Jesse Lusko | Message Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pastor Jesse Lusko
Join us as we look at the story of Jesus and the fisherman from Luke's gospel (Luke 4:42-5:11). We'll look at Jesus' ability to find us and His invitation to follow Him & leave everything behind for better things than we could imagine.
In this week's installment of IRL (In Real Life), we see how Jesus confronts death, comforts us in the midst of it, and how He brings about hope in the midst of these dark moments.
To kick off our new series, IRL (In Real Life), we're venturing into the profound compassion of Jesus. Preaching out of Matthew 8:1-4, Jesse Lusko makes a case for the relevance of Jesus while appealing to His radical and boundary-breaking compassion that has changed the course of human history.
Our God is the God who chose to enter time and to be with us, who fights for us & advocates for us, and who works through us. Join us as our friend Josh Butler takes us into the story of Jesus from John chapter 1.
When it comes to suffering & hardship, the question isn't if, but when. From the heartbreaking & horrific things that take place throughout the world, all the way down to losing loved ones, no one is exempt. This is one of the greatest reasons cited by those who simply cannot believe in God. How can we navigate the hard things of life not just for ourselves, but for others, too? Join us for this week's standalone message where we'll gain practical framework for the hard things of life. " From Poison To Potion" 1 Peter 4:12-13
Join us as our friend Michelle Jones invites us into the whimsy & beauty of the Jesus story. Teaching out of Mark 1:4-11, she weaves deep insights with a beautiful story, arriving somewhere profound.
Growing up in a dogmatic religious background, our friend Alex Maksimov walks us through his faith journey. Navigating doubt & atheism, his is a story worth listening to. By hearing about the road he's walked, we hope that it might help navigating yours, too.
Join us for an Easter Sunday message where we remember the resurrection of Jesus, the hope beyond the grave, and how what was meant to be a crushing loss turned into the victory heard round the world. "Memento" 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Jesus Christ has arguably been the most significant figure in all of history. People spoke of Him centuries before He was actually born, and continue to thousands of years later. Why is this? What's been so compelling about this person? How has he stayed relevant for this long? Join as we look at these questions and explore what made and keeps Jesus so compelling.
These days we're more outraged than ever. We're provoked. Over politics & affiliations, global events, or even just different opinions. The way we handle conflict & disagreement contribute not only to our own well-being, but to that of those around us, too. Join us as we explore politics, disagreement, and how to navigate & resolve conflict.
In many ways, our world is more full today than it ever has been. Full of activity. Full of noise. Full of things to accomplish. Full of opportunities to prove that we matter. Amongst this fullness, though, is a frantic and dehumanizing hurry and anxiety that robs us of what we need the most: rest. Join us for the final message in our "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" series where we'll look at how the Gospel sees the idea of rest.
Throughout "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" we've talked a lot about various complex and personal issues many of us deal with. To tie everything together, we thought it may be helpful to bring in a licensed professional counselor & therapist. Join us as our friend Jessica Greenwell shares her story, answers questions, and offers thoughtful & compelling wisdom when it comes or our mental health.
For this week's installment of "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" we explore the concepts of justice, rest, and how the two intersect. Why and how should we pursue justice? And what does any of this have to do with rest? Join us as we explore how the good news of the gospel makes justice possible and how we can rest as a result.
Addiction of all varieties are common and prevalent in our lives today. Sometimes these seem small and manageable and under the surface. More often than not, though, these tend to be destructive forces that tear our lives apart. For this week's installment of "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" we'll look at the problem of addiction and the hope and good news within the Gospel for those struggling with it.
For this week's installment of "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" we look at what the Bible has to say about loneliness. Loneliness is so pervasive not only in our lives but in our world at large, each of us dealing with it in some capacity. How do we navigate it? How can we find community? What does good news look like for the lonely? Join us as we explore thoughtful, ancient, and life-giving solutions to our loneliness.
Join us for this week's installment of "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" where we take a good look at the topic of depression. Through a compelling story from the life of Elijah, the scriptures show us how to effectively navigate despair, depression, and intrusive thoughts.
