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We are continuing our message series Christmas Carols using the acronym “CAROL” to help us remember the point of this series…Common Attitudes Revealing Our Lord.  In the Bible we have a directive; we are given a command. This is cool. This is one of the shortest verses in the Bible. Great passage if you are looking to start memorizing scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 , “Be joyful always.” This Chri...

Today our attitude is thankfulness. I could talk about this for days!  Here’s the deal: there is always something for which you can be thankful. Period. I have often been reminded that success in life has everything to do with an attitude of gratitude. When a person has a good attitude and a grateful heart, it seems to open doors of opportunity for them that would never be opened otherwise. Not ma...

As followers of Christ, we strive towards becoming more and more like Christ.  This is why Paul, a church planter and missionary in the early church wrote these words to Christ followers.  Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”.  Some versions read:  “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”  Christ displayed over and over...

A day before the church didn’t even exist yet, and then Peter preaches the first sermon and BAM a Megachurch! 3,000 people repented and were baptized and said we’re all in! “We’re all about the New that God has for us and ready for God to work in and through us.” So the church was born and they were on fire. But just like we know…to experience the new God had for them, they had to do new. And the...

In the first chapter of Acts Jesus tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem because something special was going to happen.  The Holy Spirit was going to come and they would receive power to go into all the world and be His witnesses. They didn’t exactly know what that meant or what that looked like, but they listened. And that’s where we find them today.  A small group of followers waiting patient...

We’re kicking off a new series through the Book of Acts called Upside Down.  Turn on the news, spend a few minutes on Facebook or other social media platforms, or pay attention to what’s happening in the world around us.  And it’s clear that this world is upside down.  Wrong is right, truth is nonexistent, darkness is celebrated, and everyone has an opinion and isn’t afraid to tell you about it! S...

Today we finish out our series called Live the Life. We move from teaching on relationships to war! The transition feels abrupt! Paul reminds us that If you want to Live the Life...then live it! But, It is going to take a fight! Because we are at war!  The message of Ephesians is that through Christ, people are being saved…changing sides, and now are being retrained to fight FOR a new Lord and Mas...

Here’s the context...Paul addresses a group of people stuck in a sorry work situation. Far worse than what you might be stuck in. These followers of Jesus Christ were slaves. God has put laws and responsibilities into place to make relationships operate at their optimum level. And part of living the life, God says, is learning respect for authority. Last week we looked at authority in the home and...

Today, as we continue our Live the Life series, we’re in Ephesians 6 and talking about parenting.  Whether you have kids, have had kids, will have kids, or are somebody’s kid (that’s everybody)…God has some important words for us today. God has put laws and responsibilities into place to make the family operate at its optimum level. In today’s passage, we are reminded that God expects his people t...

As we look at Ephesians 5 let me just say that - Marriage affects everybody.  Not everybody here is or will be married. But marriage affects everybody – it’s the foundation of civilization. It’s the core of the family unit – how other humans are brought into the world and trained up.  And ultimately - It’s a mirror of Christ and the church.  So, in a very real way…As goes marriage, so goes the wor...

Ephesians 5:20, “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ever read something and felt like, WHAT?  Really?  Is Paul crazy? ALWAYS? EVERYTHING? “ALWAYS giving thanks…for EVERYTHING?”  That feels impossible. Maybe a nice idea to shoot for…, but...That is NOT possible…is it? Think about this…Get your mind around this big idea: God created you wit...

In this passage, Paul encourages us to take responsibility for our lives. He gives us some great advice: because of who you are in the Lord, you need to look at things in life and ask the question, ‘What’s stupid about this?’ Those aren’t the words he uses, but that’s the point when he says to find out what pleases the Lord and what doesn’t (that would be what’s stupid). Do what pleases the Lord a...

