Hope Born In Christ Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Hope Born In Christ Church
Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, His followers were gathered in an upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. On the day of Pentecost, things changed once again forever. Now the very Spirit of God has come to dwell with us and in us. As we reflect on the great truth […]
It’s Mother’s Day and we’re all asking the same question… “Mom, am I your favorite?” It’s the age-old questions most mothers will never answer. However, underneath this questions lies perhaps an even more pressing one – am I God’s favorite? Or, more specifically, how do I earn favor with God? Today as we explore Numbers […]
Today, our brother Bob shares with us about his recent trip serving on the farms in Israel as well as the biblical prophesies he saw being fulfilled during his time there.
Today we explore Numbers 5… which for the first time in the book does NOT include numbers of things to count but may actually be even more challenging to read through as we encounter seemingly odd rituals and instructions. Yet as we take a step back from the trees to encounter the broader forest, we […]
They’ve counted the fighting men of Israel as they prepare to leave Mt. Sinai behind. Now it’s time to count the Levites and delineate their responsibilities at the Tabernacle. Sounds like a great set of chapters to skip over! What could Levitical instructions from several thousand years ago have to do with us today? Yet […]
1…2…3… Some things are fun to count, other things not so much. As we open up to Numbers chapters 1 & 2 today, we encounter a census of the nation of Israel shortly after leaving Egypt behind. While it is not the most exciting time of counting, behind the numbers are some interesting and thought-provoking […]
“These things happened to them… as examples for us”… but do we know what happened to them? That’s the question we need to wrestle with as we embark on a new series together exploring the Book of Numbers. By its title, it’s not the most exciting book and yet time and time again, scripture itself […]
Today on Easter we explore not only the empty tomb but also the full identity of Jesus. Who was and who is Jesus? How does His identity change your identity today?
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday where we not only reflect on welcoming Jesus into our lives but also challenge ourselves to surrender completely to His Lordship as He shapes us for His perfect plan.
Who is Jesus? Or… maybe more importantly, who did Jesus say He was? Did Jesus ever claim to be God or was He just a good teacher? This week, we look more closely at John 8 to see one (of many) moments where Jesus clearly and concisely shares His true identity.
Rules, rules, rules… we love our rules. But sometimes our rules become roadblocks to the freedom Jesus has for us. Today, we explore Matthew 12 as Jesus explains the difference between living for the rules and living for Him.
Is Jesus approachable? The gospel accounts – full of massive crowds and marvelous miracles – show us an amazing Jesus but one that, at times, might begin to feel too much like a celebrity to approach. Today, we look at three encounters through the book of John that reveal not only Jesus’ approachability but even […]
Jesus has the power to heal. It’s what we see time and time again throughout the gospel accounts. But what does that mean for us today? Do you believe that Jesus still heals today?
All throughout the gospels, and specifically in the book of Mark, we see Jesus telling people to “remain silent” and “not tell anyone” about who He is or what He’s done for them. These moments seem odd if Jesus’ calling was to proclaim His identity as God’s promised Messiah. Why does Jesus on one occasion […]
Most people love the miracle where Jesus multiples the fish and loaves to feed the 5,000. We return to it again and again. Yet as we look at the well-loved store a bit more broadly today, we discover that there is an underlying heart check we are called to take in the midst of eating […]
Even outside of the church, Jesus is remembered for His teaching. And while He said a lot of things, He is perhaps best remembered for His Sermon on the Mount and specifically the Beatitudes. Today, we take a look at these 8 attitudes we, as followers of Jesus, are called to have and see that […]
On a sunny day on the mountainside, Jesus called 12 men to follow Him and be His disciples… at least that’s the way we usually think about the story. But Jesus’ call for His disciples to be His disciples was a bit more involved than “one sunny day” and it the journey we see unfolding […]
Everyday we have expectations. Expectations about what will happen, what we’ll eat, where we’ll go. But sometimes, we encounter the unexpected. In Matthew 4, we encounter yet another sequential moment of unanticipated action from Jesus… but it is in these moments we learn some of the most important lessons!
When Jesus made His first public appearance around the age of 30, He walked into the middle of a baptism. John the Baptist was calling the people to repent, turn to God, and get ready for the Messiah… and they were responding! So when Jesus appears in the middle of this, He’s expected to step […]
Today we continue in our series looking at the life of Jesus as we move from the narratives of Christmas and jump forward 12 years. While only a young adolescent, Jesus is already teaching us several lessons as we explore this well-loved and solitary scene from His childhood.
Today we light the 4th candle in Advent as well as the Christ Candle as we take a look once more at the familiar nativity scene from a slightly different perspective.
The same story comes around year after year. While it is well-loved, it can also being to feel a bit monotonous. Yet we can’t dismiss the importance of the Christmas story or the reminders we find therein. Today, we return to the opening lines of the Christmas story as both Mary and Joseph are invited […]
For us, Christmas tends to be a busy, semi-chaotic time of the year. However, as we look toward the earliest moments of the Christmas story, we find something much different. Rather than loud, boisterous celebration, we find many moments of silence and silent reflection.
Today we begin a new series on the life of Jesus with the starting questions of “where does the life of Jesus begin?” Unlike the rest of us, Jesus’ story doesn’t start on His birthday or the months immediately precenting that day. Rather His story starts much, much earlier… and that difference changes everything!
Today, on Thanksgiving weekend, we explore our final “cure” in our Incurvatus exploration – gratitude! And while this past week has been full of reflection on what we are thankful for, you might be surprised to realize that even in our times of giving thanks, our curvature might be looking inward rather than upward. What […]
Today we explore worship. It is a great means to helping us un-curve and look toward God. In fact, worship could broadly be defined as any action that moves us from ourselves toward God. Yet despite the wonderful anti-curvature of worship, there is a danger side to our worship. If we aren’t careful and thoughtful, […]
When we curve inward, it is hard to see God. Sometimes, even when we try to turn our eyes to Jesus, it can be hard to find Him in the moment. What do we do then? Today, we explore Psalm 77 and see that even when we can’t see God in the moment, we can […]
As we continue in our series looking at our curvature, we turn our attention to a very specific call to look to the next generation and impress faith upon them. While this command naturally applies to parents, it nevertheless is a universal call for the full faith community.
Today, Pastor Tim Diehl from Water Street Mission shares with us both about the happenings at Water Street as well as how our attention toward others helps us to straighten up and un-curve. Our love of others is the primary way we are called to love God!
No one wants to go to the doctor’s office. And no one wants to hear a bad diagnosis. Yet when we look into scripture with open eyes, we discover that we all have a spiritual diagnosis that is killing each one of us. Is there a treatment? Is there a cure? Today, we begin a […]
In our final installment of “When God Steps In,” we explore how our emotions and doubts and sometimes cause us to turn and run from God’s presence… and yet, when we push past the tensions and our natural inclinations, when we turn toward God and open the door, God is ready and waiting to step […]
Join us as our Family Ministry Director leads us through Romans 5 looking at another moment when God steps into our lives!
Today we look back at the church in Corinth. They had some major issues going on within their church but one of them revolved around who was getting the credit for the church growing. The apostle Paul speaks into this debate with a gardening metaphor that both brought their debate into focus as well as […]
Have you ever stopped to think about Noah’s story? As kids, many of us heard the story and loved it! Animals, boats, water… what’s not to love? However, when we revisit this beloved “children’s story,” we discover there is A LOT more going on that we remember from Sunday School. Today, we’ll explore just one […]
When God steps into our lives, everything changes. But WHY does God choose to step in and WHAT is He stepping into? Today as we begin to explore theses moments when God interjects, we’ll explore the answers to these two big questions from Paul’s words in Ephesians 2.
Remember the song “Soon and very soon?” As we look at the final chapter of the book of Revelation, it almost feels like Jesus is leading the choir in this hymn. Five different times throughout the chapter, we are told all these things are coming “soon.” But what does that would really entail after 2,000 […]
As John’s vision of the future draws to a close, he experiences a “preview” of sorts of the next, and final, installment of human history. Much like modern movie trailers, this preview does a great job of building our anticipation while at the same time leaving us pondering many questions. Despite the unknowns, we can […]
As John’s vision of the future draws to a close, he experiences a “preview” of sorts of the next, and final, installment of human history. Much like modern movie trailers, this preview does a great job of building our anticipation while at the same time leaving us pondering many questions. Despite the unknowns, we can […]
Today, we come full circle back to Jesus! After weeks and chapters of seeing the devastation to a world without Christ, the King of Kings comes riding back onto the scene and He’s not alone… the Church, the Bride of Christ, is coming with Him!
Today our Family Ministry Director Griffin Fell shares with us from God’s word and encourages us to live lives for Christ and loving others!
What does the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 and the Book of Revelation have in common? Initially, we might think “not much! They are at completely different ends of the Bible!” However, as we look at Genesis 11 and Revelation 17 & 18 a little closer, we find that there has […]
No one really likes talking about the wrath of God. It makes us uncomfortable. It causes tension with our image of a loving Jesus. And yet, as we dig a little deeper, we begin to recognize that maybe there is something more there than we’ve ever allowed ourself to see…
As John’s experience enters what we know as Revelation 12-14, he watches several “signs” appearing in heaven that provide us with an overview of sorts to the fuller story being told. In the midst of this summary, we find the call to choose now who we will follow.
At times, we are very good at abridging God’s word down to the easiest memorable details. As we turn our attention to the seven trumpets in Revelation 8-11 this week, we could simply explore one through seven and skip over the extra details and events. They don’t seem to be, on the surface, super important […]
We remember the book of Revelation as a book full of symbols and sometimes seemingly harsh judgments. Today we dive into the first chapters exploring these judgements but what we discover is God’s patient and loving heart behind it all.
A door is opened and John steps into the very Throne Room of God! As we stand behind John and take in everything he sees, we find ourselves filled with questions but also overwhelmed with awe.
You’ve got mail! Who doesn’t remember the sound out that echoing throughout the house when you loaded your emails? It caused interest and excitement as you waited for the list of new mail to load. Today, however, we are overwhelmed with emails and often hope we DON”T have mail. Nevertheless, personal letters in the form […]
Can you imagine being “in the zone” in your worship time and someone interrupting you? It’s happened to many of us. But can you imagine turning around to see the source of the interruption only to discover Jesus standing there?!? Suddenly, the interruption is no interruption at all! When Jesus shows up, we pay attention. […]
Join us today as Pastor Rick Mailloux shares some follow up reflections from Pastor Jan’s “Did God Really Say?” series and Jesus’ words in John 15.
How do you sum up the future? Not next week or next year, but the eternal future? Often in our attempts to concisely summarize what our future in Christ holds, we may truncate God’s message so much that we actually loose what God has said! Today, we explore what our future in Christ looks like […]
When we think of our favorite people in the bible, Samson usually falls on the list somewhere. He’s the big, strong, almost-superhero like character we grew up loving. However, as we dig in a little deeper into his story, we discover that he illustrates how “not to live” more so than how we want to […]
What if the answer is “yes?” When we are asking the question “did God really say” and the answer is yes, does that end our conversation? Well, sometimes it does… but other times, it simply means we need to keep looking at God’s words even more! Context matters and sometimes we take what God HAS […]
Want does God want you to be? We’d like to assume that God just wants us to be happy – that whatever makes us feel good makes God feel good. Yet as we look at scripture, we discover that God want us to be something but something much more, and better, than merely happy…
Having a bad day? Don’t worry… God won’t give you more than you can handle. Have many times have we said that to others? Have many times have we said it to ourselves? But did God really say He won’t give us more than we can handle? And if He didn’t, what DID He say?
We often hear it said that “money is the root of all evil” which has lead many Christians to struggle with what do whenever they come into some financial resources. The problem, however, is that this isn’t exactly what God actually said. As we look at what God has said, we not only find space […]
One of the most notorious conversations of all time takes place in Genesis 3. The serpent looks at Eve and asks “did God really say?” The obvious answer is “no,” which is what Eve says. But then, as she quotes what God did say, she adds things that God DID NOT say. And it’s in […]
It’s Easter! Today is the day we celebrate resurrected life! The full story of scripture leads us to this culminating moment where Jesus defeats sin and death. It’s a great ending to the story that started in Genesis 3. But is that all Easter is? A good ending to the story? What if Easter was […]
As we enter Holy Week and turn our attention toward the events of Palm Sunday, we are provided a unique opportunity to zoom in on the question we’ve been raising throughout our study of the Apostles Creed – what do we do with what we believe? On Palm Sunday, the crowds cheered that Jesus was […]
As we come toward the end of the Apostles Creed, it can feel like the final items we confess our belief in are just a quick list tacked onto the end. Yet as we look more closely at the forgiveness of sins this week, we are reminded that this belief changes everything!