Anxiety. You & I know it, maybe a little too well. We live now in one of the most anxious eras in recorded history. How do we process & live with anxiety? And how can we follow Jesus in the midst of this? Join us on this week's installment of our "Modern Issues, Ancient Answers" as we thoughtfully approach anxiety.
We now have access to more innovative technology than ever before. In many ways, this has made our lives much easier. In other ways, though, this has made things infinitely more complex and overwhelming. Join us as we begin a new teaching series where we explore the ancient answers that Christianity offers for many of our modern issues.
Why does Counterculture exist? Why start a church in Portland? The answer is tied to the purpose of life itself. This is a special snow day online service, from our homes to yours. Stay safe and stay warm!
We want to follow Jesus not because we want to be loved, but because we already are. This simple shift in our thinking has the potential to change not only our lives, but our whole world. Join us as our friend and guest Erik Morales shares from Colossians 3.
For many of us, the idea of following Jesus and becoming like Jesus can seem unrealistic and daunting. How does it happen? What if I try and fail? How can this happen in a healthy way? Join us for the final message of 2023 as we look at what the Bible says about the spiritual life and how we can have a sustainable vision and approach to our life and walk with God.
When God became human, everything changed. Join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, what it means, and how we’re invited to respond.
In our day and age, it feels like there constantly is something to fight over. Whether it’s politics, religion, or opinions, the fighting can be unending. In the final installment of our Spellbound series, we break down the war that wages within, in our spiritual lives.
What are the fruit of the Spirit? Following Jesus produces tangible fruit in our lives. In this week’s installment of our Spellbound series through Galatians, guest speaker Michelle Jones digs into chapter 5, verses 15-26, exploring the fruit of the spirit.
What does it mean for God to "set us free"? Our culture's widespread obsession is with a freedom from restrictions but even influential secular thinkers have noted there is another deeper freedom. Join us as we dig into Galatians 5:1-14 and examine exactly what freedom looks like according to the Bible.
What does it mean to have a relationship with God? Spoiler: it might not be like how you think. Join us for this week's installment of our Spellbound series. We are covering Galatians 4:8-31 and talking about relationship with God. What it is, what it means, and how Jesus subverts our assumptions.
Human rights can be a buzzword in today’s world. Where did this concept originate in history? Jesus and the writers of the New Testament have more to say about this than you may think. In fact, this was their idea before it was adopted into our wider culture. Come with us as we unpack the landmark passage of Galatians 3:19 - Galatians 4:7 and the effects of which we are still witnessing. Human dignity has always been God’s idea.
Special Guest Joshua Butler explains that we sometimes think we have to pursue God with our religious devotion and that after we have given him our best effort he will give us his acceptance and blessing. Jesus actually says it is the exact other way around, God is the one pursuing us in his grace. He is seeking to find us and lost means loved.
Religion can be used to oppress, manipulate, and push people to the margins. Paul was fiercely resolved to stop that from happening in Galatia. He takes them back to the beginning of the Jewish story to show that God had always planned to include all nations. Galatians 3:1-18
Is Christianity racist? Paul has a showdown with Peter over his racist behavior but we see the reason behind the racism was that Peter had forgotten the message of grace. We are all prone to forget the gospel but continually remembering our acceptance in Jesus will lead us to love and accept others. Galatians 2:11-21
The ancient world was full of hierarchy dividing people by both class and race. False teachers crept into the church to "spy on their freedom in Christ and make them slaves" attempting to bring in that same class system. Jesus shatters hierarchy and when we are really moved by his grace it will change the game. Galatians 2:1-10
Our screens have again been bombarded with horrific images of religious violence tearing lives apart. What causes this? Is a belief that you have the truth what divides our world and drives us to war? In Galatians 1:11-24 Paul explains how he was once a brutal religious zealot but an encounter with Jesus led him to serve the very people he used to exclude.
