LifePoint Church

Growing in Christian community is sometimes reduced to our gathering together in worship services and attending other congregational activities and events. While community growth can certainly occur in these venues, it is much more than that. Meaningful, life-changing community is also found in small groups that complement/enhance the work of the larger church body while also growing and equipping...

We’re commanded, over and over again in the Bible, to meditate on God’s word. So it makes sense that when the “Reveal” study surveyed thousands of Christians the behavior found to be most important for growing in Christ was “reflection on scripture” or meditation. Yet for many of us, meditation on scripture is a foreign concept. Today we’ll talk about how and why meditation can help us grow, and h...

Our muscles grow stronger when we repeatedly push against a weight or force. Similarly, as followers of Jesus, we can grow spiritually stronger when we encounter resistance. Today, we’ll identify the three primary forces that push against us on our path towards spiritual growth and, more importantly, how we push back. Support the show

While salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity involves a process. It’s one filled with twists and turns and failures and successes. And each stage of our growth requires an awareness of whether we’re a spiritual baby, a young person in the faith or a mature believer. God desires believers to grow. That requires diligent cooperation on our part to grow through all the stages of spiritual dev...

Change is part of life. And we can change for good or change for the not-so-good. In the language of the Bible, changing for good is called growth. It’s normal for living things to grow—under one condition—if they’re nourished. In other words, growth doesn’t happen when we do nothing. Growth is the result of cooperating with God as He works in our lives. Ultimately, He makes things grow. God repea...

We might define success by using external qualities like the amount of money someone accumulates or the amount of fame they achieve. However, in the Bible, we find a successful life is defined by our character – our disposition towards qualities like love and generosity. With that definition of success in mind, the book of Proverbs provides timeless wisdom on our quest to become people of characte...

We’ve just come through a time of gift-giving and joy. Of course, the most significant gift of all was God’s gift of Jesus to the world. We find this profound truth simply stated in what might be the most famous of all Bible verses: John 3:16. Maybe this verse is so popular because it so simply explains God’s loving plan. God loved and gave! Support the show

Hope. It’s so easy to lose but so generously available. We need hope. In a world where uncertainty and disillusionment are mixed into the air we breathe, we need a fresh perspective. For centuries people hoped for the coming Messiah—Jesus, the Savior of the world. He came. Hope fulfilled. But even today, hopelessness abounds. Maybe this Christmas, what you need more than anything is renewed hope a...

God’s plan for humanity is grand in scope and scale! It also seems at least mildly absurd. The all-powerful God of all creation enters the world as a helpless baby. And his final days on earth are spent in humiliation and suffering—becoming sin for a sinful human race. It’s a story that goes from cradle to cross. A story that includes both Christmas and Easter. And a story that includes you. Suppo...

A right relationship with Jesus Christ manifests itself not in some extraordinary otherworldliness, but in and through our Christ-like conduct and loving human relationships in this world. It is in our conduct and relationships that we are most in need of experiencing, expressing, and exemplifying the reality of God’s grace in the ordinary, everyday interaction we have with believers and unbelieve...

We may have several roles we play in society: as a spouse, a parent, or a co-worker, to name a few. At the same time, there are cultural standards for what it means to be “good” at the various roles we find ourselves in. But these cultural standards are sometimes in conflict with who we are in Jesus. So, how do we navigate cultural pressure to “fit-in” while remaining authentic to the person Jesus...

Practical Christian living is built on the foundation of theological truth. Because we know that Jesus was raised from the dead, our identification with Him becomes real. This should lead us to see things from God’s perspective and to put His priorities for us into the daily practice of putting to death our old life and living a new life in Jesus Christ. Support the show

Compromise is everywhere. It’s a potential pitfall even for the most well-intentioned Christian. No wonder Paul reminds the Colossians to remember who they are in Christ. Affirming the life-changing benefits of a relationship with Jesus means we’re alert to even deceptive religious-sounding ideas—ideas and practices that constrict a believer’s freedom in Christ and replace it with legalism. Suppor...

As we survey our current surroundings, we find a wealth of perspectives on “how the world works.” Which of these ideas we embrace will determine how we act and behave. The same was true in Colossians when Paul warned against “fine-sounding arguments” or “hollow and deceptive philosophy.” These cautions, and Paul’s commands regarding them, have as much relevance for us today as they did when Paul o...

Through Jesus, all things are reconciled to God. That doesn’t mean that all will be saved but that all are now savable. A believer who continually pursues Christ will grow and move toward maturity in Him. But some believers who ignore their need to mature will remain stagnant and immature. Paul’s passion is one we can embrace too: to see every believer presented as mature before Jesus. Support the...

It all points to Jesus. But for centuries Jesus has been a flashpoint for controversy. Some recognize Him for who He is while others reject Him outright. No single book of the Bible elevates and explains the person of Jesus quite like the Book of Colossians. And in this first section of the book, we’re reminded that Jesus is the point. He is our great and awesome God and the focal point of all cre...

Every day we all work to control our many appetites. In fact, one could argue that our daily activities as humans are predominately about managing our appetites. Our ambition, drive, and desires all determine our daily decisions for work, rest, and play. What happens when any single appetite is left to itself without being controlled? What’s at stake if we don’t control our appetites? Today, we wi...

It’s one thing for you to evaluate your own spiritual progress. It’s another thing altogether to have Jesus give His critique of how you’re doing. Sometimes the truth hurts. If Jesus were to write a letter to you about what He thinks of your devotion to Him, what would He say? And since you’re more than an individual—you’re part of a church—what would He say to you and to the rest of us? Would He...

Despite our romanticism about the early church, they had their fair share of problems – favoritism, theological arguments, and divisions (to name a few). Yet there remained a vision of an abundant church – full of energy, unity, and life. While the church today navigates its own problems, how do we make the vision of an abundant church a reality? Support the show

A believer's identity is in Christ. In Him we find true life, meaning, and purpose. Yet, it is common for believers to take their eyes off of Jesus and begin substituting other things in His place. We look for other ways to identify ourselves often choosing how we want to be identified: achievements, titles, politics, gender, race, addictions, disabilities, etc. Sometimes pronouncements are m...

It shouldn’t surprise us that through the centuries, superstitions arise and thrive even among well-meaning church people. Most of these superstitions are based on a desire for a kind of good luck charm in a life filled with uncertainty and hardship. Even the practice of baptism can be surrounded by all kinds of superstitions. If baptism doesn’t save us, what then is it for? Baptism is a way for a...

It is great to gather as the church. But we are also told by Jesus to “go” as the church, sharing God’s word with others and making them disciples. Fulfilling the Great Commission is not an option or a suggestion. It is a command to each of us as believers to actively and intentionally seek opportunities to influence people to find and follow Jesus. Support the show

While God never changes in His nature, He does change the way He works with human beings. Jesus announced a significant change when He held up a cup and identified it with His blood that would establish a new covenant. After being raised from the dead, Jesus told His disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. They waited and the Spirit came! The Church was born. That day, God began working in...

The church can be described as a body, a family, an army. It’s a movement of influence—one that seeks to bring glory to God and point people toward the Savior. On the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He initiated the movement with a meal. He chose food and drink as a picture of His body that would be broken and His blood that would be shed. Through the simple act of eating a meal, the moveme...

Many people say that kids and students are the church of tomorrow but that statement could not be further from the truth. They are the church of today. There is so much hope and promise in the younger generation. Throughout the summer, we have talked about how to be spiritually healthy as a church. One of the best ways that we can remain spiritually healthy as a church is to embrace this amazing v...