Evanston Vineyard

Last week, we tackled the gracious words of Jesus in Matt. 6: If we seek his kingdom, we’ll get the King. This week, we drill down into the “seeing” of Matthew 6. How does seeing aid the seeking? And how does seeing, then, help us to unwind anxiety?

Our world is choked by chronic anxiety. With love and compassion, Jesus steps into the fear and uncertainty and tells us, “Do not be anxious!” “Do not be afraid!” “Do not let your hearts be troubled!” Let’s dive in to the Sermon of the Mount to see how these commands are laden with promise, not condemnation.

Message by: Adam Russell

In this week’s sermon, we look at the example Jesus sets for how we can renounce our fears and walk through things that make us anxious. We look at how we can embrace the future with our heads held high, knowing that no matter how frightening it may seem, we will not have to walk through it alone.

Don’t be deceived: there is power in our praise because our praise to God always brings forth His presence. Praise to God has nothing to do with the place or performance, and all to do with our posture. Nothing to do with our worship, and everything to do with the worshiper!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What does it look like to practice “horizontal” or communal spirituality? How can we develop outward spiritual habits? It starts with a solid relationship with our caring Father. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] By the evidence of the thousands of photos we carry around, we are a people who love to remember. How can we not only remember our travels but the amazing things God has done in our lives? Why is this important? Tune in to hear how recalling what God has done in the past can ground us in the present and propel us toward the future. The spiritual practice of Reme...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In this week’s sermon, we look at Jesus’ teaching on giving.  We explore how cultivating simplicity and generosity is good for our souls, contributes to other’s flourishing, and is an investment in God’s current and coming Kingdom. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Jesus treasured the Scriptures and discovered his mission in them – and so can we. Reading Scripture allows us to uncover the person of Jesus, which is the primary way we can embody His practices and values.

In the modern era, noise both externally and internally distract us from our spiritual growth. The practice of Silence and solitude aims to lead us into a deeper sense of being known and loved by our creator, through our desperation.

This week’s sermon is a recommendation for the spiritual practice of Noticing and Nurturing Beauty with tips for how to try it for yourself. This practice was something Jesus did regularly, and it can help us to appreciate the beauty all around us in God’s world. Ultimately, encounters with beauty should form us into better worshippers of our Beautiful God.

There are many theories out there on how we change. Even in the Christian world, churches operate on differing theories of change. We learn today where we believe deep change actually happens in us.

As we close our series on the parables of the Kingdom, we learn that the Kingdom is a party. Parties are a central reality of Jesus’ Kingdom. Will you accept the invitation?

Jesus’ Baptism: The Ultimate Act of Humility 

The parable of the workers and their wages teaches us that Grace is both beautiful and offensive, depending on your perspective. Whether you are among the First or the Last the invitation is to receive God’s invitation to Love and Joy.

The King of love has extravagant forgiveness for us. But we are also called to do the same. How can we? What help do we have?

How precious is the Kingdom of Heaven to you? Is it valuable enough that you’d be willing to walk away from everything you know in pursuit of a life with the Risen King?

What is the Kingdom of God? It turns out, it’s such a big, expansive reality that Jesus used a lot of stories to help us understand it. These stories are called parables and we’re spending the next five weeks looking at them. First up: the mustard seed and leaven.

This third sermon in our Saved series deal with the last part of our Gospel summary: Jesus, the crucified king of love is making all things new. When Jesus was raised from death he ascended as King! That means he reigns, and that the reign of death won’t last. Jesus is making a new world in love.

Last Sunday we introduced a one sentence Gospel that we believe makes better sense of the entire story of Jesus and what it means to be saved. This week, we talk about the present reality of the that salvation.

This Easter Sunday we are digging into the magnificent, dense chapter on resurrection by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. There is hope in here for every single person. We also interrogate the one sentence Gospel of “Jesus died for our sins.”

Many of us are probably familiar with the most common reasons for baptism: 1) It’s commanded; 2) Jesus himself was baptized; 3) It’s a public profession; 4) It’s entrance into the community of believers. But the Apostle Peter in his first letter gives us another, massively important reason that we need to hear.

Some God encounters are sweet, while others are confrontational and arresting. We’ll explore how Jesus uses a series of important events to turn the light on for Saul and how he even uses others to play a role in Saul’s purpose discovery, healing and salvation. 

We end our journey in James, a book that has been lanced through with brutal honesty, on a high note. Three hopes, all located in healing: our bodies matter, the Lord will raise us up, and pray for each other that we may be healed.

James tells us that the reality of the kingdom transforms the way we think about money and allows us to live patiently. The gospel makes us generous as we patiently wait Jesus’ good kingdom.