sunday message discussion guides

Deepen your understanding and application of God's Word through the weekly discussion guides. 

Catch up or catch more by listening to of the messages or watching it on video on the app

  • Adoption

    Let's look at the Christmas story but from a different angle than what is often celebrated at Christmas. The role that Jesus’ arrival plays in God’s plan to make us his own—to adopt us into his family. 

  • god with us

    When we ponder the familiar and well-worn pages of the Christmas story, at the heart of it is, of course, the birth of Jesus. He was more than the miracle of life that every parent celebrates as the hear the cries of their child and hold him or her in their arms for the first time. Jesus was Immanuel.

  • how can a loving god send people to hell?

    Where is the greatest point of tension for you in the question, “How can a loving God send people to hell?” Is it believing in a literal hell? Or trying to defend that God is loving while there is a hell? Or reconciling how an eternal hell could be considered fair judgment?

  • HOW CAN I DISCOVER MY PURPOSE ON EARTH?

    Your purpose is not invented but implanted. You are created by God, for God. You are recreated in Jesus for Jesus. 

  • If God is really in control, why is there so much evil and suffering? 

    How do we still believe in a good and powerful God in the face of the evil and suffering we see and experience in the world? 
  • How Can I Know For Sure I’ll Go to Heaven?

    “How can I know for sure I’ll go to heaven?” This is right up there with the most important questions for which you want to have a good answer because so much hinges on getting the answer to this question right. Everyone wants to be certain about their eternal future after death. Everyone wants to know where they stand with God. 

  • Is Science & Reason More Enlightened Than Faith?

    Science and reason are not enemies of faith but partners with faith in creating the best account for what we see and experience in the world.

  • Enemy of the State

    We’re not just fighting against people or opinions but demonic deceptions. 

  • Political Activism

    Our country encourages political activism. How politically active should Christians be? 

  • ONE IS THE WIN

    What does “winning” during an election season look like for us as Jesus’ disciples. We all like to win, right? It definitely beats the alternative—losing. But maybe you’ve never stopped to think much about what winning looks like and that's probably because it didn’t feel like it required much thought. 

  • Political Allegiance

    There is a truth about who Jesus is and a truth about who we are that provides a solid biblical starting point for figuring out how our faith informs our political allegiances. 

    Additional Resource: Biblical Roadmap to the Party Platforms

  • PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

    Proclaiming the gospel is a calling on the life of every believer in Christ and is rooted in our own experience in the gospel. 

  • Know The Word

    We seek to know God’s Word because by it we are trained for discernment and equipped for every good work. The Word of God provides the third leg of the stool that provides the stability and strength for the Spirit of God to bring us to maturity in Christ and use our life to accomplish so much good for God’s glory.  

  • Live In Community

    As we explore what it means for us to be a church on a mission to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, today I want to point us toward the essential pursuit of living in community. You won’t go as far and we won’t go as far as God wants to take us unless we understand how God uses relationships to mature our faith and make us fruitful for him and invest ourselves in them. 

  • MAKE OUR HOMe IN CHRIST

    We’re going to spend 4 weeks looking at 4 key pursuits for us as a church to accomplish the mission that Jesus gave his disciples and see many lives transformed through us for their good and God’s glory.  In this message we'll see that the outflow of Christ’s power from us is dependent on the inflow of Christ’s power to us.

  • Jesus delivers you from you

    Sin and death are an inside job that needs an outside savior. Jesus is the only one who can deliver you from you.

  • CHRIST IS THE BETTER SPOUSE

    Gaining your freedom from the law opens up the opportunity for you to enter into a new covenant relationship with God through Christ. 

  • Under Grace and Over Sin

    How can we sin less, not become sinless?

  • dead to sin - alive in christ

    How important is identity? Identity informs activity. Identity determines destiny.

  • The Sequel Is Better Than The Original

    This is one of the more challenging passages in this letter to follow Paul thought process. But it’s worth the effort, because its truth highlights powerfully just how incredible of a gift Jesus is for us to receive.