In our series "Spellbound" we look at Paul's letter to the Galatians and see that religion can be used as a tool for oppression where fear and anxiety is used to control others. Only the message of grace can break the spell. Galatians 1:1-10
Identity Crisis: Individual vs Communal - There has never been a greater emphasis on self-expression and individual identity than there is today. Jesse Lusko explains that this obsession with self-fulfillment has made our world deeply lonely. Looking at 1 John 4:7-13 we see a different source of identity that transforms us into people of profound love.
Identity Crisis: Fragile vs Indestructible. How do we become the kind of people who can handle difficulty? Jesse Lusko explains that when we build an identity on career, romance or money it leaves us completely vulnerable to circumstance and devastated by suffering. In Romans 8:28-39 we see that when we build our lives on Jesus we have an identity that is indestructible.
Identity Crisis: Available vs. Unattainable - In this series we are comparing and contrasting an identity that is achieved through career, experiences, romantic relationships and other secular pursuits to an identity that is received through God's love and grace. Jesse Lusko looks at Isaiah 57:10-21 and explains how an "authentic identity" became a fixation of our society and how it can lead to an unattainable need for recognition and affirmation.
In the founding message at Counterculture Church in Portland, Oregon, Jesse Lusko looks at the story of "the Pharisee and the Tax Collector" and explains that we may be surprised by who Jesus most often criticized. It is possible to have all the right beliefs and the right behavior but we doing it for all the wrong reasons. We will become a counterculture when we admit our own bad motives, come to Jesus for mercy, and then extend that mercy to the city around us.
Jesus said his followers were to go to the ends of the earth as witnesses, but for many today the whole idea of evangelism is problematic. Are all conversion efforts imperialistic and wrong? If you are going to be carry the message of Jesus to world in 2023 you need the Holy Spirit to make you a different kind of witness.
What are you seeking in 2023? You are going to seek something. Jesse Lusko teaches from Colossians 3:1-17 explaining that if you give your heart and mind to anything other than Jesus it will bring drivenness, anxiety, and anger. But if you seek Jesus above all else you will become a person of peace. Given at Imago Dei Community in Portland, OR.
Knowing the right thing is often easy, knowing the the right time and the right way to say it is hard. If we are on social media or in person using our thumbs and tongues like chainsaws we will kill the patients that we are meant to heal. Paul commands us, "to be gentle to all" and "to have nothing to do with stupid arguments," so that we can become like skillful surgeons. Then people will actually listen to the things we have to say. This message was given at a Men's event at Calvary Chapel Beaverton in Oregon.
Some of us live our lives constantly in the yellow or the red, never in the green. We go for so long on empty that we barely remember what it feels like to be full. This constant hurry and worry can have a devastating effect on our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Jesus came not to condemn and burden us, but to offer us deep rest for our souls.
When the news headlines are full of Christian leaders who say one thing but do another, our disappointment can easily become total disillusionment. Fortunately, the Bible addresses these inconsistencies head on depicting failure in vivid reality. No one ever rose as high or fell as far as King Solomon. By examining his life we can find out how such a contradiction can exist in someone so wise and learn how to avoid his fate.
Many times both the believing and the non-believing are guilty of drawing caricatures of each other, constructing straw men arguments that are easy to ridicule and defeat. Biblical Christianity calls us to something higher where we engage opponents with both love and logic. The more we take objections seriously, the more our answers will be taken seriously.
Someone that you will see today has been the victim of rape, molestation or assault. It could be the person you see in the mirror everyday or the stranger you buy groceries from. More than 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have been traumatized in this way and the consequences are profound and devastating. Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about how he was raped as a small child and how Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to bind up their wounds.
Matthew 20:29-34 - There are people in our world who are pushed to the side and kept out of sight, out of mind. When the invisible God became visible these were the people he put front and center. Preached at Cross and Anchor Conference in downtown Detroit.
Prior to the pandemic clinical depression and anxiety was already surging; the Washington Post reports that now 50% of Americans are experiencing depressed moods. Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko on how technology and ultimate meaning factor into these critically important issues.
