Arbor Church

In the his closing thoughts in 1 Thessalonians, Paul admonishes the young church to build … with their leaders, with each other, and with God.

On this Super Bowl Sunday, Scott opens Thessalonians to the last part of Chapter 4 and the first part of Chapter 5, and speaks to the hope that Christians have of life with Christ in death.

The Apostle Paul did some stuff that was downright crazy from the world’s perspective. And as God works in us to sanctify us… well, that can look a little crazy, too. Today, David speaks from 1 Thessalonians 4 on the beautiful, crazy life of the Christian.

The culture is a little different than it was in Bible times, but some things about the life of a Christian haven’t changed. As we look at the 3rd chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Scott outlines the trials we can all expect … as well as strength, encouragement, and a life of love and steadfastness.

In the second chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Alison leads us through the establishment of Paul’s credibility and outlines both the pastor’s part and the church’s part of the worthy walk that God has called us into.

Bryan leads us through 1 Thessalonians 1 and Paul’s encouragement to the church to continue in their faith, love, and hope.

Alison and Bryan wrap up our Still series with a message for the Arbor family, about who we are, what our church means, our family values, what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where we want to go together. It’s been one crazy year … but we are still Arbor.

A special Christmas Eve message reminding us that we can be still … because God is still with us.

The short story of Mary and Joseph, though just a prelude to the bigger story of Jesus, reminds us that in the midst of uncertainty and waiting, God is still moving – and when God moves, we need to get moving with him.

This Christmas, in all the chaos in our world and in our lives, we’re exploring the idea of Still . Bryan opens with a look at a time in the history of God’s people that’s rarely part of the Christmas story: the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. Reduced to a comma in sentences, a single blank page in your Bible – where was God during these centuries of silence?

Today, Mike Howerton introduces us to a radical, over-the-top, expansive love … a beautiful, outrageous, outlandish kind of love that could only come from God.

How we think about eternity determines how we live today. If that’s true and I’m living with my eternal end in mind, what does life practically look like? How does living with heaven in mind affect my calendar, my contentment, and my conversations? Heaven is our home, and scripture tells us that it’s worth looking forward to!

Today we tackle all the big questions about the eternal heaven: What will it be like? Will I know and recognize loved ones? Will I receive a new body? Do I get wings? Will there be dogs in heaven? If I’m really there for eternity won’t I eventually get bored? The Bible has answers that may surprise you.

Just when you thought heaven couldn’t get better, it does. All things will be made new, including heaven and earth. The work of Christ’s restoration plan is much bigger than we could’ve ever imagined. He’s not only redeeming our souls, he’s renewing all of his original creation.

Have you ever wondered what your loved one is doing in heaven right now? Can they see and hear you on earth? When we die, we are immediately with Jesus for all eternity, but at some point in eternity… heaven is going to move. And until that happens, our loved ones are in what theologians have termed the “intermediate heaven”.

How often do we think about heaven? Typically we don’t, unless we receive a difficult diagnosis or lose someone we love, the afterlife is usually an afterthought. The writer of Hebrews says that this world is not our home… heaven is our home. How would our lives be different today if we really believed we were going home tomorrow?

Mike Howerton concludes our two-part series on The Life You Were Made For with message on overcoming the one obstacle that often looms largest: our own fear.

A young Mike Howerton walks a into a classroom to see a big question (maybe the biggest question) written on the chalkboard: what is the good life ? Jesus spoke of it: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10); what did He mean? Mike shares the 8 areas of life in which we need to live with purpose and intention in order to experience this good, full, and abundant life.

As pews sit empty for months in the wake of a global pandemic, some are beginning to wonder for the first time if we truly need to fill them again… but long before the first COVID-19 case, a generation had already begun voting church non-essential with their feet. This week, Jake answers the tough question: who needs church?

Alison Acone makes her debut with a message about what worship is like in Heaven.

Scott Hetherington takes us through two different accounts of the story of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, where He overturned tables and fulfilled prophecy. What would the Temple be today?

Mark 7 tells the story of a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees … on hand washing , of all things, something we’re all thinking about more often. Guest speaker Jesse Butterworth contrasts the Pharisee’s outside-in view with Jesus’ inside-out perspective, and asks some tough questions about modern-day hypocrisy.

As we’re discovering this summer, worship is about a lot more than just singing – but singing is still a big deal to God! From Acts 16, Jake shares the story of Paul and Silas’s miraculous release from prison, encourages us to worship rather than worry, and reveals which Thanksgiving food singing would be if singing were a Thanksgiving food.

In Jesus’ famous conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well, he told her that “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). Today, from Scott Hetherington: what it means to worship in Spirit , what it means to worship in truth , three kinds of false worship, and an awkward conversation with an English teacher.

This week, from Luke 21, Mike Howerton brings us the story of the widow’s mite – the two very small coins she offered to God that Jesus declared to be worth more than all the riches that had been offered before them. Along the way: generosity, money, happiness, and what it really means to worship through giving.