  • You Can Count on Your Salvation

    The cost of the downpayment for your salvation gives you confidence for its completion.

  • Gospel Celebrations

    The gospel leads us to celebrate two aspects of our lives:

    our future salvation and our present suffering.

  • YOU'RE INVITED!

    We threw a 5-night party in honor of the greater party that God has told us that he is going throw for eternity. God is not a boring God. He isn’t all serious and anti-fun. Quite the opposite. God loves to celebrate with others. Laugh. Enjoy life. His original plan for humanity at creation and his redemptive plan for humanity after sin marred all of creation is one of peace, joy, celebration, and life.

  • teach us to pray: Your Kingdom Come & Daily Bread

    We love the story of restoration that Yahweh has written and is fulfilling for all of creation, but we get sidetracked into the urgent and the attractive, yet temporary. 

  • teach us to pray: confession

    We love to classify sin as everything we do bad. We lied. We cheated. We lusted. We hurt someone’s feelings. And all of that is true. All of that is sin, but we need to look at the deepest part of sin to be able to understand why we have to ask for forgiveness from God for our sins. 

  • TEACH US TO PRAY: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

    We’re going to learn from Jesus where we start in prayer. It’s not some small talk. It’s not a list of our requests. It’s with a declaration of a desire that aligns our priorities with God’s priorities.  

  • teach us to pray: WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO

    The goal in this text and is to listen closely and unpack what Jesus is teaching us about how to pray and to work everything that he teaches into how we pray.

  • Teach Us to Pray: THE STRUGGLE TO PRAY

    We are embarking on a journey into prayer where we deal honestly with our fears, doubts, and discomforts with prayer in pursuit of wielding prayer in our lives so that we encounter God, find it life-giving, and see God’s power in real, tangible ways when we pray.

  • Alternative Pursuit

    The most difficult aspect of pursuing Jesus is pursuing Jesus. Think about that for a moment. The most difficult aspect of pursuing Jesus until the day we hit our ending point in life is to actually pursue Jesus. 

  • RUN TO WIN

    You took hold of Christ once you discovered the love and grace of God found in him, but before you ever thought to take hold of Christ, he took hold of you. He set his heart on being your Rescuer and providing you with an eternal life with him. 

  • Knowing Christ

    As we begin to grasp more and more the infinite value of Christ for our lives, our desires are naturally and rightly transformed to unlock in our lives the fullness of life that he offers. And this necessitates a new way of living. So what does that look like for us? What becomes the new framework for how we live in light of gaining Christ and his righteousness for our lives? 

  • Garbage And Gains

    life is short and we get one shot at it. There are no do-overs. No mulligans for the days we are allotted. You don’t want to get to the end of your life and still be empty and unfulfilled even though you gained all the things you thought would give you life. Over the next four weeks, we’re going to see what matters most in life and how you go after it so that you win what truly matters. 

  • unlimited reach of the gospel

    World Outreach Sunday with missionary partner, Jim Jarman preaching from Luke 19:1-10

  • Faith Like Abraham

    Abraham's faith delights God's heart and is set forth as the model for our relationship with God today. We want to see the internal workings of faith— and ask the text what exactly is the anatomy of faith? We’ll discover that there are three clear parts to the anatomy of faith that delight God's heart. 

  • Righteousness Is By Faith Alone

    In the darkness of the bad news comes the light of the gospel. The righteousness we cannot earn by grit has been given to us by grace. Jesus is our propitiation sacrifice—the gift that turns away the wrath of God toward us and reconciles our relationship with God. How do we gain this gifted righteousness from Jesus for us?

  • Venmoed Righteousness

    Paul briefly pauses in this letter to the Romans to answer some of the questions and objections he anticipates they might have. And that’s where we re-enter back into this letter, Romans 3:1.

  • The Scars Tell A Story

    Jesus’ scars tell a story of his wounds but also of his victory over sin and death. This is a victory that he shares with us to bring healing to the wounds in our lives, most significantly the deep wounding of sin.

