September 2022
Anywhere With Jesus
This week we will preview our series on Ephesians by looking at Paul’s time in Ephesus in the book of Acts and his later visit with the Ephesian elders. He wanted them to know what he knew. The message is still for us today. Anywhere we go, Jesus will be there with us.
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Endurance
Endurance is a common characteristic of the heroes of faith in scripture. They knew that with God, they could stand firm in any test. Paul is a great example of endurance, and he writes about it in almost all of his New Testament letters.
August 2022
Sermon – Contentment
After a month off, we jump back into our Sunday evening series on character. People think there are things they can attain that will make them content, but true contentment is only found in God.
July 2022
Calmness
In a world filled with anxiety, there is one place we can look for calmness. When we find that calmness that God provides, we can be the non-anxious presence that those around us need.
Patience
We see in scripture that patience is a characteristic of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Patience should be evident in our lives as well.
June 2022
Diligence
The way we work says a lot about our character. Work is important enough to God, that it is a major theme of more than thirty of the parables Jesus told. What can we learn about diligence from those parables?
Security
Where do we seek security? How can we provide security? Where do we find security? How we answer these questions reveals much about us.
Respect
God, who is worthy of our respect, desires that we respect one another. People are worthy of respect, because they are made in His image.
Persuasiveness
Persuasiveness can be used in good or bad ways. When we use it in the way God desires, it can help bring people to know Him.
May 2022
Boldness
Sharing Jesus with others requires us to be bold. That does not mean that we should be brash or rude. We follow the example of Jesus by overcoming fear to live lives that impact others for Him.
Hospitality
When we think of commands in scripture, we might overlook hospitality. Although it begins as a command, God intends for it to become on of the most obvious things people see in His followers. Our hospitality flows out of His love for people.
June 2022
The Spirit of Power
Before Jesus ascends into heaven, he tells His apostles to wait for what He has promised. Soon after, they are filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. After that day, they are forever changed. The presence of the Spirit still changes lives today.
June 2021
Under Pressure
This week we look at tempting and testing. They have different sources and different intended results. Understanding those differences can help us through many situations and can help our relationship with God to grow deeper.
Have Faith
This week we begin a new series on the book of James. Many are drawn to James because of its practical nature. The brother of Jesus calls on Christians to have a faith that works actively in good times and during struggles.
March 2019
Harvest
The instructions Jesus gives to the 72 sent out in Luke 10 offer us great insight as to how the world around us reacts to Christians and the story of Jesus. Like them, we should stay encouraged and motivated to tell others the good news.
February 2019
Learning How to Move Forward
In Luke 9, there are a series of short events Jesus uses to teach His disciples. Like them, there will be times when we do not fully understand or feel equipped to follow, but Jesus reassures that we can continue learning and moving forward as we walk with Him.
Storms
When Jesus and His apostles encounter a storm on the lake, He is the only one in the boat who is calm. As we encounter storms in life, He provides that same calm. We need to learn the lesson that people learned in Luke 8, Jesus is the first place to turn in our storms.
Forgiven
The woman who shows up for dinner at a Pharisees’ house in Luke 7 gives Jesus the perfect opportunity to teach about forgiveness. We can see ourselves in this story as the forgiven or the one needing to forgive. Too often we may also be the Pharisee who is unwilling to let both move on. God offers us all forgiveness.
Upside Down
In Luke 6 we find the Sermon on the Plain, which in many ways is an abbreviated version of the more well known Sermon on the Mount. Unlike the three chapter sermon in Matthew, this one only covers part of a single chapter. The basic message is the same. The life lived following the teachings of Jesus is characterized by values that seem upside down to the culture around us.
January 2019
Follow Me
Jesus did not choose the kind of people that we might choose to be His disciples. When they were chosen, they dropped everything to follow Him, and they accomplished more that we would have expected. What could His followers accomplish today if we committed to Him the way that they did?
Tempted and Rejected
Sometimes in life we may feel alone and that no one understands. In Luke 4, Jesus is tempted by Satan and rejected in His hometown. These events remind us that we follow a Savior who can truly sympathize with us, because He has experienced ups and downs of life.
Preparing the Way
John the Baptist preaches a simple message in Luke 3. People need to make changes in their lives and begin to bear the fruit of followers of God. That message is as true in 2019 as it was when John preached it nearly 2000 years ago.
December 2018
Family Vacation
There are not many stories in the Bible about the childhood years of Jesus. In Luke 2, Jesus goes to Jerusalem with His family. This story gives insight into the values that Joseph and Mary instill in the child God entrusted to them.
Good News of Great Joy
Jesus did not come to Earth in the way we would expect a king. He had a humble birth and was greeted by shepherds. But the fact that God’s Son was here to live among his people is truly “good news of great joy.”
