CityLight Vineyard Church

While Jesus was certainly many things, to the people who first experienced him, they certainly experienced him as a teacher. What does that mean for our lives? How do we experience Jesus as a teacher in our lives?

Many cultures (including ours) either inadvertently, or purposefully, remake Jesus in their own image. As we look to find the “real Jesus” we start with a discussion of whether we can even be sure he existed. And if so, why does that matter?

We've been through a lot this year. Let's take a moment to reflect on what God has taught us through the struggle, so we can build on those lessons for the future.

Why do followers of Jesus give to those in need, sacrifice, take risks, share with others, pursue peace, seek forgiveness, and live a life obedience to Jesus? The simple answer is love. It is both simple and profound. Today we talk about how love, the love of God for us, is the WHY behind the risks we take to follow Jesus.

It can be all too easy to become comfortable with what we know, and stop looking for the unexpected. Following a supernatural God shakes that up a bit though. Can we learn to look for the unexpected and unknown ways that God may be wanting to step into our lives?

Following Jesus will often require taking risks. Taking risks almost always requires us to face our fears. The invitation of God is to trust us through our fears, as we step out with him.

As a follower of Jesus do you have a “radical yes” in your heart to God? Or do you lean more towards a “no” or a “maybe?” What would it look like to live your life with a “radical yes” towards the call of God, and a relationship with God, in your life?

When money comes first in our lives, James will teach us, that WE come last. Our soul suffers, our relationships suffer, and money gets way too much control over us. He offers some practical ways to avoid this, even as we live in a money saturated culture.

The intent of our words does not excuse or negate the impact of our words. James holds us responsible for the far-reaching impact our words can have, both negative and positive. In this teaching we look at the book of James, and the strong words he has about our words!

James invites us to lean into a life of whole-hearted prayer. It’s not about being perfect, or having the perfect words to pray, but about trusting God completely, and learning to pray with hearts full of confidence in him and his word.

In this midweek refresher, Christian encourages us to be voices of unity and peace during this unsettled time in our country. 

It seems to be accepted common knowledge that suffering tends to drive people from God. Why is that? James doesn’t seem to agree. Maybe our worldview is too secular in regards to suffering and God. What if a more Biblical worldview of suffering and God would actually give us more hope?

Where does our discontentment in life come from? James would argue that it comes form our desires that are out of order. Our affections and loves that are disordered, lead to us feeling stressed, anxious, and burned out. Jesus invites us, through James, to order our lives around our first love, Jesus. And then see everything else fall into it’s proper place.

Faith is easy to talk about. Harder to do. And James makes a point of asking us, “are we more than our words?”

It can be so easy to show preferential treatment to people “like you.”  But the teachings of Jesus really leave no room for this. In fact, as we see in James, this kind of attitude is considered evil! This week we look at God’s heart of mercy for all people, and how that should shape and challenge how we treat one another!

Jesus offers us a life of wholeness, but when we compartmentalize our faith we become fragmented, and we miss the wholeness he offers us. The book of James is all about fully integrating our faith into our lives so that we can experience the full life of Jesus!

Have you been feeling worn down, or worn out, lately? Have you struggled with the chronic nature of the global pandemic, and the hopelessness that many of us are battling? As we look to Jesus, he offers himself as the one true place to find satisfaction, comfort, and hope.

Jesus invites all of us to "come to him" when we are spiritually thirsty, and he will give us streams of living water flowing in the deepest parts of our hearts.

Why did Jesus wait when her heard Lazarus was sick? This is a tough one, but there is a deep lesson here for us, if we are willing to hear it.

God has work for us to do, even in this time of uncertainty. Are we aware of the work he is calling us to right now? Are we pursuing it?

So often our prayer life is like a football game: a Hail Mary at the last possible moment offered up in desperation and with very little confidence. What if prayer became the first thing we turned to, instead of our last ditch effort?

This week, we hear from Geno Olison, pastor of South Suburban Vineyard Church in the suburbs of Chicago. In this interview, we cover: how to speak up about injustice in a winsome way; how to know when to speak up, and when not to; why it is important that we have a voice as Christians; and some thoughts on how and when to interact on social media with people you disagree with. His thoughts are cha...

As we attempt to engage in conversations with people we disagree with, often over issues we care deeply about, what should our posture be? The wisdom literature of the Bible teaches a sobering and challenging message.