LOVE When You Least Expect It
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- Dec 8, 2019LOVE When You Least Expect It
LOVE When You Least Expect It
- Dec 1, 2019HOPE When You Least Expect It
HOPE When You Least Expect ItThe world we live in says hope is the desire for some good in the future and the wish that it might come true. That means it’s all based on a combination of circumstances and good luck. Scripture says hope is the desire for God’s goodness and will for my future and the expectation that He will fulfill it. That means it’s all based on the character and promises of God. Hope believes in God's eternal YES when our present circumstances say NO.
WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
In a world seeming overwhelmed with bad news, it’s time for some good news. Maybe it’s a positive doctor’s report, a promotion, or the announcement of a much-wanted pregnancy.
Whatever the good news, it restores hope, energizes love, excites joy, and brings peace. Over the past two thousand years, people just like you and me have found that experiencing Jesus—the genuine Jesus—has enriched, and even, changed our lives.
This Christmas, we invite you to sample the best news of all. His name is Jesus.
Serving in the Midst of Conflict
Climbing the ladder of power, prestige, position or popularity is normal. Descending the ladder is weird. True greatness is not in reaching the top of the ladder but in descending the ladder to serve others.
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- Nov 24, 2019Serving in the Midst of Conflict
Serving in the Midst of ConflictClimbing the ladder of power, prestige, position or popularity is normal. Descending the ladder is weird. True greatness is not in reaching the top of the ladder but in descending the ladder to serve others.
- Nov 17, 2019When Believers Disagree
When Believers Disagree
- Nov 10, 2019Fake Tolerance or Radical Acceptance
Fake Tolerance or Radical AcceptanceHow do you live in peace with someone whose views deeply offend you and whose values are radically different from yours? The tolerance promoted in our culture is normal, but it's really false and doesn't work. However, the radical acceptance Jesus calls us to may look weird in our world, but only it can transform lives forever.
- Nov 3, 2019From False Peace to True Peace
From False Peace to True PeaceSome Christians falsely believe that if two people are not openly fighting, that means peace. However, that is a false peace that isn't really peace at all. Only the supernatural power of Jesus can remove the barb of unforgiveness and bitterness in us and lead us to a true peace with others.
- Oct 28, 2019Jesus’ Way of Resolution
Jesus’ Way of ResolutionThis should be the world's perspective on us: That Christians get into conflict? NORMAL. That they actually resolve them? WEIRD.
BRIDGINGING THE DIVIDE
Broken relational bridges are considered normal in our world: toxic workplaces, broken friendships, strained family ties, you name it. If that’s normal, then Christians need to be weird.
God’s Word offers us a way to bridge relational divides – and it isn’t rocket science! It is, however, revolutionary compared to the rest of the world.
True Holiness Cannot Remain with You
God made you holy to be wholly His, but that holiness never stays with you! It always overflows from you to others. Because he has changed your heart, you definitely are not the same and you definitely cannot be silent.
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- Oct 13, 2019True Holiness Cannot Remain with You
True Holiness Cannot Remain with YouGod made you holy to be wholly His, but that holiness never stays with you! It always overflows from you to others. Because he has changed your heart, you definitely are not the same and you definitely cannot be silent.
- Oct 6, 2019Overcoming the Hard Times
Overcoming the Hard TimesSuffering comes in all shapes, sizes and duration. It is horrible and can even be overwhelming. It isn’t fair and it's unavoidable. But it doesn’t have to be the last word. Suffering can be used by God as a powerful tool in our fight to take on the holiness of Jesus.
- Sep 29, 2019The Beauty of a Relationship Rehab
The Beauty of a Relationship RehabAs Rebecca Manley Pippert said, "Holiness, from God’s perspective, is intimately connected to how we treat people. Holiness is rooted in relationship." That is why one of the most important fruits of holiness in our lives is shalom, peace with God and peace with others.
- Sep 22, 2019Living in the YES Position
Living in the YES PositionA holy life in Christ is founded on two important things :the gift of a right relationship with Jesus through grace and our daily fight to make that reality more visible in our lives from the right posture of the YES position.
- Sep 15, 2019Killing Sin Before It Kills Us
Killing Sin Before It Kills UsNothing will destroy the pursuit of holiness more than being OK with something God is not OK with, namely sin. That is why we have to fight to kill sin in our lives before it kills us.
- Sep 8, 2019Our Deepest Longing
Our Deepest LongingBeing holy is a gift for everyone who is in Christ. It's also a daily fight to make the holiness of Jesus visible in us. If we don’t want it, we won’t miss it. But if we want it, it’s ours.
HOLY TO BE WHOLLY HIS
You were not created to attend a religious service out of obligation. God created you so that you would be holy to be wholly His.
