Awake Us Now

Happy Palm Sunday!  Hosanna!  Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem: Palm Sunday - Passion Sunday - story is found in: Matthew 21 Mark 11
Luke 19 John 12 Many of us know the Palm Sunday story, but do we know the details? Today we will look at some of the most fascinating and intentional details of this story.     1.     Did you know that donkeys around the world have a similar dark marking on thei...

Some Biblical virtues mirror God's character, but this one -- thankfulness -- exalts God's character. Thankfulness promotes humility in us and strengthens our faith. ThankLESSness, by contrast, is an exceptionally dangerous sin.

Kindness is not weakness. Kindness reflects the character and strength of God, and is seen throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ. Followers of Jesus should show that same character in their lives!

Jesus not only taught the importance of forgiveness, He practiced it, even from the cross (Luke 23:43). The example of Jesus and the magnitude of His love changes people and gives them the power to forgive even the most bitter of enemies!

The past Sunday Pastor taught on "What's the Answer -  Are the Gospels believable?" This teaching is a follow up to that message. Pastor takes us to the story of the Feeding of the 5000 BUT it's not about the feeding!! So what is this teaching about if it isn't about the miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 men (plus all the women and children) from 5 small barley loaves and 2 little fish, then what's th...

Our devotion to the Living God is demonstrated in the way we love other people - including even our enemies. Genuine love is the truest expression of right doctrine (teaching) - and without love, the doctrine collapses.

Unlike happiness, joy is not an emotion, dependent on particular circumstances. Joy is anchored in God, and through Jesus it is triumphant even over the sufferings of this world! Growing Gracefully In Joy - We are living in a time of chaos and uncertainty, a time of unbridled anger on all ends of the spectrum and if ever there was at time that the people of God needed to remember and reflect the j...

True faith is not simply a matter of knowing certain truths. It is a matter of knowing Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and allowing the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out!

The Bible is more than just a fascinating book! It was written by an author who loved us enough to die for us, and it is a book that leads us to the One we worship.

Prayer is not about rules and obligations! It is how God invites us to talk with Him in order to build a personal relationship. Discipleship, then, is about living that relationship in our daily lives.

The past Sunday Pastor taught on "What's the Answer - what is the unforgivable sin?" using Matthew 12:24-32. Today, Pastor digs deeper and takes a look at Mark 3:22-29 - which also talks about the "unforgivable sin."  In Mark 3:22-26 we read that the teachers of the law say that Jesus is possessed by the devil, doing healings in the devil's power and doing what the devil wants. But Jesus responds...

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus states that He has been given "all authority on Heaven and on Earth," and with that authority gives us our marching orders - make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit, and teach them to obey everything He has commanded. But this isn't just about His command, this is about God's faithfulness and His desire for us t...

Scripture: Revelation 12:11, Romans 9:10, Acts 21-26. Pastor opens and closes today's teaching with Revelation 12:11 and everything in-between these bookends focuses on the goodness of God through Jesus and the power and impact of our testimonies. Here's Revelation 12:11, "They triumphed over him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb (Christ Jesus) and by the word of their testimony; they did not l...

How do we know what God's will is? Our Acts story continues: Paul leaves Miletus for Jerusalem and stays at the house of Philip the Evangelist. A couple days after Paul arrives at Philip's home a prophet named Agabus comes to visit Paul. Agabus takes Paul's belt, wraps it around his own hands and feet and says, "The Holy Spirit says, "In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner...

Scripture: Acts 20:32-38 Pastor continues with the story of Paul's talk with the leadership of the church in a gathering in the town of Miletus - it is Paul's farewell speech to this group of believers. Paul finishes his time with these friends and leaders with them all in prayer together. There are tears as the leaders are grieved at knowing they will not see Paul again. Paul knew he had complete...

Today's message is a continued study of Paul's farewell words of encouragement and warning to the gathering of church leaders. Paul shares honestly that he understands his time left on earth is short. He states how he has proclaimed the whole will of God. What is the Whole Will / Counsel of God? CREATOR - We and the world are intentionally created by a pure, loving, holy creator who shows us how b...

Pastor starts today's class by taking a look at Matthew 24:37-39a "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away." This text is part of Jesus'...

God's word is compelling and so very practical.  It thoroughly equips us and it still speaks to us today. Today's story takes place in the town of Miletus where Paul is speaking to leaders of the church sharing the difficult challenges and testing he experienced in his three years of mission work in Ephesus. He shares how he humbly did the work God gave him even in the most despairing times he hum...

Today's teaching is on enemy territory and the reality of spiritual warfare. In a fallen world the battle is not between people - it is between the Living God and the powers of darkness, It is between the Body of Christ and those under the spell of the devil. Ephesus was the center of worship of Artemis and also a hotbed of the occult, magic, eastern religions, drugs, alcohol and many of the same...

This week's teaching shows us the importance of growth in faith. Today's scripture is on the story of Paul's mission work in the city of Ephesus. As he begins to meet people he asks several believers if they received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith in Jesus. Their response was no, that they had never heard of the Holy Spirit.  Sadly, this is much the condition of the christian church in Am...

God's word teaches endurance: how to face the difficulties and challenges of life. The Bible doesn't tell us we will get through life without difficult days and trials. God's Word gives us encouragement because God's word is true, it is genuine and it speaks directly into our lives. Paul at Corinth is a story that shows us how God gives His children encouragement even in the most difficult of time...

This account takes place on Paul's second missionary trip, on his trip to the city of Athens, A city that prided itself on knowledge and education, learning, culture and the arts. It was also a city filled with idols. As Paul looked around and saw all the idolatry it just really riled him up and he began passionately sharing the gospel message in the synagogues and even in the market places. He wo...

In today's class we are going to do a little math!  Come along with us as we look at the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments.  The word "Holy Spirit" in the:     1.    Old Testament - 3 times     2.    New Testament - 90 times The New Testament which is considerably smaller than the Old Testament uses the word "Holy Spirit" 30 times more frequently. The word "Spirit" + other expressions for...

As the church began to grow with believers both Jew and Gentile, a division between the two started, especially as Jews began to be out numbered by gentile believers who brought in their customs. Many gentile believers were God-fearers who believed in the Old Testament but weren't circumcised and didn't eat kosher, yet went to the synagogue to worship God. Other Gentiles were proselytes and were c...

This teaching is on Acts 14:8-22, "Incident in Lystra," and is an account on idol worshipers. We are living in a time of great idolatry and how do we as followers of Jesus respond, react, and live? In today's story, Paul is teaching about Jesus in the town square of Lystra and sees a man lame from birth, but Paul also sees the man has great faith and Paul says, "Stand Up and Walk" and the man is h...