Following Together (Central Baptist Edmonton)

This week's sermon comes from Colossiasn 3:12-4:1. As we continue in chapter 3 of Colossians, Paul moves from choosing to leave our old life behind in verses 1-11 to choosing to put on the new self in verses 12-4:1. Paul gives us the motive, lays out the blueprint, and provides us the opportunity to be transformed but it's up to us to choose the new life.

As apprentices of Jesus, there are things that we have put off or rid ourselves of. Things that didn’t fit from the old man. Now as we continue on in our passage today, Paul is saying there are things that we ought to put on as followers of Jesus. Now as the new man, we have a new uniform and we are to wear it in our daily lives.

Often in our lives, we say we want change, but don’t make any changes. Where might this be true for you? Where are the areas where you’ve decided to change but haven’t changed? In today’s passage, Paul urges followers of Jesus to simply and aggressively live in a way that lines up with who we already are.

What matters most to you, and what gets the majority of your attention and effort? In this passage, Paul urgency the Colossians to remain in Jesus and reject counterfeit “saviours.” He celebrates that Jesus has done what is necessary for us, and calls us to life our full lives in Jesus, remembering that only he has the power to truly solve our problems.

This week's Scripture is Colossians 1:24-2:5. With anxiety on the rise and religious practice on the decline in society, there are a lot of reasons for someone’s faith to feel fragile – almost vulnerable to the idea that Jesus isn’t sufficient for modern issues and problems we’re facing. What do we do to keep thriving, keep apprenticing, and not drift from Jesus in the midst of our worry, false id...

This week's Scripture is Colossians 1:24-2:5. Jesus is at work in our world. Jesus is at work in us and through us to bring us to maturity. In this passage Paul is giving the Colossians a picture of how much Jesus cares for each of them and he is modeling how Jesus invites us into the work he is doing. The struggle that Paul faces is for the Body of Christ so that we will all be conformed to the i...

This week's message is from Colossians 1:24-2:5. Paul writes his letter to the Colossians to encourage them to be sure that they have a correct picture of Jesus and are not being swayed with alternative views of who Jesus is or what it means to follow him. In particular, Paul clarifies that just as suffering was a significant part of Jesus' life on earth, it is often also a part of the lives of th...

Deep in our souls, we feel that history and our universe has a purpose, that it’s going somewhere, that life must have a deep meaning. But we struggle to put our finger on it, and so often we live in ways that make our lives more empty. Until we understand and align ourselves with the true reason and purpose of the cosmos, we will never experience the thriving that our hearts long for. Spoiler ale...

As we try to run after the “good life,” how do we know that we’re going in the right direction? It certainly is possible to go wrong way and not know it for a while. As we step into Colossians, we’ll see that, for Paul, the answer comes by growing in our knowledge, friendship and obedience to the real Jesus. When we spend time with the authentic, we will increasingly and naturally recognize and re...

Sermon from Sunday, October 29th. This week's sermon is from Colossians 3:12-17. Whose advice are you following these days? Who is teaching you how to live? We ALL learn how to live from other people, whether intentionally or not. Jesus offers himself to us as the master-teacher on this topic, and he invites us to apprentice with him in real life.

This week's sermon is from Romans 12:3-18. Thriving in life flows directly from healthily relationships with God and others. But how do we build that connection? The church, when it is working as it should, is the answer. The “body of Christ” is designed by God to be an authentic community defined by humility, service and love.

This week's sermon is from Exodus 20:8-11, as well as Matthew 11:28-30 and Hebrews 10:23-25. Are you busy and tired? We recommend sabbath, the ancient and holy rhythm that brings joy and life. Sabbath helps bring form and substance to our weeks by creating space for the things that matter most, with weekly Christian worship as the highlight. Ultimately, sabbath is a practice that teaches us to tru...

Sermon from Sunday, October 8th. More at followingtogether.com/messages. This week's sermon is from Psalm 136. When we lose sight of gratitude, we risk losing sigh of who God is and who we are in light of Him.

Sermon from Sunday, October 8th. More at followingtogether.com/messages. As we read the Scripture, especially in the Psalms, we see in "ancient times" the people of God (Israel) had patterns of thankfulness that were a regular part of the assembly and everyday life. These patterns aided the congregation to focus their minds on God, specifically bringing to mind attributes and actions of God. When...

Sermon from Sunday, October 8th. More at followingtogether.com/messages. Throughout the entire Scriptures, we are reminded of the value of expressing gratitude to God - of being thankful. Psalm 136 lays out a pattern of thanking God first for who He is, then for what He does, next for His rescue, and finally for His continued provision. It's a pattern worth repeating in our own lives. As we look i...

Sermon from Sunday, October 1st. This week's message is from John 15:1-17. In John 15, Jesus claims that the only way to live a thriving, fruitful life is by remaining spiritually and relationally connected to him. And he describes very practically how this connection works and what it produces. In this talk, we’ll uncover the main principle and three core truths about remaining in Jesus, and how...

Sermon from Sunday, September 24th. This week's message comes from 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2. It’s so hard to tell someone they need to change. But it’s so easy to share good news even if the person hearing will need to change because of it. The gospel is God’s comprehensive plan to fix everything, and it will radically transform everyone who believes it for the better. So how to we respond to the go...

Sermon from Sunday, September 17th, affirmation Sunday for Connors Hill Site Pastor Tomas Belchior. This week's message is from John 21:1-14. Waiting is a normal, albeit frustrating, human experience, especially when we’re waiting on God to come through. God’s promise is that He hears us and will answer us, but what we do in the waiting is an important piece to encountering God.

Are you thriving in life? Psalm 1 shares the basic biblical principles of how thriving works with clear directives on ways to hinder or deepen the abundance in our lives. Thriving is possible for every person, but it doesn’t come in the way we most commonly pursue it.

This week's message is from John 11:1-44. No matter what we’re going through, there is hope because of Jesus. Any kind of sickness or struggle we're experiencing, whether it’s spiritual, physical, relational, mental, work challenges, family challenges, “just having a bad day" struggles, disappointments, regrets, anything… If we have received the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the...

This week's message comes from Luke 8:26-39. In this passage, Jesus encounters a man whose life has been devastated by spiritual forces. Jesus engages with this man's bondage, demonstrates his power to bring about deliverance, and enables this man's life to be restored. This message reminds us that Jesus is eager to continue his work of deliverance and restoration in our lives today.

Today's message comes from Mark 2:1-12. Mark's story of the paralytic man and his encounter with Jesus is designed to emphasize both Jesus' powerful action and his ultimate authority. While the physical rescue this man experienced was of the most amazing variety, it was actually the spiritual rescue Jesus offered that was the more amazing miracle. That same offer of rescue - of forgiveness of sins...

David recognizes his personal relationship with his God. At times such as today we too need a shepherd to walk alongside of us, one who looks after, cares, protects and leads to green pastures, brings peace, restores our soul. The shepherd metaphor, with all its varied expressions, raises the historical memory of a people shepherded by God. Unique to Psalm 23, however, is the extremely personal ex...

This week's Scripture is 2 Chronicles 34:14-33. There is only one mention of Huldah in the Bible. But it is a highly honorable mention. During the reign of King Josiah, Huldah bursts on the scene and just as quickly is gone, but she leaves an indelible mark on history. Her name is carried amongst the great prophets of the Old Testament. There is nothing inherently exceptional about Huldah, except...

There are 2 perspectives on Jesus. He is who He says He is, or He is not. Jesus' death and resurrection is the only hope for any of us.