As we articulate our faith using the Apostles Creed, there is one line that may jump out as a bit odd. We state that we believe in the “holy catholic Church” but we’re not Catholic. Maybe you know that difference between catholic and Catholic… or maybe you’ve never noticed the use of the small “c” […]
Today we look at the third part of the Apostles Creed – the Holy Spirit. However, the creed itself doesn’t give us much to go on. All we articulate is that we believe in the Holy Spirit. As we look back, we see that while the early church understood and depended on the Spirit, it […]
If you are a long time Christian, it is easy to stand and profess “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord…” The words of belief from the Apostles Creed are familiar and comfortable. And yet as we look at them a bit closer today, we will again see that even the “simplest” […]
Today we begin our new series exploring the historical Apostles Creed. This short statement of our faith allows us to concisely articulate what be believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. While it is not the end-all of what we believe as Christians, it does set us moving in the right direction […]
Today, our Family Ministry Director Griffin Fell walks us through some of his own journey in experiencing God through His Word and some of the challenges that come along in this journey.
Imagine a world where, instead of being infected with germs, we were instead “infected” with health! Wouldn’t that be something! In the final set of questions in the book of Haggai, God draws our attention to how holiness isn’t contagious while sin is – and then Jesus comes along and disrupts the status quo!
Did your mom always tell you how great your macaroni art was? Did she always tell you were the best musician or athlete? When our parents were being nurturing, they would encourage our talents. But sometimes, if we’re honest, our attempts were something only our mothers could love. As we turn to the second chapter […]
What comes first? That’s the question God poses to the Israelites 18 years after they return from the Exile. For 4 years, the were on track pursuing God… then for the next 14 years, well, not so much. Even though this question and these events happened almost 2600 years ago, the question still extends to […]
What “seasons” your faith? What takes your life from basic “meat and potatoes” to something full of flavor? Today, we explore the final 3 core values of the Brethren in Christ Church. These values are a little more “BIC specific” and add a layered “flavor” to who we are.
If you take away all the layers, what lays at the center of your faith? What unites us as we gather each week to worship together? Today we start a three week exploration of the Brethren in Christ’s Core Values asking ourselves what is central to our faith.
In the midst of your Christmas Day celebrations, pause with us as we look back at that first Christmas morning as we question what Mary knew as she held her sleeping Savior. As we explore Mary’s understanding of that special day, perhaps you’ll find there is more for you to know on this day as […]
Join us as we celebrate the Advent of Christ… looking back at His first Advent as well as looking forward to His next!
Today we reach the end of the book of Acts! One small problem… the book doesn’t really come to any kind of conclusion! Paul has reached the moment he’s been waiting for and then… well, the story pauses. Yet even in this we find one last challenge for our own stories today.
Paul has been sitting tight for several years in the palace at Caesarea awaiting his trial when (finally!) things start to move. As we turn our attention to Acts 27 today, we find Paul boarding a ship and setting sail for Rome – the very thing Jesus promised him he would be doing two plus […]
Today, our Family Ministry Director Griffin Fell walks us through Acts 25-26 and Paul’s continuing story of being imprisoned and being a avid witness for Jesus.
When you’re walking life with Jesus and everything is seemingly “perfect,” it is such a pleasant walk… but what happens when things feel less “perfect?” What do you do when Jesus starts asking things of you that go against what you would want? Do you run? Do you fight? Do you yield in submission? As […]
Today, Tim Diehl joins us from Water Street to share some updates on the ministry happening in Lancaster City before we dive into the second half of Acts 23.
Who doesn’t love a great courtroom drama? Yet despite all the episodes of Law & Order they have made over the years, none of them perhaps come close to the drama-filled courtroom scene that Paul encounters in the first half of Acts 23! This action-packed “episode” brings Paul, and each of us, face-to-face with our […]
Words have power. Most of us have heard this since we were young children. But how much power does a single word actually have? Today in Acts 22, we see Paul speaking a simple, everyday word… and yet it is powerful enough to seal his fate. Yet this isn’t outside of God’s plan that been […]
Paul is going to Jerusalem… but he knows that it is not going to be an all-together positive experience. So why does he go? Because he has properly discerned the call of the Holy Spirit. As we journey through Acts 21 today, we experience Paul’s wrestling with hearing God’s voice and learn how we too […]
Have you ever fallen asleep in church? Of course you have… we all have! But thankfully none of us have fallen asleep like Eutychus in Acts 20. He not only fell asleep in church (during perhaps the longest recorded sermon of all time!) but he also fell out a three story window to his (short-lived) […]
Acts 17 was a hard season for Paul. City after city of trouble and persecution. So when Paul arrives in Corinth and chapter 18, things are looking unsure for him. Yet God always knows what we need when we need it. As God blesses Paul with gift after gift, grace after grace, we too can […]
If you’re up to speed on financial language, you will be familiar with the term ROI – Return on Investment. When we put money into our 401Ks, we expect (hope for) a good ROI so we can retire one day. When we go to work each day, we expect a good ROI on our time […]
Life is easy when God and I agree on things. I do what I want because it is what God wants. But what happens when what I think is best is not what the Spirit of God says is best? What do you do when suddenly you want to do one thing while God is […]
Today, guest Pastor Jim Laverty from Mountville Mennonite Church shares about grace from Acts 15.
Acts 14 brings us to an over-the-top kind of story where Paul and Barnabas are assumed to be gods. It’s easy to kind of laugh the story off as an extreme event in the 1st century based on misunderstandings of myths and legends. But what if there was more to it than that? What if, […]
Do you know how sometimes you wait and wait for some thing to happen… you know it is coming… it is a sure thing… but when it comes, you’re still somewhat surprised the big moment has finally arrived! That is Acts 13! Everything has been leading to this moment where Saul becomes Paul and begins […]
You know where you are right now… but where is God calling you to go from there? Many times, we want to pursue God’s calling but we struggle to know where He’s calling us or how to get there. As we turn to Acts 11 today, we discover some guiding tips on how to discern […]
Peter is praying. Peter gets hungry. God tells Peter to have a snack. It all seems pretty simple but the implication of this snack are staggering, even for us today! Dive into Acts 10 and discover how the call to enjoy a bacon cheeseburger changed the world we know and our own connection with God!
Can you name the person who won the Best Supporting Actor Award this year? Neither can I… yet those who play these roles in movies today are very important to making the “big name stars” look good and making the movie as success. As we turn our attention to Acts 9 and the introduction to […]
What happens after you say “I Do?” In marriage, things are necessarily easier and perfect. In fact, often times, things get harder as you and your new spouse learn what life together is really like. Similarly, when we say “I Do” to Jesus, our lives with Him are just beginning and it’s not always sunshine […]
In the first half of Acts 6, we meet a new group of leaders who are called to “wait on tables” and serve the widows of the young church. But then in the second half of the chapter, we encounter one of these newly called leaders serving in a very different capacity. The story of […]
Have you ever locked yourself out of your house and then spent the next hour trying to find a way in (hopefully without needing to break a window!)? In many ways, this is a picture of Satan as he attempts to break in to the young, growing church in the book of Acts. The thief, […]
It’s not too often elementary school math class comes into play when reading scripture. Nevertheless, as we turn our attention to Acts 5, the lessons we learned in 1st grade about the “alligators” always “eating” the bigger number may help us to process the questions the apostles and early believers were facing and help prepare […]
Today we celebrate and recognize God’s calling and faithfulness over the past 30 years of ministry! We have been blessed to be called together as a Body serving Jesus, our community, and each other!
Today on Father’s Day, Mauro Galati shares a special message with us about our Heavenly Father
Today, guest Pastor Jeremy Shenk opens chapter 4 as we continue in our series through the Book of Acts
Today Pastor Rick Mailloux takes us into Acts 3 as we watch the Apostles take their first steps newly filled with the Holy Spirit.
The disciples find themselves waiting. Jesus told them to wait and so they are. But how long? Waiting is a hard thing to do but waiting without a target date is near impossible. Yet what they are waiting for is WELL worth the wait! You and I are no longer waiting… but do we value […]
Have you ever missed the middle of a movie? The most important scene that serves as the pivotal plot point for the whole film? If you have, you know what it is like to feel like you missed out on the full story! As one finishes reading through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life & […]
Today, guest speaker Justin Neyer shares with us on the woman anointing Jesus’ feet and how we all can pause to measure what we treasure.
We meet many mothers throughout the bible but perhaps not nearly as many in one spot more so than in Exodus 1-3. The opening narrative of the Exodus is full of mothers making choices. Choices that effect them, their families, and their relationship with God. As we look quickly at these moms this morning, we […]
Just as Jesus had women, including Mary Magdalene, who helped to support His ministry so too did the Apostle Paul. Today we will look at three specific women who supported Paul’s ministry and worked alongside of him – each in unique and important ways!
From the big name leading a nation to the ordinary housewife at home, today we turn our attention to two different women with very different roles. Yet both are used by God as they follow Him with a humble heart… leading us to examine our own hearts and ask how God might be calling us […]
Early on that first Easter morning, the empty tomb was discovered. It was a morning filled with firsts… the first one to see the empty tomb, the first one to believe, the first one to see the Risen Savior, and so many more. Firsts are important. And who God chooses to be the first is […]
When Jesus tells Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life, she assumes He is talking long term, end of life stuff. Her brother Lazarus is dead and she knows that one day, in the Last Day, he will live again. But Jesus has something so much more in mind for Lazarus… and for […]
We’ve all see the pictures. Jesus is standing in the middle of a grassy field surrounded by sheep. In His arms, He is holding a small lamb. It is a picture of peace and serenity, of tender love and care. But is that all that Jesus wanted us to envision when He utilized this imagery […]
Jesus finally uses a metaphor we comprehend today without any pause – He is the door. We uses doors all day, every day. We immediately understand the word picture that He is painting about being the way into eternity. But past understanding the imagery, how do we really feel about the concept? Jesus as the […]
We all know how comforting a nightlight can be one dark night. But is that what Jesus was telling us when He calls Himself the light of the world? That He has come to make us feel better on dark, stormy nights? While Jesus offer us His reassuring presence, this identifying statement is an invitation […]
When Moses meets God in the burning bush, God identifies Himself as "I AM who I AM." So when Jesus shows up on the scene and starts using these same words, it gets our attention to say the least. Who is Jesus? Never is there a better time to ask this question than during the season of Lent as we approach the cross, the tomb, and Easter Sunday. Who does Jesus say that He is and who do we believe Him to be? The best way to start to answer these questions is by looking at who Jesus say He is. Today, we start our new series "I AM" in John 6 - I AM the Bread of Life.
After 60 years of ministry, Elisha finds himself at the end of his life wondering the same question many of us find ourselves asking - what have I actually done with me life? For Elisha, each king he has ministered and prophesized to has turn farther from God rather than toward Him. On the surface, it is a depressing view of 60 years of service. Yet on a deeper inspection, one might find that there is more than meets the eye for both Elisha's impact and our own.
What do you do when you experience the best day of your life? Enjoy it, of course! But what else do you do once you've fully tasted the delights of God's gifts? You share it! As we look at the second part of last week's story (2 Kings 6-7), we'll see that God's gifts come with a responsibility and a delight!
It’s always a great scene… The hero is surrounded, the enemy is closing in, there is no way forward, no way to escape, and then - BOOM! – the hero bursts forth from the siege and fights his or her way to freedom. Without a doubt, the pivotal moment in any movie or story with this set up. But what do you do when you’re not the hero? What do you do when the breakthrough doesn’t come? Where do you turn then? As we’ve been walking through the life and ministry of the Old Testament prophet Elisha, we have discovered our own stories in the midst of several of Elisha’s stories. These ancient stories are more about us today than we often think and this week, I think, is no exception.
The story in 2 Kings 6 always grabs people attention because of the fiery angel army. There's nothing quite as exciting as seeing the chariots of heaven aflame and ready to attack. And while this is a captivating part of the story, there is perhaps a deeper lesson to be learned. The story is all about sight... about what we see and what we do not see. God invites us to see more than what we might be perceiving in the present moment. Will we ask Him to open our eyes?
We work so hard some times to make everything look picture perfect. Life is good. Work is good. Family is good. Everything is good. Yet behind the smiles, there always seems to lurk a "but." Life is good but... These often unseen challenges and struggles can tend to hinder us from fully trusting in God and submitting to His leading. As we turn to 2 Kings 5 today, we encounter a whole pile of people who each have their own unique "but..." and they each, like us, have to choose whether to pursue God despite their "but...".
