Lifetree Community Church: Recent Episodes
Lifetree Community Church
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community.
Today we continued our sermon series entitled, "Lord...Help." "Sometimes it takes storms for us to appreciate stillness." "Storms change people." "Remember all the times God has brought you through the storms in your past."
Today we continued our sermon series entitled, "Lord...Help." "When we call out to Him, when we experience His rescue, then we can help others discover the joy of knowing God is their healer, too."
Today we continued our sermon series entitled, "Lord...Help." "You have a Savior God & He is ready & waiting to rescue you from whatever keeps you captive."
*We are sorry about the audio changes :)
Join us this week as we kick off a new sermon series based out of Psalm 107. We pray that you are blessed by this message!
This week at Lifetree we ended our sermon series entitled "Prove It." - God loves you - not because you earned it or deserve it, but because He knows what He put in you - what He made you to be - you are priceless to Him - you were worth dying for.
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "Prove It." - Jesus said, “Let your love for each other be a testimony to the world that God is good and His promises are true and that His love is for real.” When we actually love each other, and care for each other, no matter how crazy the world might think we are, they won’t be able to deny the proof of our love.
This week at Lifetree we heard from Cheryl Greco, who shared an amazing message reminding us that God is Holy and He wants us to be holy.
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "Prove It." "What will keep you going is a vision of what is to come - hope in the promise of God gives us endurance."
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "Prove It." "When you sense temptation, that is your proving ground, and you can choose to yield control to God. You get to decide who you will submit to."
Today we heard from our Belgium team, and were introduced to other Missions opportunities.
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "Prove It." The evidence of effective faith is a knowledge of God that makes you bold for Him.
This week at Lifetree we kicked off a new sermon series entitled "Prove It." It’s time to prove our faith has what it takes to make a difference today, and faith that will lead us and those all around us, into eternity.
Today we heard a sermon from Pastor Vic on our halfway mark of the year! We also heard some amazing testimonies from some in our congregation on how God has given them perfect peace even in the midst of their troubles.
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "The Secret of Contentment." "Father in heaven, You made me. You rule over all creation. You alone are God. I confess that there are times I think I know better than You. That if I were in Your place, my life would be better. That is not true. You are perfect in all of Your ways. You are precisely what I need You to be, yesterday, today, and forever. There could be no better God than You. I will worship You because You are worthy of my worship. My worship is the only appropriate response to who You are. My contentment is found in the promise that one day, I will have the privilege of understanding Your perfection in full. Amen."
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "The Secret of Contentment." "Heavenly Father, You have given me a will, and I am free to do with it what I choose. I acknowledge that within me is the desire to have what I want when I want. I recognize that getting my way does not promise contentment. It may not even be for my good. So today, and each day after, I surrender my will to Yours. I trust You to guide the seasons of my life. Your ways are just right and Your timing is perfect. You have made everything beautiful in it’s time. I will look for it. As I do, I will see You in each season of my life, and I will find contentment in Your presence with me. Amen."
This week at Lifetree we continued our sermon series entitled "The Secret of Contentment." "Dear Father in Heaven, I am not able to do all I want. I acknowledge that doing more does not promise me contentment. You have given me work to do, and I commit to doing my best with whatever You entrust to me. Most of all, I know that You have done the greatest work. On the cross, You died for me. You forgave my sins. You gave me eternal life. This is where my contentment is found."
This week at Lifetree Pastor Dan continued our sermon series "The Secret of Contentment." God will give you everything good for you. I do not have all that I want, and having more does not promise me contentment. If I do not have what I want, then I accept that today it is not good for me. At this moment, I lack nothing. God is so Good.
This week at Lifetree we kicked off a new sermon series entitled "The Secret of Contentment." God wants us to live lives full of contentment regardless of circumstance. The enemy wants us to believe all kinds of lies to keep us from know this peace, but God provides the truth in knowing and trusting Him fully. We pray that you are blessed by this week's message!
Join us as we hear a powerful word from Evangelist Greb Hubbard on the saving nature of God. God loves us and, by the stirring of His Holy Spirit, wants to bring all people into a fully surrendered life. We pray that this message blesses you today!
Join us today as we welcome our friend and faithful missionary to Mexico, Noah Lane. In this message Noah shares a challenging word on being chosen by God, filled with His spirit, and empowered to be a light for Him in our everyday lives. We pray you are blessed by today's message!
The cross meant salvation for all who believe, but that's just the beginning. God calls us his masterpiece and we've been created to do good works He's prepared for us in advance. Join us today as we discover how God empowers us to live this out in our everyday lives.
This week at Lifetree, we reflected on Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. So many people were not sure what was going on, and the one question everyone was asking was "Who is this?!!" The crowd had an incomplete understanding of who Jesus truly was. They knew what they had heard about Him, but most did not know Him personally. So, the pressing question is do you have a complete understanding of Jesus?
The past few weeks we’ve been exploring the most important role of our lives, that God has called us to be His personal Ambassadors. As Ambassadors, our words must be both a gracious gift and attractive, as though flavored just right with salt, coming from our heart. If you speak with grace and you speak from your heart - it will literally be the perfectly right response for whoever you are sharing with. We are Ambassadors for God, and it is time to share the message.
This week at Lifetree we continued to look at what it means to be an Ambassador for Jesus specifically what it means to live wisely among those who are not believers and what it means to make the most of every opportunity.
The past few weeks, we have been looking at the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6. This Sunday, we explored the next part of the blessing - "May the Lord be gracious to you" and what it meant for those who heard it first and what it means for us today.
The past few weeks we have been exploring the oldest known piece of Scripture - a 3,000 year old passage from Numbers 6 called the Aaronic or Priestly Blessing. This week, we specifically looked at the third part, "May the Lord smile on you", and learned what it means for us and what we should do with it.
Last week, we learned that we, as the church, are considered the new Royal Priesthood by God. We read and received the blessing that God gave to Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel and the brother of Moses. This week, we focused on the words “And Protect You” and what it means in our lives and those around us today.
Last week we shared we believe God has revealed this will be a year of Perfect Peace, and the first step on the journey to that peace is understanding what God has spoken over us. Over the next few weeks, we are going to be exploring the Aaronic Blessing, the oldest Biblical text known to man, and the importance it has on our lives today.
Time changes things, and as time changes, what God is doing changes. So, with the start of the new year, God is turning our attention to a new focus. In His divine wisdom and goodness, He is planting a new seed in us. In 2025, we believe God is telling us, it is time for His PERFECT PEACE.
Our Christmas Series this year is called "When Heaven Met Earth", and we are exploring the fact that between the lines of all the miracles and grand work of God, there are some very human responses. This week, we looked at Zechariah's response to the angel and the part we can play in God's extraordinary works.
This week as we began our Christmas series, we read about Zechariah and Elizabeth and their desire to have a child. Even in their old age, they never stopped praying for a child. Even when their hope was fading, they continued being righteous and praying. As we enter this Christmas season, as you hear Zechariah’s story, what do you need to keep hoping for?
This week at Lifetree, Reverend Cheryl Greco spoke about passing on the inheritance of identity and purpose to others or, in other words, how to outlive your life!
Whether it is the Yankees winning the World Series or anything else we want, we can try everything we know to do to make something happen, and if all else fails, we pray. Sometimes God seems to answer and sometimes not. Prayer can be a confusing thing, so what do we do with that?
