty and filled them with boldness and purpose. This message invites us to consider how the Spirit is still at work today, moving us from outward religion to inward transformation. Whether you're exploring faith or have been walking with Jesus for years, we hope this teaching encourages you to live more fully in step with the Spirit.
In this sermon, Pastor Aaron explores the concept of the heavenly city depicted in Revelation 21 and 22. He emphasizes the attributes of this divine city, highlighting its absence of chaos, presence of God, complete safety, lack of evil, and abundant provision. Drawing practical lessons for the present, he encourages believers to build communities that reflect these heavenly qualities by opening their hearts, trusting in God's provision, and enjoying His presence. The sermon concludes with a call to worship God, who is the ultimate source of all that is good and beautiful.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Alex discusses the struggle between comfort and discomfort within our faith journeys, relating it to biblical stories and personal anecdotes. He is joined by Steve, our retiring executive pastor, who reflects on his 40-year ministry, emphasizing faithfulness over success and the unexpected ways God prepares us for His plans.
In this week’s message, Pastor Alex invites us into the raw and honest space of grief and loss through the lens of Lamentations. As we reflect on the sorrow of a broken Jerusalem, we’re also invited to name the pain in our own stories. With compassion and insight, Alex reminds us that even in seasons of deep hurt, we are not without hope. God’s faithfulness hasn’t run out—His mercy meets us in the middle of our lament. Join us as we hold space for grief and discover the quiet strength that comes from trusting a God who never lets go.
In this sermon, Pastor Alex explores the deep desires that shape our lives—both the ones within us and the ones we absorb from the world around us. Looking at the story of the Tower of Babel, he invites us to consider how easily our ambitions can lead us away from God’s design for community, humility, and trust. From Genesis to Philippians, we’re reminded that the way of Jesus isn’t about climbing higher, but about laying down our lives in love. In a world chasing success and self-made stories, this message calls us to root ourselves in something deeper—God’s transforming grace and the way of the cross.
In this message, Pastor Alex explores the deeply human experience of fear—how it shapes our choices, builds walls around our lives, and tempts us to trust ourselves more than God. Drawing from the story of Cain and Jesus’ words in Matthew 6, we’re invited to consider a counter-cultural way of living: one marked not by self-protection but by trust, gratitude, and surrender. What if the life God offers is less about safety and more about freedom?
In this message, Pastor Alex explores the story of Adam and Eve to help us understand the roots of shame in our lives. Through honest stories and deep spiritual insight, he shows how shame shapes our relationships and invites us to step out of hiding. Rooted in God's love and grace, this sermon calls us to experience healing, freedom, and deeper connection with God and each other.
In this Easter message, Pastor Alex explores the life-changing hope of Jesus’ resurrection. Through personal stories and the Gospel narrative, he reminds us that resurrection isn’t just a past event—it’s a present reality. Even in the midst of pain, loss, or uncertainty, Jesus brings new life. This sermon invites us to receive the renewal only He can offer and to live as people of resurrection hope.
In this Palm Sunday sermon, Pastor Alex takes us on a reflective journey through the significance of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, examining the challenging choices and deep spiritual lessons that emerge from this biblical event. The sermon connects these ancient stories to our modern lives, encouraging listeners to contemplate how Jesus' path and choices can inspire and guide their own decisions. Through historical anecdotes and personal reflections, Pastor Alex invites the congregation to trust in God's goodness and direction, even when faced with difficult decisions and uncertain paths. Join us for a thought-provoking and spiritually enriching exploration of faith, trust, and the journey of following Jesus.
In this sermon, Alex delves into the notion of empires and their perennial rise and fall through history, centering on the symbolism of Babylon as described in the Book of Revelation. He reflects on how these empires often elevate material abundance, military prowess, and technological sophistication over spiritual integrity. By examining the fall of Babylon and drawing connections to modern forms of idolatry and empire, Alex challenges listeners to resist the allure of earthly power and to faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus. The sermon culminates in a call to communion, emphasizing the importance of remembering and reaffirming our commitment to Christ's kingdom.
In this episode, Pastor Alex dives into the challenging themes of the Book of Revelation, exploring its significance for the Lent season. He discusses the importance of prayer, the concept of bright sadness, and the fear-inducing passages of Revelation 13. Pastor Alex also reflects on personal encounters with temptation and faith, drawing parallels to the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He reassures listeners that in times of fear and uncertainty, Jesus is always present. Join us for an enlightening discussion that encourages steadfast faithfulness in the face of every trial.
In this sermon, we delve into the complex and often unsettling imagery of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the book of Revelation. Through examining each horseman—representing false saviors, war, famine, and death—we explore the themes of justice, suffering, and the persistence of evil in the world. The sermon aims to help followers of Jesus understand these figures as embodiments of spiritual and systemic evils and to encourage trust in God's ultimate wisdom and justice, even when it remains hidden. The message underscores the belief that despite the trials faced in this world, God's overarching plan is for ultimate good and redemption.
In this compelling sermon, Aaron Bjorklund explores Revelation 12, unfolding the vivid imagery of the woman, the dragon, and the cosmic battle portrayed in the scripture. By delving into the ancient concept of dragons and their symbolic significance, Aaron invites us to reflect on how these chaos-bringers are still present in our lives today. He challenges us to pursue the way of Jesus, becoming agents of the Lamb instead of agents of the dragon. This message is a powerful call to self-examination and commitment to living out the teachings of Jesus, regardless of the personal and societal dragons we face.
In this sermon, Peter Persson reflects on the intricate weave of God's grand narrative that spans from Abraham to Revelation. Emphasizing God's unwavering faithfulness amidst human frailty, the sermon explores key biblical events and figures to reveal how our stories are interwoven into His divine plan. Join us and discover profound insights on God's sovereignty, His promises, and what it means to be part of His grand story.
Join Pastor Alex as he delves into the ancient practice of fasting and its place in modern Christian life. In this sermon, discover the balance between fasting and feasting, and how these practices can deepen your spiritual journey. Whether you're new to the concept or revisiting it, this message invites you to explore the richness of spiritual discipline and community.
In this heartfelt sermon, Pastor Alex tackles the profound and often neglected practice of Sabbath. Drawing from personal experiences and Scripture, he highlights the importance of rest in our lives as a critical antidote to the relentless busyness and production demanded by today's society. Whether you constantly find yourself in a state of "dangerously tired" or you are seeking a rhythm that rejuvenates your soul, this message invites you to consider the transformative power of a day devoted entirely to stopping, resting, worshiping, and delighting. Tune in and rediscover the gift of Sabbath.
In this sermon, Sean dives deep into the Parable of the Good Samaritan, drawing connections to contemporary life and the practice of hospitality. He reflects on spiritual formation and the importance of loving our neighbors without limits and challenges us to create spaces where transformation can occur. Join us as we explore how to embody Christ's love in a divided world and answer the call to be good neighbors.
In this sermon, Pastor Aaron Bjorklund explores the profound impact of generosity on our spiritual and communal lives. Drawing from personal experiences and 2 Corinthians 9, he illustrates how joyful and trusting generosity reflects God's abundant provision. Aaron encourages listeners to reassess their relationship with money, emphasizing that true generosity leads to kingdom abundance, heals wounds of shame, and strengthens faith. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on the transformative power of giving.
Discover the power of spiritual practices and how gratitude can be a profound antidote to life's challenges. Whether you’re in a season of joy or struggle, learn how practicing thankfulness can transform your journey with God. Tune in for insightful reflections on living a life grounded in gratitude. To access the devotionals, worship setlist & Red Couch Theology episode that accompany this sermon, visit our Sermons page: https://southfellowship.org/sermons/
The sermon emphasizes the spiritual importance and transformative power of solitude and silence in connecting with God, as exemplified by Jesus and illustrated through the story of Elijah.
The sermon emphasizes the importance of prayer as a foundational spiritual practice for Christians, encouraging intentional, scripture-guided, and heart-transformation-focused prayer to foster a closer relationship with God and align one's life with the teachings and example of Jesus.
The sermon emphasizes that true service to others in the way of Jesus flows from a deep, personal relationship with and understanding of Him, illustrated through mountaintop experiences that empower and motivate acts of loving service.
The sermon emphasizes the importance of walking with Jesus in our daily lives, embracing spiritual disciplines, and practicing the "unforced rhythms of grace," while considering our personal life circumstances and the teachings of the scriptures.
This sermon encourages listeners to trust in God in times of anxiety, highlighting that true peace comes from relying on His wisdom and care rather than on oneself.
The sermon invites listeners to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas by focusing on the journey of the Magi, the significance of Jesus' humble birth, and how recognizing Christ as King can bring transformative spiritual insight and purpose into their lives.
This sermon reflects on the meaning of Advent as a time of waiting, reflection, and recognizing the eternal presence and promises of Jesus, who is the Alpha and Omega, the light in the darkness who holds all things together.
The sermon discusses the significance of Advent, exploring the dual nature of Jesus as both the Son of Man and the Son of God, emphasizing his impending return and victory over death, and inviting the congregation to reflect on and deepen their relationship with Jesus during the Advent season.
This sermon addresses the intricate balance and profound nature of God's justice, love, and mercy, examining how Jesus, as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God, embodies the perfect judge who can rightfully deliver justice and redemption to a world rife with injustice and oppression.
This sermon emphasizes the Advent season as a time to reflect on the grand narrative of redemption through Jesus Christ. It frames the story from Genesis to Revelation and focuses on how God's love and sacrifice transform and anchor our lives.
This sermon discusses the importance of generosity in the Christian faith, emphasizing that our willingness to be generous is deeply connected to our belief in the goodness and provision of God as our Father.
The sermon emphasizes the importance of radical generosity and spiritual maturity, encouraging believers to align their mission with God's, practice sacrificial giving, and actively support their communities and missions worldwide.
The sermon, addressing our congregation on Baptism Sunday, discusses the topics of generosity, contentment, and managing life's resources, while emphasizing the importance of following Jesus' teachings on money and living a balanced, purposeful life.
This sermon emphasizes the supremacy and constancy of God's throne and how, in the face of earthly challenges and distractions, believers are called to redirect their focus and trust toward the eternal and sovereign God.
This sermon draws parallels between a modern crypto scam and the spiritual complacency of the church in Laodicea, urging believers to repent, release their attachment to wealth, listen to Jesus' voice, and re-invite Him into their daily lives to experience true spiritual vitality.
This sermon emphasizes the enduring faith and perseverance of the Church of Philadelphia amidst persecution. It highlights God's promise of His presence, protection, and ultimate vindication and encourages the audience to remain faithful despite trials and trust in God's complex plan for order in the world.
The sermon discusses the importance of waking up spiritually and staying faithful to Jesus in a complex and divided world, especially in the face of distractions and addictions like technology.
This sermon explores the challenges of remaining faithful to Jesus amidst societal pressures and temptations. It focuses on the message to the Church of Thyatira in the Book of Revelation and emphasizes the centrality of Jesus in the Christian faith.
The sermon emphasizes the dangers of sin and idolatry, urging the congregation to repent and fully commit to Jesus as the sole source of true life and guidance while recognizing that even small steps away from God lead to spiritual death.
This sermon discusses the significance of the letter to the church in Smyrna from Revelation, emphasizing the Christians' faithfulness and suffering amidst political pressures, their refusal to worship the Roman emperor, and the hope and victory promised by Jesus Christ.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of maintaining a fervent love for Jesus and remaining missionally oriented, focusing on how the early church in Ephesus lost its initial passion.
The sermon discusses the complexity and significance of the book of Revelation, emphasizing Jesus' revelation as Lord of all creation and His comforting presence with believers, particularly in times of persecution and difficulty.
This sermon is about the importance of community, sacrifice, and redemption, illustrated through the biblical stories of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi. It also connects these themes to Christian life and the sacrifice of Jesus.
This sermon discusses the importance of unity, community, and outreach, using biblical references and personal stories to emphasize the church's mission and the transformative power of engaging in church activities while also showcasing positive impacts within their community.
Alex's sermon focuses on the importance of community, the unity of believers, and staying true to God's ways despite the temptation to create and worship idols. It draws lessons from the story of Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
This sermon discusses the importance of unity in community through analyzing biblical teachings, personal stories, and reflections on societal challenges, emphasizing the need for love, understanding, and collaboration despite differences.
This sermon emphasizes God's unyielding and compassionate love, who continually pursues and embraces us despite our flaws and rejections, much like the father in the story of the prodigal son.
In this sermon, Pastor Aaron Bjorklund explores the parable of the prodigal son, addressing both the younger and elder brothers' perspectives on grace, emphasizing that true grace is found through a relationship with the Father, not through efforts to earn it.
The sermon discusses the transformative power of parables, focusing on the story of the prodigal son to illustrate the themes of repentance, forgiveness, and the Father's unconditional love.
This sermon discusses Jesus’ authority, emphasizing His calming presence in life’s storms and His call for followers to trust in His enduring control and share His love with others.
This sermon highlights the importance of building one's life on the solid foundation of Jesus' teachings, emphasizing practical obedience and the transformative journey of sanctification.
This sermon discusses the challenges and significance of following Jesus' teachings and living a life of genuine Christian character, using metaphors from the Sermon on the Mount to illustrate the narrow path leading to life.
This sermon discusses the principles of asking, seeking, and knocking as taught in Matthew 7:7-12, emphasizing prayer, human interaction, and reliance on God's goodness rather than self-sufficiency or perceived personal worthiness.
This sermon, based on Jesus' teachings, focuses on avoiding judgment and hypercriticism, encouraging self-reflection and curiosity in our interactions with others.
In this sermon, Rob Karch reflects on the concept of the Kingdom of Heaven as illustrated in the Sermon on the Mount, sharing personal and biblical insights about inclusion, transformation, and shifting allegiances from earthly identities to a unified, Christ-centered humanity.
This sermon discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian life, emphasizing the importance of community, prayer, service, and gathering together as believers.
This sermon explores the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives, emphasizing the importance of both sudden and gradual spiritual growth through personal participation and the historical significance of Pentecost in this process.
This sermon focuses on the transformative power of God’s spirit, emphasizing the shift from relying on human efforts to surrendering to God’s transformative work in individual lives.
This week's sermon reflects on doubt, transformation, and the presence of God in the face of uncertainty.
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Kevin Butcher
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Jessica Rust
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://redcouchtheology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Rob Karch
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Jessica Rust Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Kevin Butcher Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Andrea Jones
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Yvonne BielSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Pastor Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.New services stream every Sunday at 10:45am MT! Ministry Partners:North Littleton Promisehttps://www.northlittletonpromise.org/ Love in the Name of Christ (Love INC)https://loveinclittleton.org/ Cru City, IIRhttps://cru.org/communities/city/neighbors/iir GraceFull Foundationhttps://gracefullcafe.com/ South Fellowship Food Bankhttps://southfellowship.org/foodbank Connect with us:Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPzAbout Us: https://southfellowship.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowshipInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowshipTwitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online:https://southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving Ministry Partner SundaySpeaker: Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Alex WaltonSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Pastor Dan ElliottSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Ethan RenoeSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Jessica RustSouth Fellowship ChurchBased in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Red Couch Theology Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Yvonne Biel South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
It’s been 20 years since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the local church has spread like wildfire. The first church in Jerusalem has exploded into a multitude of Jesus-following communities in cities all around the Mediterranean. The first-century writer Paul wrote his first letter to a church in Corinth, and this letter came at a key point in time. Surrounded by other cultures, this church was called to stay faithful to Jesus’ teachings and help change the world around them. But this new community no longer lived as they once had, and Paul will call them back to the authentic way of Jesus. We invite you to study 1 Corinthians with us this fall as we learn what the countercultural way of Jesus looks like in practice.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Aaron Bjorklund South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Guys Drinking Tea Podcast: https://apple.co/3c8hYPz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Ethan Renoe South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Dr. Jeff Brodsky South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "Back to the Table" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
southfellowship.churchcenter.com/giving
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Back to the Table" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "Back to the Table" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "Riptide" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
South Fellowship exists to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Kevin Butcher South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "How Do You Really Feel?" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Ethan Renoe South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speakers: Pastor Alex Walton & Pastor Yvonne Biel South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "What To Say When You Pray" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church!
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "Advent: Expectation vs. Reality" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Advent: Expectation vs. Reality" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Steve Schroeder South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Advent: Expectation vs. Reality" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "Advent: Expectation vs. Reality" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship
You Have Something to Offer | The Book of Acts (Part 7) Text: Acts 6:1-11 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
Give Online ⬇️
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Ananias and Sapphira | The Book of Acts (Part 6) Text: Acts 5:1-11 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship
Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship
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Power and the way of Jesus | The Book of Acts (Part 5) Text: Acts 4:1-34 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
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Does the Spirit still heal? | The Book of Acts (Part 4) Text: Acts 3:1-26 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Unified in the Spirit | The Book of Acts (Part 3) Text: Acts 2:14-47 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What is Spirit? | The Book of Acts (Part 2) Text: Acts 2:1-13 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "Book of Acts" series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Listening to the Spirit | The Book of Acts (Part 1) Text: Acts 1:1- 26 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church!
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
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A Prayer for the Church Text: Ephesians 1:15-23 Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our "What If We..." series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What If We...(Part 5) Text: Matthew 28:16-20 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What If We..." series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What If We...(Part 4) Text: Galatians 4:18-19 Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What If We..." series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What If We...(Part 3) Text: Romans 12:9-16 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "What If We..." series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What If We...Loved Others Well? (Part 2) Text: Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 10:25-37 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our "What If We..." series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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What If We...Learned to Love God Well? (Part 1) Text: Matthew 22:36-40 Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 10)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 9)
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 8)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 7)
Speaker: Pastor Rob Karch
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 6)
Speaker: Pastor Steve Schroeder
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 5)
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 4)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our Build a Bigger Table series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Build a Bigger Table (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Who is Jesus and Why does He Matter? | Searched (Part 6)
Speaker: Pastor Billy Berglund
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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What is the Purpose of Life? | Searched (Part 5)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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What Happens When We Die? | Searched (Part 4)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Why does God care what I do with my body? | Searched (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Does God Hate Me? | Searched (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our Searched series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Why is there suffering if God is Good? | Searched (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Happy Easter! Welcome to South Fellowship Church.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Easter Sunday 2021 | South Fellowship Church
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Ruth – A Lenten Series (Part 6) | Ruth 4
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Ruth - A Lenten Series (Part 5) | Ruth 3
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Ruth - A Lenten Series (Part 4) | Ruth 2
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Ruth - A Lenten Series (Part 3) | Ruth 1:15-22
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Ruth - A Lenten Series (Part 2) | Ruth 1:6-14
Speaker: Pastor Aaron Bjorklund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our Ruth series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Ruth - A Lenten Series (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are concluding our Building Strong Friendships series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Jesus-Centered Friendships | Building Strong Friendships (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our Building Strong Friendships series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Jesus' Example of Making Friends | Building Strong Friendships (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our Building Strong Friendships series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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How to Make Friends | Building Strong Friendships (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church. Today we are concluding our Hindsight is 2020 series.
To access any of the links mentioned in today's gathering, click here: https://linktr.ee/southfellowship
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Dealing with Anxiety | Hindsight is 2020 (Part 4)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church. Today we are continuing in our Hindsight is 2020 series.
To access any of the links mentioned in today's gathering, click here: https://linktr.ee/southfellowship
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Invest in Personal Growth | Hindsight is 2020 (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church. Today we are continuing in our Hindsight is 2020 series.
To access any of the links mentioned in today's gathering, click here: https://linktr.ee/southfellowship
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship
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Invest in Community | Hindsight is 2020 (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church. Today we are launching our Hindsight is 2020 series.
To access any of the links mentioned in today's gathering, click here: https://linktr.ee/southfellowship
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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Practicing Gratitude | Hindsight is 2020 (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church!
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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2020 Living Room Liturgy
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Merry Christmas! Welcome to South Fellowship Church.
Watch the original Christmas Story video from St. Paul's Auckland here: https://youtu.be/kWq60oyrHVQ
Learn more about the Maxwell family and the work they're doing in Kenya: https://youtu.be/fz_WJsaovww
To access any of the links mentioned in today's gathering, click here: https://linktr.ee/southfellowship
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
About Us: https://southfellowship.org/
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2020 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week is our final week in our Advent Conspiracy series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Love All | Advent Conspiracy (Week 4)
Speaker: Pastor Billy Berglund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're continuing in our Advent Conspiracy series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Give More | Advent Conspiracy (Week 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're continuing in our Advent Conspiracy series.
Watch the full version of "Shredding the Girl and Balloon - The Director’s half cut" here: https://youtu.be/vxkwRNIZgdY
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Spend Well | Advent Conspiracy (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we launching into our Advent Conspiracy series.
Featured video: "Inaccessible Pinnacle: Danny Macaskill 'Making The Ridge'" https://youtu.be/uFD-jCFUNNk
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Worship Fully | Advent Conspiracy (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we continuing in our Directions series.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Outwards: How Do We Impact Our World? | Directions (Part 5)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we continuing in our Directions series and looking at Joshua 5:1-8.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Inwards: Do You Know Whose You Are? | Directions (Part 4)
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we continuing in our Directions series and looking at Joshua 3:1-17 and Matthew 14:22-33.
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Forwards: An Invitation to New Things | Directions (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we continuing in our Directions series and looking at Joshua 1:1-9.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Upwards - Experiencing God's Presence in our Hurt | Directions (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are launching our Directions series and looking at Deuteronomy 34:1-12 and Exodus 33:11-15
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Backwards - Recognizing Loss, Hurt & Pain | Directions (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're finishing our "Did You See That?" series and looking at John 4:1-26.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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God Creates a New Story for Us | Did You See That? (Part 5)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're continuing in our "Did You See That?" series and looking at John 3:1-19.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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What does it mean to be "Born again"? | Did You See That? (Part 4)
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're continuing in our "Did You See That?" series and looking at John 2:13-25.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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The Gospel is for Everyone | Did You See That? (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we're continuing in our "Did You See That?" series and looking at John 2:1-12.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Why did Jesus change Water to Wine? | Did You See That? (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Sometimes we miss things. Details come at us too fast, our focus was elsewhere or maybe we just weren’t paying attention. Most of us have had that experience of feeling like we blinked, something happened, and we’re left with a sense of “Did I really just see that?” Imagine how Jesus’ earliest followers felt when he appeared on the scene and began to recast all things around himself; as he said things nobody else dared say and did things nobody else could do!
This fall, we invite you to journey with us as a community though the first four chapters of John’s gospel (life of Jesus) as Jesus uses both the incredible and the ordinary to draw us near to him and experience him in new ways.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Jesus is Everything | Did You See That? (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Alex Walton
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Farewell Sermon | Pastor Larry Boatright
Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! We exist to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Adjusting our Sights Amidst the Storm | Stand Alone Sermon
Speaker: Pastor Yvonne Biel
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Under The Radar" series and studying Anna.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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The Gospel is for All People | Cornelius | Under The Radar (Part 7)
Speaker: Pastor Billy Berglund
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Under The Radar" series and studying Cornelius.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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The Gospel is for All People | Cornelius | Under The Radar (Part 7)
Speaker: Dr. Scott Wenig
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship The Moments that Make Us | Stand Alone Sermon Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to South Fellowship Church! This week we are continuing in our "Under The Radar" series and studying the man born blind.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Being Aware of Transformation | Man Born Blind | Under The Radar (Part 6)
Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott
South Fellowship Church
Based in Littleton, CO
Ordinary lives, ordinary people. They show up in small ways, some as prophets, some as widows, some as foreigners. Some of them respond to God, others stumble along the way, but all are a part of his Story. We invite you to spend the summer with these characters in our “Under the Radar” sermon series. Listen to their lives, learn from their stories, and meet the God who sees them all.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
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Ordinary lives, ordinary people. They show up in small ways, some as prophets, some as widows, some as foreigners. Some of them respond to God, others stumble along the way, but all are a part of his Story. We invite you to spend the summer with these characters in our “Under the Radar” sermon series. Listen to their lives, learn from their stories, and meet the God who sees them all.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Ordinary lives, ordinary people. They show up in small ways, some as prophets, some as widows, some as foreigners. Some of them respond to God, others stumble along the way, but all are a part of his Story. We invite you to spend the summer with these characters in our “Under the Radar” sermon series. Listen to their lives, learn from their stories, and meet the God who sees them all.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Ordinary lives, ordinary people. They show up in small ways, some as prophets, some as widows, some as foreigners. Some of them respond to God, others stumble along the way, but all are a part of his Story. We invite you to spend the summer with these characters in our “Under the Radar” sermon series. Listen to their lives, learn from their stories, and meet the God who sees them all.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Give Online ⬇️
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Ordinary lives, ordinary people. They show up in small ways, some as prophets, some as widows, some as foreigners. Some of them respond to God, others stumble along the way, but all are a part of his Story. We invite you to spend the summer with these characters in our “Under the Radar” sermon series. Listen to their lives, learn from their stories, and meet the God who sees them all.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
Connect with us ⬇️
Sermon Series: http://southfellowship.org/sermons
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Love Greater Than Religion | Not Like Me Series (Part 8) Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Love Greater Than Generations | Not Like Me Series (Part 7) Speaker: Pastor Josh Suddath South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Based in Littleton, CO
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Love Greater than Sexuality | Not Like Me Series (Part 5) Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Love Greater than Politics | Not Like Me Series (Part 4) Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Loving Your Neighbor Well | Not Like Me Series (Part 3) South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Based in Littleton, CO
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Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Wrestling with Jesus | 4.19.20 Speaker: Pastor Josh Suddath South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Easter Sunday Gathering - 4.12.20 Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
So good to see all of you here today. If you've been with us, you know we've been walking our way through the Gospel of Mark. Starting about the eighth chapter of Mark, Jesus begins to orient himself and his disciples toward Jerusalem, where he'll eventually end up, in what we call, Holy Week. Today we're looking at Mark 10. At the beginning of Mark 10, there's an encounter that Jesus has with the Pharisees over the issue of divorce. After that, a bunch of children come to Jesus and they want to sit with them and the disciples get all upset so he has to correct them. Let the little kids come to me, because that's what the kingdom of God is about---accepting Him as a little child does. Then once again, Jesus points himself toward Jerusalem. He's talking about his death and gets everyone freaked out. James and John come up to him, in a narrative after that, and they make this weird request that when Jesus comes into his kingdom, they want to sit on his right and on his left---they feel entitled. After that, there's this blind beggar, Bartimaeus, and he asks Jesus to heal him. Given all of that, what I decided to do today was focus our attention on a narrative right in the middle of that starting with Mark 10:17. That's what we'll look at today. Jesus has an encounter with a young man that I think, Lord willing, speaks to all of us. So before we look at that, let me lead us in prayer and then we'll walk our way through this story...
It is well with my soul. Sometimes when I'm singing this song, I want to take that truth and I want to push it, infuse it, into the inward parts of my soul. Sometimes I also look around and I know those people that are singing it from the overflow of their heart. You know those people. The ones who are sitting in the midst of their storm. Maybe they've been diagnosed with cancer and in the midst of treatment, they're able to have a beautiful smile on their face and say, "It is well with my soul." I have some friends who lost a child---a stillborn birth. They never got to meet their child. And yet, on their blog and social media posts they said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
Right now, I'm following my sister's updates on my dad. Currently he has something in his foot that needs to be removed. Over the last couple of years, he's been having eye issues---there's an amoeba that got stuck in his eye. Over this last week it started to act up and he's in extreme pain in both his eyes. He's been getting medical help and is sometimes there at midnight. On his way home, they went to get his car from valet parking and they lost his keys. Midnight turns to two in the morning and the hospital decides to send them home via Uber. My sister says that in the middle of the Uber ride home, my dad is telling the driver about Jesus! In the midst of his pain, he's still able to say, "It is well with my soul." What's the secret? How do we get to the place where we are able to have that phrase overflow from our soul?...
Ladies, I have something I need to tell those of you who are currently in a relationship or hope to be in a relationship with a handsome fella. It might be hard to hear, but I need you to hear it: MEN ARE GROSS SOMETIMES!! I can't tell you how many times I’ve been eating at a restaurant and need to go to the restroom. So I go in and do my business, and then wash my hands.
And I can’t tell you how many times someone was in the urinal next to me, and while I washed my hands, they finished their business, flushed, walked towards the sink, and walked right passed it, and grabbed the door handle and went back to their table. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been washing my hands when I hear a toilet flush, the stall door opens---and you know what happens in the stall---and I see a man walk out of the stall toward the sink, only to walk right passed it, and go to the door and HEAD BACK TO THE TABLE!!! I can't tell you how many times I’ve wanted to follow him out of the restroom to his table and tell his lady, “HE DIDN’T WASH HIS HANDS!!” I mean, you deserve to know, right?? I was telling a friend about this the other day, and she said, “It's not just guys, plenty of women do that too...”
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had been invited to the wedding also. When the wine was gone, Jesus mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” "Dear woman, why do you involve me," Jesus replied, "my hour has not yet come." Jesus mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you to do.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water;" so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned to wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who drew it out knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have all had to much to drink, but you have saved the best until now.” This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in Him. (John 2:1-11)
I love this account in John’s gospel for two reasons. First for what it says about Mary and her strength. Mary was a young woman when she had Jesus, but she isn’t young anymore. And like many of you in this room who have had children, Mary’s word to Jesus is, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it.” She knows the power he holds. And when Jesus balks at his mother’s request for more wine, Mary forces the hand of God...
"
We are in the process of going through the gospel of Mark. This morning, we're going to cover a lot of territory in Mark 5. Before we get into this text, I'm going to ask you to join your hearts together with me in prayer. Father, we've gathered together today to rejoice in you and worship you and bless you. Lord, I thank you for every person that is here today. Thank you for your church. Lord, I want to pray for your church globally today, whether it's in Japan or Jakarta, whether it's in Austria or Argentina. We think of the church in the United States. Whether it's in Oregon or Ohio. We think of the church here in Denver and Englewood and Littleton. Lord, we pray that you would bless your church, that you would use her to extend the good news of the gospel and expand your kingdom of grace and love. Lord, we also thank you for your Word. We thank you for what it teaches us about you and what you're doing. So as we look into this text this morning, out of Mark's gospel, we pray that you might enlighten our minds, Lord, that by your grace you might touch our hearts, that we might see more of you. We ask this now in the great and powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
In August of 2000 a Russian submarine, called the Kursk, went down in the Barents Sea. Divers were sent down to assess the situation and determine if anyone had survived. As they were circling the sub they heard a pinging sound and began to put their heads as close as they could to the hull. The pinging sound was Morse code coming from some men who had gone to the back of the sub where there was still some air. The divers heard a phrase in code and then interpreted it. That phrase was composed of four words: IS THERE ANY HOPE?"
We are in this series going through the Gospel of Mark. Today we're taking chapter 4, which is the longest chapter so far (about 40 some verses). I'm going to ask you to read the first eleven verses with me. Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times." Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables."
We're going to take a look at parables today. I was going to call this "The Perplexing Problem of Parables." Instead we're calling it "How to Hear a Who." Let's bow our heads. Our dear Heavenly Father, what a great God you are! Lord, I've loved singing these songs that focused in on you. Jesus, because you're alive, we're alive today with hope, with future, with eternity in mind. How great is that?! Lord, open our eyes, open our ears. Join us together, make your word come alive. Would your Spirit teach us now. I praise you, in the name of Jesus. Amen...