While there are some really long stories found in scripture, there are also some really short ones. Stories that, if you sneezed, you jump right over them in your reading. The life of Elisha has several of these short, seemingly insignificant stories. Yet with a closer reading, they may not be as "insignificant" as they initially appear ---- they might be pictures of something more!
Reading a story from the bible can be quite entertaining... the who, what, where, when of it all. But these historical events were given to us for more than a good story, for more than educational purposes, for more than mere enjoyment. God specifically chose each event to both show us His heart as well as build His ultimate story of redemption. Today as we explore a story of resurrection, we find more than a good story. We discover a pattern of God's work. A pattern made to be broken in order to reveal something even bigger!
Following Elisha's call to ministry and the transition as Elijah is taken to heaven, there's a questions unspoken in scripture - what type of prophet will Elisha be? Will he be used by God to minister to individuals in need? Or will he be used by God to minister to kings and nations? As we embark on Elisha's story, we quickly find that the answers are yes - God is God over kings and nations and over individual people as well and He will send Elisha to minster and serve both of them!
Elisha was a farmer... nothing more, nothing less. He worked the fields. He served with his family. And then one day, a man showed up in the middle of plowing season and Elisha's whole story changed... his story began a new. Elisha was called to be the prophet of God to the nation of Israel - and he answered that call. What is God calling you to today... and will you answer?
As we come to the end our our series walking through Skye Jethani's book "With," we find ourselves looking once more at what it looks like to walk WITH God through life and the surprise way of thinking that comes with the journey.
Every year at Christmas we hear this word "Immanuel." We might even know that it means "God with us." But where did it come from? What inspired the prophet Isaiah to speak this word originally and start pointing towards the miracle of Christmas? In answering these questions, we find that the call of Christmas and of faith in Jesus began long before the shepherds and wise men made their way to Bethlehem.
We've looked at what our relationship status with God should not be defined by. It's time now to dig into what it should be defined by. What does "Life With God" actually look like? What does this idea mean? While it's a life-long pursuit, today we look at how to take some steps toward truly living life WITH God.
How can living "life for God" be a bad thing? It sounds good, even godly to say something like this. However, when "doing" for God becomes the foundation of our relationship, we've started down a challenging slope. Join us this week as we look at the older son in the parable son story and see how we, like he, can slip into relating to God solely based on what we do rather than the intimate walk God is calling us to.
As we come into the Christmas season, it is easy for our minds to gravitate toward what we hope to receive this Christmas season. It's an evitable pit fall of a season focused on giving... someone has to receive those gifts and, well, why can't it be me? But what happens when our relationship with God is defined solely by this "getting" focus?
Apples always fall down. That's the lesson Isaac Newton taught us that led to Enlightenment thinking. While we don't normally think about the Enlightenment and our relational status with God having much to do with each other, the truth is that this new perspective on thinking can drastically change how we relate to God.
How would you define your relationship with your spouse? Your best friend? Your parents? What about God - how would you define your relationship with Him? For many of us, we would like to say our relationship with God is "good" but what does that even mean? Today, we begin a new series exploring God's original plan for a relationship with us and the ways we tend to try and relate to Him.
Today in our final walk into the desert... and we find ourselves walking OUT of the desert. Saul (Paul)'s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus caused him to flee into a desert of sorts to seek God. But what we often miss as we read through the story in Acts is what happened next. There is a 13 year period in which Saul doesn't do much at all... seemingly settling into his desert for the long haul. Yet God wasn't done with Saul - and sent him a little encouragement to pull him out of this dry season.
Tim Diehl from Water Street Mission joins us with the challenging question of "who is my neighbor?" While most people are familiar with Jesus story about the Good Samaritan, Tim helps us to see the story from a different perspective and encourages us to think a little deeper about what it means to be a good neighbor.
Who doesn’t love an invitation to go away? Maybe a trip to the beach… the mountains… some exotic island? When a close friend or a spouse invites you to go away with them, you feel special and wanted! So how do we respond when God invites us to go away with Him? The problem is that God’s invitation to “time away” often comes at the most inopportune time, at least from our perspective, yet at the most needed time from God’s perspective. Join us today as we turn our attention to Jesus’ time away with God in Matthew 3. From all outside perspectives, it was a “bad time” to get away. But from God’s perspective it was the essential time.
Moses spent a lot of his life in the desert. We typically think about the 40 years he spent leading the Israelites through the desert to the Promise Land yet that was actually his send tenure there. Before Moses became the Moses we know and love, God needed him to spend some time being shaped and molded. Today, we are looking at Moses' first 40 years in the desert. Scripture has little to share about these years and yet they may be the most pivotal of his life!
It's amazing how some times you can be going, going, going and feeling fine the whole time and then suddenly you hit a wall and you just can't go anymore. It can come out of nowhere yet you've run out and are just sitting on "E." As we turn our attention to Elijah again this week, we find him hitting "the wall" and running on "E" and God steps in! But God doesn't start with what you might expect...
We meet Elijah in the book of 1 Kings. With no background or real introduction, we encounter a man who passionately does the right thing despite the hardships he knows it will create. However, the problems don't end there. Things go from bad to worse. Yet ultimately the challenges he faces could be considered gifts from God as he learns to trust in God's ways and God's timing. Could we say the same for ourselves? Are we learning to trust in God's ways and in God's timing? Are we boldly doing the right thing despite the potential costs? Are we allowing God to empty us of ourselves and fill us with His Spirit?
Job's story is a hard one and yet we can learn some really valuable lessons for when we walk through our own deserts. While Job struggled through his season of hardship, his devotion to God and his willingness to speak openly with God never wavered.
Jeremiah had an AMAZING calling from God yet lived a very troubled life. Perhaps you can relate? You diligently seeking to walk with God, to live for Jesus, yet your life is anything but easy. You keep finding yourself in what feels like a desert - stuck in the middle of the wilderness and not knowing what to do or where to go next. Jeremiah's life reminds us that we all can feel this way at times. But even in the wilderness, we see God is with us. He hears us. He is faithful. He is at work.
As we come to the end of the book of Daniel, we see one last time the big story the book has been sharing with us over and over again. Yet in the midst of that big story, we also receive a reminder that there is another story taking place... our story! God was working in Daniel's life as it unfolded and is working in your life as well! There's the big story of history and then there's your story as well!
What do you do when things aren't going the way you expect in life? What do you do when the events unfolding around you don't line up with your preferred future? This is the situation Daniel finds himself in as we come to the end of his story. The long awaited end of the Exile has come yet things are not all sun and roses. Things are, in fact, harder than they were before. In the midst of this disillusionment, Daniel turns to God in prayer and teaches us how we too can walk through tough seasons with more than just a heavy heart.
Deb Hinkel, professor at Lancaster Bible College and pastor at Hershey Free Church, joins us today and shares a call for us each to examine our hearts as we walk through life with God.
Repetition is key to remembering... so when God repeats Himself there is clearly something He wants us to know! As we turn to Daniel 8, we are given a third repetition of future events and a reminder that God is trying to get our attention.
Remember as a kid how your imagination would run wild? Monsters under the bed... Gnomes sneaking around the yard at night... Invisible friends...
What little kids doesn’t love unicorns? They don’t exist but we love to draw them. Or what about Pegasus? We love horses… one that could fly would be even better! Today as we turn to Daniel 7, we encounter a whole pile of imaginary creatures. Yet rather than being the product of an overactive imagination, they are symbolic of events throughout history. They look kind of weird; but then again, isn’t history?
While things may look unique and different in Daniel's dream, they nevertheless remind us both of God's control over all time as well as God's perspective on history.
You wake up... what's the first thing you do? What happens next? For most of us, our morning routines are so rhythmic we don't even think about them. However, when it comes to our faith, we could all probably use a little work on establishing these same type of rhythms. As we look at Daniel 6 today, we see both the importance and the need to have daily habits that lead us deeper into relationship with God each day.
History is doomed to repeat itself... or so they say. Yet as we turn our attention to Daniel 5 today it would seem as if this cliché is true. Another king, another failure to honor God as sovereign over all nations. The difference this time around is history. They knew their history and did nothing with it. What do we, likewise, do with our history and relationship with God?
We are all truly blessed... to live in the country we live in, to have all the things we have, to have those we love in our lives. But what happens when our "blessings" become our focal point rather than the One who gives blessings? As we turn our attention to Daniel 4 today, we encounter a call to self-reflection on just what does it mean to be blessed.
We almost all know the story of the fiery furnace... three guys stand up when everyone else bows down... and then they end up in a blazing inferno... which they walk out of unharmed. It's a favorite Sunday School story but what does it tell us about life today? Maybe more than you think! Join us today as we dive into Daniel chapter 3!
Ever have an unusual dream? Sometimes they are just from an old piece of pizza eaten late at night. Other times, they might actually carry some significance and meaning. As we turn our attention to Daniel 2 today, we encounter King Nebuchadnezzar questioning whether his dream is pizza-induced or God-driven. And with the understanding of his dream, we find out who our God really is.
As we round the corner into the books of 2 & 3 John, we encounter several reoccurring themes that John has been bringing to light. Yet even in this repetition, John is adding layers of nuance for us. The core message is the same but the specific images and challenges continue to grow!
When we live a life of faith in Jesus, we walk with Him. Yet, there are times we see others of faith who seem to have "more" than we do. It feels like they have a deeper faith... a more dynamic faith... a more confident faith. It almost feels like they added on or upgraded the faith we have. However, as we come to John's final words in 1 John, we find that faith is all-inclusive. There are no add on's or additions - only faith in Jesus!
The lawyer stands up, presents the entire case... the who, the what, the why... all in one short statement. Now it is your turn to deliberate and come to a conclusion, a verdict. This is what John does for us today as we come to his final chapter. He has shared a lot with us in these few chapters. Now he brings is all together and leaves us with a choice. What will you decide?
Today on Mother's Day, we typically turn our attention to our mom's love for us and our love for her. But what if our mom's love was only the shadow of an even greater love? 1 John 4 tells us that God IS love. This is a powerful statement that not only helps us understand the ways our mom's love us but also, and more importantly, shows us what it means to be loved BY God.
You don't just tune in to watch the game... you often find yourself turning on the sports channel an hour before the game to listen to all the pre-game discussion and team line ups. You want to know who is playing this week and what condition they are in.
This is a good metaphor for the 3rd chapter in John's letter. Today we'll explore his description of what God's "team" looks like as well as the opponent's team.
Driving down the interstate, you will encounter many signs designed to warn you of potential dangers ahead as well as guardrails to help keep you on the road. These things are for your safety and assistance to help get you to where you are going. Our spiritual journeys are much the same. God provides warning signs and guardrails to help us stay the course in fellowship with Him! Today, John will share a few of these provisions with us to help us stay on course!
How do we love God? It's an easy expression to make... "I love God!"... but what does it look like, practically speaking, to love God? This is the topic John turns his attention to next as we continue in the book of 1 John. Let's look at 3 ways to love God in our day to day lives!
In the opening words to John's first letter, he invites us to know and experience God has he has. He invites us into fellowship (friendship!) with God Himself. This is an attractive offer... to have God has your friend. Yet, John would also have us understand that this fellowship has implications for us and the way we live. We can't claim to have fellowship with God and then have nothing change in us. As we continue through the first chapter of John's letter today, we are challenged to step into God's light.
Today on Easter, we launch out in a new series exploring the words and experiences of the Apostle John. On Easter morning, he was one of the first to see the empty tomb and ponder the implications. He saw the Risen Savior that very night. He spent the rest of his life living out those moments and the reality of this great truth - Jesus has Risen!
If asked, almost everyone would probably list "social gatherings" as one of their top items they are looking forward to in a post-COVID world. As followers of Jesus, as the church, we place value in gathering together. We are eager to resume our normal patterns of fellowship. Yet before the floodgates of social events open (soon, we hope!), let's spend our time this morning looking at what biblical fellowship truly is as we prepare to gather together!
We love to eat! (or at least most of us do) So the idea to go without eating for any length of time is one that we very quickly dismiss. What could possibly the purpose of going without food? Yet as we turn our attention to scripture, there seems to be a call to this concept called fasting. There seems to be something important on a spiritual level of going without food. But why? What is it? What does it really accomplish? It's to this topic we turn our attention as we try to process and ponder what implications the spiritual discipline of fasting might have for us even today.
Today we turn our attention to the Spiritual Discipline of serving. Jesus sets the model for this discipline as He knelt to wash His disciple's feet, yet the call goes much farther than an annual activity done by the church body. The call of Jesus to serve one another pernitrates every day and every moment of every day of our lives. So how do we serve one another?