Last week, kicked off a news sermon series - Inheritance. We're not talking about wealth, but rather identifying what kind of spiritual inheritance we are passing on to those who are following us. This week, we explored something we can pass on to those around us that would actually be better than passing on every piece of knowledge you have, better than passing on all the wisdom of your experiences, better than passing on all the words of encouragement and support and love you could ever give someone, and better than your best efforts to help!
The past few weeks we’ve been exploring the idea that There’s More - that God has so much more for all of us. No matter where you are in your journey of faith, there’s more. This week we looked at the idea that God wants us to make us more like Him and to give us His character, so we can show the world who He really is.
Last week, we began a new sermon series called There’s More. We acknowledged we are not perfect people, but God is committed to making us perfect - that He has more for us. When we come to faith, we receive the salvation of God, but there's more. Our job now is not simply to know God but also to make Him known.
This week, we began a new series called There’s More. Throughout this series, we'll be exploring the principle that no matter where you are in your journey of faith, whether just getting started, or whether you’ve been walking with God for decades - there’s more.
The past several weeks, we’ve been examining a prayer that King Solomon prayed for the dedication of the Temple he had built for God. The prayers he prayed over the nation of Israel are also prayers we can pray over our country. This week, we wrapped up our series by looking at the conclusion to his prayer. It directly addresses what happens when we have an identity crisis, when we forget who we are.
Past several weeks, we have been examining prayers we can pray to begin the work of effecting change. As we pray, our hearts will be changed, and we’ll be moved to do things that will also bring change. This week we looked at what the fourth prayer tells us - that God still wants to be known by everyone. In order for that to happen, we are must be the display window of who God is and what He is doing.
Last week, we began a new series called Prayers for a Nation. We’re looking at a prayer King Solomon prayed over the dedication of the Temple. He wasn’t just praying over a building, but over the people of Israel - over a nation. Today, we are going to look at the next thing Solomon prayed over the nation. And if we want God to restore good to our country, then we can pray this, too.
This week we kicked off a series called Prayers for a Nation. As the people of God, who believe God has put us here on the earth at this time in history and has empowered us with His Spirit, what is our role, our responsibility, in all of this? For those who are American citizens, who have the privilege of voting, we should exercise that right. But what else? Is there more that God has put in our hands to do?
Our church begins each new year seeking to answer one big question: What season are we entering? We sensed that this was a year of Wholehearted Devotion To summarize it simply, we believe God saying it is time to go all in, to hold nothing back, to stop dipping our toes in the water and fully commit ourselves to God. So the halftime question for you is this: How you doing with that?
This week we began a new series exploring one of the most famous stories in human history - the story of Noah and his ark and the great flood that covered the earth. It’s a story of love, kindness, and wisdom. It’s also a story about the judgment and wrath of God. For next few weeks going to dive into some hard truths about God and find where and how His goodness interacts with it by looking at one of the most familiar stories in human history - Noah, his ark, and the flood.
Over the past 6 weeks, we’ve been diving into a profound truth Jesus taught over 2,000 years ago. Every gate, leads to a road, and every road leads to an end, and those ends are already determined before you ever step foot on the road. Every road always leads to its end. You don’t get to pick where you want to end up only which road you will walk. This week we explored one final decision about the Narrow Way - do you believe you have been made in the image of God?
Whenever we encounter something we can’t fix, we find ourselves at a Gate - where does our strength come from? Will we choose the Wide Gate and fix it ourselves or will we recognize our weakness and turn to God for help?
The past few weeks we’ve been exploring something Jesus said that directly impacts the decisions we make each day. He said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." In this series, we’ve been looking at just what kinds of uncommon decisions & uncommon living will lead to life, and this week we talked about the third gate - Will you believe that God can heal?
This week Kate Gutmann shared with us a message she felt God was putting on her heart for Lifetree. She shared that in our own way every single one of us are sent here to represent God whether that be in our families, places of work, community, or abroad.
This week we kicked off a new series about following Jesus - Walking the Narrow Way. In this series, we’re going to explore the difference between the Wide and the Narrow Way. We will explore what makes the Narrow Way hard, why it is not commonly chosen, but most importantly, discover where it leads.
This week at Lifetree as we celebrated Easter, Pastor Dan shared about Jesus being our Good Shepherd and how just as sheep NEED a shepherd, we NEED the Good Shepherd.
This week, we wrapped up our series on A Great Mystery where we've been exploring our relationship with God through the analogy of marriage and how it impacts all our relationships. In the last message of this series, we looked at the ultimate end, the goal, of our relationship with God.
This week as we continued our series on A Great Mystery, we examined the beginning of humanity’s story. In that story, a truth is found there that will impact every single relationship in your life including some that haven’t even formed yet.
Last week we learned that God loves us perfectly. This week we looked at what our response to God’s love looks like. How do we love God back?
This week, we began a new series called A Great Mystery. For the next few weeks we are going to explore the most powerful mystery of love and how being loved is the single greatest determining factor in the kind of life you live and the kind of relationships you have. The measure to which we accept and believe God really loves us is the measure to which we are able to love anybody else.
Throughout January, we have been exploring the Greatest Commandment - to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Together, these four elements help us understand what it means to be Wholeheartedly Devoted to God. This week we looked at the final one - STRENGTH.
This past October, as a staff we made time to ask God what this next year would hold for our church, and we sensed God revealing 2024 was going to be a Year of Wholehearted Devotion. It’s time to love God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL our strength. This week we looked at what it means to be wholeheartedly devoted with all our soul.
Seasons are a part of life, and they help us know where we’re coming from, where we presently are, and where we are headed towards. As we’re heading into a new season in time we asked God, “God, what are You saying today? Where are You leading us in this year?" So, drumroll please! In this new season of 2024, we believe God is bringing us into a year of Wholehearted Devotion.
Today, on the absolute final day of 2023 we are going to reflect on our theme for this past year - A Year of Awakening. This week's message is a little different. It's participatory. Either create a new note on your phone or get out a piece of paper and a pen. Feel free to pause this message to really take time to reflect on each of the questions asked. Also, pray and ask God for ability to see His hand at work in our lives.
During December, we've been going through the Christmas story focusing on a different character every week. This Sunday, we focused on Joseph. He was a normal guy going about his normal life, and God used him in extraordinary ways, yet he didn’t do anything miraculous. God had a unique part for Joseph to play to make Himself known, and just like Joseph, you have a unique role in helping those around you know God as well.
This week we continued our Christmas series looking at Elizabeth's first encounter with Jesus. It wasn't in a fancy temple or on a significant day of the year. Jesus came to her when she was going about her day to day life, and He does the same for us now. You don’t have to be sitting in a certain position or in a church building. Jesus will come to you exactly where you are. The question is this: will you receive Him?
Since the beginning of time, God has been telling us His plans. The hard part is not figuring out what God is doing; it is believing it. God has told us He hears our prayers, but do you believe it? Are there prayers you have stopped praying? Maybe this Christmas season, it's time to start them up again. God is doing more than we think, and the first step is believing what He says He is doing.
The past few weeks we’ve been talking about culture. Culture is what we make of the world. Sometimes as we walk through life and encounter elements of culture, even though we know what is good and right, we just don’t want to do it. We want to experience that part of culture. This week we looked at three stories of people who did just that. While looking at these stories, we see the Paradox of Culture and how good God is that He shows us grace when we get it wrong.
This week we continued our series called Thew Knew the Times. While looking at Daniel’s story we see how God chooses to use his people within culture rather than in opposition to it. Sometimes we wonder if the skills we have are any good to God. However, the truth is that God takes your abilities and makes you extraordinarily useful within culture.
