firstChristian Norfolk | Sunday Messages

Tim DeFor | It is hard to accept correction. But even the best athletes know they need coaching. Accepting help can mean the difference between doing your best and becoming your best. How can we be the kind of people who, together become our best?

Tim DeFor | Continuing education is valuable in many fields; education, business, medicine, legal, sports, and many more. But what about ministry? Do the mature need to keep learning? What qualities does the master need to master in order to be a master teacher?

Tim DeFor

Tim DeFor | If things are hard, does that mean I'm not following Jesus? Doesn't Jesus want my life to be smooth and easy? Isn't Jesus supposed to keep me safe and out of harm's way? If not, then way follow Jesus?

Tim DeFor | Sharp disagreements between Christians, especially because of failings can bring major division. But could Jesus still use division to multiply ministry and build his Church? One example in Acts involving church leaders and ministry helpers can encourage Christians in conflict.

Randall Coffin

Tim DeFor | If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, why does his message bring violent opposition? What are Christians to think about the opposition? Is God closing a door or is the enemy is counterattacking? 

Tim DeFor | When an enemy you want to hit back. How should Christians respond when the enemies of God attack us?

Tim DeFor | Sometimes you have to unlearn something in order to grow. Though incredibly difficult, it is often necessary. Poor techniques at the piano or on the basketball court can keep us from playing to our highest potential. But false assumptions about God, ourselves, or others truly hold us back from fully experiencing and expressing the life God gives. Peter learned this hard lesson as God s...

Tim DeFor | There are more people who are enemies of the church than in Bible times. So what do we do with enemies? One dramatic story of an enemy, a terrorist against the church can show Christians that the way of the gospel is different than the way of the world.

Tim DeFor | Is wanting a good thing for the wrong reasons okay? What happens when the hearts of God's people are out of alignment with God's heart? As Jesus grows his church to the "undesirables" and even to the ends of the earth, the answer emerges and it is as timely as ever.

Tim DeFor Sometimes failure is fatal. We see that in the life of the first martyr, Stephen. But does his failure mean he didn't succeed? How does God see it? Perhaps success and failure are not as clear cut as they appear.

Randall Coffin Is it possible for the church to lose sight of its focus? Could external pressures, distractions, and internal conflict gradually shift the church's focus away from proclaiming the Gospel and extending God's love? The early church had a pivotal moment just like this. In the story of the early church, you will find important principles in keeping our focus in the right place.

Through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit the apostles performed miracles and it eventually lead to jail time and a wicked beating. Is that what is in store for those God uses? What can we expect if we boldly follow God's lead?

Tim DeFor | The Holy Spirit through God's people can grow a life giving community. Along the way, There are many threatening dangers. But the spirit will go to great lengths to protect God's children.

Tim DeFor | Do you find it hard to share the good news of Jesus? Has telling others about Jesus felt forced or that you don't have the right opportunities? Does it feel like something this important should be left to well organized big tent revivals and the speakers should be seminary educated? What if it doesn't have to be that way?

Randall Coffin | Have you experienced those feelings of being an outsider in a situation or group? To transition from being an outsider to an insider, usually something must change. It is a good feeling to belong and be a part of something. Jesus and the Spirit were the catalysts of change which created a unique community of believers. What did the community look like and act like that made it so...

Tim DeFor | What do you do when you aren't sure what to do? Sometimes when God says he is up to something, we are prone to take action without clear guidance from God. Even so, with God, we should expect the unexpected, and join what he is doing when he shows up.

Tim DeFor | A first glance can be helpful, but when it comes to Jesus, it isn't enough. As Jesus' disciples learned after his resurrection, to see Jesus for who he is, it takes more. 2,000 years later, can we still learn from their experience and see Jesus?

Randall Coffin

Assemble a piece of furniture with inaccurate directions is frustrating. Now consider something as complex as your life. What if you were going to be judged on how well you live it without clear direction? That is terrifying! Thankfully, God doesn't leave put us in that impossible situation.

Tim DeFor | There is a saying that youth is wasted on the young. Solomon may agree. What advice would the second wisest man give to his younger self? It may surprise you.

Tim DeFor When so much of life is out of control, how can we invest in ways that are most likely to pay off? It may surprise you that the principles that work in today's bear and bull markets, also work for eternity.

Randall Coffin | Important lessons can be learned by observing the actions and choices of others. Join us in this investigation of human behavior to see if wisdom is better than folly.