New Beginnings Lutheran Church: Recent Episodes
New Beginnings Lutheran Church
New Beginnings exists to build relationships with Jesus Christ and one another: person-to-person, house-to-house, city-to-city, and nation-to nation. Or as our mission slogan simply states: “To Know Christ and Make Christ Known!” Live near Pacific, Missouri? Join us Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Want to learn more? Check us out at nblc.net or download our free app by searching for NBLC in your app store.
God’s Word made us, sustains us, gives us faith, and directs us. A life without God’s Word is like a fish out of water. We live and move and have our being in Christ and we thrive when we are immersed in the Scriptures. Therefore, we draw near to Christ who first drew near to us through His life-giving Word.
Scripture: Romans 10:17
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Do you ever have a hard time forgiving? Grace is hard. Just when we think we get it, we find our behavior contradicting our beliefs. Maybe we are not even aware of it, but those who know us know. How do we live life in a way that grace defines us?
Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35
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The continuous 250-year story of our country proves that ideas can endure across centuries if they are intentionally passed down. But as Christians, our eyes are fixed on an even greater legacy—an eternal one. Join us as we wrap up our series by looking at our responsibility to diligently model, share, and pass the torch of the Gospel to the children in our homes and pews today.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6
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What is the true purpose of liberty? The American founders frequently noted that political freedom cannot survive without moral responsibility. This week, we explore how Christian freedom isn’t a license to do whatever we want, but the absolute liberty to live out our God-given vocations by serving our neighbors in love.
Scripture: Galatians 5:1-14
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As our nation celebrates its milestone 250th birthday, we kick off our new sermon series, Faith of Our Fathers. This week, we look back at how God’s providential hand guided early leaders to rely on a foundation greater than themselves. Just like the Israelites crossing the Jordan, we are called to set up "memorial stones" of faith so the next generation never forgets what God has done.
Scripture: Joshua 4:1-9
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What if the greatest threat to our freedom isn't dependence, but the illusion of independence? This Fourth of July weekend, we'll explore the story of the most powerful man on earth who learned that success, prosperity, and power can never replace our need for God. Join us for "Declaration of Dependence Day" and discover the freedom found in humility, gratitude, and trust.
Scripture: Daniel 4
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The future of faith is not built on programs but on people. Scripture repeatedly calls God's people to cultivate a wholehearted love for God and to pass that faith on through the rhythms of everyday life. Join us as we explore the sacred responsibility and lasting joy of shaping the next generation.
Scripture: Matthew 19:13-15
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If a "man after God’s own heart" can fall, where does that leave the rest of us? The story of David and Bathsheba isn't just an ancient scandal; it’s a mirror. This week, we explore how the lure of power can corrupt even the most faithful among us. Join us for a sobering look at how the best of us are capable of the worst of things—and why we are all in desperate need of a Grace that is greater than our deepest failures.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 11-12
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The world looks for resumes, stature, and strength; God looks at the heart. We often think God needs "great" people to do great things, but the story of David proves He prefers the underdog. This week, we look at the transition from the palace to the pasture and ask the tough question: Are we looking for a leader who fits our image, or one who follows God’s heart?
Scripture: 1 Samuel 16-17
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Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes, getting what we want reveals who we really are. When we prioritize our "ends" over God’s "means," we often secure the very failure we were trying to avoid.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 13-15
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“But everyone else is doing it!” It’s the oldest excuse in the book, and it’s exactly how Israel ended up with a king they didn’t need. When we look to power and politics to save us, we often get exactly what we asked for—and realize why God’s way was better all along.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 1 & 8
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The harvest of the New Age is already taking root. If you feel burned out by a cynical world, come be reminded that because Christ is risen, no act of kindness is ever wasted and your "doing good" has eternal momentum.
Scripture: Galatians 6:7-10
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Leadership is best expressed with a towel, not a title. We’ll look at the night Jesus washed feet to understand how the King of the Universe empowers us to lead through the grit and grace of practical service.
Scripture: John 13:1-17
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Radical love doesn't check for a passport or a pedigree. Using the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we’ll see how the Resurrection empowers us to cross social boundaries and offer kindness that costs us something.
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37
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The way up is down. Join us as we explore the "downward mobility" of Jesus and learn how adopting His humble mindset can heal our fractured relationships and communities.
Character is what happens when the cameras are off. Learn why the most powerful acts of Kingdom kindness are the ones only God sees, freeing us from the exhausting hunt for human "likes."
The upside-down revolution begins here. Discover how Jesus redefines greatness by trading a worldly throne for a servant’s heart, inviting us to find our true purpose in the needs of others.
The resurrection isn’t just about life after death. The resurrection of Jesus is also about the beginning of end times fulfillment today. Christ followers are not just waiting for the appearance of Jesus, but every day usher in His coming kingdom in real world time through concrete actions.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
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As Jesus carries the cross through the streets, love presses forward under unbearable weight. This station invites us to reflect on the burdens we carry and what it means to follow Christ on a road we did not choose.
Scripture: John 19:16-17
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Mocked, beaten, and crowned in cruelty, Jesus experiences the stripping away of dignity that so many know all too well. In this station we confront shame, humiliation, and the false identities imposed upon us.
Scripture: John 19:1-3
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Jesus stands silent before political power, false accusations, and a justice system more concerned with order than truth. This station asks what happens when righteousness is put on trial—and who we become when we choose comfort over courage.
Scripture: John 18:28-19:16
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In a moment of fear, Peter distances himself from the One he loves most. His denial mirrors the quiet ways we often choose safety over faithfulness—and yet Jesus’ gaze still carries grace.
Scripture: Luke 22:54-62
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Jesus is betrayed not by an enemy, but by a close companion—reminding us that love always risks pain. This station of the cross exposes the deep wounds that come from broken trust and asks how we continue to love when we’ve been hurt.
Scripture: Luke 22:47-48
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In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus confronts fear, loneliness, and the crushing weight of what lies ahead. Here we see that faith is not the absence of dread, but the courage to trust God when the future feels unbearable.
Scripture: Matthew 26:36-41
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The Bible is often a mirror that reveals the thoughts and inclinations of the reader. Like a Rorschach Test, the ink on the pages of Holy Scripture validates predispositions. After all, Christians have used the Bible to justify colonialism, slavery, and other evils—a warning to us all.
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:14-18
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The Bible is more ‘for us’ than ‘about us.’ Or you might say, “the Bible is for our time, but not about our time.” We do read it in order to apply it to ourselves, but while also remembering its context.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
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Even people in the Bible don’t always understand the Bible (the parts they had at their times and places). The Bible has always required translation, explanation, and cultural perspective.
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12
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We are characters in a narrative that has a beginning and a culmination! All Scripture has an arc and we each play a part in it. What the author of life has written helps us understand various developments in salvation history, including our present roles.
Scripture: Luke 24:13-35
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The Bible is very human, even though God inspired it. Divine inspiration is more organic than you might first imagine. Compare the Bible to Jesus. We cannot understand how Jesus is both divine and human, but we know why.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
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God did not dictate the Bible. The Bible tells us that a very human process was used in its creation. Authors interviewed others, did research, and had specific goals that shaped the way they crafted and ordered what they wrote.
Scripture: Luke 1:1-4
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He was the man with the plan, until Grace broke in. He wasn’t ready for Grace. So he resisted Grace—sought to kill Grace. Not everyone appreciates the arrival of Grace in their lives. They are a warning for us all!
Scripture: Matthew 2:13-18
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They waited and waited. The promise appeared to be late. But no, Grace broke in just in time to complete lives that appeared wasted. Now their faith was proved right.
Scripture: Luke 2:23-38
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Measure twice and cut once. You do things right the first time to save yourself the extra work. But then Grace breaks in and disrupts your best laid plans. You just play the hand you’re dealt the best you can.
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
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Life is already difficult. Just put one foot in front of another and make the most of what you’ve got. But then Grace breaks in, making the earth beneath you quake and shake. “God’s will be done,” is all you can say.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
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You’re drawing toward retirement and have long accepted your earlier dreams are never happening. You’ve become comfortable with the state of affairs, and even feel grateful for your other blessings. Then Grace breaks in and assigns you a role that appears perfectly misplaced.
Scripture: Luke 1:5-25
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Gratitude interrupts anxiety and provides a path for peace. God given gratitude rewires our attention, according to Scripture, setting us free to greater fulfilment! These biblical truths are even being touted by psychologists as the healthiest of all emotions.
Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7
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God never told us to give thanks FOR all things. It is a practice we can maintain all the time, even when recognizing some unpleasant realities in our lives. God wants gratitude for us, and uses it to reframe life’s difficulties.
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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The wisdom of the ages already identified what science is only beginning to acknowledge: gratitude changes us for the better. But how does one experience gratitude? Gratitude is a practice that begins with God’s grace.
Scripture: Psalm 136
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Let me tell you about the parties God throws—they’re always for the wrong people! And the door is open for all to come. And, finally, these celebrations are often scandalous! Read Luke 15:1-32 to prepare.
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Who do I have to love? That’s not the question Jesus wants us to ask. Instead Jesus forces us to consider, What kind of person am I becoming? Jesus moves us from obligation mindsets to character formation. Read Luke 10:25-37 to prepare.
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We cannot hold our tongues. We have faith on our lips! Our faith finds a voice because of what we have seen and heard. And we don’t need polish. We just need to be present. Read Luke 24:13-35 to prepare.
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Prayer is a call and response. Having heard God’s Word, we pray it—quote it. That’s why every prayer we pray shapes who we are. It’s like the Bible’s echo in our hearts. Read Luke 1:46-55 to prepare.
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We don’t just read the Word, but the Word reads us. Scripture doesn’t just inform us, but transforms us. It’s like the Bible is alive! Read Hebrews 4:12 to prepare.
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The last time this preacher spoke at NBLC, someone offered him a job! Always a blessing to receive the Word from someone whom Jesus called to ministry and grew in the trenches of mission for decades. You don’t want to miss this one! Read Joshua 1:8 to prepare.
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Talk about demonizing your opponents! Jesus didn’t mince words when it came to a vitriolic exchange with the religious authorities of His day. If WWJD applies, should we resort to name-calling? Read John 8:39ff to prepare.
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This is gonna be a helluva sermon. Is it true that Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else? What should we think about Jesus’ comments involving eternal damnation? Read Matthew 25 to prepare.
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If there’s any commandment in the Bible that we’re able to keep, this one seems accessible. But it’s definitely difficult to wrap our heads around these words. Read Luke 14:26-27 to prepare.
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I’ve said in sermons past that the Bible doesn’t prohibit slavery. This shocked some. This week we’ll see that Jesus not only condoned it, but advocated that we become slaves! Read Mark 10:44 to prepare.
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Who doesn’t love a bingeable mini-series? Gone are the days we’d watch an episode and wait, painstakingly, for seven-days to pass to resolve a cliffhanger. Immediate results are delightful. If we can get them, why not? When we cannot, then what?
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We notice things: brand names; status symbols; famous people. Points of pride, lusts of the eyes, boastings of what we have and do pale in significance to the unseen seeds lovingly sown in faithful obedience. These produce tectonic shifts in the unseen realm.
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Personal ambition is lauded by our culture, but many of us do not dream small enough. When Jesus’ disciples had dreams of grandeur, He shut them down and pointed to unlikely candidates for esteem. Perhaps, with God’s help, we can want less.
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Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
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Ever feel like you don’t know enough to effectively share your faith? Jonah delivered a terrible sermon to Nineveh, leaving out critical information (apparently), but somehow God used a reluctant prophet to reach a whole city!
