Beacon Church Podcast

Pessimism Continues To Steal Our Hope Personal Misfortune Pervasive Misfortune Permanent Misfortune

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

John 15:15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

Let your obedience keep you in the center of God's plan.

Luke 2:10 I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Life is a combination of good and bad experiences. It’s never all good or all bad. If we want to maintain a posture of gratitude, we can’t simply ignore the bad parts of life. Instead, we need to acknowledge what’s bad, BUT dwell on what’s good.

The Cornerstone, the very foundation of everything else we are building upon, is Jesus himself. We are adding to the work that Jesus began. He is the Cornerstone; there is no other Cornerstone. But what we build will be upon Him and upon that work toward His end goal for us, and you are those living stones. Bible References: 1 Peter 2 : 4 - 5 John 13 : 34 -35

God is Sovereign Over the Affairs of Men. Bible References Psalm 10 Jeremiah 29:4-7 Daniel 2:31-49 Daniel 3:16-18 Daniel 4:19-27 Isaiah 58:1-4 5 Marks of Mission Tell: Proclaim the Kingdom's good news Teach: Baptize and nurture new believers Tend: Respond to human need by loving service Transform: Change society's unjust structures Treasure: Safeguard the integrity of Creation

Every Kingdom of Men will bow broken before King Jesus so choose your allegiance accordingly

It's important to make sure our political ideologies align with Christ's vision for the world. We should use Scripture to guide us in forming our beliefs and behaviors about politics.

As citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we need to ensure that our deepest allegiance lies first and foremost to our king, Jesus, and his people. Far too often, our political leanings will divide Jesus' people, who should remain united no matter what.

By following Jesus' example of extreme love in spite of whatever issues are currently in our life, we'll find so much joy, knowing that God is using those issues for His glory and our good.

Fear and anxiety cause constant issues in our lives, but Jesus provides peace, power, and comfort in its place. We can experience these by looking to him as a role model in emotional intelligence and self-awareness. A woman in our congregation shares her journey with anxiety and how Christ has met her in it.

Looking at the lives of biblical figures like Moses and David, we can see that being in the presence of God empowers us will meet our needs in ways that stabilize us even in the middle of anxiety, depression, and worry. We can actively get into God's presence by spending time in small groups of other believers, prioritizing a regular prayer and reading time, and working through our shame.

Jesus is powerful and uncontrollable. Realizing this can be scary because it takes away any illusion that we can control him and make him do what we want, but his proven track record in making everything work out for our best interest can free us from fearing anything else.

Wherever we work, we should do so with Jesus as our boss- working wholeheartedly for him, knowing that his reward is far greater than anything else we might work for, whether that be money or approval or security or purpose.

Guest speaker Stephen Francis explains that the church can only be the hope of the world when mobilized to act like Jesus, as pictured in the story of the Good Samaritan.

There is so much happiness to be had in choosing to be part of what God does through our finances.

People tend to think that living a good enough life will earn them a place with God in heaven. However, the authors of the Bible consistently and aggressively challenge that idea.

Having a thriving relationship with God means we continually desire and do what God desires and does. We can find encouragement to do this in the examples of people around us and Jesus Himself.

After Jesus rescues us into a loving relationship with God, He continues to rescue us from destructive patterns and into increasingly abundant living. This requires us to recognize the areas in our lives that require change.