Fellowship Church Poplar Bluff

There's a particular story in the New Testament where Jesus sets the record straight between two figures.  It serves as a showcase for the proud and the humble.  Jesus regards honesty and humility higher than proclaimed piety.

How well do you take criticism?  It would do us all some good to listen and consider.  Sometimes, criticism is helpful.  We must not allow pride to get in the way of being helped.

We don't usually like to lose.  All that is within us seems to scream, "Go for it!" and "Win at all cost!".  However, scripture is explicit about losing ourselves to gain eternity.  Jesus taught that humility and losing "self" was key to the kingdom.  Losing can not only usher in the love of God, but can teach us many things about who we are in relationship to God.

Humility is truly the greatest while pride is destructive.  As we submit to the Lord in our living we are open to His leadership.  While we view ourselves as children of God and important to His plan, we must be careful not to raise our view of ourselves too highly.

Kickoff to the series Pride & Humility.  We can be either extreme in our behavior.  We can think of ourselves more highly than we shold or think too low of ourselves as well.  We should seek meekness in all that we do.

This message is based on the book of Haggai and draws parallels between the Israelites of those days to us today.  The prophet's message is clear that we should tend to the highest priority - glorifying God with our lives.

We can tend to drift in our walk with the Lord.  This message examines King Solomon's tendency to drift away from his commitment to God and gives instruction for us to avoid this problem with a set of reference points for our lives.

The Christian life is all about how you live out your faith.  Mary was a prime example of this with her strong faith regardless of cricumstances.  May Christmas be a reminder of great faith when we peer into the storyline about the birth of the Savior.

Christmas is really about a gift.  That gift is Jesus.  He came as a humble servant to all.  Since the beginning of time, the root of sin has been pride.  Jesus was the example of humility and taught us to live just as He did.  Christmas is not only a reminder of the gift of salvation, but a signal to live our lives in humility just as Jesus did.

Our world has changed so much and it does not show signs of stopping.  In fact, futurists say that change will become even faster as we progress through the next twenty years.  What can we depend on anymore?  What never changes?  Christ is the ONLY constant in our world.

What kind of adventures does God have in store for you?  When we walk with God, fully trusting and following in His direction, we will experience the amazing things God will do through us.

We tend to do just as the Isrealite people did in Exodus.  Just like the people of God who made the golden calf because they were impatient with Moses being on top of Mt. Sinai for so long, we can lose patience and look for replacement gods too.  We are asked to wait on Him no matter what the circumstances.  If we are close to God and spend time with Him, we will trust Him and keep the faith.

What are you hindered by in your pursuit of hope?  We need to deal with the issues in our life that keep us from the fulfillment that Jesus brings us.  This message encourages us to "shake it off" and "step up into truth".

Together is a proven method of success.  We know that much can be achieved when we help one another.  This is certainly true when it comes to our spiritual journeys.  God has placed individuals in your life to help you, so utilize the resource.  God may have a plan to use you to help someone else get back on track, so follow through.  We can find "hope" together.

What possibilities does God have for you?  Regardless of your challenges and circumstances, He has a plan and purpose for you.  The future is full of hope for those who love the Lord.

Are you bored in your spiritual life?  The walk with Christ is not supposed to be dull.  If you are over committed and busy with no priority given to your spiritual life, you will experience this.  We need to spend time with God in prayer, bible study and worship.  Hope is found in a close walk with Him that is properly fueled.

Hope is critical to our survival.  It is one of the main aspects of our faith in Christ.  This message is the launch of the series JOURNEY TO HOPE.

We are, in essence, to be like fat cells to this world.  We should nurture, comfort and help those around us.  We should be storehouses of generosity.

Junk in, Junk out.  We must be diligent in our efforts to monitor what we allow into our minds and hearts.  Does your pursuit of being like Jesus include such an endeavor?  Paul warns that what is put in will eventually come out.

The Christian life is one that requires us to give up something to gain something.  We must give up that which is in the way of our commitment to Christ in order to gain Him in our lives.  In Philippians 3, Paul writes about the old gains of the flesh he now considers loss for the sake of Christ.  What do you consider gain in your life?  What needs to be given up?

One of the lessons of Philippians is the humility of Christ.  We should consider others better than ourselves.  Paul was trying to teach a proper attitude to the church at Philippi.  If we are in Christ, we must act just as He did.

Paul knew what it meant to match mindset with heart condition.  If we are truly followers and love the Lord, our lives will be reflective of that and our attitude about death will be different too.  A life of Christ extends beyond this earthly experience.  Our time here is one that should point heavenward.  What is your life really about?

God is God of all.  He uses all kinds for His plan to be fulfilled.  Many times, we shy away from those who require a bit more grace than others.  Yet God uses those types to develop certain characteristics within us.  We should never dismiss what God can do through those around us regardless of what we think.

Raising a child can be tough.  Their happiness is so important to us as parents.  However, if we teach them that they are the center of the universe, we will fail them.  Loving our kids has to include doing what is best for them.  A powerful and practical message for parents.

Are you a credible Christian?  If we are truly devoted to living for Christ, we will love just like Him and the world around us will believe.