It may sound strange but the reality is that anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior is called to suffer for him. And the comfort we have is we don't have to suffer alone. God has given us each other to be able to support one another through our trials and persecutions.
Depending on our circumstances we can either view ourselves as a victim or a victor. In this message we explore our ultimate purpose for this life and when we remember what that is, no matter the circumstances, we can always have a victor mentality.
Divisiveness is like a plague and in order for us to maintain unity within our relationships and within the church, we first of all need to understand who we are in relation to Jesus Christ. And when we have a good grasp of that, it helps us view each other through the lens of thanksgiving.
Sometimes we convince ourselves that Easter is a once-a-year event and nothing more. But it is so much more. It's a reminder that we get to live in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ every single day of our lives!
Even though we don't live under the old covenant anymore, sometimes we still act like it by trying to come up with our own remedies to deal with the consequences of our sins. In this message you'll learn that Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient to pay for all of your sins once and for all and that's why the new covenant is much better than the old!
The Lord's Supper is an amazing gift from God and unfortunately like any good gift we can misuse and abuse it. In this message we do a case study of a church that thought they were celebrating the Lord's Supper when in reality they had corrupted it and made it into something it was not. Learning from their mistakes we get to celebrate Holy Communion the way Jesus intended.
Communion is the bridge between the Old Testament promises and the New Testament reality that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God!
Baptism is an important gift from God that is often misunderstood, neglected and forgotten. In this message we remember the ongoing benefits of this amazing blessing and how it helps us in our daily struggles against sin and temptation.
When life feels like it's falling apart and it seems like there's no apparent reason why, it's easy to blame God and assume he's against us instead of for us. In this message we're looking at the final chapter of Job to understand that even though we may not know what God is doing behind the scenes, we can be confident that he's doing them for us!
Sometimes it feels like God, the church and everyone else is against us. Holding on to hope can be difficult during those seasons of life and yet a man named Job will teach us how to do exactly that.
In this message we shed some light on navigating through the shadows of depression, offering hope and practical wisdom for finding resilience and healing in the darkest of times.
We all know someone who's gone through suffering, pain, or loss. But we don't always know what to do or say in those difficult moments. In this message you'll learn how to mourn with those who mourn.
It's an understatement to say that forgiveness isn't easy. In fact, it's supernatural, meaning it's something outside of you and me. In this message we'll learn what forgiveness is and what it isn't and how only by the power of Jesus we can utilize this restorative gift.
It's extremely hard to deal with personal pain and difficult situations, especially when you don't know why they're happening. In this message we explore how to maintain our faith that God is good even when our situations are bad.
Everyone of us will face trials and tragedies in this life. It's not a matter of "if" but "when". And the reality we all have to address is how we are going to respond to these difficult situations because there's a right way and a wrong way. A wise man named Job who was full of faith and who knew great sorrow will show us the best way.
There are about 360 places in the Bible where you see the command or encouragement to “not be afraid.” But at the same time, there are about 200 places where it tells us to “fear God.” In this message we will see how to let a healthy fear of God overcome the unhealthy fears in your life.
A lot of people think the Bible is just an ancient history book that's hard to read and has little to no value for our modern day lives. This Sunday we're going to see that that thinking, though prevalent, is absolutely wrong. The Bible is not only practical but also has the power to transform our lives!
We all want to start this New Year off right and the best way to do that is NOT a new gym membership, or another self-help book or making a resolution we statistically won't keep. It is recommitting or maybe committing for the very first time to being students of the Bible because it's in those Sacred Scriptures where we find God and His strength to endure whatever life sends our way.
We've been conditioned to think of the Christmas story as a cute rendition of a couple having their first child. But if we look at it in detail, it actually reads more like a Christmas drama that looks a lot like our own lives reminding us how much we need God to be with us!
Oftentimes Christians equate doubt with unbelief. In this message we'll see that there is a distinction between the two and there is a right way and a wrong way to address our doubts as Christians.
We live in a world where we can make snap judgments and even cancel people if we want to. But when we judge like that we forget that we have an Ultimate Judge whose rulings hold more weight than ours. Our duty then is to first of all learn from his judgments before we ever pick up a gavel.
When was the last time you prayed, "Come, Lord Jesus" and meant it or even understood what you were praying? This message from God's word will help all of us boldly and correctly pray this prayer.
It's one thing to say "thank you" to our God and it's another to give your "thank you" to the one who's given you everything. In this message we discuss how to manage our time, talents and treasures in a way that gives honor and thanks to our Heavenly Father.
Complaining is like a contagion that contaminates a person's body and soul. The cure is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude by visualizing the blessings that God constantly pours into our lives.
Death may or may not be on your mind, but the reality is it's coming for us all. As we wrap up our series in the book of Daniel, we hear the encouraging words that when this life ends a new one begins for those who put their hope in Jesus.
Saying the words "I'm sorry" goes a long way especially when they're directed towards God. In this message the Prophet Daniel teaches us an important lesson when it comes to confessing our sins.
Take a fresh look at the famous story of Daniel and the lions' den as we'll learn important life lessons on how to respond to persecutions with our living God by our side.