If you don't know me, my name is Aaron Bjorklund. I am the Creative Arts Pastor and that means I'm usually up here leading singing. Today I have the privilege of bringing the Scriptures and I'm really excited about that. Over the past three weeks, we've started a series through the gospel of Mark entitled "And Then What Happened?" I love this title for the gospel of Mark, because it sort of encapsulates how the gospel of Mark feels when you read it. The gospel of Mark is sort of the highest pace, highest energy kind of gospel we have of the account of Jesus's life. Mark is so excited to share with us what it looks like for the kingdom of God to unfold in time and space, and he's just riled up. So he curates all these stories of what it looks like for the kingdom to unfold, and then he says, "And this happened and immediately this thing happened and then this thing over here happened and this happened." And the natural question for us is alright, Mark, we get it. And then what happened?
Pastor Larry shared with us in week one that we're going to be looking at gospel to find out what it looks like for the kingdom of God to unfold in time and space. We're going to look at it through the lens of 'Who Jesus is / What Jesus does / What Jesus invites us into.' That's what Mark is trying to teach us. What Jesus does is really important to Mark. He's all about showing us, not that Jesus just talks the talk but that Jesus walks the walk. Ultimately, in this gospel, what does Jesus invite us into. We'll pick up the story in Mark 3 today. But before we begin, I'd like to pray. Father God, I thank you so much for the gift of your Word. I thank you that you are so concerned with leaving your church with directions on how we are to engage the situations of life. That you gave us not only the revelations of your Scriptures, but, Jesus, that you came. You came in flesh and blood to show us what it looks like to inaugurate a kingdom, to restore creation, to restore humanity. Lord, would you open our eyes as we look at your Scriptures this morning, and would you teach us exactly what you want us to learn so that we can become a little bit more like you, Jesus, because that's what this world needs. It doesn't need more words, it doesn't need so many of the other things that concern us, it needs us to look a little bit more like you. That's my desire, Lord. Would you make that happen? Would you take your Word and press it into our hearts, we pray? In your beautiful name. Amen.
Good to see all of you today. We're going to continue our series in the Gospel of Mark today. Last week, Larry gave us a panoramic view of chapter one. Today, I'm going to give us a snapshot of a particular element in chapter two. Before we look at this text, I'm going to ask you to join your hearts together with me in prayer. Father, thanks so much for your provision, your care, your grace in our lives. Lord, we want to thank you for the salvation that you provided for us in the Lord Jesus. Thank you for the grace and the guidance you give us every day. Lord, I thank you for your Church; when she's filled with your Spirit, she is the hope of the world. I thank you so much for South Fellowship, the ministry that this church has in this community, in this city, and around the world. Lord, I thank you for every person that's here today, and I thank you that I have the privilege to worship here and now to share from your Scripture. So Lord, as we look into your word, we ask now that by your grace and your Spirit, you would show us who you are, what you're about, and what that means for us. Father, we ask all of this in the great and glorious name of Jesus and for our sake. Amen.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is one of the most famous buildings in the world. According to the best records, construction on the cathedral began sometime between 1160 and 1163 and was finished about 200 years later. Of greater significance, it served for over eight centuries as one of the finest examples of Gothic medieval architecture ever devised and built. But as you know, last April a section of the cathedral caught on fire, undermining its infrastructure and causing the majestic spire to crumble in a heap. When Notre Dame was built its beauty, majesty, and ministry made it the wonder of all of Europe. But now, after catastrophe, it needs to be saved, restored and made right. And that serves as a metaphor for the condition we find ourselves in today...
Years ago, I rekindled a childhood love for storytelling, and got into screenwriting. I wrote a number of different things, from short films, web series, sitcom pilots, and most recently, a feature film script. In fact, my friend Michael and I wrote a sitcom pilot that made it into the top 10% of an international screenwriting competition. Pretty wild, huh? One lesson I learned was to start the scene as late as possible, and to get out of the scene as soon as possible. A great example of this comes from one of the greatest underdog stories of all time: "Tommy Boy." Tommy’s family is gathered for a huge wedding celebration, because Tommy’s father, Tom Callahan, got married that day to a beautiful younger woman. While at the reception party, Tommy’s dad collapsed. Tommy ran over to him, and we see the camera tighten on Tommy’s face. The next shot widens to reveal Tommy and many others in a cemetery, burying his father. A bad screenwriter does what’s called exposition---they add a bunch of filler material that’s really unnecessary. For example, they might have kept the scene going with a 911 call, waiting for the ambulance, and more. Good writers write just enough to reveal what’s important, what helps the reader understand the characters and move the story forward, and nothing more. They take the reader or viewer through snapshots that tell a larger story, and leave us wondering what’s next.
We’re starting a brand new series today called "AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?" And that’s exactly what we are going to do for the next 14 weeks. We’re going to journey together as a church community through the Gospel of Mark. We could almost call this the ADD gospel, because it moves so quickly from one thing to the next. I was talking with a friend this week, and he said, “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but are you a little bit ADD?” I laughed and said, “Absolutely, it’s one of my superpowers!” Mark moves very quickly also. In fact, he consistently uses words like 'immediately' and phrases like 'a little while later' to move the story forward. It’s a story that has all of the elements of an incredible story: Character development. Conflict. Power struggles. And redemption...
Let's bow together. Father, thanks for everything you provide for us, day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. Lord, as you know, the way we count time we're entering into a new year and new decade, so we pray for your wisdom, your grace, your guidance. Lord, I thank you for every person who's here today. Lord, wherever we're at, I pray that you might minister to us in a special way. Now, Lord, give us ears to hear your word, minds that are attentive, and hearts that are receptive to you and your Spirit. We ask all of this in the great name of Jesus. Amen.
Given that it’s a new year and a new decade, there are a number of people and pundits who are trying to predict what the future will bring. It doesn’t matter whether it involves politics, or the stock market, or the Broncos, lots of people are making predictions about what’s going to happen in 2020 and beyond. But it’s always a dangerous business to try and predict the future, because it almost never turns out the way people thought. To illustrate the point, over the past 50 years various individuals and groups have ventured forth with their visions of the future and I’d like to share just a few of them with you...
We're in the third Sunday of Advent. I've got to tell you, I'm a big Christmas guy. As you can tell, I've been a pastor for a long time and it seems like whenever we come to the Advent season, I thought I was preaching Advent sermons, but I was really preaching Christmas sermons four times. Advent is a series of four weeks preparing ourselves for Christmas, yes, but it had a much broader perspective. It was looking forward to the Coming. Back in the day when they depended on agriculture, the harvest would have been taken in, but they would wonder if they'd taken in enough harvest to last them until Spring. So there was a sense of uncertainty, a little bit of tension. The early church instituted this season of Advent as a time for people to reflect as the days got shorter, and shorter, and shorter. To reflect that there is a Coming of One who has light that would bring more and more and more. There is hope that we have. So, we come to this third week of Advent. The days are going to get shorter. It's cold out. This is Advent. Welcome to Advent.
As we look at this passage in Matthew, I'm asking God to make it come alive for you. He's made it come alive for me and I don't want to get in the way of making it alive for you. Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer and ask God to enlighten us. Let's pray. Father, I thank you. I thank you that you're here. I thank you that you're here and this is your Word---you've revealed yourself to us in this Word. You want us to understand it. You want us to wrestle with it. Lord, make it come alive to us. Jesus, thank you so much. Thank you so much that you entered our world, that you made all of this possible. Thank you, Spirit, that you are here right now to empower this Word to become real to us. Lord, may the words that I say not get in the way of your work. Thank you, God. I pray this in Jesus's name. Amen...
We’re in our second week of journeying through Advent together. In case you missed last week, Advent is the time in the church calendar where we look forward to the return of Jesus--that time between His resurrection and ascension and His glorious return---before we take a look back at his first coming. Advent is all about waiting well. We also talked about how millions of followers of Jesus around the world are studying these exact same passages. Last week, we worked through a text in Matthew 24 that seems like it’s about the end of the world, and we learned that Jesus is calling all of us to be awake and watchful as we wait on Him, to journey with Him and to experience Him in every moment of our lives.
Today we’re going to start the first of two weeks looking at the life of John the Baptist. This morning we’re going to look at the beginning of his ministry. Next week, Pastor Dan is going to lead us through a look at his time in prison---John's time in prison, not Pastor Dan's. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Matthew 3. We’re going to walk together through the first twelve verses...
Hello, everyone. My name is Larry Boatright, and I’m one of the pastors here. So glad to see you all! Wow. That’s a festive passage of scripture, isn’t it! [Matthew 24:36-44] Sure puts me in the Christmas spirit. I’ll concede that it’s a strange, ominous passage. Who’s with me? You might be wondering, “Uh, it’s December. We sang Christmas carols today. It’s Christmas time. Why are we starting an Advent series with a passage that looks like the end of the world?" I’m so glad you’re wondering that too!
Now, maybe you grew up in a tradition that followed the church calendar. I didn’t, but someone introduced me to it a number of years ago, and it had a massive impact on my formation. The church calendar has been around for centuries, and the practice of following a specific text during a specific season has its roots deep in Old Testament history. In fact, some scholars believe that Jesus, when He got up in the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah, was reading the prescribed text of the day, which just so “happened” to be about Him!
Today we're going to walk our way through Psalm 103. Before we look into this psalm and see what the Lord would teach us through it, I'm going to ask you to join your hearts together with me in prayer. Father, a couple of moments ago, we sang about how good you are and you are so, so good to all of us. So, Lord, today, I just ask that you would reveal that side of your character to us in the teaching. Lord, as we continue to engage you and try to come to know you, I just pray you would pour out your mercy and your grace and your compassion on each of us. Father, we probably all walked in here today with different things we're processing through, different issues we're struggling with, maybe even sins we're tempted to commit, so, Lord, wherever we're at, I just pray that you embrace us and love us and show us how much you care for us. Now as we look into this psalm, Lord, we ask for your Spirit's guidance, we ask that you might enlighten our minds, we ask that you might touch our hearts, we ask that you would show us who you are and what that means for us. We pray all this in the great and powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Beginning this week, we’re entering into what our society labels ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. And for many of us, this is a great time because we get to see family and friends, and eat some great food, and read some great books, and go the movies, and sing Christmas carols, and sleep in more than normal. But for others here, it may not be so wonderful. The reason why it’s not so much fun is because there’s pain from family dysfunction, or there’s the increasing cost of buying all those gifts, or we have to stand in the security line at DIA with thousands of our closest friends to board a plane which might be delayed at some point due to bad weather. And while the holiday season is really good for lots of us and not so good for others of us, it’s almost always the BUSIEST time of the year for ALL of us. Regardless of who we are or how old we are, at one point or another we’re probably going to be shopping for presents at the mall or shopping on Amazon. At some point, we're going to be standing in line at King Soopers, or standing in line at Starbucks, or standing in line at Starbucks at King Soopers. We're going to be attending Christmas concerts and school concerts. We're going to be completing the semester. We're going to be wrapping up a big project at work before the end of the year, We're going to be coming to church; we going to be sitting in traffic. And that’s just in the first week of December...
Hi! I just want to tell you about myself before I get started. I grew up in a tiny town in South Dakota, moved to Minnesota to go to Crown College, and then moved here just over three years ago to attend Denver Seminary and pursue my Masters of Divinity. In just under a month I will finally graduate! I started working here at South just four days after moving to Colorado and I’ve had the privilege of working with our middle and high school students here for the past three years, leading worship for them. I absolutely love our students and getting to be a part of their lives. Some other important things you should know about me is that I love pizza, ultimate Frisbee, and spending time with friends.
Another thing about me that a lot of people don’t know, is that I’m a pretty big nerd. Growing up, my family watched a lot of sci-fi movies and shows, and one of my favorites was Star Wars! Throughout this epic series, we see the story of a famous rebellion. The Rebel Alliance stood bravely against the evil Galactic Empire. They never backed down, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them. They worked in secret for decades to overthrow the Emperor and restore democracy to the galaxy, which (spoiler alert) they finally did. The Rebels took down the Empire! Good won once again!
Glad to see you all here today. We're going to do a short series on some Psalms, the next three weeks. This is going to build a pathway toward our time as we prepare ourselves for Advent. This morning, we're going to be looking at the very first of the Psalms, Psalm 1. Before we look at the Word of God, I'm going to invite us to bow briefly in prayer. Father, thanks so much for the privilege we have to worship you and to gather together. Lord, today, we just want to surrender our lives to you. Lord, you are a gracious and kind and compassionate God who loves us and is calling us into a deeper walk with you. I pray now, as we look into your word, that you would use this time and this text to encourage and teach us. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
As many of you may know, the largest city in the U.S. is New York which has about 8 ½ million people. But what you may not know is that there are approximately 10 million cats and 12 million dogs who also live there. When your pet dies in New York City, you can’t just go out and bury it in the backyard since most of the city is concrete, so the city authorities passed an ordinance that they’ll come by, pick up your deceased pet, and dispose of it for $75. Well, a few years back, a lady came up with an enterprising idea to make some money. She advertised that she would dispose of your pet for only $35 dollars. What she’d do is buy a $2 suitcase at the local Salvation Army thrift store. She'd then go and pick up the dead animal and put it in the suitcase and then hop on the subway. Now, if you’ve ever been on the subway in New York City you know it’s really, really crowded.....and theft is a huge problem. So the lady would set down the suitcase, intentionally look away, and wait for someone to steal it, and then she’d cry out….‘Wait…stop…thief!’ The authorities finally caught on to her scheme, but what do you charge her with? And what about the thieves? How did they react when they finally opened the stolen suitcase only to discover that it contained something they hadn’t planned on?...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Expedition | Blessed is the One... | Psalm 1 | Week 1 Speaker: Dr. Scott Wenig South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
{Guest Mark (Lisa) Scandrette from San Francisco.} Lisa and I work with an organization we co-founded twenty years ago called ReImagine. It's inspired by Jesus's message of the kingdom. Basically, we're very passionate about helping people integrate the teachings of Christ into everyday life. Our work started in San Francisco, but over the last few years it's taken a global turn. I spend time each year in the U.K., Australia, Bangladesh, and East Africa; I'll be headed to Scandinavia tomorrow. When I got here this weekend, I realized there's a lot in common with South Fellowship's language and some of my passions; I wrote a book called Practicing the Way of Jesus. Maybe this is what's brewing right now, this longing among God's people to say we want to not just believe in Jesus, but also walk in his way. Some of what I'm going to be sharing this morning comes from a couple of books I wrote that are available here today. Yesterday we got to spend time with moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, and kids talking about family thriving and exploring that topic. We had an amazing time sharing hearts and doing activities and looking at God's vision on how we can be transformed in our family life. What I'm going to be sharing this morning is a little taste of the depth we explored yesterday...
I want you all to know that in a few weeks it's my birthday. I wanted to give you time to get presents. And it's the big one --- 42nd! A couple years ago, I turned 40, and as most of us do when we hit a milestone, we spend time reflecting. I started looking at what I had accomplished, how God had used me. A question that most of us ask at certain milestones of our lives --- Am I where I thought I'd be at this point in my life? I wanted my forties to be an awesome decade, so I decided to attend a TED conference---TedX: Mile High. I grabbed some friends and I was excited. The theme was "Wonder." My hope was to be inspired and to reflect and to dream about the next decade or two about my life and dream about the next season.
Wouldn't we like to experience "Wonder" on a regular basis? I liked that the program had speaker profiles. Then I started looking at the speaker list:
- Tamika Mallory - one of four organizers of the Woman’s March on DC and civil rights activist
- Dick Durrance - famous photographer/journalist - pics of Vietnam - National Geographic
- James Orsulak - owns an asteroid mining company and title is Space Entrepreneur
- Doug Vakoch - Runs an organization “dedicated to transmitting intentional signals to nearby stars and fostering the sustainability of human civilization on multi-generational timescales, a project that could take centuries or millennia to succeed.” What are you working on?? I had to ask myself, "Where were those things on the list of possible vocations when I was in high school?" I never saw space entrepreneur or interstellar correspondent on the list or I would have been the first to sign up!
The topic I'm looking at is a transformed view of God. That's a big topic to take. My hope is that we'll be able to come up with some kind of a working definition that may kind of stretch us a bit; we've got to be stretched when we're talking about God. I believe very strongly, as I've been working on this sermon, that this view that we have of God influences the way we view life. I think it's pretty important that we have a good view of God, if we're going to be stepping into life and meeting the challenges we'll face day by day.
We're going to be looking at Ephesians 3:14-20. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship TRANSFORMED | Transformed View of God | Ephesians 3:14-21 | Week 7 Speaker: Pastor Dan Elliott South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Toward the end of July I was approached by a gentleman in this church that I did not know well, who asked me how my family was doing. I shared with him the excitement that my wife is pregnant with our fourth, and that Jesus definitely doesn’t love me because it is another boy and I wanted a little girl. The man (whom I won’t mention by name because he’d get mad) piped in and very caringly asked, “How is your wife? I remember that you guys have had some issues with pregnancies in the past and how is this one going?” Immediately my heart was warmed, this man had remembered something from over two years ago about our family's journey. I was glad to share with him that this pregnancy is going well so far in every regard, except that it was just so hot in July, and we don’t have AC in our home so that makes my wife uncomfortable. The man nodded and we went about our days. The next day, the same man called and arranged a meeting with me at the coffee shop. I walked in and he handed me a gift card with a considerable amount of money on it and said, “Go get yourself a portable AC unit for your bedroom so you and your wife can sleep peacefully.” Needless to say, this man’s gift was and has continued to be incredibly refreshing for us. Incidentally, my wife and I also happen to be lacking a private jet to travel the world if anyone is feeling extra generous this morning...
Uuugghhh! For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18) For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:16-17) For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (Romans 7:22-23)
Here we are in a series of transformation and I've got the wonderful topic of the body. How many of us feel the same type of angst that the Apostle Paul felt in those verses? Just like Larry gave us this wholeness wheel {Spirit--Mind--Body--Emotion--Relationships--Vocation--Resources} at the beginning [of the series], if I were to take a look at that and talk to God about how am I doing with my body in this journey of transformation, I feel some of that angst! It's interesting that over the last couple of weeks of preparing this message, I feel like God has turned up the volume on my hunger, and I've become real aware of that. I have hunger! I know that's silly, but I think that sometimes I fall asleep to my body and I don't even realize I have these kind of urges or cravings. As God's been showing me that I have this kind of hunger, you know where I go to fulfill it? The donut shop! Because fall is amazing....I go get a half dozen donuts and I polish them off throughout the day. Great! I'm doing awesome! At night I get the munchies. There's a lot of stuff in my refrigerator, but I'm really in the mood for salt. I'll polish off half the bag of chips. I love the fall and I need a boost of caffeine and get my brain awake, so I'm going to go to Starbucks and get my Pumpkin Spice Latte and I'm going to satisfy my craving. God's been showing me that I have these cravings, these yearnings, these urges, and it's really easy to go and satisfy them myself. It's easy because it's accessible. I've got food in my cupboards and refrigerator. I've got a car and can drive to the restaurant of my choosing or the store and fill whatever that craving is. So I'm susceptible to following the cravings my body has and trying to satisfy them myself...
Some of you may know that my wife Heidi and I used to live overseas for most of a decade. The question we're asked the most is "What do you miss about living overseas?" It's really easy to answer that because we miss the community. Whenever you leave someplace you tend to idealize it, so I realize that could be part of it. But we were, as a foreign community, several hundred in a city of several million, so you immediately had this island mentality----we kind of have to take care of one another. We had a shared purpose. We were involved with different works, but almost all of us were there to encourage the local population in the name of Jesus; to help them in practical ways and do other works. There was a sense of being known and needed. As one of the docs in the community, I would often get phone calls....What do I do with these symptoms? Where should I go? Do I need to leave? Probably what I like the most more is that the communities were overlapping. If I go to work, I don't see the same people there that I see here on Sunday, and I certainly don't see them in my neighborhood; they're all very disjointed. But there, I'd see a lot of the same people, whether I was at the clinic, or at International School, or at fellowship. It was a sense of being known and being a part of things.
As I thought about that I realized that it wasn't like that at the beginning. I went overseas when I was in my early 40's, so I had roles that I played, I had some titles [here]. Then all of a sudden I found myself living in a community where I couldn't speak to most people around me, at the beginning, but even those people I could speak with didn't know who I was. It was very unsettling. How about you? Have you had a similar experience? Maybe you've recently relocated, or maybe your life circumstances have changed in such a way that you suddenly feel like you're not known. That raises the question--Why do we get so much joy when we know we're in good community? Is community optional? We've all got apps---NextDoor, South app; I have this great Peak Finder app to use while hiking. Is community like an app that you can add on and it makes life better? Or, is there something so important and fundamental to who we are that if we're not in community, we miss out and the community we should be a part of misses out?...
We're in a series called "Transformed" and the last few weeks have been journeying together toward biblical wholeness. We’ve talked about how the Scriptures call us to be transformed, and that we are being transformed into the wholeness of Jesus. I love what professor, pastor, and author Robert Mulholland says: "The Christian journey, therefore, is an intentional and continual commitment to a lifelong process of growth toward wholeness in Christ." We put up this slide a couple of weeks ago to show you that our lives are very complex, there's multiple parts to our lives. Even though we're complex and have a lot of different parts, the good news is that the Gospel has the power to impact far more than just our relationship with God or our standing with God. The Gospel should impact all of our lives. So in this series, we’re looking at different parts of our lives that should be transformed by the power of the Gospel. Last week, Dr. Wenig shared with us about transformed relationships as an area God wants to heal. Relationships are currency of life, aren't they? Almost everything you think of that you do involves relationship of some kind...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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TRANSFORMED | The Mind and the Heart and Fits and Starts | Romans 12:2 | Week 3 Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
As Pastor Larry said we're going to continue our series on "Transformed," and we're going to look at an issue that's hugely important in my life and your life....and that's relationships. I'm going to ask you to join me in prayer and then we're going to unpack a variety of Scripture to see what the Lord would show us today on this crucial part of our lives. So let's bow together in prayer: Father, we thank you so much for your compassion and mercy, the grace you've poured out on us in Jesus. Lord, wherever we're at today, whatever situation we've entered this auditorium today---emotionally, or spiritually, or physically, financially, relationally---Lord, I pray that you would come and meet with us in an individual way today. Lord, we need your grace, we need your guidance, and so as we look in your Word today, from a variety of angles, Lord, I pray that by your Spirit, by your power, you would instruct us, you would guide us, you'd teach us and encourage us. Lord, we want to be whole people, we know that's your call, so we ask for your help in that process. We ask for this time now, that you would be glorified and we'd be blessed. We pray this in the great name of our Savior, Jesus. Amen...
I went to Florida last week. I used to live in Florida and one of my favorite beaches is called Clearwater Beach. It's consistently rated in the top beaches in the country. I parked my car and immediately went to the beach, dropped my towel, and got into the water. It felt so amazing! I bobbed and floated a bit, and then I saw these two guys on a sandbar. A sandbar is sand you can stand on out in the water; it's almost like walking on water. It was about 100 yards out there and I've swum that a bazillion times. I'm a pretty good swimmer so I took off. I'm working and working to get out to the sandbar. Normally it takes three or four minutes to get out there, but I don't think I noticed how hard the waves were coming in that day. The waves were relentless and pounding on me as I was going out. I didn't notice how hard I was working until I started feeling pretty tired; like my whole body tired, like my arms tired, and I've never really felt that way before. It's a little bit scary to be out in the ocean and feel that. It had been about fifteen minutes. The guys had swum off the sandbar, so I had lost my frame of reference of where I was going. I was so tired but I thought I'd better check and see how close I was to the sandbar. I popped my head above the waves and it was still a little ways out; I was discouraged because I wasn't really getting anywhere. I got nervous because my arms were tired and my heart was really pounding. I was gasping for air and I was breathing in salt water. My lungs were burning. So I had to make a decision, do I continue working and trying to get to the sandbar or do I turn around and head for the shore? I decided that I was trying so hard to get to the sandbar, but I just wasn't making it, so I decided to go back. I turned around and the shore was SO FAR AWAY. My lungs were burning, my heart was pounding, my arms were exhausted. I started to get a little bit scared because I realized I'm just a few moments away from running out of gas and I don't know what to do. The thought occurred to me, "It's very possible I'm going to drown, because I don't think I have what it takes to get back to shore." There's no lifeguard; there's nobody close to me. I had to fight for every breath. I kept swimming but I was slowing down rapidly. Just when I thought I couldn't go any farther, I decided to check and see if I could touch the bottom. And thank God, I could stand on my tiptoes, so I used my last bit of energy to get out of the water, and I was completely and totally exhausted. The funny thing is, at the same time I thought I might drown, I thought to myself, “If I don’t die from this, I could use this as a sermon illustration.” I swear I thought that! So here it is...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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TRANSFORMED | An Invitation to Transformation | Romans 12 | Week 1 Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
As a young boy, I remember my dad taking me camping in the Nantahala Forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Now if you’re a rugged Colorado adventurer, you might turn your nose up at our itinerary for the weekend, but to me this was adventure. A weekend with my dad in the woods. I’d get to ask him life’s questions, we’d share some holy moments, and he’d share his heart, and maybe I’d share mine. We would make a couple meals over a fire, camp under the night sky, and then in the morning, brave the class 2 rapids of the Nantahala River, in our own personal rafts called "duckies." As it turns out however, we were not the only ones spending the night in the Nantahala Forest that weekend. Word had made its way around the camp that it was very likely that an out-of-town guest had also decided to make camp in those woods that night. Eric Rudolph, top ten on the FBI’s Most Wanted, the Olympic Park Bomber, who, as time would tell, would last for the next five years hiding out in the Kudzu-laden forests of the Nantahala, had made camp somewhere near ours. Now I was twelve years old. This was no measurable threat. I owned a Swiss army knife and knew how to whittle. I was not fine. I was afraid. I didn’t deserve this! I wondered why God and my dad had brought me to the woods to meet my demise. I slept with both eyes open and I needed the sun to come up a little sooner than was planned for the next day. I wanted to get the heck out of that camp, get in that raft, paddle as fast as I could, and get to where we were going. And looking back, I think I missed out on some holy moments with my dad.
I wonder what life would’ve been like as a young Levite boy, traveling with the Israelites in the desert on the way to the Promised Land. They were camping out. If you have a Bible today you can turn with me to the book of Numbers 9:15. And as we jump into this journey with the Israelites today I was reminded of a quote from one of my favorite pastors, Mark Dever, of Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, DC. --- "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed." In another book he wrote: "The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed." Whether that saying is original to him or not, I don't know, but I know that he's echoing the words of Paul in Romans 15:4 -- For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Camping Under the Clouds | Numbers 9:15-23 Speaker: Pastor Josh Suddath South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
April 22, 2019, started out like any other Monday, post Easter. We had a fun time as a community, leading up to Easter. We did an Easter Art Show that was amazing. We had over 1400 people coming to our campus over Easter weekend. The Monday started out with me having a lot of energy, a lot of excitement over all that God had done, but our team was a little bit tired. The other thing that was kind of at play for me is that for the few days leading up to Easter, I had some kind of weird things going on with my heart. My heart rate was fluctuating some and elevated at times when it shouldn't be. I had a little bit of tightness in my chest, but I tried not to make too much of it, like it would just "go away," right? I went through Monday and did my thing, but when evening came I wasn't feeling too well. The tightness was pretty solid in my chest and my pulse rate was fluctuating, so I did what most men do, I hoped it would go away. I tried to go to sleep, but it didn't feel right and like something was off. So I did what you should NEVER, EVER do late at night when you think something is wrong with you.....I went on WEBMD!! And of course, all signs were pointing to a heart attack. I began to be very anxious, and was afraid to go to sleep, thinking I might not wake up again. My wife had taken her sleeping meds, and I knew she couldn’t drive me, so I chewed on what to do. And so finally, I texted my mother-in-law Connie, who lives with us, and said, “I think I’m having a heart attack and I need you to drive me to the emergency room.” She took me, and the moment I told the hospital staff, “I’m having chest pains,” they whisked me back to a room and a whole host of people surrounded me, hooking me up to wires and all sorts of things. And within about 30 seconds, the doctor was in there. I just want to give you some free advice: no matter what your ailment, you can skip the long wait in the ER if you simply tell them you are having chest pains! Finally, after about $10,000 worth of tests, the nurse came in. I gulped and waited for the bad news, assuming it was open heart surgery time. She said, “You’re most definitely not having a heart attack.” She could have told me she just got back from vacationing on the moon and I would have believed her just as much, because WebMD told me I was having a heart attack. The doctor came in and told me the bad news...I was having a panic attack. That was kind of embarrassing. I didn't believe it. The doctor said all my symptoms were due to stress. I’m not one to really have anxiety or to feel stress, so I didn’t recognize the symptoms in my body...
Pastor Yvonne Biel --- Have you ever felt like your life was unraveling? As if all the threads that held your life together at one point were coming undone. I've been there. I woke up at age 27 in my high school bedroom looking at a calendar with absolutely nothing to do. I was thinking back on a time in my life where Jesus seemed to make sense, and I knew who God made me to be. I was living as a missionary in Vienna, Austria, teaching students the Bible and they were coming to me with their questions about Him. Each day I was praying the gospel over me. I was so confident and I knew who I was and I knew who God created me to be. But, I was back in Michigan longing for some answers. I found myself listening to an album called "The Undoing." It felt like all these ways that I interacted with God were coming undone. I picked up a book called "Thrashing About with God" because that what it felt like. I didn't understand, necessarily, how to interact with Him, and I felt like He was calling me into a new season, to just learn how to BE with Him. But I didn't know how to do that. I just really hoped, and I wished, and I wanted to go back to a season where things made sense, where I knew how to interact with Him. But I found myself in this place of unraveling.
Maybe you've found yourself there. Maybe it was a season where you left your structure, your home, and your community environment and went off to college. Then you start asking all these questions about faith, and about who you are, and what you're suppose to do with the rest of your life. That can be a place of unraveling. Maybe it was in the middle of your life where there's a death of a loved one, and you don't know how to act, or be, or function without them. Maybe it's a loss of a job; you were so confident in that place and now it's gone. Maybe it happens even later in your life and you've finished your season of work and you entered into a new season called retirement, and you think, "God, I don't know what to do now and it's not what I used to do..."
Before we look at this text, please join me in prayer. Our Father, we gather together today to worship you in the name of Jesus. I thank you for every person who's here today. Thank you so much for South Fellowship. Lord, wherever we're at today---emotionally or spiritually or physically---I pray that you would come and meet with us in a very, very personal way. That you would show us, experientially, your overwhelming, never ending, reckless love that you have for each of us. Lord, we thank you for your Word, and now as we look at this text out of Luke's gospel, Lord, I pray that your Spirit might enlighten our minds, touch our hearts, encourage us, so that each and every one of us might go a little bit deeper today in our walk with Jesus. It's in His great and glorious name that we pray. We ask all this in His name. Amen.
A long time ago, before there were Republicans and Democrats, before there was the Constitution or the Bill of Rights or even the Declaration of Independence, there was ROME. Rome was originally a Republic but it eventually unraveled due to a long series of civil wars. Near the end of the Republic a young man by the name of Octavian rose to prominence. The great Roman statesman and orator Cicero said, "Octavian is a talented young man who should be praised, honored and eliminated." But in the years after Cicero said that Octavian eliminated all of his enemies, including Cicero, transformed Rome into an Empire and took on the title Caesar Augustus...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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The Parables of Jesus | A Sharp Rebuke to a Foolish Interruption | Luke 12:13-21 | Week 6 Speaker: Dr. Scott Wenig South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
It is an honor to be part of this series of The Parables of Jesus. Today, the parable/story that we are going to explore is found in Mark chapter 7. It’s one of those deeply memorable stories with a powerful meaning behind it and I know that after hearing it, you will quickly go out and tell your friends, family and neighbors.
