Foothills Fellowship ABQ Sermons

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 The Apostle Paul encourages the Thessalonian Christians to continue their love for one another in the church while also striving to win the respect of those outside their church family. Pastor Mike shows how the suggestions Paul made for doing this were culturally relevant back then, and then Mike leads us in a brainstorming session on what Paul might write to us today that...

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 In this section of the letter, Paul calls the church to holiness and focuses on their sexual practices. Pastor Mike takes a look at how these words would have landed on them back then by exploring the sexual ethic of their diverse cultures. He then brings Paul's words forward to us and to our culture's sexual ethic today to show us that holiness in our sexual practices is att...

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 To say that the Apostle Paul experienced much distress in his life and ministry would be an understatement. Nothing was easy for him, yet in the midst of all his troubles and trials, he was able to find encouragement and joy. Pastor Mike tells us how, and encourages us to find encouragement and joy in the midst of our distress and troubles.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 In this part of Paul's letter, he expresses the ache that he experienced being away from the church in Thessalonica. He was desperate to know what was happening with them, and he was desperate to return to them. Pastor Mike says that aching like Paul to be with the body of Christ is something we should embrace as those who love one another and are committed to one another.

Our church planting pastor, Jesse Harden, looks with us at the Apostles Creed and more specifically the words about Christ's ascension. Why is this event so important for us today? What are its implications for us? 

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 Pastor Joe takes a look at what seems like surface-level encouragement to the church in Thessalonica and helps us see how loaded with meaning and insight it was for them - and for us today.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 In this text, Paul says some things that are hard to imagine coming out of his mouth about the Jews and the wrath of God. Pastor Mike tries to make sense out of these words, and offers us a warning to be careful about being certain about things in the Bible that are not overly clear. 

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Paul is one of the most effective disciple-makers ever known. He took seriously Jesus' call to "Go and make disciples," and he imitated Jesus' disciple-making way of offering disciples high invitation and high challenge. In today's text, we see how Paul changed the discipleship metaphor when working with Gentiles, and we see how this metaphor takes the level of expected inti...

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 The church in Thessalonica was new, small, and persecuted, yet their faith and disciple-making had become known throughout ancient Greece.  Pastor Mike looks at what fueled their reputation and encourages us to model our church after theirs.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 What are the marks of a true church? There might be many diverse answers to this question depending on who is asked, but in 1 Thessalonians, he tells the young church that they are the real deal. Pastor Mike shows us the three traits that Paul says they have that makes them a true church and then encourages Foothills Fellowship to see these marks in their church.

Pastor Mike gives us the context of the first letter Paul wrote to the new church in the city of Thessalonica. Paul started the church but was forced to leave the city abruptly. What happened to the church after he left? Did it survive? Did anyone stick to their faith in Jesus, or did they revert back to their old ways? 

At Foothills, we're really pressing-in to the practice of listening to the Lord and doing what He says. Pastor Joe gives us an overview of the book of Nehemiah and shows us how Nehemiah listened to the Lord and did what He said - even though the task he was called to was not an easy one at all. 

Pastor Mike talks about the experiment we did together this summer and then reveals where we're headed this fall as a church family. The experiment we did was designed to be a model for what Foothills will become in order to pursue our vision and go after our mission.

There is something very telling about the invitation Jesus gave to Zacchaeus. Pastor Mike thinks it reveals not only a very key element of the nature of God, but it also reveals to us an important dynamic that must be evident in our lives as we follow Jesus.

What does the story of a wee little man have to do with a big insight from Jesus about how he views salvation? Pastor Mike looks with us at the familiar story in Luke 19:1-10 and challenges some of our misunderstandings about salvation.

Mt 11:28-30 & Mt 23:1–4 Jesus had very harsh words for the religious leaders of His day. He accused them of placing "heavy, cumbersome loads" on the people with their overwhelming rules and regulations. Pastor Mike sees the same thing happening today in American Evangelicalism, and he offers his critique.

Pastor Mike challenges us to do the hard work it takes to become a unified community. He says that while we all must stand on the foundation of the gospel, we must be careful not to elevate other beliefs to "gospel status" that could cause us to splinter and divide. Instead, he urges us to be more willing to unify around one another rather than around doctrinal dogma. Carl Sands shares two poems h...

When it comes to making disciples, we are called by Jesus to teach others all that He has commanded. The question is: What does this imply? Pastor Mike - with the help of The Chosen and a testimony from one of our women - attempts to answer this question with the hopes of encouraging us in our disciple-making efforts.

The Apostle Paul was concerned about the lack of gathering together of some of the early Christians. It seems that the main reason for his concern is that not meeting together meant that would be unable to encourage one another in their faith and wouldn't be able to "spur one another on in love and good deeds." Pastor Mike offers a brief teaching on Hebrews 10:24-25 and then leads the church in a...

Pastor Mike leads us in a look at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15 where he reminds the church there of the gospel message he was given and had passed on to them. As we consider what it means to live our lives OUT to and with those who have not yet received the gospel of Jesus, it's important for us to be reminded what the gospel message really is.

Jesus said that His sheep listen to His voice and follow Him. This means that Jesus speaks, and as His followers, we must learn to listen and discern His voice. Pastor Mike and Melissa Eastman team up to teach us how to do this intentionally and regularly.

We see Jesus living His life in 3-dimensions: UP with the Father, IN with other disciples, and OUT with the crowds declaring the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This summer, we will be pressing-in to one of these dimensions each week, and this week, Pastor Mike reminds us how we are going OUT as a church.

We see Jesus living His life in 3-dimensions: UP with the Father, IN with other disciples, and OUT with the crowds declaring the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This summer, we will be pressing-in to one of these dimensions each week, and this week we go UP together by trying to expand our understanding of just how big God is.

We see Jesus living His life in 3-dimensions: UP with the Father, IN with other disciples, and OUT with the crowds declaring the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This summer, we will be pressing-in to one of these dimensions each week, starting this week with IN. Pastor Mike shows us how the Good News includes the removal of all the things that divide us. He highlights Galatians 3:26-29 and calls...

John 21:20-25 John's gospel account closes with Peter asking Jesus what will happen to John. Jesus had already reinstated Peter and reissued His discipleship call to Peter, and now, Peter wants to know what plans Jesus has for John. Pastor Mike ends his study in John by exploring Jesus' interesting answer to this question.