He loves you perfectly and in love He wants to take full ownership of your life, to purify you from sin and set you apart for His service.
It will change your heart, mind and will, affecting every aspect of your life – inward and outward, public and private, personal and social – all for His glory.
Rome – Our Story Continues
Acts essentially ends on a big “To be Continued!” In other words, the book ends, but the story continues because the mission Jesus gave us continues. It went from Paul in Rome through nearly 2000 years of history to us today. Now we are being written into the story! Your life and my life is now a part of this eternal story that God is writing! And we all have a story to tell.
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- Sep 1, 2019Rome – Our Story Continues
Rome – Our Story ContinuesActs essentially ends on a big “To be Continued!” In other words, the book ends, but the story continues because the mission Jesus gave us continues. It went from Paul in Rome through nearly 2000 years of history to us today. Now we are being written into the story! Your life and my life is now a part of this eternal story that God is writing! And we all have a story to tell.
- Aug 25, 2019Caesarea – Showing People the Real Thing
Caesarea – Showing People the Real ThingWould you recommend your life in Christ to others? If you are really in Christ, you may not have everything the world offers, but you have everything that the world really needs.
- Aug 18, 2019Ephesus – Watch Out for the Wolves
Ephesus – Watch Out for the WolvesSpiritual wolves confuse and deceive. They make people jaded and cynical. They steal our hearts from God! That is why we need to protect ourselves and others from them.
- Aug 11, 2019Ephesus – The Real Change Agent
Ephesus – The Real Change AgentIf the Holy Spirit is missing from your heart, it doesn't matter what else is there. But when the Holy Spirit is there, He changes you on the inside, which effects everything on the outside too!
- Aug 4, 2019Corinth – Rejuvenated by the Holy Spirit
Corinth – Rejuvenated by the Holy SpiritSometimes we forget that The Bible is full of stories about ordinary people - ordinary people allowing themselves to be used by God for extraordinary purposes so that God's glory may be amplified. And, despite those extraordinary purposes, those ordinary people still encounter regular emotions - including embarrassment, frustration, and exhaustion. The apostle Paul found himself in one such season. What can we learn from his example about remaining patient in the process of rejuvenation?
- Jul 14, 2019Antioch – The Most Important Church Meeting Ever
Antioch – The Most Important Church Meeting EverThe Gospel can be summed up like this: Jesus + nothing = salvation! Jesus is enough. We don’t need to hold onto circumcision or the law or good works to be saved. Faith in Jesus is enough. The work Jesus did on the cross is enough. Listen to Pastor Kenneth as he dives into this truth.
- Jul 7, 2019Lystra and Derbe – The Message is Bigger than the Messenger
Lystra and Derbe – The Message is Bigger than the MessengerIt can be challenging for us to examine our own hearts and ask the tough question: When the crowd is moving one way – and that way is away from God – which way do I tend to go? And yet, as believers, it is a question we must examine often. Fortunately, we're given a biblical example of how to deal with mob mentality in the lives of Paul and Barnabas.
- Jun 30, 2019Cyprus – The Good News is Still Worth Sharing
Cyprus – The Good News is Still Worth SharingYou never know who the Lord will direct to you or who will be receptive to the gospel. Some people will be open to the Gospel, some people will oppose the Gospel, and some people will embrace the Gospel. The good news is still worth sharing!
- Jun 23, 2019Jerusalem – Standing Up when It’s Hard
Jerusalem – Standing Up when It’s HardAll of God's people naturally participate in the healing, loving and gospel mission of Jesus. And whether we face hostility or witness a cascade of blessing, God gets the glory every time.
- Jun 16, 2019Jerusalem – When Truth, Fear, and Grace Come Together
Jerusalem – When Truth, Fear, and Grace Come Together
ACTS: The Gospel in Motion
When the Gospel is proclaimed and God moves, amazing things happen. Lives are changed. People are healed. Families are made whole again. Evil is transformed for good. The powers of guilt and shame are broken.
Even cities are turned upside down. That’s been true throughout history. It’s still true today. And it can definitely be true for you!
Grace Greater Than Religion
There have always been some people more willing to believe in a Jesus + Gospel than a Jesus only one. Jesus + Gospels seem innocent enough at first, but they just lead to religious pride or condemnation. They are not good news! But a Jesus only Gospel is good news that God's grace reaches all the way down to our point of need and all the way up to our deliverance.
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- May 26, 2019Grace Greater Than Religion
Grace Greater Than ReligionThere have always been some people more willing to believe in a Jesus + Gospel than a Jesus only one. Jesus + Gospels seem innocent enough at first, but they just lead to religious pride or condemnation. They are not good news! But a Jesus only Gospel is good news that God's grace reaches all the way down to our point of need and all the way up to our deliverance.