This week, we are celebrating 13 years of Lifetree Community Church! Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about what we do as the church. This week we flipped the question to ask "What is He doing?"
The past few weeks, we've been examining what we are doing as a church. God has created this thing we call the church and has put the map of life inside each of us, but none of us have a complete map. God has broken it up into pieces and given us each a part. Our job, and the THIRD thing we are supposed to do, is collaborate and share the different parts of the map that is in us. As we do that, each of us gets a clearer picture of the whole map. That’s why God has charged us to go share it with others, to go make disciples.
Last week, we kicked off a new series called "What Are We Doing?" where we are re-examining our purpose as a church. While churches do a lot of things, there are three things that stand out as core purposes of our church, and they're found right in our name. This week we looked at the second thing we are here to do. God has called us to be COMMUNITY BUILDERS.
In a few weeks, we will celebrate 13 years of Lifetree Community Church. A lot has happened since October 10, 2010, and over time, it can be easy to forget what we are dong here. So, as we get ready to celebrate our 13th birthday, it's time to remind ourselves What Are We Doing here. Over next few weeks, going to re-discover, to re-awaken, or maybe for you for the first time, to hear why we are a church and what we are doing and how you are a part of it!
This week at Lifetree we had our Kids Takeover Sunday where our Treehouse Kids and ROOTED Youth hosted the service, led us in worship, and shared a message that God has put on their heart. We wrapped up our series on Wisdom From Above by focusing on the last attribute found in James 3: the Wisdom from Above is Always Sincere.
This week during our series Wisdom from Above, we explored the next quality of God’s Wisdom - being Gentle At All Times. While some might think being gentle is being quiet, soft, or easy, in the Bible we see time and time again that GENTLENESS is the key to POWER.
Two weeks ago Pastor Vic introduced us to a passage from James where the wisdom of the world is contrasted with the Wisdom from Above. We are surrounded by experts - people who know exactly what we should do and how we should do it and why we should do it their way, but how do we know what is wisdom and what is not? Today, we examined what it means that the wisdom from above is Peace Loving which means when you are in the valley of decision, you can trust that the wisdom God gives you will always be they way that leads to peace.
This week, we got a chance to hear the testimonies of our missions team who earlier this month spent a week in Guadalajara, Mexico. While they were there they helped continue the construction of a local community center and orphanage as well as ministered at three different rehab centers. Listen in to hear the funny stories and memories of the trip as well as how God worked in each of their lives while they were in Mexico.
Today we had the honor of hearing from Gail VanBriggle who alongside her family is a missionary to Belgium. She shared about the work God is doing in Belgium and stories about why missions both local and global really matters.
Studies have shown past few years, we are losing trust in other people, and in our institutions. We don't trust our government, schools, banks, or even each other. How many times have you been going through a problem and you’ve heard someone say to you, "You just need to trust God"? Maybe you’ve heard it so many times and want to believe it but hearing it and believing it seem disconnected. If we live in a world where we can’t and maybe have never learned to trust others, how can we trust God?
As we get ready to send our missions team to Tlajomulco next week, we stopped to ask what difference does a one week-long trip really make and is it enough of a difference to justify all the time, energy, and resources it will cost? In this week's message, Pastor Dan spoke about the importance of going and how the the danger is not going is that those who are part of the Far Away eventually become the Forgotten.
Back in January, we took time as a church to pause and listen to what God was saying to us about 2023. God put it on our hearts that this would be a Year of Awakening; there were parts of us that were not awake, and God was going to be speaking to those places like an alarm clock and getting us to wake up. Now, it is end of June - means we are almost exactly half way through 2023. It’s time for us to take a break and call HALFTIME.
Today, we wrapped up our series on Manna by looking at one last way that God provides. This time we focused on something God told Moses to do that related specifically to the next generation. They need to know that not only is there manna for us, but there’s manna for THEM.
During this series, we've been looking at all the different ways God provides. This week, we turned to the New Testament where Jesus teaches us to not be concerned about perishable things like food and to stop being so worried about where our daily needs are coming from. He has it. He will provide. Instead, we should be spending our energy seeking the eternal life He wants to give you.
During this series, we've been looking at all the different ways God provides in each season of life. There are times you have no means of providing - you are up against it, and God shows up supernaturally. Then there are seasons where God blesses us with family and a job and health and the ability to live in a way that leads to provision. No matter how God provides, everything you have is always from Him. It’s ALL still manna.
Have you ever felt you needed to do something, but there was no juice to do it? We can talk until we’re blue in the face about how there’s manna for that, but some days it feels like there isn’t. God gives you what we need to accomplish what is in front of you, but there are some days when there is no manna for that. It's not because God has failed or forgotten, but instead it's because God is giving you a gift - a rest. God says, "Hey, be still. You have enough to get you through today. No more work."
Manna is a constant reminder that God is always faithful even when we aren’t. God does not send manna because you deserve it, but because He loves you. He knows who we are and what we’ve done and gives us manna anyway.
This week at Lifetree, we had the privilege of hearing the transformative stories from some of the men at Adult & Teen Challenge New Jersey, an organization that helps individuals struggling with addiction find recovery and walk in freedom and God's purpose for their lives. If you would like to learn more about this life-changing program, you can visit their website at https://tcnewjersey.org/
We all have needs that are depleted daily and need to be replenished, and the reality of depleting resources creates pressure to provide. This week, Pastor Dan shared one simple statement that can honestly, genuinely relieve the pressure or provision off you. Whatever you have a genuine need for, There’s Manna For That.
- This week, we kicked off a new series called Manna. Manna is the food God provided to the Israelites while they were in the desert. While they most likely didn't expect to receive food that was so simple and practical, God knew what they needed better than they did. Just like the Israelites, we think we know what we need, but He actually knows what we need! God’s provision may not be what we expect, but we can expect that God will provide.
We've looked at ways God asked others to do some Holy Nonsense over the past few weeks. As we celebrated Palm Sunday this week, we looked at one more example of Holy Nonsense. This time it wasn’t something God was asking of us, but rather something God Himself did.
If you've been in church for a while, you probably know the story of Joshua leading the Israelites into battle against Jericho, and how after marching around the city seven times the walls came tumbling down. Have you ever stopped to think about nonsensical those battle instructions were? Even though it sounded like nonsense, they obeyed God’s battle instructions 100% and inherited the promise that was given to them. What if God is looking to demonstrate his ultimate power in your life by asking you to obey his ways - his battle tactics - his HOLY NONSENSE? The holy nonsense becomes the test of faith. It’s not about the battle, it’s about the power of God displayed in your life as you put your faith in him.
GOD may prompt you to do Holy Nonsense in the places you know the best, so you can know Him as you’ve never known Him before. It'll require that you make a choice. Is your life meant to be spent for what you want it to be? Or will you leave that behind and follow Him wherever He leads you? God is coming for your boat, and when He does He just may prompt you to do some holy nonsense in the places you are most familiar with. And when your inner Ron Swanson threatens to tell God you know better, that this is ridiculous, that you have been doing this forever and you know how this stuff works, think of Simon on his boat and say it with him - “if You say so.”
Last week we introduced the concept of Holy Nonsense. There are times when God will prompt us to do something that seems like nonsense to us. Holy Nonsense is God’s preferred method for acting in powerful ways in this world because it is so obvious that it’s ridiculous that it can only be God. This week, going to turn our attention to another story of Holy Nonsense - and this time we will find that GOD may prompt you to seek out people you would rather avoid.
