Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 4) Jesus performed many miracles for desperate people throughout the stories of the gospels. The challenge for many of us is that we are not desperate. Most of us live privileged lives and have very little need; as a result the power of God is a rare sighting because we rest in our privilege. How do we become desperate people? (Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 9:1-8 & 18-31)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 3) We have all heard Jesus' words about turning the other cheek, but the reality and practicality of this rarely are applied into our actual lives. What was Jesus' intent for our world today? Was His purpose to give us another law to follow or to perhaps show us a better way to live the gospel? (Matthew 5:38-42)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 2) In our culture, we often feel like we have to carry the weight of the world on our "independent" shoulders, but Jesus teaches us another principle about what it means to "ask." What does it look like to live in a community of people who are open about their needs and are quick to respond to the needs of others? (Matthew 7:1-12)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 1) Beginning our new Summer series, we examine what it takes to become a Rabbi, what the disciples of a Rabbi would be required to do, and why someone would "drop their nets" to follow. (Matthew 4:18-22)
Chapter Two (Part 3) Our 3rd & final message from our teaching series, "Chapter Two." Each week in this series, we looked at one of our main focuses as a church beginning its 2nd year. Today we look at what the Word says regarding caring for the needs of others. Our faith in Jesus should result in a life of action. In our life, do we see proof of this? Is our life a reflection of Jesus' command to "care for the least of these?" (Matthew 25:31-46)
Chapter Two (Part 2) In the second week of our "Chapter Two" series, we are challenged to examine how we love our neighbors. When Jesus was asked to reduce everything into a single statement, he gave us a commandment with the power to change the world... "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt 22:36-40, Luke 10:29-37)
Chapter Two (Part 1) As we turn the page into the 2nd year and 2nd chapter in the life of our church, we take the next 3 weeks to set our focus on what this year will look like. In this 1st message we discuss the power of praying boldly and persistently. Do we have the commitment of praying boldly, or are we just living in bold moments? (Mark 10:51, Joshua 6)
At the dinner with Jesus, Martha was concerned with her performance, while Mary was concentrating on her position at His feet. Often in our "Christianity," we measure our acts and service as our devotion to God, instead of the sacred time we spend with Him. (Hebrews 4, 2 Chronicles 16, Isaiah 26, Matthew 11, John 12, Luke 10)
Hope (Part 2) We celebrate Easter and conclude our series on "Hope" this morning. In His power there is hope. Far too often we embrace the things we love about Him, (power, grace, comfort, etc.) but push aside the things that He has called us to do. We must follow all He has called us to do and be. (Rev. 1, Matt. 28)
HOPE (Part 1) The first message in our two part Easter series entitled "Hope." The story of Matthew 26 can seem bleak, but underneath the denial and betrayal of Jesus we see His ultimate purpose and sacrifice. It is through the one true Messiah that we now have hope. (Matthew 26, 1 Peter 1)
BOOK OF ACTS; living. growing. church planting. (Part 5) The power of the Holy Spirit may possibly be the most ignored thing in our lives, but if we can chose to embrace it, we can begin to become a people of strength. (Acts 1, 2, 3, 20)
BOOK OF ACTS; living. growing. church planting. (Part 4) On our 1 year anniversary as a church, we look at the story of Paul's conversion & discover that when God's story & His mission become your story & your mission, your life will change... dramatically. (Acts 9)
BOOK OF ACTS; living. growing. church planting. (Part 3) The story of Acts, is a story of a people who gave their life for the gospel and people were added to their number daily. For many of us, we have given the gospel our behavior, our beliefs, some Sunday mornings, and a few courageous moments a year.... but sadly, little else. We are called to be a people who orient our life around the gospel. (Acts 1:12-15)
BOOK OF ACTS; living. growing. church planting. (Part 2) The apostles were described as "ordinary men," however, God used them to do extraordinary things. In this church, we are ordinary people who serve an extraordinary God and we feel that the time is now to begin praying more audacious and bold prayers. We take a stand and put our stake in the ground for this city. (Acts 4:1-31, Luke 11:1-10)
BOOK OF ACTS; living. growing. church planting. (Part 1) This is the first part in a new teaching series entitled: "Book of Acts (Living. Growing. Church Planting)" Do we own the cause of the gospel? Do we own the cause of this church? Is there an unquenchable hunger in us to see God move in a miraculous way in our church and city? (Acts 1:8, 2:42-47 Psalm 24:1-2, Acts 4:32)
ALL I AM AND ALL I HAVE: Teachings from Leviticus (Part 4) This morning we walk through the process and the purpose of the Tabernacle and what significance this "sacred space" had in a Hebrew's life. In our culture we often treat church as a "sacred space" and would never do, say, or watch the same things we do at home. Our participation in sin has a direct correlation to the space we are in. Sometimes we must violently cut away things in our life in order to regain ourself, our sacred space. (Exodus 25:8-9, Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 3 & 6)
As the torch was being passed from Elijah to Elisha we see him exemplify the principle of making an audacious request and believing that God can do even more than we could ever ask for. What is it that we are asking God for? (2 Kings 2:5-11, Eph 3:20-21, Romans 8:11) (We were grateful to welcome the Lead Pastor of Summit Church, Todd Theissen as our guest speaker this morning.)
What does David the mighty warrior facing the giant Ishbi-benob, the little Army Ant, and Paul's persecution in Macedonia have in common? We explore these 3 stories and draw principles of God's power and answered prayer in the midst of our community. When our Brother or Sister is weak and exhausted, we stand and fight their giants. (2 Samuel 21:15-17, 2 Corinthians 7:5-7, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
ALL I AM AND ALL I HAVE; Teachings from Leviticus (Part 3) In the tradition of the Jewish feats we see God's design of a communal and rhythmic purpose. In our world today we have a rhythm through our calendars. Your calendar tells a story about you, your life, your focus, and God. Whose calendar is it? It's easy for us to say we have His love is in our head and our heart, but is His love shown in the rhythm of how we move and live? (Lev. 23:1-3, John 1:14, Exodus 31:12-15)
ALL I AM AND ALL I HAVE: Teachings from Leviticus (Part 2) Many of us have heard the Bible reference "The Day of Atonement," but what does it specifically mean? What were the customs and practices that were involved in this? What was the overall purpose of the Jewish people and their scapegoat? What are the correlations between their sacrifice and Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice? This morning we discover, remember, and celebrate the once and for all sacrifice that Jesus made by taking on our sins. (Leviticus 16, John 19, Hebrews 9 & 10)
