In the 1970s, Americans were fascinated with the APOCALYPSE (and some still are, today). For many Americans, they assume God is going to destroy the world with fire and Christians will be evacuated right before that goes down. But what does Jesus say about all this? And what does the end of the world have to do with the Kingdom of God?
All the kingdoms of the world use power the same way. They use POWER OVER others. They leverage it, exert it, use and abuse it. And they attempt to control others (or coerce them) through the power of the sword. But not God. And certainly not God's Kingdom. In this message, Max Vanderpool, emphasizes what it looks like when God uses power.
What do you think of when you hear the word kingdom? Do you think of a PLACE like the magic kingdom? Do you think of a PEOPLE like the British people? We tend to think of kingdoms in terms of place and people, but is THAT what John the Baptist (and Jesus) preached was near?
This is the most important election in our lifetime, they say. If our candidate doesn't get elected (or re-elected), it could mean the end of our way of life...FOREVER. Face it, people talk about elections these days like people USED to talk about the apocalypse. But should we PANIC? Who exactly are we trusting in all this frenzy?
How did YOU learn to pray as a kid? Who taught you how to pray? Who gave you the words and language you use to pray? In this message, Pastor Max Vanderpool unpacks why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them HOW to pray and ponders what we're really asking when we pray that God's kingdom will COME.
In the midst of the pandemic, many folks are seeing a lot more porn than they used to see. And they're lingering, because they're stressed out. But a little porn is NOT okay. It comes with a steep price, which is why the warning of Jesus is prescient today.
Right now, in the midst of a pandemic, you may need to PROVE that you actually love some people: your wife, husband, kids, parents, close friends, church family. And if you're not careful, when this pandemic is over, those people (who matter MOST) may not feel or believe you really love them. It's the test no one wants to have to take - and no one can afford to fail.
A lot of people think that being happy or experiencing a lot of joy in your life is what makes people grateful. It make sense happy people are grateful, sad/angry people are hateful. But research shows what the BIble has long taught: it's actually the OTHER way around. Practiced gratitude actually opens up the channel for joy in your life. In this message, Max Vanderpool, wraps up our teaching series on joy from the book of Philippians.
Unforgiveness is a JOY-killer. Anger & resentment are JOY-killers. Bitterness is a JOY-killer. The brutal truth about JOY is that JOY won't share a ride with unforgiveness.
On any given day, you feel all kinds of things: happy, sad, betrayed, frustrated, delighted, excited, scared, bored, etc. But those feelings are NOT simply random occurrences. They are connected to your thoughts, to what you are THINKING. In this messages, Pastor Max spells out how you can gain greater control over your emotions and emotional life and how that impacts your ability to experience joy.
Many of us FOCUS on the wrong things: our to-do list, what we didn't get done, what went wrong, etc. The Apostle Paul brilliantly outlines how a SHIFT in our focus is KEY to experiencing JOY.
Don't you know people who are simply out to USE others? Of course, you do. Our schools, friend circles, places of work, clubs and organizations are filled with people who are there because of how it will benefit THEM or how others will help THEM. But to be truly spiritual, truly mature, you've got to LOVE others well - and that means loving them for who they are and NOT what they can do for YOU.
Parker Palmer, in his book A Hidden Wholeness, writes about farmers in the Midwest (think Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakota's) who would tie a ROPE from their house to the barn. Why? Because if they didn't hold on to the rope, they would get LOST in a blizzard. Which is why there are stories of men freezing to death just a few feet from their home (because they let go of the rope). God has given us some ROPE to hold on to (that will lead us back to Him) amidst the crazy, busy, insane way we li...
Many people, especially those of us with FAITH, tend to minimize loss and disappointments in life. It's no big deal. I'll be okay. God's got something better for me. - We tell ourselves these things, but we feel devastated on the inside, wondering whether God is (ultimately) good and wondering whether we can really trust Him. That's just ONE REASON the Book of Job is in the Bible. In this message, Max Vanderpool implores all of us to truly embrace the loss and disappointments of life - only then...
You will encounter a wall several times over your life. A wall where you get stuck in your faith, where your faith doesn't seem to work any more. These walls are (actually) opportunities for you to let go of power and control and to actually TRUST God. We Americans have a hard time with this - because we think things ought to be easier than they are and because we are terrible at waiting.
Chances are, you have some FAMILY stuff going on in your family. Stuff you take with you to college. Stuff you bring with you into your marriage. Stuff that lingers into your adulthood. That's because what happens in ONE generation often repeats itself in the next. BUT. But God wants to do something in your life that not only changes you (for the better) but changes your family tree. Our family of origin influences who we are today, which is why it's important to GO BACK in order to GO FORWARD.
Far too many people DIE without knowing who they really ARE. They live out someone else's life or the live out someone else's expectations of whom they should be. As Meister Eckhart warned his students...no one can know God who does not first know himself.