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God’s grace comes to us in many forms. For Jonah, grace had scales. As God’s prophet looked forward to death rather than to heed God’s call, God’s grace devoured him in the depths of his rebellion.
Isn’t it ironic that unbelievers believe better than believers? Jonah, a member of God’s chosen people and a prophet, no less, was going off-grid to avoid obedience to God’s call. But pagans did exactly what God told them to do.
Is new always better, or should we stay with the old ways? God declares He is doing something new, but what does that mean for you? Prepare this 4th of July weekend by reading Isaiah 43.
Do you like surprises? God’s Word is full of them. We’re not talking about fortune cookie predictions drawn from the Bible by randomly opening and placing your finger on God’s Word for today. Today a divinely planned Word will be applied to your life.
What makes something a miracle? Do you still see them today? Read Luke 7:11-17 as we seek to understand the power of Jesus’ words that make the dead come alive again.
Trials. Family vacations have been described as ‘plans to induce Stockholm Syndrome.’ God is not abusive, but he redeems the pain of life to form in us a stronger attachment.
Study. Study is more than being studious. We lean into the Word for sustained, joyful reflection upon the object of our devotion: God. And this Word nourishes and sustains our faith. AND today we will celebrate the God inspired FAITH STEPS of various members of our faith family.
Prayer. We spell it: T.A.L.K. We could spell it S.E.E.K.I.N.G. Or we could spell it: K.N.O.C.K.I.N.G. However you think about prayer, for most of us it is God-ward looking. Jesus says that’s a good perspective to have.
Life experiences are frequently used by God to form and fashion us as disciples. Often these determine our interests and passions. What do you take for granted that may actually be a unique qualification for living out your calling in life?
Square peg, round hole? You know what that means: not fitting in. But we all have a fit. We all have people and places we are meant to be. On the flip side, there are gonna be people and places we do not fit. And that’s ok.
One person’s treasure is another person’s trash? Yikes! Can Christians value different things so vehemently as this adage sounds? Apparently we can. But, after a couple thousand years, we’re learning how to better relate, right?
Just in Missouri, 390 birds flit from yard to yard, from bluff to plain. God certainly expressed Himself through diversity. So why do we struggle so much with conformity to a cookie-cutter model of discipleship? Let’s not.
Christians are not hamburgers. Ray Kroc leveraged assembly line technology to improve fast-food and then franchised McDonald's. God didn’t assembly line you. If God made everybody different, let’s not.
Consider the various resurrection accounts. Jesus unveiled the best possible news the world has ever seen with a slow drip method. The Lord appeared to different people differently. How does Jesus relate to you?
There is no Easter without Good Friday. We resume a rich tradition for this service by listening to the seven words of Jesus spoken from the cross and hearing their significance for us today.
We learn how important prayer is even when we know the answer is no. Jesus had the cross in his sights from before the creation of the world, but still He travailed in prayer as He approached it.
How might this enormously familiar event foster greater hunger in our hearts for what Jesus gives? We easily take this meal for granted, but the historical context you may not know brings new flavor.
A woman lavishes an expensive gift on Jesus. She creates quite a stir. Jesus puts it all in perspective, though not all might agree with Him. After all, the same issues continue to create squabbles today.
We are in the middle of a seven day journey over six weeks. One might say what got Jesus killed was what He said. If only Jesus had known the maxim not to talk about politics or religion.
We are in week two of the seven days of Holy Week. Jesus Christ suffered for us; His passion also involved His zeal to provide reconciliation for God’s people. Therefore, Jesus clears the way for all people to stand before God.
We will spend the 40+ days of Lent focused on one week: the week of Christ’s passion. Palm Sunday will begin five weeks early, therefore, as we join the throng heralding Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem riding upon a donkey.
During our day, we get to hear and see many amazing sights. But, we often wonder if this is real or fake. It may be too good to be true. Sometimes, we also think this way about the truth of God’s Word. Is Jesus really God? Did He live and die as the Bible says? Even the disciples had doubts, but in a powerful moment on the mountain, Jesus reveals His divinity. Join us this Sunday as we explore the wonder and awe of His divine revelation.
Where is God? Even Isaiah the prophet exclaimed God hides Himself. The feeling of God’s absence is especially sharp during hardships in life. And when you feel uncertain, you stand in the place of faith… and doubt.
The opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubts are “the ants in the pants of faith.” In fact, God uses unanswered questions, not unquestioned answers, to lead us to places of faith. Put on your singlet.
There is nothing like a shared goal to form a connection between two people. And differences of opinion about how to achieve that goal can break the best of friends. Paul and Barnabas knew this, but that’s not the end of the story.
We were made to see and know other people. This requires “attention over efficiency.” The faithful relationship between Ruth and Naomi shows how relationships ripple outward, shaping families and communities.
We were made for friendship. If you want a friend, be a friend because to have a friend you need to be a friend. The famous bond between David and Jonathon demonstrates how a friend can stick closer than a brother.
We spent weeks before Christmas waiting and learning the lessons of expectation. Some wait for the unexpected. Would we miss God if He showed up in ways contrary to our expectations? Or might we learn to see God in the places that we’ve been conditioned not to look?
Advent season teaches us how to look forward to the future by being joyfully and fully present now. Again, waiting is active. Waiting for the future involves transforming the present. In fact, waiting for Christmas is life transforming so that this time of year is more than a season, but a way of being. Mary, the mother of Jesus, portrays a lifetime of waiting.
Advent is a time we learn (or relearn) how to wait and discover (or rediscover) the art of savoring the future. No expecting parents want to rush their baby’s arrival, but want their child to arrive in the fullness of time. Likewise we practice expectancy without seeking to rush the process. John the Baptist embodies how we wait between two times.
Advent involves four weeks dedicated to waiting. Waiting is not about doing nothing, but can be immensely active. Even though some stores stock Christmas decorations beside Halloween candies in September, we practice anticipation in Advent. Isaiah and the prophets exemplify how we wait for the day of the Lord.
Waiting is a counter cultural pursuit today. We live in a culture of immediacy. Advent is a season in church time—appreciated only by those in the church. We get to wait for something that has already happened… and will happen again. Abraham and Sarah show us what it means when God calls us to wait.
Concern over the economy, inflation, and whether or not we’ll outlive our money let alone have too much week left at the end of our paycheck has become the American curse. Are we really as insecure as we have come to believe?
The American Dream has become a story about economic opportunity, freedom and independence, personal fulfillment and happiness. As we spend our lives attempting to fulfill this narrative, when does “contentment” arrive?
Where is God taking you? How do you see your future? The future appears to us like the waves of the sea: always changing. So even as we pursue what we see ahead, we hold loosely and move forward in faith that God will direct us, like Abraham.
Your when measures your success. You’ll know it when you see it. When will you know you’re accomplishing your mission--when you hit the bullseye? Nehemiah had clear goals and tangible outcomes to pursue. So will you.
Your how is the method you employ to accomplish your mission. Your how is the process that translates into action. Joseph exhibited this strategic thinking and Pharoah set him in place to implement his logic. Are you ready?
Your what is your mission. Your mission is your compass, your guiding north star. Your mission is your God-given mandate. This clarifies what you do. Moses knew what he had to do--God told him. God has told you too.
Your why explains your motivation. Why do you do anything? Or why don’t you? Your why also determines how you respond to what life throws at you. Job didn’t know why things happened, but he knew his why. Do you?
We’ve learned in this series that miracles help us see significance (the word “sign” is in significance) in the past, present, and future. Hopefully, we focus not on the miracles so much as the miracle worker. Like a window, we are meant to see through them.
Jesus cured the sick, cast out demons, and showed power over nature. Accounts like these are not unique to Christians. So what is the meaning for us behind the signs and wonders Jesus performed─both then and now?
Do you believe in miracles? Stories of miracle workers appear throughout the history and various religions of the world─even today. How would the message of Scripture have us see the signs and wonders Jesus performed? What do they mean for us today?
The Bible is not just one book but a collection of 66 individual books written by 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers, and kings. Despite the differences in occupations and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book that leads to Jesus. There is one main plotline weaving the different books and stories together. Once you grasp this core storyline and how all the books fit together, you can pick the Bible up at any point, and you’ll know right where you are and what’s going on. This week, prepare for worship by picking up your Bible and reading 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Proverbs 3:5-6, and one other chapter of your choosing and ask yourself, “How does what I read point to Jesus?”
THIS WORLD IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT | Classic inspirational poster material. Rise to the occasion and make a difference. While not wrong on their own, this line of thinking can become our god because we make ourselves to be gods. While it is true God has placed us in this time and place to make a difference, it is not for our glory, for God’s name to be proclaimed and worshiped above all things.
JUST LIVE YOUR TRUTH | “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Our lives are defined by ‘truth’, and today, that seems harder and harder to identify. Everyone wants their own truth. Paul writes that in these last days people will turn and listen to whatever their itchy ears like to hear. God’s truth is not always popular, and it certainly isn’t the easiest to follow in our sinful world. In this session, we will analyze the “truths” that surround our everyday experiences and explore how we can share God’s ultimate truth with others.
GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY | “Why wouldn’t God want me to be happy?” “If God is good, then He wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to me.” While this line of thinking might sound right at first, it is false. We are making an assumption about God that is never expressed to us anywhere in the Scripture. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Many times the prophets, the Apostles, and Jesus himself tell us that we will have “trouble” and “suffering” in this world. The devil uses this lie to create a barrier between us and the truth of God’s love. God is the good, good Father, creator of all things. Like a good parent, he allows us to experience the consequence of our sin through death and suffering. Feelings are emotions that God has given to us. Our feelings are not always right; sometimes, they are, but other times, they lead us down the wrong path. If our feelings define our reality, then hopelessness and despair will eventually ruin all our lives. But, through this pain, He is refining, molding, and shaping us to be closer followers of Jesus, who gives us faith, hope, and life.
LOVE MINDSET
Great minds think alike? Not often. But grace minds think differently than you’d think! Was that too repetitive?
LONG SUFFERING LOVE
The very first exhortation of Paul’s letter to the Philippians (and to us!) is to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. What is a life worthy of the Gospel?
LOVE LETTER
At New Beginnings, we encourage you to read other people’s mail. That’s right. You can learn a great deal about Christ and the Christian life by reading Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
REFLECTING LOVE
Every person who follows Jesus becomes a combination of theology and biography. To know Christ’s love is to live Christ's love─Christ’s story and yours become one.
SEEING LOVE
Wanna see God? If you want to know what God is like, God is like Jesus. To know Jesus is to know God.
The first miracle of Jesus was a “my mom wanted me to do this” moment. (If mom ain’t happy…nobody’s happy.)
What is our relationship to others in Eternity?
Where are those who die before the resurrection? Will we weep over loved ones separated by eternity? Will we be surprised by seeing old enemies feasting alongside us at the heavenly banquet?
What will we do after Resurrecting?
Some think strumming harps on clouds is our eternal future. They fear forever boredom. Similarly, some ask if we’ll “have sex in heaven.” This is akin to the boy who asked if he can still play video games on his honeymoon when he grows-up and gets married.
Where will we be after Resurrecting?
What if heaven is a place on earth? Would that disappoint you or excite you? Before the cosmos was bent by sin, God created heaven and earth and called it good.
How will we be after Resurrecting?
Will we know everything? Will we have emotions? Will we be naked? Will we be able to sin? The bodily resurrection of Jesus raises lots of questions like these.
The Resurrection Raises Questions.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the inauguration of our resurrection that will take place at the consummation of all things! The resurrection body of Jesus raises some questions.
All must die; ashes to ashes and dust to dust. But when the dust settles, we find a supernatural surprise! Christ died in order to bear the fruit of the resurrection in us!
