This morning, we'll honor and celebrate our 2023 high school graduates. As we honor these students, we also take time to look at the story of Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila to see what it means to invest and to be invested into.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you….” It is wild that Jesus told His disciples that it was better that He leave them, so that He could send the Advocate. This Advocate must be pretty amazing for it to be better than having Christ in the flesh. An encounter with Jesus leads to an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
It’s amazing how our behavior changes when we realize the time clock is ticking down. Jesus wanted His disciples to live with a sense of urgency. There was a mission to accomplish. There was a message to be shared. There were disciples to be made, all while the time clock was ticking down. His final words to His disciples and to us are focused to live ON MISSION—His mission.
Jesus’ words to Peter are simple: “FOLLOW ME.” Yet, almost immediately, Peter gets sidetracked, unfocused, and off mission. Sometimes we have the tendency to make following Jesus harder than it needs to be. Let’s fix our focus on the Master and follow Him.
For a third time, we get a glimpse of Jesus encountering His disciples in John 21. Specifically in this passage, we're given access to an intimate moment between Christ and Peter. Peter has had quite the journey leading up to this encounter; he’s had a lot of high highs and low lows. This encounter with Jesus will, again, forever change his life. All it takes is one encounter with Christ.
Do you believe? Is believing without seeing difficult for you? Thomas, commonly referred to as Doubting Thomas, may be unfairly nicknamed. We, today, are in a similar place as Thomas was before seeing the resurrected Christ. Do we believe, without seeing, that Jesus is in fact resurrected from the dead? All of Christian faith rests on this belief.
We all have a story to tell. A story filled with pain, heartache, failures, mistakes, victories, joy, happiness, and the list can go on. What happens when Jesus steps in and rewrites our story? How do our lives change course and redefine our purpose? Mary Magdalene’s life was changed by Jesus, and this change propelled her onto mission. Encountering Jesus leads us to an empowered purpose.
The road to Emmaus is an incredible story that only Luke shares at the end of his gospel. It serves as the perfect parallel to all our walks of faith. Coming to know Christ is walking down a path. Understanding Scripture is a life-long process. And communing with Christ is a gift of sight. May we be people of the path, the book, and the table.
Does what concerns God concern you? It’s easy to get caught up in urgent concerns. It’s quite normal to let small things consume and concern us while the biggest and most important things slip off our radar. The story of Jonah is about allowing God’s concerns to become our concerns. It’s about letting His heart become our heart. It’s all about a heart of compassion for the lost and the irreligious. What concerns God should concern us.
Imperfection is our reality. We all have struggles, messes, pains, and pasts. Thank God for His mercy! How good is He? How faithful is He to forgive? He is the God of second chances. No matter where you are in life or where you've been, God has and is mercifully calling you back to His presence and His purposes. When you hear His calling, how will you respond?
What is it that’s holding me back from being all that I could be? What barriers might exist to keep me from God’s best? Where are the blind spots in my life? What’s the hard battle that I must win? Jonah, in the belly of the large fish, faces a defining moment of absolute surrender to God’s best. Just as he faced that moment of truth, we face it, too. It’s the ultimate chess match.
It is a literary feat that the incredibly small book of Jonah contains such an extraordinary epic. There are many deep insights and themes to glean from the four short chapters. On the surface, Jonah is the story of a prophet who runs from God’s calling on his life, but in reality, this book is about a merciful God.
After all we've received this week at Fanning the Flame, where do we go from here? Let's take the power of the Gospel out into the world, sow the seed, and then watch how God increases it! --- David Gallimore is the lead pastor at Midland Valley Community Church in Graniteville, SC. He brings the unique gifting of an evangelist to the pulpit with a shepherd's heart, a God-sized vision for the local church, and a powerful prophetic message. For almost 40 years, David has led growing churches and ...
This a call for God’s people to LISTEN for Him in seasons of waiting and seasons of facing the unknown. Be encouraged toward a renewed commitment to listen for God’s voice by remembering His Promises. --- Garrett Howell is the teaching pastor and college ministry director at Asbury Church in Madison, AL. He's been an itinerant speaker at many college campuses and youth events. Garrett is passionate about multi-generational spiritual awakening through prayer. Outside of ministry, his hobbies incl...