- May 19, 2019Grace Greater Than Failures
Grace Greater Than FailuresOur failures often lay across our lives like a cold, wet blanket, smothering the flames of the Spirit. We feel forever condemned, forever broken, forever covered in guilt and shame. But the good news is that God's grace is greater than our failures.
- May 12, 2019Grace Greater Than Hurt
Grace Greater Than HurtDo you really believe that God's grace is greater than your deepest hurt? If so, that means beginning the process of forgiving the perpetrator of that hurt - a process we call the Grace Journey.
- May 5, 2019Grace Greater Than Cirumstances
Grace Greater Than CirumstancesAll of us will experience less-than-ideal, overwhelming or even tragic circumstances of our lives. Because of Jesus, even in those horrible circumstances, there will always be grace enough.
- Apr 28, 2019Grace Greater Than Sin
Grace Greater Than SinEveryone has regrets over their sin. Those regrets often lead to remorse, but that’s where we stop . . . stuck in a never-ending cycle of condemnation. But if our regrets lead to remorse and then to repentance, we can be free. God’s redeeming grace is greater than all our sinful regrets.
GREATER THAN
Grace is a word that most of us have heard before. We have talked about. We know what it means – or at least we think we do – and it doesn’t feel very amazing. It feels impossible or cheap.
But grace really is amazing! It pays for your sin, overcomes your circumstances, heals your hurts, redeems your failures, breaks the power of stale religion and so much more. Grace is compelling when explained and life changing when experienced. It’s time to experience how grace is greater . . .
We Can’t Just Sit Around
For millions of people, Easter is about baskets of eggs, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and maybe going to church for a nice service. The average American – both Christian and non-Christian – is comfortable with Easter. But deep down, most of us just sit around because we don’t really believe it. It has virtually no practical effect on our lives. But what if it really hit home that Christ has died . . . and Christ has risen . . . and Christ is coming again? We wouldn’t be sitting around!
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- Apr 21, 2019We Can’t Just Sit Around
We Can’t Just Sit AroundFor millions of people, Easter is about baskets of eggs, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and maybe going to church for a nice service. The average American – both Christian and non-Christian – is comfortable with Easter. But deep down, most of us just sit around because we don’t really believe it. It has virtually no practical effect on our lives. But what if it really hit home that Christ has died . . . and Christ has risen . . . and Christ is coming again? We wouldn’t be sitting around!
- Apr 14, 2019The Mission of the Kingdom
The Mission of the KingdomIf you are an ENEMY, Jesus is calling you. You have been broken and stolen by Hell, but He wants to reclaim you for His Kingdom. He can still make something beautiful out of your life. If you are UNDECIDED, He is calling you to a decision. Trust Him to reclaim you for eternity and to remake you for today. If you are a SERVANT, Hell stole you, but Jesus reclaimed you! Now show the world what that is like . . . follow Him, be baptized and speak and live according to the Gospel!
- Apr 7, 2019The Least of These
The Least of TheseThe responsibility, the privilege, to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those in need, the sick, those in prison, the “least of these” falls on the shoulders of the Church, in other words, you and me. In the Kingdom, those who bless others bless God.
- Mar 31, 2019Up is Down and Down is Up
Up is Down and Down is UpThe World we live in values power, position and privilege. You can see it in politics, business, social relationships and family, everywhere. The result is more injustice and brokenness than we can ever imagine. But the Kingdom’s values are upside down, or really, right-side up. Jesus’ Kingdom values service, suffering and sacrifice. This is the only way to bring true justice and healing to every corner of the world.
- Mar 24, 2019Something Worth Losing Everything For
Something Worth Losing Everything ForWhatever your treasure is, that is what you are looking for to get your happiness and satisfaction . . . your joy! It’s the thing that will make life worth living. It’s the thing that you would rather die than lose. Whether you are conscious of it or not, everyone has a treasure. When the Kingdom is your treasure, you know it is something worth losing everything for.
- Mar 17, 2019Known and Being Known
Known and Being KnownIn the Kingdom, you know God and are known by Him. It eclipses everything else in life. We could be rich, famous or powerful, but if we don’t know God and we are not known by Him, it’s all empty.
- Mar 10, 2019Come Empty to be Filled
Come Empty to be FilledThe Kingdoms of our world say you can enter when you are bigger, better, have more and are on top. Those are the world’s values, but they are empty and hollow. Jesus says to enter into His Kingdom you must admit you are bankrupt, humble and dependent on God. You have to come empty to be filled. But that filling is real and everything we will ever need for now and for eternity.