Do you want to experience God? Well, the God who is everywhere expressly insists on meeting us somewhere. We were created for places of grace, and/or places of grace were created for us.
Good intentions can easily become a burden when we reverse the “so that” and “because.” We say this refrain so often at NBLC that we do well to pause and remember why this expression is good news. We live by love, not the law.
We are all faced with temptations, but God always provides a way out. Christ never leaves us, never forsakes us. He is faithful and gives us hope in the midst of our despair.
We should not be surprised when we set out on a new path that all hell breaks loose! Many feel at home in a system of dysfunction and to try and set things right upsets the spiritual equilibrium of our lives. Get ready to rumble!
We should not be surprised when we set out on a new path that all hell breaks loose! Many feel at home in a system of dysfunction and to try and set things right upsets the spiritual equilibrium of our lives. Get ready to rumble!
We all know the story of carrying burdens contrary to our best intentions. Like slaves, we kowtow under the weight of our loads. But then God sends us a person of promise. Hoping against hope, we begin to consider we may have a way out after all!
Some would consider a meditation on our death morbid. But Christians have long contemplated our mortality at the onset of Lent--a penitential season focused on working-out the salvation God has worked into us.
The late great planet earth is not just an apocalyptic tale spun by fundamentalist Christians. Science also has become preoccupied with predicting an imminent dystopian future/present. Whether it’s the book of Revelation, or the discovery channel, we know that the end is near!
The politics of fear has become the standard. Regardless of which party, candidate, or news source you lean toward, they all sound the same: the other side is going to be the worst case scenario. How does Jesus factor into the election cycle?
Even the most “out of it” texters know the acronym FOMO. Some people don’t just know FOMO, but live with it. Related to this is FOBO: Fear Of a Better Offer. Afraid of not living their best lives, we can miss many God-given gifts right in front of us!
Woody Allen famously said, “I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Are you afraid of dying? Are you afraid of flying? We approach both of these events with apprehension, but also with knowledge that mitigates our fears.
Fear can be healthy. God programmed fear into our nervous systems to give us survival instincts needed to keep ourselves safe and to prepare for goals. But fear can spike in ways adverse to God’s intent. How do we live our faith in the face of fearful circumstances?
You don’t lack commitment; you’re overcommitted! You have so many great options in front of you that the glut of choices has created a form of paralysis. As we approach the new year, we will begin to consider resolutions. We all want our lives to demonstrate more productive habits. So, it’s time to make a choice!
What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus is Lord! The birth of Jesus is the prequel to the parousia--known only by God the Father Himself. Prepare the way of the Lord!
Some things just feel right, right? Like singing Silent Night to candlelight with the approach of Christmas. And we plan to repeat an act of corporate generosity and donate the night’s entire offering to Grace’s Place, an emergency shelter in Washington, MO that provides crisis care and other services for Children and Youth.
What is the birth of Jesus about? It's about His reign. We likely fail to grasp what “King Jesus” means, for we live in a representative government, after all. King Jesus is not elected; we don’t vote for Him. He rules. Period.
What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about God being with us. Through the birth of Jesus, we see the lengths God will go to in order to be with us come hell or high water, life and even death. Nothing will separate us from His love.
What is the birth of Jesus about? It’s about salvation. Christ the Savior is born! The birth of baby Jesus highlights the fact that we are sinners needing to be saved. What stands out even more is that Jesus is our Savior who came to save us!
What good can we do on behalf of others this week?
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Got Bread? Jesus does. What little bit do you have that you’re holding back because it’s not much? You never know what God will do with it when you put it into action. So, go ahead, heed that nudge in your heart and ante-up!
What are some faith-filled conversations you’ve had this week?
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Got Messiah? Jesus is. I love controversy. It’s more interesting than all-figured-out opinions. The moment we have to reconsider what we think we know, we are prepared to grow. And Jesus wants us to grow in conversations.
How are you seeing God working in and around you this week?
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Got wine? If not, ask Jesus. Who knew that Jesus showing up to the party was going to be a God-event. Nobody expected to see God at that wedding in Cana, but that is what happened. Where don’t you expect to find Jesus?
What has God been saying to you through His Word this week?
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Got Word? Then you’ve got Jesus. God’s people have always geeked out for the written Word. And, lo and behold, that Word came and lived among us! Everything, literally, begins for us with God’s Word.
We spell prayer, “t.a.l.k.” Prayer is just talking. But we often feel deficient in our prayer lives. Wanna learn how to pray better? Jesus only begins one prayer saying, “Pray like this.” If you want to know how, this prayer will show you.
There is no way to understand the human world without stories. They fill our newspapers, court records, sports events, political debates, playgrounds, private thoughts, and public conversations. The Bible frames our stories.
Our experiences shape our conversations--the stories we tell each other and ourselves--and we want these tales to work in our favor. These stories have power to shape our lives and change them.
Are you sitting in your proper place? Do you know your place? “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Stories are caught as much as taught. A dark power in some stories spreads fast and leads to division and distrust. But our storytelling can also be harnessed as a narrative force for good.
A story-war has been waged--since before history began--to control your mind. Big-businesses and governments can only dream of the narrative Deathstar seeking to grip your imagination and rob you of you.
Who are you? How you answer that question depends on the stories you tell yourself. Stories frame our sense of self. Inside our heads, the self-talk storifies our lives, but knowing our backstory will save the plot!
Got a boat? If so, too bad for you! Everyone who heads to the lake this weekend is going to miss-out. Sure, you may be able to stream the content later, but it won’t be the same.
Want a better perspective on Jesus? Climb a tree! Sounds like a bad joke, but when you become a follower of Jesus, you’ll do anything to see Him more! And your life will invite others to see Him too!
Need a miracle? Pray. Hungry? Pray. Sick? Pray. Need help? Pray. And learn that God provides through bakers, dentists, doctors, educators, and even politicians! That’s just a partial list of all the miracles God provides for us.
Here is one of my favorite movie quotes: a woman says, “I don’t believe in the devil.” a man replies, “Well, you should. He believes in you.” We'll be reading from different sections of the gospel of Mark to stretch our grasp of unseen realities also under Jesus’ dominion.
What are you most afraid of? To quote an old children’s show: “God is bigger than the boogie man!” Jesus rose up, larger than the disciples’ greatest fear—greater than the windswept sea—and showed who He is.
Most people know the story of the prodigal son. And for Jesus followers, most of us identify with the prodigal son. But that wasn’t the association Jesus was seeking in His story. Jesus had another goal in mind, and it’s important that we get it … for our own good.
Fishing is boring. Now catching! That’s fabulous! We fish in order to catch, if you think about it. Some fish are harder than others to net, but not for Jesus. Jesus loves catching and there’s just one kind of fish He wants to catch.
Why would anyone reject Jesus? Those who thought they knew him best wouldn’t have him. Why would you reject Jesus? Are you rejecting Jesus or just some version of him in your head that is far from true?
Are you a doubter, a cynic, a skeptic? Are you a seeker, a believer, a follower? Wherever you think yourself in the universe vis-à-vis Jesus, the vagrant rabbi who left the world unable to forget Him, we’re going to revisit the historical records and see Him for the first time again. We begin with the event when Jesus went public.
Who stood before the cross of Jesus? A Roman officer, the religious leaders of the day, the mob, a smattering of Jesus’ followers, and you and me. We were there when they crucified our Lord. We will hear from seven, modern witnesses of the death of Jesus. There is no Easter without Good Friday.
Denial. Anger. Bartering. Depression. Acceptance. “Stages” of grief don’t follow chronological rules. Neither does death. Is loss of a parent normal, but loss of a child not? What about a spouse? When someone dies, it's always a LIFEQUAKE.
Revenge and justice seem closely related, but are they? When we’ve been violated in violent ways, what is the proper response? The aftershock of a LIFEQUAKE can either add insult to injury or initiate healing. Which would you prefer?
Ever experienced unrequited love? How about infidelity? Which one would be worse to you? The answer is, yes! Imagine if both happened? That would shake anyone to the core. That is a LIFEQUAKE! How can someone ever be ok again?
Betrayal and even hostility are not what you should expect from those closest to you, but it happens! How would you feel if you found your identity was stolen? The economic and personal costs would take years to recover. That’s a LIFEQUAKE!
Ever felt part of a family full of conflict, or misbehavior, or maybe neglect or abuse--even all of the above? Welcome to the biblical family. When you are hurt by those who should love you, that’s a LIFEQUAKE! It often takes years to heal.
“Remember your death (memento mori) for dust you are and to dust you shall return.” These timeless words remind us how to really live. We died with Jesus, and so we are given resurrection power to live new lives!
Though challenging, survival is best done as a group. Banding together goes back before the first campfire. Mutual aid groups (MAGs) are intentional communities and when the meltdown happens, you’ll want to be an active member.
Preppers have a basic tool box, and then a variety of other kits (e.g., demolition; cleaning; gardening). We are wise to assess our tool collections. When need arises, we will likely need to pool our resources to get a job done.
Someone said that the best defense is a good offense. Some seem to think this means we need to be as offensive as possible! You might be surprised what has proven most successful in the Christian arsenal over the centuries.
In the best of times we need shelter. Catastrophe or not, real estate’s number one rule, “location, location, location,” remains true. We’ll learn this week that a roof over-head is about more than just protection from the elements.
Without food, your body will not function properly. The average person will not survive ten-days without food, but it seems many like to test their limits. But we do not have to suffer food-insecurity. We are prepared.
Uncertain times lay ahead. Access to water is critical. Water is a precious resource, necessary for life. Water makes us alive, defines who we are as well as how we live. Never forget the water!
Are you prepared for when the grid goes down? A burgeoning market of media, books, and preparedness expos have spawned to help you. If you want the best resource available, you’ll want to lean into Sunday’s gathering.
Do you want to see Jesus? I’ll tell you how you can see Him. He is closer than you ever thought. Jesus promised He would never leave us. We too easily miss Jesus ‘cause we’re not looking in the right direction.
How on God’s green earth can I muster the right motive? Can love be demanded? Certainly not. So if giving to another is transactional at worst or mere obedience at best, then what? Maybe giving is just practice for something more important.
How do you measure an act of generosity? If one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, then one person’s sacrifice may be insignificant to another--and vice versa. So, what you treasure may provide the measure.
The wise men came from the East to worship the Christ. But news of the birth of Jesus upset King Herod—so he sought to kill his rival. From day one, people were either for or against Jesus.
For much of the Bible, the stress was upon going to, staying in, and returning to the promised land--all because God promised His people He would make them a nation. Then Jesus shows up and priorities seem to have changed.
The Old Testament often stressed that God set Israel apart to be holy; they were not to intermarry with other nations. Then the promised King of the Jews arrives with anything but a pure family tree!
We never want to be that person who says, “Do as I say, not as I do.” We believe actions are as important as words and we will learn their power for transforming others where we live, work and play.
You can live a holy life through Jesus because He was completely holy – and your faith and hope is in Him.
Have you ever fantasized about redoing your life knowing what you know now so that you can do it better? Forgiveness grants us the opportunity for a fresh start; the Bible calls it being “born again.”
Do you consider Jesus to be your friend? Is He your Lord? Does He rule your life? Does He rule the universe? Jesus is God exalted. He sits on the mighty throne of heaven. What does this mean for you and the church?
Would you want Jesus to be someplace in particular, or every place? I’m not sure how to answer this yet, but hopefully we can flesh this out together … with some help.
Suffering is no surprise in this world. “Hell” is not an infrequent descriptor for the hardships of life. We’ve all heard someone say that they’re, “going through hell.” Jesus really did. But what does that mean?