Often we are confronted by problems that are greater than our capacity to solve, and God has the solution for us. What He asks you to do may sound like nonsense, and it will work. Because it has nothing to do with the nonsense, and everything to do with trusting Him.
As we wrap up this series, we look at the final step in God’s process of bringing the dead back to life - breath. Without oxygen, the cells in our bodies can’t survive and the entire body shuts down within minutes. More than anything else, the human body relies on oxygen for survival. When God created man, He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. God is the sustaining oxygen of all life. It's His breath in our lungs. It's His spirit that gives us life. His spirit is our oxygen, an incredibly powerful life-giving force. He can breathe into you and into your dead relationships with His breath, and it will come to life.
There are relationships that we may have given up on that God hasn’t. We talked last week that the first step in that process is alignment. This week we learned the second step of God’s reviving work is to connect new muscles. Bones can’t stay together or move without muscles. Muscles are what keeps us connected in relationships. The heart of God has always been to be in a relationship with us - to be connected first to Himself and then to others. You can only be at your best, as a spouse, a parent, a child, a boss, a friend - in whatever relationship you find yourself - if your relationship with God is right.
Since February marks Valentine's Day, we are going to take a look at our relationships. When the key relationships in our lives are healthy & strong we are likely to be doing well, but when there is relational distress, it touches every part of our lives. There are relationships you have given up on, that God hasn’t. God is not done with some of the relationships you feel have no chance of being recovered.
With all God has given us, how could we ever lose? Not only does God tell you what time it is, tell you what the goal is, give you His armor, and give you the enemy’s playbook, He has one more gift to help make sure we win. There is one last reality that is the game changer of all game changers. God enables you to share His divine nature, His God qualities, so that you can win no matter what this world and the powers that oppose you try to do.
Every time the enemy attacks and we overcome it, either by holding to faith, by declaring truth, by standing still in peace, by doing what we know is right, by recalling the word of God, or by expressing gratitude for our now, not yet fully salvation - every time we do that we grow stronger. The enemy is real, our God is bigger, and if we stay alert, not only will we have what it takes to resist the enemy, but we’ll be free to help those around us in their fight.
Last week we explored what it means to win at life. This week as we read Romans 13:11-12, we looked at what it really means to, in real life today, put away the dark deeds and put on the shining armor of right living.
Our world is desperate to win, and they are chasing everything that promises to lead them to victory. Our faith is not just about us and our winning. We are in this together and the measure of success is that as many as possible hear and receive the gracious salvation of Jesus Christ. We are not in competition with those around us for victory; we can all be on the same team. The heart of God is that we would see and recognize that true victory is corporate. WE win when we ALL win.
Each year at our first service we pause to ask this critical question: what season are we in now? This week, Pastor Dan shared what we sense God revealing 2023 will hold for us.
This week marks the start of our Christmas series of messages - A Thrill of Hope! There is a certain quality in the air that changes as Christmas approaches with one tradition in particular that helps cultivate that feeling - Christmas movies. In order to get the most out of these movies, we have to submit to what poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called, the “Willing Suspension of Disbelief”. This year, we've been talking about having confidence, faith, belief in a God whose form is invisible, whose voice is inaudible to human ears, a God who exists beyond time and space, a God not subject to the laws of this universe. Some would suggest that belief in God requires that same suspension of disbelief. In this week's message, we ask the question, "Is God asking us just believe and suspend all sense of disbelief?"
For the past few weeks we’ve been exploring our need for the power of God’s Spirit in order to successfully navigate this life. This week, we come to the final scenario where God promises to give us strength and it doesn’t seem so impressive - Walking. Walking is ordinary. It is basic. It doesn’t feel special. Yet that is the exact message of the prophet - the small things are the most important of all.
If you were asked if at some point in the past week you felt tired because of work, most likely you'd agree. Especially since the pandemic, it feels like we are working more, our capacity is less, and we are more and more tired. This week, Pastor Dan explored the idea of endurance and how our hope is found in the promises of God and the One with unlimited power promises that He will give that to you so that you can run and NEVER grow weary.
As we continue our series Strong in Spirit, Pastor Dan shared from Isaiah 40 where God promises to give us all new strength. Isaiah provides three circumstances where that strength comes into play in our lives: Soaring, Running, and Walking. In this week's message, we focused on Soaring referring to those times we find ourselves in life-defining moments, those times when what we do will alter our future from that point on.
Have you ever gone through a time where you thought you had strength only to realize you totally ran out?
This week at Lifetree, Pastor Otto Wegner shared about the importance of prayer. He encouraged us to always be quick to listen and slow to speak and reminded us of Psalm 46:10 which says “Be still, and know that I am God."
During this series, we've been renewing our vision for our church and examining why we are doing what we are doing. There’s one more thought regarding The Forest that you may not be expected; however, the problem is that it's literally all over the Bible. God has said this again and again. It's something that has too often been abused, misrepresented, and downright twisted to mean something God never intended.
We've been spending the past few weeks renewing our vision and reminding ourselves why we are doing this, why we’re a church - the difference it makes to us, to those in need around us, and to the next generation. There’s one last group of people we exist to bless. And it’s big. Like really big.
Where would you be without knowing about God? How different would your life be if you had to do this life on your own? The reason that each one of us has hope in God is entirely due to a long list of people who passed down truth and stories of faith. How could we fail to pass that hope to the next generation? "Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power." - Psalm 145:4
Giving is not just about money. It's about participating in God’s work of bringing life to all those here through the tithe, and to all those around us who have needs through The Forest. It’s For The Rest. Trees don’t exist for their own benefit. Generosity forms us into the kind of people who have a heart like God that desire to see true restoration take place among those in need. That’s why we do this.
What would happen if there was no church? What’s at stake if there was no Lifetree? Would it matter? During this week's message, Pastor Dan talked about the four actions a church takes to make a difference in our community and how when we see the difference this church continues to make, we’ll have deep joy in knowing we have been part of it.
God has not called us to have a nice little community church where we gather and read the Bible and talk about how to live good lives. God has called us to gather in worship so that living water can flow out of us and produce life for everyone anywhere near us. Our vision is not a single Lifetree, but a forest of Lifetrees on every side of the river! Join us in this new series as we talk more about what The Forest means for us!
In this life, we build, we guard, we provide - yet God is the one who makes it all count. He is so good that when we rest, He blesses us with those things that are often the very things we dream for, care about, and work for. Moreso, those blessings often become the things that protect and provide and fulfill our dreams. As we journey toward God, He will take care of all of it!
Psalm 92 starts with the phrase "A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day". It's a reminder of why we get together each week for church services on the Sabbath at God's direction for countless generations. When we come together, when we are present with each other, we actually become the house of God - the place where God chooses to live. It's a gift to pause and rest from our labor, to gather with all of those who likewise have received this gift, and to celebrate how good God is and all He has done for us. When we commit to being present with each other, God shows up in a special way.
Last night, we had the opportunity to hear Reverend Willie Alfonso's testimony of how God transformed his life in a miraculous way from growing up homeless to becoming a chaplain for the New York Yankees.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a circumstance or season of life that is completely dry - a lonely place - and that season is long and painful. However, no matter what part of the journey you are on right now, David has some wisdom that can help us get through any wilderness experience with a forward-looking vision for the future. This week, Reverend Cheryl Greco guided us through an 8-Step Wilderness Survival Guide to help us both survive and thrive through these journeys.
"I will exalt You, Lord, for You rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!” Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then You turned away from me, and I was shattered. I cried out to You, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will You gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise You? Can it tell of Your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!
