Fairfax Church of Christ

We all know that feeling of hunger (when our stomachs ache for food) and thirst (where our mouths are parched, and we desperately need to drink). And after eating and drinking, soon we need to eat and drink again. It’s a never-ending cycle. We are never truly content because that hunger and thirst are only appeased for a time. In this Beatitude, Jesus blesses those who ache over the world’s deep b...

Meekness is not something that is taught today. In fact, to be meek is to be weak. Yet, Jesus shares with His disciples that if they want to live the Kingdom Life, they must be meek. The meek rely completely on God and wait on Him. In fact, the wait patiently for the Lord instead of fretting over and scheming to right their own wrongs. They are not agenda-driven unless it is the Lord’s agenda. Thr...

As Jesus continues to teach in the Sermon on the Mount, he continually calls us to “upside-down” living. In the second Beatitude, Jesus says that those who mourn will be comforted.  Grief and sorrow make us uncomfortable. We don’t know what to say or what to do when it happens so we do what we can to avoid it. Yet, pain rearranges priorities. And when we face grief, pain, or deep sorrow, Jesus rem...

Today the “New Norm” is talked about often. It describes the current “state of being” after some dramatic change or shift has taken place. The “New Norm” replaces the expected, usual, and typical state after the event or shift occurs. According to this ideology, the “New Norm” encourages one to deal with the current situation rather than wasting time lamenting over what was or could have been. Jes...

The Sermon on the Mount is the most practical, realistic way to live the Christian life. It is a Christian's guide to experiencing Kingdom-living now. But, sometimes, it can feel as though the words of Jesus are difficult, even unattainable. Today, we jump into our study of the sermon at the end. Why? Because the ending provides the foundation and impacts how we read the rest of the sermon. Not on...

As we commit to ADVANCE THE KINGDOM, we have learned that we want to have DEEP FAITH over SHALLOW BELIEFS and that we want to have DEEP LOVE over SHALLOW BEHAVIORS. The last few weeks have taught us that our BELIEFS foundationally influence who we are and the BEHAVIORS we live out reveal our deepest motivations (love or obligation/reward). Today, we dig into our BECOMINGS. Who are we BECOMING base...

Last week, we began our journey to ADVANCE THE KINGDOM in 2020. We looked at how our beliefs foundationally influence the life we live. This week, we turn to examine how our beliefs should inform our behaviors toward Kingdom Living. We must be doers of the Word, not simply hearers of it. Yet, our behaviors should not be done under obligation, but by our deep love for the one whom we believe in. So...

This year we will focus our attention on advancing the kingdom of God/Heaven. This was Jesus’ focus during His earthly ministry, and it should be ours today. But what is the “Kingdom of God/Heaven” and what does it mean to advance it? More importantly, what does it mean to live a “Kingdom Life”? Today, we focus our thoughts on how our beliefs affect our Kingdom living. Our beliefs inform our behav...

“Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?” George Bailey is overwhelmed with the pressures of life. He begins to wish he had never been born. Then, Clarence, his guardian angel, gives him a gift - a glimpse into life where he hadn't existed. What if Jesus had never been born? What if the shepherds didn’t have their sleep interrupted by...

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loudly for all to hear.” Buddy is an orphaned human who was raised at the North Pole by elves. When he travels to New York to find his real dad, Buddy finds a place where consumerism and anger have removed the joy of Christmas. Buddy faces many challenges in his quest to find his father, yet he continues to be joyful. When Santa can’t get his s...

"In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all right to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus..." Scott Calvin’s world is full of chaos and dysfunction. He is cosumed with success in every aspect of his life except in his role as a father where he struggles to connect with his son. That all begins to...

“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas...” The famous performing duo, Wallace and Davis, are on their way to Vermont to perform. They can’t wait to get there to the snow that they’ve heard so much about. But when they arrive, there is no snow. They’ve heard of it, wait for it, anticipate it, but its not there. But, snow is coming. This is very similar to the people living between Malachi and Matthew....

