Bethany Church of Canby

Pastor Rick Parker on 1 Peter 2:4-10

Peter has described for us who we are, and our ultimate destiny. Now he describes for us how we are to live as we wait for Christ’s return. At the center of the command is the call to live as who we really are, but instead of being true to ourselves in the sense of following every desire (i.e. slave to sin) he calls us to be true to ourselves by living in sync with the new identity God has given u...

No one looks forward to suffering and yet it is one of the tools that God uses to bring a broken, prideful and hurting world into line with himself. We have the honor of living with full knowledge of the gospel as we look upon the life of Jesus and experience suffering just as he did so that we might ultimately experience the great reward, the salvation of our souls.  

Ray Keen from The Canby Center delivered the message this morning.

Who are you and why is life so hard? This is the fundamental question that we are asking as we launch into the book of 1 Peter. Peter identifies us as foreigners and yet we are chosen. The problem for us comes when we forget either of those truths. To live in the grace and peace of God we must remember that our identity is chosen and holy children of God and as children of God our experience in th...

No one likes leaving unfinished business out there. This morning we are shown, that even after 2 years with Jesus, the disciples are still very unfinished in their maturity and growth. Are you content, or do you have a “holy discontentment,” a “Christian restlessness” that springs from a heart that knows its unfinished? Let’s look at 4 places to grow in the Christian life so we too can pursue the...

What is “glory,” and what does it matter for my life? Jesus displayed a great amount of glory to the disciples on a mountaintop. What does that mean for you and me? Let’s look at the transfiguration together, and how we should respond to Jesus, God in flesh.

This morning we look at the walk of Jesus and his disciples. We will hear and see the hard news that the walk of a disciple will be filled with self-denial and rejection. Jesus calls this the way of the cross. But as Jesus says, this is the way of life, profit and glory. Do you believe that?

This morning we look at the hunger of the human heart and how Jesus knows what we really need to be full. In the feeding of the 5000, we are given a picture of a mission that was unlike the revolution that the crowds wanted, and more like an eternal feast. A feast that would find it’s fulfillment in Jesus. Are you hungry? I hope so.

This morning we look at the kingdom mission of the Gospel and deeds of compassion. We will see that we too have been sent by God to live as new citizens welcoming in others to this new kingdom under the authority of a new King, Jesus. We will find that the trust and urgency we need for this mission is only available with a big picture kingdom identity. Where do we find that?    

Luke continues to narrate events in the ministry of Jesus to show us Jesus' unique authority over creation.  We are led to ask the same question as the disciples, “Who is this man?”  Luke’s answer, Jesus is Master over everything.

Jesus again puts his full God power on display for the disciples to see, yet they continue to struggle to understand who Jesus is. Luke invites us into that story putting before us the ever important question: Who do you say Jesus is?

Life is so perplexing many times. Reality is sometimes more confusing than fiction. In reality though, there are so many things we often can’t explain or understand. And yet when we come to the resurrection, we don’t find fiction, we find ultimate reality. This morning let’s look at three realities in the beauty of the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.

This morning, Jesus tells a parable about the state of our hearts and commends the heart that responds in obedience and patient faith to the Word of God. But how do we get that kind of heart? How do we pursue obedience and patient faith? It’s all in the family. Let’s look this morning at how to have a heart for the family.

Pastor Jeff's ongoing series in the Book of Luke titled "Accomplished Among Us"

Even the greatest of Jesus’ followers have doubts. What matters is what you do with those doubts. Our culture has raised the ever open and questioning mind to the highest virtue, but Jesus says wisdom finally sinks its teeth into something. This morning we look at what to do with our doubts and how Jesus answers them.  

This morning we look at the importance of faith in the life of a follower of Jesus. We will examine the essence of faith in the story of the centurion and the faith awakening truth that death can be overcome in the resurrection of the widow’s son.

How do we become people of integrity as we deal with the sin in our own lives and sin in the lives of others? How can we truly know ourselves enough to be able to help others know themselves? These are truly challenging questions, but integral to the spiritual health and growth of the new kingdom of God’s people. In fact, to not know this is to come into ruin. Let’s look at three truths about inte...

This morning we look at a portion of Luke’s summary of the Sermon on the Mount. What we see is that Jesus is beginning to put together a new type of people into a new type of community. Jesus is building kingdom citizens for his kingdom. However, this kingdom prizes what the world despises, and is empowered in an entirely different way than the kingdom of the world. Let’s look at three pieces of t...

The ongoing controversy over the intent and use of the sabbath continues in Luke 6. Was it about the form of keeping the sabbath, or about the function of worship and rest found in the sabbath? The pharisees struggled to see the heart of rest in Jesus, and so do we. This morning we look at three truths that will point us to the true intent of internal sabbath rest, where we find it, and how we giv...

The Pharisees are going to “dog” Jesus all the way to the cross. Ever since He healed the paralytic and had declared his sins forgiven. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” EXACTLY! Jesus was God and He was letting it be known. The Pharisees couldn’t accept this and were seeking to cancel Him entirely. So, they sought to trap Him by their constant challenges to His authority. They questioned Him...

What looks in chapter 5 to be a loosely connected mishmash of stories is actually one big picture of what it looks like to have an encounter with Jesus from start to finish. This morning we will look at a progression of truths that begins with Peter, moves through two healings, and ends with Levi. This progression is the story of an encounter with Jesus.

In the close of chapter 4, Jesus brings his authority and power right out into the open exercising it over both the spiritual and physical world. Not only is this a testimony of the power of his words and who he is, but it is a great display of the compassionate heart of Jesus in our own battles against sin and sickness. Let’s find hope today by looking at three spheres of Jesus’ Authority.

Jesus begins ministry in his hometown with one of his first sermons and the reaction is very mixed. The reaction goes from bland amusement, to bewildered rage, in a matter of moments. When you understand the gospel, you can’t accept Jesus blandly, or in self-righteous indignation, but always in abject spiritual poverty, and sometimes real poverty.

At the close of chapter 3, the genealogy of Jesus ends with this declaration, “the son of Adam, the son of God.” It should be no surprise then that Satan’s goal of temptation in the beginning of chapter 4 was to use good things to get Jesus to doubt his sonship. But isn’t that how temptation normally works? Good things become god things, making us doubt the goodness of the true God. This morning l...