At the end of the message, Pastor Dan asked us to do two things:
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Identify something that is wrong, something missing, something that has not yet happened that we long to see come to pass. What is a vision in your heart that has not yet come to pass - perhaps you feel a long way from it?
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Praise God in faith that He will do it - that what should be, will be. Let’s praise God fully regardless of how happy or sad we are, regardless of how good or bad we feel, regardless of whether we get to be the ones to make the change or not.
This week, James took us through our next psalm - Psalm 51. We looked at the story of David and how the shameful sin of a godly king teaches us about how brokenness leads to repentance, repentance leads to restoration, and restoration leads to change.
"For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul…God arms me with strength, and He makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; He strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; Your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping." - Psalm 18:31-38
When you are trying to do what’s right, and nobody else seems to be, when it feels like the bad guys are winning, when those who do what is wrong come out on top, when you are tempted to take the easy way out - David is saying to each one of us GOD SEES YOU.
He sees every time you choose to do right even when it would have been easier to do wrong, even when no one may have noticed, even when it feels like it won’t make any difference. God sees your faithfulness, your integrity, your purity, and your humility.
"To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful; to those with integrity, You show integrity. To the pure, You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked, You show Yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but You humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness." - Psalm 18:25-28
Psalms 1:3-8 says,"O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, "God will never rescue him!" Interlude But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from You, O Lord. May you bless your people."
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." - James 1:19
If you live to simply please yourself - if you will only allow those who affirm what you want to speak into your life - if you have no room for truth that challenges your self-serving interests - then you are destined for the ocean floor. But how do we avoid that? Realistically, how do we know if we are only listening to what we want to hear, or if we are hearing the truth?
If you will dare to hope, you will find it to be a trustworthy anchor for you over these next few months - no matter what storms come. With King David we can declare this boldly, Psalm 27:13 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
The storm of anger can and has shipwrecked the faith of far too many. What makes anger so dangerous is not that we feel it, it’s what we do with it.
This week at Lifetree, we had the pleasure of meeting Tara Matthews! Tara is a Missionary Associate who will be serving in Costa Rica with ChildHope! We are so looking forward to hearing her share her story as well as her heart about missions and calling for youth students. https://www.facebook.com/taramatthewsma/
This week at Lifetree, we examined another threat to our faith and how we can guard against it or rebuild if it's already done its damage - our past. The weight of our past can shipwreck our faith, but the failures and brokenness of our past are the very things God redeems and uses to show love to a world drowning in guilt and fear. Your past does not rob you of the future He has for you.
Have you had those days where you know you’d write the story differently? Those days where you want to tell God how things should turn out? When we walk through pain and suffering that WE THINK is unnecessary, it can cause us to distrust God - and our boat starts to sink a little. Through Naaman’s story, we learn when we feel like we know better than God, He knows exactly what He’s doing - and He’s doing MUCH MORE than what we ask for.
Missing the point of faith, or even encountering someone who has missed it, can shipwreck our faith. The point is not to believe the right things above all else. Instead, the point is to Love Well. Watch last night's message to learn more about what it means to love others well!
If you've found your faith shipwrecked or feel like you're headed that way or if you believe there is a rich treasure of faith somewhere out there but haven't experienced it yet or if you're skeptical that there's anything real out there, we're taking some time during this series to really talk about it. Each week we are going to explore one simple step we can take to rebuild a faith that is not getting the job done and how to repair your faith boat to enable you to find out for yourself if God is who He says He is.
Happy Easter, Lifetree Family! It was so good to see so many of you last night at our Saturday Night Lifetree service and this morning at our Sunrise Service! Last night, we talked about the greatest display of love our world has ever seen - a love that no Netflix show or romance movie could ever compare to.
Life is full of defining moments in our lives. Some of those could be ordinary and others could be extraordinary. The visitation of God is not some casual moment. It is always full of purpose and opportunity. He comes to help us understand the way to Peace. It is our opportunity for salvation.
"Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. - Matthew 6:26-33
Idols always over promise and under deliver; they are always more costly than we imagine. The Idol of Power promises Authority and demands we believe we don't need anyone else. But, if we refuse to worship power, to chase after it, and if we instead trust the God of All Power then He will give us the power we need to do what is ours to do.
And when you turn to the right or the left, you ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it. - Isaiah 30:21
Prepare the way.
Clear the road.
Fill valleys.
Level mountains.
Straighten curves.
Smooth rough places.
Missionaries Rocco DiTrolio and his wife Daiana shared about the work God is doing in Argentina as we continued our series on All People and the importance of sending people.
Today, we are starting a new series that finishes the year's theme of Good News. Great Joy. All People.
1 Corinthians 13:13
But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
October 9, 2021
There is joy for those who choose to follow God, for He plants us beside streams of living water.
Psalm 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
When you're tired of doing what's right and feel like quitting, remember, there is wonderful joy ahead. Don't stop running. It is going to be worth it.
1 Peter 1:6 "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while."
We all have lots of habits, and this week we will pray about making worship one of those habits.
This week we are celebrating our one year anniversary of the High Five Podcast and learning that when we worship, we enter God's presence, and that is where we find true joy.
This week we pray about Rethinking Jesus so we can understand who He is and what our relationship is like with Him.
This week we are praying about the joy and freedom that we can live in every day because of our salvation through Jesus.
This week we are praying through week one of Pastor Dan's series titled "It's Time for Good News."
This week we are praying about how Lament brings us to joy and how God is with us when we are gathered together.
This week we are praying about having joy in the Christmas season. We receive joy through our relationship with Jesus.
We can be thankful that when we can't see clearly, God can. We will pray through asking God to help us trust Him in times when we can't see the whole picture.
This week Pastor Dan shared about the hope that comes from believing that God is working on our behalf. We will pray based on this thought.
This weekend we were challenged by Pastor Dan to not be lead by how tired we are, but to lead ourselves with prayer and giving.
Based out of John Chapter 4, we will pray about how to reach lost people using Jesus's example of how He related to the Samaritan woman.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
This week we are praying though Philippians 4:4-7 and asking God to help us rejoice no matter what happens.
Philippians 2:14-15 “God, help us do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize us. May we live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of darkness and hostility.”
This week we prayed through Philippians 2:1-11 so we can have an attitude that is more like Jesus.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11 NLT
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
This week we prayed through the Citizens of Heaven prayer from our WeVille sermon series.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Prayer helps us step into a new relationship with God. This allows Him to do something new on the inside of us.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
God wanted the people of Israel to be part of the "something new" that He was doing. We can be a a part of it today through prayer.
The Lord's Prayer “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
We are starting something new! Every Friday, we will be posting sermon seeds, a little sneak peek into what this week's sermon will be about.
Today's Weekly Tree is brought to you by Diane Laws who is a missionary to Micronesia with a passion for the next generation.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
I Corinthians 13:1-8
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."
Philippians 4:4-9
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”
Romans 5:3-5
The Heart of God is always for people - never for things. God didn’t burden Nehemiah so that the walls would be restored. God burdened Nehemiah so that the people could be restored.
This week we are taking time to pray for the burdens that we carry and the burdens others carry.
Compassion Fatigue
Unrelieved burdens are like swimming in the ocean with an anchor tied to your feet We’re destined to drown because we can’t carry that kind of weight. It also doesn’t mean we weren’t meant to BE burdened. We just don’t always know what to do with them. Nehemiah gives us critical insight into what we do with burdens.
After 98 days of not meeting together in-person, we were able to have our first outdoor in-person service!