Porn addiction has long been a pandemic in and of itself; but the Covid-19 quarantine has driven porn production and consumption to all time highs. These private sessions can seem harmless but data shows that they have devastating long term effects on the mental health of the user and perpetuate human trafficking on the other side of the screen. Jesse Lusko compassionately talks with Jim Williams of ABQ Connect about how you can be set free from this enslaving trap.
Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about the murder of George Floyd. Standing for justice and against racism and oppression are not sideline issues for Christians, they are a central part of following Jesus. We must allow the Bible to shape our views not the selective righteousness of political parties.
Jim Williams of ABQ Connect interviews Jesse Lusko about how Christians faced pandemics like Coronavirus in the past and how the message of the resurrection can give us the courage to follow their example today.
In this time of social distancing we are feeling the effects of being alone more than ever before: Addiction and depression thrive in isolation and the cure is meaningful connection. We impress people with our strengths but we connect with people through our weaknesses. Only the cross will set us free to be truly vulnerable.
One of the greatest obstacles to belief in God in our culture is the Christian teaching about sex. It is simply out of style to believe what the Bible says about sexuality and marriage. But when we take time to actually look at the results, sexual liberation has led to exploitation and oppression. Hugh Hefner flung open the door and Harvey Weinstein walked in.
What do you do when you are a loyal member flying high with Jesus but instead of being upgraded to first class, you get a massive downgrade? What do you do when you are doing everything right, but everything thing goes wrong? Welcome to the book of Job.
What do you do when the thing that is out of order is you? According to Johns Hopkins University, 1 of 4 Americans have a mental health disorder and 91% of Generation Z have experienced anxiety or depression this year. Having faced manic depressive bipolar disorder, pastor Jesse shares the wisdom that has kept him alive.
We are living in tremendously divided times. Politics and racism fracture our nation while divorce splits apart our homes. At almost every level there is tension and animosity. The gospel of Jesus came into an world that was even more full of hostility, and brought a humility and unity that we desperately need today.
Our culture tells us that each person must be free to decide what is right and wrong for themselves; we don't want anyone to tell us how to live our lives. But what looks and feels good to us in the moment, often does not end good. The Bible offers a very realistic view of what happens when people do what is right in their own eyes, but what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.
1 Peter 4:12-13 - The world we inhabit is full of pain, injustice, and suffering. Tragedy and difficulty often take us completely by surprise. We feel that if we live a good and godly life, then God should protect us from harm. The Bible gives an incredibly realistic view of suffering, and tells all of us to expect that it will come. But it also gives us the guarantee that God is able to turn suffering into salvation and that from Jesus' agonizing death He brought us eternal life. He can take poison and make it a potion.
The world is full of good things for us to enjoy, but when we love things more than we love people it leads to oppression and breakdown. Jesus showed us a radical and generous love, the more we realize how much He loves us, the more we will show that kind of generous love to one another.
For the first time ever "no religion" is the biggest religion in America. In the last 20 years, millions of young people have left the church. In this atmosphere your faith will experience turbulence, you will go through storm clouds of doubt. Christians must address the questions raised by skeptics and give them both love and logic.
Many religious people have created an atmosphere that is hostile to anyone who doubts. But the churches that stifle questions create skeptics. The Bible tells to us "to be merciful to those who doubt." Church should be a safe place to bring your doubt, because you will never find answers until you start asking questions.
Forty percent of Americans say they have found no purpose in life. But Jesus came to save us for something not just from something. There is an all consuming mission you are meant to go on. When you see Jesus giving Himself totally for you, the only response is to give yourself totally to Him.
When you follow someone famous on social media you have to follow the verified account or you might end up getting played by an imposter. The same is true spiritually, there are fakes out there. Are you following the real Jesus or are you follwing a fraud?
Christianity promises freedom but it also says that Jesus is Lord and Master. How can we be free when we have to obey somebody? Many Americans are obsessed with a kind of freedom that answers to no one. The Bible gives us a different and deeper freedom; not the freedom to do just anything, but the freedom to become something.