Gathering a crowd, he told this story. Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. (Mark 7:15) Actually, this probably isn’t exactly the kind of parable we think about when it comes to Jesus’ storytelling, but it is an extremely important one. Standing on its own it really doesn’t make sense. Because, really, the only way to understand this is to look at the story unfolding around Jesus at this time because this is a story within a story...
[Ryan begins with thanking Aaron Bjorklund for singing his original song, "Multiply Me," and his wife Kelly for her support over the last seven years.]
The last two months, for me, have been a rollercoaster, to say the least. We had the chance to go to Disneyland on our vacation two weeks ago, and I can tell you that Disneyland has nothing on two months of processing a move across the country. That's been a way better rollercoaster than anything we rode there. It's been an interesting journey, to be quite honest with you. In many ways I didn't see the emotional journey coming that I've been on, and that we've been on together as a family. I've experienced sort of mini panic attacks, and immense sadness, and a little bit of anger, and immense doubt in the midst of it all. I knew that this day was coming. I woke up this morning and it was sort of that Brian Regan thing of like, "Oh, it's due today!" This day that I've been getting ready for for so many days just sort of snuck up on me. It's hard for me to believe this is my last Sunday standing in the pulpit here as Lead Pastor of South Fellowship Church...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Just a Man with a Can | 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Good morning! My name is Billy Berglund, and for the last four years, I've had the privilege of being on staff here at South Fellowship, working part-time with the students as I pursued my Masters from Denver Seminary. It's just been a real privilege to my wife Hannah and I. We've had an eventful summer so far. Our son Cooper joined us on May 31st. He was born six weeks early, so he kind of surprised us. He spent some time in the NICU, but he's growing and is getting a little chunky now, which is awesome. We feel real blessed to have Cooper with us...
We’ve been in a series the last couple of weeks where we are studying the Parables of Jesus. I have to admit, parables can be difficult. They aren’t explicit in the way a simple story is. Jesus at one time said, "I spoke in parables so that you would get this and others wouldn't get it." They can be a little bit tricky to interpret. Parables are stories with a meaning, often to jar a listener into learning something new about the economy of the kingdom of God. They were a bit jarring to the original listeners ---remember, they heard them first---because they challenged conventional wisdom at the time. Most of them have a twist or an 'aha' moment of some kind that turned that thinking on its head. So to understand parables, we have to understand the culture and dominant thinking they were birthed into, and try to find the principle within it and bring it forward into our day and age. Because they can be a bit difficult, I’ve pored over the parables and tried to find the easiest one, and that’s what I’m going to talk about today. No, I'm kidding. Today, I’m going to walk through a parable that’s considered a complex parable. There are four characters that we see, but they're treated as three. And there is a surprise twist at the end.
We are going to walk through the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25, so go ahead and turn there in your bibles or navigate in your bible app. The parable of the talents is part of a series of three parables that have themes of waiting for the arrival of someone special---a master or whoever it might be---and also a picture of what the appropriate behavior of the characters while they wait looks like, and all three finish with a strong depiction of judgment. And I’ll be honest and say these parables are fascinating and amazing to read until we get to the very last part. I remember when I knew I was going to do this parable and I reread it and......oh, I really like it....oh, this is interesting....uh oh! The very end is this harsh judgment part. It would be a lot easier to teach without that, but I think there is an important lesson in the judgment that we don’t want to gloss over. So what I want to today is to walk verse-by-verse through this parable, point out some things we can learn from it along the way, and then end with some practical things we can do to apply this to our own lives as we seek to live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Sound good?...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship The Parables of Jesus | The Parable of the Talents | Matthew 25:14-30 | Week 3 Speaker: Pastor Larry Boatright South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
We started a series last week called "The Parables of Jesus." This series is all about the parables of Jesus. Over the course of the summer, we're going to be studying together these stories that Jesus told. That's what a parable is. A parable's a story. It's two words put together---"para" which means alongside of and "bollo" which means to throw. It's stories for normal everyday people----they weren't told by the philosophical leaders or taught in the Socratic seminar. Stories they threw alongside of reality. The whole goal of a parable was to make people go, "Huh, I never thought of it like that." I never thought that the kingdom of heaven was sort of like a field where there's both wheat planted in it and weeds. Hmm, I never saw it like that. The parables are intended to create some spiritual awakening in our souls.
The parable that we're going to look at today is found in Luke 18:9-14. This parable is all about Jesus saying, "I know, I get it." The way that you look at the world and the way that you see who's on top, the power structures, and what it looks like to get ahead, and what it looks like when you accumulate wealth, and how to be a good and right person. I get it. I get it. There's a way that the world looks, but everything is not as it seems...
A week ago today, my family and I were leaving to go to a week at Mount Hermon. I taught there last week, and the family went and had an awesome time. Kelly and I are both Type A people. Our flight left at 8:45 and we left the house at 6:00 am because we like to be on time. If you followed the news last Sunday, you might have heard there was a little bit of an accident on Peña Boulevard. If you know DIA, you know that Peña's really the only way to get into that airport. We left our house at 6:00 and about 6:30 we're at that stretch of Peña that juts north and then heads east to the final stretch that takes you into the airport. When we turned east, we hit gridlock traffic like I've never seen on that street before! It just came to an absolute screeching halt! Kelly and I looked at each other and said, "This isn't good," and started Googling what's going on. Turns out there was a huge accident up front. From 6:30 to 7:00, we just sat there and didn't move at all. We saw (on Apple Maps) there was a shortcut you could take and get off the road and sort of circumvent the issue a little bit. We did that and ended up in another line of cars. You may have heard that there were some people who took a short cut into an open field and they got absolutely stuck; that wasn't us, but we could see them from where we were. As we were waiting, I was saying, "Okay, if we get there 7:45 (an hour before our flight leaves) we'll be just fine." It hit 7:45 and we were still stuck. Then I said, "If we get to the airport by 8:00, I think we're going to be okay." We started to move a little bit more, but we didn't pull into the airport until 8:10. I went and parked in short-term parking, which, by the way, if you do that for a whole week, costs you $175, I found out. We ran into the airport, got through security, begging and pleading with people to let us through. I was in such a hurry I put all my kids luggage on the conveyor belt to go through security, and I left mine there. We got down to the train and I'm standing there empty handed. Kelly says to me, "Where's your bag?" I went, "Oh, I blew it!" I ran back and said, "It's going to be easier to find a flight for one than it is five. You guys get on the flight. You go!" I ran back to security and asked if they had a bag and they asked, "Does it have a car seat on it?" "Yeah, I'm that idiot." I run up to the gate.....it's three minutes after the flight was suppose to have taken off. As I'm running up, they ask, "Are you Mr. Paulson?" "Yes, thank you, Jesus!" They said, "Reid was really worried you weren't going to make this flight!"
As we were waiting in line, we saw people who decided that waiting in line wasn't going to be for them; they were going to miss their flight as most of us waiting in line. So they tried to turn around and get out of the line. This guy had a Jeep so I guess he thought he would be okay, but, if you remember, it rained pretty hard the Saturday before, and that field was absolutely mud. I didn't get him in the picture, but he was standing with his arms crossed looking at what was formerly his car. I thought to myself, "Yeah, waiting's hard." Especially when you're waiting and you don't have any sort of time frame for when that next thing is coming. Waiting's really difficult. I think our tendency, as human beings, is to try to look for any short cut that we can, in order to get around the waiting. How many of you have tried to circumvent the line at an amusement park? We wait for food to come at a restaurant. Or maybe it's waiting for that next season of life. In high school, just waiting to get done so we can get to college. In college, waiting to get done so we can find that job.....or at least our parents are waiting for us to find that job. Or maybe it's single and I'm waiting to get married. Or maybe it's that next season, that next job, that next opportunity. Waiting can be really hard...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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The Parables of Jesus | Parables of the Weeds and Seeds | Matthew 13:24-33 | Week 1 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
We are finishing up a series we're calling "Brave in the New World." Over the last two months, we've been tackling difficult issues, socially, and trying to figure out what it looks like to live as a follower of Jesus in this new world. How many of you would agree that the world is changing quite rapidly? Actually that's not just a feeling; a sociologist studied our cultural moment. They're saying that things are changing at a more rapid pace than they have ever changed before. That's not just a visceral reaction, that's a reality, according to sociologists.
Last week we talked about the Scriptures and science. We talked about this perceived dichotomy, chasm, between what the Scriptures say and what science says. We actually said that you don't need to choose between Scripture and science. You can actually be someone who loves the Bible and loves telescopes and microscopes and that's an okay and a good thing. In fact, that's the way it's designed...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Brave in the New World | It's Complicated | Matthew 19:1-12 | Week 8 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
I've had a number of people come up to me and say, "We're so sad that you're leaving, Ryan, but are you going to finish this series?" Yes, I am. Today, we're going to jump into the subject of science and the Scriptures; then, next week, yes, on Father's Day, I'm going to be teaching on the issue of sexuality and Brave in the New World and how that all ties together. You're welcome. I promised on Mother's Day, when I taught a message on Evil and Suffering, that I would be equally offensive on Father's Day. Praise be to God, it's all worked out!
I want to start with a question: Who would win if the Colorado Rockies played the Denver Broncos? The question you should ask is what are they playing? Before I put money on either team, I want to know what we're playing. While they're all athletes and they're all talented in their own right, they have different specialties, don't they? They have different bents. They have different things that they practice day after day, night after night. They have different things that they're professionals at. I think a lot of times we ask the question: Are you a person of faith or are you a person of science? Who wins---the Rockies or the Broncos? I think we build this false dichotomy that you have to decide whether or not you're a Bible person---which means then that you have to ignore all good science---or whether you're a science person---in our mind that means we have to ignore the Bible. What I'd like to do today is propose to you that maybe there's a third way. Maybe Richard Dawkins, in his book The God Delusion, was wrong, when he argued that you cannot be an intellectual scientific thinker and hold on to religious beliefs. He's wrong. I think the Scriptures actually invite us into that tension. Would you open with me to Matthew 2:1-2; we're going to start our time there this morning...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Brave in the New World | A Tale of Two Books | Matthew 2:1-11 | Week 7 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Brave in the New World | Tolerance in a Culture of Contempt | John 8:1-11 | Week 4 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Fear stopped me in my steps this week. I know we shouldn't fear, but what do we do when we do? I wrote my message on Monday. Tuesday, I was in a meeting with Aaron and we were planning a future worship service, and our phones started to blow up, like yours probably did too. Got the news that there was an active shooter situation at STEM. Gathered our staff together to start to pray. Tried our best to contact people we knew that had kids involved to tell them we're praying, we love them, is there anything we can do? It just didn't seem fitting to give the message I had already written. I think that in moments like these, especially in a series called "Brave in a New World," to not talk about the actual world we live in would probably be a misstep.
As weird and awkward as it is to try to tackle the problem of suffering and evil on Mother's Day, forgive me if that offends you, but I'm going to do my best to try to step into this moment, please hear me, not as somebody who has all the answers. I stand up here with more questions than I do answers right now, to be quite honest with you. I stand up here with questions like you probably have----God, why? God, are you involved? God, is so, how? I stand up here, along with many of you, who had to try to answer questions for your kids about.....is it safe? All those questions, right? We had to cancel school a few weeks ago because of a scare. On THAT day, I was up early studying, and one kid came down, right after the other, dressed for school, and I had to explain to them why they weren't going to school that day. One of them asked me, "Dad, why would somebody want to do something like that?" Another said to me, "Dad, they must be a really, really bad person." Another one asked me, "Dad, can we have a pajama day?" It hits all of us differently. I think that's just a microcosm of the way that we probably all feel in this room, to some degree. That tragedy hit us all differently, but my guess is, we're all, at least on some level, asking this question, "Where. Was. God?" Where was God? Does he care? Is he involved at all?...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Brave in the New World | Evil and Suffering | John 9:1-3 | Week 3 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
I'm really glad that you're here today. We are on week two of a series that we're calling "Brave in the New World." A number of months ago we did a church survey, and one of the questions we asked on that survey was "What are some of the things you'd like to see more teaching on?" Turns out, you guys like hard subjects and we made a series out of a lot of those answers, so over the next few weeks, we're wrestling with a number of difficult subjects. We're calling the series "Brave in the New World," because in case you haven't noticed, the world is changing. How many of you would agree? The world is changing at a pretty rapid pace, and if you're a follower of Jesus.... First of all, if you're not, we're really glad that you're here today, because you get sort of the window-shopping view of how the church wrestles with difficult issues, so I'm glad you're here. But if you are a follower of Christ, my guess is you're wondering how in the world do I live out my faith, in the public sphere, in a world that's changing so quickly? That's the question we're going to be wrestling with over the next few weeks. Essentially, if it's off limits at Thanksgiving dinner, we're going to talk about it over the next few weeks. If you say to your friends and family, "We don't talk about that here, because we all want to remain friends," it's coming up. I sort of jokingly said that maybe after this series we'll do a teaching series on church unity, because we're going to need it.
Last week we said that the church of the future will be a creative minority that has influence without power. Essentially, the way forward is the way back. The early church had almost NO power politically or socially, but over a few hundred years, developed great experience. We opened up Acts 4 and we saw the way that the church had influence, in the way that it proclaimed Jesus and that its message was very, very clear. In the way that it embraced the fact that there was going to be opposition and they didn't expect a red carpet to be rolled out. In the way that they prioritized being people who had been with Jesus; we said, last week, that the world needs more people present in it who have been present with Jesus...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Brave in the New World | Donkeys and Elephants, Oh My! | Mark 12:13-17 | Week 2 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
We are starting a new series today that I am so excited for. It's called "Brave in the New World," and we, over the next few weeks, are going to be tackling some of the most difficult issues and topics that we face, sort of culturally and societally, in our world today. Our goal this morning is to set a little bit of ground work and to give us a path forward that we're going to ask Jesus to lead us in over the next few weeks.
Like you, I watched in horror on April 15th, not as my tax return came back, but as Notre Dame burned. I had had the chance to go once to Notre Dame. Aaron and I were on a layover in Paris; it lasted a day. We were on our way home from a missions trip in Africa, so we spent a romantic in Paris together. We had the chance to stand in that beautiful cathedral. It's a little bit different than being in South Fellowship Church building. The grandeur and the awe that you feel when you stand in that space is unparalleled. Yet, we saw on April 15th that it began to burn...
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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Brave in the New World | Acts 4:1-22 | Week 1 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Welcome to our celebration of the resurrection. My name's Ryan. We get to celebrate the reason for hope today. That's why we gather. A few weeks ago, my friend, who's also a pastor in the area, Nirup, sent me a text message. It said: What's your morning look like MC? {Because people call me MC. Just kidding, they don't. I don't know why he said that?} Have you ever read a text message, got the words right, but the intent wrong? I wrote back to my buddy Nirup and said this: I get up at 5:45 and go on a run (treadmill in the basement). Then read scripture and pray. Then wake the kids up and get them ready to go on the bus. On late start days, which is Wednesday, I have time for additional reading. You? He responded to me: That was very descriptive. I more meant yo dawg my meeting canceled. You bored and wanna grab coffee later. He's right, I was descriptive. I broke it down on days. I gave timestamps. Wow! I had the words right, but I had the meaning wrong.
I think when we hear resurrection, we have the words right, but we might get the meaning wrong. I think a lot of us, we hear the word resurrection, and we think, this is the good news, we get to go to heaven when we die. That's a part of the story, but it's a really small part of the story of resurrection. That's getting the text message just a little bit wrong. What I'd like to do this morning is look at John's gospel; if you have your Bible, you can open it to John 19. We're going to let John, one of Jesus's good friends, sort of reframe that word resurrection for us. Maybe build it out a little bit. Maybe we can get the text message right...
We're jumping into Jonah 4, if you have your Bible, you can flip there, swipe there, click there, however you want to get there this morning. It's the final message in the series of Jonah as we continue to journey towards the cross and the resurrection. We've been utilizing this book of Jonah to lead us to Easter. We've been saying, throughout this series, that part of our goal has been to rescue Jonah from Veggie Tales and the flannel board. We often view this as a kids' story. If you've been coming over the last few weeks, I hope you realize, by this point, this is certainly applicable to kids, but it's no kids' story, is it? There's a lot of depth, and a lot of beauty, and a lot of subtlety and nuance, and sort of hints and winks and nods in the book of Jonah. It's intended for adults.
The story of Jonah is the story of a resentful prophet who encounters a relentless God. In week one, we said Jonah could be split in half. The first half of Jonah gives us one message and the second half of Jonah builds on that and gives us another message. In the first half of Jonah, Jonah shows us what it's like to run from God through outright, willful disobedience, doesn't he? Jonah is a prophet of God and gets a call from God. He's told to go and preach against Nineveh, that their wickedness has risen up before God. God's calling him to go to Nineveh, which is about 500 plus miles east of where he was. Jonah hops on a ship and heads to Tarshish. Jonah is outright disobedient and saying to God, "God, I know what you've asked me to do, but thanks but no thanks." You'll remember that we were wondering throughout the entire first few chapters of Jonah, why is Jonah running, and the narrator strings us along and doesn't give us the answer until we get to chapter 4. Jonah said to God, "I knew it! I knew you were slow to anger. I knew you're merciful and abounding in steadfast love. I knew it! My worst nightmare's come true. That's what you're like." In his disobedience, we see that God pursued Jonah through a storm, through a fish that vomited him out onto dry ground...
This is our fifth Sunday in a series that we're doing on the book of Jonah, that's guiding us through the Lenten season. Jonah's a short little book in the minor prophets; he's minor, not because he's unimportant, but because he's short. The book is short. It's significant but it's only four chapters, and it packs a punch.
Let me share with you a little nugget from the Paulson household. Most weekends, my kids will ask to all spend the night in a room together and to do a sleepover. Most of the time, Kelly and I say no because we want to remain sane, but there are moments of weakness and we'll let them sleep in the same room together. A few times, we walk by the door and sort of listen. They play this game, "I have an animal in my mind...." The game is that one of them thinks of an animal and the other two ask yes or no questions and try to guess what the animal is. I thought, in light of what we're going to be talking about this morning, that it would be fun to play that game together. I have an animal in my mind and I would like you to ask yes or no questions to try to identify said animal. Will it fit in a bread box? I could fit it in a bread box. Does it have a tail? It does have a tail. Does it say meow? It does say meow, especially when you.....{Ryan makes kicking motion with his foot}. Any guesses? A cat. Yes, it is a cat...
We're going to be camping out in Jonah 3 today. Let me just give you a bird's-eye view of where we've been. The book of Jonah is a story of a portion of the life of Jonah, and you sort of need one step and one phase to build on the other. Hop online to fill yourself in on the blanks I'll leave out today.
Jonah is a prophet of God who prophesied in roughly the eighth century BC. He was a contemporary of Amos and Hosea. They were both prophesying at the same time. Amos and Hosea had a hard word for Israel. They said that Jeroboam II was using his militaristic might and power in order to expand the empire and they were not okay with that. Jonah, however, was just fine with that. He wanted to see Israel expand at any extent and in any degree and he was happy with however that happened. This is the book we have of Jonah's "prophecy;" in many ways the book is more prophetic than Jonah. We're going to see that today as it comes to light...
We've been in a series in the last few weeks going through the book of Jonah. Jonah is the fifth of the minor prophets. He prophesied in the latter half of the eighth century BC, so a long time. Jonah is unique because it's mostly a narrative; he's not making big proclamations and all these sorts of things, it's telling us an interesting story. Hosea and Amos were also prophets at the same time, and in all three of those books there's this running theme of God showing God's mercy to other nations. God calls Jonah to go share this good news of this mercy with the Ninevites. The Ninevites were bad people. They were often brutal, they disregarded human life and all these sorts of things. The whole book is really about God's extravagant mercy.
Jonah was disgusted at the idea that God would show mercy to people that Jonah felt didn't deserve it. So, when God calls Jonah, he runs. He pays the fare to get on this ship, and as he gets on the ship, he goes down into the belly of the ship and he falls asleep. God sends a huge storm, and the sailors realize that it was because of Jonah that this storm was happening, so they were freaking out and woke him up. Ironically, the sailors, who didn't know the God of Jonah, acted more in line with God than Jonah did. They asked him to appeal to the Lord, his God. He didn't. He was in full-on rebellion, so he suffers the consequences of running. He was tossed overboard and sinks to the bottom of the sea. You know the story. Here's the thing that's so ironic, God does for Jonah what God wanted to do for the Ninevites through Jonah. Pretty wild, huh? So, just as Ryan shared a few weeks ago, we see a resentful prophet meeting a relentless God. That's the story of Jonah...
Storms are an interesting deal, aren't they? We're going to read about one in the life and story of Jonah this morning. The book of Jonah is literary genius. Please don't hear me saying it's fairy tale, or parable, but it's written geniusly. It's intended to be funny. It's prophetic, which means before it's parable, before it's literal, before it's either of those things, Jonah has a message for us. It's prophetic. That's the type of book it is in the library of the Scriptures.
Jonah's going to encounter a storm. I read about this storm in 1850, that battered against the northern island of Scotland. The tide rose and then receded, and the storm revealed these ruins that were underneath. Ruins that were buried underneath these grassy hills and nobody near they were there. I think it's similar to the way storms work in your life and the way storms work in mine. We often think the storm creates something. I'd like to propose to you today that the storm typically doesn't create anything, it just reveals what's already there. It reveals what's underneath. It reveals the things that we're maybe good at keeping hidden, on normal days, but when the storm rolls in, and we get the call from the doctor about our health, or the call about the Stock Market crashing, or any other thing like that, when the storm rolls in, it has this tendency to reveal what we're actually holding onto. It has a tendency of revealing what's underneath it all...
Over the next six weeks, we're going to have the chance to journey with Jonah, to allow Jonah to be our guide through the Lenten season. Our guide to the cross. Our guide to the resurrection. Metaphorically speaking, we're going to take Jonah's hand and we're going to go for a little bit of a walk. My guess is, even if you're not a follower of Jesus and you're here today, even if you don't know much about the Bible, you've heard about Jonah. Turns out the story about a person getting eaten by a fish and living for three days in its belly is ubiquitous. News about that travels. My guess is you have an opinion about the book of Jonah.
I can remember being a college pastor and walking onto a college campus in southern California, and having someone come up to me. We started a conversation about life, and faith, and Jesus, and it was almost like they hit pause and said, "You don't really believe in the whole Jonah story, do you?" How do you answer somebody who has no interest in faith, has no background in faith or maybe stepped away from faith? What do you say? Here's what I said, "Well, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth died, and was buried in the earth for three days, and walked out of the grave, so I guess believing that somebody survived in the belly of a fish isn't any harder than that." My goal was let me get to Jesus as quick as I can...
{Ryan Paulson:} Our teaching text is Matthew 4:12-23 today. If you have your Bible, you can open up there. I'm going to read it, then Larry Boatright is going to come teach it. When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali---to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles---the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. This is the Word of God.
{Larry Boatright:} Good morning. Today is the last Sunday before we begin the season of Lent, as Ryan sort of shared. It's really a season where we acknowledge our own mortality. It's designed to help us to stare at that, and it's probably good to do that every year. It's beautiful because we go into Easter, and Easter is just so significant because of that. This week we kick off Lent with Ash Wednesday service. I really hope you'll come to that. I think it'll be a really meaningful time for all of us, and I'm excited about it...
If you really packed the guys in, you could probably get 15 people in one of those boats. These guys were pros and they'd been on this sea hundreds of times in their lives. They'd been there in the middle of the night because some of the best fishing happened in the middle of the night. As they started to go across that 13 mile journey from one end of the shore to the other in the Sea of Galilee, a huge storm just came out of nowhere and started buffeting against their boat. You can imagine wind and waves and water rushing to your face. You couldn't see anything anyway since it was pitch dark; three in the morning by this time. Inevitably, the question had to come up, because all the disciples would have been asking it: Whose idea was it that we cross the lake in the middle of the night? You guessed it! Jesus's idea. You wonder if there was a conversation that happened back and forth: Man, we've been trusting that guy with an awful lot, is he trustworthy, because it certainly seems like this little boat is going down? It was at that point that they looked out, and shining through the darkness looked like a ghost. A ghost! Out of the darkness comes a voice: Take heart! It is I! Do not be afraid! If you're one of the disciples, you might have shouted back: That's easy for you, Jesus! You're not the one seeing the ghost, or somebody walking on water! Either way, it's a bit frightening! Take heart it is I, do not be afraid. (Matt. 14:27) The next thing that happens is shocking. I for one am so glad.....Peter gets a bad rap, but I'm so glad Peter's there. Any time you start to get down on Peter, just remember, he's one of only two people that have ever lived that have ever walked on water! So don't slam him too quickly. We wouldn't have nearly the humorous stories we have in the Bible if it weren't for Peter. Lord, if it's you, if it's really you....I know that you've said it's you, but if it's you command me to come out on the water. Come. Come. Not...Peter, I want to assure you this is Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah, the long-awaited King of Israel. Here's my ID. Here's my driver's license. Let me give you just a few things only you could know about, Peter. I want to assure you it's me. None of that. Just.....come. I can imagine Peter getting up on the edge of this little 15-person fishing boat. Pitch dark. Wind. Waves. Getting ready to step out of the perfectly good boat, that seems to be holding up, even in the midst of the storm, into the middle of the sea. I wonder if he's thinking as he's stepping out, "How sure am I? Sounds like your voice, but I'm not so sure..."
February 13th, just this last week, flight 5763 took off from the Orange County Airport on its way to Seattle. It didn't quite make it there, because over the High Sierras, it hit what you might refer to as a little bit of turbulence. One of the passengers reported that, along with the flight attendant, the drink cart hit the ceiling of the aircraft. Another passenger said that the plane did not one but two nosedives, sort of ninety degrees down. Just imagine being at 34,000 feet, cruising altitude, having your plane, that's sailing through the air, immediately doing a ninety degree nosedive, and the flight attendant next to you in the air. Five people were injured. The plane had to land in Reno and didn't make it to Seattle because five people had to be hospitalized.
If you've ever been in a situation of turbulence, either in an airplane or in life, you know that you don't just have thoughts in your head that affect the way that you interact with that situation. Your whole body gets into it, doesn't it? If you were to take your pulse, it would be elevated, would it not? Your palms might be a little bit sweaty. You might be yelling things uncontrollably. My parents were in a turbulent situation in an aircraft and somebody grabbed the hands of the people next to them and started praying "The Lord's Prayer."...
I can remember when I was freshman in college and went and purchased the album that song (Obsession) is off of. It was written by Martin Smith, but recorded by David Crowder. I remember lying in my bed in my dorm room at Colorado State, having my Discman next to me. I was listening to the song and thinking to myself, "My heart does burn. Jesus, I want you. Closer than my skin, yeah." All that stuff Crowder's singing, I want it. I was going onto high school campuses and telling people about Jesus; people that didn't want to hear about it...it didn't matter to me. My heart burned.
Around that same time, I started to want a Jeep CJ-7. My heart burned for that too. I went out and bought one, not knowing anything about car mechanics and having zero propensity for repairing anything. It was a 1985 CJ-7 and it didn't have a hardtop (just a soft top) and soft doors. I remember driving away thinking, "This is my freedom." I was on my way home---it was a 45 minute drive from where I purchased the car to my parent's house---and one of those Colorado thunderstorms formed. I was in this Jeep with no top, living it up, when a thunderstorm of epic proportions came right over my head. It was a deluge! I remember getting absolutely destroyed by this thunderstorm, and people in cars next to me were absolutely laughing. It was coming down so hard I had to pull over and I had this thought almost immediately, "Not everything my heart wants is good! Not everything my heart wants is worth wanting!" because I wanted this...and maybe I shouldn't have...
Last weekend as the elders were headed up to Estes Park for our retreat, our middle school group was also heading up to a retreat at Buena Vista. They had left at 5:00 p.m. and were heading up 285 and there was a sign over the road that said, "Road Closure in Fairplay," which isn't a good thing if you're headed to Buena Vista. Through a few radio calls back and forth to the various vans, they decided to take a little bit of a detour. They eventually found themselves at Wadsworth and Chatfield, right near where they left from! From there, they headed up I-70 to miss the road closure and what was suppose to be a two-and-a-half hour trip up to the mountains ended up being a five hour excursion.
Isn't it interesting how we spend most of our lives trying to avoid situations like that and they're the very things that stick with us? Have you ever thought about that? The perfect trip isn't usually the one you remember the details of, it's the one that was a total mess. You remember that trip where nothing went right? Wasn't that great?! We spend a lot of our lives trying to figure out what's the right way to go and what's the right thing to do. It's oftentimes in those in-betweens, in those detours, in those closed doors, that life actually starts to come alive. That's why we've called this series "Life is A Maze(ing)." Because it is! It's both...
It's a bit of irony that some of the greatest movements in the history of the church have been birthed out of some of the sharpest disagreements. Some of the things we celebrate most started off as.....well, a fight. They started off as people on two sides of the aisle unable to come to a conclusion and having very different opinions about the way that things should progress. In Acts 15:1-2, we see one of those situations. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, {The brothers---the church in Antioch) "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the other were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. What follows, in Acts 15, is what we will refer to as the Jerusalem Council. It was one of the church's first ever business meetings. You didn't want to miss a business meeting in the early church though. Some business meetings ended with your teachers being sent on the very first ever missionary journey. You don't want to miss that one. This one you didn't want to miss either. This Jerusalem Council, this church business meeting, actually set the trajectory for the New Testament church. I think what's decided in Acts 15 is the biggest decision the church has ever made.
Can you just imagine what this 300 mile---probably fifteen to twenty day journey---was like? What do you talk about on the way up to Jerusalem from Antioch? Three hundred miles. Paul. Barnabas. Some other people. There might have been some men there that had a vested interest in what this council would decide. Do I have to have a surgery to be part of the church or not? That's part of what's being decided here. But at the core of what they're going to figure out at the Jerusalem Council is what does it really mean, at a very base level, to follow the way of Jesus? What does Jesus ask of us? Is it Jesus AND Moses? Is it Jesus AND surgery? Is it Jesus plus fill-in-the-blank, whatever law you want to fill in from the old covenant? Is it Jesus plus or is it just Jesus? That's what they're going to figure out. A three hundred mile journey and they walk into this meeting where they're going to make the biggest decision the church has ever made. Here it is in verse 5: But some believers who belonged to the part of the Pharisees rose up {Notice: These are believers who are part of the party of the Pharisees, so they got a little residual, okay?} and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them {Gentile believers who have come to faith in the Jewish Messiah, his name is Jesus.} and {This is a big 'and.'} to order them to keep the law of Moses.
Last week we started a series we're calling "Life is A Maze....ing." We're talking about discovering God's will. It's these questions we all have ---- What job should I take? What city should I live in? What relationship should I pursue? We all have these questions, don't we? God, what do you want me to do with my life? If you're God, and I believe that you are, and you have a plan, and I believe that you do, how do I align myself with it? We spend a lot of time, and we might lose a lot of sleep asking that question? At times it can be laborious and at times it can be a little bit annoying to go God, I just don't know. That feeling of 'I don't know' is also the very feeling that makes us feel like we're alive. If we did away with that, if we knew exactly what to do at every moment and time and we were just robots being controlled, life wouldn't be nearly as amazing as it is. The reality is that God has given us choice. He's given us freedom. If you came last week, that's why you're back today, because you believe that your choices matter. You have the ability to choose between a myriad of different options and what you do with your life. If you didn't believe that, you wouldn't be here today. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be giving this sermon!