We are continuing our Month of Mercy with a conversation with Pastor Kahlil Carmichael who is the pastor at Live Well Church in Robbinsville.
Kicking off a Month of Mercy with Bob McGurty, President of Calcutta Mercy
https://www.calcuttamercy.org/
The Best is Yet to Come matters because what you BELIEVE about tomorrow determines your EXPERIENCE today.
Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
"Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." - Romans 12:4
We are continuing our High Five Series with praying for trust. Psalm 121 says:
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
The Church is ALL the PEOPLE who make the complete person of CHRIST KNOWN to the WORLD.
The value of People are Primary is all about LOVE. Real Love is UNCONDITIONAL, SACRIFICIAL, and FORGIVING.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
Mark 10:23-27
Our High Five podcast series is 5 minutes of guided prayer for specific topics each week. At Lifetree Community Church we believe in the power of prayer - and the value of praying together. This podcast offers us the opportunity to pray together - even when we can’t gather together.
“Let us celebrate this Easter with gladness of heart & let us not look for life among death, because the grave is not victorious. It is the ultimate reversal of the fall, the ultimate cure.” - Ravi Zacharias
Today is a special day, it's Palm Sunday. It marks the celebration of Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem. Typically this time of year when we are building up to Easter, but this year things are different. Right now, WE are definitely in a season of WAITING, and when you are HOPING for something, the intensity of the WAITING increases. Because we’re HOPING this ends soon, & we don’t know when it will, we find ourselves living in this TENSION.
Today was supposed to be the start of our Something New Conference. Even though we can’t meet together, Greg Hubbard recorded a special message for Lifetree.
A change of plans reveals what’s in our hearts. A change of plans also reveals the heart of God.
A change of plans reveals what’s in our hearts.
A change of plans also reveals the heart of God.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Today, Pastor Dre continues our Renamed Series with the life of the Apostle Paul and how his encounter with Jesus completely changed the former Pharisee. Despite his past, he still made Jesus famous.
Listen as Pastor Dan talks about how Simon became Peter. Jesus asks the ultimate question- Who do you say I am? When we discover who Jesus is, we finally discover who we are.
Today, Indonesia missionaries Tim and Kelly Pollick come and speak on the mission work they're doing in Indonesia and speak on the parable of the talents and how God has given us gifts for specific purposes.
This week Pastor Dan begins a brand new series- Renamed: Stories of Transformation. Today, we look at the life of Abram and how God changed his name to Abraham and how he experienced something new.
Listen as Pastor Dan explains that your something new is not just for you. God blesses everyone around you. Everybody in the wasteland gets water. Everyone in the wilderness gets a pathway through.
Listen as Pastor Dan speaks to us about having the courage to go into the wilderness or wasteland and allow him to guide us into something new.
We believe this will be a year of something new. The difference between the same old same old in your life and something new will be your belief in what God wants to do. Take a listen as Pastor Dan talks about what that means for our lives.
2019 was a year of focusing on having Jesus at the Center of everything in our lives. Listen in as Pastor Kevin gives a review of the year and the need to keep having Jesus at the center of our lives.
Pastor Dan finishes our series on Christmas with reflecting on the Spirit of Christmas Future from A Christmas Carol. He answers the question if there is hope for us in the future. And with the Messiah, there certainly is.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Pastor Dan finishes our series on the life of David with him giving his son Solomon the charge to build a temple for God and the supplies needed. Today, listen in as how David's heart showed a heart after God's is visionary
Would you be willing to say, "God, I need to stop trying to control this and make it work out like I want it. I trust You. I open my hands. Let it be my offering today. And if not, I trust You know best."
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Today, the Teen Challenge New Jersey Choir came and shared some testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Listen as Pastor Dan talks about how if you are in a CAVE of despair, Cry Out- Ask for help, Pour out- Unload it all, and Look Out- God will guide you.
It's a risk for us to open ourselves to trust others, where we might be let down or betrayed. Listen as Pastor Dan tells about how though David was let down by others, he entrusted himself to Jonathan the son of Saul.
Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about how David had a heart after God's in what is perhaps the most famous story in history- David and Goliath.
Listen in as Pastor Dan continues our study of King David and what to do when delays start to derail our dreams.
Just like David had a past, we all have a story. You may look at yours and say "How can God could ever use me?" Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about how we all have a place in the story.
We have been forgiven completely and washed and made brand new and been ordained as royal priests of God - we have been offered the Bread of Life and Truth that never fails and been transformed into fragrant beings who bless the entire world.
In the Tabernacle, God instructed that an altar of incense be made. Listen as Pastor Dan connects the altar of incense to our lives being a fragrant offering that is pleasing to God.
In the tabernacle, God commanded that a golden lampstand would be made and kept lit always. Listen in as Pastor Dan explains how this lampstand connects to Jesus and applies to us today.
Jesus promised that if we invite Him to give us His daily bread, we will never be hungry again. Listen as Pastor Dan talks about the bread from the Tabernacle.
There are some places you can't go. Some places where you don't belong. But in the presence of God, you always belong.
When we offer a continual sacrifice of praise, we continue to take steps toward the presence of God.
In this new series, we will be exploring God's home- the Tabernacle. Just like your home tells us a lot about you, the Tabernacle tells us so much about God.
Proverbs 18:21 says "The tongue has the power over life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about the power of words and how we are called to use them for blessing.
Listen in as Reverend David S. Kim, president of the University of Valley Forge, talks about how to trust God even when what we plan, doesn't end up as we planned it. We will face troubles in life, but God will always help us overcome them. "Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours in Christ." - Romans 8:37
When we welcome God to work in our lives, and when we are hungry for God in a way we might not have been before, there's an enemy who wants to discourage, divert, confuse, attack, threaten, intimidate, and break us down.
In this new series, we are exploring what it means for Jesus to be at the center of our power. That not only we are powerful, but Jesus says that anyone who believes in Him - who has faith - can do the same works as Jesus - and not only that but can do even greater works!!
Pastor Dan continues our Masterpiece series where today he talks about the power God gives us to do all the good things.
Sometimes we live like we're concrete, when we're actually clay. Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about how God has the power to change you.
Sometimes God speaks to us through promptings- gut feelings that we are supposed to do something. Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about how God’s promptings are perfectly timed.
We've been told we need 8 hours of sleep a night to be physically healthy. Today, Pastor Dré talks about the importance of sleep, dreams, and listening to God's whispers for our spiritual health.
Ever wonder if God is opening or closing a door but you do not know if it's Him? Listen in as Pastor Dan continues our Whisper series talking about how God speaks to us through open doors.
Last week, we kicked off a new series called Whisper. Listen in as Pastor Dan shared how desire is a powerful means by which God reveals Himself to us.
We are kicking off a new series this week called Whisper. Many people have a tough time believing that God still speaks. The truth is God communicates with His people, but He often speaks in a whisper—not to make it difficult to hear Him, but to draw us close.
Jesus summarized the whole Bible into four words: Love God. Love Others. What about loving ourselves? Listen in as Pastor Dan unpacks the idea that loved people love people.
What is influence? Why do some people see it as a dirty word and how can it be the greatest use of power?
Today, Pastor Dan shared some spiritual medicine that may sound strange. Take a listen to hear what he had to say.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Vision Sunday is dedicated to looking ahead to 2019 and sharing what we anticipate in the year to come. Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about our new theme “Jesus at the Center” and what that means for our lives.
Ariel joined Lifetree to share the work God is doing in Europe. Ariel is active in ministry partnership with the International Church: Madrid, and the street evangelism ministry OnTheRedBox in the historic and cultural Puerta del Sol.
