New Life Church - Fort Smith

We know the Bible tells us clearly to work hard and live our lives in a way that glorifies God.  However, in a world where achievements and good deeds often put us in a position of fame and notoriety, our relationship with God can easily become one based on our own effort and works.  Jesus calls out this very issue with the Pharisees in Matthew 23.  In the Kingdom of God, the great...

The end times can have many feelings associated with it.  Some people have fear of the end.  Others may not take it seriously.  Jesus did neither.  We must see how He prepared His disciples for the end and apply those principles to our own.

In Matthew 5:43-48, we find some of the most difficult words to follow that were spoken by Jesus when He teaches to love our enemies. Going against our natural inclination, He tells us to love our enemies and not only love them, but to also pray for them! It is easy to sometimes add or take away from Scripture to suit what we want it to say, but God’s Word is clear here.

God has designed each and every person in a unique way.  All of us have certain gifts, talents, and abilities.  As we walk with God, we learn how best to use them, not for our own gain, but for the kingdom of God.  Even in seasons of waiting, we develop and utilize what God has given us as we wait for Him to lead and guide us.

Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist. Following His baptism, those present heard from Heaven these words “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased...” Jesus was in a good place, but immediately to follow, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Just like Jesus, sometimes you will follow the Spirit into a place that doesn’t feel like the promi...

Applying this story of Matthew’s calling to our own life, we see the heart of our Father. He is not afraid to meet us where we are, to see us before we even see Him, to have His eye on us and actively seek us, and to call us to follow Him. As our first step, He doesn’t require anything else but to follow Him. We, like Matthew, have a choice when He calls. We can either follow Him, or start down a...

We can learn a lot about Jesus in this story. He listened, despite being busy at the time, and simply got up and went. He honored the humility of Jairus by performing a miracle for his daughter. He turned sorrow into joy and can do the same for us! We can also learn a few things from Him about how to lead our family and others we influence.

Have you ever wanted to see or experience a miracle? Perhaps you’ve asked for a miracle that didn’t come to pass in the way you were hoping, and you wonder if God even performs miracles today. We read Matthew 20:29-34 about two blind men who begged Jesus for the miracle of sight, and Pastor Brandon used this passage to identify several perspectives with corresponding applications or points.  ...

As we being our study of Matthew, we start in a logical but unlikely place:  Jesus' family tree.  As our Savior, you would expect Jesus to come from the perfect family, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  You find all sorts of unexpected people.

The story of Noah and the ark is a familiar story to many of us.  Today, we take another look to see how Noah's faith can encourage ours.

Conflict. We all face it at times in our lives, and some of us experience it on a daily basis. This week, Pastor Brandon addressed how we should prepare for it, view it, and respond to it by giving us four points of consideration.    Be Full of the Holy Spirit - Psalm 23:1-3  Take the First Step - Matthew 5:23-24  Admit When You’re Wrong - Matthew 7:3-5  Listen to Understa...

Pastor Phillip spoke this week on the kind of flourishing faith we should desire for our children. Going against culture’s expectations and desires for them of “just being happy” and/or succeeding in their activities, he talked about desiring the kind of flourishing faith that is resolute and uncompromising. Rather than our children centering a life on themselves, we want them to have a life cente...

Mother’s Day is a day that can bring a variety of emotions and it affects different people in different ways. Pastor Brandon focused his message this week on ways a mother can get to a place where she is called blessed and pointed out 4 things, based on Proverbs 31:28-31.   1.  Build your life on Christ  2.  Protect the call of God on your children's lives  3.  Be the...

Next to  choosing to follow Jesus, choosing your spouse is the most important decision you will make in life. You are choosing who you are going to follow Jesus with. Genesis 2:18 says that man is not made to be alone. We have a divinely designed deficiency, created in a way that we are not able to fulfill all the needs we’ll ever have in this life. God saw this in Adam and addressed it relat...

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He healed people with the touch of His hands. He could have  always healed with a spoken word, or just a breath or thought, and yet He often chose to use  His hands, a symbol of the importance and power of touch.   In Mark 3:1-6, we read of a man with a withered hand who wanted to be healed. It was the  Sabbath, but that didn’t stop Jesus f...

God's love is evident all throughout the Scriptures.  He consistently loves us even though we make mistakes and fall short of His glory.  We see this on full display in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Jesus was hated for many reasons.  Ultimately, His perfect representation of the Father cause friction with the religious leaders of His day.  One attribute that had this effect was His mercy.  The religious leaders showed how holy and righteous they were by the distance they could put between them and sinful people.  Jesus, however, demonstrated His great mercy by coming close...

From His birth to His death on the cross, attempts on Jesus' life were made by the rulers and critics of His day. But why?  Today, we learn about how Jesus' growing caused the Pharisees to plot His death.

One of the realities of life that everyone faces is death.  This can a difficult thing to process, often filled with worry and anxiety.  For the follower of Jesus Christ, we know that death isn't the end, but the realization of the promise to be with Him for eternity.

Who is Jesus?  He is our Rock.  He is trustworthy and faithful, not just in the best times, but also when things don't go as planned.  So the question become, "how do I build my life on Him?"

Who is Jesus?  Jesus tells us His name is I Am.  He reminds us that He has always been and will always be.  No matter what situation we may find ourselves in, God is the answer.

Who is Jesus?  Many people answer this question in different ways.  The best place to look to learn about Jesus is His own words about Himself in the Bible.  Today, we look at John 10 where He is described as the Good Shepherd.

God has given gifts, purpose, and a calling to all who follow Him.  Many times, however, life can creep in and stifle them in our lives.  Thankfully, Paul encourages Timothy to fan the flame of the gift of God in his life, and we can learn how to do just the same.

Discipleship is a process.  One of the greatest ways for us to progress in following Jesus is to identify where we are in our relationship with Him and what our next step is to moving closer.  Ps. James walks us through the steps of discipleship as well as helpful questions we can ask ourselves in our current place.  

Worry has become an issue that many people deal with in our world today.  Anxiety and stress building up causing us to be concerned around what could be coming in the future.  Graciously, Jesus offers us another way.  A way marked by peace and trust.