September 2018
God Hears
The book of Genesis closes with one of the children of Israel, Joseph, leading the effort to save Egypt from famine. As the book of Exodus begins, the Israelites find themselves enslaved by the same nation they helped save. Although they may feel as if they have been forgotten, God hears their cries.
July 2018
Growth
In Matthew 13 we find parables about planting, sowing and growing. This week we look at the parables of growth and see what they tell us about small beginnings, the kingdom and our walk with God.
June 2018
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Although it is familiar to many of us because of the old children’s bible class song, this parable teaches an important core teaching of Christianity. We must be careful where we place the foundation of the faith we are building. Jesus is that foundation.
The Lost Son
The son in this parable thinks he has life all figured out and know exactly what he needs to be happy. He soon discovers just how wrong he is and wants nothing more than to go home again. Regardless of the road we choose in life, our Father wants us to do the same. We know this as the Parable of the Lost Son, but it could also be titled the Parable of the Forgiving Father. Be encouraged by this lesson to come home.
The Wedding Banquet
In this parable a king invites people to a wedding banquet for his son. Those who are invited are unwilling to attend for various reasons, but the king’s plan does not end there. What things in our lives stop us from accepting God’s invitation?
The Sower
The message is as true and needed today as it ever has been. We know the reception will not always be what we hope for. We know it will not always take root and grow in each person. Oh, but when it does; it can multiply and change lives. Keep sharing the good news. Keep sowing the seed.
May 2018
Count the Cost
Following Jesus is the best thing a person can do, but it is not always easy. In this parable from Luke 14, Jesus warns that any of His followers should first count the cost of discipleship before taking that first step. (There are audio distortion issues with this recording. We hope to have it fixed before next week.)
Talents
At its core, the Parable of the Talents is actually about money. In the time of Jesus the word we translate “talent” was a measure either by weight or coinage of money, not the skills or abilities we think of today. That being said, the parable does speak to the principle of what we should do with what we’ve been given. Those gifts could be the money that Jesus spoke of or the abilities God provides. What are we doing to honor God with ours?
Perseverance and Pride
Two different parables in Luke 18 tell us a lot about the kind of character we should have as we pray and in life in general. We should never give up and always remain humble, knowing that God is faithful.
April 2018
The Two Sons
Talk is cheap. Most of us have heard that before, and we’ve experience how it can be true. In this parable, Jesus teaches the importance of following through with our actions instead of just speaking hollow words.
The Rich Fool
According to the Self Storage Association (yes, that’s really a thing), “The United States has upward of 50,000 storage facilities, more than five times the number of Starbucks. Currently, there is 7.3 square feet of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation. Thus, it is physically possible that every American could stand—all at the same time—under the total canopy of self storage roofing.” It might be fair to say that Americans have a stuff problem.
January 2018
The Image of God
God concludes the sixth day of creation by creating man. This part of his creation was different from the rest, because he was mad in the Image of God. It did not take long for Adam and Eve to set that distinction aside in search of their own path.
January 2018
There Is Water in the Plan
Jesus is baptized in Matthew 4 to “fulfill all righteousness” and to be an example for us. There’s nothing magical about the water, but is part of the process that brings us into a relationship with God. This week we will discuss the importance of baptism.
A Savior Is Born
The world was forever changed when God sent His only Son in an unusual way to live among His creation. This week we look at the story of the birth of Jesus in Matthew 2.
July 2019
Life or Death
From the beginning of time mankind has had the choice of living a full, rich life as it was intended to be, or choosing something far less that ultimately leads to death. We’re still faced with that choice today. Jesus says HE is life. Do we really believe that? Our choices will tell.
June 2019
I Am Malchus
I am Malchus. You know me more commonly as the guy who got his ear cut off. Consider my story, where I came from and why my name was ever mentioned in the New Testament. Maybe I learned a lesson or two that can benefit all of us.
April 2019
The God Who Forgives
We live in a world that seems to be increasingly divided and unwilling to forgive and work together for the good of all. However, that is not the God of mercy that we serve. Through the sacrifice of Christ God has wiped out the insurmountable debt we owed and given us renewed hope in Christ. Then, he calls on us to follow his example and share that same gift of forgiveness with others. David Dirrim, our Education, Involvement & Missions Minister, brings this lesson.
January 2019
Come Home
Life throws some difficult things at us sometimes, but even in the hardest moments there is something to be learned. Sometimes it is through the most challenging events that we come to understand just how much God loves us and all his creation, and that is a marvelous thing.
November 2018
Haiti Missions Report
David Dirrim shares this report on the good work going on in Haiti and how some of the work is changing.
October 2018
June 2018
Nehemiah
David Dirrim shares the story of Nehemiah and reminds us of the importance of working together in the church.
February 2018
God Is Faithful
David Dirrum shares this message from Numbers 1-10 about the faithfulness of God as Moses and the Israelites make their way through the wilderness.
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