  • Self-Righteousness is Disastrous Living

    Paul makes a shift in who he is declaring desperately needs the gospel because they have stored up for themselves the wrath of God. He now turns his aim from people “out there” to those “in here” within the church. Now Paul isn’t about to go after everyone in the church here in chapter two. There is a particular person who he wants to speak directly to who has been around the gospel but has failed to properly understand and receive it. 

  • Suppressing God is Disastrous Living

    Good news becomes particularly good news if the backdrop is some bad news. No one can fully appreciate gospel if they don’t understand the danger which they face. Paul wastes no time in explaining why the gospel is a universally desperate need

  • The Gospel is Powerful

    Christ did not die simply so that we might be saved from an evil conscience or even to remove the stain of our past failure, but to “clear the decks” for divine action in our hearts. For transformation to happen. The Gospel drives us into a new life with Christ. It fills us with purpose. It transforms us. When we allow something to transform us, It changes how we live, work, and raise our kids. The Gospel becomes our way of life.

  • The Gospel & Calling

    There is an apparent brokenness in humanity. We see it in our world. We see it in ourselves. The good news is that God cares and has done something to fix all that is broken. This good news is captured in the gospel, and Romans is the clearest, most in-depth explanation of the gospel in all Scripture. Through this letter, we see how the power that resurrected Jesus enters our lives by faith to reconcile our relationship with God, set us free from dead-end ways of living, and heal the broken parts of us.

  • THE WORD IS TRANSFORMATIVE

    How we experience the Word of God at work in us in a way that truly brings its transformative power, life, and light into our lives. The answer lies in how we choose to receive and interact with God’s Word. 

  • THE WORD IS GOD-BREATHED

    You can be confident that the entire Bible is God's Word for three reasons: Jesus’ view of Scripture, fulfilled prophecy, and accurate transmission.  

  • THE CREATIVE POWER OF GOD’S WORD

    God's Word is creatively powerful, life-giving, and illuminating. If you’re skeptical, I understand where you’re coming from, but I want to ask if you would suspend your disbelief and follow along with us as we consider what God’s Word can and has accomplished in people's lives. Together, we'll experience the Bible as more than words on a page.

  • Strong & Courageous

    As we go through changes, there is a significant transition in the Bible that brings a lot of clarity about how I believe God wants us to go through seasons of transition.

  • How God Replenishes Us

    In less than a day, Elijah went from boldness and great victory to fear and running for his life! What we’re going to see is how this drained Elijah’s emotional tank. He had no reserves left to deal with the setback in his life. Have you had that experience? 

  • Necessary Change

    We’re in a message series called “Flourish”. We want to flourish and be healthy in our relationships, including our relationship with God. We want to pursue happiness to live with a purpose. This series is based on 1 Kings, where we learn how God was moving in Israel to bring necessary change. 

  • faithful messengers

    We all want to flourish – we all seek joy, love, wholeness, and fullness in Christ. But we all struggle to flourish. This is because we live in a world that has forsaken God, a world in which there is a real spiritual battle. Your time, energy, and thoughts will be pulled in a million directions. So how do we remain faithful in a world that has forsaken God?

  • Death for Life

    Our sin is our agreement with Satan’s insurrection that we deserve to be God. We are always reaching to be god. And yet, God gives grace again and again...
  • THE DEATH SPIRAL OF HUMANITY

    How would humanity respond to the fallout of their decision to follow their desires at the cost of obedience to God? Would the smarting wound of God’s distance, the loss of the garden, and the frustration of everything from producing crops to carrying on a relationship with one another be enough to turn people's hearts away from self-rule and back to God? 

  • The Fractured Kingdom  

    "The Best Gift: Why Jesus Is Exactly What We Need.” This new series helps us to be biblically and doctrinally grounded in the story of redemption. But we also want to come away with the wonder of Mother Mary – who treasured up the wonder of her baby son, Jesus Christ. Our aim for this Advent is to treasure Jesus, to explore the story behind the gift, the story that deepens our appreciation for Jesus being the best gift ever.

