Neighboring 101: Moved by Compassion

Neighboring – Back to Basics Who is your neighbor?  This is a great question as we start rolling in our newest message series Won’t You Be My Neighbor?  We often think of a neighbor as someone who lives near us.  But as we talked about in last week’s message, Neighboring 101 neighboring is more about what we do than were we live.  Or we could say that “Neighboring is about action, not address.”  Our neighbor can be anyone…or better said, we can be a neighbor to anyone.  We have to decide if we want to neighbor.   Listen to the message  Neighboring 101 (CLICK HERE) We defined neighboring by the acronym CARE.  The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 fleshes out this acronym CARE.  Neighbors CARE as[…]

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Sunday Rewind for April 15: E*TRADE Tip#2

  Are you investing in eternity?  We can’t earn our way into heaven.  Only God’s gift of grace through Jesus gains us entrance.  Yet once in, Jesus tells us there is reward for how we invest our time and resources.  Our message series, E*TRADE, explores the biblical strategies for wisely investing in our eternity.   Listen to Sunday’s Message: Sunday’s Message:  “E*TRADE:  Trading Tip #2:  Go With What We’re Given”          Key Points from Sunday’s Message: TRADING TIP #1:  What we do matters!  Investments on Earth influence rewards in Eternity. TRADING TIP #2:  Go with what you’re given!  Investing responsibly multiples opportunity. Avoid Theses Common Investment Mistakes Claiming what isn’t mine Holding what I have Forgetting who I serve BIG IDEA:  Our reward is[…]

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Sunday Rewind for April 8: E*TRADE Tip#1

  Are you investing in eternity?  We can’t earn our way into heaven.  Only God’s gift of grace through Jesus gains us entrance.  Yet once in, Jesus tells us there is reward for how we invest our time and resources.  Our message series, E*TRADE, explores the biblical strategies for wisely investing in our eternity.     Listen to Sunday’s Message: Sunday’s Message:  “E*TRADE:  Trading Tip #1:  What I Do Still Matters”      Key Points from Sunday’s Message: Our time is limited, evaluated and influences our eternity. TRADING TIP #1:  What we do matters!  Investments on Earth influence rewards in Eternity. Investing In Eternity Checklist: Check my HEART Check my HEADING Check the HARVEST BIG IDEA:  What I do with the time & resources I am[…]

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Sunday Rewind for March 18: Why Jesus? Week 3

WHY JESUS?   Week 3:  Forgiveness   Calling ourselves Christians doesn’t mean we know the Christ we claim to follow.  Its easy to invent our own version of Christianity when getting to know the real Jesus risks confusion, controversy, and life call.  Join us as we ask the most important question you will ever address:  Why Jesus?  Why is forgiveness so important?   Listen to Sunday’s Message: Sunday’s Message:  “WHY JESUS? Part 3: Forgiveness”      Key Points from Sunday’s Message: I need a Savior who forgives…and requires I do the same. Jesus demonstrated grace & mercy as forgiveness that: – precedes repentance – supersedes vengeance – is undeserved – is unlimited in scope Our capacity to forgive and be forgiven are connected I forgive[…]

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Sunday Rewind for March 11: Why Jesus? Part 2

WHY JESUS?   Week 2:  The Suffering Servant   Calling ourselves Christians doesn’t mean we know the Christ we claim to follow.  Its easy to invent our own version of Christianity when getting to know the real Jesus risks confusion, controversy, and life call.  Join us as we ask the most important question you will ever address:  Why Jesus?  Who is this man?   Listen to Sunday’s Message: Sunday’s Message:  “WHY JESUS? Part 2: The Suffering Servant” Audio of Baptisms performed on March 11, 2018 & the Closing of Worship   Key Points from Sunday’s Message: We naturally seek to avoid pain. We want a God who eliminates pain. Jesus reveals a God who enters into our pain. Jesus proves glory lies on the other[…]

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Sunday Rewind for August 6: Addict Part 4

Addict, Part 4: RECONCILIATION Who have I hurt?  As hard as it is to ask this question, our recovery hinges on our willingness to not only confess our character defects but to seek reconciliation.  Steps 8 & 9 put flesh on our pain and move us to go make amends.  We now put action to our claimed change in behavior. Matthew 5:21-24 (from www.biblegateway.com) 21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[c] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[d] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[e] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[f] you are in danger of the[…]

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Sunday Rewind for July 30: Addict Part 3

Addict, Part 3: INVENTORY Am I an addict?  How much of a mess have I made?  Jesus will bring full and complete healing to our lives…but we’ve got some “house-cleaning” to do.  Can we admit and acknowledge our trash…why we are the source of our trash…and that we are ready to quit making more trash? James 4:1-10 (from www.biblegateway.com) 1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you[…]

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Sunday Rewind for July 16: Addict, Part 2

  Addict, Part 2: SURRENDER Am I am addict?  We love power and control, thinking we can will ourselves towards health and well-being.  Yet with every addiction, the first step to healing always begins with “I can’t!”  But if I can’t, who really can?  The Good News states from beginning to end that God, through Jesus, can and eagerly wants to restore us and help us recover from our addiction to me!  Will we give God control? John 1:10-13 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.13 They are reborn—not with a[…]

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Sunday Rewind for July 9: Addict, Part 1

Addict, Part 1: INTERVENTION Why do we fall short?  However we define right, why do we do wrong?   The Bible calls it SIN.  But what is SIN, really?  And is there hope?  This first message in our six-week series “addict” is our INTERVENTION, identifying our powerlessness over our addiction to me.  Letting the  12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous be a guide, we can find real, lasting hope in Jesus when we admit our problem. Scripture: Romans 7:14-25 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it.[…]

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Sunday Rewind for June 4: Potential, Go BIG

Go Big or Go Home!  What would it have been like to be in the room with all the other followers of Jesus when the Holy Spirit flooded the room?  In that moment, a room full of hiding cowards transformed into bold preachers.  They had been terrified they’d be crucified like Jesus, yet in a short time they would stand defiantly before the religious authority boldly proclaiming their allegiance with Jesus.  Whatever took place in that upper room on the day of Pentecost radically changed them forever.  With the arrival of the Holy Spirit, what would have been a called failed moment instantly became a full blown movement that literally toppled governments and changed the trajectory of history.  What happened?  And could it happen again? WCJD:  What CAN Jesus Do?[…]

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