First International Christian Fellowship—

Who do you turn to for refuge when life becomes overwhelmingly too much to handle? Pastor Doug Vaughan, Crosspoint Community Church’s Lead Pastor, expounds on the fundamental truth Psalm 46 contains. When you’re at the end of yourself, and anxiety begins to wreak havoc in your mind—remember you only need to be still, and know the One who’s a very present help in times of trouble. Verses from the s...

In order to protect ourselves, we think we need to take action and put matters into our own hands. For the church’s 12th anniversary, Eternidad Centro Cristiano Lead Pastor Leo Castro asks that we shift our paradigm a little. In order to cover ground, what if we only need to plant our feet, stand firm and let God deliver? Verses from the sermon: • 1 Cor. 16:13 • Acts 18:9-10 • Matt. 24:10 • Jer. 2...

When a trusted loved one goes back on their word and the pain of abandonment hasn’t really left you yet, you have a someone else you can turn to whose promise will never waver. Points from the sermon: JESUS SAID: - Matt. 5:37 THE LAW AND GOD’S PROMISE - Gal. 3:15-16 GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM - Gen. 12:1-3 ; 7 - Gen. 13:14-15 - Gen. 22:18 - Gen. 24:7 / 26:4 GOD’S PROMISE IS JESUS CHRIST - Gal. 3:...

Reading it off the pages of the Bible, Jesus’ off-the-cuff problem-solving savvy surely inspires us all to live more like Him daily. But how often, if at all, do you actually allow His moving of you to manifest and reproduce identical results? Points from the sermon: WHAT DID JESUS DO? [a] - Matt 5:17 - Gal 2:21 I. SAVED BY WORKS OR GRACE? - Gal 3:1-3 - Eph 2:8-9 IA. BELIEVER = TEMPLE OF THE HOLY...

Imagine how silly it would’ve been if we started accusing a widower adultery if they ever, however long after, choose to remarry? Yet seemingly, that‘s how we tend to portray our testimony before others—glorifying our past sins far more than what we have gained in Christ. This week, Pastor Joe implores the Church to forego the former trespasses Christ has permanently put to death and jumpstart the...

When we weaponize the Mosaic Law to gauge each other’s right standing with God, it becomes drastically problematic. Pastor Joe’s continuation of our series lands on the irony: Religion we observe that doesn’t deliver us to an in-depth encounter with Christ merely render us even less righteous in God’s sight. Points from the sermon: Intro: JOB’S ASKED - Job 9:2 MAN’S PROBLEM IS: - Rom. 3:9-12 PAUL...

Pastor Joe’s next installation of our series inspects the condition of our humility before God deploys us to confront a conviction. In the midst of all the mayhem, where you hinge your validation on ultimately determines the inner peace you receive for this season in your life. Points from the sermon: Intro: IMPORTANCE OF HUMILITY FOR A BELIEVER - 1 Pet. 5:5-6 CONTRAST OF KING SAUL & KING DAVID -...

Isn’t it frustrating when God goes off-script and completely disregards the stage cues we’ve set up in our Little Production™? Worse, we hold Him hostage over the things that go awry in this heist we execute. Pastor Joe resumes our series only to find disobedience as the fastest way to delay God’s plan for us. We’re all dancing in circles when we wrestle His will or our brothers in Christ—what’ll...

Money, albeit a hairy subject no matter where you go, merely exists as an opportunity for God to develop your character. Deacon Richard Fennimore takes over this week and aptly puts matters into perspective: The posture of your heart, and your response to this litmus test makes all the difference. Verses from the sermon: • Gen. 23:9 • Matt. 6:33 • 1 Pet. 2:9 ; 1 Cor. 16:2 • Matt. 6:24 ; Luke 16:10...

Relationships are hard work, especially with people who were picked for you—in advance and without your permission—and ones you get to keep for the rest of your life. If they say parents are a gift from God, how come some of us only feel like taking the gift receipt back to the store, not only to demand a full return, but also to be compensated for the inconvenience it caused us? The church's very...

It doesn’t sit well with our ego if we’re picked last for anything. Maybe you've been rejected elsewhere, and the memory of that hasn’t really gone away. Continuing our series, Pastor Joe delves into this type of selection event that's happened before the foundation of the world. Points from the sermon: GOD CHOSE PAUL Gal. 1:15 GOD CHOSE JEREMIAH & ISAIAH Jer. 1:5 Isa. 49:1 GOD CHOSE ISRAEL Deu. 7...

On his deathbed, multi-billionaire founder of Apple Steve Jobs’ final words “Oh wow,” depict the collapse of this visionary’s life-long pursuit of wealth and merit. Having accumulated excess fame and fortune, Jobs realized fullness of life is a state of mind. They say a tell you’re living the epitome of your being is having joy. Moreover, as Teilhard de Chardin puts it, joy is the infallible sign...