God's patience is far greater than yours or mine. And yet, we're reminded that there is a limit to God's patience and we don't want to test that limit. Instead, we'll want to pay close attention to his warning signs so that we will remain firmly grounded in his grace and love.
Over the centuries, human beings have built and sculpted magnificent creations. King Nebuchadnezzar is credited for building one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Yet as great as his accomplishments were, the king later admitted that there is no one greater than the God of heaven.
Three men were caught in a life and death situation. They could have blamed God for their circumstances but instead they trusted that He would either save them or take them to heaven. That same confidence can be yours!
Different empires, kingdoms, nations, and countries have risen to power throughout the centuries. Each one thought it would last forever, but history has proven time and again that it's only a matter of time before they fall and their place will be taken by another. There is one kingdom though that the Prophet Daniel revealed will last forever, and it won't be established by human rulers. It will be established by God!
You can be afraid of God or you can fear God. There's a big difference and the Prophet Daniel and his friends demonstrate that for us in this message.
There are times when you find yourself faced with two not so great options without realizing that sometimes there's an "Option C". The prophet Daniel and his friends are going to help us turn to God when it seems like there's no logical way out.
People need people. It's a universal truth. And it's especially true that we need each other because sometimes we can't see what God is doing in our lives without the help of our fellow Christians.
There are so many situations that we go through that feel like there's no way out. But, I've got some good news for you. Even when we can't see a way out, our God who has the power to do impossible miracles does!
Greed and lying are universal temptations that we don't necessarily like to talk about, but we need to talk about them because they both can destroy our relationship with our LORD and negatively impact those we love. This message will help you learn how to address these temptations with the LORD's help.
Fear lets sin linger. When we see someone doing something wrong, we are so terrified of saying something, that we will do almost anything apart from confronting it. But God calls us to be courageous. His Word is filled with commands to correct, confront, and rebuke out of love for Jesus, love for the sinner, and love for those affected by the sinner’s actions. This message’s goal is peace, both the peace of addressing issues and the peace of mind knowing that you did something to address the sin in your midst.
Most of us have a sin (or two) that we never confess, at least not to our fellow believers. It is way too awkward to talk about that struggle, so we keep it between us and God, hoping that somehow, in some way, things will change. Sadly, they don’t (and instead get worse). But what if we said it? What if we confessed our sins to one another? Would our worst fears come true? Or would we find freedom in allowing our Christian friends to pray, encourage, and forgive us in Jesus’ name?
The message of God's free grace can seem absolutely foolish to us. But as we see in this message, foolish or not, it's still free and it still saves you and me.
In this message we transition between Elijah and Elisha's ministries. And in this we'll see the importance of passing the baton of God's work from one generation to the next.
Even though we may not talk about it a lot, anxiety and depression are something many Christians struggle with. In this message we see how God helped his prophet Elijah get through a very dark time in his life and how He helps us too.
Every human being has to wrestle with the question, "Who is the Lord of my life?" In this message we explore an epic contest that proved once and for all who the LORD truly is.
Our culture has gone to great lengths to avoid talking about death and dying and it's created a lot of anxiety around the topic. In this message we rip off the bandaid and let God's word speak into this reality to take away any fears we might have and replace them with genuine hope and healing.
The Prophet Elijah found himself in an impossible situation and yet the LORD God provided for him in unconventional ways proving that to this day our God can and will provide for us if we just trust in Him.
When you're tempted by the sins you know all too well, don’t miss the moment when Jesus was tempted too. There, in the desert just beyond the Jordan River, Jesus showed us how to fight temptation by turning constantly to God’s Word. Even better, he fought for us, overcoming the Tempter and maintaining his identity as the sinless Son of God who came to save us.
If you've ever spent a decent amount of time reading the Bible or if you've ever watched a YouTube video trying to explain the Bible, you've probably come across some supposed contradictions that make you wonder if you can trust what the Bible has to say. We're going to take a look at one of the more glaring "contradictions" and discover that biblical "contradictions" aren't contradictions at all if you understand the difference between the Law and the Gospel.
Now more than ever what we need isn't more opinions. What we need is more of the truth. This Sunday we're starting a brand new series about how to confidently read and interpret the truths found in God's word to help us navigate the difficult decisions we need to make in this life.
There are plenty of things in life you should try: new foods, new hobbies, maybe even a different haircut. But when it comes to the calling that God has for your life, he doesn't want you to try. He wants you to train. In this message we will look at some specific areas of life where you should stop trying and start training.
God the Holy Spirit wants all people to be saved and that's why he empowers people like you and me with spiritual gifts so that we can influence others for Christ in powerful ways.
Sometimes in our struggles we know we should pray but we don't know exactly what to pray. That's when the Holy Spirit steps in and He prays for us. That's what we're learning about this Sunday.
Every single day you're faced with making decisions that are either good or evil. You're not alone in this spiritual struggle and this Sunday we're going to learn how to engage the Holy Spirit to help us in this fight.
Pentecost is a special day in church history because it's the day God the Holy Spirit came upon his disciples in a spectacular way ushering in a new era for the church that we are still a part of.