  • The Lampstand of Christ  

    The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.  Revelation 1:20

  • The church is the Bride

    The good news is that understanding yourself as the bride of Christ doesn’t involve wearing anything feminine, and it doesn’t imply a romantic relationship with Jesus. God is calling out specific aspects of being a bride that enable us to understand our relationship with Christ, not those. And they are relationship dynamics that all of us in the church, even us guys, can also get behind. 

  • the family of god

    Because we fail to realize that, even though Christians can sin and mess up, the church is still “the family of God”. Just as no family is perfect; neither is any local church perfect. But many people have true dislike for the church. That needs to change. 

  • the Body of Christ

    When we utilize our gifts for the sole purpose of bringing honor and glory to Jesus, the body of Christ grows.

  • The Church is God’s Temple

    Church is more than a service or social group to attend. God has a vision for his church that calls us into something bigger than ourselves and works out his purposes in our lives.

  • Making Disciples

    Where does Jesus start when he calls his disciples to take up the mission of making disciples?

  • YOUR TRUST MATTERS TO GOD

    This is Malachi’s message to us, as well. It seems that every generation and every individual is prone to wander from God. In your heart, you know this is true. And we certainly can see the shift away from God in our culture. How can God be so patient with us? With me? And, are we ever grateful for God’s patience? 

  • Your Wealth Matters to God

    While centuries separate us from the recipients of Malachi’s message from God, the questions the people had for God continue to be some of the big questions that we’re also asking of him today:

    • Do you really love us and is obedience worth it if we’re not clearly being blessed by you in return?

    • If sin is so bad where is God’s judgment on sin?

    • How can God say he is just when we’re surrounded by injustice?

  • Your Moral Choices Matter to God

    Malachi helps us to see the danger when we become apathetic or disillusioned with God and his ways. We also hear God’s wake-up call to live lives that worship God in every aspect. 

  • Your Marriage Matters to God

    Malachi issues to us a wake-up call about marriage. God calls us to faithfulness in all our relationships; especially marriage. Faithfulness in marriage comes from our delight in and worship of God. 

  • Your Worship Matters to God

    Malachi is a book that allows us to see what God has to say to his people when they become apathetic or disillusioned with him and his ways. In God’s wake-up call for his people, we see the heart of God and how worship comes from all aspects of our lives.

  • The Generous Landowner

    When I think about this parable, I am reminded of the many times Jesus could have asked me this same question. “Rick, are you envious because I am generous?” Jesus’ parable is designed so that we’ll stop long enough to think clearly about our response to God’s generosity.

    To do that, let’s look again at the parable.

  • THE FORGIVEN DEBTS

    We’re in a series where we are looking at five parables of Jesus over 5 weeks. These stories from Jesus are designed to challenge his listeners to think differently about themselves, God, or life.

    This parable falls within the social norms-breaking interaction Jesus has with a woman during a dinner party. 

  • the rich man & lazarus

    Jesus told about the lives of two men who had a complete reversal of experiences once they died and entered the afterlife. And in this story is a warning to religious people on how they choose to live their lives and clarity about how to evaluate a life lived wisely. 

  • The rich fool

    Jesus is a genius. When it came to responding to confrontational questions in front of a crowd or even urgent, personal questions, no one but Jesus could instantly create and deliver a parable. With the parables, Jesus helps people capture God’s perspective for their lives. 

  • Opening Doors for the Gospel

    I want to share with you Four pushes to open the door that helps unbelievers to meet Jesus. The text is Paul’s attempt to remove invisible barriers that prevent the gospel from flowing like a mighty river. We, too, may be subject to the same issue – unable to see what’s holding us back. 

  • Becoming an Influencer for Christ

    That early movement of people who met, knew, and followed Jesus is the backdrop for today’s text. We’ve been going through a Bible book called Colossians. In this letter that the apostle Paul writes to the Colossians, we learn that there were false teachers that were drawing people away from faith in Jesus. But the apostle Paul simply points them back to Jesus – the most amazing Person in the universe – and tells them to keep trusting in Jesus. 

