Element Christian Church of Santa Maria

Colossians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a church he had never visited. The church in Colossae was planted by a disciple of Paul named Epaphras. Paul is writing this letter to introduce himself and correct a problem(s) in the church at Colossae. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

A special Sunday to get a glimpse of how the Gospel is being lived out in Thailand. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE FIND THIS WEEKS ANNOUNCEMENTS, SONG LIST, NOTES, AND MORE AT YOUVERSION 2025 FALL MISSIONS UPDATE

Jesus uses the “antithesis” statements in the Sermon on the Mount to highlight how the Jewish people were taking the Old Testament law out of context. The law had become a list of ways to show obedience, instead of having obedience from a heart’s disposition toward God. It is in this context Jesus calls believers “to be perfect like their heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfect is not in the literal...

The popular phrase, "Love the sinner, hate the sin," while not found in Scripture, can be lived out in wisdom, but also prone to potential misuse. The Scriptures present sin (wandering off the path, broken, blemish, rebellion, owing a debt, going astray, lawlessness, impurity) as widespread, damaging, and deserving of serious struggle. Sin isn’t only future punishment, but is a present destructive...

The entire Bible must be kept in mind when looking at passages in different books. There is an apparent contradiction (to some people) between 1 John 2:15 (and its command to not to love the world) and John 3:16, which says that God loved the world. The word "world" has two distinct meanings: the material universe (creation, humanity, nature) which Christians should love as God does, and "worldlin...

There is so much confusion over Paul’s instructions about women in 1 Timothy 2:11-15. By examining the cultural and religious context of Ephesus, we can get a broader picture of what he had been trying to say. Culturally, Paul was addressing specific problems arising from the collision between Jewish synagogue practices, pagan Artemis worship, and early Christian communities. The passage about wom...

Matthew 12:36-37 is often misunderstood out of context to mean that all of our sins ("every careless word") will be put on display for all to see on judgment day. This verse, in context, is spoken to self-righteous Pharisees who attributed Jesus' miracles to Satan…it was about their rejection of God's work—not a universal principle that our sins will be publicly displayed. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YO...

Many people who have looked at the parable of the Good Samaritan have misunderstood its central point. The story isn't primarily about identifying who qualifies as our "neighbor" that we should help, but rather about examining how we function as neighbors to others. When Jesus asks "Which of these three proved to be a neighbor?" He shifts the focus from defining limits on our love to challenging u...

While divorce is painful and not God's original design, it is not an unforgivable sin. In Matthew 19 marriage is described as a covenant relationship where "two become one flesh" rather than a consumer relationship that can be easily terminated. God's purpose in marriage is not happiness but holiness – teaching us to love like Christ loves us, even when it's difficult. There is hope for those who...

Recently there are those who have argued that Jesus affirmed transgender identity using Matthew 19:12 (about eunuchs). In Matt 19:12 Jesus was discussing marriage and celibacy after teaching on divorce, not gender identity. Maximum glory comes from two distinct but equal genders working together, not from one gender or multiple genders. Like all things, we need both truth and compassion; we need t...

A message talking about homosexuality is something people need to hear, not hear about (if that makes sense). We need to emphasize compassion while maintaining truth. The Bible isn’t primarily about homosexuality, but about God’s redemptive story, starting with Genesis 1 and the creation narrative. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Hebrews 10:24-25 ("not neglecting to meet together"), was frequently cited during COVID to argue for in-person church attendance. However, this misses the deeper Biblical context. In the New Testament era, churches were small house gatherings where everyone knew each other intimately (which is different from today's mobile, anonymous church culture where people can attend services while remaining...

Two verses—John 1:12 and Revelation 3:20—are commonly used together to teach that salvation comes through asking Jesus into your heart. However, understanding these passages in context reveals a different message. John 1:12 defines "receiving" Jesus as believing in who He is—your Messiah, Savior, and Substitute—not a prayer formula. It's about trusting His work for you at Calvary. Revelation 3:20,...

In Luke 14:25-27, Jesus uses shocking language—calling His followers to "hate" their families—to emphasize that discipleship requires total allegiance to Him above all else. The Greek word translated "hate" (miseo) is comparative, meaning we're to love Christ more than even our closest relationships. Jesus isn't anti-family; He's calling us to properly order our loves. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUB...

Today we re-start a series addressing how Christians and non-Christians alike misinterpret Scripture by reading verses out of context. Many of our issues with the Bible stem from cultural misunderstanding rather than textual problems. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" is often misunderstood about Jesus trying to keep people out of what they perceive to be heaven (our own personal pleasure factory). Instead, Jesus is trying to reframe our understanding of how we approach God from ritual and sacrifice to Jesus’ sacrifice for us. When Jesus claimed to BE these thre...

Ending the book of Philippians, we should reflect on what we have learned over the last 34 weeks. For instance, we are to stand fast in one spirit, to strive together for the faith of the Gospel, to be of one mind, to shine as lights in the world, and to know we are a part of God’s grand symphony of grace. We’ve been encouraged to rejoice in the Lord, and to not place confidence in the flesh. Paul...

Today we finish the book of Philippians and there are two main themes: God’s glory and Christian fellowship. Paul ends his letter with, “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” This closing emphasizes that God’s glory is the ultimate purpose of all things. He reminds us that God Himself is the most God-centered being in the universe. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMO...

In Philippians 4:14-19, we explore the fundamental difference between transactional accounting and Gospel accounting. Paul thanks the Philippians for their financial support during his imprisonment while introducing a radical perspective on why and how we give. Rather than viewing their gift as creating obligation or debt (as was customary in Greco-Roman culture), Paul frames their generosity as p...

Knowing Proper Ambition – Selfish ambition can be understood as a “motivation to elevate or to put one’s own interests before another’s.” Paul says, “In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” There is a good type of ambition and it is the motivation to see God’s glory shine and people come to know Him. It was ambition for God that led Paul to spread the Gospel to the ends of the...

Paul writes that he has “learned” to be content whether in plenty or in need, with the source of his contentment being Christ who strengthens him. Our society often confuses wanting (which can be healthy) with coveting (which enslaves us). True contentment isn’t found in achieving our dreams or accumulating wealth, but in understanding our worth comes from God alone. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE...

Paul’s instruction in Philippians 4:8-9 challenges believers to carefully examine what occupies their thoughts. Rather than simply adopting cultural values, Paul takes six Hellenistic virtues and reframes them through the lens of the Gospel. He is relating truth to those who knew and understood their culture in a way that shows all truth is God’s truth. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF S...

Paul’s teachings in Philippians 4:4-7 provide a foundation for stability in an increasingly unstable world. Unlike modern approaches that focus on techniques and methods for dealing with anxiety, Paul presents the Gospel as our “nuclear option” - applying the big eternal truth to small daily circumstances. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Philippians 4:4-5 explores Paul’s recurring theme of joy that “bubbles out” even in the midst of his imprisonment. Paul doesn’t simply command joy as an emotion we must manufacture; rather, he roots joy in the truths of the Gospel. Unlike the world’s pursuit of happiness through self-fulfillment, Christian joy comes from recognizing we were designed for relationship with God. When we understand th...

2025, like most years, hasn’t been easy. Yet God remains at work—we may have been “roughed up,” but in His hands, we are neither forgotten nor abandoned. Paul wrote Philippians while imprisoned in conditions of unspeakable horror: overcrowded prisons with suffocating air, sleepless nights in chains, underground chambers devoid of light, corroding iron shackles, and appalling filth. Yet Paul wasn’t...