What does it mean to put God first? For the Persian province of Judah, in the sixth century Before Christ, it was to build a temple. What timeless principles might we find in this ancient text?
Accompanying reading: Ezra 1-6 Haggai 1-2 Zechariah 1; 8 The Story, Chapter 19
What if I told you that a bubble bath would cure cancer? Would you believe me? Of course not! But what if God told you that a bubble bath would cure cancer? Would you believe God?
Accompanying reading: 1 Kings 17-19 2 Kings 2; 4; 6 Hosea 4-5; 8-9; 14 Amos 1; 3-5; 9 The Story, Chapter 15
We will be surprised who is in heaven and who is not. Just sayin’! David had his way with a woman, killed her husband, and God didn’t strike him dead. Nope.
Accompanying reading: 2 Samuel 11-12; 18-19 1 Chronicles 22; 29 Psalms 23; 32; 51 The Story, Chapter 12
Is it ok to kill in self defense? Apparently, sometimes not. It appears that faith can lead us to spare a life of someone who doesn’t deserve it. Go figure!
Accompanying reading: 1 Samuel 16-18; 24; 31 2 Samuel 6; 22 1 Chronicles 17 Psalm 59 The Story, Chapter 11
What if God gives you what you want, but what you want isn’t what God knows is best for you? Can that happen? Well, it did. And God’s people paid the price and then some.
Accompanying reading: 1 Samuel 1-4; 8-13; 15 The Story, Chapter 10
Christ is Risen! Hallelujah! The hereafter is here. Eternity has arrived. The ramifications of Easter extend from forever to today. Every day of the rest of our eternal lives is it working out of what God has already worked into all of creation.
There is no Easter without Good Friday. During this service, we will have six eye-witness testimonies to God’s death in Jesus Christ. We were there when they crucified our Lord through the disciples, the soldiers, and the criminals. The mission of Jesus finds culmination in the cross and fulfillment in our hearts.
I’ll say this as often as it takes for everyone to “get it” ─if you want people in your life to experience God’s reality, pray with them! Yes, pray for them, but also with them.
NBLC used to have five rakes available for serving our community. Now we have two-to-four hundred. Some churches have a ministry van or bus, but NBLC has hundreds of cars ready for service. Do you know what I mean?
This is kind of obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Jesus will accomplish more with two people talking to each other than two people successfully ignoring each other. But here is the real shocker, we need to lower your expectations for these conversations for them to take place!
Want to learn how to hear from Jesus? The practice of hearing from and recognizing Jesus in everyday life is what this message is all about.
Is seeing believing, or is believing seeing? Ha! For those with eyes to see, clearly Jesus is up to something. He is inviting you to notice, to believe, and to wrestle with what is unfolding all around you!
Perhaps you were at the last service Pastor Greg Finke shared the Word? With humor and great teaching, we were treated to a feast of insights. Once again, we get the privilege of learning from this gifted communicator.
“Remember that you have to die.” Some people die without ever having lived! But when you remember your mortality, it impacts how you will live. Lent begins, as always, with Ash Wednesday and we will don ashes in the shape of the cross to remember that Jesus died to give us life–and to show us how to live!
AUDIO ONLY
Isn’t it nice to know that God’s best intentions are not thwarted by your worst inclinations? God has set certain outcomes in place from eternity and we have to marvel at how these come together in spite of us!
Accompanying reading: Ruth 1-4 The Story, Chapter 9
What if your various body parts just did their own thing? One eye looks to the right, the other to the left; your fingers refuse to touch your thumbs; the left foot tries to trip the right! You’d be a mess! Good thing your head coordinates your body!
Accompanying reading: Judges 2-4; 6-8; 13-16 The Story, Chapter 8
How do you know you’ve succeeded? Like Moses, God has given you something to do. Either you know what that is already or you don’t yet know what that is. This week you’ll find out what’s next for you and how to succeed!
Accompanying reading: Joshua 1-2; 6; 8; 10-11; 23-24 The Story, Chapter 7
Why God does What He does is always the same, regardless of What God does, when it concerns us. How we see What God does depends on our perspective.
Accompanying reading: Numbers 10-14; 20-21; 25; 27; Deuteronomy 1-2; 4; 6; 8-9; 29-32; 34 The Story, Chapter 6
History repeats itself, or so it seems. What was done in the past points to What was done ultimately. Who and Why remains the same, but When and Where changes.
Accompanying reading: Exodus 1-7; 10-17 The Story, Chapter 4
If you think the characters in the story determine the plot, think again. Who, Why, What, Where, and When are under the control of the Author. We’re all written into The Story and the narrative is always larger than we can grasp!
Accompanying reading: Genesis 37; 39; 41-48; 50 The Story, Chapter 3
Why did God choose Whom He did? Who you are as Subject relates very much to Who is the Object in the sentence. You are not both the Subject and the Object of the Verb, or are you?
Accompanying reading: Genesis 12-13, 15-17; 21-22; 32-33; 35 Romans 4 Hebrews 11 The Story, Chapter 2
Who is much more important than How. Why is just as important, if not more, than What. If you want to know what I mean, tune in for the Creation account of Genesis! It sets the stage for The Story!
Accompanying reading: Genesis 1-4, 6-9 The Story, Chapter 1
Faith comes from hearing the Word, and shows itself by living the Word. Doing what God says not only exercises our faith muscles, but prevents us from crashing! Jesus wants our obedient trust so that we can experience better lives.
Nobody can believe in Jesus for you, but you cannot believe in Jesus without other people. Key people play critical roles in your faith-life. We’re in this together! As we celebrate the coming of Jesus into our world and our lives, we will GROW in faith together!
Help us love our community during this service! ALL offerings received during this Christmas Eve-Eve service (in-person or online) will be donated to SafetyNet, a local organization that supports homeless children and families in the MVRIII School District.
Life experiences can make us better or make us bitter. Faith serves as both a means and an end in every circumstance. Faith isn’t just being positive, but being positively confident in God’s presence and purpose.
Do you ever feel unsure of yourself? Duh. We all feel some degree of imposter syndrome─even if we get cocky sometimes. Yet what you feel you bring─or don’t bring─to the table is one thing. Getting to the table is what brings you greater faith.
How different would your life be if you didn’t give into doubts about God’s taking care of you? Every challenge and fear would be completely redefined! You would be in such a good way each and every day. Would you like to be more like this?
Do you want an amazing discovery? No gimmicks. Really. Would you like to hear how one of the hardest things you love to avoid is not only easy, but fun? Seriously! We’d throw in a free Ginsu knife, but that’s not necessary, ‘cause we’re not selling you on anything!
Who is my neighbor? One of the most famous parables was Jesus’ answer to the question. We do well to consider the question for ourselves, and Jesus’ unique response.
Want to see Jesus? I know where you can see Him and know Him as never before. Receiving eternal life depends not on what you know or what you do, but Who you know. Want to know Jesus?
God said, “Let there be Joe.” And here I am! By God’s Word I grow and become what God wants. By the Word my faith becomes stronger! If God’s Word is life-giving and formative, we’d be fools not to want it more!
Prayers can be songs and songs can be prayers. God’s people have sung, and prayed, for a world of opportunity. And God loves to answer these kinds of prayers! He inspired them by His promises.
Ever been through an earthquake? How about a churchquake? God has the ride of your life in store. God wants to move you to a whole new prayer life.
Have you ever worried about someone? Ha! Who hasn’t? Worry is a good indicator that we care. That's a start! When care germinates, it leads somewhere. You’ll be surprised with the company you’ll keep when you care.
Have you ever been afraid of what God wants you to do? Ever want to run away from God’s will for you--to pursue your own plan? What are we talking about here? Not what you think. But we need to talk to God about one of the biggest aversions we all have when it comes to His plan for our lives.
Is persistence irritating or the key to success? Well, no one ever finished by quitting. What about prayer? Is there ever too much? This week we will look at the persistent widow and what Jesus thinks about perseverance and determination.
Yes, or no? “Maybe” doesn’t work. So which one are you? Yes, or no? Jesus went toe-to-toe with people who said yes, but lived no. Thank God we’re not like those people, right? Maybe?
We are all given a certain amount of “stuff” that is ours to work with. The uses may be varied, but using our “stuff” wisely and to our best abilities is the key to success. This week we will focus on what God has given us and what He wants us to do with it.
We often learn more from questions than the answers. But still, we all have questions begging for answers. What is a theological-biblical question you’ve been chewing on? We’ve surveyed y’all and are addressing one of the most asked questions at NBLC.
We often learn more from questions than the answers. But still, we all have questions begging for answers. What is a theological-biblical question you’ve been chewing on? We’ve surveyed y’all and are addressing one of the most asked questions at NBLC.
If you don’t have questions, then your brain isn’t engaged. So God asks questions to get us thinking--and learning--about what we want, and what He wants us to know. So God asks, “Can these bones live?”
Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!
Sometimes questions are just rhetorical--asked to create dramatic effect or to make a point. A pregnant question begs for an answer; we can feel its implications. So God asks, “Whom shall I send?”
Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!
Want answers? So does God! God wants us to get the answers we seek, and so God asks us questions. We learn from questions. So God asks, “Were you there when I laid the foundation of the earth?”
Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!
You think you’ve got questions? So does God! God repeatedly poses probing questions. These demonstrate and generate engagement--which is the goal! God loves to interact. So God asks, “Where are you?”
Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!
Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Does it really matter which path is the one taken? “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Travel along as we discuss various paths.
📖 Mark 4:3-20 | bit.ly/3igTEdO 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
It’s all about relationships. Relationships are great when they are going well. What do we do when they’re not going well? The Bible's direction is simple, though doing what it says isn't easy. But all great things require work and are worth the effort.
📖 Matthew 18:15-20 | bit.ly/3x7872d 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Family meals are about way more than food. If someone is missing, their absence is noticeable. Sometimes someone’s presence creates stress. We need to pay attention to the tension. When breaking bread together is meant to keep us more connected.
📖 1 Corinthians 11:17-26 | bit.ly/3jsVxX6 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Birth order matters. First born children, middle children, and babies of any family tend to share common traits. This is true in our “faith-family” also. We each fill a role in our families - parents too, of course. These family connections play a crucial role in our faith formation.
📖 2 Timothy 1:1-7 | bit.ly/3jaE6KM 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
NBLC isn’t about making members, but disciples! But WAIT! The Bible actually calls us “members of one another.” We are “family members.” We will explore the fact that just as we are all members of the human race, we were made for faith-family connections.
📖 1 Peter 1:22-25 | bit.ly/3xubJLe 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Do you have hope? Are you sure you know what I’m referring to by the word “hope”? Does your hope give you courage and calmness in the face of extremely disturbing circumstances? Would you like some more hope?
Ever feel like the world is getting worse? Do government systems appear corrupt, the leaders also, and culture appear to be at war with your faith? How didn’t Daniel respond to these circumstances?
Truly God was with Daniel and his friends. The bigger miracles were not walking through fire or closing lions mouths; what really astounds is the hope, humility, and wisdom we see in those who followed the rule of faith.
Many look to Daniel for prophetic insight, but what we really benefit from is learning how to live godly lives in a world gone wrong. Can we really live counter cultural lives in Babylon -- or 21st century USA? It may come at a price.
The book of Daniel might bring to mind prophecy charts, diet fads, or tales of lions, but these are distractions if focused upon to the diminishment of the prophet’s main point. God often chooses to be with us in our trials rather than deliver us from them.