Listen in as Pastor Dan talks about how God has blessed Lifetree and those around the community.
This month we are focusing on multiplying our faith this Christmas season. Listen in as we talk about Jesus’ coming and how we can multiply Christmas this year.
This month we are focusing on multiplying our faith this Christmas season. Listen in as we talk about Jesus’ coming and how we can multiply Christmas this year.
This month we are focusing on multiplying our faith this Christmas season. Listen in as we talk about Jesus’ coming and how we can multiply Christmas this year.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Teen Challenge New Jersey provides adults, teens, and families with an effective and comprehensive Christian faith-based solution, clinical counseling, and life-coaching for drugs, alcohol, and other life-controlling problems in order to become productive members of society.
A creed is more than just a statement of our faith. It is the anchor for our lives. It defines your roots. What we believe matters as it determines everything we live for. Our why determines who we are and how we are. Our ROOTS determine our FRUIT. Over the next few weeks we will be evaluating the Apostle’s Creed and reflecting on who God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church are.
A creed is more than just a statement of our faith. It is the anchor for our lives. It defines your roots. What we believe matters as it determines everything we live for. Our why determines who we are and how we are. Our ROOTS determine our FRUIT. Over the next few weeks we will be evaluating the Apostle’s Creed and reflecting on who God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church are.
This Sunday, Jen and Ronnie Daughtery and their family will join us at Lifetree to share about the work God is doing through them in Atlantic County, NJ, through the Rise City Church!
A creed is more than just a statement of our faith. It is the anchor for our lives. It defines your roots. What we believe matters as it determines everything we live for. Our why determines who we are and how we are. Our ROOTS determine our FRUIT. Over the next few weeks we will be evaluating the Apostle’s Creed and reflecting on who God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church are.
A creed is more than just a statement of our faith. It is the anchor for our lives. It defines your roots. What we believe matters as it determines everything we live for. Our why determines who we are and how we are. Our ROOTS determine our FRUIT. Over the next few weeks we will be evaluating the Apostle’s Creed and reflecting on who God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church are.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
A creed is more than just a statement of our faith. It is the anchor for our lives. It defines your rootes. What we believe matters as it determines everything we live for. Our why determines who we are and how we are. Our ROOTS determine our FRUIT. Over the next few weeks we will be evaluating the Apostle’s Creed and reflecting on who God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church are.
When you plant a seed, the quality of the dirt determines the health of the plant. Truth is like a seed, and our hearts are the soil. The condition of our hearts determines what grows in our life. This series will examine 4 types of dirt and will help you discover the condition of your own heart.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
When you plant a seed, the quality of the dirt determines the health of the plant. Truth is like a seed, and our hearts are the soil. The condition of our hearts determines what grows in our life. This series will examine 4 types of dirt and will help you discover the condition of your own heart.
Joe Butler and friends share testimonies about Ability Tree Camp. Ability Tree is non-profit organization that comes alongside individuals and families impacted by disability through R.E.S.T. (Recreation, Education, Support, Training).
There are moments in life that demand bravery - moments we are keenly aware that what is needed from us is beyond us. Esther was a young, Jewish girl who displayed uncommon bravery, despite her deepest fears. This series will explore how we can be bravely courageous, regardless of what stands in our way.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
There are moments in life that demand bravery - moments we are keenly aware that what is needed from us is beyond us. Esther was a young, Jewish girl who displayed uncommon bravery, despite her deepest fears. This series will explore how we can be bravely courageous, regardless of what stands in our way.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
We enter the world as infants and grow to become adults. Mothers and fathers play significant roles in helping sons and daughters learn about life. What is true physically is true spiritually - there are those who fulfill the role of spiritual parents to us. This series will explore what it means to be part of the process of raising spiritual sons and daughters.
To know someone, to really know them, you have to know their heart. What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What makes them angry? Why do they get up in the morning? To know God, it’s no different. We need to know His heart in order to really know Him. This series will explore the heart of God, our Heavenly Father.
To know someone, to really know them, you have to know their heart. What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What makes them angry? Why do they get up in the morning? To know God, it’s no different. We need to know His heart in order to really know Him. This series will explore the heart of God, our Heavenly Father.
To know someone, to really know them, you have to know their heart. What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What makes them angry? Why do they get up in the morning? To know God, it’s no different. We need to know His heart in order to really know Him. This series will explore the heart of God, our Heavenly Father.
To know someone, to really know them, you have to know their heart. What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What makes them angry? Why do they get up in the morning? To know God, it’s no different. We need to know His heart in order to really know Him. This series will explore the heart of God, our Heavenly Father.
Summary: To know someone, to really know them, you have to know their heart. What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What makes them angry? Why do they get up in the morning? To know God, it’s no different. We need to know His heart in order to really know Him. This series will explore the heart of God, our Heavenly Father.
The account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem that we celebrate as Palm Sunday shows us some things that Jesus needs from us. He needs our “go”, our “yes”, and our “worship”.
Money is part of all of our lives. We use it every day. How we think about money says a lot about how we think about God. In this series, we will explore what a healthy perspective about money looks like.
Money is part of all of our lives. We use it every day. How we think about money says a lot about how we think about God. In this series, we will explore what a healthy perspective about money looks like. This message will consider tithing and how it can affect our finances.
Missionaries Patrick and Michelle O’Loughlin and their family joined us at Lifetree to share about the work God is doing through them in Ireland! Born in Ireland, Patrick has a unique call on his life to share the love of God with the country he loves.
Money is part of all of our lives. We use it every day. How we think about money says a lot about how we think about God. In this series, we will explore what a healthy perspective about money looks like.
Money is part of all of our lives. We use it every day. How we think about money says a lot about how we think about God. In this series, we will explore what a healthy perspective about money looks like.
Many people read the Bible because they believe it is important and will give them insight about life. Yet, what they read rarely seems to connect to their everyday life. In this message, Pastor Dan will share a simple method that can help make your daily reading the most impactful part of your day!
The early church dedicated themselves to 4 primary expressions of faith. This series will explore each and reflect on what that means for us, today.
The early church dedicated themselves to 4 primary expressions of faith. This series will explore each and reflect on what that means for us, today.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
This series will explore the Star of Bethlehem and what it meant to those who first saw it and what it means for us today.
After our Treehouse Kids Christmas Program, Pastor Kari shares about finding wonder during this Christmas season.
This series will explore the Star of Bethlehem and what it meant to those who first saw it and what it means for us today.
This series will explore the Star of Bethlehem and what it meant to those who first saw it and what it means for us today.
Sometimes we hate change. And sometimes we are desperate for it. Regardless, the possibility of change gives us hope. And the hope of Heaven is that we will be changed into something incredible. Listen in to find out what difference that makes to us here and now.
Heaven is perfect. Earth is not. But there are moments Heaven breaks through to Earth and gives us a glimpse of what is to come. Joy is one of those Heavenly experiences. This message will explore why Heaven is so joyful and what we can do to cause it to show up here on Earth.
Worship is one thing that happens in heaven that we can experience here on earth. In this passage we see that heavenly worship can take place on earth when we accept the invitation to worship, join with the community of believers, are willing to sacrifice, and understand our purpose.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Your house tells others about you. God has a home and it’s called Heaven. Heaven reveals God to us. This series will explore God’s house and help us understand Him better.
