Fellowship Church Poplar Bluff

Honesty is always the best policy.  The scripture tells us to confess - be honest with God and one another.  The truth is that if we live REAL like this, we will find that our lives are so much more free, peaceful and fulfilling.  First of the series REAL.

The subject of submission gets distorted by culture, opinion and difference in gender.  Scripture tells the wife to submit to their husband, but it also tells the husband to treat his wife as Jesus treats the church with deep love, sacrifice and honor.  This submission really applies to both genders.  Real submission is out of a heart of love for one another.

We need not constantly seek approval from others.  All we ever need is God's approval.  The last message in the EGO series.

One who is easily offended is sometimes dealing with their broken soul.  Something has hurt them causing their response to every little mishap to be over-blown.  There is a need to look more closely at their ego and diagnose the root of the problem.  Reactions tell volumes about one's soul.  Another great message from the EGO series.

Those that are controlling are those that have broken souls.  They might be broken and shaped by a past experience.  Controllers squeeze the life out of those around them.  God wants for us to rely on Him only in life and stop trying to control all things and all people.  Are you a control freak?

When we are infected with pride, we will believe that some things are true when they really aren't.  If we have a false sense of self, we can think we never need help from people, from the church and even from God.  We must walk humbly and in truth with the Lord.  This message is the second installment in the series EGO.

We would never treat people the way we sometimes treat ourselves.  When we are so unloving with ourselves, we lower our self-esteem and cause problems with how we live our lives and interact with others.  We need to see ourselvers the way God does.  We are loved and believed in to the point that we are deemed part of a royal priesthood.  The first of a series of messages regarding the ego.

The story of Easter and your story.  What is your story?  Are you looking for victory over a struggle?  Are you about to throw in the towel?  Jesus' story is one of never giving up and claiming victory in the end.  Do you need resurrection from something?

From Religion to Relationship.  When Jesus entered Jerusalem, conflict started building behind the scenes.  We learn that Jesus' mission was all about relationship not religion.  This message helps us understand what a life of relationship with Jesus looks like.

A Clear-Cut Resolve.  Many times we flirt with the edge regarding our sin-nature.  When we look at Daniel, we find a man who was determined to be faithful to God no matter what.  He constantly steered away from darkness and stayed pure in the midst of adversity and temptation. Sin can easily creep into our lives little by little.  We must stay true in our walk.

God's Surprising Ways - God's journey for you into His promised land (future) is not a straight line.  We must endure the valleys before we get there.  In our following of Him, it's much like the Israelites many years ago.  He is more concerned about who we are becoming along the journey as He is our getting to the endpoint.

First of the series, this message centers around the story of Abraham and Isaac - a story of extremem faith and devotion.  As we look at the altar that they approached, we realize the power of what happened at the cross two thousand years later.

Jesus called everyone to missions.  You don't have to be an ordained minister to fulfill this.  Everyday He gives us simple opportunities to carry out His mission.

Commitment can be about endurance, sacrifice and dedicaiton.  When one is committed to a family, they will stay the course even when it's tough.  They will stay the course no matter what.  In a time and a culture that has less and less commitment, God is calling us to be the examples of His plan.

Commitment to God takes sacrifice.  It takes selflessness.  Sometimes it is challenged by pain, suffering and disappointment.  How committed are you to God?

God could be calling you to a field of mission.  And, just like Nehemiah encountered, with change there's opposition or obstacles you will encounter.  How willing are you to follow His leadership in your life?

There's a metaphor in the Bible regarding a banquet table in God's house.  All are invited to this special gathering, not just a few "elect".  The metaphor should show us how we must look at those around us without discrimination.  We should show the love of Christ and bare witness to the good news to all regardless of class.

Influence can be powerful.  The Word of God says that if we confess to one another, we can be healed.  We should seek community with others for this to happen.

Christ has a claim on our lives.  This life is much more than just believing in Him.  He has a plan and purpose for each of us.  What is it that He is calling you to do starting this year?  Maybe it is to start with serving in small ways.  Maybe it is something that requires you to make a bold change in your life.  Regardless, He is calling all of us for something.

Sometimes God needs to put us in "timeout".  All throughout the Bible, there are stories of exile - a sort of "timeout" experience.  This does not mean that God is abandoning us.  We may need to learn something from a poor decision that we've made or it may be a wakeup call to draw close to Him.

Many times we adapt and adopt traditions over time.  Sometimes these traditions replace the truth of the story.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but the story of what took place there has been skewed over time.  We need to know what truly happened.  Christmas can mean so much more to all of us this time of year as we celebrate a special baby's birth.

The news of Christmas first came to the most unlikely of them all - shepherds.  This is how God works.  He is interested in the lowest of our societal ladder.  The message of this should open our eyes to sharing the gospel (good news) to anyone, even the outcasts.

Sometimes great blessings and miracles come from the most unexpected places.  Learn more about the place where Jesus spent most of his life waiting to become the fulfillment of redemption.  Learn how important it is to humble ourselves and wait on God.

Do you have the kind of faith that when things are bad and outcomes look shaky, you are secure in God?  Faith is only faith when it is tested and stands up in the test.  How strong is your faith today?

There's so much more to life than politics.  During this season when we point fingers about who or what's to blame for our financial status in America, we must pause and think about ourselves.  How responsible are we with our own money?  What have we done with God's blessings in our own lives?