Your life is like an iceberg. There's the 10% on top that everyone can easily see and that you can easily project to others. But there's 90% below the surface - your childhood, things that happened to you, the way you see yourself and the world around you. And that 90%, if NOT dealt with, can ROB you of a rich and satisfying life. Fortunately for us, being emotionally unhealthy is NOT a new problem. One character after another (from the pages of the Bible) struggled with it - and God wants to ch...
What's suppose to happen in a family is that a child is LOVED unconditionally by his/her parents that that child becomes an adult, who when they hear about a God who loves them unconditionally, immediately understands the concept and is able to trust God no matter what. RARE is the home where THAT kind of love is demonstrated. So these kids become adults who labor under a burden of becoming successful enough, having enough people like them or owning enough to believe they are SOMEBODY. Jesus did...
We often like to think that Jesus was able to do the amazing things that were part of his public ministry, because he was (and is) God. Jesus could heal people, because Jesus is God. Jesus could forgive his enemies on the cross, because Jesus is God. And we all know that we are NOT God...we're ONLY HUMAN. And so we write off all the things that were part of his life recorded in the Gospels as impossible. But what if (the Apostle Paul) is actually right? What if Jesus intentionally set aside all ...
Christmas is, if anything, an IRONIC season. At Christmas, we celebrate the fact that God became human, that God embraced the limitations that come with being finite - with being limited - by throwing limits to the wind. At Christmas, we go, go, go, and do, do, do, and buy, buy, buy. And when Christmas is over, we're exhausted, fat, and broke. But Jesus shows us a better way - to be fully HUMAN - and it has to do with our limitations.
It's an ENTIRELY different world (today) than it was in 1975. Back then, church-goers could expect church to be a little like Hogwarts - a magical place that instilled a vibrant faith into their kids, a place where their kids learned the major themes (and characters) of the Bible, and a place where their kids could learn to engage life from a Christian worldview. Such a place, if it ever existed, is gone. And this new facility - as cool as it is - isn't Hogwarts, either.
There are Type A people and Type B people. There are planners and free spirits. And yet, despite the differences in personality, it simply ISN'T okay to be inflexible...about everything. In this message, Max Vanderpool piggy backs off of the Apostle Paul in teaching on what flexibility looks like in a church...especially one with a new building.
The relationship you were counting on has gone kaput. Your bank account is overdrawn...again. The car needs a new transmission. And your doctor wants to talk to you about those test results. Circumstances can often grab hold of us in such a way that they become ALL we see. Which is why God will sometimes ask us what we're doing here. In this message, James Ballard, unpacks the interplay between Elijah, Elisha and the times when we can't see or hear God (even though God is right next to us).
The average American man owns 12 pairs of shoes. The average American woman owns 27 pairs of shoes. The average person living in many countries on the continent of Africa or in certain provinces of India or China owns ONE pair of shoes. How many shoes are enough? And is the stuff you own making your life EASIER or HARDER to manage? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches an important life truth that Jesus articulated in Luke 12. It's one of the best ways to have FINANCIAL SMARTS.
The rich and powerful play by a different set of rules. It doesn't matter if your name is Hunter Biden or Chelsea Clinton or Jenna Bush Hager - opportunities open up for YOU that don't open for other people. So the rich make the rules - and the rules benefit the rich. BUT God is bothered when the rich and powerful play by a different set of rules. God is bothered when the rich and powerful systematically OPPRESS the poor, so that the rich become richer and even more powerful. In this message, Ma...
Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are the wealthiest and second wealthiest individuals in the WORLD. And yet, the two couldn't be more different in their approach to generosity. Gates is famous for giving away BILLIONS of dollars, while Bezos is famous for cutting benefits for his employees to increase the company's bottom line. You may not command BILLIONS of dollars, but like Bezos and Gates, you'll be subject to the same way generosity works (or doesn't work) for them - by how much it is in proportio...
In America, we LOVE freedom. We've named 15 towns from Maine to California FREEDOM, and we like to think that FREEDOM is what we (actually) export to the rest of the world. So why is it that SO MANY Americans aren't free, when it comes to their finances. Why do so many of us slave away in jobs we can't stand, because we have house payments, car payments, student loan payments, and credit card payments. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches why DEBT and FREEDOM move in opposite directions, and ...
In America, if you make $6,700, you'll spend $6,700. If you make $34,000, you'll spend $34,000. And if you make $275,000, you'll spend $275,000. That's because, in America, lifestyle CHASES income. But when you live that way, you have NO MARGIN. No ability to pay for a broken water heater or (auto) water pump. No ability to be generous when you encounter a need. You DON'T HAVE to live that way! You can HAVE financial margin!
When it comes to finances, most Americans just wing it. They play it by ear. They guesstimate. But is that really way to get where you want to go? Without a plan, everything you've gained through sacrifice and hard-work could be lost. Because those who fail to plan plan to FAIL. Here's the thing: God doesn't want you to FAIL with money, because if you fail with money, it can affect so many other areas of your life. In fact, making a plan for how you SPEND money could be one of the most spiritual...
