Gateway Church - MO

Most of us like a good bargain. We love the idea of getting something for nothing or at least getting a lot for a little. However, when we approach Jesus with a ‘bargain hunter’ attitude, we miss out on the depth, richness and fullness of his kingdom. There are no bargains to be had when it comes to following Jesus. Following is always costly and a faith that doesn’t cost something is worth nothin...

When people talk about the end of the world, they usually talk in terms of doom, destruction and devastation. And with those comes the natural response of fear. But when Jesus talked about the ‘end of the world’ to his followers, he painted a picture of hope and renewal. When we think about ‘end times’ we don’t’ have to be afraid, because in Jesus, the best is yet to come.

 Everyone likes to be liked. In fact, our need to be liked is so strong that we’ll almost anything to make other people happy. But the truth is that we spend far more time worrying about what people think about us than other people spend thinking about us and a fear of what people think becomes a trap. However, God has called us to live lives that please him, not others. And even though pleasing G...

Have you ever looked at where you are in life and wondered if you were really making a difference? It’s not an uncommon worry. Most of us want to do something special, but we are also scared of what God might call us to do. After all, we’re just ordinary people with nothing special to offer. But believe it or not, God is calling you to do something extraordinary, because God calls ordinary people...

Most people assume that following Jesus will make our lives easier. We expect that following him will eliminate our frustrations, our pain, and our difficulties. We expect that, since we've signed on to follow Jesus, things must get easier. But the reality is that following Jesus will not make our lives easier. In fact, because following Jesus goes against the grain of our culture, it will actuall...

When we choose to follow Jesus, we often expect him to do the hard work for us. We assume that because he loves us, he'll do the hard stuff that we don't want to do or can't do. But the truth is, Jesus never promised to do everything for us or that life would get smoother. However, he did promise that when we surrender to him, he will give us the power we need to be the people he has called us to...

The common expectation of Jesus is that, when I follow him, he will make me a better person. The problem is that we don’t need to be better. We need to be radically transformed. Self-help books and pop-psychology podcasts can help us be better. But only Jesus can transform us. Once again, Jesus exceeds expectations. Jesus doesn’t make me a better person. Jesus makes me a new person.

Most people expect death to be the end. And a cursory look at the way the world works makes that a realistic expectation. Both his enemies and his followers expected Jesus to stay dead after he was crucified. But Jesus defied that expectation. More than that, he promises that those who follow him can expect the same reality. In Jesus, death isn’t the end. In fact, through his resurrection a new wo...

We have all wrestled with shame. Maybe someone did something to us that left us hurting and broken; and we felt shame. Perhaps we said or did something that hurt others and with our guilt came shame. When we are carrying shame, it’s easy to assume that no-one, including God, wants anything to do with us. But the truth is much different. God pursues us, not to punish us, but to invite us to come an...

Dr. Devon Smith, our District Superintendent, delivers a message on the distinction between expressing our desires to God and seeking guidance on our needs. While expressing our emotions to God may be a natural response, it does not necessarily convey our specific requirements or demonstrate the faith necessary to interpret and act upon God’s response.

Faith. It’s a word that conjures up a host of ideas and feelings. As followers of Jesus, our relationship with him is founded on faith. But far too often we assume having faith is simply claiming to believe something we’ve been taught. Real faith is deeper. Real faith requires action on our part, and it is always costly. But when we begin to exercise a costly faith, it has eternal consequences for...

Sometimes it looks like we have everything put together. We like to look like we have our feet on solid ground and our faith firmly in hand. But when we try to pretend to follow Jesus, the only person we fool is ourselves.  Our fake faith pushes others away from Jesus and keeps us from drawing near in humble repentance.  We may look good, but Jesus sees behind the façade to what we really are.

Stress, pain, frustration, difficulty and opposition can shake our world. And when our work gets shaken, we have two choices. We can give up and run and hide or we can look for solid ground. When life hurts, it's tempting to want to let go of our faith and blame God. But when we hold tight to our faith, we find that Jesus keeps us on solid ground even if everything else is shaken.

When we get too comfortable, it's easy to fall asleep; and not just on the couch. It happens at work, behind the wheel, in our relationships and sometimes even in our faith. When we get too comfortable we tend to think everything is ok and we have nothing to worry about. But as followers of Jesus, we must always be on guard, keeping our faith in focus and our relationship with Jesus squarely on tr...

“A hard task is given to me—to call the darkness darkness, evil evil, and the demon demon. By remaining vague I can avoid commitment and drift along in the mainstream of our society. But Jesus does not allow me to stay there. He requires a clear choice for truth, light, and life.” Henri Nouwen

Sometimes we have to set aside what we want and do what's best for the other. Sometimes, in relationships, we need to go along to get along. And that's fine if we're talking about the color of the carpet or where we're going to eat dinner. But when the church chooses to go along with our culture to avoid conflict, we've already lost the battle. We cannot trade the values of Jesus for comfort and e...

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? When you stop to think about it, it really can be quite terrible. And in the middle of our worst days and our worst situations it's easy to think everything is over and all is lost. But for the follower of Jesus, we know that he is bigger than the worst things life can throw at us and he challenges us to stay strong and stay faithful to him, e...

Falling out of love. It sounds like something that happens in soap operas and bad love songs. But it actually happens. When we take our focus and attention off of the one we love and the reason we love them, that love can grow cold. Churches and individual followers of Jesus do the same thing. When we take our focus off of Jesus and off of what he has done for us, our love can grow cold. If we wan...

Spiritual maturity; the concept of Jesus followers growing to be more and more like Jesus every day. Sometimes we think we can coast along and that’s good enough. Because of that, we tend to put off doing the hard work of growing spiritually to be like Jesus. But Jesus didn’t give us that option. He made it clear that being a disciple was about laying down your life and choosing the discipline req...

Time is a resource we often overlook. We let it slip by, wishing for more. The issue isn't how much time we have but how we use it. As followers of Jesus, we must steward our time wisely, just like our money or other resources. When invested wisely, our time blesses us, honors God, and helps transform our world.

Relationships are the only thing we take from this life into eternity. God made us to live in relationship with him and one another. Becoming like Jesus means that we are growing in those relationships and learning to love others more and more like he does.

Choosing to do what is best for others, for yourself and ultimately for the Kingdom of Jesus is challenging. It can make life more difficult in the present. Choosing to ignore what is best often makes life easier now, but much more challenging and much more costly later. We have to choose our challenge. If we allow him to speak into our lives, Jesus helps us to choose the challenge wisely.

Far too many people spend much of theirs lives staring through the rearview mirror instead of looking through the windshield ahead. while the past has done a lot to shape us we cannot change the past only when we look ahead can we truly start to change.

Everyone loves a compelling story. We especially love to tell a compelling story when we’re one of the characters. There is no story more compelling than the story of what God has done for us through sending Jesus to live, die and rise again. One of the most impactful things you can do for the Kingdom of God, is tell others what Jesus has done for you.

When life is painful or feels out of control, it’s easy to think that we are stranded and alone. That’s how the people of ancient Israel felt as they lived under Roman occupation awaiting God to deliver them. When the birth of Jesus was announced, we are told he would be called Emanuel. Emanuel means ‘God is with us.’ The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus show us that God is with us in...