Generations Community Church

Many of us can think of someone in our neighborhood, work, school, family, or friend circles who is lost. Someone who really needs to see Jesus for who Jesus really is. But we often jump in and attempt to get them to the finish line (or a point of decision) before we prayerfully assess what's going on. The TRUTH of the matter is God is already at work. As Rick Richardson says, "Before we talk to p...

Every single one of us wants to be noticed, wants to be seen. It's why babies become distressed when a mother's gaze is turned away toward a smartphone or something else. And, despite all the growth that happens in us (from toddlerhood to adulthood), we still want to be noticed and seen. Here's the good news: Jesusa notices people. Jesus sees them. And Jesus wants to use us so that others can feel...

Responsibility - showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you. And the greatest reponsbility we have is the LOVE God and LOVE others.

Generations' first-ever "radio players" put on a Christmas skit that entails going to Grandma's house.

At Christmas, we retell the story. Caesar & Herod, Zechariah & Elizabeth, Mary & Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, the innkeeper, and the wise men. And in these narratives about the birth of Jesus, the Gospel writers are wanting us to know that Jesus is a king. All the kings in the Old Testament point to Jesus. And sometimes, it's okay to admit that you don't know what to do. It's okay to say to...

Jesus is a prophet, someone who speaks for God. But Jesus is more than just a prophet. He is God. So when Jesus speaks, God is speaking. And all throughout his public ministry, Jesus shows us God’s heart, one that hurts and is MOVED by those who are oppressed, used, taken advantage of, and who have no one to help them. Chances are, you have a lot of voices in your life these days. Jesus is the voi...

We have this tendency, precisely because we’re Americans, to cast ourselves in the role of the hero. When we read the story of David and Goliath, we naturally insert ourselves in David's place. WE face a lot of giants, and with God's help, WE can slay them, just like David did. Only that's a lot of pressure. Not to mention the fact that, when it comes to THE story (history), we're NOT the hero. Go...

In the Bible, we encounter God's prophets - people who told the truth and who spoke for God by warning and accusing and by testifying to God's goodness. Two different prophets, Isaiah and Micah, spend their ministries warning God's people that destruction is coming (because God's people were rebellious, idolatrous, and acting injustly). But they also spoke of a coming king - one who would bring ju...

We often forget that Jesus was born in a particular time and place. That's why Luke reminds us of some of those particulars. Things like Caesar Augustus. Rome had a particular way of bringing "peace" to the ancient world - through power and control. Interestingly so some 2,000 years later, many of us try to experience peace using the tools of Rome - power and control. But real peace won't come tha...

Most American Christians don’t appreciate how big, how important, how all-encompassing Jesus is through Scripture. They camp out in the "red letters" and some of Paul's letters, but ignore everything else. It ALL points to Jesus. In this message, Max Vanderpool, makes a case for why Jesus is the true and better human. The only way to recover your full humanity is through Jesus. You won’t get there...

All of us, because we are SO human, tend to return where we are wanted and welcome and invited. You could almost say we’re “acceptance magnets.” God knows this about us – which is why Jesus was constantly inviting people IN. Today’s big idea is simple: As followers of Jesus, we build relationships that are strong enough to invite others in.

At the end of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul reminds the Thessalonican church that God knows the end of the story, and no matter what they were facing, God would give them strength to keep going. At the end of the letter, Paul says, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." You and I don't know how our stories will end, but we do know how THE...

Unlike Job's friends, Jesus knows how to be a good friend for those experiencing pain & suffering, for those enduring loss, for the woman caught in adultery, and for the thief on the cross. Jesus is a better friend. In this recording, Amanda Duke shares the Biblical pattern of lament, Max Vanderpool shares how to be a good friend to someone who is going through and tough time, and Danita LaSage an...

"Who are your people?" For the longest time, you LIVED in the same place where you were born. You were rooted and connected to a household. “Who are your people” was the most common question asked (even in America). All that changed after WW2. Now the first question typically asked of an adult is, “What do you do?” But despite all the mobility we Americans have enjoyed over the past century, and d...

True friends are not blind. They see us as we really are. They know our strengths, truth, and beauty – and they know our weaknesses, warts, and issues. Friends know the truth about us. The art of friendship requires both ENCOURAGEMENT and REBUKE. True friends help us see the truth – the good, the bad, and the ugly – because the truth will set us free.

Friendship requires that we make and keep promises, even though we will break them and need forgiveness. That's because true friends, good friends, are peole who have committed to stand by you and with you - people who will not run away, bail or dump you simply because they get mad or hurt or offended. We all need these kinds of friends. So what does it take to get there? In this message, Max Vand...

Our virtue emphasis for October is INTEGRITY - choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do.

What do you do when a friend hurts you? When a friend is selfish? When a friend doesn’t care for you the way you’d hoped? When a friend lets you down? Do you confront them? And, if they don’t seem to apologize right or show the right amount of empathy, do you forgive them anyway? Or – do you walk away? Ghost them? Write them off? Many friendships in America today last until the first conflict. And...

We’re impressed with people who've succeeded in life, but we CONNECT with people who share their struggles and failures. This is why vulnerability is so important - it's a doorway to true friendship, and it's a doorway to new life. Learning to be appropriately vulnerable unlocks friendship and the potential for healing and transformation. So what is it and how is it different from just sharing or...

When you were born, you couldn’t walk or talk. You couldn’t read or write. You couldn’t even control your own bowel movements. You LEARNED all those things from another human being. You were made for people. And here in America, we're now five years into a downward trend in life-expectancy that's being fueled by "deaths of despair" (suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism). Why? Because Americans a...

Corrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. If the devil can't make you sin, he'll make you busy. Huh? How is that again? That's because both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case why you should eliminate hurry from your life.

In 2023, far too many of us are choosing streaming over people. We go home, and we're tired. We've been with people all day at school or work, and those people have been extremely "people-ly," and so we stream something. But here's the thing about streaming or gaming: It will not energize you, it will not calm your mind or allow you to hear your heart or God's voice. We need each other, and we nee...

We BECOME what or who we reflect. We BECOME what we pay attention to, and far too many of us are paying way too much attention to our phones – which means we are not hearing God’s voice: “You are my beloved child – and you are becoming like me!” In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why putting Scripture before phone will better position you to hear God's voice and experience the Fruit...

Be a child of God as your identity. Fight the good fight from a place of victory. And abide in His presence as your inheritance and peace.

Truth brings about freedom and security. And one of the biggest truths of the Gospel is that we are (now) God's children. And the truth and love of God is revealed to those who are His children.