Giving... it's the we all dread to hear and are happy to skip. But it is a spiritual discipline and so we turn our attention to giving today. And as we do so, we discover that our gifts to God, both financial and other, shouldn't feel like a burden or obligation. God calls us to give cheerfully for in so doing, we find ourselves drawn to Him!
Most people expect to hear the word "prayer" when it comes to church and relating to God. Yet, if truth be told, we often have more questions about prayer than not. A majority of Christians would acknowledge that they pray somewhat regularly... but still have questions. The how of prayer... the why of prayer... and many other questions.
Thankfully, we are not alone in our questions. Jesus' closest friends, even after watching and listening to Him pray for months, had the same questions we have. As Jesus helped them to learn more about prayer, He provided lasting wisdom and insight that still can guide our conversations with God today!
"And remember to say thank you!" Every parent has said this to their kids about a billion times. We want our kids to be thankful. To always remember their manners. But what about us? Are we full of gratitude, specifically when it comes to God? Do we frequently stop to express our thanks for all God has done? Today, we turn our attention to the spiritual discipline of giving thanks and how, perhaps, we might need to approach our view of gratitude from a new perspective.
When we think about things to do in order to grow closer to God, we almost always start with "reading our bibles." And there's a reason for that - God reveals Himself to us through His word. But is opening the bible and reading a chapter or two really what God calls us to do? Is it as simple as open bible, read bible, close bible. No, not really. It is simple but not as "simple" as that. Today we'll look a little more closely at how we can grow with God through His word and see that we can all take easy steps to growing with Him!
Whether we have a garden or not, we're all growing something outside our homes. It might be a bountiful vegetable garden. It might be some flowers providing color outside our windows. Or maybe it's just a weed or two growing up in the cracks between the sidewalk. Either way, we all have something growing. The same is true of our spiritual growth. We are all growing with Jesus... some us us bountifully and some of us in smaller ways. Scripture provides us with some specific ways to nurture our spiritual gardens and help us grow with Jesus. Over the next few weeks, we'll be exploring these growing opportunities together!
As we come to our final week exploring how we worship, we turn our attention to the person that epitomized biblical worship - King David. In David, we not only see the characteristics of true worship but we also will find a deeper understanding of the true nature of worship.
Worship transforms us... or so we're told... but oftentimes that transformation is hard to see. For that matter, how does singing some songs and saying a prayer or two lead to change? What we learn today is that we often approach worship with some incorrect ideas that, when corrected, help us to engage in life-changing worship and connection with our Creator!
Last week, we processed through the truth that true worship has no transactional value. We don't gain anything tangible from it nor do we pay back any debts through it. So why do we worship? What we begin to see today is that while worship is not valuable from a worldly perspective, it has great value intrinsically and also carries powerful implications for how we live Monday through Friday as well as on Sundays!
The alarm clock went off this morning... why did you get up? On Monday, it was because you had to get to work and earn a paycheck. On Saturday, it was because you had a "honey-do" list to accomplish before you could watch the big game in peace. But what about today on Sunday? What did you hope to gain by getting up and attending worship? Was it favor with God? Was it to pay Him back?
Today, we begin a new series on worship - asking ourselves "how do I worship?" and "why do I worship"
Join us today as Mauro Galati, a long time member of HBIC, shares from John 4 and passages from the book of Luke.
As we wrap up our walk through the life of Abraham and the calling of God, we want to pause today to ask the simple, yet challenging question - how? How do we hear the voice and call of God today? Is it just by reading our bibles or is God still speaking to us actively today like He spoke to Abraham?
Today we come to the end of Abraham's calling... but the beginning of our own! As we look once more at Abraham's life and ministry, we'll also hear from Tho on her own calling and ministry to the church in Zimbabwe.
As we near the end of Abraham's story, the lessons he has for us continue to present themselves. In these last few chapters (Genesis 23-25) we see several characteristics of one who is walking in the call of God. We know this of Abraham. But what about you? Do you see these characteristics in your own life? Are you faithfully walking in the call of God?
When nothing makes sense and you can't tell which way is up... what do you do? Today, on the first Sunday of Advent - the Sunday of Hope, we explore Abraham's biggest test. In the wake of the unthinkable, we find he simply does the only thing possible - he trusts in God. While our situations may look very different from his, the answer is still the same. Will you trust in God and His provision today?
As we enter the holiday season, most of us are excited about the coming weeks. Despite all the happenings in our world, this season is often one that fills us with joy and causes us to rejoice. Yet there are other seasons in our lives where rejoicing is much harder. How do we navigate those times? As we come into the long-awaited Genesis 21, we find Abraham rejoicing at God's faithfulness... both in seasons of joy but also in other seasons as well. As we watch his seasonal response, perhaps we might see our own calling to walking with God in and out of seasons.
As we turn to Genesis 20 today, it almost feels like we've gone back to the beginning of Abram's story. The scene is so familiar... "she is my sister" comes up again. Yet in this seemingly repeat of history, we discover a hard truth about Abraham's personal struggles and our own!
As we turn to Genesis 20 today, we see Abraham falling into old patterns. It almost feels like history is repeating itself... here we go again with the whole "she is my sister" thing. As we scratch our heads wondering what in the world Abraham is thinking, we begin to realize that the voices in his head via for his attention are the same voices we struggle with today.
When we read scripture, our natural tendency is to relate to the hero in the passage. Whoever is living boldly and faithfully for God, that's where we tend to see ourselves... because the alternative is much harder. The problem, however, is that we are much more like those struggling to walk with God than we care to admit. Yet through their stories - their victories and their struggles - we can learn more about our own walks and our own struggles. Today as we turn to Genesis 19, let's turn our attention inward and see what God might have to say about our hearts.
Tuesday this week is a big day. It has the opportunity to bring us hope and fear, joy and sorrow, and countless other emotions. As we approach election day, we are all looking forward to what Wednesday and beyond may bring. But what is actually going to change come Wednesday? Maybe not has much as you might think. Politically, a lot may change. But the thing that matters most isn't going to change at all... and in that we can take comfort and strength!
Join us this week as our Family Ministry Director Reilly Ball leads us through the 2nd half of Genesis 18 as God engages Abraham in conversation
Abraham is sitting... relaxing... enjoying some peace in the midst of a hot desert day. And then suddenly he looks up and sees three men standing across the way. The scene unfolds simply enough yet in it we find a great reminder that God loves to remind us and speak to us. What is God speaking to you today?
Sometimes we're called to wait patiently on the Lord. Other times God gives us something specific to do. How we respond in both of those moments really defines our relationship with Him. As we turn to Genesis 17 today, we find Abram coming out of a LONG waiting season and into the start of a very active "to do" season. As we watch him walk into his relationship with God, we see a good reminder and challenge for our own walk with Jesus.
It's very easy to come to a chapter like Genesis 16 and skim right over it. It's a story many of us are familiar with, to a point, and one that, if we're honest, we rather wish wasn't in the bible. It's not that it challenges us to live differently. It just that it shows us our favorite people of faith living way outside of faith. What do you do with a chapter like that? And yet as we explore Abram and Sarai's wanders, we can learn so valuable lessons about God's call on our lives even today!
We walk by faith not by sight... and that doesn't always make life easy. Many times as we walk in our callings, following God as we trust in Him, doubts arise. These doubts can scare us and we tend to push them away. But rather than suppressing these doubts, Abram shows us a better way. As Abram encountered doubts in his wall with God, he brought them honestly to God and allowed God to work through them. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from Abram's doubts that will help us navigate our own better!
Having sat for through years of school history class, not many people get excited to talk about another ancient battle. There were two sides... one won, one lost... what more is there. Yet in this particular battle from Genesis 14 we receive some amazing snapshots of our coming Messiah. Between Abram and the other characters involved, we see some interesting pictures of the Jesus!
There are days you just wish you could have a "do-over" on. Things just aren't going the way you'd like and, if you could just start again, things could be so much better. Unfortunately, these opportunities are very rare in our every day lives... yet when it comes to our spiritual lives with Jesus, these opportunities come around all the time! As we look at Abram's life, we see a prime example of starting over with God!
We walk boldly in our call! We go into the unknown trusting God with with us and that He is guiding our path! That is, until fear sets in. When fear hits, it often gets us off track. Fear makes us do a lot of stupid things. It makes us forget the promises of God and the plans He has for us. Today, we watch as Abram battles fear and see, despite his BIG call, he was just like us. We can learn from his mistakes... we can follow God's call despite the fears we may feel!
Today Pastor Rick Mailloux looks at Genesis 12 and Abram's "formal" call from God and how we each have the opportunity to answer the same call in our own lives.
When we talk about the "call of God," we tend to think big picture and big calls. God calls pastors, missionaries, and evangelists. But what if the call of God was actually bigger than that? What if God was calling not just a select few to a few select roles but instead calling all of us to our own unique walk with Him? As we look at the story of Abraham, we meet a man who has one of those "big" calls of God but we also meet a man just like us ---- a man who messes up as much as he succeeds, a man who is simply trying to follow God day-by-day the best he can. And in looking at Abraham's call and journey, we see more clearly the call of God in each of our lives as well.
No one ever wants to walk through a season of pain and hardship. When we're there, we often can't imagine life getting any harder. We wish God would give us more goodness and blessings. We wish He would ease our discomfort. But what if He actually is? What if the downpour we find ourselves standing in is actually only a sprinkle compared to what Satan wanted it to be? What if God is actually building dams around us to protect us from evil?
In the midst of pain and suffering, we often can find ourselves in a very dark places. We feel like the whole world is closing in on us. We feel like we are all alone. And yet, when we pause and take a step back to remember what we know... not what we feel... but what we know - we often come to realize things are not quite as they feel. This week, we look at what the Apostle Paul says he knows about God and the logical implications of that knowledge. Paul brings us from dark, lonely places to a much different conclusion.
No one ever chooses pain... yet it's a reality of our world. So when we encounter James' words to "count it all joy whenever you face trials," we tend to want to run away. No one thinks pain is joyful. But what if that's not what James is telling us? What if he's actually helping us to walk through the pain with a different perspective?
We all face days and seasons of pain and suffering. As hard as these times can be, we shouldn't really be surprised by them. Jesus told us they would come. Yet Jesus also tells us to "take heart" and "have peace" when facing pain; and honestly, that doesn't come easily! Thankfully, Jesus doesn't just tell us to be positive and peaceful, He explains how to do so in the face of pain.
We live in a world full of pain and suffering. But why? We serve an all-powerful, all-knowing God. Why, we wonder, does He not step in and do something? Today we begin to explore the problem of pain and suffering in our world as we look to God to find strength, endurance, and understanding.
Today we formally welcome Reilly Ball as our new Family Ministry Director as she shares a bit about herself and a few things she's learned about God along the way.
Jesus commands us to love one another... and we often try really hard to do so. Yet when Jesus was asked what the GREATEST commandment was, He didn't tell us to love others - that was actually number two on His list. No, Jesus says that the most important command is to love God with your everything. What we begin to realize is that we cannot truly love people they way Jesus calls us to until we learn to love God first!
We enjoy showering love on those we love. Our family and friends know we love them because we show them. We show them that they have value and meaning in our lives. But what about those outside our circles? Those who don't quite fit our mold? Jesus calls us to love others but He doesn't just tell us to do it. He shows us! Time and time again, Jesus displays love for all people, regardless of their grouping. He loves and values all people... and we must as well!
Today on Father's Day, Randy Zimmerman shares with us today what it means to be an authentic man of God
Jesus calls us to love one another. It's not an easy command to follow by any stretch of the imagination. When we strive to follow Jesus' words and love others, what we find is that love is not just a once and done thing. We don't just extend love and see people feel love. Love is lasting. Love brings change. Love transforms us.
In a world where we talk about all of the things we "love," it can be hard to process what Jesus means when He commands us to LOVE one another. What we begin to discover is that our concept of love is much more in line with "liking" something. True biblical love, on the other hand, goes much deeper, looks very different, and has a much different outcome. In the comparison between love vs. like, we start by learning that Jesus-kind of love is a a love that serves.
As Paul reaches the end of his "dissertation" on the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he turns his focus to the future. Jesus resurrection is not just an event in the past, it is THE event that defines our future. His victory is our victory! His eternity is our eternity!
All throughout Paul's discussion of Jesus' resurrection, I've had questions lingering in the back of my mind. Every time Paul talks about our resurrection, those questions get louder. In fact, you might be asking the same questions. Today, Paul finally begins to answer our unspoken questions and addresses our inquisitive minds.
We’ve all heard it said that actions speak louder than words. Today we pause to reflect on that statement in view of our faith. Do our actions align with our words when it comes to living for Jesus? The Corinthian church struggled with this; but if we’re honest, so do we!
