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!
