When division around us grows and people begin to take sides, it’s easy to forget that we’re called to be a people of love. This message looks at how to show love when loving doesn’t come easily.
When times are tough, God’s people have always found their strength in the unchanging hope of our inheritance in Christ. Because Jesus came into our world that first Christmas, we have been given knowledge and strength that helps us to hope in the midst of whatever the world throws at us.
The distance we often feel from God creates a loneliness that haunts us even when friends are near. At Christmas, God drew near and made possible an intimacy of relationship that had never been known. This message looks at how to experience this nearness to God and how it can change you.
Ever feel stuck, directionless, and worried about the future? That's life in the wilderness and it can be brutal and long-lasting. But there's hope for you! At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the promised son of Judah. In Him, we have a conqueror, and king, and source of blessing that can not only lead us out of the wilderness but make sure we never end up there again!
Today, sharing our faith involves all kinds of obstacles, but it’s never been more important. This message returns to principles embedded in the Great Commission to better understand how we can share our faith.
Giving is a topic that God seems to be more interested in than we typically are. This message helps us to see it in a new light by examining the principles and motivation that drove the generosity of the early church.
The 80s song “Personal Jesus” captures how most Christians see their faith. “Someone to hear your prayers; Someone who cares; Your own personal Jesus.” In seeking to personalize their faith, many have individualized it and failed to invest in the fellowship we need to grow. This message looks at the example of the early church and how to share our lives in fellowship.
As the popularity of church membership has declined, we’ve become more disconnected and spiritually vulnerable as Christians. And its purpose and value has been lost in the process. This message looks at why church membership is an essential step in God’s plan to equip and build our faith.
Many people find the Bible’s teachings about the Holy Spirit confusing. The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is at the heart of how we are to live the Christian life, but it is a command that is often misunderstood. This message looks at how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and what you can expect to see when you are.
Conflict hurts. Whether at work or in the home, arguments have a way of draining our energy and robbing our joy. The Book of James addresses conflict that the early church was having. They were fighting and arguing with each other. He addresses the root cause of conflict and shows how prayer can work to change us and our approach to the conflicts we face.
Christians often see the gospel as essential to becoming children of God but never connect how the gospel enables us to live the Christian life. We live motivated by guilt, duty, and pride as a result. This message looks at how God has given us the Lord’s Supper to centre our lives in the gospel and fuel the life to which He has called us.
Hundreds of years of tradition have confused baptism’s meaning so much that it can feel foreign when we actually see how the Bible presents it. This message looks at how people responded to John’s baptism and what it can reveal about our own response to God’s invitation in our lives.
Temptations today come from all sides. They’re strongest when we’re tired, or confused, or discouraged. God gives us help against temptation, but He does so through His Word. This message looks at what Jesus’ victory over temptation can teach us about how to use the Bible to live the way God has called us to.
Matthew 4:1-11 // [outline]
The good news message about Jesus stresses faith so much that people can think that God sends people to heaven as long as they’re not atheists. As a result, you have mobsters who pray before they commit murder and people whose lives seem to completely contradict what they say they believe. This message looks at how James clarifies saving faith in contrast to dead faith and the faith of demons. In the process, we learn how to evaluate our own faith and find assurance that we don’t cling to a false hope.
So much of our lives can be traced back to a hunger for acceptance. We devote ourselves to people and causes to show that we’re worthy of acceptance. And we fixate on things that we’ve said or done that might threaten our acceptance. But how does God see us? How can we know if God will accept us? What standard does He use? This message looks at one of Jesus’ famous stories about a Pharisee and a tax collector and considers what it teaches us about our yearning for acceptance and the grace God offers us.
The Bible contains some remarkable accounts of people whose lives were dramatically changed. It also shows people who are stuck and never seem to progress. This message looks at the amazing transformation of Matthew, and how Jesus spoke with those who sat on the sidelines while others chose to follow.<Intro>
For most of Solomon’s life, it seemed as if he could take steps of compromise without consequence. Eventually, however, his sins caught up with him and he tasted the bitter fruit of his choices. This message looks at the dimensions of God’s anger and how it should affect how we live.