When an inventor invents something there is an intention for the invention. When you ignore the intention you misuse the invention. God designed us to worship Him; when we worship anything else we get "user error."
Jesus is a master builder and you are His workmanship but the plan that He has for you is really a plan that He has for us. He wants each of us to move from "me" to "we." Find out why it is His grand design for church to be essential, not optional.
Jesus told us to expect this world to be full of problems and trouble, but if you only focus on the problems you will become less and less capable of seeing solutions. Complaining will black out your calling but holding firmly to the word of life will make you radiate light.
The words you say reveal who you are and what you really worship. If you have the mouth of sailor it's because you have a heart like a pirate. The only way to tame your tongue is to change your treasure.
We all have something to contribute but if we have a salty attitude no one will swallow what we have to say. It isn't just what you say, it is how you say it : Our tone conveys our real motive.
Words can either be a weapon to kill or medicine to heal. We each possess some wisdom and some knowledge of what is right but if we use that wisdom to demean others or damage their reputation and display our own superiority, then we do the Devil's work.
People say "talk is cheap" but when the mic is hot it can be very expensive. A few words have ended careers, destroyed reputations, pushed people to suicide and even started wars. Everyone has said things that they regret later. Just the words we say to ourselves can alter the course of our lives. We need voice control.
Some experiences defy explanation, even when you see them coming they still catch you off guard. The message of the resurrection sounds unbelievable but when we investigate the facts and think out the implications, we see it's the hope that our hearts ache for.
Sometimes the smallest things can steal our joy. But when we realize that God is a God of joy and He wants to give us joy we can find a satisfaction that circumstances cannot shake.
We talk about love as if it was totally involuntary like falling into a hole or catching the flu. The Bible has a completely different take on love where it is active, underserved and unrelenting. If we learn to lead our hearts instead of following them we will find a devotion that is infinitely richer and deeper than the sugar rush of infatuation.
We desire to build great things but we often feel discouragement and disdain toward the small and insignificant things in front of us. But if we would learn to apply the plumb line to what is right before us, we would discover that throwing our whole hearts into the small things is the way to do tremendous things.
Many people have left Church and Christianity because of the evil committed in the name of Christ. But Jesus ends His most famous sermon warning us about the wolves in sheep's clothing. There are infiltrators and imposters but we can't let that keep us from the King. The best way to stick it to the fakes is to get real.
Our culture tells us all day, every day that "what you wear is what you are worth and what you own is who you are." But when our identity is wrapped up in our wealth it leads to vanity and anxiety. If we find our security in temporal things it always brings out insecurity. In the sermon on the mount Jesus once again cuts to the heart, showing that our problem isn't having things, it is that our things have us.
Judge not lest you be judged is the favorite line of our times but it brings along another command to forgive that you may be forgiven. When we hold a grudge we put ourselves in the place of God and hold ourselves back from the healing He offers us.
The Lord's Prayer is repeated millions of times daily around the world but Jesus teaches that it's empty to honor God with your lips but not with your life. When we discover what this passage means we see that prayer isn't meant to change God, it's meant to change us.
Many people pretend to love God just so they can impress other people, but if you serve God to be seen by others you're just using God. We know what it feels like when someone uses us, but we often don't notice when we're the ones who do it. What can make our motives right?
So much of what Jesus says about His kingdom seems weird and counter-intuitive. But in time we learn that we are the ones in the dark, this world is "The Upside Down." Jesus came to turn us right-side up.
Flakiness is as common as dandruff but it damages our relationships and limits our potential. The cure for your flakiness is head and shoulders for your soul. Jesus loved us fully when were unfaithful, believing that fully will make us faithful.
To say open heart surgery will leave you sore would be a massive understatement, but it can save your life. Jesus cuts to the core and calls out our bare minimum morality. If we are going to follow Jesus we must ruthlessly root out sin and deal with the attitudes not just the actions.
In a day where religion was stale, dull and rigid; Jesus came bursting on the scene in living color. Those in the kingdom should be like the King; if your Christianity is colorless and tasteless then something isn't right.
