Evergreen Christian Community

Joshua 1:6-9 The Big Idea: God commands us to be strong. How in the heck do I “BE(COME) STRONG?” Three ways to Be Strong: 1. Repetition ● KEEP SPEAKING ALOUD THE WORD OF GOD. ● V.8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your mouth;  2. Discipline ○ Obedience ○ Joshua 1: 7 Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be succes...

Big idea: If you will not communicate well, you cannot Oikos well. YOU HAVE TWO JOBS: 1. LOVE GOD with all you’ve got. 2. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself. The Monumental Question: Who is my neighbor? Luke 10:25-37 The first decision: Be a FIRST RESPONDER or be a CLAIMS ADJUSTER. ⇒ Who is at fault? ⇒ What caused the accident? ⇒ What is the extent of the damage? ⇒ Who has to pay? THE JESUS PATTERN OF...

Luke 10:38-42 The most valuable and limited resource in the world is TIME. Where you invest your TIME, you invest your VALUE. Big idea: In order to Oikos, you must surrender your time to Jesus. Luke 10:38-42: Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his...

The Big Idea: The formula is simple: walk really close to Jesus and supernaturally serve those He brings into your front row. Jeremiah 1:4-12 The Calling: Four Things That Were True About You Before You Were Born: 1. God KNEW you. 2. God FORMED you in the womb. 3. God SET YOU APART. 4. God APPOINTED you. Psalm 139:13-18 The Big But: Alas, Sovereign Lord, I am too _________. The Secret Weapon for Y...

The Big Idea: Christians grieve with hope as we face a death that has lost its sting. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 WHAT IS OUR HOPE AND HOW DO WE GET IT? WE FIND BALANCE WITH TWO EXTREME TRUTHS: 1. Death is a terrible reality that is far outside of God’s design. 2. Death’s sting has been stolen and it now provides our pathway to greatness. John 11:35-38 - Jesus wept. THREE FAULTY PERSPECTIVES: 1. G...

Ephesians 4:1-16 The Big Idea: Christian hope makes COMMUNITY possible and grows deeper through community Let’s get this clear: How many churches are there in Olympia? ONE! 1. We are called to live a life worthy of COMMUNITY 2. Jesus gives the GRACE GIFTS we need to become ONE 3. The POWER of a JESUS COMMUNITY is found in the CONNECTION of its members • v16 - as each member does its part, joined a...

Leif Holmes, August 4, 2021 IN CHAT – WHEN DO YOU FIND THE MOST FRUSTRATING TO HAVE TO WAIT? Isaiah 40:28-31 WAIT: actual Hebrew literally = (verb) meaning to twist, stretch, with added element = tension of enduring Romans 8:24-25 1 Peter 1:12 Command to wait is NOT PASSIVE, BUT ACTIVE! "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength" RENEW = “exchange for something better”

2 Corinthians 8:8-11 Big Idea: The hope that we have in Jesus should change how we see everything, including money. 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 2 Corinthians 8:8 How we handle money shows something about our faith. ● Money shows where we’re placing our hope. ● James 2:17 ● James 2:18 1. Generosity leads to more joy ● 2 Corinthians 9:6 ● Proverbs 11:24 (Message Paraphrase) The world of the generous gets la...

Romans 14:1-3, 14-15:7 The Big Idea: Cultural diversity is both an obstacle to and an essential ingredient of Biblical clarity and Christian hope. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong. The problem is knowing in real time which one is true. 3 Guiding Realities for Community: 1. Most of our conflicts are CULTURAL more than THEOLOGICAL. 2. DIVERSITY WITH UNITY is a very real and consta...

1 Corinthians 6:12-7:1; 7:27-31 THE BIG IDEA: Christian hope radically shapes our views and practice of sex, singleness, and marriage. 1. A Revolutionary View of Sex: Two Views About Sex: 1) I have the right to feed my appetites however I please. 2) Sex is dirty and bad. ● The key to the whole subject is DESIGN. (v13) ○ Sex is designed to do this: THE FULL GIVING OF ONESELF TO ANOTHER. ■ Not a def...

2 Corinthians 4:7-18; 12:7-10 The Big Idea: Suffering is not God’s plan, but it is God’s servant in advancing His Glory. 1. The Certainty of Suffering v16 “Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away…” 2. The Power of Suffering My sufferings are not only not a denial of Jesus, but they are a confirmation of Him. SUFFERING HAS POWER IN TWO WAYS: 1. Relationally: “Death is...

Luke 4:16 Luke 4:17-19 Jesus came bring something NEW. We AREN’T CALLED to take part in CULTURE WARS. We are CALLED to REPRESENT the kingdom of God. Luke 17: 20-21

The Big Idea: The certainty of our eternal future informs, directs and empowers our present life experience. 1 Corinthians 15:47-58 THE SHAPE OF GOD’S FUTURE FOR US: Four Things we are certain to Experience in Our Future: 1. DEATH WITH NO STING. “If we could be sure that death is annihilation, there would be no fear of it. But we cannot be totally sure. What people fear most is not that death is a...

