Living out the gospel in our daily life is something that has the power to revolutionize the people around us. In Acts 16 we read a story of an "earth shaking" moment through which God's power flipped a man's heart from causing wounds to cleaning wounds. (Acts 16:16-40, Hab 1:5)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 9) Do the actions in our life represent the words that we say? It is easy for us to fulfill tradition in order to be a "good Christian," but when we see the opportunity to live out the gospel, do we pour it all out just as the woman did in Matthew 26? (Matthew 12, 26)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 8) We often believe that God is for those of us that do "the right thing at the right time, follow all the rules, and stand up straight." But Jesus' teaching on that hill in Galilee flips our understanding of what it means to be blessed. He says, "I am with the unschooled and ordinary people." His gospel is for all. We have been offered the kingdom of heaven. Let us shine like a city on a hill. (Matt 5:1-16, 28:16-20)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 7) The story of the Rich Young Ruler, in Matthew, is a haunting story about having everything you could want from life, but not being able to lay it down in order to put Jesus first. We all fall victim to this desire to have "more." What is it that we have placed as an idol in our heart? Do we have things in our life that we desire more than The Lord? (Matt. 19:16-26)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 6) We can all relate to the moments & situations in life when we are faced with extreme pain, difficulties, & struggles. In those moments, the foundation of our faith can crumble & we are left looking at the pile of debris & doubting God. Looking at our story today we see a man who Jesus loved, Jesus knew his name, but yet he didn't answer his prayer... And why that is a good thing. (Mark 6:17-20, Matthew 11:2-11)
Living The Gospel: teachings from the book of Matthew (Part 5) Are we as a culture an arrogant people? Jesus dealt with this issue in Matthew 23. He proclaimed that "the greatest among us are servants and that those who humble themselves will be exalted." Is our main objective in life "ourselves?" Our schedule, our feelings, and our comfort level control our lives, but we see that humility is the primary character in Jesus and He is calling us to live that life. (Matthew 23:1-12)
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)
