FBC Platte City

What does it mean to follow Jesus? To have a relationship with Jesus? To know that you have eternal life? To know that you're ok? Is it just a prayer that someone taught you to pray? I know that I am a sinner. I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose again. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart. I trust You as my Lord and Savior. It's so much m...

On the Thursday before Jesus went to the cross, he shared his last meal with his friends. We’re talking about the Lord’s Supper (some people call it communion) and what it means for us today. -Jason

‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ —Zaccheus, Luke 18:13 I’m too quick to judge people. I size them up before even realizing it. My judgments are shallow and ill-conceived. I repent. Jesus told a story about people like me, who are ‘confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else.’ Best prayer ever: “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13) Have you ever known anyone who ne...

‘He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God.’ Luke 9:2 Simple descriptions of inviting someone to follow Jesus. ‘Follow me as I follow Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 11:1).  As Jesus’ time on earth was drawing short he began passing the baton. He couldn’t prepare them for every scenario. Instead, he gave them good Orientation, some solid ON THE JOB training, then Deployed them to begin connecting pe...

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’             —Jesus in Luke 5:31 Nobody rushes into an Emergency Room without a crisis.   Everybody who comes to Jesus knows they need him.  Where were you when Jesus found you?  Have you ever gone back there?  Have you ever feared you can’t come back?  T...

My heart’s desire and prayer to God is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1) Jesus asks a question we will all have to answer— ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matthew 16:15) Where are you? Spiritually uninterested? Curious? New Believer? I think once you’ve found a relationship with Jesus— real, forgiven, free— you’re going to long for the people you love to find what you’ve found. I love you, and I LOVE...

Following Jesus means we have to acknowledge the sin in our lives, the things that make us feel unclean… but what do you do when you keep getting tripped up by the same stuff again and again?

We all follow someone or something. People on social media, TV personalities, news channels, sports talk radio.   We’re influenced by what grabs our attention.    Over the next 8 weeks, we’re going to be looking at Jesus’ followers and how their lives were impacted by what he said and did.   We invite you to read through the Gospels with us in a 40 day plan beginning...

Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory— Forever and ever! Amen  The Kingdom of God is real. And it’s coming. And, it’s good.  You want life to make sense. You want your life to matter and make a difference. You want to build something that will outlive you.  The common denominator in all that is YOU. And you’re not big enough to bear that. So you get tired, weary, maybe...

Lead us—not into temptation, but in the leading, deliver us from the evil one. —Matthew 6:13 You’ve felt the pull, right? You know how life should be (even if you can’t put it into words), and you know the disconnect with how life is. You know how you should be living, but it feels like there is some pull in the other direction. When Jesus taught us to pray, He acknowledged an evil one who would p...

Forgiveness: It’s a relief to receive it, but often hard to extend it to someone else.  We’re talking about the forgiveness we’ve received through Jesus and how that plays out in our lives with others, too.

Do you trust God? Every day? Jesus says that God knows what we need (Matthew 6:8; 25-26), so is it necessary to ask God for our everyday needs?

What are you trying to prove? Who are you trying to impress?       The Prayer of Surrender is about giving up the posturing. Surrendering the need to be the "smartest one in the room." No more protectionism or marking of territory.      Here’s a related question, what are you running from?      Jesus modeled the Prayer of Surrender t...

Remain in me and I in you. You will bear much fruit; Apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Have you ever wondered who you’re praying to in the first place? Do you ever wonder if anyone is listening when you pray? Or what is praying doing to you? When Jesus taught us to pray, he started by spelling out exactly who is listening, who you’re praying to in the first place. He is the Great I Am,...

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray…” He said, “When you pray, pray like this…” (Luke 11:1-2) Two things to become the person God has in mind; you’ve got to hear from God (Bible), and let God hear from you (prayer). For the last year we’ve been reading through the Bible, start to finish. As we start 2023, I want to...

“Yes, I am coming soon.” —Jesus “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20 Waiting, waiting, waiting— then suddenly it’s time! Christmas. Light shines in darkness. Angels, shepherds, stars, all of it. When Jesus put on flesh to dwell among us it was all that and more. It changed the world. Time has been marked ever since as before, or after the coming of Christ. Christmas is sometim...

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’ James 1:17    Have you ever obsessed over finding the perfect gift?  Have you ever despaired of receiving the perfect gift?  Have you come to believe there’s no such thing as ‘the perfect gift’?   At the heart of it is the idea of being truly seen,...

‘Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.’ 2 Timothy 1:6 I found six bottles of Old Spice cologne in my kitchen cabinet. The Christmas party was over, the White Elephant gift exchange was a blast. But finding the cologne in the cupboard led to a new rule—“Whatever you get, You have to take it with you…’ Have you ever gotten a gift that you just put away and forgot about? I’ve had some gift...

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Galatians 4:4-5 Have you ever received a Christmas gift that you weren’t expecting, but it turned out to be a great gift and one you ended up using throughout the year? Maybe it was some electronic devic...

‘Let me show you a way of life that is best of all.’ 1 Corinthians 12:31 ‘Love never fails…’ 1 Corinthians 13:7 LOVE is the hallmark of Christianity. The truest character trait of God. The highest ideal of humanity. ‘The Love Chapter,’ is 1 Corinthians 13. Its place in the Bible is ironic because Corinth was known more for lust than love . Ironic, too, because the people in Corinth were the ones m...

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 In the book of Romans, the apostle...

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 Of all the churches the apostle Paul planted during his missionary work, the church in...

‘I will not leave you alone…’ John 14:18 He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ John 20:22 ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.’ Acts 1:8 I asked God what He wanted me to tell you. His answer was, “You are not alone.’ It stopped me in my tracks. I needed to hear that. It’s not that there aren’t people around, but you know what it is to feel alone. Right? We'...

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16)  God SO LOVED that HE sent Jesus. Have you ever had something made for you? It’s a gift of love for someone to say, ‘I made this for you.’ Whether it’s a pie, or a piece of art. It’s special because it was made just for you, by someone who was...

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 Have you ever had a confusing conversation and you’re trying to ask some questions to get clarity and you finally realize, “I’m not asking the right question.” We are going to look a...