Growing and Witnessing

What happens when the Triune God makes his home in you? He changes things. He makes things new. He transforms your life. He enables you to live in righteousness and to keep his commandments. Join us as we work our way through Jesus's teaching in John 14:8-21 on the Holy Spirt and his work in the lives of Christians. We find 8 effects of God's dwelling in your heart and mind. We'd love to have you...

The question of comfort and calm in the midst of troubled times is whether or not Jesus is trustworthy. If he is, then all that he says is true and he is worthy of our trust. If he isn't, then we are free to do as we wish. Join us as we dive into the answer to this question from John 14:1-7.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." is the most famous line of the Psalter -- the Book of Psalms. It is a beautiful song that tells us two dynamically comforting truths about God. First, he is the only shepherd of his people. No one can shepherd the church like the Lord. And second, he has given his people all things. He does not withhold any good thing from us. He provides for our physic...

Psalm 84 is a wonderful psalm that tells a magnificent story about the journey of finding hope in the midst of melancholic isolation. The poetry is beautiful. Blessing comes from living in a right relationship with God, walking with him, and fellowshipping with his people. But, what do we do when we aren't able to fellowship with one another. We find our hope in the Lord of glory.

Jesus's disciples were afraid of the Jews and confused about their mission on the evening of the day on which Jesus was raised. They hid in the Upper Room. Jesus met them there and pronounced peace upon them, while breathing on them his Spirit -- the Holy Spirit. Jesus's pronouncement of peace had a tremendous impact on their lives as it took away their uncertainty, assured them of his presence, a...

David was in despair in Psalm 13, but he made a remarkable decision in the midst of that despair. He decided to praise the Lord for God had been good to him. He had dealt bountifully with him in his grace. This Easter has been a tough one for our congregation; so, we took David's journey from despair to hope on Sunday morning. We went from Psalm 13 to 1 Corinthians 15 with a stop to look into the...

There are five possible responses to Jesus represented in the first 26 verses of John 12. They are: lavish devotion, calculated hesitancy, violent hatred, confessed rejection, and intrigued inquiry. Join us as we work our way through each of these responses by pausing to observe their representatives in the story. We are left with the question: how will you respond to Jesus?

Jesus told Martha that if she believed in him, she would see the glory of God. And, she did as Jesus her brother Lazarus from the dead. Join us as we work out way through this beautiful story in John 11 and see the reason for all things, the faith of Thomas and Martha, and the glory God in Jesus's resurrecting power.

"Why do bad things happen?" is a question that we all ask from time to time. It is one of the great quandaries of life. Jesus's disciples were as interested in the answer as we are. In fact, the asked Jesus about it when they came across the man born blind in John 9. Jesus's answer is striking and comforting. He said that bad things happen so that the works of God may be displayed. In John 9, thos...

Jesus had an encounter with a woman sitting beside a well in Samaria. This multi-faceted story is full of surprises and we will explore them during this sermon. Won't you join us as we explore it?

Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to experience the kingdom of God. That goes for each of us as well. We must be born again throw the power and work of the Holy Spirit. And this new birth brings with it faith in Jesus Christ. Like Nicodemus, we all must place our faith in Jesus and look to him for our eternal salvation.

Jesus is majestic. Jesus is gracious. Jesus is superior. These three characteristics of Jesus are beautifully made known to us in the story of Jesus' transfiguration. Join us as we think through the event that took place on that mountain top in Matthew 17:1-9 and seek to apply these great truths of Jesus's identity to our lives.

Being a Christian is hard. It’s hard to: live consistently with our faith; persevere in faith while continually facing the challenges of others; live self-controlled lives; get up in the morning and commit to being a part of Christ’s church; stand firm on absolute claims regarding human sexuality, gender identity and gender roles, the sanctity of human life in the womb and out, other matters of so...

What is the purpose of the Christian Church? What is the mission of the Church? These two extremely important questions are the subject of our discussion on Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus tells us plainly that the way we witness to our world as we glorify and enjoy God is to be salt to the earth and light to the world. Join us as we thing through the meaning of these two metaphors.

The Beatitudes are one of the most familiar passages of Scripture in the New Testament. We often think of them in the same way we think about the Lord’s Prayer, the 23rd Psalm, and the 10 Commandments. Passages of note that should be remembered because of their promises or moral responsibilities. But, we must see them in context if we are to fully understand their meaning and their importance for...

The most hope-filled statement we can hear is: You are a sinner. This is short, simple statement gives us hope because it means that our great problem is fixable through our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus overcame the temptation for us because we can't do it on our own. Listen in and find the hope in the reality that though we are sinners, we can overcome through Christ.

In John 1 we find a Jesus who is both transcendent and present with his followers. Specifically, he is identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and the chosen one of God. These realties confront us with one main question: Who is Jesus to me? Our answer to this question will determine the way we live our lives. The Lamb wants us t...

When John the Baptist comes to Judah in Matthew 3, he has a simple, yet profound message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Surprisingly, the crowds flock to hear him preach as respond to it by being baptized for the repentance of their sins. Join us as we break down this story and seek to find out why the people were willing to do whatever it took to welcome the kingdom of heaven an...

"Can I trust God to be present in my life?" is a very real question that very real people ask often. You may be asking the same question this morning, especially at this Christmas time. Initially, we all answer with a resounding, “Yes!” “Of course we can trust God to be present in our lives,” we may say. And, we're right. But, what happens when we get out of the theoretical and into the practical,...

How does a righteous Judge bring peace? By offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Wholeness comes from reconciliation with God, and reconciliation with God can only come through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Join us as we think through this reality from Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 11:1-11.

During the Thanksgiving season, many of us will spend time around family and friends telling each other the things for which we are thankful. Our lists will include: family, friends, homes, jobs, freedom, food, happy times, etc. These are great things for which we should be thankful as they all come from God. Psalm 116 takes us deeper with our thanksgiving. We will find 6 things for which we shoul...

Join us as Tom Trexler from the Gideon's International ministry shares about how the Lord Jesus is still working to build his kingdom through the distribution of God's Word around the world. Tom encouraged us greatly as he told of the hunger for God's word, God's providential ordering of all things, and of men and women being saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

David had every reason to retaliate against King Saul as he pursued David throughout the wilderness, but he didn't. Why? Because he trusted God to vindicate him, to be his and Saul's judge, and to reward his faithful life of obedience. He knew that his future as king in no way justified a sinful murder of the current king. We can learn a lot from David regarding how to respond when someone wrongs...

Everyone of us builds crutches to help us deal with the pressures of our lives. Without them, we'd crumble under the weight of our burdens. God has to remove them in order to prepare us to be used by him as he intends because they keep our focus horizontal, become replacements for God, and only satisfy us temporarily. God created us to live in total dependance upon him, and we can only do that aft...

Paul encouraged the Philippians to find their joy in living unified lives while disagreeing with one another, in offering their requests to God with thanksgiving, and in thinking on the pure things of God. Join us as we think through what this wisdom means for us today.