- Mar 3, 2019All Things for One Thing
All Things for One ThingJesus is not some poor, lonely guy begging us to accept Him. He is the reigning King of Kings. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He upholds the universe by the word of His power. Jesus is worth more than our church attendance and casual association. No King would accept that. And Jesus is worthy of total abandonment and supreme adoration. As King, He deserves nothing less.
THE KINGDOM
Jesus is the King! The Bible calls Him the King of Kings. Jesus rules the Kingdom! It is eternal and encompasses the entire universe.
We can see it in part now, but fully when He returns. Jesus is strong, but He is good! He left heaven to come to earth to rescue us all.
This 7-part series will do a deep dive through the Gospel of Matthew as we prepare for Easter.
We Are … Adopted & Empowered People
As Christians, we are adopted in Jesus’ love and empowered to live for His glory. Because we are heirs of everything in the Kingdom, everything is now different for us IN THE KINGDOM! The world may be the same as its always been OUT THERE, but because of Jesus, things are very different in the Church IN HERE.
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- Feb 24, 2019We Are … Adopted & Empowered People
We Are … Adopted & Empowered PeopleAs Christians, we are adopted in Jesus’ love and empowered to live for His glory. Because we are heirs of everything in the Kingdom, everything is now different for us IN THE KINGDOM! The world may be the same as its always been OUT THERE, but because of Jesus, things are very different in the Church IN HERE.
- Feb 17, 2019We Are … People of Unity
We Are … People of UnityYou don’t have to look very hard to find division and brokenness in our world: families, friends, governments, social institutions, even the church. We hate it, but we’re used to it. Yet when we are alive in Christ, there is a new and better way. Being united under Jesus will mean that His voice changes our thoughts, words and actions. We will mirror Him . . . and the world will see it!
- Feb 10, 2019We Are … A Holy People
We Are … A Holy PeopleThere is only one way to see and know God. We must be holy. The only problem is that we can’t be holy . . . apart from the gift of Jesus. Jesus makes us holy to be wholly His.
- Feb 3, 2019We Are … People of the Book
We Are … People of the BookWhatever you are filled up with comes out whenever real life hits you in the face. Our culture says we should be true to ourselves, but being true to ourselves is at the root of every act of sin and evil in the world. It’s not Christian. What we need is to be true to Jesus, not ourselves. That means being people of the Book!
WE ARE
We are is about staying connected with our theological roots as God’s people and as a church.
We’ll talk about being people of the Book when the rest of the wold wrestles with which authority to follow.
We’ll talk about being people of holiness in a world that hungers for anything else.
We’ll talk about being people of unity in a divided and broken world.
And we’ll declare that we are an empowered people when so many want to limit who we are and what we can become in God’s Kingdom.
Loving Now Even When It’s Not the Now You Want it to Be
We are always looking forward to the next thing . . . which is normal. But we are people of RIGHT NOW! What we do RIGHT NOW determines our future. The people we decide to be RIGHT NOW will determine the kind of people we are in the future! Loving NOW means being driven by the URGENCY of JESUS’ love.
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- Jan 27, 2019Loving Now Even When It’s Not the Now You Want it to Be
Loving Now Even When It’s Not the Now You Want it to BeWe are always looking forward to the next thing . . . which is normal. But we are people of RIGHT NOW! What we do RIGHT NOW determines our future. The people we decide to be RIGHT NOW will determine the kind of people we are in the future! Loving NOW means being driven by the URGENCY of JESUS’ love.
- Jan 20, 2019Growing to Love People … Even THOSE People
Growing to Love People … Even THOSE PeopleSo much of our world works on a spite cycle. If you hurt me, I’m going to hurt you back. It’s a vicious cycle that never ends. But Jesus’ way is the way out of the spite cycle. Living by His Law of Love will always change us and will often change the world around us too.
- Jan 13, 2019What it Means to Really Love God
What it Means to Really Love GodIt’s easy to justify your actions. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all done it. We’re all good at it. But what does it mean to love God when we are so good at justifying our sin? Loving God means obeying Him even when it’s hard.
- Jan 6, 2019People of Extravagant Love
People of Extravagant LoveOur world says love is basically a transaction of self-fulfillment. You stay in a love relationship as long as both sides profit from it. However, when the costs outweigh the benefits, you just cut your losses and move on. But that is not Christian love. In Christ, we know that all life-changing love is substitutionary sacrifice. That is what Jesus did for us on the cross and that is what He gives us the power to do when we are in Him.
LOVE IS A VERB
As Christians, we LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE by giving our lives for others because Jesus gave His life for us. But that love and sacrifice is not just for the preferred future when everything is as it should be.
It means LOVING NOW because we know God is working RIGHT NOW! In other words, love is a verb … it’s something we do!