I like how the passage starts.  He says – Be imitators of God…mimic Him.  Basically, what Paul tells us to do is impersonate God. Have you ever impersonated someone else? The answer is yes, you have if you’ve ever dressed up for Halloween. Ephesians 5:1-7 Follow Coach Dan Holland: Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/CoachDanHolland YouTube ➡️ @CoachDanHolland Visit us online 👉 https://coachdanho...

Today we’re going to wrap up Ephesians chapter 4. We’ve been studying the book of Ephesians verse by verse. And in CH4, the letter takes a big turn. Paul, the author, turns his focus from theological to practical. He turns from “know” to “go.” And he sums up this shift in 4:1 by saying, “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” In light of what you know, go live it! Live the life God...

Jesus gives gifts to each of us and each gift is an expression of his grace to us. Every believer has a spiritual gift. We aren’t asked to run like anyone else…we are asked to run the race that’s been laid out for each of us. To use our gift to serve others. Now…the list that's given next isn’t all the gifts, as I’ve said…just some of them. But he mentions five of the gifts that are basic to...

God has a lot to say about living the Christian life and putting your faith into action.  The second half of Ephesians turns to what we DO with what we’ve been given. We have a high calling.  We’re children of God, kids of the king.  His chosen people.  His work of art.  The status is there – the calling is there – It’s not about earning grace or being better than anybody else…just living up to Go...

We’re in a section that I think will really resonate with us as a network of micro churches.  As we go through books of the Bible and study letters to churches in the NT, what we see is – it’s always helpful and relevant, but sometimes it’s like it’s written just for us. This is one of those passages that could be written just for us.  And Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians would really be my prayer...

We’re continuing our series called Live the Life...a study in the book of Ephesians...in Ephesians 3 today. Paul begins to give further insight into what he is specifically praying for the Christ-followers living in Asia Minor. However, instead of sticking to the thought, he begins in verse one and then decides to take a side road for the next twelve verses. He eventually gets back to his original...

We’re pushing forward in our Ephesians study called live the life.  And today we’re in Ephesians 2 again. In the first 3 chapters, Paul reminded them of their blessings “in Christ.” And he reminds them of God’s BIG plan. That Jesus didn’t just come to bring peace between man and God – but he came to bring peace between man and man. To take people who hate each other and to make ONE humanity out of...

The turning point of our passage today is chapter 2 verse 4: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy…” Just how great is God’s love for us and how rich is his mercy? Paul answers this question by looking back and looking forward. He looks at the cold hard facts of where we came from and then nails down just where we are right now. Ephesians 2:1-10 Follow Coach Dan Holland:...

The church in Ephesus was started by Paul when he was on his missionary journeys recorded in the book of Acts. One of the things I like about the letter to the Ephesians is that it’s one of the few letters in the NT that doesn’t really address a big problem. Most of the early churches had big problems.  But what Paul is really doing in this letter is to the Ephesians is encouraging them and us to...

Easter Intro - Last week we kicked off a brand-new sermon series exploring Ephesians. Paul opens the letter with enthusiastic praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Paul listed our spiritual blessings. It’s actually a prayer. After pouring out praise to God Paul then shifts his attention to praying specifically and very intentionally for those who would receive his letter. Follow Coach Dan Ho...

In this series, we’ve explored many of the “one another” passages in the Bible.  God’s call is clear.  He cares how we treat one another.  And living “on mission” means learning how to practically love one another. We call it Love Out Loud. As the family of God grows, it’s made up of people who are not like us, who have learned different behaviors, and who see the world through very different colo...

Today, we are focusing on the “one another” emphasized by Paul in Ephesians 6:18, “…pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Praying for one another was something the early church leaders took very seriously. When Christ-followers love each other well, it has a huge impact. Follow...

In James 5:16 we read these words, “confess your sins to each other.” What’s your initial response? Me too. My initial response is, “Thanks, but no thanks, James.” That sounds like an awful and terrifying idea to me. Sure, I am fine confessing that I ate too much junk food or that I laughed at an inappropriate joke a comedian told, but the thought of you finding out about some of the stuff that is...