All your life, you’ve only been told to be nice, no matter what—bend over backwards, even, just to make everyone happy. We live in a world where getting along is the bedrock of a functioning society. It seems like that's the only way to get by... by trying to appease everyone, at least. What happens, then, when that stops working for you? This week, Pastor Joe flips the industry on its head as he...

Hey there, friend! We jump right ahead into a new sermon series tackling the book of Galatians! In this week’s sermon, we look at the life of Paul and how a believer should live after accepting Christ as their Lord. Which side are you on: Are you part of the world, or are you fully devoted and surrendered to what God has in store for you? Bullet points from the sermon: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BOOK OF...

As he wraps up the finale of our journey through 2nd Corinthians, Pastor Joe sends us off with a message that hopefully emboldens people to make a stand in God's Name. Bulletpoints from the sermon: INTRO: To Whom are You Living For? - Phil. 1:21 I. LIVE FOR GOD’S WILL! 2 Cor. 13:8 IA. DENYING GOD’S WILL = SIN = TROUBLE - Gen. 16:2 - Rom. 1:18 ; 24-25 II. PRAY FOR EACH OTHER - 2 Cor. 13:9-10 - Eph....

This week, Pastor Joe reinforces the imperative role of thoroughly examining oneself; whether our actions fundamentally embody Christ or we merely allow the enemy’s lies to disarm the Holy Spirit’s fruits—inadvertently disqualifying us from finishing the race strong. Think about it. Points from the sermon: INTRO: No Longer I, But Christ! - Galatians 2:20 I. NOT BY OUR STRENGTH 2 Cor. 13:3-4 Phil....

Have you ever been accused of being a fake fan before? It’s not a very fun experience for all parties involved. As we approach the end of our series, Pastor Joe asks that we conduct an honest examination of what motivates our every endeavor. Do we come from a place of authentic love that overflows from our flourishing walk with Christ or from an all-time faith-it-‘til-you-make-it kind of attitude?...

Everyone knows of this exclusive realm you wound up on with a sibling or a friend where you both understand exactly how the other one operates at any given point in time without even uttering a single word. Pastor Joe envisions the church striving to breach this level of intimacy with Christ not only derivative of, but especially outside receiving the Lord's Supper. INTRO: IN REMEMBRANCE OF JESUS...

Live in this broken world long enough, you will soon learn that having a weakness leaves you vulnerable to other people's exploitation. If Psalm 139 makes a magnanimous declaration of God's fearfully and wonderfully making of us, what purpose do our weak points serve then? Closely following Christ entails a series of unprecedented events that take you to uncharted territories in your life you neve...

Why is it essential to fellowship with other broken people who can potentially disappoint us more than anyone else in this world? In an attempt to reconcile this oxymoron, Pastor Joe takes the church on a nature trip in the beautiful campgrounds of Lake Francis. Take a hike with us across a trail of various verses. Gain some expert backpacker wisdom on navigating the glaring importance of coming t...

It goes without saying that it takes a village to raise your children. But miles beneath that perfectly curated hook is a nonstarter truth that gets lost in all the shuffle: Our fathers shape who we eventually become. Child-rearing is no easy task by any measure. While our moms stress over shielding us from the world, it is up to our dads to launch us to higher vistas. And they must perform such d...

Did you know that selective hearing is a legitimate psychological filtering our brain is physiologically capable of? Yes, our brain can't process all stimuli constantly bombarding us. But far from being an impairment, this voluntary choice of where we focus attention on ultimately falls on us. The church of Corinth wasn't resistant to this type of malingering when it comes to Paul's warning of fal...

As imperfect people, we can be deceived by the appearance of a man, and we often measure how successful he is by what we see on the outside. This week's message tackles on how we can live a holy life by accepting one another instead of judging them first. This is the first step before we can start maturing in our walk with Jesus. Pastor Joe invites us to trust God and let His will be done in our l...

Have you seen this post lately? 'FEAR NOT' WAS MENTIONED 365 TIMES IN THE BIBLE It serves as preface to a life lived impenetrable to fear. While it is an encouraging, well-meaning thought—it's also a false statement. At best, King James' translation only offers at least 100 verses or so of this glamorized Christian fearlessness narrative. Nevertheless, hopefully our faith in Jesus can stand by its...

Don’t you just wish on some days following Christ is like the film Yes Man (2008)? The movie’s premise is hinged on this cult ideology that there’s zero need for a complex formula to better your conditions or an excruciating ordeal to go through to succeed in life—you only ever need to say ‘Yes’ to everything, no matter how ludicrous it may sound at first. Pastor Joe takes us further in with this...