It's been a challenging couple of weeks. Things are starting to show signs of hope but the struggles continue. Regardless of how things feel, our God is still in control! While you may not be doubting God in all of this, you might be starting to doubt yourself. Today we look at four biblical characters and their own struggles to see how God might be working in our own struggles today!
Jesus is the "Only Begotten Son of God" or the "One and Only Son of God" depending which translation you tend to read. The point is the same either way - Jesus is one of a kind. There is no one like Him. He is unique, special, and different from all others. Yet, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul begins to make a comparison between Jesus and another man. In some ways, he begins to compare and contrast Jesus to His "twin." While the comparison may be far from perfect, looking at Jesus and His "twin" does help us to see the choice we each need to make in our lives today...
The Apostle Paul was a really smart guy. He knew His God and he knew his theology. But sometimes it's hard to read Paul's writings...they can be super deep and our eyes tend to glaze over. Despite the focus challenge they may present, Paul's words are not only important - they are life changing. Today we tackle one of Paul's logic bombs by slowing down step by step to see a great reality about Jesus' resurrection and our own.
Paul pauses in his discussion of Jesus' story - the Good News of the cross and empty tomb - to look at his own story. How his story and Jesus' story intersect - how your story and Jesus' story intersect!
He is Risen! A day almost 2000 years ago still impacts us today. We pause in the midst of life’s happenings to remember and reflect the events of that day. But why? What makes that one day, that one empty tomb so significant for us still today? Even within 20 years of this special day, […]
We all would love a parade about now...the people, the sounds, the sights...all things we're not getting much of right now. While we can't go and enjoy a good parade today, it is the Sunday we pause to reflect on one. Today is Palm Sunday, the starting point of Jesus' final week leading to the cross. And while we can't attend a parade today, perhaps we can learn something from this one almost 2000 years ago!
Today we explore what the "next right thing" is, to borrow a line from Frozen 2. As we find ourselves in a world full of uncertainty, we find ourselves taking life one day at a time. We are simply trying to figure out the next right thing to do as we walk through the day.
Thankfully, this is not the first time in history the world hasn't made sense! We can turn to the pages of scripture to see similar instances and learn what our next steps should be. Today, we look at the book of Habakkuk and learn four "next steps" in a world of uncertainty!
Today, Pastor Jan shares thoughts on slowing down, being more observant, and finding peace in this season.
Rabbi Neal from Chosen People Ministries also joins us to share about his ministry as well as some of the historic barriers to Jews coming to faith in Jesus their Messiah.
Today, we break past formalized religion and are reminded that Jesus is calling us into something different...He's calling us into a relationship with Him. It is this relationship that will make all the difference!
(The service starts at 3:16 of the video...feel free to skip ahead)
You take all the information you have, everything you know, and find there are still holes. There are things you just don't know. So what do you do? You make an educated guess... you make an assumption. We all do it. Sometimes we're right and sometimes we're wrong. When it comes to sharing our faith, we do the same thing. We make assumptions about what it means to share our faith. We make assumptions about how to share our faith. And like all assumptions, some of them are wrong. Today we break down four common misconceptions about sharing our faith and discover two truths about what it really means.
As we continue to break down our self-made barriers to fulfilling our calling, we turn our attention today to the barrier of comfort. We naturally migrate toward things that make us more comfortable. No one desires things that make them uncomfortable. Yet God's calling on our lives may lead us to places that stretch us and challenge us. God is looking to grow us and growth usually comes with a little discomfort.
When it comes to sharing our faith, many Christians struggle to do so on a regular basis. It usually goes along the lines of "I would but..." One of the reasons we struggle to fulfill our calling by Jesus to go and reach the world with His love is because we build barriers in our lives that prevent us from sharing the gospel. These barriers are usually well-intended but ultimately keep us from living our best lives for Christ. It's time we break down the barriers and boldly proclaim God's love for everyone!
Wouldn't it be nice if there was always enough to go around? Enough time, enough money, enough patience. The list goes on and one. We live in a finite world where there are limited resources on everything. We also live in a world created by a limitless God. A gracious, compassionate God who will always have enough grace to go around.
Beep...Beep...Beep...It's Groundhogs Day! In the iconic 1993 movie, Bill Murray finds himself living the same day over and over again. What would it be like if you too could relive a day? What would you do with a fresh restart? This is where Jonah finds himself as he steps out of the fish. God presents him with a do-over, a restart. And as Jonah begins to follow God, we learn what it looks like for us to fully turn from our ways to His!
Have you ever stopped to wonder how Jonah processed through his experience? He didn't know his own story. He was living it as it unfolded. What was going through his mind as the fish opened up its massive jaws? As we turn the corner into Jonah 2 this week, we receive a few more important reminders about grace and God's love for us.
We all love a good fish tale...it's was thissssss big! Of course, there's no better fish tale than the story of Jonah. Who doesn't love hearing about guy running from God, guy getting eaten by huge fish, guy getting spit up on shore so that he can do what God originally told him to do? But what if the story of Jonah was about more than a guy and a big fish? What if the story was actually all about grace and what grace might look like in our own lives?
Have you ever known something and yet can't explain it? You feel familiar with the concept and yet the words won't come when you're asked what it is. For many of us, that's how we feel about grace. It's a well-known and highly discussed biblical topic and yet one that we can't always verbalize. We know about God's grace...we love receiving grace...and yet we might need a refresher on what "grace" really is and what it means in our lives today.
As we start a new year, our minds usually go to the new us we want to become in the coming months. But as we start this new year, what if our minds were also to go to the church Christ has called us to be? What does it look like to be the church of Christ? What does it take and where does it start? In a new year, let's return to what it means to BE the church together!
"Joy to the World, the Lord is come!" We sing it every year but what does it mean? What does joy look like today? Is it just a happy feeling or is it something more? Joy and love came that first Christmas and now we light the advent candles of joy and love each year. But what do these concepts look like in our lives today?
Each Advent season, we light the candles of Hope and Peace. We hear a lot about these topics from the world at Christmas. "I hope I get what I want for Christmas" and "Let there be peace on earth this Christmas." But what really do these topics have to do with Christmas, with Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. The answer is "everything!" but just maybe not in the way we're used to thinking about...
Go go go, rush rush rush...it's that time of year again. If we're being honest, it's that "time" of year all year for many of us. Our lives are defined by going and doing. We assess ourselves in how busy we are and how productive we have been. Yet as we look one last time at David's journey to the throne, we see a very different mindset than many of us have today. Even when the path is wide open, even when the tracks are clear to rush ahead, David yields to God's timing and God's pace. Perhaps we can all learn something from David, specifically in the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season.
After all these weeks journeying through the book of 1 Samuel, we've finally reached the end. The long-awaited conclusion has come...but it's not much of a surprise. God foretold Saul what the end would bring. He promised David a throne. Yet even in the expected, we find that things goes unexpected...reminding us one more time that it's all about God on throne and not us!
We've seen David's story over the past several weeks...now it's time to turn back time a bit and see Saul's side of the story. While Saul's story doesn't end well like David's story did, there is still a lot we can learn about our own walks with God as we Saul's story come to it's tragic ending.
David has been in a dark place for almost a year and a half. He's lost his identity, his purpose, his dependence on God. He thinks he has hit rock bottom but, in truth, he's not quite there yet. In one of the final chapters of 1 Samuel, we see David finally hit the bottom of his pit. Yet even this is a gift from God as it launches him back to where he needs to be...back to finding his strength in God alone!
We all love scrolling our favorite social media platform. They're usual full of happy posts and pictures from our friends and family. They can fill us with excitement and joy for those we love and care about. However, unlike our social feeds, life is not always happy and joyful. Many of us struggle with the dark places in our minds and thoughts. We don't like to talk about our dark places but they are there, nevertheless. What we often don't realize is that we all have these dark places. While they are different for each person, we all struggle them on some level of another. Even our biblical heroes! This week, as we continue our study through 1 Samuel, we see David in his own dark place and we learn several truths about these dark times in our lives and several truths about how to start climbing out of them.
Most of us have probably found ourselves staring at a screen debating whether or not to hit "send." The message we've just written accurately, and quite passionately, describes how we feel. Yet in our hearts, we know hitting "send" is not what is best. While the message accurately describes how we feel, it also returns evil for evil, anger for anger, and harshness or harshness.
It's hard at times to take the higher road. To not respond merely by our emotions. Yet God calls us to something better. In our continued journey through the book of 1 Samuel today, we see David battling his own emotions and hurt feelings. And we see God's provision to save him from himself.
Not once, but two different times David faced the great dilemma of whether or not to take matters into his own hands. Twice, he had the opportunity to remove Saul from the throne and open the way for his own kingship. Yet both times he passes on the chance. Not out of a great love for Saul but out of his great love for God and God's anointed one. David held the calling of being anointed by God in great esteem and this drove his life. But what does this look like for us today? Can we learn anything from David's history with Saul to help in our journeys with those in leadership today?
There's nothing quite like hearing the GPS declare after a long road trip that "you have arrived at your destination!" This declaration means that you have made it! The long journey, the innumerable turns, the ever changing speed limits are all behind you. You have arrived. Better still are those times you arrive on your own. When you know that path well enough that you can take your own detours and shortcuts without the GPS's promoting and you still arrive at your destination. Because no matter how you get there, the GPS will always say the same thing..."You have arrived at your destination!"
But does how we get to our destination matter? From a spiritual perspective, does the path to the destination matter? This is the question that David faces in 1 Samuel 24 and the question that we all need to wrestle with today as well.
Sometimes God calls us to do unusual things. Things that the world just doesn't understand. Things that leave our friends and family asking "you did what?" Yet faith calls us out of our comfort zones at times. Following Jesus means putting His will and His way first. David experiences this in 1 Samuel 23 as he follows God's calling and the passions God has placed on his heart even when the world didn't understand why he would step out in such a way.
As the song goes, David finds himself "all by myself" as we turn to 1 Samuel 22. However, he doesn't stay that way very long! God has a calling on his life to be a leader, a calling that no amount of running from a mad king can change. In yet another comparison, we see the differences between David's leadership and that of King Saul. Through this picture, the question of our own leadership and our own personality influences arise. What type of person do we want to be?
Where would you go? What would you do? If you were to wake up tomorrow and discover you had to start running, to leave everything and everyone behind, where would you go? David finds himself running from "the law" in 1 Samuel 21 and at the same time, experiences what it is like to be on the run without God at the same time. For many of us, we've experienced those moments in our lives where it may feel like we're on the run, spiritually speaking. In those moments, God can feel miles away. Yet David's experiences teach us that nothing could be farther from the truth!
David is running for his life from a blood thirsty King Saul when God steps into save the day. Saul is overcome by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in 1 Samuel 19 and then we turn the page to chapter 20. David has one big, burning question...has anything changed within Saul? Has his experience with the Holy Spirit altered his course of action?
As we dive into our next lesson from the lives of David and Saul, we discover that experiences with God are not always what we want them to be...
In ages past when life got challenging, you literally grabbed your shield to protect yourself. Be it arrows, swords, or battleaxes, your shield was your protector. But what protects you today? What do you reach for when life gets challenging? When the day-to-day gets hard? As we continue in our series through 1 Samuel, we come about chapter 19 and find David's answer to these questions...even in a day and age where he would be carrying a shield, he set his eyes on a different Protector!
It's a question we all ask of ourselves at some point...how can I succeed in life? How can I be successful in all that I do?
It's a question that David and Saul essentially answer for us in 1 Samuel 18. Granted, they don't come straight out and tell us but they do provide a great case study on what it looks like to be "successful." And it's a lot simpler than you might think! Join us today as we continue our walk through the book of 1 Samuel and find that success is one easy step away!
Often times as we read through scripture in small snippets, we can forget that it is meant to all flow together as one cohesive story. As we turn in 1 Samuel to chapter 16 today, we encounter two stories that can be looked at individually but are actually the two sides to the same coin...one larger story with a larger lesson for us. What does it look like when the Holy Spirit is present in our lives?
Our God loves to give us second changes! In this week's passage, God offers King Saul a second chance to honor Him and obey His word. Yet Saul fails to take hold of the opportunity. In his failure to follow God's instructions, we learn a valuable lesson about the need for obedience and the cost of putting our own desires first.
Sometimes we rush into things. In a panic, in moments of the unknown, we can find ourselves doing something...anything...just to feel like we're taking matters into our own hands. When it feels like everything is falling apart, we tend to have an urging to simply do something to say that we tried. That's where we find King Saul today. However, for both Saul and ourselves, sometime it would be so much better to pull the emergency brake and trust in God.