There was Messiah fever in the first century but when Jesus shows up He defies all of their ideas about the kingdom. In the opening words of His manifesto for His followers, He us tells what it takes to enter the kingdom and to live a truly happy life.
As we go into the new year, amidst New Years resolutions and plans, it's easy to be focused on and worried about many things. But the Bible promises many things for us "In Christ", one of them, a purpose and good works for us in whatever season we find ourselves in.
Christmas brings out joy and generosity for a few weeks out of the year, but does it really change anything? What if there is more to it than just cheer? What if it could bring us a peace that never ends? That is exactly what the scripture promises, if we would take a closer look.
We can grow numb to the Nativity story–Mary, Mangers, Magi, but when we look behind the scenes we see something beyond description that takes us to the very heart of all existence. There is more to Christmas than what meets the eye.
Over twenty-five different Holy books claim to be scripture, why should we believe that the Bible is the word of God? We know it makes the claim, this week we'll see if it can bring the game.
We hate to wait, but there some good things you can only experience if you stick it out. The work will be worth it, but if we lose heart we lose the harvest.
It is easy to feel thankful when you are winning but what do you do when you are catching "L"s? If we learn to live for the long game we find our suffering cannot outlast God's love and even in our pain He has a purporse.
We are living in very unstable times; our nation is divided. Protests fill our streets and our headlines. We can choose to live in fear or shift our focus and redeem the time.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying material things, but when your things have you they strangle your soul. We are the most prosperous society to ever live, but we are also the most anxious. Generosity will break the grip of greed and free us to live for the long game.
There is nothing more certain about this life than our departure from it and yet many of us never take our death into consideration in our daily decisions. Think about your death and it will change the way you live.
Sometimes the way that feels right in the moment turns out to be a dead end road. Temptation always talks in the present tense but it takes us to a future we won't want to be a part of. God wants good for us that lasts; learn to live for the long-game.
There is no such thing as not worshiping. No matter where you find yourself Sunday morning you are a worshiper. We all look to something to give us worth and make life worth living, but when we worship the wrong things they're never quite enough. Learn to sing a song that circumstance can't silence.
People crave significance— to make a mark, go viral, and break through. Jesus says the problem is not our desire for greatness but our definition of greatness. He revolutionizes our whole picture of what it means to be a leader and lead a life worth following. Where is your life leading?
Many people say they are into Jesus just not into church, but when we look at the words of Jesus we find that the church was His idea. What He is building is too big for us to accomplish on our own—assembly is required.
We are going to suffer in this life. No one comes through unscathed. The Bible offers an extremely realistic and hopeful view of suffering. When Christian community is genuine there is a power to lift even the heaviest burdens.
Countless Christians live lives in solitary confinement; imprisoned by sins they can't seem to shake, shackled by shame and deeply alone. But if we want to get free we have to get together. The deepest connections come from sharing our vulnerabilites not our abilities and in the context of trusting relationships we find freedom from the habits that hold us back.
Technology has us more connected than ever and yet lonliness is a growing epidempic in our society. God made us for community and Jesus saved us into a community: When we live out His plan for the church, we find the love to cure our loneliness and fill us with a purpose greater than ourselves.
Jesus came to earth on manhunt for the worst of the humanrace. But His missions was seek and to save not capture and kill. When we see He came for the worst parts of our hearts as individuals, His mercy will enable us to go beyond the bare minimum in our Christian lives.
This election cycle has brought hopelessness and pessimism to our nation. But if we have a Father in Heaven then we always have a reason for hope, regardless of what happens on Earth.
The dirtiest scoundrel of all went to the absolute depths of human depravity and discovererd there are no limits to the love of God. We'll see that Jesus' offer is boundless, but it is not endless.
We know there is hope for sinful outsiders but what about a failing insider? Often times it’s the fallen Christian who feels the most condemned and forsaken. We see from the life of David that no one is impervious to tempation and yet no one is too far gone to be forgiven.
For some of us our origin story feels like a horror story: coming from nowhere headed to nothing. The love of God does not have the same limits we see for ourselves. Rahab was a protitute born on the wrong side of history but she was given a part to play in the story of salvation.