We'll talk about this each week because we want to give a little bit of framework. Last week, we said that if you were to read through the Scriptures, you're going to find three different types of wills of God. You can't go through a single passage and find these, you need to sort of dig and mine a little bit. Let me give you the first one: It's God's sovereign will. That's the 'thus saith the Lord,' this is going to happen. God is in heaven and he does whatever pleases him, the psalmist says. But that's different than saying 'everything that happens is God's will' or 'that God wills everything that happens.' Within his sovereign will, God says to some things, I'm going to give you freedom. You're going to have to use your brain. It's not a decoration. It's not a hood ornament for your life. You should actually use it. We're going to talk about that today. Within God's sovereign will there's a lot of freedom. We said last week: God gets everything he wills, but he doesn't get everything he wants. There are some moments that God says to us, I've given you free choice and you've chosen to go one direction, but I wish you would have done something else...
How many of you thought that was a Christmas song [We Three Kings] that we just sang during our offertory? Here's a little pastoral rebuke for you: It's actually not. It's not a Christmas song at all. It's a song about a season that actually begins today. Christmas technically ended yesterday, and today we begin a season in the church calendar called Epiphany. Epiphany comes from a Greek word that means "to manifest" or "to show" or "to reveal." It's the day where the church comes together and celebrates the magi. They were sort of pagan stargazers who came and worshipped King Jesus. There weren't three of them; there were probably multitudes of them. They brought three gifts, though, and that's where we probably get the idea of "We Three Kings." Just a nerdy, anecdotal side note: The Church celebrated Epiphany for hundreds of years before it ever celebrated Christmas. We started, as a Church, celebrating Christmas because of some heresies that arose that said that Jesus wasn't really fully man; he was actually sort of a spiritual being. The Church said no, no, no, no, no, it's so important that Jesus was actually born of a woman, we're going to start celebrating THAT day. We call it Christmas now, but for hundreds of years before the Church ever celebrated Christmas, it celebrated Epiphany. Today. The revealing or the showing of the Messiah.
If you have your Bible, open to Matthew 2:1-2. {This won't be our main text for today.} After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." I've thought about that this week as I've been dwelling on this transition from Christmas, and the celebration of incarnation, to Epiphany, the celebration of the revealing of the Messiah. I don't know about you, but I'd love to have a few more stars in my life. Wouldn't you? I would love to have a star over.....hey, here's the city you're suppose to live in. In fact, let's get more specific, why not a star over the house you're suppose to rent or buy? Or, how about a star over....here's the job that you're suppose to take. Or, how about a star over the date you're suppose to retire. Let's get a star for that, God! Why don't you deliver on that one for us? Or, here's a star over the person you're suppose to marry. I haven't gotten a whole lot of stars in my life. What about you?...
I've been reminded, during this Advent season leading up to Christmas, that there are two kinds of people in the world: There are those that agree with me and are right; there are those that agree with my wife and are wrong. I grew up watching the movie "A Christmas Story," and I happen to think it's a brilliant film. Not everybody agrees with me. There's one scene in this movie that makes me laugh every time I see it. {Ryan plays scene where Ralphie's overly dressed little brother falls in the snow and can't get up.} How many of you have felt like that at some point in time? I can't get up! I'm too bundled up. I've got too much going on. I think if we're honest, we all come to that place at some point in our life where we go life feels cumbersome. There's a lot of weight to carry. There's a lot of things going on. Sometimes they wrap us up in such a way that we can't get up.
Last year, I decided to read a book that my English required I read and I never did! Shhh! It's called The Grapes of Wrath. Written by John Steinbeck in 1939, it's about a family that lives in Oklahoma during the dustbowls. They decide to move and leave because their land is depleted and their lives are depleted. The book is about their journey on the way to California. They have this hope that when they get to California it's going to be greener pastures, it's going to be a better life. There are signs along the way in the gas stations, and there's this hope that when they get to THAT place, eventually they'll be able to get up. Eventually they'll be able to live. Eventually they'll find some sort of satisfaction, some sort of pleasure, some sort of freedom. If you've read the book, what you know is that when they get there it's like chasing the wind. It's an allusive mist that they try to grab. They wind up feeling just as empty as when they left. I got to the end of the book and thought I think this book is so popular because it's well written, number one, but it's the human story in a lot of ways, isn't it? We leave one place that doesn't satisfy, in order to go to greener pastures and quiet waters, and it ends up just leaving us wanting...
Last week I opened up by saying one of my favorite things about Christmas is Christmas movies. That is true. One of my second favorite things about Christmas is the songs. I love singing Christmas songs. {Ryan asks congregation to share favorite songs with person next to them.} One of my favorite Christmas songs this year is "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." But there's a song that's not growing on me [like Hark the Herald]. Every time this song comes on the radio, I think to myself, "I don't know. I'm not sure." The song is "Mary Did You Know?" Before you hate me, here's what's going on in my head the entire song --- SHE KNEW! SHE KNEW! Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters? She knew. Mary, did you know that your baby boy has come to make you knew? She knew. Mary, did you know that this child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you? Yes, she knew. Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? She knew. Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations? She knew. She knew. I am lamenting this, in our kitchen, and Kelly says, "Well, did she know he'd walk on water?" Okay, 75% of the song, she knew! How do we know?
If you have your Bible, open to Luke 1:30-35, that's where we're going to start today. Here's the way we know that SHE KNEW. It's called the Annunciation. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." {Isn't it interesting that finding favor with God has the potential to lead us to fear? Sometimes what God does in our life are things that we don't quite expect and maybe didn't chart out on our own, and every time we find favor with God, we either have the choice to operate in faith or fear. That's a side note.} And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy----the Son of God...
I love the Christmas season! One of the things that I think I love most about this time of year is those Christmas movies. My favorite Christmas movie---judge me if you must---is "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." One of my favorite scenes in the entire movie is where Clark W. Griswold has worked for days putting up lights on his house, and he's finally got them working. [The camera] pans to the scene where Cousin Eddy is unexpectedly there. He's got his RV and he's staying for an indeterminate amount of time. One of the things I love about this movie is it points out some of the comedy, and in a very funny way, the pain of family. We all probably have someone in our family like Cousin Eddy, where we wonder, "Are they coming this year?" If you don't have a Cousin Eddy....you might BE Cousin Eddy!
The longer I've pastored, the longer I've worked with people, the longer I've counseled people, I've come to find out that Christmas, and the holiday season in general, is sort of a double-edged sword. As Dickens writes: It's the best of times and the worst of times. For some people, there's joy and elation....oh my goodness, Christmas is coming and it's marked on the calendar. For others, oh my goodness, Christmas is coming and it's marked on the calendar.....and it's sort of in 'red,' do you know what I mean? If we went around the room and shared, and if people were bold enough to say, "Hey, this is why Christmas is hard for me," a lot of what we would see if we drilled down deep enough, is a lot of the pain and a lot of the questions and a lot of the angst around the holiday season in general, has to do with family, doesn't it? For some, maybe there's a fracture in the family, so when people show up, it just reminds you that things aren't what you wish they were or what you think they should be. For some of us, we have a very empty seat at the dinner table for Christmas dinner, don't we? Some of you are coming up on that for the very first Christmas and you don't know what it's going to do to you? For some, it's just man, family's coming! It raises the level of anxiety because it's sort of a wildcard. It might be amazing, it might be great, and it might hit the fan! Who knows?...
If you're anything like me, I get real excited about the Christmas season, I get excited about Advent, and we put a lot of energy into it and then we feel exhausted when it's done. Are you with me? December 25th hits and we're like, I don't want to see anybody, I don't want to talk to anybody. I know that Jesus has been born, but I've drunk so much eggnog and had so many parties and I've seen so many people, I just need a moment to myself. Is anybody with me? We get done with Christmas and we're like, hey, we can only do this once a year, because it's exhausting. What if we could make a few minor changes in the way that we think, in the way that we act, in the way that we engage this season, rather than ending this season feeling like we're running on empty? What if? Imagine in four weeks you felt like you had more energy, you felt like you had a bigger vision for what God was up to, you're more excited for what was coming in the future than you are right now. I think that's what God wants to do in our lives as a community of faith over the next few weeks. We're starting a series this week that we're calling "Filling Up Christmas." We all fill up Christmas, we just sometimes fill it up with the wrong things. I want to point us back to the Scriptures, over the next few weeks. I want to point us back to the way of Jesus, in hopes of really painting for us a different picture of what Christmas might look like.
Every year when I was growing up, I had elementary teachers that had us make a Christmas chain. Each one of the links in this chain represent one day from now until Christmas Eve. So there's twenty-two links on here and each one represents one day. As a kid, I remember making these in elementary school and thinking, "It's coming! Christmas is on its way!" Every time we tore off one of these links, the anticipation just started to build. Oh man, it's one day less before that present that I have been waiting for is at my door. It was our way, as kids, of counting time...
Josh Suddath - Student Pastor
My prayer life often feels abysmal. I often feel like I’m just not going to God like I should or as much as I should. But 6 years ago married to a prayer warrior named Kristine and she’s fantastic. And my bible tells me that through marriage and the uniting of our spirits we are two people acting as one. So for the next half hour I’m going to act like her prayer life makes my prayer life better and pretend I know what I’m talking about.
6 years into our friendship, and 2 years before we got married, my wife started praying that God might do something in the heart of a slow, clueless Southern boy from Tennessee. She prayed, and she didn’t tell anybody, for 2 years. As year 2 came to a close, she went to the beach with her friends and shared her heart with them – “I’ve been praying for 2 years now and nothing has happened...I’m ready to give it up...
Next week, we will be done with this series on Elijah; we've given seven messages in all. This brings us to the conclusion of this life of the ancient prophet of Israel, Elijah. We saw Elijah burst onto the scene, sort of came out of nowhere. He stepped into the king's palace and made a declaration about drought and a confident call that Yahweh was the King above all kings, the Lord above all lords, the God above all gods. We've traced Elijah's journey over the last few weeks and now we're coming to the end of his journey. The end of his journey is unique. It's not intended to be looked at as normative. Elijah is one of only two people we have recorded in Scripture who didn't die. Enoch is his counterpart in Genesis 5, but Elijah's ending is as strange as his life, in many ways. It comes to an abrupt end where he's taken---spoiler alert!---in a chariot of fire up to heaven. As we read his story, his story conjures up all sorts of questions in our life, at least in my life....questions about what heaven is going to be like. I think there's this sort of transcendent human longing to figure out what's next. We have people who have these, supposed, experiences of heaven and they write books. A guy named Don Piper wrote a book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, in which he was supposedly in a car accident and died and for ninety minutes spent some time in heaven, came back and made millions of dollars and wrote a book about it. I'm not saying it didn't happen. He very well may have had that experience. In Heaven is for Real, you have this four-year-old boy who dies and goes to heaven and experiences things and learns things he really shouldn't have been able to learn in any other way. His dad wrote a book. 90 Minutes in Heaven has sold over six million copies, Heaven is for Real has sold over twelve million copies since it came out in 2010. I tell you this, not to say you should go buy one of these books to figure out what heaven's like. I'm not saying they're wrong, but I'm just saying somebody's experience is never a great foundation to build your theology off of. I think, we should go to the Scriptures and see what the Scriptures have to say about heaven. If you want to read an interesting book, pick up one of those, but then really hold it up to see what the Scriptures say...
If you've been with us over the last few weeks, you know that we're journeying through the life of one of Israel's ancient prophets, his name is Elijah. Elijah sort of jumped onto the scene in 1 Kings 17, where he burst into King Ahab's palace and declared, "It's not going to rain again until I say it's going to rain." Doesn't exactly make you a lot of friends. Elijah quickly found himself on the run, led by God into the wilderness, the place at Kerith, where he was both cut down and then built back up. Shortly thereafter, he went to Zarephath and met a widow. God continued to build Elijah's faith. We've sort of seen this journey Elijah's been on as one where God is growing him and shaping him and molding him into the man of God that He designed him to be. His faith grows at Zarephath, so much so that he calls out the prophets of Baal. He tells Ahab to have the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to meet him on Mount Carmel. At that place, Elijah challenges them to see whose God is the God of all the gods. Elijah calls down fire from heaven and the fire consumes this sort of small mountain they're on. Elijah, instead of beating his chest and saying God, you're at work, God, you're amazing, God, you're great, actually runs. Finds himself in the season of depression where he's wondering where God is and he runs to the wilderness. He runs to Mount Sinai.
Last week, Liz Ditty did a great job of preaching that text in 1 Kings 19, and we're going to pick up where she left off today, but I just want to remind you that the context of our passage this morning comes out of verse 3 of 1 Kings 19 and it says this: Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. He's been on the run. He's heard the voice of God in the midst of this mountain---in the cleft of the rocks. He does not hear Him in the fire, not in the earthquake of thunder, but God in the whisper. This intimate, still small voice of God declaring His goodness and His love. The question I want to ask today is where do you go from there?...
Guest Speaker: Author and Spiritual Director Liz Ditty
If you could have the 100% complete and honest answer to any question this morning, what would you ask? When I was twelve, I only had one burning question, and that was.....Does Jonathan Green have a crush on me? Fortunately, I was a child of the 80's, so my cousin had the foolproof thing that could give me my answer. The magic 8 ball. I must have shaken this thing thirteen times, and it always came up doubtful. The truth is Jonathan Green never had a crush on me. I'd like to think that's because early on God knew that He had Mike Ditty, who was going to be the perfect man to walk with me through all the ups and downs of life. That Mike's best friend, Rob Colwill, would be the best man in our wedding. That he and his wife, Kristine, would speak wisdom and life into our marriage years before he became an elder here at South. That if Jonathan Green had gotten in the way, we might not be here this morning. I'd like to think that it's that well thought out, but the truth is I was a quirky kid and I cut my own bangs and I'm pretty sure that had a lot to do with it.
As that little girl grew up, my questions grew up with me. I wanted to know why it was so hard to make friends and why I was so lonely all the time. I wanted to know why, when I finally got my dream job, I didn't actually like it. I wanted to know why I couldn't make my family look like I wanted it to look like. I wanted to know what success actually looked like in my life and how I would know I had it. None of those questions could be answered by two words on a 20-sided dice. Today, we're going to rediscover the most important questions that we have and the best place that we can take them. I think Elijah can help us...
What do you do after you've been miraculously fed by ravens; they've brought you little cakes in the desert? In a middle of a drought, you had a brook that gave you enough to drink. You saw oil and flour not run out; miraculously multiplied over and over and over again; God's provision that's unmistakable. You saw somebody raised from the dead, because you prayed and laid down on this young boy and he came back to life. Then you stand on Mount Carmel and you call down fire from heaven and it comes down. {Quick survey---How many of you have down ANY of those things?} What do you do after that? After that scorched earth is still breathing up the remnant of that fire, where you see these prophets that are slaughtered in this valley. I mean, this is when, if you're Elijah, you have people hoist you up on their shoulders and carry you down the mountain, right? This is where you cue the confetti for the Super Bowl parade. This is where there's high fives and there's no going back. This is where you beat your chest and go, "That's my God!" Only that's not what happened! As high as Elijah was on that hill, he drops almost immediately to the valley.
1 Kings 19. We're going to see more of the human, frail side of Elijah this morning. I think maybe we can relate to that side of him a little bit better than we can relate to the side that calls fire from heaven and sees it happen. I don't know. Just me. Verse 1 --- Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. {You'll remember, if you've been here over the last few weeks, Jezebel is Ahab's wicked wife. She's a worshipper of Baal. She's brought that worship to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. She's killed many of the prophets of Yahweh. She's a blood-thirsty, vindictive, violent woman.} So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods {Those gods that were silent, those gods that weren't able to produce fire, those gods that Yahweh was more powerful than....those gods.} deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Then Elijah said, "Well, MY God raised the dead! And MY God called down fire from heaven. And MY God is with me. And MY God is for me and you're not going to tell me what to do because....[Ryan sings] my God is greater//My God is stronger//My God is higher than any other... Right? That's what I expect and that's what I hope for from one of the ancient prophets of Israel, one of these guys we still name kids after. That's what I expect...
I can remember this day because there was a lot of buildup. The day was January 28, 1997. It was the summer before my senior year of high school. A bunch of my friends and I had gone in together to buy a Pay-per-view boxing match. It was Evander Holyfield vs. 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Most boxing matches you don't remember; my guess is, you at least have a recollection of this one. In the third round, Mike Tyson came out of the gate, tried to spit out his mouth guard, and promptly bit off a portion of Evander Holyfield's ear! I had just dipped my first chip in the queso and I'm putting it up to my mouth and it's over....because a portion of Holyfield's ear is on the floor. I decided that day that I'm not a huge fan of boxing. What I recognize is that there is this draw to see a fight. Whenever there's a fight, there's a crowd that forms, right? There's something in us where we go......I at least want to look on and check it out. I have a friend that invited me to go see Conor McGregor vs. [Khabib Nurmagomedov]. It was billed as the best UFC fight in the history of UFC. I said no because I had been watching the Kavanaugh hearings that week and I'd seen enough fighting.
Have you noticed that all around us there is fighting? There's a survey that's done by the Institute for Economics and Peace. They give the world a peace rating every single year. Peace is steadily on the decline, but what they found out in their most recent survey of the 162 countries around the globe that they surveyed, only ELEVEN of them are without military conflict of some sort. 162 countries surveyed and only 11 can say we're not involved in some sort of war or some sort of conflict with our military. That's been the case for a long time. It is the case now. Here's my question: Are we just not listening to John Lennon; have we just not given peace a chance? Is that what's going on here? Or is there more going on in the world than we can see with just our natural eyes?...
I was in second or third grade and I was in a particular math section. The teacher was trying to teach us some math concepts, and for some reason, my brain could not get it. She gave exercise after exercise and she circled the plane ten different ways. Now when my kids come home and they ask for help with math, there's like 117 different ways to it and they have to know them all, I'm like, "Can't help you, dude, sorry." I was not getting it. She gave us this very specific process to follow to explain this particular type of math. Then she gave us a test. As teachers often do, she asked us to show our work, which means you've got to show them to do it the way they taught you to do it. I didn't like that because it seemed real hard, so I came up with my own way to solve the problem. A new technique, if you will. On the top right of my paper, I wrote, "Here's a new way to do this the proper way." I was trying to teach my teacher the right way to do this. I wrote this formula---here's how you do it---and I was hoping she'd learn from this---it's going to be in a textbook someday. I showed my work according to my own sort of plan and then I solved the problem. She was not as excited about this path as I was, which is really, really interesting. The other thing is.....it was ALL wrong! Every bit of it! The process was wrong. The final answer was wrong. All of that! After sort of going I don't want to choose this hard path, I had to go back and choose the hard path, because she made me redo it all. I still don't understand how to do it!
We're in the series called "Hills and Valleys" and we've been exploring what do we do during uncertain times and how do we navigate through those? We're looking at the life of Elijah to help us walk that journey. Last week, Ryan talked about how being in the wilderness is a training ground. I remember listening to that and going, I don't know about you, but I hate that. I was like I do not like this --- the wilderness is a training ground. I think it's because I wish there were a better way to experience growth. But I've learned, as many of us have, that it seems like those wilderness moments have such power to shape us into who God created us to be...
If you have a picture in your mind about what a prophet is like, might I suggest to you that the biblical image might ruin your idyllic view. Prophets, in the Scriptures, weren't people who had their own TV show, weren't people who made a lot of money, they weren't people who flew around and had large followings. They were sort of fringe folks. They were the people that were on the outside of the norm, as far as faith went. They were people that took off their clothes and preached naked. They were people who cooked their food over a flaming pile of dung. They were people who married a prostitute to make a point. The prophets were on the fringes of faith. They were sojourners. They were wrestlers. They were people who had to fight for their faith. Far from being stable, they were people who doubted God. If you read through the prophet Isaiah, if you read through Jeremiah, oftentimes you'll get this lament, "God, where in the world are you?" Sojourners---physically and spiritually. Elijah, who we're starting our series on today, was no different than those other ancient prophets of Yahweh. His life is full of ups and downs, of hills and valleys. We'll see next week that Elijah sees the dead raised. He sees fire called down from heaven to wipe out the prophets of Baal. Then after that, he runs for his life for fear of Jezebel, this wicked queen. He hides in the desert. He laments that he was ever born. He contemplates taking his own life. He's a prophet who tastes joy and sorrow. Immense success and incredible defeat. He is a prophet who has great faith in God and doubts God. He's a prophet of both the hills and the valleys...
We're at week four of a four-week series that we've entitled "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" It was inspired by Jesus who inspired Mr. Rogers who then inspired us. We've been talking about being neighborly. Not about defining who are neighbor is but about becoming neighborly. We said, a few weeks ago, that that's not always easy. As long as there's been hospitality, there's been complaining about offering it. The Scriptures are real honest and say: Offer hospitality without grumbling. Evidently that was a thing 2000 years ago too. Last week we said that the ordinary table might be the best evangelistic invention ever created; that something sacred happens when people gather around a table. These four weeks are really one message put together, so today is the conclusion those messages --- Won't you be my neighbor? I grew up in southern California, so like Colorado, most of the days were sunny, although there seemed to be a cloud that hovered over one house on the street that I lived on. It was the house of Mr. Marshall. Before there was Clint Eastwood telling people to get off his lawn, there was Mr. Marshall making it clear he didn't want you anywhere near his house. It was covered with overgrown juniper bushes and the lawn was unkempt. Even if it was sunny and 85, which it was most days, his house seemed to be covered in a cloud of gloom. We avoided it---this was how bad it was---even on Halloween! He might as well had a sign, outside of his house, that said "Keep Out." If a ball went into his yard---which it did often---it stayed there. Keep out...
Welcome. You're here on week three of a four-week series called "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" How many of you have seen the Mr. Roger's documentary that they did? Amazing documentary and tribute to an amazing man who really lived out the way of love, and did so in a compelling, breathtaking way. Kelly and I saw the movie and I thought I really need to do a series on this because my heart's plea to Jesus is that our church would look a little bit more like Mr. Roger's neighborhood. The first week we talked about the fact that God isn't calling us to identify or define our neighbor, that's sort of a low-level question. In fact, He's asking us to become neighborly to whomever we might meet. Last week we said that's not easy; as long as there's been hospitality, there's been complaining about offering it. In 1 Peter 4:8-9, Peter writes to the church and says: Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. We typically grumble when we offer hospitality.....They're coming over again? How long are they going to stay? Are they going to jack up our house and eat up all our food? My goodness! We said we've got to build margin into our life if we're actually going to live out this way of Jesus, of not just offering hospitality but doing so without grumbling.
I don't know about you, but as I've been wrestling with this topic more and more, and Jesus has been calling me to open my heart, my life, and my home, more and more, I've been seeing more opportunities to do that. Anybody with me? At the beginning of September, I was asked to be on a world religions panel at Kelly's high school, Mountain Vista. I was there along with a Buddhist, a Hindu, and a Muslim imam. They asked us a number of different questions. At one point, the Muslim was explaining things we get wrong about Islam. He asked the class a question: How many of you guys have a Muslim friend? A few of the students' hands went up. I thought to myself, "I can't raise my hand to that. I don't have a Muslim friend." In that moment I thought, "But I want one." After the panel, we all left and I was driving back to work thinking, "I really want....I would love a Muslim friend." So I emailed him. I said something like hi, this is Ryan from the panel. Great job. Really fun to meet you. I don't have any Muslim friends and I would like one. I felt like I was in middle school again....Will you be my friend? Check 'yes' or 'no.' He wrote back and said, "I'd love to be friends." We started up this conversation via email and last Monday we went out for lunch together. We got to talk about our faith. We got to talk about our families. We got to talk about our upbringing. We got to talk about Jesus. It was as though as the table sort of turned into this altar, where something unique and something special started to happen...
This series is like one long message! You may have walked away last week thinking, "Yeah, I know, hospitality's really good, Ryan. That's a great idea. BUT...." We have a whole list of "buts," don't we? We have a whole list of reasons why it's really, really hard. To that, I want to say, "You're right! It is." I want to spend the next 35 minutes or so affirming you're right! BUT.... I was a sophomore at college at Colorado State University and was walking across the courtyard. I saw a man who had a long beard, sort of unkempt, had a smock on (it looked homemade), had pants that looked like they were homemade, and he was holding a cardboard sign that said: "What do you think about Jesus?" At that point in time, I was a follower of Jesus, I was serving with Young Life, and I thought, "Wow! That's really cool that he's sitting in the middle of our courtyard just striking up conversations with people." I went up and met him. His name was Jerry. We got into a conversation about Jesus. At the end of our conversation, I said to him, "Hey, Jerry, if you ever need a place to take a shower, here's our phone number, give us a call." He was experiencing homelessness. I found out that homeless people take you up on offers that other people sometimes won't. Two days later my phone rang. It was Jerry and he asked, "Does the offer still stand to come and take a shower?" I was living with three other guys and asked if they were cool with it and they said yeah, they were. So Jerry came over and took a shower. As he was leaving, we said, "Jerry, if you know any friends who need a place to take a shower, our house is open, call us anytime." He did.....and so did his friends. We said, "Hey, Jerry, if you ever need a place to throw your tent, you can throw it in our backyard." So....he did! It was really cold one evening, so we poked our heads out the back door and said, "Hey, Jerry, (and to his friends) if it's ever too cold for you guys and you'd like to come and sleep inside, come on in." And they did! For two-and-a-half years of my college life, I lived with four to five homeless guys who slept on our couches, on shelves in our garage. I can tell you this, it wasn't always easy. Eventually we had to ask them to leave...
A few months ago, our elders started to ask this question: What would it look like to create a culture of hospitality? Where, as a church family, we didn't just attend, but we gathered together and linked arms and hearts. Not just show up on a Sunday morning, but open our homes and our lives to the people who we worship with. It was our conviction, not that we weren't that place, but there were some ways that Jesus was drawing us deeper and inviting us to more, that this would feel more like a family. One of our values here is that we're family together, not just on Sunday morning, but throughout the week as well. About that same time, my wife and I went out on a date night and we went and saw a movie. This will give you a little insight on just how nerdy we actually are. We don't watch superhero movies---nothing against them, just not our jam. We went and saw a movie called "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" It was a documentary about Mr. Rogers. I walked out of that movie with this angst in my soul. My wife Kelly watched the entire movie with a Kleenex in hand, crying a little bit throughout the whole thing, and popcorn in the other hand. I walked out with this conviction, this thought in my head, "What if church looked more like Mr. Rogers' neighborhood?" Where there wasn't any other standard than presence to be invited in. Where you didn't have to reach some sort of affluence level. You didn't have to have a certain color of skin. You didn't have to talk a certain way or be from a certain place. If you were there, you were invited. I walked out of that movie deeply touched and it stuck with me, and it's helped to shape and form the next four weeks of our teaching series. In case you haven't seen the movie, I just wanted you to get a little glimpse, here's the trailer. {Video plays} "The greatest thing we can do is help someone know that they're loved and capable of loving." How many of you watched Mr. Rogers at some point in your life? I did. After I watched the film, I remember trying to remember an episode of it. I can't remember any single episode of Mr. Rogers, but I can remember the way that I felt when I watched it. It was drawing me in. There was this sort of healing balm, this love, that just sort of beckoned and said, "Come a little bit closer. It's safe here..."
My family has been here two years and we just love this body and being at South Fellowship and plugging in with the Young Adults. A few weeks ago, we were going to have a worship night and I had this vision months before. We were going to have lots of young adults come to the great outdoors of Colorado and enjoy seeing the creation God has created. We'd have the mountains in the background and enjoy worshipping our Creator outside. We've ended previous summers with a worship night in the park (Clement Park). I was really excited about this year and wanted to plan something really cool. A few months ago, the Ascent Project Band led worship here at South and my wife and I looked at each other and said, "This would be a great band to lead that night." I contacted them and they were willing to come. Our own Erich Schmitt came out and set up all his sound equipment. Earlier in the day, there was a chance of rain forecasted. I was praying, "God, this night is for you. A hundred young adults would be coming to worship you. We're going to see what you're going to do tonight." Everybody was praying for no rain. My wife called me when she brought the kids to the park and asked, "Do you think we should go to the library first?" I told them not to take the risk so they went to the library.
Let me tell you about my family. I'm married to Ellen. She's an incredible mom, an author, and passionate worship leader. We have four kids: David, Emily, Lucy, and Elizabeth. We've been blessed with their energy, excitement and their joy in our life. I'm beginning my third year at Denver Seminary...
My name's AJ. I'm from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's really good to be here. Here's a question I want to begin with: Can we go deep this morning? Is that okay? Richard Foster had this amazing sentence in his work, Celebration of Discipline, when he says, "The world's greatest need today isn't for intelligent people or cool people or innovative people. All that's well and good. The world's greatest need right now is for deep people. People who are thinking deeply about good questions about life and beginning to live in accordance with what they're discovering."
In America, I'll suggest this, fifty years ago, God was largely assumed, so the temptation was to doubt. In America today, God is largely ignored and the temptation is to believe. We've entered a kind of cultural moment where the longing for something transcendent is returning. I think we're discovering the career ladder isn't enough and that our consumer habits don't quite satisfy like they once did. And more technology has only led to increased anxiety. Do you remember the fax machine? When that came out, everyone thought finally, we can rest, right? I think many are beginning once again to ask the great questions, curious if maybe there is something beyond the stars. Maybe what you're going to hear for the next few minutes isn't actually for you, but it's for your colleague, for your neighbor, to better understand the cultural moment that we're in, that we can begin to sort of say that's the frame of the twenty-first century American life. How do I actually live within that frame given my neighbors and given my friendships and given my family members, who are just now moving out of cynicism and beginning to say maybe there is something beyond our grasp....something beyond that maybe just knows our names and maybe calls us the beloved. There's a haunting suspicion, I think, that's returning to the twenty-first century western hemisphere. The haunting suspicion is that perhaps the cosmos is, in fact, enchanted with the divine, and that's it's not all just probability and a collision of molecules...
I grew up in an era where we didn't wear helmets for everything that was even a little bit dangerous, therefore, we had the chance to play games on the playground that mattered. One of those games was entitled "Red Rover." Red Rover is a game where you link arms with other people and there's other people across from you with linked arms as well, and you say, "Red rover, red rover, send Ryan right over." When your name's called, you have to run and try your best to break through the human chain that's on the other side, without getting captured. I've found that there's two types of people in life --- there are people who love to hear their name called in "Red Rover," and there are people who hate to hear their name called in "Red Rover."
I think life is a little bit like "Red Rover." I think life in the kingdom of God can feel a little bit like "Red Rover." If you've been here the last few months, here's what you've heard Jesus invite you to so you live life knowing that you're blessed regardless of your circumstances. You live life, in the kingdom of God, becoming more and more free from anger; becoming more and more free from lust; becoming more and more honest about who you are---the good things about you, the shortcomings you have. You live in the kingdom learning to love your enemies instead of persecuting them, to bless people instead of cursing them---people that do you wrong. You learn how to live a life of prayer. You learn how to be a non-anxious presence in the world. You learn how to trust your Good Father for everything that you need. You begin to learn not to judge the people around you, but to be for them...
We're going to wrestle with some very easy words from Jesus today --- DO. NOT. JUDGE. Or you too will be judged. It's Jesus's teaching on the Sermon on the Mount and I joked last week about wanting an easy sermon. . . .one easy message from the Sermon on the Mount. . .and I think this is it. Here's why. Because when we talk about being judgmental, all of us have somebody in our mind who should be here today, but none of us think it's us. Judgmentalism is always a problem for somebody else, but very rarely do you meet somebody who says, "I'm just one of the most judgmental people you will ever meet in your life!" We don't say that. We say, "I think I'm right. I'm not judgmental, I'm just right. And I'm right the majority of the time and I don't mind telling people that I am right!"