The day has finally arrived! Israel has a new king. He's been announced and proclaimed not one, not two, but three different ways and times. As he steps onto his throne, his predecessor Samuel steps down from leadership. In these moments of transition, Samuel shares some final thoughts with the nation and calls them to stand still for a few moments. Even all these years later, Samuel's call to stand still echos in our hearts as well.
Whether you use Snapchat or not, you may be familiar with the fleeting nature of the pictures people send using the app. The images are only visible for a brief period of time and then they are gone. As we open 1 Samuel 11 today, we find a biblical sort of Snapchat. As Saul steps into his role as king, we see a brief image of a good king. Yet it doesn't last long. But even in this brief moment, this short glance, we can learn something about being a good king and something about our Good King.
When you face a hard day, when things are not going your way, when if feels like you've wandered far from God - how do you find your way back? What reminders, what arrows, do you have to point the way back to God? In other words, what Ebenezers have you placed in your life? Ebenezer - it's a word we really don't use and really never hear and yet it can have profound impact in our walk with Christ. Today we look at the original story where we first encounter an Ebenezer and we'll see just how much we still need them in our lives today!
When your day seems darkest, when all hope seems lost, when everything is falling apart... Where do you turn? The nation of Israel found themselves facing one of the darkest days as 1 Samuel chapter 4 came to a close. The glory had departed the nation. God was gone, essentially. Where do you go from there? And yet, as we turn the page into chapter 5, we learn some important lessons from their darkest day that may bring some light into our dark days.
The nation of Israel, throughout the Old Testament, often found themselves in the position of looking for God and trying to remember where they "put" Him last. Essentially, they would turn to Him in their times of need but then when they were through, they would simply try to tuck Him away in their pockets for next time. Things haven't changed much over the years. We still like to try and keep God in our pockets for a rainy day. As we look into 1 Samuel 4 today, we'll see that doing so doesn't work out too well.
Sunday mornings were always the same growing up. Get up, eat breakfast, go to church. Without fail, this was the schedule 100% of the time. There were no deviations, no exceptions. Even when away on vacation, we'd get up, eat, and find a local church. It was very easy as a child to feel like "attending church" was something that was expected of you if you were going to call yourself a Christian. And while church attendance is important, it also can easily become something on our list of "going through the motions for God." However, as Samuel learns this week in 1 Samuel 3, there is a big difference between knowing God and going through the motions for God!
"It was the best of time, it was the worst of times..."
Even as Charles Dickens starts his famous book "A Tale of Two Cities," the book of 1 Samuel could start with the same words. For the nation of Israel, it was indeed both the best and worst of times. There was no king and everyone did as they saw fit...and there was no king and everyone did whatever they wanted. As the book of kingship begins, we meet two families. It is this tale of two families that sets the pace and tone for where the nation will find itself.
God can speak through anything. He can take the smallest item, the most random experience, and use it to teach us something about Him. Today, we spend some time looking at the relationship between Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and ourselves and what two seemingly random things help us to understand more of what our relationship with the Holy Spirit can look like.
Did Jesus really rise from the dead or did the disciples make up the whole story? (In all the excitement of Easter, we forgot to record the sermon. However, with the pending baby, Pastor Jan recorded the sermon in advance just in case he couldn’t have been at church for Easter. That video is linked […]
As we come to Palm Sunday, we reflect on Jesus as the Messiah...as our Messiah. But was Jesus really the Messiah? Did He actually fulfill all of the puzzle pieces that God provides throughout the Old Testament? Or did He simply set out to fulfill them Himself...did the disciples fabricate details...was it just a coincidence? In short, how sure can we be that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah we believe Him to be?
This week in our time together we explore chapters 4-5 in Strobel's The Case for Christ as we look for verification and corroboration of Jesus outside of the New Testament. While digging in the dirt can be a bit dry (pun intended), it nevertheless sparks excitement into our faith!
We know what we know…or at least we think we know what we know. Yet sometimes, when we take a step back and reevaluate the facts, we might be surprised by what we find. This is exactly what Lee Strobel did in his book The Case for Christ. Strobel found himself exploring the possibility of who […]
As with every good book, letter, or movie, we arrive at the end. As Peter wraps up his final thoughts, he returns to his Good Shepherd and the joys of following Jesus. It has not always been easy. Peter, himself, has struggled much but continues to follow nevertheless. As sheep of Christ, Peter has a few last encouragements, challenges, and thoughts for each of us.
When life gets hard, we all want to know that what we are going through is not normal...that there's a reason we feel uncomfortable. We want to be reassured that what we are going through is a strange happenstance and it will pass. We want to know that normalcy and comfort will return soon. Unfortunately, that is not the message Peter brings us. Instead, Peter says that it is not strange...it is not unusual if we find ourselves suffering for Christ. And where do we go with that kind of message today...
Who doesn't love looking at "before" and "after" pictures? Whether it's a television show about organizing, a Hollywood make-over, or a house that has been renovated, we all love to see things change. However, when it comes to our personal lives, we are not necessarily as keen about changing. Growth and maturity take work and sometimes we just don't feel like putting in the effort. But complacency is not really an option. As we look at 1 Peter 4 today, Peter challenges us to grow and mature in our walk following Christ's example.
"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
Peter lays the groundwork in one verse for where he's taking us today...let's follow in Jesus' footsteps!
According to Peter, we are God's chosen people, a hold nation, a royal priesthood. But what does that look like as we live out lives as foreigners and exiles in this world? As we continue in Peter's letter, we move from who we are in Christ to what we are called to do in this world...and the answer is not necessarily an easy one to swallow.
Who are you? No, really, who are you?
This is the question we all find ourselves asking at some point in our lives. Thankfully, Peter is going to do the leg work for us! By starting with who Jesus is, Peter easily transitions into who we are in Christ. No matter where you've come from or where you find yourself in life, Peter wants you to know who you are today and forever!
Peter started his letter off making sure we know where we are going if we know Jesus. Our final destination is set, we are just passing through this life, we just need to get to the end goal. But with only those thoughts in mind, it opens the door to let us wander through this […]
Every few years growing up, our church would go on a "mystery trip." These were some of my favorite and least favorite outings, all at the same time. There's something about not knowing where you are going that can be exciting but most of the time it is just frustrating. When we think in a more eternal-minded way, not knowing where we're going can turn from frustrating to terrifying. And so when Peter starts out his letter to the churches in modern day Turkey, the first thing he wants them (and us!) to know is where we are going. We can know, without a doubt, where our destination is...and knowing will make all the difference!
No one likes dusting. It tends to be a necessary evil when it comes to housekeeping. Likewise, many of us struggle to dust off our bibles and read them more. We know it is necessary but many times we just don’t want to do it. But what if we were actually coming to scripture with […]
We’re all busy…and when we’re busy, things get pushed to the back of our shelves. The things that are most important stay at the front. The things we use most often are always within reach. But the things that we use occasionally, the things that we love but don’t have time for, they tend to […]
As we start a new year, we're all thinking about cleaning house. Whether it's post-holiday clean up, putting away the new gifts, working on resolutions, or simply tidying up, it seem like we're all doing some type of housekeeping in January. And while these things are important, perhaps it's even more important to take a step back at the start of a new year and consider what spiritual housekeeping we may have to work on.
Waiting for cookies, waiting on Christmas, waiting in a doctor's waiting room - it doesn't matter what you are waiting on, it's almost never fun. But what if you took a difference stance to waiting? Instead of simply staring at the clock, what if you got active in the waiting? As we look at the Christmas story, we find lots of people getting active in their waiting. Maybe we should too...
Are you ready? Are you willing? These are the questions we have to ask ourselves every morning as we jump out of bed. It’s a new day…are we open to the adventure God has in store for us? Mary and Joseph each had to answer these same questions that first Christmas. Were they open to […]
Advent begins...but do we get excited? If I say adventure begins today...then most of us would be quite excited! The truth is everyday should be an adventure as we live out our lives for Jesus but the reality is most of us don't experience that. As we travel through this Christmas season, let's explore the advent adventures of those there 2000 years ago and see that we are still on the same adventure today!
Travis Brubaker from Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Colorado shares with us some of the teaching he is using as he prepares to send young adults out onto the mission field for 10 week periods.
It's here! The meal has finally arrived. But before you can dig in, you have to pause and pray. The prayer can often feel like the last hindrance to eating but, in truth, it's a central part to the meal. Likewise, prayer is a key component in stepping into our calling to reach the world for Jesus.
Jesus calls us to "Go and make disciples of all nations." That's a big charge...a big job to accomplish. Yet it can start very simply. Last week we explored the first step to our calling in being open and ready to invite others to do life with us. In addition to inviting others, we also need to be ready to engage with them. This isn't some super complicated process but rather an intentional step toward being open and ready to connect with others. Let's look at some basic tips to engaging with others and then see how one person handled it in the book of Acts.
The holiday season is beginning! It's time to think about pumpkins, turkey, and Christmas trees! But maybe it's also time to think about the people we'll be passing by over they next several months. Like us, Jesus found Himself quite busy. Yet He always found the time to see the people around Him and step into their lives. As we come into the holidays, maybe there's something we need to learn from Jesus about what it means to invite others to do life together!
For two chapters, we've been flies on the wall listening to a conversation between God and Habakkuk. As things wrap up, we find ourselves looking at a different man. Habakkuk is not the same person who started this conversation with God. He has changed...his perspective has been flipped upside down. As we listen to his final thoughts and reflections, we learn what our experiences with God can look like and lead to.
Habakkuk and God have been having a good dialogue. Now, it the second part of God's second response, He finally says what Habakkuk has been waiting to hear...just not in the way or timing Habakkuk expected. In these words from God, we find both continuing encouragement to talk with God as well as some questions to challenge ourselves with as we walk a life of faith with God.
Habakkuk complained…God responded…and now Habakkuk is responding (aka complaining again) to God. And still God is listening and gently responding. It’s a lesson for us all on how to share with God and how to listen when He speaks…
First Thessalonians chapter 5 calls us to pray, give thanks, and praise God at all times. But what happens when I'm not feeling very thankful? How do I come into my time with God if I'm not feeling very full of praise? Do I "fake it until I make it?" In the back of the Old Testament, we find a guy who was probably asking some similar questions. He decided to simply bear his soul to God and share his real, raw emotions. And guess what - it became scripture. Habakkuk lays the groundwork for what it looks like for us to "complain" to God and live in step with Him.
Jesus loves the broken. Jesus calls the broken. He wants us in our brokenness! But is that where it stops? Is that the end of the road? We are loved but still broken? Thankfully not! As Jesus seeks us out in our brokenness, He also moves us forward from brokenness to perfection. He heals the broken as we live with Him.
When life gets hard, we ask why. On some days, it is perhaps the most ask question in our prayers. So why does bad stuff happen? Why does life get hard at times? As we look into the beginnings of the book of Exodus, we find three potential answers to our why questions. Let’s jump […]
Broken things usually get thrown away. Sometimes we keep broken things simply for sentimental reasons. Rarely do we keep broken things to put them to use. They are broken…they’ve lost all their use. And yet, that is not the case when God looks at us. God does not look for perfection when He needs a […]
We’re all broken, yes, but what does God do with broken things? Does He just keep us around for sentimental reasons? Out of a sense of nostalgia for the good ol’ days? Or, despite our brokenness, does God have something bigger and better in mind for us? What if, instead of keeping us broken on […]
It's the final scene! As we come to the end of our study through Colossians, Paul brings it all together with his final challenge on what it looks like for us to walk IN CHRIST.
As we come into the second half of Colossians chapter 3, we stumble into perhaps the most controversial verses in the entire letter. Paul starts by telling wives to submit to their husbands. But what did he actually mean by this? Is he talking about blind obedience or is there something bigger in his mind when it comes to our relationships with our spouse and others. By looking at the whole of chapter 3, we'll see that Paul had something much different, and much bigger, in mind than what we think of when we read these verses in isolation.
Founding Pastor George Kimber shares a message from Deuteronomy 32 on being God's eagles.
What are you going to wear today? It's a question we all have to ask ourselves pretty much every morning; but did you ever ask yourself the question from a spiritual perspective? We all "get dressed" spiritually each day and Paul gives us counsel on "what to wear" today in Colossians chapter 3.
When we met Jesus and decide to live our lives in Him, it can be a tricky business in some ways. While we hear again and again in scripture that we are new in Christ, we also live out the reality of still living day to day with temptations and struggles. How do we balance these two realities? How do we find confidence in who we are in Christ? Paul meets us in the midst of this struggle in Colossians 3 and provides the first steps on how to live new in Christ with confidence.