  • Transformed Daily Relationships

    This passage encourages us to align our attitudes and actions with the character of Christ, resulting in healthier and more fulfilling relationships.

  • THE GOSPEL IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

    In this section of Colossians, Paul shifts to walking us through what is the necessary ripple effect that takes place in our lives if we allow the truth that the fullness of life is found in Christ alone to land in our lives. When the gospel gets tipped over in our lives, it calls for this whole chain reaction of dominos to fall for how we live our everyday lives. 

  • Two Truths to Overcome False Teaching

    Colossians 2:16-23, is a difficult passage to interpret exactly because we don’t fully understand the situation that Paul was writing about. But we certainly can understand the basics of what the apostle Paul teaches us. This passage is the specific explanation of what he said back in Col 2:8

  • LIVING WITH CHRIST AS LORD

    The tension that Paul addresses in this letter with the church in Colossae is the sufficiency of Christ alone to bring them to fullness or completeness. This is a completeness of life in its whole. Not just life for now but life forever.

    So he’s answering the question, “Is Christ enough?” This question is as relevant for us today as it was for them. Is Christ enough? Is faith in Jesus enough for everything we need to experience life now for eternity or do we need to do more to gain that life?

  • Becoming Fully Mature in Christ

    When you were born again by God’s grace, God wants you to grow up – to become mature in Christ. 

    Spiritual growth happens when we are part of a church family encouraging one another in faith; when we’re in God’s Word; when we serve; when we share the gospel.

  • Exulting in the Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ

    Our search for “enough” also makes us vulnerable to people that will prey upon our desire for more. Among these, in our time, are prosperity gospel preachers. Their message is that if you have enough faith, God will heal you – or – God will bless you with the riches you desire.

    Their tactic is to take what the world says is “enough” “more” or “fullness” and wrap it in what sounds like biblical preaching. Don’t be fooled by them.

    The Colossians faced the challenge of similar voices

  • How to Know the Gospel Has Come to You

    Colossians really matters for us today. We are all prone to seek after something more than Christ; or, to try to fill the gaps of our inadequacies so that we become acceptable to God by trusting in our good works. So, Paul writes this letter to call us to stay true to Christ. In Christ we find true fullness. And, as you read it, you’ll see words throughout the letter like “fullness” or to be “filled”. It is critical to your faith in Christ that you find your fullness in Christ

  • Consider Jesus

    Think about the way Jesus lived and loved. What stands out to you about His life? How could that affect the way you live your life?

  • How to Overcome Feeling Forsaken

    Most people who believe in Jesus that face a sudden crisis or a real loss are probably going to ask, “Why would a loving God allow this bad thing to happen?” We all want to make sense of the bad stuff. But one thing that I want us all to remember is that Even Jesus experienced bad things.

  • cAN i BELIEVE IN BOTH GOD & SCIENCE?

    Have you ever wondered Why do science and the Bible conflict with each other? You hear some say, “God created the world in 7 days.” Others say, “But what about the big bang? What about evolution?” This conversation has led to doubt in many people. 

  • Do You Know Who Are You?

    As we talk about rebuilding faith, what is to be done when you’re walking in circles spiritually? When you’re discouraged? When you look back over your life and you see how much you grew at first when you said Yes to Jesus and gave your life to him but then things stalled out at a certain point. God is not done with you yet.

  • When Christians Let You Down

    If you've ever been confused and maybe hurt, disappointed or disillusioned by Christians that don't live like Jesus, you're not alone. 

  • reconstruct faith

    In a time when it has become quite popular for people to "deconstruct faith", we need to encourage one another to build faith even as we struggle with questions and doubts. I hope you'll join us as we talk about how to reconstruct your faith with key architectural principles.

  • The Time Is Near

    “the time is near.” John uses this phrase twice in the book: first, in the prologue and second, here in the epilogue. John begins and ends the Revelation of Jesus Christ with this conviction

  • the new home

    We were made for a better world than the one we live in and the one we have created around us. We long for God to fix what is broken about this world and us. We need to see that finish line to persevere through each day with hope. And here at the end of Revelation in chapters 21 and 22, God shows us the finish line.

