Life on the West Side

The world feels gray. Sometimes we sing “this world is not my home.” Other times we sing “This is my Father’s world.” Which is it? The answer, of course, is “yes.” This is an important truth when discussing how to engage culture. And it helps us adopt the role of “witness.” The sermon today is titled "Bearing Witness." It is the third installment in our series " The Church Before Th...

The kingdom of God grow in the midst of the kingdoms of the world. The kingdom of God can be found in every country, consisting of those of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Think about the implications of this. Let’s learn the politics of Jesus. The sermon today is titled "Not of This World." It is the second installment in our series " The Church Before The Watching World. " T...

In AD 150, a letter to Diognetus claims that Christians deny the Greek gods, live in poverty, remain faithful in marriage, and welcome persecution. They respond to abuse with love. This is the church before the watching world. Or is it? The sermon today is titled "Naming The Gods." It is the first installment in our series " The Church Before The Watching World. " The Scripture...

Church growth is about the Spirit at work through genuine relationships . “Our good news didn’t come to you only in words. It came with power. It came with the Holy Spirit’s help. He gave us complete faith in what we were preaching. You know how we lived among you for your good” (1 Thess 1:5). The sermon today is titled "How Churches Grow." It is the final installment in our " Commu...

You may be the only Bible our neighbors ever read . You know and I know “there is no way to love Christ and not love his church.” But they don’t know that. We want people to love Christ. What Christ are they seeing in you and me? Christians are called to live “a life that needs God’s love to explain itself.” So be winsome to win some. The sermon today is titled "Having Favor With All." I...

Any married couple can tell you this lesson learned the hard way: there is no substitute for quality time together . And while quantity does not equal quality, increasing the quantity provides more opportunity for the quality. But hearts on fire for Christ, solely focused on the one their hearts adore, long for this. With glad and generous hearts, the church loves and serves. The sermon today is t...

What is giving all about? Hear the true story of a giving people. Giving is part of who we are, since we are children of the Father of every good and perfect gift. Giving is part of the fabric of our lives because we are clothed with Christ the Giver. Giving flows from the depths of our souls, for we are indwelled by the Spirit who is the Giver of Life. The sermon today is titled "As Any Had...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

[Note: audio issues in the original recording] Unity is complicated. Creating unity has often failed us (Gen 11). Maintaining unity is what will heal us (Eph 4). By the Spirit, we have “all things in common” (Acts 2:44). The only question is this: what will we do with it (John 17)? The sermon today is titled "All Things In Common." It is the ninth installment in our " Community &quo...

God gave signs to confirm his message. Does God give to his church today gifts to encourage and strengthen them, to help defend his message and make it known to those within and without that the gospel of Jesus is true? The answer is a resounding “yes!” The sermon today is titled "A Gifted People." It is the eighth installment in our " Community " Series. The Scripture reading...

The God who created us, who lives in us…is with us today . He’s here in this place. And as we sing, the God who sings listens to our praise. Our praise joins with the praise of all the ages, and all the angels. Sense the awe! The sermon today is titled "A Sense of Awe." It is the seventh installment in our " Community " Series. The Scripture reading is from Acts 2:43 (NASB) . O...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Read the Bible with Gospel Lenses. When God says he will bless the entire world through one man. When all cry out for deliverance from Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon…and God comes to their rescue. When outsiders beg for mercy, and dare to touch the face of God, and they find overwhelming grace and acceptance. The gospel was preached to Abraham. Every section of Scripture—Law, Prophets, Psalms, Gosp...

Prayer is pervasive in the New Testament . Just as Jesus prays at all the major events of his life, even so the followers of Jesus pray at all the significant turning points in the book of Acts. Just as prayer was habitual and routine in the life of Jesus, the early Christians devoted themselves to prayer. The sermon today is titled "Prayer" It is the sixth installment in our " Comm...

We are one body. We show that we are one body when we gather to take the body AS one body. But unlike every civic club brunch or  luncheon, we gather as the body of Christ. And we participate in the Lord’s Supper. Can’t you tell? Just look at how we love one another. The sermon today is titled "Breaking Bread." It is the fifth installment in our " Community " Series. The Script...

What we experience in Christ, we share with each other . And we only fully participate in the life of Christ if and when we operate as part of the mutually loving body of Christ. This is why Paul wants to tell us to think like Christ in complete and total sacrifice. Yet he begins that section of Philippians 2 by urging us to be like Christ, "if there is any fellowship in the Spirit” (Phil 2:1...