God has equipped you with gifts and tasks to grow His kingdom and share His love. But do you always use those gifts for that purpose? Does it always seem fair to share God’s love with those around you? Jesus addresses all this and more through a parable. Let’s dive in to what He has to say.
📖 Luke 20:9-19 | bit.ly/3vWInV1 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
It is not a stretch to say there’s a lot in common between mothers and missions. Having children and making disciples are very much alike. It all starts where you are and you don’t know where it’ll take you!
📖 Matthew 28:18-20 | bit.ly/2Of9U3U 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Jesus said it: it is more blessed to give than to receive. Isn’t it strange that the more we have the less prone we are to give? That’s not true of everyone, but we all will struggle with that truth.
📖 Acts 20:35 | bit.ly/3fwxFQm 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
We are not saved by good works but for good works. And doing good works makes us feel good, no that’s not the whole reason we do them. Why do we do good works?
📖 Ephesians 2:10 | bit.ly/31I9Z3u 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Almost everyone I know is really good at forgiveness. After all, most people know someone who fails their hopes and expectations every day. And even though they promise to do better next time, they betray that trust over and again. But you forgive yourself again and again. That’s why we need to love others as we love ourselves.
📖 Ephesians 4:32 | bit.ly/2Of907y 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
You be you - no one else can. But being like Jesus is also part of the equation, right? Being who God intends us to be is our Red Letter Challenge (RLC) for this week.
📖 Matthew 11:28 | bit.ly/2PUAMGN 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
We were baptized into Christ’s death so that we could live new lives--Christ-like lives--through the power of the resurrection. This Easter we will undertake a 40 day challenge to live like Jesus!
📖 Romans 6:3-4 | bit.ly/3tSBpzz 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
There is no Easter without Good Friday. We will continue with NBLC’s traditional tenebrae service--a service of increasing darkness--as we remember how God’s great love for us was not extinguished, but demonstrated through the death of Jesus.
🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Ever hear of a “glutton for punishment”? You don’t want to add that title to your resume! In fact, if we want to get more in life, giving up excess is a good move to make. Adding moderation--or restraint--to our choices will save us from many regrets.
📖 Matthew 5:21-24 | bit.ly/2ZTdrHy 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Ever hear of a “glutton for punishment”? You don’t want to add that title to your resume! In fact, if we want to get more in life, giving up excess is a good move to make. Adding moderation--or restraint--to our choices will save us from many regrets.
📖 Matthew 6:25-35 | bit.ly/3pWA4FF 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
I’m too tired to give up laziness. There’s got to be an easier way to deal with sloth than all the hard work it takes to get rid of it! (Are you picking up on the irony in those last two sentences?) God has so much more in mind for us. If we just give up sloth, we get more of the life God has in store!
📖 Matthew 25:14-30 | bit.ly/3pTln5V 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Watch out for envy! The more envy you have, the less you get in life. Envy robs you of the best of things. Envy robs you of the joy that comes from all that God has given you!. Give up envy and get more of God’s blessings in your life for godliness with contentment is great gain!
📖 Matthew 20:1-16 | bit.ly/2NZi93Q 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Seven Deadly Sins—now those are worth giving up for Lent! In fact, when we surrender a sin we gain much more than we give up. Take Lust, for example. We think what we lust for will give us more, but it leaves us with less. When we give it up, we get more: purity!
📖 Matthew 5:27-30 | bit.ly/2OYz5b6 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
What’re you giving up for Lent? That familiar question assumes subtraction leads to devotion. Jesus promises addition. When we give up sin—which we are often reluctant to do—we actually gain from the so-called loss. For example, when we give up greed, we can gain charity in exchange. It is more blessed to give!
📖 Matthew 6:19-24 | bit.ly/2Zptfl4 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins is your favorite? If you had to give them all up except one, which one would you hold onto? That was a trick question, for if you give up sins you don’t lose, but you get more! Christ crosses out our sins and adds His goodness to our lives and we are forever better for it!
📖 Matthew 16:24-26 | bit.ly/37uf02X 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
It’s time to put on the gloves! 🥊 That’s right: time to hit the punching bag. We gotta get to work in order to fight the good fight of the faith. We are not bodybuilders, but we do have to work out God has worked into us.
📖 Jude | bit.ly/3qLbRCK 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
If you just witnessed pastor Joe shoplifting from the grocery store, would you want to listen to his sermon? What if he stole your car? 🚗 You’d probably excuse him and say, “We’re all people in process,” right? We’re saved by grace, after all!
📖 Jude | bit.ly/3qLbRCK 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Some things are worth fighting for. Holding onto your faith can often feel like a fight. This is the perspective advocated by one of the half-brothers of Jesus Christ in a sermon he wrote. This sermon is found in your Bible in the little book of Jude.
📖 Jude | bit.ly/3qLbRCK 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
We care better together. In fact, caring relationships assume we stick together. And God brought us together for a purpose bigger than any one of us. To achieve something greater than ourselves, we need to be part of something greater than ourselves.
📖 Hebrews 10:24-25 | bit.ly/2WJHUWW 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Caring for one another has a ricochet effect. Jesus said others learn about God’s love when we do as He did for us. What has God done for you? That is a clue to how our care for one another will impact the whole world!
📖 John 13:34-35 | bit.ly/3rqTC73 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
We care, but caring is as much about Word as it is about action--God’s Word. A family dinner pack from Bread Co is fitting when someone is laid-up. A warm meal feeds them for the day. Including encouragement from the Bread of Life will sustain them for eternity.
📖 Colossians 3:12-17 | bit.ly/34L89At 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
When you come up against the sharp edges of life (a disease afflicts your health, the economy costs you your job, a jerk breaks your heart,...) you wonder who cares. The answer is that you do. You care for others and find relief in your own struggles. And others, ideally, care for you and discover the same.
📖 Romans 12:3-13 | bit.ly/3pnrbow 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
With the new year around the corner, thoughts of “time” are on many people’s minds. The new year is a good time to __________. We can all fill in that blank. What does God say about time and how we spend it? And how do we prepare for what is to come?
📖 Romans 13:8-14 & 2 Corinthians 6:2 | bit.ly/3p9YNWM 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
What is the opposite of LOVE? Dislike? Disdain? Indifference? It’s easier to say accurately what love isn’t than to say what love is. Love isn’t God, but God is love--and so we learn what love is by seeing Him.
📖 Isaiah 63:7-9 | bit.ly/3lQdeOM 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
What is the opposite of JOY? Discouragement? Despondency? Depression? Even when our circumstances are dark, joy is possible. Tune in to find more ways to tap into this gift of God.
📖 Zephaniah 3:14-20 | bit.ly/3kLQQod 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
What is the opposite of PEACE? Discord? Disharmony? Distress? Many of us suffer a lack of peace and our sleepless nights and/or our health show for it. Listen to learn how you can experience a more satisfying way of life.
📖 Micah 5:1-5 | bit.ly/35Jiz4M 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
What is the opposite of HOPE? Despair? Distrust? Disbelief? We live in times increasingly prone to these D-words. Would you prefer hope? Then come find out how your heart can swell with expectation of better things.
📖 Jeremiah 33:10-18 | bit.ly/3pGuFUa 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
As a lion growls over its prey, so we meditate on God’s Word (cf., Isaiah 31:4 and Psalm 1:2). God’s Word is a feast and we are learning how to eat it in this final installment, Part Four.
📖 Philippians 4:2-9 | bit.ly/3om5DJs 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
More than once, God’s prophets were told to eat God’s Word (e.g., Revelation 10:9-10). We are attempting the same as we learn methods for studying Scripture, Part Three.
📖 Philippians 4:2-9 | bit.ly/3om5DJs 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
God invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). We will be serving up another course of God’s delicious Word and learn how to study the Bible, Part Two.
📖 Philippians 4:2-9 | bit.ly/3om5DJs 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Jesus said that we don’t live on bread alone (Matthew 4:4), but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God. How do we eat God’s Word? Come hungry as we learn how to study the Bible, Part One.
📖 Philippians 4:2-9 | bit.ly/3om5DJs 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
The end is here? The end of the world has been “coming soon” for some 2000 years! If a 1000 years is like a day to the Lord, how many days(!) until Jesus comes back? Sooner than you think.
📖 Revelation 22:7-21 | bit.ly/34MmeyB 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
The Bible began in a garden and ends in a city, but that’s not how our story ends. Revelation marshals a variety of images to encourage Christians living in the end times to not lose hope. We have so much to look forward to at the end of all things and the new beginning!
📖 Revelation 21 | bit.ly/3lL7tSO 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Judgment Day! We have no way of getting around it. We must go through it. The Great White Throne of God proves to be the watershed of history whereupon divides heaven’s gates and hell’s flames. What’s it gonna be for you?
📖 Revelation 20 | bit.ly/34Ptf1z 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Will your favorite food be in heaven? Will it still be fattening? Food is a major theme throughout the Bible and eating with God seems to be like a party most of the time. Are you hungry? Come find out what’s on the menu!
📖 Revelation 19:1-10 | bit.ly/2DgmTgp 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Want to know what heaven looks like? Revelation gives a hint. This picture also gives a clue as to when the world will end! Compare what you read in Revelation 7 with what Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect now and forever.
📖 Revelation 7 | bit.ly/32His70 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Make sure you have a white robe. And sunglasses. Wear sunglasses. Also, we might want to gather on a hilltop—somewhere prominent, right? What do God’s people look like, according to Revelation, as we prepare for the end of the world?
📖 Revelation 2-3 | bit.ly/31LEDto 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
SOUND ISSUES - TUNE IN AT 32:14
The End is hear! Blessed are those who hear the words of Revelation. This notorious book is not so much a prophecy foretelling future times as forth-telling the promises of God to people living through troubled times.
📖 Revelation 1 | bit.ly/34LdNnc 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
The language we use is shaped by who we are. From what part of the world do we come? From what part of the country? Are we teenagers or seniors? Rural or urban? Are we “hip” or not so much? How can God use your particular lingo to communicate with others His great Gospel message?
📖 Acts 2:1-21 | bit.ly/3a21ZNL 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Things aren’t always what they seem. What seemed life-giving to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden actually ushered in a reign of death. But through His death on the cross, Jesus ushers in an even more powerful reign of life.
📖 Romans 5:6-15 | bit.ly/3kdCQoa 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
When introducing people to Jesus today, we face lots of scrutiny. We all too often confuse God’s part and our part. Too many feel the need to have all the answers to people’s questions—to defend our beliefs. But only one response is needed.
📖 John 9 | bit.ly/2XzSFf4 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Anyone hungry? Everyone eventually. We all feel a craving that even transcends food! That’s why we agree with the D.T. Niles quote: “Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.” Got bread? Know Jesus?
📖 John 6:1-14 | bit.ly/2PuRGIE 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give
Do you want to condemn others? Of course not. You wouldn’t be invited to any parties if you acted like that! God did not send Jesus to condemn the world. Jesus came to love the world. This is what “our mission” is—the same as Jesus’ mission: to share God’s love with the whole world!
JOHN 3:1-17 // Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
How good is it to put on a pair of glasses or contact lens with the correct prescription for the first time and see the world with better focus? How does seeing more clearly change the way we interact and live in our world?
COLOSSIANS 3:5-11 (12-17) // Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Have you ever experienced weeks and months that tend to blur together? You look back over the year, and you do not see progress or growth in your life? Looking at your faith walk, does your growth every feel like a blurred optical illusion?
COLOSSIANS 2:1-15 // For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Do you ever feel that you live your day to day life with a lack of focus easily becoming distracted with the mundane? How much does a lack of focus cost our families, our relationships, our employers? How much do distractions cost the church or our faith walk? What are you focused on?