When take an honest look at the Biblical heroes we find that they are more stained than they are stained glass. They are flawed and failing; human like we are. If God can bring redemption to these dirty rotten scoundrels then there is hope for filthy hands.
What will you do when the unthinkable happens? Pastor Levi Lusko explains that when he learned to view impossible pain through the right lens, it unlocked incredible power.
Pastor Levi Lusko shares there is God given potential within you waiting to be unlocked, but you can’t get over what God wants under you, until you get under what God has put over you. God prepares His people for authority with authority; the sooner that we learn that, the sooner we can lead lives worth follwing.
If we are honest some texts in the Bible seem crazy at first, but when we keep reading and researching we find that they hold transformative and profound truths. In this text from Mark 11 we’ll see that Jesus wasn’t just hangry or having a bad Monday, He was making a statement that we cannot afford to ignore.
Many people today would say that truth is unknowable. The Bible says that truth is a Person, and when you know Him you will humbly proclaim Him.
Many people think the message of forgiveness will lead to indifference and apathy but when we truly grasp the message of grace we see it makes the deepest difference.
God’s word promises that it never comes back empty, it always bring back good returns. We can be confident that that if we let it flow things will grow.
Jesus came to rescue the sick not those who think they are well. Prejudice can creep into any church but closer we hold to the purpose of Jesus the more we will be a rescue center for the lost.
It’s possible to have a head full of biblical facts without having any idea how any of it fits together. When we come to see the heart of God in the big picture of the scripture our hearts burn within us and we become a part of the story.
When life is at it’s absolute darkest we begin to realize need a light we can look to. The Bible says it is the light-source to lead us, but with so many competing holy books, how can we know that it’s actually reliable?
The Bible brings a big claim of being breathed by God and able to equip us for both this life and the one to come; but can it bring the game?
For thousands of years Christians have practiced baptism. What’s the point? What does it symbolize? What does it communicate?
We have an calling and a destiny promised to us in Christ but we have to enter into what He has given to us. Are you marching forward or falling behind?
Growth really begins when we begin to see our calling as an opportunity not an obligation. Are we going to play our part and jump in? Or will we sit back and miss out?
The average American will spend over 90,000 hours on the job! Is it possible for the Monday morning grind to be just as meaningful as Sunday morning worship? Find out, as Jesus becomes unrivaled in our work place.
Family is a great gift but if we put fallen people at the center of our world they will break our hearts. Only when Jesus rules our ring can we find the grace to walk in our role.
We will never follow Jesus fully if we try to follow Him alone. We were saved into a community. We are better together!
God has a completely new life for us and it all starts with a new mindset; as we align our mind with Heaven it will change everything on Earth.
Men love rules and laws—a criteria to see who is in and out—but God in Jesus has something brighter for us. Step out of the shadows and into the sun.
We can live on a different level free from guilt and accusation. Jesus paid the ultimate price to make that possible, and came out the other side…
Christian growth is moving further into Jesus, not going beyond Him. The struggle to prove value and get affirmation can end; we are complete in Him.
The message of the gospel cannot be taken for granted; when we it truly grips us we will do the hard yards for others to grasp it also.
If Jesus really is God, then the center of the universe is a being who serves and sacrifices for His enemies.
Before we ever think of what we have to do, we need to remember what has been done. Before we can do anything for God, we need to know God is for us.
Tap out to the name of Jesus and He’ll fill you with hope that can’t be tamed or contained.
Is lasting love possible in a landscape with so many fragmented and broken relationships?
Our culture says our deepest beliefs should be kept totally private but good news must go public. We might just have to break some rules…
So many people think Jesus came to restrict our lives when He really came to bring rivers of living water.
You can keep the rules with out being real; God is after our hearts. Don’t let false Christians keep you from the true Christ.
When the religious right said “Don’t drink, don’t chew and don’t go with those who do.” Jesus, the friend of sinners, told a timeless story of what it really looks like to be lost.