  • The Opening of the Books

    No text in the Bible raises the urgency of how we live our lives more than this one. We are all going to stand before the throne and give an account for our lives. Who can possibly stand on that day? And if anyone can, how could that be? 

  • The End of Evil

    God prepares the way for the end of all evil. And we’ll see that you and I – everyone – are going to be a part of that. 

  • The Beast Is Defeated!

    We come to Section Five (19:11-22:7). This last major section culminates in the descent of the city of God, the new Jerusalem, the new creation. It begins with 19:11: “Then I saw heaven standing open.” What did John see when heaven itself was opened? 

  • The Wedding Feast of the Lamb

    The unfolding of a Jewish wedding is one of the most important ways for us to understand our relationship with Jesus.

    So, let’s travel through the parts of a Jewish wedding and see the parallels between it and the relationship Jesus has with his church.

  • Babylon's Fall

    When we read about Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18, we are reading about darkness – about the evil that is in this world; the evil that tempts us away from Christ every day of our lives. How can we persevere in the face of darkness?

  • The Seven Bowls and the End of Wrath

    The apostle Peter said, “The end of all things is near.” That means that believers and unbelievers will be judged by the Lord Jesus. How can we help people prepare?  

  • Defining Traits of the people of the Lamb

    We have learned that we live in a great spiritual battle even though the outcome is certain. At the cross, Jesus Christ already defeated Satan. It’s just that the dragon has yet to concede defeat. His aim is to keep you from worshiping and following Jesus. So, we ask, How can we emerge victorious from this great spiritual battle?

  • the name and number of the beast

    Revelation 13 helps us to see why it’s so hard to be true to Jesus. The dragon and the two beasts absolutely hate Jesus and they do absolutely all they can to keep us from following Jesus! These contenders want to destroy or neutralize your faith. We'll learn how to continue to faithfully follow Jesus.

  • The dragon & the child

    There is a war behind all wars. We see that Jesus has won the decisive victory but there remains a great spiritual battle.

    This section of Revelation describes the Third out of a total of Seven Unveilings of Jesus Christ.

  • THE SEVEN TRUMPETS & TWO WITNESSES

    Before we get to God making all things right and setting up his kingdom, is his judgment. In Revelation we see his judgment intensify as we near the end. We see this intensification take place in a couple of ways as we move into a new cycle of judgments described by John in Revelation 8-11. 

  • Sealed & secured forever

    There are two scenes in Revelation 7 that, taken together, bring us great comfort and strength. Let's take a look.


  • Opening the Seven Seals

    In the First Century, documents had seals on them primarily to show ownership. Only the owner was authorized to open the seals. Because Jesus the Lamb owns the scroll of history, He opens up the seals one at a time and initiates the secret of history, which will provide us with a very different perspective! Let’s begin.

  • reigning with jesus

    Revelation features 7 unveilings of Jesus. The first unveiling found in chapters 1-3 showed how glorious Jesus is and how earnest He is that His followers would not compromise to the world’s ways but would persevere in faith and be victorious over the world. In this message, we come to the second unveiling.

  • How Do We Follow Jesus without Compromise?

    We’ll touch on three letters: Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis. In each of these letters, Jesus calls us to live for Him without compromise. The Christians in those churches lived in a world constantly tempting them to compromise their faith in Jesus. It’s true of us, too. We all face temptation to compromise our faith in Jesus - so how do we overcome it?

  • Jesus Our Hope in the Struggle against Evil  

    How do we overcome trials and persecution? From these letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia, we find: Four helps to overcome our afflictions. 

  • Jesus OUr First love and greatest friend

    As a part of His first unveiling of Himself, Jesus sends a message to each of the 7 churches.  Today, we focus on the first and the seventh letters: To the church in Ephesus, the call is to Return to Jesus as your first love.  To the church in Laodicea, the call is to Open the door to your relationship with Jesus.

