Jesus declares in his high priestly prayer that He has glorified God by finishing the work he was sent to do. This is the same work He calls us to do, and his entire prayer revolves around this work. If we are going to be people who glorify God with our lives, we too must spend our lives doing the work of the Lord! So what is this work?

"The hour has come." All throughout his ministry, Jesus referred to this moment ahead. Now, it was here. This brings added importance and urgency to the prayer he prays for himself and his disciples. His opening words teach us some simple yet foundational truths that lead into the rest of his high priestly prayer. If we could grasp these profound thoughts, it would change how we approach our every...

Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for his death by encouraging them that He would win out in the end. He wanted them to know that he had already overcome the world, and in this, they could have peace and courage. Immediately after this conversation, Jesus launches into his longest and most powerful prayer to the Father - for his disciples then, and his disciples now. Jesus prays for us! And thi...

We're wrapping up our series with the same words in which Jesus wrapped up his teaching of prayer to the disciples. At first, it seems like the emphasis is on our asking, seeking, and knocking. But it's really more about the Father and his responsiveness to our prayers.

Until the restoration of all things, we will never escape the presence of sin and the temptation to sin in this fallen world. But because we think we're stronger than we really are, we don't always seek out the protection and deliverance provided to us from God. Today's portion of the Lord's Prayer may be our least prayed prayer, but it's one of our greatest offensive weapons in our fight for holi...

As we move on in the Lord's Prayer, we see the theme of forgiveness. Forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel, but it's also at the heart of practical gospel living. Therefore, it should be a regular staple of our daily prayer lives as we seek to embrace and live out the gospel.

This week we pause from the Lord's Prayer to concentrate on a landmark passage in the Old Testament regarding prayer. When calamity strikes, prayer should be a top priority rather than a last resort.

The reality for every human being is that we each have needs. There are many ways we can seek to meet those needs, but followers of Jesus are able to run in prayer to God, the One who provides. Today's portion of the Lord's Prayer will show us the best way to deal with the needs in our lives, while also connecting us back to the nation of Israel as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. Give us...

Americans love independence! It's what we celebrate this weekend. But "independent" people can also be "proud" people who do not like to submit to anyone or anything outside of themselves. We have to be careful that we don't allow this American way to become our way, because it is not Christ's way. This third phrase in the Lord's Prayer strikes at the heart of this unbiblical way of life, and it m...

As we start into prayer, not only is it important that we acknowledge WHO we are speaking to, but it's important HOW we approach him. Praying "Hallowed by thy name" helps put our heart in the right posture in our dialogue with the Lord.

Fathers. Today we celebrate dads, and we're reminded that our earthly fathers are meant to picture our Heavenly Father. And as we start our study of the Lord's Prayer, the very first words we utter to Him reveal so much about who He is and how we can relate to them. "Our Father which art in heaven."

The Lord's Prayer is more than a collection of words to recite mindlessly. It is a model for prayer given by the Lord Jesus himself. But if we're really going to gain anything from a study of this prayer, we have to come to the Lord in the same way the disciples did: hungry.

What's next? That's the question of the hour. Today our theme is NEXT: Graduation, Pentecost, and Relaunch. We will celebrate the finish line for our grads, but also pray for them as they move into their next season of life. We'll also celebrate Pentecost Sunday, which is a look into our past as the church of God, which will inform what's next for us as a church at Friendship.

One of the spiritual practices most evident in the Scriptures, yet most absent from the life of the Church today, is the practice of lament, or mourning. To mourn is not to be weak, but it is a necessary way to experience strength as we put our cares at the feet of Jesus.

To conclude his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul fires off six short directives to guide us in our everyday devotion to God. Though his words are few in number, the concepts are monumental in impact. As we live in uncertain times, may we seek to develop these habits as we await Christ's soon return.

Although we're stuck in a strange season, we still celebrate Mother's Day! Mothers are incredible. They reflect the gospel through their love, tenderness, and care. The testimony for many, and the testimony of Scripture, is that godly mamas change the world! Today we'll take a look back at one of the unheralded moms whose life and example changed history.

Apart from Christ himself, our relationships are the most important thing we have in life. Even then, we need others in order to see Christ and be strengthened in Christ. Paul has been pointing the Thessalonians to Christ and his return, and he has reminded them of who God has made them to be. Now he begins to conclude his first letter to them with a series of short but impactful instructions on h...

Apart from Christ himself, our relationships are the most important thing we have in life. Even then, we need others in order to see Christ and be strengthened in Christ. Paul has been pointing the Thessalonians to Christ and his return, and he has reminded them of who God has made them to be. Now he begins to conclude his first letter to them with a series of short but impactful instructions on h...

One thing every one of us needs in this life is encouragement. But shallow, empty "attaboys" will not suffice! We need more substantial, lasting encouragement. As Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he encourages them with biblical truth, and calls them to encourage others with that same truth. What he says in chapter five of his first letter gives us real handles on how to encourage ourselves and o...

It's an unusual time we are living in right now, but we have a hope that is certain! And on this Easter Sunday, we celebrate and remember the precious promises we have in Christ because of His resurrection!

It's easy to get stuck on pause when we hit a season of affliction. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he acknowledged that their faith was at work and on display, but he didn't want them to stop there. He encouraged them, and us now, to continue on and to not waste the time or season they found themselves in.

The stories God gives us in Scripture provide us examples to help us grow in our faith. This week, as we look at Paul and how the Thessalonians responded to his ministry, we can learn some helpful lessons to help us live faithfully in these tumultuous days. In particular, it will help us build up some resistance and immunity against fear and uncertainty toward the future.

As Paul started out his letter to the Thessalonians, he was thankful for their testimony. In the midst of affliction, their faith, their love for God and others, and their hope in Jesus was evident to all. Could their testimony then be our testimony now, in this season of uncertainty and fear around the coronavirus pandemic?

Though he would rise to prominence as King of Israel, David came from humble beginnings. He was an unknown shepherd boy who was overlooked. But God saw something in him that no one else saw, because He sees things that no one else sees.

Our sexual lives are more than just thoughts in our mind or actions involving our bodies. Because everything in life is spiritual, sex is spiritual. Sex is an act of worship! And on a street level, day-to-day basis, the object of our worship shapes our sexual life. So what do we need to know, and what do we need to do, in order to avoid the brokenness and experience the goodness of sex as God inte...