Peter announces on the day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit is available to everyone. God wants to speak to us and through us to make a difference in the world. On this Youth Sunday, we explore if we are doing all we can to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Stories have incredible potential to influence us. The most powerful story of all is the story of God’s love in our lives. This week we will explore how God wants to use our unique stories to change the world.
What would your life look like if you were fully everything you could be? If nothing held you back? This message will identify the greatest threat to your potential and what one thing you can do to overcome it.
Lifetree provides opportunities for people to grow in their relationships with God, their family, and their community. We meet each week at 10 AM at the Seventh-Adventist Church in Robbinsville, NJ.
Dorsey Ross was born on January 16th, 1977, with a birth defect known as Apert’s Syndrome, which is characterized by malformations of the skull, face, hands and feet. Plainly speaking, his forehead was pushed outward, his nose and mouth were pushed inward, and his fingers and toes were fused, meaning he had no personal movement of them. Doctor’s gave Dorsey’s parents no hope for his survival and advised them to put him into an institution. Thankfully they both knew and trusted in God, and believed God had a plan and a purpose for Dorsey’s life.
Moses was never supposed to live. Born to a slave family, his death warrant was signed before he was born. Yet history tells us he went on to lead one of the greatest quests for freedom. How did someone so low ascend to a position of such prominence? This week we’ll continue to explore Moses's story.
Moses was never supposed to live. Born to a slave family, his death warrant was signed before he was born. Yet history tells us he went on to lead one of the greatest quests for freedom. How did someone so low ascend to a position of such prominence? This week we’ll continue to explore Moses's story.
Moses was never supposed to live. Born to a slave family, his death warrant was signed before he was born. Yet history tells us he went on to lead one of the greatest quests for freedom. How did someone so low ascend to a position of such prominence? This week we’ll continue to explore Moses's story.
Moses was never supposed to live. Born to a slave family, his death warrant was signed before he was born. Yet history tells us he went on to lead one of the greatest quests for freedom. How did someone so low ascend to a position of such prominence? This week we’ll explore how it all began.
Each of us has a story to tell. The sharing of our stories accomplish many different things, some that we’ll never even know. When we share our stories, we encourage others that God can do for them, what He has done for us!
Each of us has a story to tell. The sharing of our stories accomplish many different things, some that we’ll never even know. When we share our stories, we encourage others that God can do for them, what He has done for us!
Each of us has a story to tell. The sharing of our stories accomplish many different things, some that we’ll never even know. When we share our stories, we encourage others that God can do for them, what He has done for us!
Each of us has a story to tell. The sharing of our stories accomplish many different things, some that we’ll never even know. When we share our stories, we encourage others that God can do for them, what He has done for us!
Each of us has a story to tell. The sharing of our stories accomplish many different things, some that we’ll never even know. When we share our stories, we encourage others that God can do for them, what He has done for us!
Listen in as Missionary Gil Rodriguez shares what God has been doing all over the world, especially in Spain. Gil and his wife, Gladys, have spent many years as the Regional Directors of the Assemblies of God’s efforts in Spain.
One of our core values is “Anything’s Possible”. That reflects our belief in a God who can do the impossible. This series will explore the kind of miracles our God does and will continue to do. Today’s message will examine the miracles that happen when we act in obedience.
One of our core values is “Anything’s Possible”. That reflects our belief in a God who can do the impossible. This series will explore the kind of miracles our God does and will continue to do. Today’s message will examine the miracle of Healing.
One of our core values is “Anything’s Possible”. That reflects our belief in a God who can do the impossible. This series will explore the kind of miracles our God does and will continue to do. Today’s message will examine the miracle of Provision.
One of our core values is “Anything’s Possible”. That reflects our belief in a God who can do the impossible. This series will explore the kind of miracles our God does and will continue to do. Today’s message will examine the miracle of Forgiveness.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for our habits.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for reality.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for our pride.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for our worship.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for impossibilities.
As a young teen, Daniel was forced to begin a new life in a foreign land. Yet somehow, he thrived. The battles Daniel faced are still the battles we face today. Today’s message will explore the battle for our identity.
Everybody needs rest and nobody’s got time for it. And when we do, it doesn’t seem to be enough. Rest must simply be a luxury. But what if it wasn’t? This message will examine what God did on the 7th day of creation, and why we should be paying attention, big time!
Authority evokes fear. So many people abuse it. We are wary of anyone who claims it. So why in the world would God give it to everyone? What good could possibly come of that?
Living things reproduce. That’s part of their design. From frogs to fish to rabbits...especially rabbits, living things multiply in kind. So the big question is this: What is your life multiplying?
In the beginning, God created. And said it was GOOD. With the creation of land and plants and the sun, moon, and stars, CHANGE entered the world for the first time. We are still feeling the effects of change today. But God is so good He gave us road signs to navigate the change. Listen in to hear what they are.
In the beginning, God created. And said it was GOOD. Every great story has a beginning. How things begin have great significance. As we begin this new year, what might God begin in your life?
Trees don’t bear fruit in every season. The key is to know which season you are in. Each year, we identify that season for our church. This year is a Year of Wonder. Listen in to hear what that means for you and for all of us.
There is nothing like being home for Christmas morning. But home changes…sometimes it’s the location and sometimes it’s the people. Listen as Pastor Dan shares why the last gift from the Wise Men gives us hope for the best Christmas ever.
Christmas time engages all our senses - we hear the music - we see the lights - we feel the chill in the air - we taste the cookies - we can even smell Christmas! The wise men gave Jesus a fragrant gift. What’s incredible is that it smells just as strongly today as it ever has, and it even changes the way you smell!
During the Christmas season, gifts are often on everyone’s mind. What we give reveals something about the way we view the people we are giving to. When Jesus was very young, He received some very interesting gifts from some royal visitors. What those gifts revealed about Jesus still affects the way we understand His life today.
Jesus has said some pretty unexpected things about who the Happy People are. His last statement may be the hardest to believe. Who in their right mind would be happy about being persecuted and mocked for what they believe?
Not sure if you’ve heard, but there was an election this past week. After 121 million votes, the final results were within 600,000. That’s a 60 million to 60 million split. Pretty evenly divided. More than likely, you feel that division in our country. Perhaps in your community, work, or even in your own family. Once again, Jesus has something to say that gives us all the insight we need to navigate the challenges of life with grace and dignity. Quote: The Happiest People LOOK LIKE God and EVERYBODY knows it.
Jesus made some curious statements about who the happiest people in the world are. This week we will examine what He said about people who are pure in heart. What in the world does that mean and are you one of them?
Mercy was a game you played on the playground. Only losers cried for mercy. Why is Jesus saying that happiest people both give and need mercy?
Jesus points out 8 characteristics of truly happy people, and they are not what you’d expect. This week we examine #4, people who are hungry for justice.
Our church is filled with children and teenagers. They are not the “church of tomorrow.” They are just as much a part of our church today as they will ever be. Listen in as our youth pastor, Kevin Holt, shares what that looks like and means for all of us.
When I hear the word “Meek”, I imagine a cute little bunny rabbit. And Jesus said that the “Meek” people will actually be the ones who win this battle for life. That seems hard to believe. This message will dig deeper to see what the truth is behind true success in this life.
We all want LESS grief and pain in our life. Why in the world would Jesus say that those who MOURN are the Happy People? The reality is that pain is inevitable, and Jesus will give us the keys to turning that pain into a source of Joy.
Who is the happiest person you know...that person that always seems to have a smile nearby? Why are they like that? Jesus revealed 8 characteristics of happy people and what He says just might surprise you. Listen in to find out the true keys to happiness.