Is the kingdom of God a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now? That’s today’s question. The answer is that it is partly present and partly future. Many of its blessings are here to be enjoyed now; but many of them are not yet here. Some of its power is available now but not all of it. Some of the curse and misery of this old age can be overcome now by the presence of the kingdom. But some of it cannot be. The decisive battle against sin and Satan and sickness and death has been fought and won by the King in his death and resurrection, but the war is not over. Sin must be fought, Satan must be resisted, sickness must be prayed over and groaned under (Romans 8:23), and death must be endured until the second coming of the King and the consummation of the kingdom.
Church Is…
What does “church” mean to you?
The word “church” holds different meanings, depending on who you ask. And if you ask us, a church isn’t a building. It’s people. Want to know more? Let’s talk about what Church Is—and what church could be!
Easter 2018 – “The Fourth Nail”
Matthew 27 tells of the culmination of God’s love and mercy. On that day, no one ever loved so much, sacrificed more, or accomplished such a great task. What happened on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem forever changed history. Before the cross, Jesus cured the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead, taught God’s love, loved the unlovely, and sought out the lost. After the cross, He commissioned the church to preach the Gospel, seek the lost, minister to the wounded, sick, & dying, be in constant prayer, and love the unlovely. On that day, four nails forever changed how God ministers to a lost and dying world. As Jesus’ earthly ministry closed, each nail driven into the cross beckons us to take up where He left off.
Palm Sunday – 2018
“Between Sundays:
A sermon for Palm Sunday, and beyond.”
On Palm Sunday we remember Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We remember how he rode into the city on a donkey, and the crowds were waiting for him. They had heard about him. They loved him. They threw their coats on the ground, and spread their palms out on the road, and they cheered as he came in. They were looking for the Messiah and they were sure it was Him. And we are so, so close to Easter. We almost want to take this day as a warm-up, a celebration before the big celebration. We all know that something happens between Sundays. And the story isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Stories about Jesus seldom are.
Hope In Action
We all hope that every year, our life is going to get better right? It could be in multiple categories. Maybe we’re hoping relationally our life will be better with family, with friends. Maybe your marriage is good. Maybe it’s not but you’re hoping it’s better next year. It could be from a financial standpoint. You’re hoping this year that you make more money or you eliminate some debt. It could be from a physical standpoint. You want to be healthier this year than you were in last year. Most importantly perhaps you’re hoping that spiritually your walk with Christ will be stronger next year than it was this year. Join us next week as we put our hope in action!
Overcomer – Part 4
This week, what I want to do is I want to talk about overcoming something that so many of us battle with. I want to talk about overcoming fear. It might be for you, when you were a little child, you were afraid of a thunderstorm. It might be that you were a teenager and you were actually afraid that your parents’ marriage may not make it. Today, now that you’re older, so many of us, we have grownup fears, right? We’re afraid the economy might go down, we might lose our job. We’re afraid that something’s going to happen to one of our children. All of us, at different points in our life, will battle with feelings of fear. Fear is not from God, therefore, by the help of God, we will overcome the fear that has held us hostage.
Overcomer – Part 3
This week we’re going to be talking about labels. If I asked you the question, “Hey, would you describe yourself to me, maybe just three words, what would you say?” Here’s why I ask you that. This week, we’re going to be talking about overcoming labels. This is what a label is. A label is a phrase that is used to describe a person or a thing, particularly one that’s restrictive in nature. Whether we know it or not, labels are powerful.
Overcomer – Part 2
As we ease into this, let me just tell you something I believe is going to happen. I’ve been praying very diligently that God would speak to a few of you in a way that would significantly impact your life. The reason I say a few is because I’m not naïve enough to believe that everybody’s going to be rocked by the message I’m going to share, but I do honestly believe that there are some of you that you’re going to hear from God in a way that’s going to awaken something on the inside of you and move you out of your comfort zone into a place of faith and impact you’ve never, ever known before.
Overcomer – Part 1
Stare down your fears, shatter your insecurities, and shake off the apathy that tries to hold you back. This four-week series tackles some of the unseen issues that we all deal with: comparison, apathy, labels, and fear. Through Christ, we can overcome all these attacks of the evil one. You are an overcomer!
LOVE – We Connect, Relate, Belong
When the Bible says “the love of God”, it draws our focus to the love God the father pours out into the whole redemptive program. All the persons of the Trinity equally possess and operate out of love, but the Father especially, poignantly manifests this love in a way that includes us. When it says the fellowship “koinonia” participation of the Spirit it draws our focus to the fellowship the Holy Spirit pours out into our hearts and lives right now. All the persons of the godhead equally possess and operate out of this koinonia, but the Holy Spirit especially, poignantly manifests this fellowship right now in a way that includes us. The Trinity, the inner reality of God’s connection, relatedness, belonging, is a shared reality. It is a shared sense of loving community God shares with us.