COLOSSIANS 1:15-22 // He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.
I’ve heard marriage is a competition between two people to see who can forgive the other more. The competition is real, and it is with everyone you encounter! There is one secret to forgiveness that you must learn to make it work; we will discuss this next.
The Bible says it. That settles it. Or does it? Ask a hundred people to describe how to be a Christian and you’ll find a hundred answers. So is variety the spice of faith, or is most everybody wrong except a few (maybe you?). Or do you doubt we can even know?
ROMANS 14:1-23 // As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Praise List: bit.ly/2A9l2s1
Which sin is worse: to compare or not to compare? Careful how you answer or you’ll be comparing! It’s like saying you’re humble—immediately pride slips into the room. That’s why we need to read the Bible as a mirror more than binoculars.
LUKE 18:9-14 // He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Praise List: bit.ly/3cp2wt3
Here is a guilt trip: If you were accused of being a Christian, would you be found guilty? It all depends on how well you could keep your Christian faith a secret. Wait? People can’t be secret Christians, can they? The answer isn’t as easy as you might think.
JOHN 19:38-42 // After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Praise List: bit.ly/3ghdjs6
“People are like drunks on horseback, set right on one side only to topple over to the other.” Martin Luther is thought to have said some version of that unflattering statement. It’s true, though. We can be legalists one moment and libertines the next.
MATTHEW 5:17-20 // “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Praise List: bit.ly/2LyvHib
The social pain of loneliness, like pain, results in observable behaviors. Unfortunately, when we feel lonely, we begin to think and act in self-defeating ways. We can become anti-social and the symptoms reinforce the disease. But there is a cure.
EPHESIANS 4:25-32 // Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Check out today's worship playlist here: bit.ly/2yzzIAa
Being alone does not necessarily mean being lonely. In fact, many pleasurable and productive actions often involve solitude: research, endurance exercise, art, and prayer. These actions are done alone, and with others. We are called to do both.
JAMES 5:13-18 // Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
Check out today's worship playlist here: bit.ly/3b451jP
Social isolation has an adverse impact upon your health comparable to high blood pressure, lack of exercise, obesity, or smoking. Therefore, it is more important than ever to regard others as more important than yourself, right? Wait. How does this work? I’m healthier if I care more for others than myself?
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-8 // So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Check out today's worship playlist here: bit.ly/2VBVE66
Roughly 60 million people in the United States experience loneliness as a major source of unhappiness in their lives. If only they could all get together! But let’s face it, getting together and staying together are two very different experiences. How can we stay together?
EPHESIANS 4:1-7 // I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Check out today's worship playlist here: bit.ly/3bmmi8v
Loneliness is an empty feeling; hence the expression, “Lonely as the grave.” Strange how you can be lonely in a crowd. Equally strange: the word lonely doesn’t have an antonym. You can be social, affable, even beloved, but still lonely. How can we cure loneliness? Paradoxically, the solution is an empty grave!
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18 // But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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Sermon Discussion Questions:
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Which of the seven devotions connected most with you? Why?
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How does that devotion speak to your relationship with Jesus? Do any other people in your life come to mind as a point of application for you? What would the Lord want you to do?
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How would you summarize the overall message from Good Friday for a friend who doesn’t quite get it in 1-3 sentences?
Can you love those who hate you? Frederick Buechner wrote: “And then there is the love for the enemy--love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world.”
MATTHEW 27:27-31 // Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
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Every day is an altar call. Make a decision for Jesus, we’re told. Well, “We are the angry mob…. We like who we like. We hate who we hate. But we’re also easily swayed.” Who do you choose? Just consider who you last voted for! What does that mean? Watch and find out!
MATTHEW 27:11-26 // Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and our children!" Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified.
Imagine you’re in a crowded line with a shopping cart brimming over and you have no cash. You plug your credit card into the device only to hear that your card has been denied. The shame! The embarrassment! And if it was a system error and no fault of your own, the rage! Or none of these.
MATTHEW 26:69-75 // Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Guilty until proven innocent. That is the case, isn’t it? We’re all guilty. We all stand accused and we’re guilty as sin! Only one stands before the judge blameless, and he was killed! What is our fate, then? Life! Abundant life! Justice is served and we guilty ones go free!
Sometimes it feels like we’re set up for failure. People betray us. Finances turn against us. Our own bodies hand us over to the grave. Being paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not all still out to get you, right? So what is the script? How do we live in the face of these treacheries?
Our world is broken. We are, too. What does it mean to live fully human lives in the face of all our temptations? The best human ever—Jesus—did this. He was tempted in every way as we are, but lived a perfect human life.
The season of Lent (which leads up to Easter) begins on Ash Wednesday. We place ashes in the form of a cross on our foreheads to remind us that we are sinners and in need of a Savior. Our Savior, Jesus, comes to us through His Word and Baptism. We remember God’s grace and our baptisms as we wash away our ashes with the Living Water of God.
Have you seen that YouTube video when a colorblind man receives glasses that allow him to see color for the first time? Or have you seen the one where the deaf child receives a hearing aid and hears her mom’s voice for the first time? Likewise, you’ll never see the world the same after this.
Why you do something is more important than what you do. Just ask any dating couple: did your date act out of compulsion or desire? Love is always more fulfilling than guilt. At New Beginnings, we use the words “so that” vs. “because” to reinforce this fact.
What is the most extravagant gift you ever received? Now imagine the person who gave it to you. When you see that person’s name on Caller ID, do you hesitate to answer the phone? If that person asked you for a small favor, how would you respond? What would it take for you to say “no” to that person?
You ever worry about your future? You ever wonder if you’ll have enough when the time comes? What if I told you that you were going to inherit greater riches than you’ve ever known? What if I told you that your future was secure? How would you live now?
Would you do it if everyone else was? Thomas wouldn’t. Even though the other disciples were telling him they’d seen the resurrected Jesus, Tom needed proof. Some people just will not believe unless they see with their own eyes. This faith struggle is found in John 20:24-31.
For some faith is a bet like Pascal’s wager: If you believe and you’re wrong, you lose nothing; If you don’t believe and you’re wrong, you lose everything. So what’ve you got to lose by believing? Some argue that this is a cheap faith, but Jesus didn’t let that stop Him. This doubter’s dialog can be read in Mark 9:14-32.
What if Stephen Hawking’s journal revealed that he thought science was wrong? Consider if Mr. Rogers was found to be irritated by children? Imagine if Bugs Bunny didn’t like carrots! That’s the shock of hearing John the Baptizer ask if Jesus was the one. Read Matthew 11:1-19 to see how faith wrestles with doubts.
It all began with a seed of doubt. We cannot afford to forget our family history for we are all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. And we are just like our parents: we struggle with faith and doubt. But what if the ‘and’ is the most important word in that last statement? Genesis 3:1-23 shows the root of our struggle.
Are you ready for joy-graduate-classes? The Joy Story continues this week, but now we’re getting into a joy like no other--a pure joy that comes in the form of trials and difficulties of life. You want to know joy that demonstrates true grit--a joy that perseveres?
Feelings are an inside job. For example, if someone steals your parking spot, you become livid, but if a cow meanders into your spot and lies down, you’re bemused. Likewise, when shepherds encounter an angelic host, the story begins with fear, but turns to joy. It all depended upon the meaning of the encounter.
God gives us joy in Jesus, but also in one another. If you want joy, give joy. The people you give yourself to will become your joy. This is a theme of the Bible, actually. Our personal joy in symbiotically connected to the body of Christ and finds its culmination with the coming of Jesus.
Nothing says Christmas-time like singing our favorite carols in candlelight. This is how we’ll celebrate that God has fulfilled His promise to shine forth light in the darkness. Invite family and friends for a rich evening of praise and to grow in the joy that Christ can give—even during difficult seasons.
Merry Judgment Day! You’ve probably never considered Judgment Day topic for the holidays, but Advent is all about the coming of Jesus—both that first Christmas and at the end of all things. And we are told that when Christ comes, He will judge the world—which happens to be the basis for the song, Joy to the World—no kidding!
Imagine the reaction at a baby shower when you provide the new parents with embalming fluid. The plot-twist in the Christmas story is that Jesus was born to die. Jesus’ joy made possible His pursuit of the cross. You might think this is a bit morbid, but Jesus joyfully gave us the greatest gift for the holidays.
Most people cannot resist the joy a baby brings. Prepare the way for joy, ‘cause that is what the baby we’re reading about was born to tell. We’ll smile no less when we learn about the geriatrics who are told they’re expecting!
This is a terrible question: If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Here is a better question: If someone asked you to give the reason you are a Christian, would you be ready to give your answer? You will be if you come to this week’s message,
We’re easily underwhelmed in our sensationalized and cynical age. We’ve seen too much to believe too much—though we crave the next great spectacle. Jesus promises even greater things than what we read in the biblical accounts. In other words, God isn’t finished with us yet!
“Do you trust me?” It may seem obvious, but if you pose the question, then trust is in question. Whether to trust or not depends less on the subject and more on the object of trust. So, Abraham shows what we all need to know. Can God be trusted?
This is a terrible question: If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Here is a better question: If someone asked you to give the reason you are a Christian, would you be ready to give your answer? You will be if you come to this week’s message.
Everyone is part of the human race, but not everyone is part of your family. We were made for genuine relationships. We were not made to be spiritual orphans either. God puts us together on purpose and uses us in each other’s lives to accomplish His purposes through us. Come discover a fuller expression of faith family.
Ever been with someone who is always talking about themselves? The conversation always seems to come back to them! It’s as if they want you in order to have a person to talk at, rather than to have a conversation. God’s not like that. Come discover what it means to interact with God.
Has God ever spoken to you? Do you want God to speak to you? Or speak to you more? God is not far off. God is present and you can experience His real presence in increasing measure. Come discover how God speaks to you?
Have you ever considered what it means that God has made Himself known to you? God has given you His name: Jesus Christ. When you know Christ it changes everything! That may look much more ordinary than you think—or not. Come discover what a Christ-centered life looks like for you.
Ever miss someone? Only a real person can be missed. Want to make sure you'll never lose those you love? You can only fear losing someone you know. That ache is God-given and we learn how to respond to it.
We're all searching in life, but will we find what matters most? And if we find what matters most, will we want it enough to pay the cost? You’re not going to expect how this story unfolds!
Jesus said, "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find." The opposite is true too: when you get you know you can ask and when you find you tend to seek!
We all like to receive assurances of love. You can hear it all your life, but it is so good to hear it again: “I love you.” And we enjoy other expressions of love—special reminders. God wanted His people to have a reassurance of His love—an objective reference point. Abraham got one. What’s yours?
Is sinning our only option? After all, I said it was the last time, last time. Seriously, how many times can I do the wrong thing and still be forgiven? Is there a limit to God’s forgiveness?
What happens when we die? Many books and movies describe NDE: Near Death Experiences. Light at the end of a tunnel. Outer body experiences staring down as doctors seek to save your life. Warm welcomes from loved ones in heaven. What are we to make of it all?
What do you feel when I tell you, “You need commitment”? Do you feel I’m demanding more commitment FROM YOU or recommending someone be more committed TO YOU. If you struggle with being overcommitted or could use more commitment, then this message is for you.
Have you ever been “in love”? How about “in despair”? Do these expressions give us any idea of what the Bible means when it says that we are “in Christ”? When you are baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” you are forgiven and much more!
I believe in God’s humiliation. I also believe Jesus went to hell, but that was something totally different. Where do we get these ideas? What difference do they make in my workaday world? We believe, teach, and confess that the devil is ugly as sin ‘cause Jesus beat him with a big stick. The Bible tells me so.
