What do you want your epitaph to say? We all want to live a good life and contribute to others. For believers, we don’t measure the fruitfulness of our lives based on worldly success. In this message, we explore the portrait of the believer’s relationship to Jesus as a branch connected to the vine. Let’s discover the lasting fruit of abiding in Christ. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Jesus offers us His enduring power. His disciples were common people of the land, who could understand His metaphor of fruit-bearing for the spiritual life. In this message, we discover the first of three portraits from the vineyard. The resulting fruit is sweet to the Father, who tends His garden carefully to grow the harvest. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Despite our health issues, broken relationships, or uncertain financial futures, Jesus’ peace brings stability and hope. On His last night before the cross, Jesus said that all who believe in Him can have His peace. In this message, we consider what it means to receive His peace through complete surrender. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Peace seems elusive in a world more hectic than ever and more hostile to Christ. But Jesus offers His peace to those who believe in Him. In this message, we find three dimensions of the Lord’s peace: with God, with each other, and for ourselves personally. How could Jesus speak about such peace knowing his betrayal and crucifixion were approaching? Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
In lonely apartments, in times of crisis, or in times of need, the Holy Spirit is with us. The presence and the power of the Spirit is promised to all who believe in Jesus. Will we receive Him today in His fullness? In this message, we’ll cultivate a sensitivity to the Spirit by faith. As Christians, we are never alone. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Children need love, acceptance, and security but many of us have felt abandoned. When Jesus discussed his own departure from earth, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to provide spiritual strength for each child of God. In this message, we explore the ministries of the Spirit that Jesus did and continues to do. Jesus hasn’t left us alone. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
In the Upper Room, Jesus seems to say that whatever we request, we can have. What are the conditions for answered prayer? Is it based on how fully we believe? In this message, we examine Jesus’ teaching on prayer—in His name and for the glory of God. The answer you await may be on its way. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
In the Upper Room, Jesus said that those who would believe in Him would do greater works than He did. At first glance, that appears impossible. What works could be greater than His? With a believing heart and by His Spirit, His believers can reach the world with His Word. Let’s contemplate this astounding promise. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Have you experienced crippling fear? Our everyday problems—sickness, financial distress, or vocational challenges—often intensify our anxiety. In this message, we reflect on Jesus’ promise of heaven to his troubled followers. If we keep our eyes fixed on what Jesus is preparing for those who love Him, we can make it to the finish line. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Anxiety isn’t something we can turn off—it has a way of controlling our thoughts. But in our storm of anxious thoughts, Jesus’ promise of heaven fixes our eyes on the shore. In this message, we focus on our eternal destination, reunion, and entrance to heaven: Jesus Himself. What are you focusing on today? Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
We all must examine our hearts and find out what really motivates us. Judas shows us how far away we can fall from Christ, even though, to all observers, we seem to be children of God. In this message, we’ll give our attention to three life-changing lessons that we dare not forget as we look at the life of Judas. Only grace draws us to Christ, changes our motivations, and keeps us in the love of God. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
The gate to hell is right next to the gate that leads to heaven. How did Judas, who followed Christ for three years, not go through the gate to heaven? Judas’ covetous heart, determined will, and deceitful mind led him to the wrong door. Then when Judas had the chance, he rejected God’s grace. Is it possible that we could be so near, and yet so far, just like Judas? Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
Is God really willing to forgive? No Christian can get through a single day without the need to confess sins. That’s why Jesus washed the disciples’ dusty feet: to show we need daily cleansing. Let’s cover some practical issues on keeping short accounts with God and helping others be cleansed. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
We need to come to Christ for cleansing every day. The One who washed the disciples’ feet is the only One who can wash our hearts. In this message, we discover the first of five life-changing questions: Who needs to be cleansed? How can we be cleansed? What is the purpose of cleansing? From the Upper Room, let’s discover the cleansing on offer from Jesus. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
What if our vocations and work could reflect Jesus Himself? Jesus turned the world on its head when He stooped to wash the disciples’ feet. Superiors don’t serve inferiors, do they? In the kingdom of God, they do. For us to live like Jesus, we must practice servant leadership. Let’s look at three life-changing lessons that transform our mindset and bring meaning to our service. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
We may appreciate those who serve, but few of us want to be servants. Let’s chart a new course—becoming like Christ, the ultimate Servant. Jesus knew that His time had come, so he got down on His knees and washed dirty feet. In this message, we’ll find three facts upon which Jesus’ service was based. Through Jesus’ act of service, He showed us the path to greatness. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Jesus taught us to not worry. Yet many of us worry all the time. This causes stress and erodes our spiritual power. Are you in need of a new outlook, or re-directed focus? In this message, we’ll rejoice in three principles to help us to overcome worry. Jesus invites us to seek first His kingdom and let Him handle our daily needs. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Anxiety, tension, and stress are normal today. In a stimulated, fear-saturated culture, we long for relief. There’s a way to settle our anxious hearts. In this message from Matthew 6, we’ll find peace in our storms with three reasons why we shouldn’t worry. Jesus reveals the heart of our Heavenly Father in life-transforming ways. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Are we willing to stand alone, knowing that God stands with us? Daniel was alone in warning the Babylonian king of his pending destruction. That night, Belshazzar’s feast began with revelry and ended with his death In this message, let’s explore Daniel’s three indictments against Belshazzar. We’ll be challenged to live for Christ in a world that’s lost its way. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
The judgment of God may be long in coming, but it can come with a vengeance. As the Babylonian Empire partied, Daniel stood before the king and read the handwriting on the wall. The pride, blasphemy, and idolatry of Babylon could be overlooked no longer; God would destroy them that very evening. In this message, we face what God is doing here in America, and how God deals with nations. We must be willing to speak about God’s judgment with compassion and conviction. Click here to listen (Duration...