So this gently---from somebody who's been wrestling with judgmentalism this week---you might fall into the same category that I found that I fell into that I'm a secret judger. I'm judgmental. I don't lead with it. I cover it pretty well most of the time, but when it comes down to it, I'm judgmental. Here's a few things that I'm judgmental about: I am judgmental of you if you are a Yankees fan. Or if you're a Patriots fan. {Bye, Felicia.} If you think that cats are better than dogs, repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand! If you don't like In 'n Out Burger, I don't have a place in my heart for you...
That was good worship, wasn't it? But it stirred this question in me. We're singing "This is My Father's World," right? We see the sunrise, that he spoke into existence, that shouts for joy as it dances it's way across the sky. This is my Father's world, and yet, I don't know about you, but there's time when I open my news app and think, "God, this is a weird world for you to own." Sometimes You're way, way, way distant. Sure, the mountains praise and declare your glory, but where are you when. . . .fill-in-the-blank? Sometimes the darkness seems to hide His face, does it not? There are times when the wrong seems oft so strong; one of the reasons we gather together is to say He is the ruler yet. Amen? So we gather today for a different vision of the world we live in, not one that's less real, but one that's more real. Not one that's less observant, but one that's more observant. To recognize that even in the midst of the darkness, our God is at work, and if we lose sight of that, it will dramatically shape the way that we live. So all throughout the Scriptures, the God of heaven commands his people to live in such a way that they recognize that He's not distant, but that He's present. He gives us commands and he gives us instruction that aligns with that reality.
So all throughout the Sermon on the Mount, we've been talking about a different way of life. We've been talking about a way of wisdom, Jesus's wisdom. Sometimes Jesus's wisdom feels crazy, does it not? Love your enemies. Pray for those that persecute you. Do good to those who wrong you. Rid your life of anger. I've been searching for an easy message in the Sermon on the Mount and I haven't found one yet. Here's the reason why. . .when God presents his kingdom and his kingdom ethic, it flies in the face of our kingdom. If we want to hold onto our kingdom, we're going to reject the Jesus kingdom. In order to accept the Jesus kingdom, the kingdom of God or the kingdom of the heavens, we've got to let go of our own kingdom and---look up at me for a second---that's hard for us! It goes against the grain of everything inside of us that wants to hold on...
I want to say thank you to your pastor; we've been friends for eight months. You have an excellent, top shelf, amazing, Bronco-rooting pastor in Pastor Ryan and his family. I want to say thanks to Ryan and the whole staff for their hospitality and ministering to me as I come to minister the Word today. I have been friends with Larry Boatright for 20 years. We actually traveled for a year in a praise and worship band together.
On the screen is my family. This is my wife of fifteen years, Jennifer. Together we have Hayley, Carter and Griffin. We did pastor in Oklahoma for 12-13 years, but we are all die-hard Broncos fans, so when God said, "Go to Colorado," I said, "Yes, Lord, here am I, send me!" My dad grew up in Sterling; my aunt lives south of the church here in Highlands Ranch, so it feels like extended family and it's an honor to be here with you this morning. As I get to share on the Lord's Prayer in this series, The Sermon on the Mount: The Art of Human Flourishing, I want to specifically talk about the purposes of prayer...
How many of us, in this room, would admit that we've done something embarrassing that we wish no one would ever see? Wow! When we do something embarrassing and then later on we think about it, we still kind of feel it, right? It's crazy because the world that we live in now everybody has a cell phone and they can take video of this stuff, so when you do something stupid, it gets recorded for posterity. Or security footage, as a possible example. I did something kind of embarrassing recently, and I thought the wisest thing to do is to show you guys. You okay with that? Take a look. I was in a hurry to get out (of the building) one day, I needed to make a phone call. This is security footage from our lobby. I was trying to get this call made... (Video shows Larry crashing into tempered glass window.) In my defense, as I was walking toward the window, there was a woman walking out and she had this cute little blond girl who was smiling at me. I was like, ohhh! BAM!
For some reason, every person I showed this video to has laughed. I'm not sure why. I want to go back and show it in slow motion, because I want you to see just how hard my head bounced off the window. Take a look....boom! boom! boom! It hurt like heck and was super embarrassing. The woman rushed in and was, "Oh my God, are you okay?" I was not okay, but I said I was because I was embarrassed. I was stunned and embarrassed, but it also cut my lip. I heard my tooth hit the glass when it happened. Beyond that, it gave me a full-blown concussion. I spent about ten days in a fog. I was driving a few days later---which I probably shouldn't have been, but just to give you an idea the weird stuff my brain was doing---and I turned a corner and saw a gorilla on the street corner. I told my wife, "There's a gorilla on the street corner!" She looked out the window and she looked back at me and was like, okaaayyy. I looked again and it was a black street light. My brain superimposed a gorilla some how. If you hear me scream and run off the stage, I saw a gorilla!...
We are exploring the Sermon on the Mount this summer as a community. We are sort of in the middle of Jesus's teaching, it's in the gospel of Matthew. Matthew, one of Jesus's disciples, records a collection of Jesus's teachings in one place. It's probably the most famous sermon given EVER! If you have your Bible, you can open to Matthew 5. Over the last few weeks, we've explored some really light, fun subjects like adultery, lust, divorce, remarriage, being people who are honest. Jesus decided to lighten up a little bit on us and today we're talking about loving our enemies. That should be easier, right?! This is one of those passages that probably isn't all that difficult to understand. It's just really difficult to live out. It's difficult to apply. Let's pray and ask Jesus that he would, by the power of his Spirit, open us up to what he would say. Lord, we long to not only hear, but to obey, because we know that that's where the foundation of our life is formed. Father, that's our posture today. Would you move, would you convict, would you lead us to righteousness for our joy and for the sake of your name? Amen.
The year was 525 BC, and King Cambyses II of Persia marched his army toward Egypt. He knew something interesting about the Egyptian people. . .they had a deep love for cats. They (the Persian army) carved into their shields an outline of a cat. They brought with them hundreds of cats onto the battlefield. In Egypt, it was a capital offense to kill a cat. This battle was called the Battle of Pelusium, Persia vs. Egypt. The Persians went onto the battlefield with hundred of cats. Since the Egyptians so revered cats, they had a god named Bastet that was formed and shaped into the image of a cat. They didn't want to kill a cat so the Persians were throwing cats into the faces of the Egyptian army. {For 38 years I've been wondering what good a cat is and now we've figured it out.} What's fascinating is that the Persians won this battle, hands down, without much of a fight at all, because the Egyptians were so nervous about hurting the cats. Afterwards, to scorn and shame them (the Egyptians), they took the cats and rubbed them in their face after they won the battle. I thought, "What a strange battle tactic!" Can you imagine the strategy session?! What a strange, ridiculous strategy!...
We’re continuing our series in the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve spent a lot of time in fear, trepidation, and prayer over these last two messages. Last week we talked about lust and adultery, and that was really easy, so we decided to build on that and now we’re going to talk about divorce, remarriage, and oaths. Did you come to hear from the Lord today? I hope you did, because as much as I’ve wrestled with this passage, I feel like there’s freedom that Jesus wants to bring. As Isaiah (50:4) said, my prayer has been along that I’d have the tongue of one instructed that I might have a word for the wounded today. That’s my heartbeat. Jesus, would you help us as we wrestle with your Scripture and your words. Lord, I pray against the enemy’s voice of condemnation in the hearts and minds of your people here today. God, may they not confuse condemnation with the conviction that your Spirit wants to bring because of your kindness that leads to repentance and to life. Lord, let us not confuse the enemy’s condemnation with your conviction. We want your words over our hearts and our lives that we might walk in your life and in your freedom. And all God’s people said. . . . Amen.
The year was 1773. There were boats sitting in the Boston’s harbor, Griffin’s Wharf, just waiting to bring in 342 chests of British tea. You know the story? Where roughly a hundred colonists jumped on those boats and they unloaded, over the next three hours, 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston harbor. It was the first act of defiance that the American colonists perpetrated against the motherland of Great Britain. It effectively began the Revolutionary War. That war commenced a year later, but it was that act of ‘we don’t want any taxation without representation so we’re going to throw your tea into the ocean,’ it was THAT act, that began that war that we celebrated the victory of on the Fourth of July. We celebrated by blowing stuff up, to the glory of God, didn’t we? Nothing quite says we love our freedom like lighting stuff on fire and blowing it up...
If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew 5. We're continuing our series of the Sermon on the Mount. We are about six messages in. Let me give two disclaimers as we begin this morning. Number One -- You got a service guide when you came in and it has an outline to follow along with the message. You can make a big 'X' on said outline and flip it over. There are three days between when I made that outline and today and God's done some different things in my heart and soul in that amount of time, so I want to be true to where I sense God leading us. Secondly, we are going to be dealing with an issue this morning that may be an issue that has more pain surrounding it than anything else in our culture, and the by-product of it has destroyed many lives and many marriages. I want to take as pastoral an approach as I can to this difficult subject, but I also want to hit it head on because I believe Jesus wants to bring some freedom this morning, and I believe the Scriptures want to invite us to live more in the kingdom of God, and I believe that's possible for us. So let's pray and ask that God would invade this space of our hearts and minds and lives. Spirit of God, we ask that you would do what we cannot do by will power alone. Lord, we don't want the enemy's voice of condemnation in our ear, so we rebuke that voice. Lord, we do receive your conviction, in order to lead us to a better way. Lord, help us to discern those two voices in our own hearts and minds, and let us move in line with your Spirit as you lead us to life. We pray this in the name of Jesus, and all God's people said. . . .Amen
When I was 10 years old, I had a friend of mine invite me to go to his parents' beach house in Oceanside, California. We were good friends from school, so my parents let me go. He had this tent in the backyard, sort of on the patio of their beach house, and we were sleeping out in the tent. I can remember vividly him grabbing a stack of Boys' Life magazines and us walking into the tent. He told his mom that we were going to be looking at the Boys' Life magazines before we went to bed. In addition to the Boys' Life magazine, there was a Playboy magazine tucked in. I can remember for the very first time in my life seeing pornography. I'm almost three decades removed from that, and I can tell you, those images are still with me. They did something to me. They messed with me. They imprinted themselves on my imagination...
It's my privilege to talk about a passage of Scripture today that isn't very pleasant, but, hopefully, we'll be able to join together and realize we're not alone as we go to this passage. This is part of the Sermon on the Mount series that Ryan started a few weeks ago. When Ryan talked to me about it, I was excited to take a sermon; then I took a look at the passage I'm going to be dealing with: You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment." But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment... (Matt. 5:21-22a) Liable to the same judgment as if you commit murder. Whoa! Anybody been angry this week? Hopefully as we dig in we'll be able to understand this topic of anger, and hopefully, leave with some hope.
I want to take a little bit of time with "Travels with Dan." Many of you know that this past November, Kerry and I were able to go to the Holy Land. We had a great time. When Ryan approached me about preaching a sermon from the Sermon on the Mount, it immediately brought up some memories of a place called the Mount of Beatitudes. {Shows pictures of view from location and a church.} Any time you go to Israel, any place where there's even a rumor that Jesus might have stepped there, they're going to build a church. Right there at the church was a Catholic Retreat Center. We stayed there overnight. It was not fancy, but it was quiet and restful. Kerry and I arrived at the Retreat Center, after dark, after a full day of seeing things. We were pretty exhausted; I had in mind to take a nap because we had 45 minutes before they served us supper. Kerry had in mind to go see things. We got our cardkey for our room and entered our room. We tried to flip the switches and nothing worked. I was thinking we blew a fuse. I went to the office and I said, "We must have blown a fuse or something, nothing works." He said, "Did you listen to my instructions?" "Well, no." "When you get in there you need to be looking for a slot that's around the door, slide it in there and all your electricity will come on. When you take the key out all the electricity goes off." I went back and demonstrated for Kerry and everything worked fine. Lights and air conditioning came on. We put our luggage on the floor and I proceeded to curl up on one of the twin beds. I was out! When I fell asleep, Kerry was reading some of the pamphlets, but eventually decided to go see some things. Since we only had one cardkey, she grabbed it and left. Five minutes later, I wake up in a sweat; it's dark and I didn't quite remember where I was. I got my way out of the bed and start walking and try to figure out what's happening. I ran into my suitcase, barefoot, so I had a good stubbed toe. Then I hit the coffee table, so that was my knee. Eventually, I got to the door to shed some light. Needless to say, I was a little bit miffed. I caught myself saying, "How could she have taken the key?!"...
Take a deep breath and identify that unbelievable smell wafting into the worship center today. BACON! If you're a student of the Scriptures, you may be thinking to yourself, "Should we be eating bacon?" Doesn't the Bible talk about bacon?! Leviticus 11:1-3, 7 --- The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. There are some that only chew the cud or only have divided hoof, but you must not eat them. (v 7) And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. How many of you sinned already this morning? How many of you think I'm leading you into sin by having bacon in our lobby? Can we agree the Bible is a difficult book? Sometimes, as followers of the way of Jesus, we try to say things like, the Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it. I don't know how helpful that is for people when the Bible says, we DO believe it, but we're cooking bacon in the lobby. What do we do with that? I think part of the reason our voice in the public square has been tampered, if not put out altogether, is because we haven't been honest about the way that we read this book.
Some of us have had experiences where we've been beat up by the Bible. We've had people shove it in our face and say, "Well, you shouldn't do that. The Bible clearly says...." Maybe some of us have undertaken for ourselves the discipline of studying the Scriptures and sometimes we walk away scratching our heads going, I'm not exactly sure what I'm suppose to do with this. If you've thought that, you're not alone. If you're graduating from high school and you're going to go to college, I can promise you, you will be in a class at some point in time where you'll have a professor that shoves a Bible at you and says, "The Bible says don't eat bacon; do you eat bacon?" You can go, praise be to God, I do! The question is did God just recently decide he wants us to be happy? Did he change his mind? Does he now think it's delicious and we should eat it? Did we change? Did the Scriptures change?...
We're in week 2 of a series we're doing on the Sermon on the Mount. If you have your Bible, open to Matthew 5. This is a picture of a man by the name of Michael Carroll. Michael Carroll, at the age of 19, won $14.4 million in the lottery. He was a garbage man at the time, just happened to play, and happened to win. Over the next decade of his life, from 2002 to 2012, he bought mansions, he bought cars, he bought drugs, he bought a number of different things. In the course of those ten years, he mowed through $14.4 million and found himself living on government assistance, unemployed. Now, today, he makes $511 per week working as a butcher. Which begs the question: When we find ourselves in the midst of blessing, what do we do with it? When we find ourselves "at the top," how do we use our resources? Most people would act similarly to Michael Carroll. If we find ourselves in the midst of flourishing, it should be used for us. We should drink every little piece of that down and it should go to serve to make our lives better, whether it's being popular in high school, or whether it's as a nation winning a war. When we do find ourselves at the top, we tend to think it should be used for us. Which is exactly what Jesus begins to address in the Sermon on the Mount.
If you were here last week, you heard these eight blessings that Jesus gives. These eight statements of wisdom, of grace, of mercy, of invitation to live a life different than anyone had ever seen on the face of the globe. He made these declarations---sort of crazy-sounding statements like, when you're poor in spirit (which nobody then and nobody now wants to be) you're blessed. When you find yourself meek---sort of at the bottom of the pile, that pile is actually flipped on its head in the kingdom of God and you're blessed. When you're persecuted, there's blessing. Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, if you're in the kingdom, you're blessed. Jesus's words were dangerous, because you had people who had never heard blessing before. You had people who were used to the social structures and the political structures and the relational structures, where there's certain people that were always on the bottom. Jesus says to those people, you're blessed. The reverberation of that would have gone off of this mountain---this Sermon on the Mount---and gone into culture and into society at large and the question is what happens when it does? Jesus says in Matthew 5:11-12 that one of the things that happens is you're going to be persecuted. You want to flip the social societal structures on their head? It's not going to go well with you so just be ready for that, Jesus says...
We are starting a new series that we'll be in all summer, where we're going to be exploring one of the most impactful, significant, beautiful messages ever given. It's called the Sermon on the Mount, and you can open your Bibles to Matthew 5, where you'll find it.
Over the last few weeks, throughout our nation, we've been in a season that we affectionately refer to as graduation season. In graduations, you have a few pieces of pageantry, right, where it signifies that a person is moving from one season to another, from high school to beyond high school, and college to beyond college. We had a preschooler that graduated and he's moving into kindergarten, which is a pretty huge accomplishment for him. But along with the pageantry, there's also typically a speech. There's some words said and it's intended to be motivational, sort of Chris Farley motivational, right? Like, you can take the world and you can wrap it around your hand and put it in your pocket. . . . .that type of a speech. I started to wonder, "Why can't I remember any of the speeches from the graduations I've been involved in?" They were so magical and inspirational [at the time]. I can't remember any of the ones I've been involved in...
If you haven't been with us, let me catch you up on where we've been the last six weeks. We started by talking about our mission as a church, which is to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. We started exploring these values that we want to shape us over the coming months and years that we have together. The value of presence of God---that we'd be people who pursue the presence of God, who experience the presence of God, who soak in the presence of God. That we would be people who believe that Jesus has come, not just to save us so that we go to heaven some day, but to heal us and lead us to wholeness TODAY. We believe that we are a people designed, and wired into our being is that we're people of habits and practice and disciplines that would help, by God's grace, shape us to be more and live more in the way of Jesus. We believe that God has intended us to live together as family, as a community of faith. We have different gifts, different passions, and different backgrounds, but God has planted us together in this body of faith, that we would be more together than we would be as individuals added up together. Last week, we talked about the invitation that God's given us to join him in the world. He is on mission. The end of the story is not just that you and I are saved, but that his world is renewed. He invites us to link arms with him as HE is on mission in this world. Finally, on this Memorial Day weekend, it just so happens (it lined up perfectly) that we're going to talk about the fact that we want to be a rooted community.
Tomorrow we'll celebrate our history and Memorial Day. In 1868, the United States started celebrating the people that have gone before us to give the ultimate sacrifice of their very lives to lay a foundation of freedom that we now stand on and are incredibly grateful for. Amen? If you're a student of the Scriptures, you will, as you read through the Scriptures, come to see that God constantly reminds his people to be intentional about remembering. He brings them out of Egypt. They pass through the Red Sea. He passes over them and commands them to be a people who celebrate the Passover --- Do not forget what I did in passing over you and bringing you out of Egypt. (Exodus 12) After their wandering in the desert for forty years, they pass through the Jordan River, and as the Jordan River is held at flood stage, people go back into the middle of a dry river bed and they pick up rocks and make an Ebenezer, a memorial. God told them that every time you pass by that stone structure, you retell that story. Because you'll forget...
If you're new with us, we're in a seven-week series called "Ethos." We're looking at the values, dreams, and hopes we have together as a community of faith, as we seek to live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. This week we're talking about renewal, next week we're going to be talking about roots, the last in our series.
A few weeks back, my wife took our two boys to a mother-son event, so I got the chance to take my daughter out for a little daddy-daughter date. We went out to dinner together and came back to the house to watch a movie of her choice. She picked the newer "Beauty and the Beast." We were having a great time watching it together. About three-quarters of the way through the movie, the boys and Kelly came back home so we stopped the movie and everybody went to bed. We stopped it at this very tension-filled moment, where the Beast had told Belle that she was allowed to go and help her father. He released her from the captivity she was in. So, you have Belle, who's free, then the Beast, who it seems like, is going to keep on living as the Beast for the rest of his existence. I thought, what a terrible story that would have been if that's where the movie ended. If the movie ended with Belle being freed and she's happy to go and do what she gets to do and back to her normal life, and the Beast is still the beast. There's something in us that wants the Beast to be redeemed, isn't there? There's a reason the movie doesn't end in that place...
I want to invite you to close your eyes and to pretend the year is 200. You live around the Mediterranean; you've decided to follow the way of Jesus. Against the advice of most of the people in your life, you've joined this sort of rogue, rag-tag band of the Jesus way followers. It's Sunday morning and before you go to work, you head to church. You get your family ready, you walk through the dusty streets, and you enter into the "sanctuary," which happens to be an apartment building. You sit around with a number of other believers. The Way is growing so the room is jammed packed. You open with prayer and everybody starts to pray around you. Then you move to the greeting time. As you stand up, you look somebody else right in the eyes; they're following the way of Jesus too. You plant a big kiss right on their lips! {Okay, open your eyes.} So that's pretty much the way that it went in the early church. Can you believe this? We might have an easier time recruiting greeters if we bring this back!
The early church was known for what they called the "kiss of peace." Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, wrote that everybody in the church participated in this custom. Cyprian, another early church father, in 250, was exiled on an island, and here's what he writes: "There is nothing which could give me greater pleasure or more noble delight than at this moment to be kissing the lips of those who have confessed Jesus as Lord." The dude is probably starving, right? He hasn't seen his family, and what he's longing for is to kiss another follower of Jesus. This is strange! This is different!...
We're continuing our series called "Ethos." Ethos is a word that means the aspirations, the dreams, the hopes, the values of a community of people. Over the last few weeks, we've been exploring who we are as a church, as a community of faith. When you walked in today, you got the 'subtle' message that the reason we exist is to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. {I believe it's ten feet tall on our wall.} We want to be all about Jesus and inviting people to Jesus and calling people to walk in his way.
If you have your Bible, open to Luke 6. We're going to continue that journey that we're on, this morning, and try to tease out, as a community, what are the things that we hold valuable, what are the things that motivate us, what are the things that drive us, and how do we plan on living this Jesus life out together?...
How many of you like scary movies? I love scary movies; I grew up watching scary movies. My wife and I, on date night, many, many times have gone to the theater to see a scary movie. I don't know, it's something really interesting. One of the most well-known scary movies of all time is a movie that came out in 1973 with a little actress named Linda Blair. The name of the film is called "The Exorcist." The film cost $8 million to make, but since 1973, it's made over $1.2 billion, through box office, DVDs, all those sort of things. Isn't that interesting? It's pretty wild and scary. Normally, when talking about a film as an illustration, I would show you a clip from the film... I do want you to see what this girl looked like. She's a little possessed girl who did some crazy stuff. I didn't want to show you an actual still [shot], so I've hand drawn a representation of what she looked like. {Shows stick figure with Ryan's head!} Now THAT, friends, is scary!!
Why do scary movies hold such intrigue with us? Why do scary movies freak us out? I think part of the reason is, psychologically, we watch a movie like this and our brain sort of imagines.... If the writers and actors do a great job, you can get sucked into the story and start imagining that you're there. Or you take it one step further and you start saying, "What would it be like if this really happens?"...
Ethos is the series we're in. We started last week, and we're going to be talking more about who God has created us and shaped us to be uniquely, some of our values, and our mission. Last week, we said the reason that we're here, the reason that we gather on a Sunday morning, is to help people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. We want to help people become apprentices, or learners, or disciples of what it looks like to live more and more in the way of Jesus of Nazareth.
Today we're moving into our very first value. I was watching my news feed this week and there was something that kept popping up over and over and over again. It was the hearing Congress was having with Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook. Did anybody see the highlights of this? A few parts of it were a little bit comical. Congressmen and women asking Mark Zuckerberg, "Let me get this straight. Facebook is free?" He's like, "Yeah, absolutely free." "100% free?" You could almost see them going, "Oh, we've got you backed into the corner now, buddy." He's like, "Absolutely free." They're like, "Well, how do you make money?" {Gotcha!} He's like, "Well, Congressmen, we run advertisements." Their minds were like BOOM! this is a completely new, revenue-generating model! Right? What they really asked Mark Zuckerberg was how much is Facebook following people? How much do you hear? Mark, where are you guys? When people sign up, do you get access to them at that point in time, or are you in more places than just that?...
Over the next few weeks, we're going to be talking about what type of community "that brand new world" starts to give birth to. What type of community it starts to form. We're calling this series "Ethos." Ethos is a Greek word that means values, the character of something. It also means things that we believe and things that we dream about, things that we hope for, things that we plead with God for. Over the next eight weeks, we're going to take a step back and go, God, who are you shaping us to become, and what are you shaping us to do, and what are the things that we hold dear, and what are the dreams that we would say, collectively together, we have about the way that you would use this little community of faith to make a massive difference in your world? That's where we're going over the next few weeks.
I thought we would start where Jesus starts. That's never a bad idea, right? To ask so, Jesus, where do you start? Jesus, what are you up to? Jesus, how are you at work? We're starting with a pop quiz. What did Jesus talk about most? If we were to read through the gospels and take a note every time Jesus talked about a theme, what would he have talked about most? A. Love B. Heaven/Hell C. The Kingdom of God D. Money Interesting. We have a pretty wide-swath of answers. Let me let Jesus answer that question for us. If you have your Bible, open to Matthew 4:12-17. In Matthew 4, Jesus is just coming on the scene. If you know anything about the gospel of Matthew, Matthew wants to walk us through the birth narrative---tells us how Jesus was born and focuses primarily on Joseph and the courage Joseph had to have. Chapter 3 is Jesus's baptism. Chapter 4 is Jesus getting led out into the desert to be tempted by the enemy. Half way through chapter 4, Jesus comes on the scene to publicly begin teaching and ministering to people, and listen to what he says: When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali----to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordon, Galilee of the Gentiles----the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near..."
Sometimes when we gather for Easter, we sing songs about life and resurrection, and it can feel a little bit like we're telling an incomplete story. We all know that, in the end, it's coming, SOMEDAY, but TODAY there's some stings, aren't there? Life is awe inspiring, and it can be awful. Life is painful, and it's powerful. Life can be holy in one moment and harrowing in the next. That's the life that we live, isn't it? We have these moments of bliss and then we have the reality of brokenness.
If you've ever been on a vacation and if you're anything like me, I'm a time guy. I always want to know how many days until the vacation, how many days are we going to be on vacation, and then once we hit halfway point on the vacation. . . . .anybody with me? I start doing a time clock in my mind of 'this is great but it's going to end.' Halfway point, the day is great. Next day, it clicks over and 'oh no, it's ending!' The beauty of being there is sort of overshadowed by the reality that life's coming again. It's temporary. I think so much of our lives carry with it that in the shadows we hear this voice saying, "It's good, but it's temporary." It's good, but eventually you'll have to say good-bye. It's beautiful, but eventually you'll breathe your last breath...
We are in a series that we've entitled "4 Days that Changed the World." That's not some sort of spiritual hyperbole, this is the most talked about week, most written about week, most debated week, in the history of the cosmos. On Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered into the streets of Jerusalem, you start a clock ticking from there. One week. It's about .06% of Jesus's life and it's roughly 33% of the gospel narratives. Do you think they thought this was important? Just a little bit.
Two weeks ago we talked about what happened on Thursday. On Thursday, Jesus reimagined for us and taught us what love really looks like. He shed his outer garment and got down on his hands and knees and he washed his disciples' feet. It's this picture of what you do when you have power. You don't use it to oppress people and keep people down. You actually leverage your power to lift others up. Last week, we saw that on the cross, on Friday, Jesus offers us forgiveness. He takes on our forsakenness and that he says it's finished. . . .you're reunited with the King of kings and the Lord of lords, God Almighty. If you weren't here last week, I'd encourage you to hop online and watch that video, if you can...
As a youth pastor, I can remember telling my students a fictitious story about a father and a son. The father was a draw-bridge operator. His son was with him at work, down climbing around in the gears, having a good time. A train was coming. The drawbridge was up. The father had to decide: Am I going to crush my son, kill my son, and save everybody on the train? Or, am I going to let my son live and everybody on the train die? It's a very emotional story and one that stirs the human heart. The punchline was that this was a picture of what happens on the cross, and God decides to kill his son, so that we, humanity, on the train might live. It's emotive. It stirs a response. But is it accurate? Is that what's going on on the cross? Ever since there's been a cross, there's been discussion. Paul would say: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God [to save]. (Romans 1:16) The reason he's saying 'I am not ashamed' is because there were some people who were ashamed. There was shame to be had. The cross was as much about shaming someone as it was about killing someone.
Jesus's cross wasn't the only cross people had seen. It's the cross we talk about, but there's this story that Josephus records. He was a Roman historian. He wrote that in 4 B.C, when Varus, one of the governors of Rome, propped 2000 people on crosses. . . . .ONE day, outside the city of Galilee, and he crucified them all in ONE day. People in Jesus's day would have understood the shame of the cross. They would have understood the pain of the cross. They would have understood the cross in a far better way than we do. They would have struggled just as much with Paul's statement that the cross is the wisdom, and the power, and the glory of God. How could something that was so shameful be so glorious...
From the moment Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, at what we refer to as the Triumphal Entry or Palm Sunday, to the time he rises from the grave is about .06% of his life. Not a lot of time. But if you read through the gospels, that one week encompasses 33% of the gospel narrative. It's one-third of the story that the gospel writers tell. If you put it all together, this one changed the world. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John felt compelled to tell us about it. From a lot of different angles and a lot of different ways to recount that week, and specifically these 96 hours----Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday---of that week changed the world.
There's a way that the world works. If you watched the Academy Awards last week, you know this way. Here's what it looks like: If you're beautiful, if you're wealthy, if you're famous, then people cater to your every need. They put out, literally, a red carpet for you. The more powerful you are, the more prominent you are, the wealthier you are, the more people you have to cater to your every need. I read an article a while back about the way celebrities use their assistants. Christian Bale has an assistant who, as he walks down that red carpet, actually smells his armpits to see if he has B.O. Madonna has an assistant that wakes up every hour (six times during the night) to get Madonna a cold glass of water. She also has somebody who goes into the restroom before her with Lysol and disinfectant, and wipes them down from top to bottom before she uses it. Mariah Carey, who is a notorious diva, has somebody who holds her drink for her while she drinks out of the straw. She has somebody who washes her hair for her. She has somebody who walks in front of her so she doesn't trip while wearing her high heels. That's pretty impressive! Ceelo Green has somebody in his entourage who is responsible for dabbing the sweat off of his brow. Can you imagine being THAT dude? Where do you sign up for that? Or, Prince Charles. Prince Charles has somebody who irons his shoelaces before he puts them into his shoes. . . . .and it shows! He also has somebody who undresses him after his day and puts him in his pjs before he goes to bed. Prince Charles walks in, falls down on his bed, somebody takes all his clothes off and puts his pjs on. Frank Sinatra had a butler who wash his boxers (his underwear), by hand, and followed him around to straighten his toupee in case it got off...
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We are starting a new series today that we are calling "4 Days That Changed the World." Sometimes a walk has a way of changing things. I did a wedding yesterday --- those doors in the back of the worship center opened, and a bride walked down the aisle to be received by her groom. Anecdotally, it was a 'Cook' marrying a 'Hunter.' By the end of the wedding, it was two had become one. Some walks change everything. March 21, 1965: Martin Luther King, Jr., and a number of his civil rights workers with him, left from the city of Selma, Alabama to march to Montgomery, to fight for the right for African-Americans to vote. They'd been turned back two times already, but this time they had the backing of President Johnson. He had given his support to the march. Instead of having armed guards there to turn them back, they were there to protect the marchers as they embarked on a 54-mile walk. When they got to Montgomery, Dr. King gave one of his most famous speeches. It was summarized by the phrase "How Long, Not Long." In that speech he said, "Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom." On August 6, 1965, African-Americans were given the right to vote in this country.