  • Jesus in the Middle of His Churches    

    In the first chapter we get to see the first apocalypse of Jesus – (the first unveiling of Jesus) where He will pull back the curtain to let us see the most important and unseen reality of our lives. It will change how you cope with what’s happening in the world and in your personal life. 

  • Introducing revelation

    Revelation is a book of visions and symbols that is not easy to understand and apply to our lives. Given all the upheaval in our world and our lives, why take valuable time in the enigmatic book of Revelation?  It will help us to resist the pressure to compromise our faith and to know why what's happening is happening.

  • team up

    The apostle Peter said, “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray” (1 Peter 4:7). When we team up, we can help more people prepare to meet Jesus. 

  • Share Jesus

    But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

  • the value of human life

    We believe that all human life is sacred and is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life . 

  • Christ and Sex

    The Bible reveals that sex (sexual intercourse) is a good gift from God. Like other good gifts from God, it has been used for both good and evil throughout human history.

    Sex was God’s design, not only for procreation, but for physical, emotional, and spiritual union between one man and one woman for life. 

  • christ and marriage

    What exactly is marriage? How did God design it and why is it so important? What are four tests for a biblical marriage? 


  • CHrist and gender identity

    The Bible’s answer to gender fluidity is clear. God created us male and female. This design is so deeply imprinted on our humanity that we find it irreversible at a biological level.  

    But those who seek gender fluidity are not unlike the rest of us in that we all long for fulfillment – for belonging, acceptance, purpose, identity, and worth. 

  • how we find redemption

    In Ruth 4, Boaz initiates the conversation about redeeming Naomi’s property. The guardian-redeemer says he will but then steps aside. Ruth and Boaz are married and from them comes Obed, the grandfather of King David! Just as Naomi needed redemption, we all need redemption in our time. 

  • How  to make a loyal love marriage

    As we look at Ruth 3, we’re going to find a story of romance and marriage – a marriage that will exemplify loyal love – a marriage that will last. 

  • How God helps us show loyal love


     We saw in Ruth 1 that Naomi lost her husband and two sons. As she returns to Bethlehem she is bitter at God and says that she has come back “empty”. But her daughter-in-law Ruth returns with her and she is going to be used by God in amazing ways to fill Naomi’s life. 


  • How God fills those emptied by life's losses

    Even though the book is called "Ruth", Naomi is a major character in the story.  As we explore Ruth 1, we see that Naomi "went away from Bethlehem full but has returned empty."  She mourned the loss of her entire family-her husband, Elimelech, her sons Mahlon and Killion all died in the land of Moab. How do we overcome loss?


  • Loyal Love Gives Hope in Crisis

    Learn the value of walking alongside one another even in emptiness and despair. See how loyal love is the glue that gives us hope in crisis.

  • do not quench the spirit

    When the Holy Spirit comes, he comes with fire.  Fire represents zeal for God and love for people; This fire in us can burn so brightly that it can transform lives in our communities and touch people around the world. This fire is what we were created for; and this fire spreads through us

  • THE fruit OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

    Hidden beneath the surface of every Christian, there is the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians don’t realize that they can live a transformed life by the power of the Spirit. The result is that they remain enslaved to their fleshly desires. But God has a much better way for us to live by the fruit of the Holy Spirit! 

  • the gifting of the holy spirit

    The Spirit is working out gifting purposely, diversely, in everyone, for our good. What is the reach of each of our gifts?. How many people are each of us expected to gift?  No one person is called to all the gifts, but each are called to some. The Spirit knows each persons capacity and he gifts all believers so that all the needs in the body are met.  

  • the holy spirit illuminates the word

    Why is it that one person can hear about the cross and be totally transformed while the person sitting in the next seat can think of it as foolishness? Paul speaks of this very thing in 1 Corinthians 2, explaining that the Holy Spirit illuminates God's Word for us.

  • The holy spirit poured out

    Fifty days after Jesus ascended into heaven, on Pentecost, the Father gave the Spirit to the Son as a gift to pour out (Acts 2:33). After Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, the church was born – 3000 new believers in one day! The coming of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for people everywhere to have a personal relationship with Jesus and to be ready for the day of the Lord’s return.

