Early Church of Christ

In this series I've been sharing life-changing lessons I learned at church, and this one is perhaps the most important--they showed me the living, breathing, saving, powerful, victorious, compassionate Jesus! The title is special to me, too. It's the song they always sang during baptisms just as the person came up out of the water: Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me; Counselor, Prince of Peace,...

Romans 10:17 (CSB) 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

There is great power -- to grow, learn, and stretch in our faith -- when we finally learn the value of confessing..."I don't know."

2 Peter 1:5–11 (CSB) 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful i...

Friendship is invaluable. Through friendship, we encounter so many moments of joy, laughter, encouragement, and wisdom. It's a gift from God. Today we look at the blessing of good, godly friends and mentors, and we'll look at why we need to be wise in choosing who we have as friends, mentors, and encouragers in our lives.

Proverbs 4:23–25 (CSB) 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. 24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. 25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

Notes: http://bible.com/events/49265629 Luke 9:51–56 (CSB) "When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined to journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead of himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him. But they did not welcome him, because he determined to journey to Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw th...

John 1:43–51 (CSB) The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. “Com...

Jose & Marta Martinez and their family were our honored guests this Sunday. Jose gave us an update on the Lord's work in Acuña, Mexico. (The audio will improve greatly at around the 5 minute mark)

http://bible.com/events/49251786 John 15:1–17 (CSB) 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself...

John 20:1–18 (ESV) 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the o...

Good morning! Today we continue our series called "Forgotten Gifts" about gifts granted by the Holy Spirit that too often go dormant, unappreciated, and unused. We want to encourage one another to regain the power of God to change the world through these impactful gifts. This week we are looking at the Gift of Mercy.

Today we continue our series "Forgotten Gifts" about gifts granted by the Holy Spirit that too often go dormant, unappreciated, and unused. We want to encourage one another to regain the power of God to change the world through these impactful gifts, and this week we're looking at the Gift of Exhortation.

This week we are looking at a gift so overlooked that we may literally have forgotten it exists! Yet, we have all loved and appreciated those who have it and are used by God to bless others with their gift.

Good morning! Today we start a new series called "Forgotten Gifts" about gifts granted by the Holy Spirit that too often go dormant, unappreciated, and unused. We want to encourage one another to regain the power of God to change the world through these impactful gifts.

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “...

Today we continue our series "To Be Or Not To Be" and today's passage is like a check engine light for the soul! 1 Peter 5:8-11 (NIV) "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings....

Today we continue our series "To Be Or Not To Be" and today's passage puts a challenge to us: Be holy as I AM holy. This seems like such a high calling (because it is!), but it's not a set up for failure, quite the opposite. God is calling us by grace to thrive in His holiness. 1 Peter 1:13–16 (NIV) 13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought t...

To Be Or Not To Be. The Christian faith has always been rooted in Jesus' call for us to leave behind the world of "doing religion" and to instead be disciples of Christ. So in this series, we'll be looking at some of the "be" challenges that God puts to us in scripture, calling us to be someone greater than a set of to-do lists. We'll kick off today with a favorite passage of mine, and one that is...

Early Church of Christ

“Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and ha...

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with [q]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' But the...

Four characteristics that lead to a more grateful heart.

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith." Galatians 6:9-10, NLT

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7, NIV