Greater Life Church

Life is a mystery to most of us. The reason is that life has so many moving parts. It is not a static thing. It is constantly changing like the tides. If life is down today, it will not always be down. If life were more predictable most of us feel that it would be more bearable. For most people it is the constantly changing nature of life that causes distress. Our text is a song that was written d...

We live in a very disturbed world. The headlines demonstrate this sad fact. The words of the Lord in our scripture text indicate that He knew of all trouble in the future. Here he tries to prepare us for these troubled times when he offers: “Let not your heart be troubled.” The word used in the Greek is one that is defined as turbulent, stirred, confusing. Bro. Hughes speculates that perhaps many...

Our text is a powerful one. In it we experience the tale of one who was stalked and captured by the enemy. We cannot help but feel the deep emotion that runs throughout its words. When the psalmist tries to explain what happened to him, he stammers and repeats himself. When he remembered the events about which he was writing, he trembled at the situation he was in and what the Lord had done for hi...

There are thing in life that come along that prevent us from going where are think we are destined to go. Even when we pursue the highest goals, there will be times that we run into obstacles and hindrances to keep us from reaching those goals. Someone else gets the promotion, we do not get the job we thought we should, or the economy turns bad. These events have a way of changing our plans. They...

Our story tonight is a moving one. We are moved by his problem. We are moved by the dedication of his friends. There have been a good many sermons preached with the understanding that the man’s sickness was his palsy. He could not walk or move on his own. Bro. Hughes looks at the story from a different angle: Rather than this man being sick with palsy, he was sick of the palsy. It may have been th...

Bro. Kilgore shares his heart this morning about his life and ministry. Even after more than 60 years in the ministry, Bro. Kilgore has a desire and drive to reach further and do more to reach the lost. Jesus Himself served as an example in the garden when He went in with some of the disciples, and then went even further. We must all strive to go a little further.

Peace is one of the most valuable things a person can have in life. There is no amount of anything that can be possessed in life that can make up for a lack of peace. Our text begins with the phrase “let not your heart be troubled.” This indicates God’s desire that we be at peace in life. Jesus was explaining to the disciples that He was going to leave them. They did not understand what was coming...

The gospel is not a complicated thing. It isn’t as simple as simple thinking in our mind “I believe.” It is however not much more complicated than that. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord. Through repentance we have the ability to do more than all the councilors, psychiatrists and doctors in the world. The blood of Christ has the ability to wash away all sin. We do not h...

We all have our roles to play in God’s kingdom. Bro. Shoemake shares stories from his years in the ministry that highlight the fact that we must seek and fulfill God’s purpose for us in His kingdom. Our failure to do this could result in someone being lost for eternity.

Our text tonight is John’s account of the loaves and fishes. This story is recounted in the other gospels and each tells the story with the detail about the disciples gathering the fragments so that none be lost. This miracle is a picture of Jesus’ gracious sprit and willingness to help. This story is a philosophy of life. The miracle had been performed. Most would be satisfied with the multitude...

Most of us we understand that life is a difficult game. Life is always in change. No matter how good we are doing today, tomorrow could be different. The winds of life change in an instant. It takes determination and stamina to live life. Our text is a story of a journey that began in calm winds but that quickly turned into a hurricane strength storm on their journey to Rome. Paul was on this jour...

The story of the sower and the seeds that fell by the wayside is a parable. A parable is a unique way of ministering the word. It is three things: First it is a picture that paints a story that the Lord wants us to understand. Secondly a parable is a promise. Finally a parable is a revelation of a principle. Our text is a picture of a sower that goes out to sew a seed. The story goes on to describ...

Jacob was a man who had a shady reputation. His trickery and deceitfulness was only outdone by his audacity. When one lives such a lifestyle, often it is necessary to run away from those that have been tricked and deceived. For twenty something years, Jacob ran and stayed one-step ahead of the consequences of his actions. Life will eventually catch up with such a person. Life finally caught up wit...

Abraham is a man of great inspiration in scripture. He is the father of the faithful. He is a man would go through many changes and ups and down in his life, but he remained faithful. Even so, at one point, Abraham faltered in that faith. During a famine he traveled to Egypt and while there, lied about his situation and got himself and his wife into a delicate situation. When failure comes into li...

Our text is the familiar story of Jesus sending the disciples into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. This takes place immediately following the feeding of the multitude. As can happen often in our lives, the great blessing of this miracle is followed by a time of crisis and trouble. The bible tells us that disciples were toiling in rowing. This indicates that they were working very hard and were...

We are all looking for love. Hollywood projects a fairytale version of what love is. The reality of love is often different than it is in the movies. The world has a concept of love that is based upon the exterior. The movies and TV are full of beautiful people living beautiful lives. Bro. Stevison asks if your love is based upon a physical appearance or superficial characteristic, what happens if...

Bro. Hughes confesses that he has spent the last year or so arguing with God. At some point he must have crossed a line because God spoke to him asking: James has there ever been a time in history where I needed your opinion? God is not looking for our opinion; He is looking for our obedience. The bible tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice. It matters to God if we allow our world to ca...

Bro. Hilton shares his heart about the message that God has been speaking into his heart. With all our concern about social issues, standards, and how the church needs to respond to our world, God has impressed on Bro. Hilton a need for a return to basics. The answer to the world and all the issues presented to us each day is simply the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The challenge for us is to identify w...

The church at Colossi was comprised of a vastly different group of people. Rich, poor, aristocrats, commoners, learned, simple Jews, and Gentiles were all part of the church. Paul had a burden for all of them and truly believed that they could enjoy the full blessing of God. He had a burden for the down trodden and for those who were persecuted because of their race, position in life or background...

In 1866 the US had just emerged from a bloody Civil War. Henry Wells, a drug store owner from Waterloo New York, had heard the stories of crippled and wounded soldiers and had an idea that we should set aside a day to honor those who had fallen in battle. At the same time retired Major General Jonathan Logan had a similar idea and he also organized a memorial to the fallen warriors. By 1882, the c...

We often assume that progress cannot be made in the face of trouble. We are of the opinion that unless things are calm and orderly, we are not making progress. Many people say “I cannot live for God until I get it all together.” The word of God contradicts this common misconception. The apostle Paul led a life that can only be described as chaotic. Paul knew what it was like to be rejected, to be...

Most of the time when we read the bible, we look at what is there; what Jesus did and the miracles He performed. We do not usually look for the things that He did not do. We are so inspired by what He said and did, that we seldom look at what He refused to say or do. His ministry was filled with miracles. Feeding the masses, healing the blind eyes, and raising the dead. Our text outlines His refus...

He was a man of remarkable vision and talent, but no one seemed to notice. There are those that discounted his talent, but this only served to empower him. He was fired from a newspaper job because they said he had no ideas. He had a dream, but there seemed no way that he would be able to achieve it. He found work doing advertising art for a church. He lived in the church’s mouse infested garage....

The setting of this miracle was by the Sea of Galilee just after the feeding of the multitude with the loaves and fishes. The crowd was energized and was ready to take Jesus by force to make him king. If they had made him king as they thought, it would have destroyed his ministry and he would have never fulfilled His purpose on earth. God has a purpose for each of our lives and it is important to...

The last verse of our text says “They desire a better country.” The word country is not in the original text, but was added later by bible scholars to make for easier reading. If we remove it the resulting text is “They desire a better.” This prompts Bro. Hughes to question a better what; A better life, a better marriage, a better job etc. How do we know what better looks like? Most of us have mad...