Jesus did not come to patch up people but to redeem a batch of new creations.
Text: Luke 5:36-39We spent the 4th of July at my parent’s house, and because it was raining, my mom brought out some […]
Text: Philippians 4:10-13It is so easy for us to be unkind and ungracious. Ephesians 4:29-32 shows us that we grieve the Holy Spirit first by rotten speech (v. 29) and second by rotten attitudes (v. 31). But these two things are not separate. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We must stop making the Holy Spirit weep because of our unkind words and inner ugliness. Cry out to God for his help. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and see the uncleanness within. Pray for a fresh vision of Jesus dying for you.
Text: Ephesians 4:29-32An older woman walked into a department store one day and was surprised when a band began to play and […]
Text: Philippians 2:12-18God never leads us into the wilderness in order to destroy us. He intends the time of testing to make us stronger.
Text: Luke 4:1-14I want to begin this morning with an unbelievable story out of Fresno, California. On Sunday morning at the 18,000-member […]
Text: Philippians 1:7-11The Christian walk is synonymous with innocent suffering and pain, through which Christ our Lord suffered and died. He left us all an example of how to follow him in this. A Christian’s call to this behavior goes against the grain of his human tendencies: to suffer unjust treatment without retaliation, trusting only that God would be the judge of things ultimately. Jesus lived the sacrificial life to which he calls all his believers. It is a life that leads to the cross, and he has modeled how to live this sacrificial life for us. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When we are mistreated, we are to turn the other check, bless those who curse us, and return good for evil. We are not to retaliate, not to threaten, not to get even. Jesus showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. This response is a miracle in itself and is under girded and made possible only by the gift of grace from God.
Text: 1 Peter 2:21-25Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs.
Text: Acts 8:4-8If Christ has really been born, why is the world so messed up? Why aren’t things better by now?
Text: Matthew 11:3“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also […]
Text: 1 Peter 2:18-20