We began this series last week with a couple of startling discoveries and I want to review those as we begin today… Being a sinner doesn’t disqualify you from following Jesus; it’s a prerequisite. Do you remember that? Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Then, here’s the second one… Being an unbeliever doesn’t disqualify you from following Jesus; nobody who followed Jesus early on believed he was divine to begin with (until after the resurrection; do you remember Thomas?)… Folks, Jesus’ invitation to follow was an invitation to relationship! It’s kind of...
Well, let me start today by saying … ‘Happy Easter!’ Today, in celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, we’re beginning a new series which will basically explain—perhaps in ways you’ve never thought of before—why Jesus came and did what he did for us. And what we’re going to discover together today and for the next several weeks is … it’s all about relationship! Are you familiar with the old game called ‘Simon Says’? You know, you’ve got one person who is the caller and says ‘Simon says … whatever.’ And when that...
As we approach the New Year together, I want you to be thinking ahead to the year 2015. I know that, during this New Year, there are a lot of things you can do … and many things you will do, but I also know … there’s one thing you must do—you’ve got to do! And it’s ‘that one thing’ that I want to talk to you about today. Now, ‘that one thing’ is going to be different for all of us. It’ll be based on what’s going on in...
Today, folks, we’re continuing in our series THE REAL ‘F’ WORD … which is FORGIVENESS. And today, specifically, we’re talking about ‘How Can We Forgive Others?’ And as we get into that, let me ask you a question… How many of you would recognize ‘The Lord’s Prayer?’ Pretty familiar, isn’t it? It’s found a couple of times in scripture; it’s found in Matthew 6 and it’s also found in Luke 11. You know how it goes; don’t say it out loud, but say it in your mind, as you follow...
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about ‘how to be blessed’ as a church … and asking questions like: What kind of a church will God bless? What do we need to be about, as a church, in order to be recipients of God’s blessing? Last week, one of the things we talked about needing to do was this: We need to be ‘devoted’ to God’s word. And God’s word is full of ways to receive God’s blessing. We can know how … and that’s what we’re...
Are you a follower of Jesus? That’s the question that will be dealt with in the next several weeks, as we share in this ‘Fan or Follower’ worship series together. But, have you ever thought seriously about that question? Yeah, I know, you’ve been asked that question before; it’s so familiar that you usually just dismiss it. Not because it makes you uncomfortable—not because it’s scary in any way. My guess is you usually dismiss it … because it’s redundant—unnecessary at this point in your life! Am I right …...
So often in life, when confronted with hurtful or confusing or emotionally damaging situations, we do the ‘human thing’—build walls up around us to protect us, to keep us from getting hurt again. And, some of you are already thinking to yourselves: “Yes, AND…” … as if that’s the most logical thing we can do in these situations… The problem is … what seems the most logical thing to do … is not always what’s best for us; sometimes we need the supernatural to intervene in our lives. Why? Because...