Almost nothing marks the life of a follower of Jesus more than the love they show for the world around them. Yet, if we're honest with ourselves, there are certain moments in life where love is incredibly difficult. Each of us knows what it's like to have a person that's hard to love or a behavior that's challenging to respond to in a loving way. Jesus knows exactly what this is like, and He also knows that the renewal of our spiritual lives often involves a revival in our capacity to love. In J...
A flame is birthed inside each of us when we follow Jesus. But that’s only the beginning! Fanning that flame is a process that never ends. The Apostle Paul tells us how to determine our next step with Jesus each and every day, whether we're new to faith or have been following Him our whole lives, so the flame will grow and spread into a raging fire that impacts eternity. --- Rodney Arnold is the founding pastor of OneLife Church in Knoxville, TN. He has a passion for church plants and desires to...
Whether it's a relationship, college degree, or career path, so many people are afraid to commit. But why? Why is it so hard to make a choice? In this week's message, Pastor Kevin Moore will tackle these questions head on and give you some tips that will help you both start and finish what is most important.
Isn’t it nice to fit in, feel accepted, and be well-received? Unfortunately, for the follower of Jesus, that isn’t always possible. The nature of the Gospel, partnered with our calling to share the Gospel, is at times a recipe for rejection. Let us not allow the fear of rejection to keep us from answering the call of Christ in our lives!
Have you ever been paralyzed by the thought and fear of failure? Do you hear the voice that says, “Don’t even try because you will inevitably mess this up.” Or the voice that says, “You failed before. What makes you think this time will be any different?” Or how about the voice that says, “You aren’t good enough, talented enough, strong enough, or holy enough…” The fear of failure is real and rears its ugly in head in many different ways. But the good news is that God did not give us a spirit of...
Relationship is the core of Christianity. We are designed for relationship. First and foremost is our relationship with Christ, but also with one another. Followers of Jesus, through the instruction of the Scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit, should be relationship specialists. What fear is keeping you from relationship?
For some time now, you've had a stirring. It's almost like a voice has been saying, "Something needs to change." Could it be that Jesus is calling you? Could it be that He is asking you to take a step and follow Him—follow Him to peace, follow Him to freedom, follow Him to something new?
Why is it so difficult to give up control? Is it a trust issue? Do we fear being hurt, abused, or let down? Or could it be that we like to be self-made men and women? Do we like to make our own decisions, rules, and plans? Regardless of reasons, God calls every one of us to cease resisting Him and to submit to His authority.
“For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Our minds are beautiful and yet also dangerous places. The ability to think, contemplate, and process is a gift, but it is a gift that the enemy loves to exploit. The enemy engages our minds with deception, lies, and fear. So, Church, our mission is to stay alert, take every thought captive, and live from a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.
In Exodus 17, the Israelites are faced with a terrifying battle against the Amalekites who are set to destroy them. Moses gives us two profoundly beautiful insights to carry us into the new year and beyond.
Of all the different modes and methods, God chose a most peculiar plan to establish His Kingdom. His most peculiar plan shattered expectation. His most peculiar plan bucked more conventional thinking. He decided to send His Son, in the form of a baby. That child would dwell among us, rule in the most peculiar way, and establish an unshakeable Kingdom. All hail King Jesus!
Amidst all of the bad news, there is good news! It's easy to allow our circumstances to steal our joy. It's time to flip the script. It's time to discover hope. It's time to shake off the dust, reclaiming who we are in Christ when we realize His full and complete salvation. When we are in Christ, we have a story to tell and a song to sing!
Have you ever said to yourself, “What in the world is going on?” Do you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief at what is happening in the world today? What emotional response does this draw out of you? Anger? Fear? Sadness? In what seems to be an increasing feeling of lostness and darkness in the world today, what is the response of the follower of Jesus in the now and not yet?
Followers of Jesus are set apart, called to be different. We’ve been given, by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a new perspective on life. We live in the now and not yet. The Kingdom of God is here but is not yet fully realized. In the time remaining before Christ comes back, we have been given the beautiful work to be bringers of Good News. May all come to saving faith and shout triumphantly, “Our God Reigns!”
