Of all Jesus’ I AM statements, this one is the most intimate, the most exclusive; Jesus can only be known as the true vine by true disciples. This week we’ll join Jesus and the disciples on their walk from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane to hear Jesus’ final I AM statement, taught hours before His death (John 15).
You have a problem known as mortality: you and everyone you know will die. This week we’ll listen as Jesus forces this problem out into the open, so that he can introduce himself as the solution to our mortality problem. Jesus wants us to relate to him as “The Resurrection and The Life” (John 11).
In John chapter 14 Jesus is speaking to his disciples at one of the most dejected and grief-filled moments of their lives. Join us as we see how the name he gives his disciples can transform the trajectory of the most despondent of us even to this day.
Denford from African Development Mission trust gives a fantastic update of work in Zimbabwe.
We continue our series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus by focusing on a singularly vital portal… a gate: and this gate, strangely enough, has everything to do with sheep. This week we will again let Jesus instruct us on how to relate to him, by hearing his self-identification as “the gate” and “the good shepherd.”
At the Feast of Booths Jesus illuminated the masses who were present that all the festivities were all about HIM. How do we relate with the “Light of the World?” Join us as we delve into that and more of Jesus’ teachings at the Temple mount in John 7-9.
What is bread? And why is it relevant as a metaphor for how we relate to Jesus? Join us as we investigate Jesus’ claim to the “The Bread of Life” in John chapter 6.
When it comes to relating to non-believers, Christians often have radically different ideas about how those relationships are supposed to go. Do we blend in or stand out? Freely engage with them, or insulate ourselves from them? Should we try to make them comfortable, or uncomfortable? Join us as we seek to answer the question of how a Christ follower ought to be relating to those outside of the faith?
Marriage has always contained elements of beauty and mystery for it’s not about the husband and wife but whom they represent. Agur, son of Jakeh, reflects, “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid” (Prov. 30:18-19). Join us this week as the ponder the mystery of marriage and the divine directives our God has gi...
Whether brought up in a home centered on Christ or in a family apart from God all have been shaped and impacted by parent-child relationships. From parenting principles to the duties of children Scripture provides both practical pointers as well as rich and challenging truths. Whether you view family with dread or delight, join us as we discuss the parent-child relationship and how it applies to everyone in the church.
The relationship between you and the church is eternal, it is commanded by God, and this relationship will inform and direct all other human relationships you have in this life. Your relationship to the church of Jesus Christ is extremely important and without getting this one right, all other relationships you have will suffer. Join us as we discuss “You and the Church.”
Everyone experiences suffering, trials, stress, and turmoil. It’s how we respond to these ordinary events that really demonstrates whether our beliefs are more than mere concepts. God has demonstrated in His character a response to trials that should define every Christian relationship: Long-suffering. Join us this week as we explain and work to embody this relationship virtue.
When it comes to the world’s solutions to conflict the tool of choice is the sledgehammer, an implement of destruction. Meanwhile, the Scriptures present an entirely different way to address pain and conflict. We continue our series on relationship tools by discussing forgiveness – what it is (and is not) as well as how to practice it on a daily basis.
What’s the one thing which is present in all your bad relationships? That’s right! You are! We begin our series on relationship tools by discussing how your identity (who you are) needs to be addressed before any other relationship can be fixed.
This week we begin a new year, and I wanted to try something novel with our message this week. I want to re-member 2022: I’d like for us to revisit some of what we studied over the course of the year, and then I’d like to look ahead to what we’re going to be studying in 2023. We’ll also be discussing some exciting plans for this year, so you’ll want to join us for this gathering as we start the year with remembrance and anticipation: Looking back and looking ahead!
Why doesn’t God make Himself more obvious? If He genuinely wants us to believe, then why remain hidden? Join us as we address this final message of the year on dealing with common objection to the existence of God.
If anyone could object to God because of evil and suffering it was Job. In a single day he not only lost his possessions, but his honor, dignity, and children. Friends came to comfort but were of no help – how would God vindicate Job? How would God make sense of Job’s suffering? Why did God let such evil come upon a “blameless, righteous man?” Pain, evil, and suffering prompt the same questions in our own hearts. As we shall see, our God does not shy away from this subject. He enters into it.
“A loving God wouldn’t send someone to hell, would he?” “Eternal punishment for a finite crime is unjust!” “Hell is just a scare tactic Christians use to control others.” Join us as we tackle these objections and more as we consider the morality of hell and the character of God.
Many people dismiss belief in God as unreasonable or irrational, but what do they mean when they say that? Is this a valid criticism? Join us as we dissect the criticism and give some answers as well as scriptural perspective.
Scripture encourages us to pray boldly, knowing, “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” And yet, each of us could bold prayers that have gone unanswered. This week we’ll gather to wrestle with prayer of faith, considering how to have faith in God even when we don’t see answers to our cries.
Gratitude is becoming a rare commodity. We sometimes view such thanklessness as simply being rude, but the scriptures seem to indicate that it often rises to the level of sin. How much more so when our interactions with God lack gratitude? This week we’ll gather to focus on making certain that prayers of gratitude are a regular part of our daily regimen.
We know that the scriptures have us frequently in prayer, but have you noticed how often those prayers happen in groups? Why might God want us to pray collectively? Join us this week as we discuss the Biblical imperative to pray together.
When we think prayer, we generally understand it as “asking God for something”. And when we ask God for things we generally assume the answer is “nope”. Why is this? Could it be that we’re doing it wrong? Join us this week as we consider what it means to intercede in prayer.
When the majority of a culture including media and governmental institutions are all bent on speaking falsehood and mandating that everyone else join in; how is a Christian to respond? Join us as we conclude our series on Christianity and politics by discussing the Christian’s responsibility to “spurn lies”
What is a government supposed to do? Seems like a pretty basic question, right? According to God’s description, the prime directive of a government is to institute justice (By justice we mean giving people what they deserve… but what do people deserve?) Join us as we discuss “Prioritizing Genuine Justice.”
What is a human life worth? It’s a big question that has tremendous implications in terms of how a government creates policies. Does God’s existence change how we would answer that question? Join us this week as we discuss prioritizing and valuing life.
When it comes to how humans communicate what should be the most important governing principle? Should it be kindness? Should it be inoffensiveness? Perhaps adhering to cultural and governmentally mandated norms? Or should a Disciples of Jesus Christ be willing to toss all of that stuff in favor of truth? Join us this week as we again talk God and politics by discussing Freedom of Speech.
Scripture presents us with an uncomfortable reality – On the one hand, God hates evil. On the other hand, God uses evil people in wicked governments to accomplish His purposes. Government is His servant, God’s chosen instrument. This week we embark upon a series on faith and politics, pondering the call to be citizens of heaven while also being citizens of the U.S.
Hosea paints a bleak picture of what happens to humans who defy and rebel against God. It is history and it is warning, but it is also a map to restoration. Hidden in the thick of the prophecy of Hosea is a forecast of redemption and a description of How God will ultimately ransom a rebellious people. This week we close out this series by looking at Hosea 11-14 and discussing God’s prophetic plan to redeem His peo
What is the purpose of punishment? Humans certainly have their reasons, but when God punishes a nation what is the purpose? In Hosea chapters 8-10 we’ll read about the punishments that God is going to inflict on the Northern Kingdom and our goal this week is to consider what God’s intends to accomplish.
