First Love Revolution

When you're fighting a battle of any kind, undoing the work of your adversary can be your most effective weapon.  Pastor Shane examines the spirit of division that seeks to come against the church and presents key questions that can serve as weapons against this deceptive attack. 

Pastor Shane continues our examination of Caleb's lifelong, wholehearted devotion to God by sharing the roles that humility and purpose play in preserving our love.  We take a fresh look at Jesus' temptation in the wilderness to see how His commitment to His purpose helped sustain His love for the Father despite temptations to self-reliance, self-righteousness, and self-preservation.

Our series, Soldiers and Citizens , continues as Pastor Shane shares how Abraham, Joshua, David, and Paul in the Bible left everything and gave everything to follow God. There was nothing they were unwilling to do for Him. They lived out Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Je...

When Caleb returned from spying in Canaan, Israel rejected his report of milk and honey, opting instead to wander in the desert for forty years.  When the nation finally crossed the Jordan, we find Caleb's strength and devotion to God unaffected by time and age.  But how?  Pastor Shane shares two vital characteristics of a heart that perseveres in the face of obstacles and reminds us of the i...

We all know the importance of perspective, but how can seeing things in the natural (as they appear in our understanding) actually inhibit our ability to see what God is doing?  Pastor Moses uses Jesus' rebuke of Peter in Mark 8:31-33 to remind us of the importance of seeing everything around us with the perspective of Heaven.

Every encounter with the miraculous is an opportunity for us to respond, but one response can stifle future miracles, while the other actually increases the likelihood of more.  In today's continuation of The Greatest Commandment series, Pastor Shane reveals how we can love God with all of our minds by fostering a sense of awe in what He does. 

In Psalm 73, Aspah the Levite admits his temptation to go after the things of this world, leaving the path of God, but something keeps him going and prevents him from betraying a generation of Israelites.  What was it?  Pastor Rebekah shows us our vulnerability to leaving the straight and narrow and how our words can be the difference between life and death for us and for those around us.

This Easter weekend we revisit a familiar passage of Scripture, John chapter 11 and the death of Lazarus.  But this time, Pastor Shane turns our attention to a less obvious resurrection: Mary's.  Learn how her questioning of Jesus kept her from going to Him, and how our own doubts can be what's keeping us from a resurrection of our own.

How do you respond when you feel attacked, alone, desperate?   In this continuation of the Soldiers and Citizens series, Pastor Brandon reminds us of the weapon that each of has access to... but that too many of us don't pick up often enough: The Word.  Using Matthew chapter 4 as a frame, this sermon examines the ways we can use Scripture to win our spiritual battles. 

When we think of doing great things for the Kingdom, we often consider warriors like David or firebrands like Peter, but are we willing to play the role of a donkey?  In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Moses uses Matthew 21:1-5 to remind us that humility is necessary if we want to carry Christ to others.  And that's just one of a few thoughts concerning donkeys.

Would you use a tool that you knew could be as harmful as it is helpful?  Would it be worth the risk?  In our series Soldiers and Citizens , Pastor Trent examines the benefits and drawbacks of the tongue, a most powerful weapon for both good and evil.  Backed by numerous verses, he reminds us of the key to taming the tongue and any other weapon we would wield in our spiritual battles. 

We're commanded to love God with all of our minds, but what if we're not doing that?  Are we open to correction?  Pastor Shane shares the process of correcting faulty thinking and how being comfortable can be a barrier to a mind fully devoted to God. 

1 Samuel 16:13 tells us that after his anointing by Samuel, "the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward."  Pastor Shane examines not only what can keep us in the stream of the Spirit, but common obstacles and attacks that attempt to knock us off course.  If you've ever had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and long for more of Him in your life, you'll...

While pursuing knowledge is admirable, it's possible that our knowledge can actually be a stumbling block when we desire to love God with all our minds.  Pastor Shane reveals an underemphasized but vital element of our awareness of God, His word, and His kingdom and shares simple but powerful ways to increase our understanding.  

No one can deny the power of a group that is unified.  But how can that group stay unified, particularly when it's under attack?  In this series about weapons that we can use in spiritual battle, Pastor Amy shares the power of unity, the threats that come against it, and how we can protect it for God's glory. 

Today's message returns our focus to "with all your mind" from what Jesus said was "the greatest commandment" (Mark 12:30).  Pastor Shane reveals two competing mindsets that dominate our decision making and challenges us to once and for all choose to think in a way that makes Him our first love.

Our Wednesday night series begins with Pastor Shane's examination of the Sermon on the Mount.  In it, Jesus proactively provides a picture of who God really is, in particular as our Father.  What the sermon reveals is that Jesus was always showing us the father, witness to who He is, and correcting those who were missing it.  Is your weapon of spiritual warfare your witness to who God is?  

Our examination on the "with all your heart" part of The Greatest Commandment wraps up with a message about what quenches the fire of our hearts.  Pastor Shane offers a deeper look at the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) to reveal what was flawed about both brothers' understanding of their father's love and how that kept them from truly loving him. 

In the fifth part of this Wednesday evening service, Pastor Moses shares... [read more]

In part five of the series, we return to the two men on the road to Emmaus and examine their hearts before they burned from their interaction with Jesus.  Pastor Shane highlights key points of the spiritual journey that paralleled their physical journey from Jerusalem and reveals the battle that's constantly waging for the fire in our hearts... and how we can keep them burning bright.

When can asking be a weapon? When do our requests of God become swords in the hands of Kingdom soldiers? In this message, Pastor Rebekah shares the third weapon in our arsenal: asking. Discover why so few people ask and why many who do often end up more frustrated than strengthened in their faith. 

In part four of The Greatest Commandment series, Pastor Amy brings us to the second component of loving God with all we are: our minds.

In part three of our series, Pastor Trent highlights the spiritual weapon of ... [read more]

After Jesus left the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"  In part three of The Greatest Commandment series, Pastor Shane shares the keys to keeping our hearts burning with the presence of God.

Discover the often-overlooked weapon that can transform your life and the world around you: generosity. As we continue our Soldiers and Citizens series, Pastor Shane delves into the transformative power of generosity, showing that it's not just about monetary contributions but a holistic approach that impacts every aspect of our lives. From the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 to our modern...