Some marches change everything. It was March 29, AD 33. Jesus of Nazareth got on the back of a colt to ride into Jerusalem. We call it 'The Triumphal Entry.' It started the clock ticking on a week that has changed the world that we live in. Maybe in more ways than we recognize, that week changed everything! The reason you have Sundays off as part of your weekend? It's because Jesus rose from the grave on a Sunday. It used to be that followers of Christ, until Christianity was the religion in the Roman empire, would go to church before work, early in the morning, before the sun came up, to worship, then go to work. Because Sunday was just like every other day in the week. THIS changed everything! We now have a weekend. It changed more than that. Over the next few messages, we're going to wrestle with these four days, these 96 hours that changed the world. My hope is that over the next week, the Spirit of God invites you into this story to know it better, but maybe knowing IT better, we would be known. That we might not just regurgitate it and the facts of what happened. We're going to wrestle with questions like: Why did Jesus die? Why did Jesus have to die? Who killed Jesus? Who did Jesus "pay off" for the debt of sin? What was that all about? Please come back. We're going to wrestle with a new type of influence. . . .an influence of love. We're going to talk about 'he descended to the dead' or 'he descended to hell.' What does that mean? On Easter morning, we're going to celebrate the fact that what Jesus does on Easter morning changes definitively the world we live in. It's a march that changes everything...."
Good morning. We are on the last Sunday of an eight-week series, where we've been studying the letters that Jesus writes, through the Apostle John, to the churches in the book of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3). This final letter is written to the church at Laodicea. Open your Bible to Revelation 3:14. As we've done in each letter, we've given the church that Jesus is writing to a title. I've tried to summarize who they are, their ethos, their DNA as a church. This letter I'm entitling as the letter to "Independent People." Some form of independence is really good. When my kids move out of my house, my hope is that they're independent, which means they don't come back and live with me again. If they do, they'll be welcomed back with open arms and rent to pay. But some forms of independence aren't that healthy. Some forms of independence actually prevent us from getting where we want to go. I saw a Pepsi commercial a while back that I think summarized it well with a little phrase that you'll hear repeated throughout the commercial --- I'm good! {Commercial shows accidents and injuries to someone, but they're "good."} Have you ever been there: Your arms are full of grocery bags and someone says, "Hey, can I help you take those to the car?" and you respond with, "I'm good." Or maybe, if you're married, and men you may be able to relate to this, and you're sharing with your spouse the ailment you're trying to walk through. She says, "You should probably get that checked out. There's a whole branch of professionals that deal with sickness." Most guys respond with. . . . ."I'm good." {My wife says, "Then don't complain about it anymore, if you're not willing to go and get it checked out."} Or. . . ."Do you need help with that problem in school that you're wrestling with?" "I'm good, I'm good." The marriage is sorta getting on the rocks, but. . . . ."We're good." I think all of us have something in us that we rely on and in moments of trepidation, in moments of fear, we resort to that and we go, "I'm good." I'm a hard worker. . . . .I'm good. I know how to make money. . . . .I'm good. I've got this web of relationships; we've got a strong family; I've got people that care about me. . . . .I'm good.
In 1875, the British poet, William Ernest Henley, wrote a famous poem. At the end of it, he wrote this stanza: "I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul." Essentially he goes, "I'm good. I'm good." If you're familiar at all with the Biblical narrative, the story that as followers of Jesus we would say that we find ourselves in, in the very beginning of the Scriptures, you have this incident between Adam and Eve, who God creates perfectly and places in a garden, naked, in order to be in relationship with Him. There's a serpent that comes in and says listen, I know God said you can't eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but you should eat from that so that you can become like God, knowing good and evil. The relationship that Adam and Eve are designed to have with God is one of dependence. One where they run to Him, one where they go to Him. This movement towards this tree is a movement of independence. God, we don't need you. God, we can figure this out on our own. God, we're good, thank you very much.
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William Cimillo, on March 28, 1947, woke up and went to work like he did every other day. He was a bus driver in New York City. This day was a little bit different. William started out on his normal route, and instead of making his first stop in New York City, he just kept driving. He went to New Jersey and had a sandwich in a café for lunch, then he just kept driving more. Driving and driving. Eventually he got to Washington, D.C., in his RTD bus. He got out, took a look at the White House and decided to keep going. He traveled down the East Coast, from New York City to Hollywood, Florida, where eventually he ran out of money and gas. He went for a night swim, camped that evening, and in the morning called his "former" employer. He told them where he was and what he needed. They sent the FBI to come and investigate---it was a state bus. No one was able to drive the bus, so William had to drive the bus back to New York for them. He did. By the time he got there, word had spread about his little meltdown. He was so popular that he was too popular to actually fire, so they had to keep him on staff. They asked him what had happened, and he said, "I was just tired of it all. I felt like a squirrel in a cage, just running around and around, and I guess it got the better of me." I think he was greeted with such fanfare when he got back to New York because EVERYBODY has thought about doing the same thing. Haven't we? We've been on our way to work or an appointment and thought, "Heads: California, tails: Carolina." Right? It's just too much.
I think a lot of our lives we feel like....{Ryan blows up a balloon}....we're full and life's good. Sometimes, because that's the case at points in our life, we expect that it'll be the case at every point in our life. But we all know that that's not true, don't we? There's things that we walk through that sort of take the air out of us a little bit. Some of you, in the last few weeks, have gotten a diagnosis from the doctor that you weren't hoping to get and. . . . .{Ryan releases air from the balloon} it's taken the air out of you. Some of you in this room are single parents. You're working and holding together a family {Ryan lets out more air from the balloon}, and it feels like you're on life support. Like the waves are beating against your boat and when is it going to stop. Some of you have some things that have happened in your past. Maybe it's abuse or maybe it's bad decisions you've made, and anytime you let your mind relax, instead of disciplining yourself not to think about that. . . . .{Ryan releases more air out of the balloon} that's what you think about. I don't know about you, but it can feel like {Ryan releases remaining air out of balloon and it's deflated} the life that we were suppose to live that is full, and meaningful, and vibrant, is elusive. We live in a day and time where we are more disconnected from the things that fill our soul than any generation in any time has ever been. We are entertained, but we're not enriched. We're busy, but we are not full. Our schedules are jammed packed, but our souls are on life support. We can look at a picture like that and go, "That looks about right." Especially after a week like, as a nation, we've walked through. We can go, "It feels like we're running on empty." It's a condition we would call weariness, or a tiredness of soul, not just body, but soul, where we know that if we cut things out of our schedule, it doesn't solve the problem. If we go on vacation, it's still there...."
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The words from God to this nation were "keep going." But they were words that were built on a story. They weren't just said in a vacuum. See, this nation of roughly 2,000 people found themselves in a valley, and they heard those words from God, but BEFORE that, they'd seen the hand of God. It was God who'd led them out of 400 years of slavery into freedom, but he led them to this place where they were on this peninsula. Water surrounding them on three sides. Miraculously, the Red Sea parted and they walked through on dry ground. But he didn't stop there. Every morning when they woke up, there was a little bit of bread they called manna that was lying on the ground, just enough to get them through the day, and the next day it was there again. Sometimes, quail came in, so they got a little meat in their diet, but not regularly. They had just enough. They were in the wilderness and walking through the desert and they had no water and God told Moses to hit a rock with a stick, and the rock turned into a well and water just started flowing from it. They'd seen unbelievable things: their clothes didn't wear out, their shoes stayed good, they saw God's gracious hand of provision all along the way. He said to them, "Keep going. Keep going. You're out of slavery, you're in the desert, but I'm leading you to the Promised Land. Don't stop here."
They were sent to spy out this land. A land that they found was flowing with milk and honey. They brought back grapes for people to taste. Evidently they were amazing grapes! They said, "Yeah, there's milk and honey. It's unbelievable! It's wonderful!" God said, "Keep going." But they said, "There's also giants in the land." I don't think you understand, God, or maybe you do, but we're sort of like grasshoppers and they're sort of BIG and if you really wanted us to keep going, you should have made us a little bit stronger. So they stopped. A people created for the Promised Land found wandering in the desert for 40 years. Because God wouldn't force them to take that step. He gave them every resource they needed; it was right in front of them and they said, "No, thank you." People created for the vast horizon, for the expansive landscape, for the milk and honey of the Promised Land, SETTLED for the desert...."
"Do we have any foodies in the house? I've changed, dramatically, the way that I've been eating the last couple of months, but for some reason I've become addicted to watching travel food shows, where people go to other countries and eat what I can't eat right now. My favorite new show is called "Somebody Feed Phil," about a guy named Phil Rosenthal, the creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond." He travels around and experiences the cuisine from all of these different cities from around the world. What's really interesting is that he bears a remarkable resemblance to an older Ryan Paulson. {Shows picture}
He (Phil) goes and explores all these different cultures and different foods. I love that too. If I'm traveling and I go to a city, the first thing I do when I get to my hotel is to open up my favorite app, which is YELP. I look to see 'what is this city known for?' A lot of larger cities are known for food or drink. If I say Chicago, what comes to mind, food-wise? Pizza. Hot dogs. New York? Pizza. Seattle? Coffee. Philly? Philly cheese steaks. Highlands Ranch? {Laughter. . . . Chick-fil-a}
Have you ever thought what your city was known for? Have you ever thought about what your family was known for? Have you ever thought about what your church was known for? In the last several weeks, we've been in this series called "Postcards From the Edge," and we've been journeying through Revelations 2 and 3. These are the seven letters to the seven churches from Jesus through John to the churches and to us. We've been learning some real unique things about those cities. Our hope isn't that we have just a bunch of knowledge about these cities, but that we could learn about the city and the church and figure out what does God want to say to the church at South today....?"
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Over the Christmas and New Year holiday, my family and I had the chance to get away and we went up to a cabin in the mighty metropolis of Hot Sulfur Springs. My whole family was there and we had a great time. We had planned this pancake breakfast for New Year's Day. There was no shortage of texts messages back and forth about the kind of pancakes we were going to eat. Oatmeal pancakes. Banana pancakes. We got up on New Year's Day with sleep in our eyes and deprivation in our souls because we had stayed up past midnight. We made the pancakes and were keeping them warm in the oven. We started putting them out when someone in my family asks, "Did anybody bring the syrup?" Here's the question: What do you do when you have a pancake breakfast prepared and you forget the syrup? Here's three options: 1) You try to make syrup out of something else. 2) You don't eat the pancakes. 3) You eat the pancakes plain. {Ryan has congregation discuss it.} In my opinion, number three is the only non-option. You CANNOT eat pancakes plain. They taste disgusting! You don't notice it when you put syrup on it, because syrup makes it all better. It covers a multitude of sins. The only reason we have pancakes is so that we can get syrup into our mouth!
I want to talk to you about syrup this morning. About the one thing that changes everything---with it everything falls into place and without it, nothing else matters. Open your Bible to Revelation 2. You'll remember that we're starting a series and journeying through the first few chapters of Revelation, where Jesus is writing, through the Apostle John, to specific churches in his day. He's giving them encouragement, he's writing to the context that they're in uniquely, and he's got a word, both of commendation, of correction, of instruction for the churches he writes to. Listen as he begins these letters with a letter to the church at Ephesus: To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. Remember, last week we saw Jesus lifted up, we saw Jesus reigning above, we saw Jesus advocating for, and we saw Jesus walking among the churches, and John wants to reiterate that as he writes to the church at Ephesus......"
"This Christmas I got my wife an Instant Pot. It's a modern twist on the old pressure cooker. It essentially works the same way----the top seals on there pretty tight. Inside there are two things that happen: heat that starts to buildup and steam that is released. You can put in a whole frozen chicken and in three minutes it'll pop out to be dinner for you! It's awesome! Maybe not, don't try that at home. It's a little nerve wracking with this 'bomb' you have in your kitchen. We turn it on and my wife, Kelly, backs up, and all of the kids have their biking helmets on when she's cooking with it. It's a little bit crazy.
I think sometimes life feels a little bit like an Instant Pot, doesn't it? It presses in on us, and the heat gets turned up, and the steam gets released. Sometimes in those seasons we have questions for each other, we have questions for God. We ask God things like: God, do you see? God, do you care? God, are you going to do anything? God, in this situation that I'm walking through right now, what do you want me to do? Sometimes the pressure situations can seem small......it's a child that won't behave, or the job situation that's not working out exactly the way you wanted it to. But sometimes it feels like you're just in the thick of it and the temperature keeps going up and up and up and up. The news from the doctor isn't good. The relationship is falling apart. It just feels like the pressure is just building. What do we do in situations like that? I sometimes think that as the Church, we're not good at talking about lament and grief. Some seasons of life just aren't fun. Can we admit that, even though we're in church? Sometimes it feels like the pressure is just getting turned up...."
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Over the Christmas and New Year holiday, my family and I had the chance to get away and we went up to a cabin in the mighty metropolis of Hot Sulfur Springs. My whole family was there and we had a great time. We had planned this pancake breakfast for New Year's Day. There was no shortage of texts messages back and forth about the kind of pancakes we were going to eat. Oatmeal pancakes. Banana pancakes. We got up on New Year's Day with sleep in our eyes and deprivation in our souls because we had stayed up past midnight. We made the pancakes and were keeping them warm in the oven. We started putting them out when someone in my family asks, "Did anybody bring the syrup?" Here's the question: What do you do when you have a pancake breakfast prepared and you forget the syrup? Here's three options: 1) You try to make syrup out of something else. 2) You don't eat the pancakes. 3) You eat the pancakes plain. {Ryan has congregation discuss it.} In my opinion, number three is the only non-option. You CANNOT eat pancakes plain. They taste disgusting! You don't notice it when you put syrup on it, because syrup makes it all better. It covers a multitude of sins. The only reason we have pancakes is so that we can get syrup into our mouth!
I want to talk to you about syrup this morning. About the one thing that changes everything---with it everything falls into place and without it, nothing else matters. Open your Bible to Revelation 2. You'll remember that we're starting a series and journeying through the first few chapters of Revelation, where Jesus is writing, through the Apostle John, to specific churches in his day. He's giving them encouragement, he's writing to the context that they're in uniquely, and he's got a word, both of commendation, of correction, of instruction for the churches he writes to. Listen as he begins these letters with a letter to the church at Ephesus: To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. Remember, last week we saw Jesus lifted up, we saw Jesus reigning above, we saw Jesus advocating for, and we saw Jesus walking among the churches, and John wants to reiterate that as he writes to the church at Ephesus....."
"The year was about AD 90, around two decades before the temple that stood in Jerusalem had been absolutely leveled. Emperor Titus, along with his Roman army, came in and absolutely leveled the central spot of worship in Judaism. In doing so, they started to remove even the very soul and heart of that religion. They've never worshipped the same since that building was destroyed. The Apostle John, at this point in time, is a friend of Jesus. He's one of the only disciples still alive. In fact, most people would say he's the ONLY disciple still alive, and he finds himself in exile. He finds himself on this little island off the coast of what's now modern-day Turkey. It's about 24 miles from the shore. He's there as a prisoner of the empire of Rome. Rome, in AD 90, is ruled by a man by the name of Domitian. Domitian was the very first emperor that required that he was worshipped as both god and savior. John refused to bow his knee. Can you imagine standing before the emperor and being required to bow down to worship him as god? John, this friend of Jesus, the one who cared for Jesus's mom after Jesus was crucified, risen . . . the one who leaned up against Jesus during the last supper meal he celebrated with his disciples. . . .this John. This John refused to bow his knee. Tradition says that Domitian got a pot of boiling oil and dumped it on the Apostle John to try to kill him. It sort of backfired on him though. The people there that were witnessing this 'murder' actually turned and started to follow Jesus because they saw that it didn't affect John in the way it should have. Since he couldn't kill him, Domitian thought he'd put John on an island with other criminals....."
"Turn with me to Isaiah 40. We're journeying with the prophet Isaiah as he points us to the coming Christ, in this Advent season. We're using lectionary passages, passages the church universal has decided on, in a given year, to lead us to the birth of Christ. This Sunday's passage is Isaiah 40:1-11.
As I was reviewing it on the plane back this week, I had an experience come back to mind. I was a backpacking guide throughout my college years. One night we were in the wilderness outside of Crested Butte. There were high schoolers packed in next to me in our fly. There was a sound out in the field. It was a sound that could only be described as heinous and death! If you've been in the wilderness at all, you know you hear everything. There's some things you don't want to hear and that was one of those things. I was lying there, packed in like a sardine and I hear a mauling going on in the field near me. I snuck deeper in my sleeping bag, trying to give the aura of confidence to the high schoolers who were with me. As I slid my feet down to the bottom of my bag, I encountered a little plastic bag that I had slid in there, and it had beef jerky in it. I'm like, "I'm about to be the beef jerky!" I said to everyone in my tent, "Hey, guys, good news-bad news. Good news is you're going to get a snack. Bad news is you might be a snack if you don't eat it quickly. Hurry!" I gave out the beef jerky because I did not want to get mauled by whatever I heard earlier.
Wilderness can be a scary place, can't it? If you spend much time out there, you know that you're at the mercy of the weather, you're at the mercy of the wild, you're at the mercy of the animals, and that can be a nerve-wracking place. The Israelites knew a little about wilderness themselves. They knew about the wilderness of being slaves in Egypt. They did that wilderness for 400 years. After they got out of that wilderness, they crossed through the Red Sea and wandered around in the wilderness for another 40 years. It was during that season of wandering that the Israelites were solidified as a nation. It was in that wilderness wandering that they grew to trust God, they grew to know God, and they were given the commands of God, solidifying them as a people and a nation....."
"{Recorded at Denver International Airport on the way to Ivory Coast, Africa. Ryan Paulson and Aaron Bjorklund went to help at a leaders' and pastors' conference.}
The English word 'advent' comes from the Latin word 'adventus.' It means coming or visit. It's a four-week season in the church calendar where churches all around the globe prepare for the birth of Christ. It's a time that's epitomized by three postures of the soul. One of those postures is intentional waiting. We remember that there's a certain transcendent longing within us for something more, and we allow ourselves to hope. The second posture is anticipating. This emptiness that we sometimes feel in our soul? We expect that God will come in and meet us and fill us. Then there's this posture of preparation. We take some inventory of our life, we take time to think and we invite the Spirit of God to work in us and move in us that we would become little bit different people, over the course of the next four weeks.
No one really knows when the season of Advent started. The church universal has been practicing it since 567, at least. It was that year that a number of monks decided to undertake a season of fasting leading up to the birth of Christ. Their practice of fasting was adopted by the church to eventually become the season we now know and celebrate as Advent...."
Listen as Pastor Ryan Paulson continues in the Dwell series with "Dailed In" taking from
1 John 4:1-20.
Listen as Dr Wenig shares with us in week 4 in our Dwell series with his sermon "Our Great God and His Glorious Goal" taking from 1 John 2:28-3:10.
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The Israelite people were a people committed to memory. They were committed to remembering the journey that they'd walked as a nation and as a people. They had wired into the rhythm of their year certain mile-markers that they'd cross that were reminders for them....to not forget the story. One of those mile-markers is called The Feast of Booths. It would happen around late fall, every year. The command came out of Leviticus 23:42-43. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Every year, an Israelite family would build a booth. It was a temporary structure, one that they would decorate with some of the fruits of Palestine. They would make these booths---they would call them tabernacles or, in Hebrew, Sukkot, which is the name of the festival or celebration. They would take them into the wilderness and they would camp for a week. And they would remember. Remember when we were enslaved in Egypt and God miraculously brought us out. Remember when He parted the Red Sea. Remember when we walked through on dry ground. Remember when He preserved us for forty years in the wilderness. Remember.
Can you imagine being a little kid with your family, your parents and your grandparents, and building a booth and going and putting it in the wilderness, and sitting around the fire and recounting the stories? Telling of the faithfulness of God? When I was growing up, my family and I did a few camping trips, not too many. I can remember each of them. I can remember sitting around a fire outside of Lake Tahoe. My dad, with his guitar, taught us the song "It Only Takes a Spark to Get a Fire Going." I was wondering, at the time, why it was taking us so long to get OUR fire going, but that's a whole other story! I can remember it. You have to think of yourselves as....back in their shoes....they were so committed. These are going to be things that we pass down from generation to generation. These are going to be stories that we tell. We refuse---the nation of Israel said---we refuse to forget the faithfulness of God. Because there's going to be times that it could happen. There's going to be times when His provision in the desert seems like it's a really, really, really, long way off. There's going to be times when it feels like we're running out of water in the parched land. It's going to be these stories that preserve us....."
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In 1918 the United States government finished the construction on Fort Knox. Fort Knox is where you want to go if you're interested in stealing 5000 tons of gold. It's the only place in the United States, or in the world, that you could do that. But here's the problem---if you tried to break into Fort Knox, you would find that the sides have granite walls that are four feet thick. This would prevent you from getting into the sides of the building. If you say, okay, I will tunnel my way in. I'll dig under, then dig up. Good luck! Down underneath it is a number of feet of concrete. After you get through the concrete you have ten feet of granite that this building sits on. Let's hypothetically say you made it in. Once you got in, you'd find a vault. The vault itself has a 22 ton door that blocks the way to get into that 5000 tons of gold that you're looking for. If you say, "Well, I'm not going to break the door down, I'm just going to pick the lock." You would need ten employees who work at Fort Knox, and each one of them have A portion of THE code that allows you to get into the door. None of the others know the other parts of the code, they just know their own. You need all ten parts of that code. Let's say, hypothetically, that you actually made it into the vault, in order to get out, you would have to get passed the 30,000 military people who are stationed there. Good luck!! There's a reason why that at the beginning of the second World War most European nations stored their gold here. The Magna Carta was stored there. The Declaration of Independence was stored there. The Crown Jewels from the United Kingdom were stored there. The vault is said to be atomic bomb proof.
We protect the things that are important to us, don't we? We guard the things that are important to us. It's the reason that it takes an hour to get through the security line at the airport. We guard the things that are important to us, don't we? We put a hedge around them and we protect them. Here's the thing, if you're a follower of Jesus this morning, the Scriptures are going to talk to us about guarding the things that are most important to us. If you're not a follower of Christ this morning, you get to look in on what OUR Fort Knox should be as followers of Christ. We've made it a lot of different things. If you were to do a straw-poll --- What's the most important.....what's the thing we're suppose to guard above all else, as followers of Christ? You'd probably hear....well, it's important for us to guard good theology. Totally agree. It's important for us to guard having the right world view. Totally agree. It's important for us to guard the religious liberties and the rights that we have. I agree. But it's not our Fort Knox. It's not the thing that we're called to guard above all else. If you want to find out what it is, open with me to 1 John 2....."
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There are times when it's hard for us to believe that the authors of the Scriptures actually were real people. That they lived real lives. They had real struggles. They had real joys and real successes. The author of 1 John is a man by the name of John. He was a real person who had some pretty unique experiences in his life. He was one of the best friends of Jesus while Jesus walked the earth. He was one of the twelve disciples, but he seemed to have been in the inner circle. He had access to things that not everybody got access to. The evening Jesus was betrayed, he had his disciples around the table. They would sort of lounge, in those days. John was the one who leaned right on Jesus. Pause for a moment and imagine what that might have been like. To smell Him. To have Him rub up against you. To hear Him laugh. To hear Him chew (maybe with his mouth open). John goes on to write in that same chapter of his gospel that he was the one that Jesus loved. Evidently, the Apostle John and Jesus had a fairly unique and deep and meaningful friendship.
In fact, it was John in John 19:26-27 who records the words of Jesus as Jesus hangs on the cross. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved {He's talking about himself here.} standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" Here's what's going on --- Jesus is hanging on the cross, dying for the sin of humanity and he looks down at his friend, he looks down at his mom and says, "Hey, John, from now on, you're taking care of my momma!" John takes this seriously. I almost expected to read, "Um, excuse me, could you repeat that?!" What would somebody have to do to let their mom move into your house? Probably die for you! But even then, some of you are going, "Well, I'm not even sure I'd do it then." But here's what John does: And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. From that moment on, John is caring for the mother of the Messiah. Do you think he heard some stories? Moms love to tell stories about their kids; if you think Mary was any different, you're wrong! To hear the stories about what Jesus was like when he was a little kid. To hear the stories about the way he frustrated her. Can you imagine telling somebody, "Oh, that Jesus really frustrated me one time!" Can you imagine what John has seen and what John has been through? The fact that Jesus says, "Hey, John, will you care for my mom?" tells us something about the character of the person who's writing this letter...."
"Over the last few weeks we've been living in the parable of the Prodigal Son that's found in Luke 15. We're in our last message of this series that we've been doing. Remember, a parable literally means 'to throw alongside of.' In this parable, it's Jesus taking the story of a father and his two sons and he throws it alongside of the reality of the world we live in and the kingdom that Jesus came to inaugurate. We said earlier that a parable presents a picture for us to climb up inside of and explore. For us to ask questions about ourselves and about God. It's a way for us to ask the question are we living in the way that Jesus created us to live and designed us live? Are there maybe some things that God would press on us to say, "You've pictured me in one way, but I'm different than you've ever imagined?" Over the last four weeks, we've been exploring this through the angle of the younger son...."
Pastor Larry Boatright continues the Freeway Series, using Luke 15:19-24 to share about forgiveness.
"Certainly we can relate to the feeling of pursuing freedom and finding ourself in cages. That song (Cages) by NeedtoBreathe poignantly points that picture of the place we often find ourselves in. It's the place that the prodigal son found himself in. He believed he was on the pathway to freedom, but he found that he was actually on his way to confinement. We're going to pick up that story again today. If you have your Bible, turn with me to Luke 15..."
We have all of the DNA of freedom, yet we often find ourselves in confinement. Everything in us cries out that we were designed for something more and something bigger and something better, and yet, we look at our lives sometimes, and our lives defined by a fear that we can't get over, a guilt that we can't shake free of, and a despair that seems so prevalent that it defines our everyday reality. We look at ourselves, we look at our own hearts and our own souls and the desire is in us to go, yeah, I was made for freedom. All of us know it. It's a transcendent, human reality. We know that we were designed for freedom and yet, we also know that there's things in our life that keep us enslaved. There's things in our life that confine us. There's even decisions that we've made that turn that more and more into a reality....
"I always get excited about a new series beginning and this one is no different. As I've had the chance to study over the last few weeks and look through, hopefully a fresh lens, the story of the Prodigal from Luke 15, it's once again captured my heart and reminded me of the story that we find ourselves in as human beings. Specifically, and uniquely, as followers of the way of Jesus. My hope is that over the next six weeks this story would be an invitation to you back into the greatest story ever told. Sometimes we need that invitation and we need that reigniting of our faith, so when we sing "awaken my soul," it's not because we've never been awake before, it's because sometimes we get caught in the monotony of life, don't we? And the every day. And the pain and the hurt. Sometimes we need that invitation from God. That's my intention and hope over the next six weeks...."
As we continue our series on Proverbs, this sermon was on generousity, drawn from multiple texts in the book of Proverbs.
STRETCH: Faith and Fleece 1 Samuel 14:6-12, Romans 12:1-2
{Ryan was describing how making major life decisions, i.e., moving from California to Colorado, was affecting him--- emotionally AND physically.} It was a Monday and I had my two kids in the backseat. I had Ethan, then three, and Avery, one-and-a-half, and was driving them to preschool. I drove right passed the preschool. I thought to myself, "What am I doing?" I turned back around---I kid you not---I drove passed it AGAIN! I thought to myself, "I'm in trouble here!" I finally got Ethan to where he was suppose to go and I completely forgot I had a second child!! I went to work and was just about to get out of the car and close the door, when I heard this little voice from the backseat go, "Hi, daddy!" I've watched on the news the stories of the people who left their kids in the car and thought, "How could you?" Now I know!! I know how you could! I was in another world, in another universe, so preoccupied with the decision that was in front of me.
HAPPY: Diving Into Contentment Philippians 4:10-23
Somewhere on your bulletin, I want you to write down (your best guess) how long you think you can hold your breath under water. How long do you think you can hold your breath? Everybody raise your hand. If you think you can hold your breath for at least a minute, keep your hand in the air. If you think you can hold your breath for a minute and 30 seconds or more, keep your hand in the air. If you think you can hold your breath for two minutes or more, keep your hand in the air. Three minutes or more, keep your hand in the air. We had one or two people at the two minute mark and now we have zero people who think they can hold their breath for over three minutes.
Happy: Under Construction - Philippians 3:12-21
Video can be found at http://southfellowship.org
HAPPY: Attitude Adjustment Philippians 2:1-11
I was heading back, a few weeks ago, from a week of teaching in Paraguay with OM. I had had a great week and was heading to the airport. I got to the airport in Paraguay, which isn't a huge airport. My broken Spanish met the desk attendant's broken English and what I thought he said to me was, "When you get to Buenos Aires, you're going to be flying out of a different airport than you fly into." This was news to me, because it was not on my itinerary that I was suppose to change airports. Evidently, Buenos Aires has two airports -- one of them is for more local and commercial flights, the other one is for international flights. He told me it was about an hour away from one airport to the other. I looked at him and said, "Am I going to make it?" He paused and that made me feel that he didn't think I would and then he said, "Oh, yeah, you're going to make it." I asked if my flight was on time and he said it absolutely was. I text my wife --- Good news: flight's on time. Bad news: I might not make said flight. I get on the plane in Paraguay, fly to Buenos Aires; I run through customs, broken Spanish, I get in a cab that I think is going to take me to the right airport; pay a lot of money and he gets me there. I run in there about 8:30 and at 8:40 I'm standing in front of the attendant in front of their desk and I said, "Am I going to make my flight?" She looks at me and said, "Oh yeah, you're going to make your flight." I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "It's delayed nine hours!!"
PSALMS OF ASCENT: Waiting Psalm 130
This summer when my family and I were on vacation, we went to Legoland in San Diego. They had a new ride there, Ninjago ride that my son was really excited to go on. It was a 4-D type of ride where you're karate chopping things that are flying at you, and there's mist and smells..... It was pretty epic! We chose our time wisely as to when we wanted to get into line, because the line was long. It got shorter as the day went on and so around 6 o'clock, when most people with little kids had done the wise thing and left, we were still there. We got into line. There was about just five minutes of waiting out front and thought man, we have chosen wisely. We got through that part of the line and then went into this other room. There were ropes set up in the next room and there were about five lines back and forth through this room. The music started to get a little bit louder---that's when you know you're in trouble---they want to distract you. We got through that room and entered....ANOTHER room! Music got a little bit louder and we're waiting a little bit longer. We got through THAT room and entered ANOTHER room! Finally, we get to the front of the line. Somebody with what they call a FastPass....which means they spent a ton of money to buy this little device that allows them to cut in front of regular paying customers like us. They just flashed this FastPass and cut in front of us! I thought, "What in the world is going on? I've spent 45 minutes in this line now, in these rows, with the music getting louder and louder and somebody cuts right in front of me!!"
PSALMS OF ASCENT: Perseverance Psalm 129
Well, we're over a week in now, which means many of us are suffering from sleep deprivation. Talking, of course, about the Olympics. Anybody else? Week plus in and you've stayed up way too late watching sports that in a week you won't care about! I noticed that I'm spoiled; I don't even want to watch the qualifying races, I just want to watch the medal races. I also want to know ahead of time if we win, because I don't want to watch it if we didn't win. I'm spoiled! There's been one story though.....I love the way NBC weaves in these human interest stories throughout the competition. One of those stories that stood out to me this year is the story of the Refugee Team that's competing. A team of essentially homeless Olympians from different parts of the globe, but parts of the globe where, because of the strife that's going on in their own country, they've had to flee. A number of them joined together as a team of refugees competing in the Olympics. One of those refugees is Yursa Mardini. She grew up as an Olympian swimmer from Damascus and part of Syria. She was training in pools where there were three or four holes where bombs had blown into the roof of the building where she was training. She had to flee from Syria. She traveled through Lebanon to Turkey and then left Turkey and was trying to get to Greece when the boat she was in----a little dinghy with 20 people in it, designed for six people----had the engine fail about 30 minutes from shore. This young, eighteen-year-old (Yursa Mardini) jumps in the water with three other people and ties ropes around her waist and legs and starts swimming. For three-and-a-half hours she swims. They eventually get the boat to shore and save all 20 lives.