We don't often think of a world without bacon... it's just something we take for granted. However, before Peter's vision in Acts 10, no God-honoring person would have ever considered enjoying the sweet, salty treat. Pork fell onto the "unclean" list from the Old Testament Law. But Jesus came to fulfill the Law and then everything changed. The Jewish Christians, nevertheless, had a challenge in front of them as they tried to reconcile their old way of living and their new freedom in Christ. In Colossians 2, we see Paul addressing some of these issues as he helps us today understand what it means to live for Christ and what we can and cannot do.
There's nothing quite like a nice, big meal...to walk away from the dinner table feeling full. But what does it look like to be "full" in Christ? To have fullness in Christ? Paul turns his attention in the next segment of his letter to the idea of our being brought to fullness in Christ. This has nothing to do with eating a tasty meal but is far better!
Do you ever have those mornings where you wake up and you can't remember what day of the week it is? Those first few moments after the alarm clock goes off can be quite foggy. If you're traveling, that moment of "what day is it?" can be coupled with "where am I?" and make you feel even more off balance! But what if you walked through life like that? Not remembering who you were or where you were going? In our next segment of Colossians, Paul turns to himself as an illustration...helping us to "wake up" and remember who we are IN CHRIST!
Each month, you find yourself with the daunting task of sitting down to balance out your bank account. Most people find the objective of reconciliation to be one of their least favorite times of the month. There are always a few people out there who enjoy this mathematical experience but they are few and far between. Financial reconciliation is simply a challenge for most people. However, even more daunting is the concept of spiritual reconciliation. When we set our eyes on Christ as our perfect example, we will always fall short. How can we possibly measure up and find balance with Christ's perfection? The answer is actually simple...God has already done the work of reconciliation. We are made right with Jesus at the cross - as Paul shows up in Colossians 1:15-23.
As we jump into the 2nd week of our study through the Book of Colossians, we find ourselves asking "what will Paul's first move be?" Last week we looked at all of the players involved in this first century letter, this week, we'll explore Paul's opening thought...do you know you've been rescued in Christ?
Join us as we dive into our summer-long study of the Book of Colossians. As Paul writes to this young church in the first century, his resounding theme is we are IN CHRIST. But before we can dig too deep into this letter, we need to start by looking a little more closely at a few key people in the opening verses. Every word of scripture has purpose...even in the first few verses as the letter opens, we find a profound lesson about who we are in Christ!
Happy Mother's Day! It that special day we set a side to honor our moms, remember our moms, celebrate our moms. It's also the day we spend some time thinking about what kind of mom we have...or had...or are. There are lots of kinds of moms in our world today but to narrow down the list, we find four different kinds of moms directly or indirectly mentioned in 2 Timothy 1. As we explore these biblical kinds of moms, what kind are you? What kind of mom did you have? And what kind do you want to be?
(Our apologizes...the first two minutes of the sermon did not record. Imagine yourself sitting in a bright, sunny field listening to Jesus teach all day and you are caught up!)
If everything was stripped away and you had nothing left except Jesus, would He be enough? This ultimately was the question the crowd was left with after Jesus fed the 5000. They wanted it all - unlimited food, perfect health, all the blessing that Jesus had to pour out - and He offered them Himself. He was, and is, the bread of life. Would they commit to Him or walk away because they wanted more than just Jesus?
We face the same question and the same challenge. Is Jesus enough for us? Join us as we explore the follow up to the feeding of the 5000 and see what Jesus offers us as we follow Him.
Words like 'comfort,' 'luxury,' and 'premium' fly around us every day. Turn on the television and you'll hear countless commercials offering to sell you the latest in style and ease. But then you open up your bible and read Jesus' words to "deny yourself, pick up your cross daily, and follow me." That doesn't sound very comfortable...it doesn't sound very easy. And yet the offer stands. How can we embrace discomfort to follow Jesus? It's simple - we find God's strength in our weakness.
Life is full of choices. What to eat...what to wear...where to live...who to marry? All of these choices effect our lives in some way - sometimes in small ways, sometimes in large ways. But everything in life comes with choices. We've been talking about following Jesus, about moving from being a causal fan of Jesus toward a completely committed follower. But even within that journey, there are choices. And these choices have eternal impact. Join us today as we meet two individuals who are choosing how they will relate to Jesus and how they may or may not follow Him. Will the choose intimacy? Will you?
Jesus is walking down the shoreline one day and sees two sets of brothers. He simply pauses and says "come follow me" and they all drop everything and go with Him. Did you ever stop and and wonder why? What made four grown men with family and community connections drop everything to follow a man they'd never met before?
And then Jesus extends the invitation to you and I...what should we do? Are we willing to drop everything and follow Him. In this week's message, we'll be exploring the "come follow me" story in Matthew 4 to see why Jesus' invitation was so compelling then and now.
On Easter, followers of Jesus from all around the world gather to worship our Risen Savior. As we dip into the Resurrection story each year, it's interesting to observe how few followers Jesus had the first Easter morning. Over the course of a few days, all of the disciples had left Jesus. Peter even denied knowing him at all. Describing the disciples as fair weather fans would have probably been a better description than followers.
And then the tomb was empty!
The empty tomb changed everything. The empty tomb and Risen Savior transformed causal fans into devoted followers. And it can still do the same thing today!
I love a parade! Who doesn't? The floats, the bands, and especially the candy!
But what about a parade of one? Can you imagine one "float" holding an entire city's attention? It sounds kind of boring...yet that's exciting the type of parade that took place on the first Palm Sunday and it CAPTIVATED the city of Jerusalem. Why? What was so special about this one man? Why did the whole city turn out to see him? And what happened next? Jump with us today in Matthew 21 and find out how the Easter story began...
Everything has a beginning and an end...every book, every movie, every person we know or encounter has a start and a finish. We hold this as constant in our ever-changing world. But what if we were wrong? What if there was more than we perceived? What if our lives, as we understand them, were not the end-all of our stories but the introductions to eternity?
On a mountainside one sunny day, Jesus said "love your enemies." In these three words, He completely flipped the world upside down. We're all very good at having enemies and hating our enemies...it pretty much comes naturally to most of us. But what does it look like to love our enemies? To give up our enemies?
Have you ever read a book that didn't end the way you expected? Or maybe you've seen a movie that just exceeded all your expectations? We walk through life constantly making assumptions and anticipating things to go a certain way. Yet when it comes to a life lived for Christ, we quickly learn that things to not always go the way we expect them to. Life happens and we live in a world full of sickness, pain, and suffering. But we're not the first to struggle with our expectations versus reality. Join us today as we explore two biblical characters and how they navigated their expectations as we learn that we can, in light of the cross, give up our expectations.
Self-driving cars are the next big thing! Or so they tell me. To be honest, I'm a little uncomfortable giving up control to a machine to drive me to work. Granted, I think the automated parallel parking sounds amazing but complete control over driving...I'm not so sure. Control is a hard thing to give up. I struggle in something as simple as driving. When you consider giving up control over larger things or even your entire life, it gets even more challenging. And yet, God is calling us to give up control and follow Him. This isn't easy and He knows it. Jesus experienced this challenge and successfully submitted to God's will. We can too!
The Lenten season is here. Six weeks set aside each year to prepare our hearts for Easter. Traditionally, we are called to "give something up" for Lent. These simple sacrifices help to focus our minds on the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus for us. As we give up sweets or meat or even Facebook, we reflect on Jesus' gift. But our sacrifices are small and temporary. Yet our salvation and Christ's resurrection are eternal. This Lenten season, join us as we explore the eternal impacts of the cross. What things, in light of Jesus' death and resurrection, are we called to "give up" eternally?
The Eagles won the Super Bowl! For the past few weeks, I've heard Eagles' fans talking about how they believed the team could do it despite being considered the underdogs. It's one thing to claim to believe something but a completely different thing to act on those beliefs. The Eagles not only believed they could win...they actually went and did it.
We do this in our faith as well. We say we believe in something but don't always actually go and do it. We can profess belief with our words but our actions say differently. Once such common area is healing. We proclaim belief in God's ability to heal...we see miraculous healings happen in scripture...but does God actually heal today? Join us as we explore healing prayer and put our faith into practice!
We're digging into a deeper relationship, a growing relationship, with God's Spirit! We're listening...we're seeking...we're following. But our relationship with the Spirit doesn't stop with just Him and us. As we grow in our fellowship with the Spirit, it should overflow into our relationship with others. The Church, the Body of Christ, is unified by the Spirit. Our ever-increasing relationship with Him effects and grows our relationships within the Body. Let's explore what this type of relationship might look like as we share our relationship with the Holy Spirit!
Communication is a key to growing in any relationship. So when it comes to our relationship with God, how are we doing with our communication? We often talk about prayer being our time talking with God; however, if we're being honest, this tends to be a one-way street. We have no problem telling God what we think as we share with Him in our prayer times. But do we listen? Do we stop to hear God's voice in our hearts and minds? Scripture clearly tells us that we can, and should, hear God's voice. It might just take some practice to hear but God is speaking to you today!
We know, as believers, that the Spirit of God lives in us and with us. Jesus tells us as much in John 14. But we also would admit that we often struggle to know how to build into our relationship with the Holy Spirit. How do we depend on Him more and more? How do we walk with Him day by day? Thankfully, Jesus doesn't just say the Spirit will be with us. He also tells us how to seek Him. It starts with thirst and it continues with asking. We can ask for more. Not only is it ok to ask for more, it's encouraged! Join us this week as we continue to explore living with more of the Holy Spirit!
With the advent of a fresh new year, we feel the pressure to start off on the right foot. We make a resolution to do better in the coming year - to do more good, to get "more" healthy, to connect with more people. Resolutions are about more...and more takes work...and that's often why we fail. But in 2018, what if we decided to connect with God more? To have more of God in our lives? This could be a very do-able resolution! Why? Because God has already done the work! God is inviting us to more of Him this year. How will you respond to His invitation?
We expect Christmas each year. That makes sense because December comes around each year. We have our traditions...the things we look forward to (and a few things we don't). We get excited to see the cold weather set in and the snow begin to fall. But what if Christmas was unexpected? The first Christmas was very unexpected. While the national of Israel was expecting the long-awaited Messiah, they were not expecting what arrived that first Christmas! This week we'll rediscover the meaning of Christmas in the unexpected arrival of Jesus and see that God always has a plan, even when we don't expect it.
Within our own family, we each celebrate Christmas with certain traditions. Some of our traditions are unique to our family while other are common and shared throughout the world. Two of the more popular traditions of Christmas involve putting a tree inside your house and a jolly, red-suited gentleman bringing gifts down your chimney. As […]
Christmas can be a pretty exciting time of the year...all the trees, presents, nativity scenes, and cookies. But Christmas can also be a pretty confusing time of the year...all the trees, presents, nativity scenes, and cookies. It's no wonder one child summarized Christmas as "the three wise men who followed the star to the North Pole looking for the baby nutcracker."
This year, as we begin the Advent season, we're going to explore our celebration of Christmas and begin to ask why do we celebrate the way we do? Almost every tradition has a purpose or meaning behind it...let's redeem everyone's favorite time of the year and begin to look anew at the coming of our Savior!
We've been asking several questions in our pursuit of theology, knowledge about God. Most recently, we've asked "how can we start over?" The answer, simply, was that we can indeed start over through Jesus. He offers us a free gift to begin again through His sacrifice on the cross. But is that it? Are we forgiven of our sins and then left to simply wait for eternity with Christ? This week, we'll ask and answer the next logical question, "what do we do now?" Once we've started over in Christ, what do we do next? The answer...we go on a mission!
Anytime you're playing a game with a preschool aged child, they always seem to be asking for a "do-over." Whether they rolled a bad number on the dice, or picked up the wrong card in Candyland, they think they deserve the right to start over. At at age 4, we usually let them. But what about for the rest of us? Do we ever get to start over?
As we continue through our Theology in a Nutshell series today, we are going to explore the topics of Jesus and Salvation. In this, we will see that, yes, we do indeed get a do-over. We are offered a free gift through Jesus to begin again. The choices we've made, the sins we've committed, can all be forgiven and we can start fresh through Jesus!
At some point in our lives, whether after falling asleep on a car ride or waking up one morning to head off to work, we all ask the question "how did I get here?" We all find ourselves questioning how our current situation arose. What did we do or not do to get us "here," wherever our "here" happens to be. No matter where your "here" is, to find the answer, you have to go back to the beginning. Ultimately, we all have the same beginning and we find that in Genesis 1:1. From "in the beginning" we can move through the timeline of God, Creation, Humanity, and ultimately Sin. These are the theological foundations to everything we are today. How did we get here? Let's start at the beginning of the story...