Today, we celebrate! We celebrate what God has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us! We began this “Hearing from God” series challenging all of us to step out in faith with our Vision Forward. Today, we rejoice and celebrate because God is indeed moving us forward in His vision to seek and save the lost. We do this not through brick and mortar, but by becoming the living stones that bu...

Nehemiah and the Israelites didn't build the temple to go sit in it and feel holy. After all of this work, after returning from exile, after everyone seemed to think they were crazy, after being threatened...they were exhausted. But instead of stopping, they turned immediately to the Word to learn more about God and to truly understand it. They taught one another and learned together. It's amazing...

It can be easy to give up on fulfilling God’s calling on our lives. Our security is threatened, we are disappointed, and we begin to question the significance of our work. “The risk is too great,” we tell ourselves, and soon we have slipped into the status quo of safety. When we read about Nehemiah, we see that he led by example. He was able to see beyond the risks because he trusted God. When fol...

Everyone loves an underdog.  You know, someone with the odds stacked against them, but somehow they rise up to win.  But when you think about it, we all play the underdog role.  God loves an underdog too.  And, as Christians, we 're already underdogs.  That's because when we choose to live a Christian life, we become an underdog in a complex world.  But, unlike other underdogs, being a Christian m...

The number one contributor to spiritual growth in a person's life is not an effective preacher, a dynamic small group, or a powerful worship experience. The number one contributor to spiritual growth is suffering, setbacks, and challenges. These are the moments we don't wish for or choose, but when they come and it seems that the walls of our life have crumbled, we need to know how to respond. In...

It seems like so many parts of our lives require us to be motivated - getting up in the morning, going to work or school, working, going to bed on time - wash, rinse, repeat!  This morning, let's remind each other where our proper, everlasting and eternal motivation comes from...God is calling us for a purpose, and what better motivation could we have than to know that the Creator of the Universe...

Nehemiah was burdened that the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed. He wasn't a mason, a carpenter, or knew much about construction. Nehemiah was a cup bearer, yet, felt a burden to act. There were probably moments of doubt as he considered the task ahead. Yet, Nehemiah fixed his eyes with expectation, strengthened his hands with urgency, and lifted his voice with faith that God who had acted before...

 All of us receive bad news from time-to-time. Often, that bad news is associated with something we did wrong or perhaps something we should have been doing. Receiving bad news is inevitable. How we respond to it is up to us. In the book of Nehemiah, we read that Nehemiah received bad news concerning the state of the Israelites. He recognized that it was due to what they had done wrong and their l...

In 1 Chronicles 28 & 29 we read of how David made plans for the building of God’s temple and passed them on to his son, Solomon, and the people of Israel. As David received from the Lord the plans to build the temple, we have been given plans to reach out to our community using all that God has given us. These plans involve many ministries and missions that allow us to be God’s heart to this c...

Before we say "I do," we have dreams and plans for what our marriage will be. Often, as the years go by, we find that those dreams and plans are replaced by disappointment and disillusionment. But when our marriage is focused on God, we find that reality can be better than our dreams. We don't find disappointment - we find hope. 

After a time in marriage, it's very easy to just settle. Life gets busy - kids, work, responsibilities - and we just accept things the way they are. The romance that we once experienced seems a distant memory. We want what's best for our marriages - we want to awaken love. This morning, we will spend time in the Song of Songs to find practical ways to rediscover romance and awaken love in our marr...

Is everything meaningless?  Join us as we hear lessons from the Teacher in Ecclesiastes to better understand what an all-in life looks like in our relationships with ourselves, our spouses, and our God. 

Too often marriage success is based on happiness. But, as soon as happiness is gone, often so is the marriage. What if marriage was about something else? What if marriage wasn't as much about happiness as it was about holiness. An "ALL IN" marriage seeks holiness as each spouse wants to make the other more holy. This morning we will look to how 1 Peter encourages its readers to focus on holy marri...