Arbor Church

You can learn a lot about someone by the questions they ask. Jesus might have already known the answer to every question he asked, but they can still teach us quite a lot about him. This new series explores some of those questions, starting with the deceptively obvious one Jesus asks to his disciples in a storm: why are you so afraid?

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift… – Matthew 5:23-24. In today’s special message Jonathan Wolfgang challenges us to actually go out and do what Jesus said.

“I am the vine… you are the branches.” Scott dives into this verse from John 15 to help us understand what Jesus really means when he exhorts us to “remain in me.”

You may have read the verse that describes us as God’s “masterpiece”. Today, Jake looks at some different kinds of masterpieces (and other passages in Scripture) to show us what that really means.

The Bible often refers to us as “sheep”… which doesn’t feel much like a compliment. Garrett helps us look past our culture’s obsession with leadership to see why this metaphor is used so often.

Our new series explores what God’s made us to be, and in this first message Jake unpacks the frequent Biblical metaphor of clay in the potter’s hands to help us understand how God shapes us – cracks and all.

In the last sermon in this series, we ask the biggest questions left on the table: how does God speak to us today? And, just as importantly – how can we know, for sure , whether we are hearing His voice?

Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, wasn’t so great at listening to wise counsel. Scott looks at Rehoboam’s life and his own and talks about how to seek and hear wise counsel to help find God’s personal will for our lives.

This week, we start a new series about God’s will, starting with one of the toughest questions people ask: how can I know God’s will for my life? … And if God wants me to follow His will, why does He make it so difficult to find it?

One of the first things Jesus did after his resurrection was to … take a walk with two men who didn’t recognize him. This might not be part of the Easter story that you learned in Sunday school, but those men are a lot like us. What can we learn about Jesus on the road to Emmaus?

Before Jesus’ resurrection, he had to suffer the agony of the cross. In this Good Friday service, we remember His sacrifice.

Helping the lost is both harder than you think … and easier. Guest speaker Jonathan Wolfgang explains the paradox.

It’s tough to talk about addiction, but it’s a reality in our communities and in many of our own lives. Two Arbor members share their stories and Garrett leads a conversation about the effects of addiction–and how to break free.

Have you ever wanted to help someone who’s going through a difficult time… but just don’t know what to say or do? Jake launches our new series on helping the hurting with a very practical message on how to walk with those who are grieving.

Guest speaker Mike Howerton from Overlake Christian Church closes our Sermon on the Mount series with a message about one of the most radical teachings in the whole Sermon: that of a counter-cultural, cheek-turning, mile-walking, outlandish forgiveness.

Fasting is just for super-spiritual people and crazy prophets … or maybe something they did in the Bible that we don’t do any more … right? And if fasting is for us – do we have to? In today’s message Jake looks at Jesus’ teaching on fasting in the Sermon on the Mount and answers all these questions, laying out the what , how , and why of fasting.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called himself the fulfillment of the law. What’s that all about, and what law is he referring to? Garrett helps us understand what he was talking about and what it means for us.

Judge not, lest you be judged! It’s one of the few Bible verses that almost everyone seems to know, and many take it to mean “just don’t judge anyone at all, ever”. This isn’t actually what the Bible says, however, and Jake walks us through Jesus and Paul’s teachings on the why , who , and how of judging.

Arbor Celebrates its first birthday and Jake shares Arbor’s mission for the next year.

We know worrying isn’t usually helpful… but we often find ourselves caught up in it anyway. Jesus had some words to say about worry in the Sermon on the Mount, and Scott helps us understand His wisdom for dealing with worry.

Our new series is about Jesus’ most famous sermon. We start at the beginning by looking at the famous Beatitudes, which are all those statements that start with blessed are the… What is Jesus talking about when he says blessed here, and what’s the common thread that ties them all together?

What does it take for a movement to start? What would it take for us to start a movement? We look at one of the most successful movements in history (the one started by Jesus himself) to see what a fearless follower looks like.

Dave Swenson looks at the Scriptures that talk about the cost of following Jesus, and the four things that make it such a struggle for us to fully release that which we hold tightly.

On Arbor Church’s first Christmas Eve Service, Jake tells us about the shepherds whom the angels first told of Jesus’ birth and how Immanuel, God with us, ensures that we will never be lonely, even if we are as alone as a shepherd with only his or her sheep for company.

Jonathan Wolfgang visits from Northsore Community Church to speak on Mary and how responding to the stress of life’s unexpected, and potentially unwanted, gifts with worship and trust magnifies God.