     

  • The Gift of the holy spirit

    If you are a believer in Jesus, you have the resource of the Holy Spirit; the responsibility to share the good news; and you will be used by God to reach the lost both near and far.

     Instead of thinking of your inadequacies, honor the powerful breath of life that Jesus breathes into us.The reality of the Holy Spirit within each believer makes reaching the world for Christ possible. 

  • the holy spirit our paraclete

    Jesus teaches that, while the Holy Spirit is invisible to us, we can experience the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He also teaches that the Holy Spirit is the key to having a relationship with God – to experience the fullness of life. In fact, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, it’s because you have been born again – regenerated – by the Holy Spirit.

     

  • How jesus gives us new life

    For three days 2,000 years ago it looked like the battle of good over evil was lost and our world would be without hope, but then what took place that first Easter brought hope for us all. Celebrate Easter!!

  • how god's kingdom comes today

    Everything Jesus did on Palm Sunday was to demonstrate that he is the Messiah King and that the kingdom of heaven has come near. The more we grow to be like Jesus, the more God's kingdom grows in and through us.

  • five types of followers

    There is a wide spectrum of responses to Jesus – people are in every place on this spectrum. The good news, though, is that you are never stuck in any place on the spectrum – the Lord is willing to grow greater faith in you, even today!

  • build your house on the rock

    What has been your foundation during crisis? If you intentionally have built your house on the Rock of Jesus, then you have a living hope, you can show love even to your enemies. But perhaps you have great fear and anxiety; or, you are in the grips of dark thoughts.  How do you build your life on the solid rock of Jesus?

  • overcoming hypocrisy

    In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses the issue of our hypocrisy.  He addresses it twice before the Lord’s Prayer and once after the Lord’s Prayer. This shows us the importance of learning how to pray like Jesus prayed so that we overcome hypocrisy and have pure motives as we serve the Lord. Pray that the Holy Spirit will transform our motives. 

  • Learning God's will

    Jesus explains what a repentant heart looks like by sharing how to know and do God’s will. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to know and do God’s will. 

  • Blessed to be a blessing

    Were going to briefly look at each Beatitude. Come with your questions; and note which Beatitudes affirm what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life and which Beatitudes challenge you that this is a growth area where you need the Lord's transformational heart work. Are you ready to engage? 

  • from setbacks to setups

    As we live by the Spirit, we should continually set our focus on two actions that turn setbacks into setups for the advance of God's kingdom.

  • led by the spirit

    The Holy Spirit has plans for where he wants to take us and experiences he wants us to have, all so that we know new life in Christ and fulfill what God wants to do in and through our lives for his glory. We'll learn how the Holy Spirit works in us and how best to work with Him.

  • Receive The Holy Spirit

    As we begin this message series, “Inside Connection,” we’re going to explore how the Holy Spirit is an amazing gift that the Lord wants us to receive, and it comes with the fullness of God’s blessings for us. 

  • be still my soul

    We live in a world that teaches us to NOT be still; to worry, to be anxious, to be wound up in our fears, to be depressed. These things happen to us because our souls are not still. But God is teaching us to be still and know that I am God. How can we be still in this chaotic world?

  • the king of my soul

    Do you have any lids preventing you from growing in your relationship with JesusThe choice before us is whether we’re going to comply to the lids being foisted on us or are we going to give it our all in 2022? Which choice will help you to grow in your relationship with Jesus? Would Jesus want us to disrupt apathy; challenge the doom and gloom; and pursue his preferred vision of our future? Jesus wants us to move forward; to grow. 

  • The confidence in my soul

    The tests of life have the potential to make our confidence in God grow or shrink; even to the point of becoming fearless in the storm or shipwrecked by the storm. It all happens in your soul.

  • The Thirst in My soul

    We know God by knowing what’s happening in our souls. God speaks his truth and encouragement into our souls. And those who want to know God are aware of what is happening in their souls – and they share their souls with God.