During persecution, some believers are spared while others go through torture and death. Do you ever wonder why God doesn’t deliver all His people? For three exiles in Babylon, their immediate well-being was less important to them than honoring the one true God. In this message, we’ll nail down three lessons for Christians living in America. God’s purposes will prevail, even amid persecution. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
Every day, cultural and civil pressure mount on the Christian faith. How should believers react? For Israelites in ancient Babylon, there was no freedom of religion. In this message from Daniel 3, we’ll explore the context of a true story of courage. How could three men say, “Throw us into the fire, but we’ll not deny God whether we are delivered or not?” Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
When authorities tell us to do one thing, and the Bible tells us to do the opposite, what do we do? Whenever possible, we should be in the culture, just like Daniel and his friends in Babylon who worked for the king who had destroyed their homeland. But sometimes, we must resolve to take a stand and draw a line in the sand. In this message, we’ll contemplate biblical principles when we face conflicts of conscience. Let’s prepare to face any consequences from a hostile world. Click here to listen...
Christians in America are rapidly becoming like Daniel and his friends in Babylon: out of sync with their pagan environment. How do we reconcile what we believe with what we have to do to live in such a culture? In this message, we’ll identify three different ways we can respond to a pagan culture. Before we look at how Daniel stood against the culture, let’s find out how he participated in the culture. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
Christians are no longer the dominant cultural force in America. How do we live with lasting peace amid a pagan culture? In this message, we’ll find three vital lessons God gave exiled Israel to live in His peace—seeking the shalom of the city. Whatever job or situation we’re in where we’re the minority, we can be encouraged to remain faithful. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)
Should Christians separate themselves from the prevailing culture or engage it with enthusiasm? The surprising answer comes from God’s instructions to captive Judah living in Babylon. Under the judgment of God, thousands were taken into Babylonian exile, where they dwelled in a pagan society. In this message, we’ll find five instructions God has for His people in Jeremiah 29. We could do well to live by these instructions in today’s culture. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
Do we weep for our nation’s destruction? Jesus looked on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, weeping over the destruction He knew would come from the Romans. Centuries earlier, the prophet Jeremiah wept when the city was destroyed. In this message, we’ll ponder lessons from a city under God’s direct judgment. Even in the midst of destruction, God’s steadfast love will never fail us. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
When the judgment of God falls, the things we hold dear are often laid to waste. The city of Jerusalem with its temple was sacked and looted by invading armies, acting under God’s ultimate plan. In this message, we’ll see how the book of Lamentations exposes Jeremiah’s heart as he looks at this devastated city. Through the grief, we’ll discover what God holds dear. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
We far too easily gloss over the terrifying nature of God. When Jeremiah proclaimed the coming judgment of God, his fellow Israelites paid him no heed. What will we do today? In this message, we explore further lessons of both warning and encouragement for the people of God in a nation under judgment. Let’s point people to a greater country, to another city, whose builder and maker is God. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
When nation-wide events seem out of control, we need clear perspective as the people of God. Israel couldn’t see God’s purposes in allowing their nation to be invaded. Just as they were taken into captivity, America may soon feel that same wrath. In this message, we’ll begin an examination of Israel’s history and nine lessons we must take from the fall of a nation long ago. Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)...
