Manhattan First

Guest Speaker Pastor Megan Wendland

Understanding the tension between grace and works can be summed up with these words, "We are not working to be saved, but because we are saved, we are working to please Him." Looking at your salvation this way will help remove that tension

Andrew Dawson guest speaker

Most Christians recognize the tension between faith and works. Are we saved by our works or by our faith? How do we answer this question? The answer might be more straightforward than you think.

Just as heat and pressure produce a diamond, they can also reveal our hidden character. What is revealed can tell you much about who you really are. What does it reveal about you?

We must commit to getting the desired result when we want to do something well. When Jesus went to the cross, what did His commitment say about His desired result? Are you thinking about His commitment to you?

Saying that we are Christians and living it out are two completely different things. The apostle Paul's admonishments in the letter to the Colossians about how our relationships should be can be discouraging, but do not lose heart—with God, all things are possible!

As Christians, we may have been told that all we need is enough faith, and we can do anything we believe in. That kind of thinking can lead to condemnation and the feeling that we don't have what it takes. But the truth is that God has already given us everything we need, including faith. The question is, what are you doing with it?

There are many hard sayings in scripture, but one stands out as one of the hardest, "Wives submit to your husbands." This scripture has been the source of so much controversy and used to manipulate and abuse others. How can we deal with it the right way? The key is to be "Christocentric."

So much of what we do as followers of Christ, worship, and doing all for him, can be affected by letting the "Logos" fill our lives. How do we accomplish this?

Being born again is the greatest experience that we can have, but it doesn't end with salvation; there should be a continuing relationship with Him. Discipleship is necessary to complete the plan of salvation, but what does it look like?

When we search for God and try to make sense of all the different faiths, Christianity stands alone in that we don't have to earn His approval. He chooses us and makes us His own possession, which is liberating.

Determining to get closer to Jesus is a noble desire. People throughout history have determined to accomplish great things and have done so by purposing in their hearts to do it. Getting closer to Jesus requires the same discipline.

In our instant-gratification world, we don't see struggle or waiting as good. Sometimes, we approach Christianity in the same way. When faced with unanswered prayer or pain, we think God has abandoned us, but it doesn't have to be that way. Sometimes, we need to go through the fire to realize spiritual gain.

The Bible says we are made in God's image, but we sometimes make God in our image. Whatever one applies to you can determine your destiny.

In these turbulent times, we may desire to see a revival that would change those around us and the culture, but where does it start? It's been said that if we want revival, we draw a circle around ourselves and start there. Is that true?

Having a particular set of clothes on may cause people to expect a specific behavior. When we "put on the Lord Jesus," it can and should elicit a particular set of behaviors. How well are you wearing your clothes?

When we accept Christ, we are made righteous through His shed blood. The Bible says to " Put on the Lord Jesus." We are also asked to "put on" many other things, and it takes active participation on our part.

You might have heard it said that "the clothes make the man," and that can also be true when it comes to spiritual matters. The apostle Paul tells us to "Put off the old man and clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." We can choose to do what he suggests, and it will determine how effective we can be for Christ.

When you are in the middle of the storm, finding hope or understanding why God doesn't just make everything right. But there is a way to see through it if we realize the hope we have not just to get through but even during the storm.

There are different schools of thought about our salvation. Some believe that you can live any way you want, and others believe that what you do matters. Which is it?

When we think of a king and what he would be like, we may think of a tyrant or someone to be feared, but that isn't the king we serve. His is a different kind of kingship, one that is easy to give our allegiance to.

In one of the Bible's hard sayings, Jesus separates people into groups ( the sheep and the goats) and determines their ultimate destiny by their actions. How does he differentiate? Can we be sure of which group we will be in?