Theology...it's something you either love or avoid. Many of us tend to avoid deep theological conversations because they often lead to harsh arguments. But what if theology didn't have to be so scary? Theology, the study of God, really doesn't have to send us running in the opposite direction. Instead, it should grab our attention and our hearts as we seek to know our Creator more. As we study who God is, we will also learn about who we were created to be. Over the next several weeks, we will begin to explore our theology by asking questions that should lead us to know God more, love God more, and desire a relationship with Him more!
We all worry...we all have some anxiety; but what do we do with them when they bury us? How do we handle life when we feel stuck in the pit of overwhelming worry? We often turn to scripture and see Jesus saying "do not worry" and Paul writing "do not be anxious about anything," but what do we do to overcome worry and anxiety when we get stuck in them? Thankfully, scripture has a little more to say than what we typically memorize and quote. In Philippians 4, Paul not only writes "do not be anxious" but he also elaborates on what we should do when we find ourselves struggling with these feelings.
Scripture is filled with "one another" passages. Over and over again, God shares with us how we are to live with one another, serve one another, and love one another. The challenge is we often stay focused on ourselves and not the others in our lives. As we explore Luke 18-19, we'll see once again that Jesus both calls us to and models outward focus. What does it look like to live outwardly? To focus on building God's Kingdom and not my own personal empire?
What are you afraid of? What keeps you up at night? Is it heights? The dark? Clowns? Spiders? This time of year, our culture gets really interested in what scares you. Some people love to be scared and some people like to scare others...and then there's those who just want the candy!
But what about when our fears keep us from bigger things? When our fears collide with our faith? As we explore Matthew 14 today, we'll see that fear doesn't have to hinder us from living a life of faith but instead might just show us where we need to step out of our boats as God calls us to faith.
Life is easier with step-by-step instructions. Granted, most men don't want to read those instructions when assembling things but overall life is easier when there's a simple process to follow. So often, we try to create these unassuming processes to be used in our faith lives. If you're struggling with "x," just do these three easy things to overcome it. But what if that's not what God intended for us? What if God wants more than just a religious formula to be the basis for our faith? Join us this week as we look at 1 Samuel 4 to see how, like the Israelites, we can find ourselves stuck in religion.
Technology has come a long way! Just one of the newer (and GREAT) advancements on my smartphone is the visual voicemail. Now, when someone inevitably leaves their return phone number too quickly, I can simply rewind and replay that part over and over again until I am able to decider the digits! While this ability to rewind and loop is helpful in so many areas of our lives, it often hinders us when we do it mentally. We often find ourselves rewinding and looping through past events and they're often the ones we're not particularly proud of. We tend to loop and reflect on those events and conversations that we feel guilty or ashamed about. We begin to wonder what other would think if they knew what we've done and what we've said in the past. And these feelings of guilt and shame begin to dig a hole what we find ourselves stuck in, unable to move forward in life.
But Jesus came to set us free from our pasts, to set us free from guilt and shame. In John 4, we see His encounter with a woman who also struggled with her past. Let's dig in to see how Jesus helps her get unstuck and how He can help us do the same today!
We've all felt it. You may be feeling it right now. Sometimes you just feel stuck and you can see no way out of "it."
"It" may be your job, your family situation, your finances, your faith, or even your self. Regardless of what "it" is, you just feel stuck. But what if there was a way out of your stuck-ness? What if God had a path to help you out of the hole you find yourself in?
The first step is to take a good, close look at the choices you have in your life. What choices have you made? What choices are you going to make? As we begin to explore this idea of becoming unstuck, let's look at six truths to start us on the path to climbing out of the dark and into the rest and peace that God intended for us.
Raising kids can be quite challenging. Most parents today feel like they are losing their marbles as they desperately try to raise their kids in a world culture that is increasingly different than the faith culture to which we are called. But what if you didn’t have to do it alone? What if you were […]
What would you do with a day off? If your boss called and told you everything is closed today (say for a solar eclipse or something!). What would you do? Several of you would go fishing! There seem to be two types of people - those who love to fish and those who do not. Those who love to fish find it relaxing and would gladly spend a day out on the water.
Several of Jesus' disciples would fall into the "I like to fish" group. They spent much of their lives before meeting Jesus out on the lake. In John 21, we find them there again. However, this fishing trip will change their lives forever...not by meeting Jesus (they've already done that) but because Jesus want to restore their broken relationship and this relationship leads to something.
After all these weeks of talking about being "Poolside with God," we finally see Jesus going to an actual pool! However, He's not wearing His swimming trunks nor is He lathered in sunscreen. Instead, He's just going about His regular day celebrating the Sabbath when He encounters a man in need of healing. While there is no swimming at the pool, there is healing! Let's take a look at John 5 and see what things we might need to reflect on in our own lives as we continue to dive into God's great love for us!
Have you ever fallen asleep on the beach? Most of us have at some point. Did anyone get upset with you? When you're with family or friends hanging out at the beach, there may be a level of disappointment if you fall asleep rather than engaging in the fun and conversation. The disciples had a similar problem with Jesus in Mark 4. They didn't care for it too much when Jesus fell asleep. There are many times when we also feel like God is sleeping and not paying attention to us. As we explore the story of Jesus calming the story, let's learn how to handle the moments when God seems silent.
Everyone's grandparent, at some point, has said, "I remember when I was your age..." Most times these statements are met with a subtle eye roll and a "Yes, Grandma, life was so much harder when you were young." While these declarations can be comical and, at times, annoying, they do serve a deeper purpose. The ability to look back at the past and compare it to the present is extremely important.
In scripture, we see the Israelites building memorials to remember God's faithful. When they would looked at these monuments, they would say, "I remember when God did that and He can do it again today!" We too need memorials or memories to look back upon. If we can't return to memories of God's faithfulness, it will be that much harder to trust Him with the challenges of today. As we explore Joshua 3-4, let's see the importance of "remembering when" as we move into the future with God.
Many of us love sitting by the pool, soaking in the sun. We love to sit and talk with friends and family building into relationships and going deeper as we relax. However, one thing many of us do not like to do at the pool is get wet. While we like being next to the water, we don't want to get in the water. But there's always that one kid...that one kid who, no matter what, seems to always aim his cannonball splash our way. It's not easy staying dry when you're relaxing next to the water!
Our spiritual lives are the same way. We strive to live lives pleasing to God in gratitude for His gift of salvation but the world seems to be splashing us from every direction. When things get hard and life is tough, it can seem like we're trapped and there's no way out without "getting wet." But what if that's not true? What if God is there with us, helping us to "stay dry?"
Sunday morning message shared by guest speaker Pastor Tom Koch. First, remember, God hates sin, but He LOVES you! He sees you as righteous as Jesus! Rom. 4:24-5:1 (God’s Wrath or punishment is the result of holy, righteous, justice. (Poured out on Jesus) Discipline is the product of a loving Father.) Second, we live […]
It's summer...time to head to the pool! This time of year, we all love to spend the day by the water. There's nothing quite as refreshing as a relaxing day lounging in the sunshine. Even better is when someone invites you out for a day of splashing! Did you ever stop to realize that God is inviting you "poolside" to join Him? He desires to have a deep, intimate relationship with you. It's why He created us! The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters of the pre-creation universe (Gen. 1:2) and then God spoke everything into existence so we could join Him in relationship! Let's join Him at the pool today!
What would you say if you were asked "what two things do you always need more of?" I suspect near the top of your list I would find mention of pennies and patience. In some way or another, we can all use more money and a higher level of endurance with the events of life. As we launch into the opening of James 5, James addresses these two areas - how do we humbly approach our financial resources while we wait patiently on our coming Lord.
What are you doing tomorrow? If you're like me, you not only have a plan but you have a back-up plan as well! I love to plan! To some extent, we all do. We like to think about, dream about, what we're going to do tomorrow or on vacation this summer or in our retirement. But how do we look at the future? How do we plan? James continues his message to us with some challenging words on how we look at and plan for tomorrow.
Let's look at our personal relationships and what James has to tell us in James 4:1-12 about the essential characteristic of a Christ Follower.
"Do or do not, there is no try" - Yoda
Wouldn't it be nice if life was that easy? Only two choices with no middle ground? If every decision could be broken down into a binary of sorts? Unfortunately, life is much more complicated. Almost every decision and choice comes with multiple options that take us in every direction. Yet when we come to James chapter 3, we find that somethings in life are as simple as the beloved, fictional character Yoda makes them with only two options. There are only two kinds of wisdoms, only two ways that we can live our lives. Which way are you going to live?
When was the last time you were at the circus? What did you see? Lions doing tricks? Elephants balancing? Bears on bikes? It's pretty impressive what these amazing creatures have learned to do! James tells us that "all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed my man, but no man can tame the tongue" (James 3:7-8). While we might be able to teach a bear to ride a bicycle, we can't figure out how to control something as small and "harmless" as our own tongues! As we continue in our exploration of the Book of James, we discover 6 important lessons about our tongues and the starting point to controlling them.
Happy Mother's Day! Our moms set one of our first examples in life of what love looks like. Out of the overflow of their hearts, they care for us! In this visible expression of love, we also learn an important lesson about faith. Our faith should overflow into action. Let's look at how James defines faith and what faith looks like...
We all have favorite things...our favorite pizza, our favorite vacation spot, our favorite sports team. But we shouldn't have favorite people. God calls us to love and care for everyone, not just those we like or those who look like us. James opens the next part of his letter with a clear call when he states "we cannot show favoritism" (James 2:1). But what does this look like practically as we live out our lives for Christ?
Some people really like to talk. If you know any extreme extroverts, then you probably know a few people who have the gift of gab! Not that there's anything wrong with being chatty, but when we come to James 1:19, there is a clear challenge for all of us, especially those who like to talk! "Be quick to listen and slow to speak." But what is James referring to here? Is he just thinking about people who like to talk or is there a deeper lifestyle that James is drawing us to?
Life can be hard...and unless you're crazy, no one looks forward to the hardships. Yet James opens up his letter with the words "consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds." REALLY?!? Look at our hardships with joy? How is this even possible? Well thankfully James doesn't stop there. Let's explore how we can find joy even in the middle of challenging situations.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Today we celebrate the empty tomb and the hope we have in Jesus! The first Easter, however, was less celebratory than today...at least at first. The first Easter started off feeling hopeless, full of sadness. Yet it didn't stay that way very long! Hope was restored at the empty tomb! He have hope in our Risen Savior!
We've almost all heard the parable of the Prodigal Son. A son decides he wants his inheritance now and is not willing to wait. As soon as his father (graciously!) gives it to him, he runs off and wastes it all, only to return home to his forgiving father who is waiting with open arms. But as always, Jesus tells this parable in Luke 15 to draw our attention to a spiritual truth - we are all the son and our Heaven Father is waiting for us!
When we work hard, we expect fair compensation. We don't like to be taken advantage of or ignored. But what about when we're over compensated? How do we feel when we receive more than we are due? God, in His amazing grace, gives us more than we deserve! As we explore the parable in Matthew 20, see how God not only loved us enough to send His Son to bring us mercy but went even further to extend us grace!
We’ve all heard the parable of the Good Samaritan. We’ve all learned the lesson that we need to show kindness. But is that the only thing Jesus was trying to teach in Luke 10? How did the first audience to this popular parable understand Jesus’ teaching? Who really is “our neighbor”?
Sometimes a story is just a story. At other times, a story is more. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a seemingly simple story about a farmer who plants seeds. On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward but it carries a lot of weight when we apply it to ourselves. How are we applying God’s Word […]
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector walk into the temple… No, this is not the start of an Old Testament joke but instead a parable of Jesus. Through the use of storytelling, Jesus provided deep lessons on the Kingdom of God and other spiritual topics. This week, as we look at a story about a Pharisee […]
We are called to “go and make disciples” and to be Christ’s ambassadors. We reach our world and open doors, introducing people to the love of Jesus, and there are a lot of opportunities to do so. However, without coming to the one door that really matters, none of our efforts mean anything. Jesus is […]
We are called to be Christ's Ambassadors and to reach the world for Him. Sometimes, however, our own expectations get in the way and we need to be reminded that we are simply called to do the work and God will make it grow.
We all open doors...both physically and spiritually. What doors are you opening? How are you reaching the world with the love, forgiveness, and hope that Jesus offers?
We all have heroes we aspire to be like. Let’s make sure we’re setting our sights on the right one this Advent season.
Matthew: Lessons from John the Baptist - Avoiding Spiritual Inoculation - Matthew 11:1-6
Matthew: Jesus' Kingdom Strategy - Wise as Serpents Harmless as Doves - Matthew 10:16-26
Matthew: Jesus Brings Life - Matthew 9:18-19, Matthew 9:23,26, Mark 5:21-24, Mark 5:35-43