Neither my sexuality nor my orientation is primary in my sense of self. Or if you struggle with infertility, you’re not less because you cannot become pregnant. Empty-nested or retired, your life doesn’t become empty or meaningless. And if you’re bed-ridden, you do not lose your purpose. We believe, teach and confess something more foundational than any other criteria for life.
We like to make things difficult. Sometimes the easier way is the best way. God has a purpose for your life and it may not be so daunting or life challenging as you might think. In fact, you can fulfill one of God’s greatest commandments to you in just a few minutes this week.
“What happens to those who live on Oogi-Poogi? You know those who live on a remote island and never get to hear about Jesus? What happens to them?” That’s a good question. Want to know the answer?
Does it seem sometimes like God plays favorites? We might believe that everyone is “created equal,” but that isn’t how it looks. Why are some blessed and others not? How does God choose?
“You’re not one of those who thinks Jesus is the only way to heaven, are you?” I told her I didn’t want to be. I know and love many people who don’t believe in Jesus, so I’d like to believe there are other ways “to be saved.” But then I asked her, “How do you read this?”
Am I enough? Sometimes I feel like a fraud or an impostor because the me I show to everybody is an attempt to fulfill others’ expectations. We all have an internal desire to be “enough.” We put on our “Sunday Faces.” But God wants us to be free.
Our parents tried to master the heart of the matter when raising us. Sometimes they got it right. Sometimes they didn’t. Want to know how? It’s an art more than a science, but you won’t want to miss this.
We do not walk “in” the valley of the shadow of death. We walk “through” it. The victory of Jesus doesn’t displace human emotions, but it does displace death. Fear is an emotion that will naturally be part of our end. Though we may live and die with fear, we live and die unafraid.
I’ll admit it: I don’t want to grow old. Really, it’s not the added years that I dread, but the atrophy: aches and pains; slowing down; growing limitations. The resurrection of Jesus makes a reimagining of our later years possible. Want to know more?
To live is to risk. Failure is inevitable. It’s not that we’re doomed to fail, but this is part of life as we know it. Unfortunately, the temptation to let past failures dictate our plans has robbed too many of us of God-intended victories.
Do you ever feel alone in the world? Have you ever awoken in the middle of the night and experienced a barrage of insecure thoughts? In one way or another, we all have a fear of loneliness. The first time God said something wasn’t good, it was about being alone.
Spoiler alert! We’re going to read the end of the Book. We’re going to see how everything turns out. But this is totally ok. It’s not like insider trading or anything like that. We are allowed—invited!—to have the inside scoop that gives us an edge in life. Want to know more?
I think an NDE would be quite disappointing. NDE? Near Death Experience. If I died, went to heaven, and then had to come back here again I’d be upset. But we all know someone who suffered this anticlimax so that we would know that death is not the end of life.
Do you look forward to Judgment Day? How about old age? Does old age feel like a cruel judgment? Do you dread these things? How do we live our end today in anticipation of the greatest of all new beginnings?
What can you really count on? Leading gurus tell how to lengthen your life and how to get better life in that length … but many who apply these principles die young and many who ignore them live long and rich lives. What should you expect of life?
What can we really know, after all? The more we truly learn, the more we learn we truly don’t know very much. Ironically, learning what we cannot know helps us leverage what we do know. Want to know what we cannot know?
He who dies with the most toys is still dead. Yet, we often hear it—and say it ourselves—“You only live once? For those who die twice, life lasts forever. For those trying to rob death, death lasts forever. One experiences lifestyle inflation, and the other lifestyle appreciation.
We wish our lives away but feel that we grow old too quickly. There is a time for everything, but rather than enjoying the moment, we’re always looking forward to something else. God gave us the gift of time—and life—to be enjoyed.
Prepare to Die. Learn to Live. Our mortality underlies everything we do. We do not want to just be dust in the wind, but life is short. Life is elusive. Life is repetitive. We want more out of life because the echo of eternity resounds in our hearts.
An eagle cannot swim, but a duck can. A duck cannot soar like an eagle. We all have different abilities that depend upon our context. Where were you made to thrive?
You’re gifted. When you hear of someone who is “gifted,” you may think of gifted students or artists. Gifting is broader than that.
Are you who you are because of nature or nurture? Was your personality formed in the womb or by your environment? Knowing who you are gives insight into your destiny.
When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s easy to get stuck in a negative mental-loop. When you find your thoughts spiraling around bad and worse, faith gives a better response.
When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s tempting to fight fire with fire. When the desire to lash-out at others wells up in you, faith gives a better response.
When life sucks the joy out of you, it’s tempting to withdraw from the world. When pulling the covers over your head feels preferable to any other option, faith gives a better response.
If anyone had reason to question God because of injustice, it was Jesus. But there is the rub: when you see evil, you assume goodness. And when you see Jesus, you see the crux of the matter when talking about good and evil in our world.
I like to think I’m in control. I like to call the shots. When I lose control, I feel powerless and even afraid. Therefore, depending on others is not what I want—and that includes God. But my picture of the freedom of autonomy is an illusion.
Have you ever heard someone described why they stopped believing in God? Could you hear their failed expectations? Wouldn’t we do well to evaluate our expectations of God as much as we evaluate God’s failure to meet them? What should we expect?
Tell me about the god you don’t believe in. Perhaps I don’t believe in that god either. All of us don’t believe in some gods. Therefore, all of us are atheists in some way. Maybe we need to discuss the unknown god and we’ll find ourselves connecting much better.
Should we really believe something because the Bible told us so? Before the writings of the Old and New Testaments were combined into what we call the Bible, conversations about Jesus centered on an event—not a book. What is the basis of our faith?
Most atheists didn’t choose their outlook on life because atheism is more appealing than theism. Most atheists began their journey to their belief in “no god” because of a dissatisfaction with religion.
We do not need psychology’s input (helpful as it is) to know that thankfulness is a preferred mindset. Gratitude trumps the power of positive thinking. After all, we are blessed by a bird in hand and by two in the bush! This attitude depends on how you count your blessings, but when you give thanks FOR (not IN?) everything, you can count anything!
We cannot stay where we are. Try as we might, God’s will for our future points away from where we are. Want to fast forward to what God has in store? Let’s talk about your future.
Who is your who? Who are you who to? Do you know your who and that you’re one, too? Dr. Seuss has nothing to do with this weekend’s message, but you do!
What is worship? What you say and what I say will probably not match, but I think you’ll agree with me when you hear what I have to say. So don’t miss worship on this day! Ok?
Want to know a very powerful response to hard questions you cannot answer? “I don’t know.” These words are the perfect response when you don’t know. They are authentic and humble. These words show we’re in process, like everyone else. And these words let us speak of Jesus.
Do you have all the answers to people’s questions? Of course not! Who does? In spite of everything we don’t know, we do know a pretty amazing person: Jesus. So, not to be evasive, but to be constructive, let’s point people to the one who does have all the answers and speak of Jesus.
Creation or evolution? Gay or straight? Left or right? It’s funny how much we talk about such things in comparison to speaking of Jesus. We’d all find more answers that we’re looking for if we spent more time on Jesus than the more popular debates of our times.
We’re not in a competition when it comes to faith. We are not supposed to win debates or even “win people.” Most of us prefer to avoid such confrontations. And yet, strangely (wonderfully), most people like Jesus. So, let’s just love people and speak of Jesus.
Do you believe God works all things together for good? When life hurts, “happily ever after” seems like the stuff of fairy tales. Are painful chapters in life redeemable? Does pain in life really serve a purpose?
Have you ever felt all alone in the world? Ever wonder if anyone cares, or ever will? Does your future feel like solitary confinement? To feel this way is one of the worst experiences in life. When everyone else seems to have left, where is God? Why doesn’t God provide?
Have you ever felt unappreciated? What do you do if you give your best and are only taken for granted or even abused in return? How do you keep on going? And for that matter, why isn’t God helping in this situation? You try to do right, but is God doing right by you?
What do you do when life betrays you? You had great dreams, but your present reality proves dismal. Worse: you cannot see any way of reversing your circumstances. When you’re broken, you must wonder where God is in this mess.
Some things are worth repeating. And when we forget, others can echo back what we need to hear—what we need to remember. Nobody can believe for you, but nobody believes alone. God intended faith family to be a means of grace in our lives.
Some things are worth repeating. For example, the words, “I love you,” never grow old. There are other words we also need to hear. We eat them up like starving people and we’re ready to hear them again. We crave their echo in our lives.
Some things are worth repeating—especially when we need assurance. Our feelings cover a spectrum. Where can we gain confidence? Throughout life’s ups-and-downs, God’s promises echo in our hearts to ground us, keep us, and direct us.
Some things are worth repeating. Some things are worth repeating (get it? Ha!). You can hear truth echo from one generation to the next. Despite the fact so much in life changes, we need to know something we can count upon—something that is certain.
Begin with the end in mind. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you’re there? You tend to go where you are looking. So, on what have you set your sights? How you answer that question will determine the direction of your life…and the degree of success you will have in your life mission.
How do you eat an elephant? C’mon. You know the answer. One. Bite. At. A. Time. Jesus sent His church to make disciples of all nations! That is the whole world! Beginning in Jerusalem, the Lord laid out concentric circles to the ends of the earth. How do these apply to you and me?
We have won the lottery! We were born in the USA! We live in the 21st century! We have freedoms and opportunities galore! We need to be careful, though, because we very easily confuse these means with the end. Why are we so blessed?
God desires multiplication. From the outset God told his creation to “be fruitful and multiply.” Jesus applied this biological imperative to a spiritual commission: “Go make disciples of all nations.” Thinking biologically, what would happen if everyone stopped having babies?
We are not only unchained from legalism, but also from sin. Unfortunately, we are as susceptible to temptations are we are to the law. Like correcting a drunk on a donkey from leaning left, they just end up leaning right. So how do we avoid these extremes?
A common protest again “grace alone” teaching says, “If we’re saved by grace alone—if God forgives unconditionally—then people would live however they wanted.” This idea sure seems it might produce quantity believers, but not quality believers. So what prevents grace-abuse?
The truth expressed in love could be accused of “legalism.” How do we maintain Jesus-only mindsets, grace-based living, and still hold each other accountable? How do we love each other without chains?
Jesus plus anything equals nothing. Jesus plus nothing equals everything. The temptation to add something to what Jesus finished sneaks up on all of us. How do we avoid being chained by legalism?
Watch out for comparisons. Comparisons produce pride or despair. Only one opinion matters and when we know it, we are set free. Want to be unchained from comparisons?
We so easily allow ourselves to be plagued by guilt. As Pastor Joe inappropriately loves to say, “Don’t ‘should’ on yourself!” Jesus came to set us free. How do we stay unchained from all the feelings and thoughts that weigh us down?
What’s harder? To be a Christian, or not? When you follow Jesus, do you have an abundant life or a cross-carrying life? You’d probably answer, “Yes!” So, what does that look like?
What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to know God? How does it look? Maybe you’ve heard of the contrast between religion and relationship, but what does that really mean?
How much faith is enough faith? We often hear things like, “Believe in yourself and you can do anything,” or, “Trust in your own abilities,” but is that what Jesus said? The answer might surprise you.
Quality time is rarely achieved without quantity time. We cannot plan to be in the right mood, let alone all the details that need to come together for that fantastic, memory-making experience. If you want to improve the quality of your relationships, you plan quantity time together.
Sometimes we treat strangers better than loved ones. Remember the way things were before? How can we get back to those good times when we would get along and actually look forward to seeing each other. Relationslips is a sermon series about gaining traction in your relationships.