PSALMS OF ASCENT: Restoration Psalm 126
It's hard to imagine what that day might have been like. My guess is that they knew that it was coming because the army was gathering and building around the outside of the city. But that day---that day when the walls of Jerusalem (their very shield) started to come down at the hands of the Babylonians. That day must have been like no other day they ever experienced in their life. Every single dad was trying to protect his kids; every single mom was trying to stand in the way of harm coming. As that wall came down, every single Israelite that stood in the city of Jerusalem knew that their life from that day forward was going to be definitively different. It happened in 586 BC when the Babylonians came and took over. They took all the Israelites off into exile where they were to live the rest of their days, presumably, under Babylonian rule. Where they didn't get the chance to celebrate their own culture, where they didn't get the chance to worship freely their own God. They were taken from their homes and displaced from everything that they knew and every dream that they had or hope that they saw on the distant horizon; it all vanished on that day as those rocks started coming down. Can you imagine what that might have been like? If you're a parent, can you imagine what it might have been like to know that you had a journey in front of you where you had to try to protect your family and your kids, not knowing, even if you made it those 500 miles from Jerusalem to Babylon, what might be waiting for you when you got there? Could you imagine, if you were a single person and not having protection from a family that you loved and cared for, how alone you must have felt as you made that walk? It's hard for us to imagine what THAT day might have been like and what THAT cloud that came over that Israelite nation might have felt like.
PSALMS OF ASCENT: Worship Psalm 122
What are we doing here? Have you ever stopped to think about that? I don't mean the existential question of: what are we doing here on this little blue ball that we call earth? I'm not asking about the purpose of life or anything all that deep. I'm simply asking, what are we doing HERE? At this moment in time, for this hour and fifteen minutes on a Sunday morning. My guess is you got up---you either set your alarm to get up or someone woke you up. You woke up, brewed some coffee, went downstairs, ate some breakfast. If you have kids in tow, you tried to force them to eat, which didn't go all that well. You tried to force them into the car. If you're like me and have a three-year-old, you got your three-year-old into the car and he insisted on buckling himself in, which means you all sat in the car for five minutes waiting for him to buckle himself in. You got here and, if you've got kids, you went to check them in and you encountered a system that we haven't quite worked all of the bugs out of yet. I promise, we will and it's going to be awesome when we do. You went over to the cambros of coffee and you may have squeezed out a half cup of coffee. You came in here, you sat down, and immediately when you sat down I said, "Will you stand up?!" Then we sang some songs. Have you ever noticed that this is the only place where we do something like that?! Throughout your week, there is no other time where you gather together with a bunch of other people and sing songs. This is unique!! Why are we here?? Are we here because we're bored on a Sunday morning and we need something to do? Why are we here? Why do we gather?
ALL I AM: Breathe In, Breathe Out Hebrews 11:21 & Genesis 48
Growing up as a kid, I used to love going to amusement parks. We grew up near Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Six Flags, so I used to love to ride those roller coasters whenever we had the chance. I can remember, as a little kid, standing in line and seeing the loops and flips the coaster would do and each step in line getting closer and closer to actually getting on the ride. I could feel my blood pressure rising. It was this nervous, fearful excitement. I can remember getting on the ride and having the time of my life----the flips, the turns, the speed. All of that fear and excitement got turned into a GREAT time! I wanted my kids to have the same experience, so we went to the Eagle County Fair. The "roller coaster" they had was, I think, backed in on a flatbed truck the night before. It had a dragon on the front of it; it wasn't exactly death defying, in any way, shape or form. My kids resisted going on the ride. Like any good father, I forced them to. We were the only people in line and giving them that pep talk --- Hey, you can do it! You can get on this ride! There's tears..... Finally, there's enough bribery that they finally get on the ride. They were flying.....it was like ten feet in a circle. {Ryan puts up a picture of his son and daughter on the ride.} If you could zoom in on Avery's face.....her face is splotchy and red because she was crying. They walked off the ride with THOSE faces! What started off as fear, what started off as anxiety, was turned into excitement and fun!
ALL I AM: Going Back and Moving Forward Genesis 35:1-15 Like many of you, we have two junk drawers in our kitchen. Don't lie and say you don't have them! We've got them and it's the place where we put everything that doesn't have a place. It's also the place where we put things that are on counter when we're having people come over! Oh crud, they're knocking on the door right now! and we pull everything into the junk drawer and close it. Inevitably, one of the things that always ends up in our junk drawer is my headphones/my earbuds. I put my earbuds in that drawer; I coil them up nicely. I put them in said junk drawer and close said junk drawer. Regardless of whether or not anybody looks in that drawer, when I go back to get my headphones they are not neatly and nicely coiled. They look like a rat's nest! Anytime you go to pick up your headphones, they don't look like the way you left them. They look like a rat's nest. They're tangled, they're disorganized. I think you could do an experiment----I think you could coil and roll them up nicely, put them down on a table, stare at them for five minutes and it would eventually look like (a mess) without anybody even touching them!! Somehow it just happens. I don't get it.
ALL I AM: Hulk Hogan and Hebrew Heroes Genesis 32:22-32
It wasn't the day that it took place that was actually the hardest. It was the next morning. It was waking up and before becoming totally conscious of what the day held ahead, it was that thought for just a brief moment that maybe, just maybe, the previous 24 hours were a terrible nightmare. But as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and started to recognize no, in fact, it wasn't a dream. Like an avalanche or a tidal wave of emotion, it just hit me. I had these thoughts in my head, these feelings in my heart on that day, July 5, 2005. The thought that I woke up with was failure. I'd failed as a friend. I'd failed as a pastor. I'd failed as a guide. I'd failed as a protector. The previous day on July 4, 2005, I held one of the students in the youth group in my arms and performed CPR for an hour and a half while he took his last breath on a trail just outside of Fort Collins, Colorado. A lot of you have heard me tell that story before. You've heard my heart, but it's one of the things I look back on and see God's gracious hand in and his goodness most, but I can tell you that the 24 hours after it were pure hell. The two years that followed were filled with questions. I was a pastor and I felt like the biggest hypocrite because I was wrestling with God. Some of the questions I had for God were: God, if I'm going to serve you and this is how you're going to treat me, why in the world would I continue to give my life to you? God, I thought I was following you, but there's no way if I'm following you that life should end up looking like this? God, if I'm a fully devoted follower of Christ, if I'm a disciple, then why am I feeling so depressed? This is two years of my life with this cloud, feeling like it's just sitting over my head. God, if you're so powerful, why in the world didn't you stop this? And it pains me to believe that I know you could have. Have you ever been there? Where you just woke up in the morning and just wanted to say back to God, "God, I know you rule the universe and if that's true then why in the world does life stink so badly??!!"
I began chemotherapy last February and will finish the 6th cycle this month. I am two thirds of the way through my sixth chemo cycle right now, as I stand in front of you. First of all, I want to thank South Fellowship, and so many others around the country and the world, for walking with us through this journey. Thank you for surrounding us. Loving us. Supporting us. Encouraging us.
ALL I AM: Transition Time - Genesis 30 & 31
When I was 11 years old, my dad's company that he was working for in California closed their doors. They had offices all over and we were offered four different places to move. We could move to Sacramento, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City or glorious Denver. Praise be to God, my parents chose wisely!! I grew up in California and that was all I knew. My whole family was really involved there, so leaving that place was like tearing up roots that had been drilled deep into the soil of where we were. It was a difficult thing to leave. I can remember two things about leaving: 1) There were a lot of tears. 2) At one point in time, there was a circle of people who surrounded my family and me. To the glory of God, we all sang, with tears pouring down our face, Friends are Friends Forever by Michael W. Smith.
ALL I AM: Filling the Void Genesis 29 & 30
I have quite the challenge in front of me -- I am preaching on Mother's Day out of a passage that has to do with polygamy! Pray for me. In fact, it's even a little bit deeper than that....not only is it about polygamy, it's sorta of a sister-wives meets "Desperate Housewives" meets intervention. That's where we're going this morning. If you've been with us over the last few weeks, you know we've been studying the life of Jacob, one of the great patriarchs of the Hebrew faith. He's one of the more unheroic heroes in all of Scriptures. If you've been looking for glimmers of hope or shouts of light in the story, you've been left wanting over the last few weeks.
ALL I AM: Stairway to Heaven
I grew up in a family that went to church every single Sunday. While I wouldn't say I was a begrudging participant, I definitely didn't have a faith in Jesus in the way the Scriptures describe that. My parents were very involved (in the church), but my interest in church, for the first number of years in my life, up to the age of 10, revolved around a man by the name of Randy. Randy had a mental disability. He took the bus to church and sat in the very front row. He had a backpack with him in the front row. About ten minutes into a sermon one time, he unzips his backpack, takes out two cans of aerosol deodorant, shakes them vigorously, crosses his arms, puts his hands under his shirt and starts to deodorize himself in the front row!! As a ten-year-old kid, I'm like praise Jesus, right? I thought it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen! That was the pinnacle for me! We had reached the mountain top when Randy double-barreled deodorized himself on a Sunday during the sermon.
ALL I AM: Crazy Uncle Laban Genesis 28-30 Pastor Josh Billings
One of the things I do is read through my passage as many times as I can when I prepare for a sermon. I read through this one a couple times and was asking God what kind of analogy I should use, what kind of story to bring up and something hit me. Benedict Arnold came to mind! One of the greatest deceivers and traitors in American history. The interesting thing about Arnold....I thought I knew the story pretty well, but as it turns out, I had only scratched the surface about what really was going on in Benedict Arnold's life when he betrayed the American forces. The thing is is that Arnold had been dealt a pretty tough hand in life. That's no joke. He had some pretty significant challenges to overcome and he had struggled and struggled to be a successful general in the American Army. He had had some success in several battles previous to his treason, but it was limited. To make matters worse for him, his comrades or his colleagues, other generals had been known to take credit for his very few successes that he had experienced. To make matters worse for ole Arnold, he had very little money. He lived with an incredibly high level of debt and he was constantly borrowing money. At one point, his co-officers took him to court and demanded that he be court-martialed for some of the issues he had. They found him innocent of those charges, but the stigma stuck with him.
December 26, 1919, a decision was made that definitively shaped two organizations for the next 85 years. Harry Frazee sold one of his best players. His name was George Herman Ruth---you might know him as "The Babe." For $125,000, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, sold the rights of George Herman Ruth (the Babe) to the dreaded New York Yankees. For the next 85 years, the Boston Red Sox lived under "The Curse of the Bambino." Babe Ruth, at the time, was a pitcher, but he started dabbling in hitting and the year before he was traded in 1919, he hit 29 home runs, which wasn't all that bad for a pitcher, even back then. Once he was traded to the Yankees, he started to play every day. The first year he played for the Yankees, he hit 54 home runs and drove in 135 RBIs. He followed that up, in his 1921 campaign, with 59 home runs and 106 RBIs. He went on to be one of the most prolific baseball players of all time. He took the Yankees to the World Series seven times and won it four times. Hit 714 home runs, hit .342 over the course of his career and was elected to the Hall of Fame with more than a 95% election rate. He was a pretty decent player it turned out! You read back through it and you go well, why in the world....Harry Frazee, why in the world would you sell the rights....he didn't even trade him, he just said I need cash, that's what I need. I need you to give me $125K and you have the rights to the Babe. Why in the world would he do that?? If you go back and read about Harry Frazee, he was not only the president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, but he also dabbled in Broadway theatrical productions. Those weren't doing so hot at the time and he needed cash. So he traded the Babe for $125,000 in cash in a loan for $300,000 and for 85 years it haunted the Boston Red Sox. He made a decision that was based on the immediate and he failed to see the way the long-term might play out.
ALL I AM: Family of Promise Genesis 25:19-28
As a kid I used to love to hear my grandparents tell stories. The grandparents on my mom's side of the family (my grandfather specifically) had some stories to tell. I don't how many of them were true, but they were all intriguing, at least the first time around. He used to share about his time in war in the South Pacific where his boots would have been wet for months on end. He loved to share about meeting my grandmother in his parents' flower shop. She walked in the door, at the ripe old age of 18, and they got married. He told stories about working for an engineering firm that was instrumental in landing one of the first shuttles on the moon. He claims that his name is on a plaque on the moon. I haven't been able to verify this, but we can only assume that it's true. My grandmother had some beautiful stories, too. She told us.....Kelly and I were standing in her hallway one time looking at a picture of her passport when she came over from Germany as a grade-school girl. She told us about fleeing Germany when Hitler was starting to rise to power and how her father had the intuition to see this coming. He loaded his entire family on a boat, sailed across the Atlantic and got to the United States of America. What my grandmother remembered about that event was that both literally and figuratively my great-grandfather refused to look back to Germany after he left. On that boat, head straight forward, saying, "We are not looking back. We are not going to be a part of that."
WALKING IN GLORY Romans 6:4-5
January 30, 2009, at 11:37, a nurse at Palomar Hospital handed me a baby. My baby! Ethan--6 pounds, 10 ounces, little tiny guy, but as she handed him to me, I had this overwhelming feeling that my life would never be the same. I'd fallen in love in a way I never knew I could and I also sensed that although he weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, he actually weighed a little bit more than that on my heart and my life. We put him in the car seat a few days later, after those few glorious days where the nurses changed his diapers and made sure that we didn't kill him. It was wonderful. We got in the car, strapped him in the car seat, started driving home. The drive home where you are going 10 mph in a 35 mph zone and you're wondering why everybody else is in such a hurry. I'm driving along and going my speed (slow) and people are honking at me and waving at me with only one finger. We walked over the threshold of the door; I helped Kelly get into the house. I had Ethan under my arm. When we closed the door behind us, the silence was almost deafening. It was as though sirens should have been going off somewhere in the universe to alert people that we had absolutely no clue what we were doing. I had this feeling like is this a joke. Is somebody going to come through the door and say we know you have no clue?! I can remember holding this little kid---he weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces---and he might as well weighed 1000 pounds. The weight I felt in that moment was just.....it redefined the way that I looked at life.
THE LORD'S PRAYER: Kneeling for Battle Matthew 6:13
The year was 1720, the date June 21st. The pirate, Bartholomew Roberts, was just about to sail in to the Trepassey Bay in Newfoundland, the easternmost part of the United States of America. As he got ready to enter that bay, he noticed that there were twenty-two merchant ships lined up around the coast of the bay. In that day, merchant ships often carried artillery because there were others, like Black Bart, sailing the open seas, ready to take them down and take them for all that they were worth. Black Bart, or Bartholomew Roberts, was one of the pirates who came up with, what we know now to be, the "Jolly Roger" flag. It was a way to send a message that the pirates used. They would simply hoist up this flag and it was an invitation to any ships that could see it "hey, if you're willing to hoist up your white flag and surrender, we're willing to not kill you." They were trying to negotiate. Bartholomew Roberts and his crew pulled into the Trepassey Bay in Newfoundland, June 21, 1720, surrounded by 22 ships in this bay and they, slowly but surely, hoisted the "Jolly Roger" flag. And every single one of the twenty-two ships in that bay, slowly but surely, hoisted up their white flag of surrender. Every single one. The ironic part is that if you go back and read about this account, together for sure, but even independently, many of those ships that gave up without a fight had enough resources onboard to give the good pirate, Black Bart, a run for his money. But they refused to even fight the battle. They had enough to win and yet refused to fight.
THE LORD'S PRAYER: Releasing the Records Matthew 6:12
Have you ever tried to think back and figure out what your earliest memory is? Not one that you've seen in pictures or stories that you've heard, but genuinely the thing from your past that's the very first thing that you can remember. For me, I was five years old. It was my birthday and I had been given a Big Wheel for my birthday. Huge wheel in the front, two mini wheels on the back ---- I was in love! I begged my parents to let me take it on an inaugural spin around the block. I was ready for my birthday party; I was dressed in a red-and-white shirt that had horizontal stripes on it. I had red shorts on and on the left pocket was a little green alligator. I begged my parents mercilessly; I now know where my seven-year-old gets it from. They finally gave in. I took my red and yellow Big Wheel on a spin around the block. I went tearing out of the driveway, made a left hand turn, made another left hand turn, another left, another left and I was about to make my final left hand turn on the final stretch and I'm not exactly sure what happened. Other than the little wheel on the back got caught in the groove that attached the curb to the sidewalk. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my face, in the gutter, covered in mud. I can remember getting back on my Big Wheel and making that final left hand turn and heading home. I pulled up the driveway and put the Big Wheel off to the side and stood there, not exactly sure what was going to greet me when I knocked on the door. It was the first time in my life that I can remember feeling shame. It was the first time in my life I can remember failing. The first time in my life where, regardless of anybody else's standard for me, I didn't live up to my standard for myself. Can you remember the first time you felt that way?
If you've been with us over the past few weeks, you know we've been walking through a series on the Lord's prayer. If you're new with us, welcome, we're really glad you're here. We're going to be diving into one of the stanzas in this prayer and trying to ask God God, what do you want us to hear from this portion of this model prayer that you gave your disciples to pray -- a way for them to interact with you.
I grew up in a church that was sorta "high church." It was a Presbyterian church and the pastor wore a robe every Sunday when he preached. I think it was because he didn't want to think about what he wore under it. Every time he prayed....he had this sorta booming voice....his name was Ben Patterson and every time he prayed, you just felt like the Shekinah glory of the Lord filled the room. I can remember as a kid sitting there, going I don't think I'll ever be able to pray like that. I don't think I'll ever be able to talk to God in a way that I really feel like he hears me, because I don't know that many big words and I don't know how to do that and I don't know how to enter in..... I can remember feeling almost a little discouraged by prayer as a young kid because I felt so distant from the way it was suppose to be done.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
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THE LORD'S PRAYER: All I Need Every Day - Matthew 6:11 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
(Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)
BREATH OF HEAVEN: The One Thing that Changes Everything - John 8:31-32 & Romans 13:8-9
A number of years ago, I got into road biking and I never thought I'd be a road biker, but my wife got me a bike for Christmas. I was looking for another way to get out and enjoy beautiful Colorado and, indeed, over the last few years, I've really grown to love the sport of road biking. I had a friend who invited me to go on a bike ride with him, sort of spontaneously. He called me and at the time my wife was hosting a party and there were a number of women over at our house. I said yes to him. I was biding my time and hoping that by the time it was for me to go, they'd be gone. I went upstairs and got ready. It came time for me to go. I had to walk downstairs through my living room to get into my garage. The living room is where all these ladies were. I had to go downstairs dressed head-to-toe in full-on spandex in order to get into my garage! I had always been the guy that looked at others in full spandex and thought, "I'm never going there! I'm never doing THAT!" until I went on a bike ride not wearing them. It was not fun! I realized the moment I got on the bike WHY everybody that rides spandex head-to-toe! I joined that club. It turned out....the thing that looked confining at first, actually brought freedom. The thing that looked like it was going to be uncomfortable and it looked like there's no way I'm ever going there, actually was the thing that allowed me to ride way better with way more comfort than I ever would have imagined.
BREATH OF HEAVEN:The Point is a Person John 5:39-40 & Hebrews 1:1-3BREATH OF HEAVEN:The Point is a Person John 5:39-40 & Hebrews 1:1-3 My wife, Kelly, and I met on a backpacking trail a number of years ago. I felt like I made quite the impression on her. Things had gone well on that trail. I was convinced, if I could talk her into it, that I was going to marry her. I wasn’t sure she was as committed as I was, nonetheless, she had thrown out on the trail…if you ever want to come to Durango and spend some time and hang out, it’s an open invitation. I filed that away in the very front of my file cabinet. We got off the trail after spending a week together and I waited all of two days to call her. I called her house. This is back in the day where phones were attached to the wall. You had to call and actually talk to somebody’s parents in order to ask them out on a date!!! Her dad answered the phone. He was a football coach for 20 years in Durango. He said hello. I answered, “Hi! This is Ryan. Is Kelly there?” I hear him yell to Kelly, “Kelly, Ryan’s on the phone.” Kelly yells back, “Ryan who??” Evidently I didn’t make as great an impression as I thought. I asked, “Does the offer still stand to come down and visit you?” She said, “Yes, absolutely.” This is also before you could plug an address in your phone and it would tell you how to get there. I got a map and looked up Durango to figure out how to get there. She said, “When you get into town, it’s basically one street in town, you’re going to make a left at Mustang and then you’re going to weave up and you’ll eventually get to where I live.” She gave me the directions. I asked my parents if I could borrow one of the cars. They said they were using both of the them that weekend. So I went out and bought a car! Got in my car and drove…..I said—-I’d seen Goodwill Hunting a few times—“I gotta go see about a girl!” I get in my car and drive to Durango. I drive all the way through main street and I don’t see Mustang. That’s the street I’m looking for….Mustang. I come back through and still don’t see it. I do that a number of times. Kelly was at work at this point in time and there was no way to call her at work. I go back through again and think I didn’t just buy a car to come down to see about a girl for it to end up like this. As I’m driving back through, I see a gas station named “The Mustang.” I realized that although Kelly is brilliant and beautiful, she is geographically and directionally challenged!! I realized that if I have the wrong goal, I’ll never end up in the right destination!
BREATH OF HEAVEN:Pragmatic Wind 2 Tim. 3:16-17 & Luke 4:1-13
We're in a series, started last week and over the next two weeks, and we're exploring both the power and prominence of the Scriptures. For millennia, this book....really, it's a collection of writings....I think you should view it more as a library than a book.....it's 66 different books, written by 40 different authors over the course of 1500 years....three different continents with one central message...whose name is Jesus. We want to look at why the Bible is so significant. Why has it transformed cultures, transformed lives, transformed cities for the last few thousand years? What is it about this collection of writings that's so significant? Last week we said we don't want to impose ON it, we want to receive from it. We want the Bible to tell us why it's such a big deal.
OH HOLY NIGHT: CHAINS SHALL HE BREAK Isaiah 61 & Luke 4:16-21
Anybody have one of these (paper chain) things going on in their house right now? I used to think this was a nice, cute art project that we allowed kids to do during Christmas time. This is a Christmas chain. Everyday you wake up and you rip one link of the chain off and you get closer and closer to Christmas and there's one for every day, until you get up to Christmas morning. I used to think it was a nice, cute art project, but really what this is is a representation of sanity for parents! Here's the question you're hearing if you are a parent right now: How many days until Christmas??? Instead of having to do quick math in your head, you get to say go check the chain. Count the links on the chain. We've got four days until Christmas. This isn't a cute art project. This is sanity for every parent.
EXILES: EXALTED EXILES 1 Peter 5:5-14
When I was in college, I worked with an organization called Young Life. I mentored a number of students and the only time that I had free and the time they were willing to meet was real early in the morning. One morning, I got out of bed, my feet hit the ground at about 5:45 am. The meeting started at 6:00 am. This was not uncommon. It was about a 13-minute drive to where we were meeting. I had two minutes to get dressed...more than enough time. My feet hit the ground, I pulled on a pair of pants, a shirt, a sweatshirt, popped in my car and drove to the cafe we were meeting at. I walked in and we quickly got a seat because nobody else was that crazy to be there at that time. I walked to our little booth and sat down and opened the menu. A waitress came by and instead of asking us what our order would be, she came carrying a sock! She didn't say anything. She just walked up to our table, stood there and held up the sock. I was thinking to myself that I hadn't looked at the whole menu, but I didn't know where THAT fell on the menu. What's the deal? She just stood there holding the sock. She said, "When you walked in this morning, this sock fell out of your pant leg." Don't judge me! You've been there before. I took off my pants the night before, all in one fell swoop because I don't want to waste time before I fell in bed.....took it all off, socks included, and the sock got pinned in the leg. As I walked into the cafe, the sock slowly worked its way out, fell down, creating a nice thing to wipe your feet on as you walk into said cafe. The waitress felt it necessary to come in and deliver back my sock, thank you very much, waitress. I looked at her going I had no idea I was carrying that. I had no idea that was attached to me. I think the Apostle Peter, as he writes to this group of five churches---home churches, probably, in the first century---here's what he wants to do today. He wants to walk up to them and go you're carrying this, but you don't know you are. You're carrying this. This is something that's attached to you, but you have absolutely no clue. Here's the thing: They're not alone. The thing that Peter's going to talk to the first-century church about today is what he wants to talk to us about also. I think there's some things that you're carrying; there's some things that I'm carrying and unless we have God-given eyes to see, I think we could easily overlook the fact that most of us in this room are carrying this. I think Jesus' posture towards us this morning is.....I think He wants to come up and say hey, I'm not sure if you're aware that THIS is a part of your life.
EXILES:GARDENING IN THE STORM 1 Peter 3:8-22
This fall, my wife and I were searching through the channels looking for a new show to watch. As I looked for a new show to watch, I found they just don't make TV shows like they used to, do they? I'm not necessarily even talking about "Leave it to Beaver" or "I Love Lucy." I'm talking about my era. 1980's television, in my opinion, was unparalleled in its excellence. 1980's saw Knight Rider: where David Hasselhoff made it cool to have the hairy chest and to drive a car named KITT that talked to you. Was that not wonderful?! He was followed by Magnum PI. Thank you, Tom Selleck, for making the mustache cool. We had all of these guys bridging the gap between society and new hair-dos. Second to none, in the 1980's, was a show about a guy named Angus. You might know him as MacGyver. Was there a better show in the 1980's?! I read through the script of the pilot episode and I went Angus MacGyver, are you kidding me?? Here's what we loved about MacGyver: if he had a lighter, a paper clip and a roll of duct tape, he could get out of any situation he found himself in, could he not? If he was in the darkest dungeon, hand and feet strapped....it didn't matter. If he had a lighter, a paper clip and a roll of duct tape, you knew he was getting out. Not only that.....he was going to use all of this to make the people who were holding him captive his prisoners! You always knew he was going to find a way to use what he had to make the most of the things that mattered. That's what MacGyver did. He took the resources that were there....a lot of times they looked pretty scarce and pretty bleak and it looked like how in the world was he going to get out of the situation. We knew because there was another episode coming the next week that he was going to get out. With the fear of sounding a little bit irreverent, I think God's a little bit like MacGyver....without the mullet, of course.
EXILES: HERE COMES RUSTY 1 Peter 1:13-21
"Here comes RUSTY!" I was at a dog race with my college roommates, a number of years ago. Every time they started a new race, they would announce, "Here comes Rusty!" Around the track would be this stuffed bunny that all the dogs chased. If the bunny would have run onto I-25 into oncoming traffic, the dogs would have all followed it. I think we could all agree, if it were a cat race we would have wanted that to happen. Just kidding!! They followed this bunny. Right around the track, the dogs are chasing it! I started to think about that this week, because I don't know that we're all that different. All of us have a "Rusty." We all have something that we follow. I think from the time our feet hit the ground in the morning.....we could just lie in our bed and whatever you do before you actually have your feet hit the ground, I think you could whisper in your mind, "Here comes Rusty!" And you're off and running for the day chasing your Rusty. Not only do you have something that you're chasing---something that determines the course, the shape, the direction of your life---but for every single person in this room, our Rusty's the same. For every single person. The thing that we follow---the thing that determines the course of our life, the direction of our life, the action of our life, the behaviors of our life---it's the thoughts that we have rattling around in our head and the things that we believe in our heart. Those are the things that shape the direction and the course of our life. What you THINK and what you BELIEVE determines how you live. It's your "Rusty."
In this sermon, Ryan finishes the Relentless Series. We were designed to join in God’s mission in the world. This sermon explores the feeling that we were made for something more. We often feel that way because we were made for more than just going to Church. We were made to step into God’s world.
ENEMIES AT THE TABLE-PSALM 23:5
In college, I was part of an organization called Young Life. Our freshman year was dedicated to training and then we went to serve on local high school campuses thereafter. As part of our training, our area director would meet with us every week and lead us through discipleship process. After one evening, he mentioned, informally, hey, why don't you guys come over to our house for dinner next week? Here's the thing: I didn't have a planner in college. I couldn't have told you when most of my tests were coming or even generally, my schedule most of the time, BUT if you invited me over for dinner, you better believe I was going to be there! So he did invite us over for dinner. My roommate and I pulled up to the house and we were the only car there. My initial thought was, "More for me. Thank you very much for forgetting about this glorious invitation." We went up and knocked on the door. When our area director opened up the door from the initial look you could tell he was not expecting us. We reminded him of the invitation and he said, "Oh yeah. Let me go remind my wife." Which was code for I need to tell my wife you're here. There was an exchange that happens between husband and wife where, in one look, it's the I'm sorry...please forgive me....I'm in the doghouse look and do we have enough food for these ravenous freshman guys? Most normal people at that point would say, "You know what? You weren't expecting us. Let's reschedule for next week." You know this by now....I am not most normal people!!! We awkwardly, gingerly walked in their house where she exclaimed, "I'm sure we have enough food to go around!" They pulled us up a seat at their dinner table. We ate dinner. The food started to dwindle and it was clear they didn't have enough food to go around. But that didn't matter to us, because we were going to get ours! The whole time we were eating I'm looking around the table going, "We are not suppose to be here! They did not expect us to come!" It was a little bit awkward. Most normal people would have said I'm out. But we bore it and we made it through the dinner...
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Good Shepherd - Enemy at the Table - Psalm 23 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Psalm 23:4 - Valleys and Shadows. It's not hard for us to imagine that God is present and good when we are on the mountain tops of life. It's much harder to imagine that is present in the darkness in the valleys. David's claim in Psalm 23 and one of the reasons that it's captured the hearts and minds of you vanity for years is he got his present both in the green pasture, and in the valley of death. He gets believers in perspective by which we can navigate life start valleys, and come out the other and still following out good shepherd.
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Good Shepherd - Valleys and Shadows - Psalm 23 Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Psalm 23:1 – Satisfied - For some reason this (roughly) 3,000 year old poem still captures the heart and imagination of humanity. In an age where songs comes and go in quick order, this psalm has stood the test of time. In the first verse of this epic psalm, David states that because God is his shepherd, he lacks nothing! He makes the point: The shepherd of your life determines your soul’s satisfaction. David begs us to ask the question, “Who is the shepherd of your life?” The Lord longs to be our shepherd, and as the Good Shepherd, he intends to satisfy.
1 Peter 3:8-15 The Resilience of Hope - In this message pastor Dan Elliott teaches us how to remain resilient in the midst of life's challenges.
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Foolish is the New Wise | Last is the New First (Part 7) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Mark 9:33-37 & John 13:3
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Last is the New First | Empty is the New Full (Part 6) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Giving is the New Receiving | Empty is the New Full (Part 5) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11, John 19:30
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship No is the New Yes | Empty is the New Full (Part 4) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Judges 7:1-15
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Weak is the New Strong | Empty is the New Full (Part 3) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Mark 8:31-38
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Surrender is the New Freedom | Empty is the New Full (Part 2) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
Philippians 3:10
Helping people live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus. Connect with us ⬇️ About Us: https://southfellowship.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southfellowship Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southfellowship Twitter: https://twitter.com/southfellowship Give Online ⬇️ https://pushpay.com/g/southfellowship Empty is the New Full (Part 1) Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson South Fellowship Church Based in Littleton, CO
After 28 chapters, the book of Acts ends with the Apostle Paul in prison still preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Acts doesn’t end with information or answers; it ends with an open-ended invitation. As with any great story, the end is really just the beginning. The story that Jesus is writing through His church continues today, and we get to play a part!
