COMMON GROUND CHURCH of the CMA

Edom and Israel were family and as such, they were to love and protect one another. Obadiah brings a scathing rebuke for exploiting Israel during the Babylonian siege. Proud as they were, their downfall was on the way. Look into this short book with a sharp bark and consider the drastic results when we are governed by pride.

COMMON GROUND CHURCH of the CMA

When we only see a troubled world, it's easy to talk ourselves out of starting a good thing. Hard times always surround good ministry. If we wait for a "perfect time", we will only wait to the end our our lives. Learn from Haggai to see that anytime can be God's time.

The journey from doubt to faith is often found during difficult circumstances and in those times it's not uncommon to struggle with God "making sense." Follow the prophet as he wrestles with the evils of his world and God's sovereignty and character.

Our human perspective is a backward glance. We see things most clearly in hindsight. The mission of the prophets was to fix our perspective forward and to trust that God's goodness, even during difficult circumstances is leading to a great ending.

How BIG is your God? Lets take a look at the bigness of Nahum's God.

We all have a Hosea Story because we have all been betrayed, back-stabbed, or blind-sided at one time or another ... by someone who is close to us. Even God has a Hosea Story and we are all part of it in one way or another.

Sometimes, when we anticipate the "Day of the Lord," we get it wrong. Amos helps us to understand that as Christ followers, we must help turn the world upside-down before the Lord shows up to upend the whole world.

The story of Jonah is about more than a big fish. It is the story of a man who thought he knew better than God, challenging us to consider whether Jesus is Lord of our ups and downs.

Paul encourages us in the final chapter of First Corinthians to have more than a "whatever" attitude, where God is treated like a mere legend or fable.

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:10-14 that the love of many will grow cold. Paul begins his closing argument with the Corinthians to turn their hearts outward toward others. This is a timely message to rekindle the heat in our own hearts.

The power of the resurrection is not just for "there and then" but also for "here and now." What we do with this life, right now, matters for all of eternity.

What does the Resurrection mean to me?

The Corinthian church was far from perfect, yet that would not hinder Christ's declaration to build His church and prevail. They just needed to understand a few things about spiritual gifts. In this chapter, we can learn how to be a part of God building a church.

What happens when a church's conduct is out of step with the gospel? The only thing that ever changes anything is God's love ... period. That makes it essential for a church to discern whether it's brand of love is either Christ-like, or Corinthian.

Everything has an essential. If we understand what the essential aspect of a Christian is, than we will know what the essential aspect of a church is.

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul gives a warning to not repeat the failures of Israel but to press forward in a way that is best for the welfare of others.

To help the believers in Corinth understand his point from the previous chapter, Paul demonstrates his passion for people to hear the gospel by voluntarily surrendering his rights and privileges for the benefit of others. We should ask ourselves, what would it take for the gospel to be made known in every corner of our city?

COMMON GROUND CHURCH of the CMA

If we have no regard for the welfare of others, then we have no regard for Christ's love. This compelling statement should move us to ask, "What would I be willing to give up for the love of my brother or sister in Christ?"

This is the story of Doug, a gentle soul who has faithfully served Jesus for nearly 40 years.

Chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians is a complex text, but so are relationships. In this message we will take a deeper look at how our relationships, difficult as they are, matter in our faith in Christ.

When the church become commonplace, it ceases to be a holy space. In 1 Co 6, it is demonstrated that the believers' private sins were becoming their public identity.

The phrase, "United we stand; divided we fall," has permeated human history. In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, we will begin to see the hidden costs of spiritual independence and arrogance within a church body.

COMMON GROUND CHURCH of the CMA