We are brought up to see life as conditional. We're told that love is a two-way street. And we're shown that people should, in many ways have their act together, before we accept them or love them. Not so with God. In fact, you could argue it's the other way around. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on what saving faith is and why it offends our modern and post-modern sensibilities.
Pulled. In a million different directions by work, studies, kids, finances, and life. Some of us will surf the internet to try to escape all the things going on. The temptation, when push comes to shove, is to cut our personal time with God. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares the strength and wisdom of remaining in Christ.
Technological advances over the past several decades have been life-changing: microwave ovens, cordless phones, cell phones, smart phones, the Web, Facebook. In the face of these changes, we've all assumed that it's the technology that's been changing, all the while we've remained the same. But what if our assumption is wrong? What if our technology is actually changing us and how we interact with fellow human beings? In this message, Max Vanderpool outlines some ways in which technology can act...
More practical advice from Pastor Isaiah Surbrook on how to make and sustain friendships.
In this message, Isaiah Surbrook explores common barriers to friendship, what the Bible has to say about friendship and some very practical advice on how to make friends.
When you think of prayer, what comes to mind? Probably an image of someone with their head bowed and eyes closed. But what if prayer is more than that? What if prayer is more personal and natural? In this message, Brian Hull gets to the heart of what prayer really is.
We often think of prayer as something we do. But what if the heart of prayer is really an attitude? An outlook on life? A posture? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on what prayer is...and how Samson shows us what prayer isn't.
What do you do when someone you care about is making a bad decision? Do you tell them your concerns about the job offer they're considering? Do you explain why the person they feel so in love with is a potential train wreck? Or do you simply voice a prayer request for them the next time you're in church? In this message, Max Vanderpool lays out the Biblical principle of warning others and how to do it in a loving and caring way. It's confrontation 101...and it's a necessary part of life, if you ...
We've all been wronged over and over. But what do you do when somebody hurts you, cheats you, takes something from you? Are you like the bumper sticker? I DON'T GET MAD...I GET EVEN. In this message, Max Vanderpool returns to the May 1st passage from Kidstuf to make a case why forgiving someone is the best option...and why you're better off doing so.
These remarks, given on the heels of Ryan Paige's ordination, are based on the Scriptural habit of serving your way into someone's heart. As Christians, we open relational doors with people by serving them...and expecting nothing in return. Because that's how Jesus did it with us. Want to open someone's heart to you? Look for ways to serve them.
Central Kentucky is filled with people who have decided to give up on God and/or the local church. You know some of them. They live next door to you. They work with you. Their kids play on your kids' soccer team. And they're skeptical of Christians...like you. The good news is that there ARE things you can do that will disarm their skepticism. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares the kind of church and the kind of Christians God wants us to be, because God cares deeply about these people....
Can't wait to call your mom on Mother's Day? Or do you dread it? It kind of depends upon the relationship you have with her, doesn't it? In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about the one mistake that parents often make (which drives their kids away). He also shares some of the ways we want to impact families in 2011 at Generations.
What if there were actually no non-critical roles in the church? What would that mean? What would be at stake? In this message, Max Vanderpool explains the concept behind our annual Strategic Service Awards banquet and why what happens on Sunday mornings at Generations (and what happens in Jesus' name outside of Generations) is ESSENTIAL.
Embrace the Gospel. You will never outgrow your need for the Gospel. Ever. Because the Gospel is the good news of what God has accomplished through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel calls us to renounce any and all of our efforts to work things out with God, and instead rely on Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone...and nothing else. Embrace the Gospel, because Jesus Christ is enough. Period.
These brief remarks from Max Vanderpool followed the April 17th showing of the award-winning film, Most (named after the Czech word for bridge). The film attempts to visually paint a picture of the substitutionary atonement. And in order to understand The Gospel, you must understand that Jesus Christ bore the punishment for our sin...instead of bearing that punishment.
Over the years, I have noticed that when it comes to my sin, I tend to think of it as no big deal. I tell myself that God knows I try and surely He understands all those things from childhood I am still working out, and for crying out loud, I am not perfect. God knows I am not perfect. Even my wife knows that. But what if my tendency to brush off sin as no big deal is a flaw, one that could lead me to make faulty assumptions about my relationship with God and my future? What if sin (and by that,...
Sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to or the way we hope. Sometimes, the illness is terminal, your spouse walks out AND doesn't come back, or the bank forecloses. How do you handle the times when things don't go right or well? In this message, Max Vanderpool pulls out one of his nerd talents to argue that God really is the best option out there...especially when things don't go your way.
What do you do when you believe God is asking you to do something? If you're like Moses, you have a million reasons why God should pick someone else. After all, you haven't been faithful, you really don't read your Bible like you should - and hey, isn't God aware of all those thing you did back then? But what if all those reasons we come up with are really a smoke screen, so that we can hide behind our fears. So that God will leave us alone? And what if those fears and reasons are the VERY THING...
Tucked away in the book of Joshua is the account of how Caleb, at age 84, asks God "for a mountain." The Israelites have entered Canaan (for the second time), and "faithful old" Caleb asks for hill country occupied by giants. Talk about gutsy! But what if Caleb shows us a way to really live life - by embracing challenges? And what if challenges are precisely the thing God uses to help us become the people He wants us to be?
When it come to money, we often tell ourselves that we'll have more of it later...when we're making more, when the kids are out of the house, when we've paid off those student loans. We assume they'll be more money down the road. And when it comes to relationships, we often do the same thing...assuming we'll have time for good friendships later. But life often throws us a curve ball, and it's in those moments we need strong relationships the most.
On any given day and in any given moment, your feelings could be anywhere. With the right circumstances, you could be happy or elated. Or with a different set of circumstances, you could be frustrated or angry. Feelings just tend to happen. Or do they? What if many of your feelings are actually tied to thoughts and patterns of thinking that lurk just beneath the surface? And what if you could do something that would reduce and eliminate the feelings that "pull you down?" In this message, Max Van...
In Christian circles, there is a belief that "having a devotional" will bring you closer to God and make your life more satisfying. Read your Bible, pray and journal, they say, and you'll FLOURISH. But many people who WANT to get closer to God have tried that "format," only to become frustrated and give up (feeling guilty that they no longer have a "devotional life"). In this message, Max Vanderpool explains why "one size fits all" doesn't work and how you can discover your sacred pathways to ex...
There's something my wife can say that ALWAYS grabs my attention: "I miss that Max." When she says it, it's an indicator that I've just been laughing, relaxed and not too serious. I'm the man she met and fell in love with. I'm being the best version of me. Every one of us has a best version of ourselves...it's the person God had in mind when he made us. And being that person while remaining connected to Him is what helps us FLOURISH. In this message, Max Vanderpool lays the groundwork for the Me...
In a nutshell, this message summarizes the vision of Generations Community Church by way of the greatest commandment and Moses's final speech. (Hint: you can bet we talk about lost people and families.)
In this message, Max Vanderpool shares the one thing that keeps him up at night, the one issue he fears the most when it comes to the vitality of the church in America.
Too many times in life we do the bare minimum. Yet, with God, He is always doing more than we can imagine. As we continue in our New Year's resolutions, we need to ask ourselves: What if God wants us to go big rather than go home?
Max Vanderpool walks the Generations family through Ephesians 2:1-10 to see (1) what the passage says and (2) what the passage means.
In this Q & A Forum on Bible reading, Debbie Cumbie, Isaiah Surbrook, Max Vanderpool, Mike Vanderpool and Stephen Harrod discuss reading the Bible for the first time, what's worked (and hasn't worked for each of them) and how they've heard God speaking to them through His Word.
None of us likes being told what to do. But what if you're better off living (submitted) under God's authority and under what the Bible teaches? In this message, Max Vanderpool outlines what Biblical Authority is and is not...and why it's worth embracing.
God has placed something inside every human being that craves the "everlasting." It's why some people give large sums of money to colleges and hospitals and why others engage in dangerous pastimes. In this message, Max Vanderpool fleshes out several ineffective ways meant to "satisfy" that craving.