What will be our verse? What might God do through us for His name and His glory?
Welcome to the never-ending story!
Acts 27:1-44 – Shake and Shape. Storms. We all face them, but very rarely do we face them well. The difficult thing about walking through pain in life is that it often comes out of nowhere and creates situations in life that are out of our control. However, God often does some of his most powerful and formative work in our lives through the storms. It is often the situations that shake us most severely that end up shaping us most significantly!
Evidence of Hope – Acts 26:1-32 In Acts 26, Paul find himself on on trial before King Agrippa. The reason for his trial is fascinating. Paul states, “I am on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.” On trial because of HOPE! All of us will be on trial because of our hope, the question is, will there be enough evidence to convict us? In this section of scripture, Paul gives us the evidence of hope in his life.
Acts 20:1-38 – The Apostle Paul planted 14 churches that we know about, penned 13 letters through the leading of the Holy Spirit that are included in our New Testament, and traveled over 10,000 miles on various missionary journeys. What was it that allowed Paul to keep going through all that he encountered? He answers that question for us in Acts 20 by telling Ephesians elders what he built his life and his ministry upon.
Acts 19:11-41 – The church at Ephesus got off to quite the start! In fact, Luke’s recording of what happened in Ephesus is the best example we have of a city wide revival happening in the New Testament. If you’re hoping for revival, praying for renewal, or longing to see God move; take a listen to this message.
Acts 18:1-28 Does God care if his people are encouraged? In this chapter of Acts we see that he does! Paul is coming off a tough season in ministry and he is at the end of his rope. I just the right time God brings Priscilla and Aquilla to be his partners in ministry. God sustains Paul through relationship, speaks to him directly, and teaches the believers in community. He longs to do the same for us today as well!
Acts 17:16-34 - In 1961 AW Tozer wrote, "What you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you." I think the apostle Paul would have agreed. And ask chapter 17, Paul gives one of the most famous sermons recorded in the Scriptures. The entire goal of Paul's sermon is to give the Fenians a completely different view of God. The apostle Paul is convinced that our view of God shapes the world that we see in the life that we live.
Dr. Scott Wenig - This weeks message is about the providence of God. The healthy response to God's providential hand in our lives is to reflect on what God is preparing us for. Learn how to look at your past and respond to God's work in your life in the present.
Romans 5:1-17 God doesn't want you to survive 2015, he wants you to thrive in 2015. But, that thriving doesn't happen as we try harder, it happens as we rest in the reality of all that Jesus had accomplished on our behalf. Faith gives us a place to stand before it gives us a job to do. So before you set out to strive into the new year, stand in the goodness of the gospel.
Matthew 8:1-4 It is often difficult to interact with God because of our own weakness, sin, or failures. We feel as though God must be, at the least, mildly upset with us. This story in the book of Matthew demonstrates a different kind of God. Jesus reaches into the dirtiest places to show us his love. Jesus ignored social faux pas's and more in order to reach this man. He continues to do that today. Listen to see what Jesus is like and the beautiful news that is for you.
Luke 1:46-55 – Mary’s song; The Magnificat. Some have gone so far as to say this little song recorded by Luke is one of the most revolutionary documents in the history of the world! At first glance it might not seem that significant, but let us let Mary sing a little bit. When you listen to her words, you start to hear a revolution. See, Mary wasn’t just carrying a baby, she was carrying a hope. And, the same hope that Mary had as she carried the KING is the same hope you and I have as we carry the KINGDOM!
Matthew 2:1-12 – We know how to receive presents, we know how to receive a president, but do we know how to receive a King? The reality is that all of us have anointed a king over our lives. In this message we we’ll learn from the Magi how we anoint a king and specifically how to anoint Jesus King over our lives!
Luke 2:1-7 Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her king! We made the point last week that the hope of Christmas is far more about a King coming to reign than it is about a baby being born. Indeed, Jesus has come and Jesus does reign… today… for real! Because Jesus reigns today, he has a Kingdom that he reigns over. There is a lot of misunderstanding about his Kingdom. We address that in this message and try to paint a picture of how the King reigns today. See, Christmas is God’s decisive declaration that the Kingdom of Heaven is invading the empires of the earth!
We invite you to join us at South Fellowship Church this Christmas season as we rejoice like never before! The celebration of Jesus’ birth has evolved into a lot of things: a time for families to get together, exchanging of presents, consuming fruitcake, drinking egg nog, and singing songs about figgy pudding. Along with all of these traditions, on Christmas we celebrate that Jesus was born in order that he would become KING… and he is… and he reigns… right now! The fact that Jesus is king means that we can live under his love and peace, it means that we can have hope, and it means that a new way of living is completely possible!
Acts 16:6-40: The word ‘worship’ conjure up all sorts of images in our mind. When we think of worship we think of: singing, church, worship bands or choirs, etc. When some people hear the word ‘worship’ they immediately think ‘boring.’ In this message we explore one of the purposes for worship in the life of a believer – it is a weapon! Worship is a weapon that changes our world and our hearts.
Acts 15:36-16:5 – Friends are friends forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them… well, sometimes! In this passage of scripture we explore Paul and Barnabas’ epic breakup and the way God continues to use them both in the building of His Kingdom.
Acts 15:1-35 – In one of the most significant chapters in the entire Bible, the Jerusalem Council affirms that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone. They declare unequivocally that Jesus is sufficient! Listen as we explore the ways as current followers of Jesus we can embrace this same affirmation and live in the way of the Risen Christ.
Acts 13 & 14 – We all live in a story; we have a way that we view the world (a world view) and a way that we think about God. The people the Apostle Paul spoke to people lived in a story too. It’s fascinating to see that way that Paul steps into their story, dissects it, and leads them to Jesus. Not all paths lead to God, but God meets people on all paths and leads them to Jesus!
Acts 13 - One of the hardest things we encounter in life can be surrendering the dream of what we hoped might look like to embrace the reality of what is. I’m convinced the early church had to wrestle through this process in the same way that we do today. They gave up their brightest and their best (Paul and Barnabas) and sent them off for the sake of the kingdom. We see in this passage of scripture that Jesus builds his kingdom of freedom through surrendered people! Are you surrendered?
Acts 12:1-25 Let's be honest... sometimes it seems like God is inconsistent. One of his beloved disciples gets his head cut off and the other is miraculously released from jail. How do we navigate life when it's hard to predict what God is going to do? How do we have faith in real life?
2 Corinthians 2:14-4:7 - It’s easy to fall into one of two extremes – to think of ourselves more highly than we ought or to think of ourselves too lowly. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-4:7the Apostle Paul gives followers of Jesus four pictures of the reality of the life we live in Jesus. We were created in the image of God for the mission of God. Listen as we explore the beautiful invitation extended by a gracious God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 : Everybody knows it… we were designed for relationships. We were created to know and to be known. But, that isn’t an easy thing. In many ways the dawn of the Enlightenment Era invited us to embrace the prominence of the autonomous self. However, on a deep seeded level, we all know we were created for more. In fact, the bible doesn’t say that community is a good way to enhance our lives, it states that community is necessary to shape our lives. Listen in as we explore the way that community helps transform us into the image of God.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 Dallas Willard wrote, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it’s opposed to earning.” Typically followers of Jesus wrestle with this, they either lean towards legalism or laziness. The problem many good-intentioned Christians face is that they don’t know what to pour their effort into right things. Many think that simply trying harder will help them grow, but they soon find themselves worn out, frustrated, and stalled. In this message we explore the (only) goal and the focal-point of the Christian life. This is what we were designed to pour our effort into… and when we do, we are transformed into the image of Jesus!
2 Corinthians 3:1-18 This is the opening sermon to our "The Beautiful Journey" series. Everybody longs for transformation and many people actually work towards it, but very few people find themselves successful. One of the reasons we aren't transformed in the way we'd like is because we begin at the wrong spot. Listen as we explore the essential starting place for all Christian transformation.
Acts 11:19-30 In this sermon we learn that there is a trait that some people have that makes everyone around them better. We learn what that trait is and how we can become people who thrive and help others thrive as well.
2 Samuel 9 This is a beautiful story of redemption. In this message pastor Don Owsley shares the story of Mephibosheth from the book of 2 Samuel. This story is a picture, an illusion to the gospel of Jesus. In it we see grace and mercy that we don't deserve.
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Acts 10:1-48 It’s something we will have to do throughout the corse of our lives. It’s also something we MUST do if we are going to follow the way of Jesus. Jesus invites us to be disciples. That word literally means: an apprentice, student, or learner. Well, any learning requires that we let go of old ways of doing things or old beliefs in order to take hold of superior ones. Learning is letting go! In this passage we learn about Peter, a man who walked with Jesus for three years, and who is called to let go of some of the things he believed and some of the way he was living. If Jesus asks him to let go, is it possible he might have the same invitation for us?
Acts 9:32-43 The Kingdom of God. It was one of the central themes of Jesus message and earthly ministry. As the early church walked with Jesus and embraced his message, they started to see the Kingdom of God displayed in transformative ways. Tune in and see what it looks like to be a person who carries the Kingdom; because God's kingdom always invades through God's people!
Acts 9:31 One of the most dangerous situations a church or a soul can be in is peace. Peace can cause you to get distracted from worshiping God and begin worshiping peace. This sermon helps us learn how to handle seasons of peace in such a way that they help us set our direction.
Acts 9:19-30 In this sermon we learned about the shaping of the apostle Paul. We also learned that God is more concerned with who we become then in what we do. God values the time it takes to prepare a person for great things. His timeline is often longer then ours would be.
Acts 9:1-19 In this message we learned about true conversion. Conversion isn't just when a person prays a prayer and gets into heaven. Conversion is when God pursues a person, opens their eyes, and reveals His matchless grace to them. This event may be painful but it is the moment every human soul was made for.
Acts 8:26-40 Part of being a Jesus follower is bridge building. We build bridges for people to meet Jesus. In this message we learn a bit about why and how Jesus followers build bridges for people.
Philippines 3: 1-9 In this message we wrestled with one of the biggest threats to our faith, our own failings. One of the hardest things to handle in life is when we let ourselves down. Why do some christians seem to have so much faith and commitment when the rest of us struggle? This message aims to answer the question, what is it, REALLY, that makes a great Jesus follower?
Psalm 129 In this sermon we learn to like a Psalm that many of us may not initially categorize as a positive text. This text helps us learn to be honest with our real feelings about life and it's hardships.
Acts 8:4-25 In this sermon we learn about the correct approach to interacting with God. The attitude that we have toward God is very important if we are to interact with him. The attitude we need is different then one might think initially. Learn this week that God's expectations of you are different and SWEETER then you could hope for.
Acts 8:1-8 The beginning of the church was both explosive and messy. Through it all God had a plan he was working out in and through His Church. God even uses persecution and trials to advance his purpose. He does this for our joy and our good.
Acts 7 In this message we learned about God's story and how our connectedness to it sustains us under any circumstance. When you know that your life fits into the plan and story of God you can withstand just about any circumstance.
Acts 6: 1-7 Growth isn't always glamorous but it's always worth it. This passage of scripture shows us some of the growing pains that the early church went through in order to keep growing. We learn about how to grow through the difficulties that come our way. We also learn how we can break free from stagnating. How you deal with the challenges of growth determine whether you keep growing.
Acts 5:17-42 In this message we hear an amazing story of boldness. We learned how to look at our circumstances as a tool designed to help us tell the message of Life through.
Acts 5:1-11 The greatest threats to us as individuals and the church come not from without, but from within! Listen to the way that these threats got the best of Aninias and Sapphira.
Acts 4:1-31 Some tension is not meant to be resolved. Much of life is spent trying to prevent, resolve, or avoid tension but some tension is good. In this passage we see the early church functioning inside tension. We learn that our greatest impact is found when we live inside certain tensions.
Acts 3:11-26 In this passage we read one of the most beautiful titles for Jesus. Jesus is, "the author of life." This passage is a sermon that the apostle Peter preached to a crowd that gathered after he had healed a lame man outside the temple. Peter stands and tells the people that he didn't heal the man but that Jesus' name had healed the man. He then calls the people to repent.
Repent: This word is loaded with mostly negative images of angry religious people holding hateful signs. In this sermon we learn that repentance was not meant to be that way. This passage paints a picture of repentance that is full of hope, life, future, and joy. If repentance brings all of that maybe we should dust it off and try it again.
Acts 3: 1-10 "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk (v.6)."
We may not have silver and gold to give people but often the thing that we do have is far better then silver or gold. Sometimes the things we don't have open us up to being more creative in our service. This sermon helps us think through what we have to offer the advance of the kingdom of God. God wants to use our gifts serve people and to bring us joy in what we were made for.
Acts 2: 42-47 The early church was an uncommon community. The gospel had changed everything in their lives and as a result the created a community that has changed history forever. This message shows us a few things they did to find that depth of transformative community.
Acts 2: 22-41 - The resurrection is not a day to be celebrated, but rather a hope to be lived! In this message we explore the ways that the resurrection invites us to rest in the plan of God, enjoy the presence of God, walk in the path of God, and rejoice in the promise of God.
Acts 2:1-21 At Pentecost the spirit descends on the believers and everything changes! They speak in tongues, have dreams and visions, and are launched into a movement that changes the world. Listen as we explore how to speak in tongues and live as Pentecostal Christians.
Surviving trials in life is difficult but it is crucial that we are able to hear God when they come. In this message Dr. Scott Wenig shares several principles from Exodus 6 that will help you weather the inevitable trials of life.
There is a aspect of Acts chapter two that often gets overlooked. In this message we learn how much God values culture and diversity. It is a challenge to us to explore God's glory as it is painted on the tapestry of people groups all around the world.
Acts 1: 12-26 The title of this message demonstrates some of the tension that is found in God's movement and mission. Sometimes God asks us to wait before we move. That waiting can be one of the most difficult parts of following God especially when you have captured a vision for what he wants. In this passage of scripture we find the Apostles of Jesus waiting for the Holy Spirit to come dwell in them. Jesus told them to bring the good news to the whole world but he also told them to wait for the Spirit to arrive first.
In this sermon we explore what it looks like to wait well.
Acts 1: 4-11 This sermon explores what this "Movement" is that God was doing in the book of Acts and continues to do today. Ryan also explains the power of the movement.
Acts 1:1-11: This is the first sermon in "The Movement" series. This series will be through the Book of Acts. In this message we learned about the history of the Book of Acts and how the christian faith is. A foundation forged in the Past. A power sustaining in the Present. A vision pressing toward the Future.
"There is no discipline that invokes more guilt in people than the subject of prayer." -Ryan Paulson
In this message we learned how prayer is designed to set us free from the anxieties and stress of our lives. Prayer is not a command that should invoke guilt it is the path where peace is found. The battle for a healthy mind and heart is waged and won in prayer.
Celebration is actually commanded in scripture. Why are we commanded to celebrate? God actually uses celebration as a tool to tune our hearts into His goodness. We often don't think of celebration as a God honoring thing but it is.
2 Corinthians 8:1-12 In this message Ryan shares with us how generosity tunes our hearts to God. You are never more like God when you are generous.
In this message our guest speaker Dr. Scott Wenig shared with us about the life of Barnabas and how his gift of encouragement helped shape so many in the New Testament. He taught us how we can grow into encouragers.
In this sermon Ryan teaches us about the significance of communion in the life of the church. Sometimes we allow sacraments (traditional practices) like communion to get old. Sometimes we don't understand and therefore don't benefit from some of God's gifts to us. This message tries to explain how communion is designed to tune our hearts to God.
We often don't talk about what actually takes place in our hearts when we confess our sins. Much of confession is for us not God. This sermon talks about how confession works in our hearts to tune them. This may be one of the least understood blessings in many Christian lives.
Psalm 95
People have been arguing about worship for 2000+ years. This Sunday we trie to get to the heart of the matter for our church. Ryan walked through Psalm 95 and drew out principles that should guide and inform our worship. He offered us tips on how we can grow as worshipers.
Sometimes we need something to help us tune our hearts to God. One of the most powerful tools that God gives us to help our hearts tune is His word. In this message we learn more about that.
Christmas isn't just about a baby in a manger. Christmas is about adoption. God became a child so that he could make us his children.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1)." God is a creator. This might be one of the most important facts we can remember about God. The fact of the matter is, we need a creative God. Some of the dark situations in the world seem impossible to fix but God is so creative that he can do it. God loves creating beautiful things out of the broken things in the world.
John 1:14
God made his dwelling AMONG us. As Eugene Peterson said, "God moved into the neighborhood." In a season filled so many things; presents, parties, trees, and lights… it can be easy to lose sight of what we really celebrate. GOD IS HERE!
Numbers 11:1-10 The longer you live in the goodness and grace of God the harder it is to see it as goodness and grace.
Thieves of gratitude: Entitlement Complaining Craving Comparing
One of the most definitive steps away from God is discontentment!!
Text: Matthew 23:1-39 This sermon was given on November 10th 2013. The text was Matthew 23:1-39. In this passage we discuss the masks that we tend to ware to protect ourselves or make ourselves look good. These masks actually prevent us from finding full joy in our relationships. "Dropping the mask of perfection allows us to pick up hope of redemption."
What we believe about the gospel shapes the quality of all our relationships. A grace drenched heart creates a relationally rich life. This sermon from Luke 18:9-14 helps us understand how we can thrive in relationships. #upsidedownJesus
You probably would think of shrewdness as a desirable Christian quality, but Jesus challenges his followers to be shrewd. This message addresses what that looks like from Luke 16:1-14.
Luke 15:25-32 In the story of the Prodigal, we often focus on either the younger son or the father, but we have a lot we can learn from the older brother as well!
Here is a short write up: Dinner with the King (of awkward) Luke 14:1-24 Jesus might have been the most awkward dinner guest if all-time! He put people in uncomfortable situations so that he could deliver transformational truth. Listen to the freeing truth he delivers in this passage.
Matthew 12:9-32 Jesus heals... and the Pharisees want to kill him for it. The Pharisees were so interested in pointing out people's lack of faith that they failed to see the flicker of faith that existed. Jesus came to ignite faith, not to condemn unbelief.
Luke 5:33-39 It's hard to let go! Especially when we have believed something for a long time. In this passage, Jesus confronts the Pharisees on some of their deeply held beliefs. He invites them to let go in order to receive something better. I think he asks us the same question!
Luke 5:27-32 Jesus got himself killed because of the people he hung out with and ate with. Levi was one of those people. A tax collector. A sinner. A person completely unworthy of God. But then again, aren't we all? When we lose sight of our need, we cease to be people who hold out the hope of the gospel to others.
Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says that his followers must have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees. What does that mean and how can it become a reality?
2 Samuel 7:18-29 There is a difference between being people who receive promise and people who walk in promise. In this message we explore how to become the type of people who live in the great promises of God.
2 Samuel 7:1-17 David begins this section of scripture by telling God that he is going to build him a house... God responds by informing David that he is not going to build anything FOR him, but rather that God was going to build something THROUGH David.
2 Samuel 5 Influence. We all have it in varying degrees. Some have influence at work. Others have it in the home. Still, other have it in their neighborhoods and with friends. There is a weight to influence - a weight that can crush us if we are not ready for it. In this passage of scripture we look at the way David handled influence in a way that brought life to himself and those around him.
1 Samuel 30 Imagine coming back home after war and seeing your whole town destroyed, your women and children carried off into captivity, and everything you know and love gone. That's the situation David and his men find themselves in in 1 Samuel 30. Listen as we unpack the way that sin often steals life from us and how we engage in the battle to take back that which was stolen!
1 Samuel 24 David is the anointed King of Israel and he is on the run... hiding in a cave! Have you ever felt like you were waiting on God and it just didn't seem like God was coming through for you? In the passage this passage, David has the chance to take things into his own hands, but he doesn't. How do we become people who wait on God well? How do we know which opportunities he is inviting us to pursue?
1 Samuel 18-20 (selected passages) We are designed and wired to need friendships. It's not only the way God designed us, but it's also the way God often confirms and carries his blessings to us! If there were no Jonathan, there would be no David! Listen as we explore this kingdom shaping friendship.
1 Samuel 17:1-54 David and Goliath. Most of us have heard the story before. Many of us have read the story and found inspiration in the story of David. We picture ourselves as David and our fears/pains/disappointments as Goliath. While that's a nice idea, I'm not sure that's the point of the story! Check out this message as we explore the way that God might want to encourage us through the story of David and Goliath.
1 Samuel 15:1-28 This is the first message in our series on the Life of David. The story starts with Saul being anointed king of Israel, but he lives his life feeling like he has something to prove. It drives him to do some crazy things. In this passage we learn how capable we all are of going down the same road. We either make a name... or we receive a name!
Acts 20:1-24 A life well lived, is a life well invested! The people who have had the biggest impact on us are people who have invested their lives into ours. The Apostle Paul was an investor. He invested in churches, in leaders, in the mission that God had called him to. Listen as we explore how to invest our lives well!
Acts 17:16-34 We all want to have an impact in life, but we are also all aware that having a positive impact will not happen by accident. The Apostle Paul was extremely intentional in the way he engaged culture. in this message we learn 4 things Paul did in order to have an eternal impact.
Acts 16:16-40 Perspective matters. In fact, perspective has the ability to change everything. The best stories are lived by people who have an eternal perspective - and it shapes their whole life. In this message we look at the way the Apostle Paul, even when he is in jail, praises God and lives as a witness. His perspective brings him freedom. Has yours done the same?
Acts 14:1-7 Failure. Everybody experiences it and nobody likes it; but how do we become the type of people who build on their failures and disappointments rather than getting caught under them? In this message we look at the way the Apostle Paul used disappointment in his life to work FOR him rather than AGAINST him.
Acts 13:1-12 Life is uncertain; that's the reality that we all live in. The question is, will we embrace uncertainty or will we try to avoid it. The best stories and the best lives are about people who embrace uncertainty because of the confidence they have in God. Listen as we explore the way that the Apostle Paul and the church at Antioch lived this out.
2 Timothy 4:6-7 Paul stands at the end of his life, looks back and says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I don't know about you, but I want to say that same thing about my life when it comes to a close. The reality is, the decisions I make today will shape my ability to say that. Join us as we explore living a better story.
John 11:17-27 Jesus talks about his resurrection and the implications it has for us today. The resurrection provides power for the great exchange! We trade ashes for beauty, we trade despair for hope, we trade sorrow for joy, we trade death for LIFE! Listen as we celebrate the RISEN CHRIST.
John 11:44 "Unbind him." It seems like a pretty insignificant command that Jesus gives Mary and Martha. However, it shows us a great deal about the heart and character of God. It tells us that God has a part for you and I to play in the work he is doing in the world. That's great news!
John 11:28-37 "Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the whole Bible, but it displays a great deal of God's character! We see that God is engaged with humanity. We see that he is present. We see that he cares deeply enough to allow his heart to be troubled by our problems and pain. In this passage we see that Jesus not only solves problems, but (maybe more importantly) he enters into them! Jesus longs to awaken compassion within us.
John 11:1-16 Hope. Everybody wants it, but we hate that we need it. Hope can be slippery. In a fallen world where we experience death, sorrow, trail and pain, it can be hard to hold on to hope. Luckily, the scriptures teach us how to hold on to hope when life gets hard. In this passage we explore Jesus' teaching to the disciples about how to have hope in the midst of adversity.
John 11:1-6 Faith is often placed in the things we want God to do for us. We have faith in provision, we have faith in healing, we have faith in restoration of relationships... BUT, what does it look like to put faith in God? John 11:1-6 introduces us to a story about a family Jesus deeply loved and walked with closely. Through this story, we start to see the awakening that God wants to bring in our lives - we see the unexpected invitation of God!
Ephesians 6:13-18 Spiritual Warfare. I means a lot of different things to different people. However, the New Testament is very clear in how we engage the spiritual that rages around and in us. In fact, the Bible promises that we will be victorious if we fight with the weapons we have been given.
Ephesians 6:10-13 Listen as Pastor Ryan explains the reality of the spiritual realm and the spiritual battle that every follower of Jesus finds themselves in. The reality of the battle is clear in scripture, and so is the path to victory.
Ephesians 6:1-9 When we live an integrated life we experience the freedom of being who we are, wherever we are! Unfortunately, many of us never get to the point where we are able to do that. In this message we discuss how we can live integrated lives, what we need to believe in order to do that, and the benefits that flow from this way of living.
Ephesians 5:21-33 God's design for your marriage goes far beyond you and your spouse falling in love and living happily ever after. God designed marriage to help you see Jesus in a new way and understand his love more fully. This is one of the most scrutinized... and misunderstood passages in scripture.
Ephesians 5:18-20 The Bible commands us to be filled with the Spirit. Have you ever wondered what that means or how we allow that to happen? In this message we discuss the answers to both of those questions.
Ephesians 5:1-17 There is something different about followers of Jesus. We walk a little bit different because of the touch of God. In this passage Paul writes to the Ephesian church about what happens in our life when God gets control.
Ephesians 4:25-32 When the gospel gets in us, it always gets out of us. In this passage Paul tells us some of the ways the gospel changes us and leads us into freedom and joy.
John 1:14-18 Have you ever wondered how we got here? I mean, how we got to the chaos of the Christmas season. Where we all run around like crazy trying to find gifts to buy people. As I read back through the Christmas story I was captured by the fact that the only gifts given are given either by God to humanity, or to Jesus. What might it look like to re-embrace this kind of giving?
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 We often look to material possessions to provide things they can never deliver. Christmas may be the time of year we do that most! In this message we look at a man who had everything and yet was left lacking. Listen as we hear some Christmas wisdom from Solomon.
Pastor Dan Elliiott teaches about worship through the contrast of Herod and Mary in the Christmas story.
Luke 2:1-14 The birth of Jesus happened during a real period of time and in a specific place. When we understand the context of what the world was like during the birth of Christ, it helps us understand the significant cultural and political implications of His birth. This is the first message in our series Advent Conspiracy.
Ephesians 4:17-24 Many people are aware that in order to get a job or land a good business deal; a lot of it has to do with who you know. The old saying, "It's all about who you know" holds a great deal of truth. However, we rarely think of how true it is for us spiritually. In this message we explore the importance of who you know.
Ephesians 4:7-16 Everybody plays a part. That’s the way that God designed the church to function. He gifts every believer so that they will have something to offer the body. Not only do they have something to offer the body, but they have something the body needs! We grow together, or not at all.
Some fights are NOT worth fighting... but some ARE! As followers of Jesus, sometimes we have a hard time know the difference. In this message we talk about one fight that is worth fighting. We invite you to fight with us!
Ephesians 4:1 For so long, living under the reality of what the Bible was asking of me brought so much shame and guilt - because I could never live up to it. I would try; by the staples of my Christian life were exhaustion and the prevailing belief that God was disappointed in me. This message is about the way that the true gospel brings freedom!
Ephesians 3:14-21 We live in a world that is obsessed with strength, but often times we feel powerless. So, where do we go when we need strength? Where do we go when life feels powerless? This passage of the scripture shows us where to go and what we need to believe.
Ephesians 2:11-22 As human beings, we are masterful at building walls. We can find many different things that divide us, things that we disagree on, and things that make us different. But, in the New Testament, we see that in a world that wants to divide, the Gospel is enough to unite. A new gospel identity creates a new gospel community.
Ephesians 2:1-10 Every person on the face of the earth either was or is in need of rescue! This passage describes a God who lovingly and mercifully reaches down and saves.
Ephesians 1:15-23
It can be hard to see clearly at times. We have a hard time seeing the truth about ourselves, and we have a hard time seeing the truth about God. In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul prays the people in the Ephesians church would have the eyes of their hearts opened to the fact to the truth of what God thinks of them and the hope that he has destined them for. So much of biblical prayer is not asking for more, but coming to realize what we already have.
Ephesians 1:7-14 If you are a believer, the Bible says that you are "in Christ." It's a short phrase, but one that has the potential to change your life. When we realize all that comes along with being 'in Christ' we are eternally changed.
Ephesians 1:1-6
Many of us live with the sneaking suspicion that we were made for more. We go through life existing, but not truly living. Luckily the scriptures teach us how to embrace a full, abundant life. It starts with what we believe about God, and what we believe about us.
John 4:1-38
The woman at the well. Probably one of the most loved stories in the New Testament. We get to see Jesus shower grace and mercy down on a woman who didn't deserve it and we are reminded of the way he has done the same for us.
There is more to the passage though.
Revelation 4:1-11 God was on throne, is on the throne, and will always be on the throne. The problem is that often times it doesn't feel like it. There are things that happen in life that make it hard to believe that God is sovereign and in charge. Bit, the reality is that He is on the throne; and that reality has massive implications for our life!
Romans 12:1-2 Transformation is one of those things that everybody wants, and that few people are able to obtain. All of us want to grow and develop as people, but we have the realization that just trying harder never brings about the results that we are looking for. In this message, Pastor Ryan talks about the way the gospel transforms lives.
2 Samuel 6:1-23 This is the second message in our series on worship that we are calling "Lives in Orbit." In this message we explore the way that David sought the Lord's presence, came to understand his holiness, expressed his worship to God, and was more concerned with God than he was with other people. It's a great passage that drills deep into the soul of the worshiper!
Exodus 32:1-34 Every life revolves around something. This is the first message in a series on worship. We are all worshipers, it's hardwired into our DNA as human beings. There are significant implications of this!
Luke 14:25-33
In this passage Jesus calls his disciples to love him above everything else in their lives and to be willing to sacrifice everything for him. What a high calling.
Luke 18:15-17 Jesus was different. he spent time with people that no one else in his day spent time with. He valued people that no one else seemed to value. One of those groups, was children. You can see this in the way that the disciples tried to get the children away from Jesus, but he welcomed them with open arms. in fact, he went so far as to say that if we don't receive the kingdom of heaven like a child, we will never enter it. That's pretty big! In this message we explore what he meant by that.
Luke 7:35-50
When she entered the room, the air must have been absolutely sucked out of the place. It was risky for a woman like this to enter any room full of men, nonetheless a room full of pious religious men. But, she not only shows up, but she shows up and she shows them all up in the way that she lavishly loves Jesus. Her gift to him doesn't make a whole lot of sense and even seems like a waste on the surface. I'm challenged to think through what it looks like to love Jesus in a way that moves beyond reason.
Luke 7:18-28
John the Baptist. A hero of the faith. Cousin of Jesus. The first one to publicly declare that Jesus was the one who would take away the sins of the world. That's a pretty impressive resume if you ask me. That's what makes it all the more amazing that John would, from jail, send word to Jesus and ask, "Are you the one we've been waiting for, or should we expect someone else." Wait, what? I don't know about you, but hearing about John's doubt gives me hope. Hearing Jesus' answer to him gives me motivation to keep pushing!
Luke 6:27-36
Some of the sayings of Jesus are hard to understand. This one is at the top of the list. Love your enemies? Pray for those who persecute you? Bless those who curse you? Those are commands that we have a hard time getting our hearts and minds around. In this message we propose that in inviting to live so couter to our human nature, Jesus might just be extending an offer to abundant life.
Scripture: Luke6:1-11
Have you ever gone on a great vacation and came home absolutely exhausted? Often times our level of fatigue has very little to do with how much work we are doing or not doing, and a lot to do with our perpective about who is actually at work. The Pharisees thought that they could make people rest. They thought that if they required that each person take a day without work, that rest would be ensured. But, we all know that isn't true. In this passage Jesus points us to a deeper truth: our rest is determined by who we believe is really in charge.
Luke 5:1-11
Jesus gives an amazing invitation to his first disciples; "Follow me." He graciously gives us the same invitation today!