Mark 9:14-29 REMEDIAL FASTING 101: 1) WHAT is it? 2) WHY do it? 3) HOW to start? 1) What is it? Simple definition: Going without food for a specified amount of time 2) Why do it? Jesus modeled it and expects it. Matt. 4:1-2 Matt. 9:15 Matt. 6:16-18 RELEASES POWER of God in you and through you. Galatians 5:16-17 2 Cor. 12:9-10 Fasting makes room for God’s power to work through our weakness! Mark 9:...

BIG IDEA: Experiencing Hope comes from knowing our confidence in Christ holds true over the surface of our circumstances. Ephesians 3:14-21 TWO CONCEPTS: ROOTS AND ANCHORS. REDWOODS- Who are you CONNECTED with and to? 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. The outcome of being rooted is loving like Christ: We TRANSFORM int...

Definition: Season of celebration. Leviticus 25:8-10 What Jubilee brings: 1. Sabbath: It is a period of rest, for the land and the people. 2. Atonement: Begins on the Day of Atonement, forgiveness of sins by blood. 3. Liberation: The captives and slaves are set free, and return to their own people. Luke 4:18-21 JESUS BRINGS OUR JUBILEE! 1. JESUS is the SABBATH. Matthew 12:8 2. JESUS is our ATONEME...

THE BIG IDEA: Christian hope is not a manufactured or fleeting optimistic attitude, but a confident obedience based on the certainty of the work of Jesus. Ephesians 1:13-22 ‬‬‬‬ 1. THE IMPORTANCE OF HOPE: Hope: “Life shaping certainty of something that hasn’t happened yet, but you know will.” Hebrews 11:1 2. THE CONTENT OF HOPE - KNOWING FOUR THINGS: 1. To KNOW the Holy Spirit as your SEAL, DEPOSI...

In the Chat: What was your first job, and how did you like it? Oxford definition of Vocation: a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation. Big Idea: Your vocation is about bringing the love and power of Jesus Christ into your current context. Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 Genesis 2:15-16 Steward: "Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the better...

In the Chat: Have you ever seen or been a part of a miracle? Mark 5:24-34 Common Things to Overcome: ● Facing Disappointments ● Fighting Discouragement ● Falling into Despair Three Common Necessities: 1. Nearly every miracle involves an APPROACH. 2. The exercise of a little FAITH. Matthew 17:20 3. Very little CONTACT. Isaiah 53:5

The Big Idea: The Church is called and equipped to lead the way in hospitality and community to a lonely world! Americans have more technical capacity to connect than ever before, and yet we are more lonely than ever before. 1 Peter 4:1-11 HOSPITALITY is an attitude before it is a practice. Two Cultural Approaches to Community: 1. An INDIVIDUALIST approach to community. 2. The TRIBAL approach to c...

Isaiah 55:8-9 In the chat - share an instance when you were told no “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 God’s NO is just as much a blessing as his yes! His NO is a positive, not a negative! His NO is an affirmation...

Luke 8:4-9, 11-15 The Big Idea: Our formation began in the womb and is an ongoing process. We experience re-formation through habits of obedience carried out in relationships. Understanding Re-Formation: ● The soil of fruitfulness is the HEART. Proverbs 4:20-26 ● The obstructions to fruitfulness are HEART ISSUES. ● The source of fruitfulness is JESUS. Jeremiah 17:5-9 Psalm 139:23-24 ● The process...

Tonight’s Agreement and Instruction:  The Lord, His kindness, and His bountiful power do not revolve around us.  Our lives flourish when our they revolve around Him. We want to FACE TWO FACTS and allow them to inform our paths forward. 1) God has SUPERNATURAL PARTNERS and SERVANTS. 2) These partners are not for us, THEY ARE FOR THE LORD. Joshua 5:13-15 Colossians 1:13-17 Isaiah 10:12-16 Prayer F...

The Big Idea: Human dignity and flourishing are anchored in the Person of Jesus Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Acts 17:22-28 Jesus is our PATHWAY to FLOURISHING! The pathway to FLOURISHING is attached to the pathway to IDENTITY. WHAT HAVE CHRISTIANS ALWAYS BELIEVED ABOUT HUMAN IDENTITY? Genesis 1:26-31 1. We are creatures of GLORY.  2. We are creatures of SHAME.  3. We are creatures of HOPE. Our MINDS can be...

The horse is made ready for battle, but victory rests with the LORD. – Prov. 21:31 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. – Psalm 127:1 The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 1 Cor. 1:25 This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting! – Matt...