Don’t you hate it when someone questions your motives? It hurts when others assume the worst about your intentions! Have you ever questioned why you’re in such a big fight over such a small matter? Ever feel taken for granted? Relationslips is a sermon series about gaining traction in your relationships.
Sometimes we all get caught thinking of what we want to say rather than actually listening. Have you felt like the person you addressed heard you, but didn’t listen? Have you ever questioned why you’re in such a big fight over such a small matter? Relationslips is a sermon series about gaining traction in your relationships.
Are you ever frustrated that you must keep telling someone the same thing over and over again? Have you felt like the person you addressed heard you, but didn’t listen? Have you ever questioned why you’re in such a big fight over such a small matter? Relationslips is a sermon series about gaining traction in your relationships.
So many Christians are looking forward to heaven. They hold to a concept of life after death. They imagine a happily ever after. But they are wrong! If you only have part of an answer, it is incomplete and, therefore, incorrect! God has so much more in store than what we look forward to. The resurrection promises more!
If you could avoid making mistakes, would you? Less regrets makes life better. This episode in our series will show us how to avoid a trap set for us all. We can all avoid this fatal flaw!
What sets you apart from everyone else? You were born for a reason. How does your purpose in life make you different? Could you miss what God has in mind for you by listening to others around you?
You’ve made your choice—or it’s been made for you by necessity! So how will you achieve your goal? What do you think it will take? You might be surprised by the ‘missing ingredient’ that you already have for you to win!
Have you ever been faced with a challenging decision? Have you ever looked for a sign from God to know what to do? Want to know how to make the right choice most of the time?
Who has God put in your life to help you succeed? Most would agree that behind any successful man is a strong woman. Man or woman, we all would do well to have someone like Deborah in our corner.
Do you agree or disagree with the proverb: “They who spare the rod hate the child, but those who love their children are diligent to discipline them”? Sometimes love must be tough, but how do you know when that is?
“Pain is weakness leaving the body.” “If it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger.” These machismo quips from the U.S. Marine Corps miss the point of suffering. God redeems our hurts to bring help.
When you’re in love, the world looks different. When a cause is great, people make great sacrifices. What is it that compels you? And, to better understand your passion, we must also ask, what discourages you?
You’ve heard it before: I was in the right place at the right time. Realtors made three rules that correspond: 1) Location. 2) Location. 3) Location. To discover your PLACE, you will profit from learning where you fit best.
When you were born again (all baptized believers were!), God sealed you with His Holy Spirit. And it is not what you know, but who you know that brings about your unique mix of grace-gifts (popularly known as spiritual gifts). Knowing your gifts helps you know your PLACE.
You were born with a bullseye. Your trajectory in life began before you were born! God wired you with specific outcomes in His holy mind. Regardless of the debate about nature and nurture, God has given you a personality on purpose.
“Meaningless, meaningless! A chasing after wind! Everything is meaningless!” Not really, but sometimes life can feel that way when you don’t know your PLACE.
Who am I? Where do I find my identity? These are questions that most of us wrestle with, and surprisingly, we find the answer to this question through Christmas. So, we still have one more Christmas present left to unwrap, us.
Christmas is woven deeply into our culture. All our hearts crave the significance of what took place at the nativity. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, invite others you know to come and discover what is wrapped inside the gift that seems so familiar.
This Christmas service will bring a much broader perspective than you may have ever considered! We will look at Christmas from the angel angle! We will also sing many beloved carols and enjoy a candlelight service. Invite your family and friends for a night of seeing Christmas afresh!
What some see as losses in a cultural war, God redeems. Even though we walk around parallel celebrations with many unaware of the origin of these festivities, God gives us opportunities to share real joy. Let’s unwrap Christmas.
Some may lament that Christmas has become a commercial enterprise, but this opens the door for conversation. Bright lights, gifts, and many of the songs all convey a deeper meaning. Let’s unwrap Christmas, hoping the significance will be revealed for more of us.
Christmas is both a religious and secular holiday. The result is two very different celebrations. Both share much in common: family, gift giving, charity. For those interested in the roots of Christmas, we are digging deeper than ever before.
Even non-Christians think they know the story of Christmas. People see nativity scenes in yards and hear talk of baby Jesus, but how many have really thought about its implications? Despite popular references in culture, how well do we know the real story?
What is your go-to test for “right & wrong”? Experiences? Feelings? Thoughts? Which is better for measuring what you believe and how you behave? Where does the Bible fit in all of this? Scripture changes everything!
You’re not done yet. But God didn’t wait for us to get it together. He snatched us from death itself—loving us just as we are. That’s grace. We are saved by grace alone. And grace changes everything!
“We don’t do nothin’”, spoken as emphatically as a double negative can say. We just believe. And believing ain’t doing; the doing is done. But what did the doing do? And what do we do about it? Faith changes everything!
What are you looking forward to God doing in you and through you in the coming year? We once were lost but now we’re found. We often forget, but can plan to remember. What God began, Christ will complete! God isn’t finished with us yet.
We’re easily underwhelmed in our sensationalized and cynical age. We’ve seen too much to believe too much—though we crave the next great spectacle. Jesus promises even greater things than what we read in the biblical accounts. In other words, God isn’t finished with us yet!
Everything involves tradeoffs. We keep something at the expense of something else. What we hold onto limits our ability to receive something else. Surrendering is scary until we realize what we are giving-up pales in comparison to what we will receive.
What we do for others does as much—if not more—for ourselves. Sacrifice changes us. Our hearts are affected. So, is it a heart full of love that moves us to sacrifice, or does a sacrifice for another engender love in our hearts?
“Do you trust me?” It may seem obvious, but if you pose the question, then trust is in question. Whether to trust or not depends less on the subject and more on the object of trust. So, Abraham shows what we all need to know. Can God be trusted?
It’s not if, but when we have a conflict. The fact is, as we grow closer with others, we can let our guard down and enjoy the fulfillment that authentic friendships afford. But when you let your guard down, you can get cold-cocked. That’s why fighting for our friendships is critical.
No marriage is free from fighting, and so we really need to fight for our marriages. The battle is not against flesh and blood, but with the devil, his temptations, and the sin we all struggle to starve. Want to know how to have a stronger marriage?
We fight with our families, naturally, but it is really a supernatural battle we are in. When we keep this thought in mind, we realize the need to fight for our families and to resist the devil’s schemes to divide and conquer.
Sometimes gossip is good and that’s good news because we all love to gossip. Gossip is defined as, “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people.” The film “Finding Nemo” provides a perfect example of a good story we all want repeated. And you’re going to hear one in this sermon.
When people eat at your table in your kitchen, they have crossed the threshold of your door and entered into your home—your personal life. We were not just made for community, but for intimacy. We were made to share communion with one another.
Three priests met to share life struggles. One shared his gambling addiction and the second about his battle with lust. After a pause, the third told the other two his issue was gossip and that he couldn’t wait to tell others! We have good reason to question the benefit of telling others our dark secrets. So why would we?
You were not just called to believe, but to belong. God doesn’t just pardon you, He places you into a faith family. You don’t want to miss the place to find your place. We were made for community.
Childhood behaviors are great predictors of adult actions. As William Wadsworth penned, “The child is father of the man.” And the girl, also, is mother of the woman she’ll become. How have you become more of YOU, as you live out how God designed you?
The biggest mistake you could ever make is being too afraid to make one. God’s love for us compels us to take bold steps. We need not fear failure, because if God is for us, we cannot lose—though we may very well learn along the way.
“You cannot be anything you want to be, but you can be everything God wants you to be”–Max Lucado. You are not a collision of particles, an evolution of molecules, or a simply speck of carbon in the universe. You are fearfully and wonderfully made … to make waves!
Did you know you have dual citizenship? Heaven is your home, but that doesn’t mean the world has lost its meaning. In fact, our nationality as Christians calls us to social response-abilities. God has made us capable of changing the world as members of society. This too is God at work in and through us.
What are you willing to die for? The soldier shows that a person’s work is much more than a job, but a holy calling. God is at work through every role at every level of society--providing protection, sustenance, or even entertainment. Every occupation is best seen as a vocation: a calling. You don’t have to be a priest to see your work as holy orders from God.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”, or so the song says. Your childhood didn’t end, but it culminated in the person you became. Every goal achieved is not a terminus, but a stepping stone, especially in faith matters. What’s next for you? God has plans for you!
Have you ever welcomed an angel into your home? The Bible says that some have hosted the messengers from God without even knowing it! God is known to wear disguises. God doesn’t steal your identity, but He assumes it for His purposes.
Sometimes the world crashes down in a moment: a sudden death, an unforeseen accident, a devastating diagnosis. Other times, the world crashes down in slow motion as we watch it burn. In these moments we are comforted by the power of a surprising hope.
Is it wrong to be angry with God? Sometimes life leaves us in the pits and God seems distant. This week we will learn how to voice our frustration and pain to God.
The ripple effect from ground zero results in a mass-graves exodus! Christ’s empty tomb is the starting point of people rising from the dead, and we who are waiting, to be “raptured” and join Jesus forever! Our immortality will be proven true and we will live forever!
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. This is based upon the fact that Christ is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! The empty tomb results in lives full of God’s blessings both now and forever!
Happy tears will swell your eyes to bursting when you see the impact of your life on others from an eternal perspective. What will you leave behind? What will be your legacy?
Too many face the end of the world as they know it and regret on being truly happy. Americans believe in the ‘inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness.’ But what is true happiness?
Have you said what really matters to those you love? Too many people facing the end of the world as they know it felt they had left too much unspoken. This week we’re going to discuss what needs to be said.
What are you living for? Are you living for temporary teases or eternal satisfaction? In what are you investing your greatest asset? When time runs out, you will want to know that you lived for what matters.
Who do you think you are? How would you know who you are? If you become like those you hang around, do you measure yourself by other people, or another standard? How do you know you have the right standard?
We all deal with regrets (even God!). It’s ok to call a bad situation bad. All things are not equal in the world. The contrast between good and bad, right and wrong, is hardwired into the world—and us. There comes a time for judgment upon what is evil.
How much faith does it take to get the answer to your prayer? What if you have sin in your life? What then? Did you not get the answer you hoped for because of something wrong with you? Many say so and they’ll quote this week’s passage to “prove it.” What does God’s Word say?
Do you want to know the answer to pain and suffering in this life? We all tried and found many responses that are not the answer. And if you don’t like the Bible’s answer, you’ll find the alternative is worse. We need to know what hope we have in the face of it all. That hope is offered in this message.
You are strange. Pastor Joe is strange. We are strange. And that’s a wonderful thing! In a world which strives to be normal, embrace your difference. Join us this week as we uncover the beautiful reality of being a strange group of people led by the strangest leader of all.
“I didn’t mean what I said.” How often do our unintentional or quick words bring pain to those around us, a pain which far outlasts the moment. Join us this week as we explore the power of your tongue and ways to gain control over it.
Forgiveness is a gift, not by works but by faith. But can you have faith without doing any good works? How do we balance the gift of faith with the need for works? Join us this week to explore how our faith works in the world around us.
You don’t work for a body—you were born with one. But you do give your body a work-out! Likewise, you do not work for salvation, but you work out your salvation. Forgiveness is not by works, but by faith. And sometimes your faith gets tested—which is a real work-out!
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three in one. The one true God, three in one, created community!
“I know she said not to,” 6-year old Tim thought as he reached for the candy in the cupboard, “but I want it!” We’ve all been there. This week we talk about our belief in God the Father – the first person of the Trinity. Even though we broke His rules, He never gave up on us. He could have left us to our own devices, but he didn’t. He’s a good Father, and good fathers never stop loving their children.