Olive Branch Community Church - Weekend Messages

The church that Paul writes to in 1 Timothy was in a culture like ours, in that there were many gods and worldviews. In such an environment, what does it look like to live out Christianity? How do we illustrate the Gospel to the world around us?

Trust and leadership go together; before we will follow a leader, we need to know they are trustworthy. But how do we determine that? The early church had that same question.

So much about leadership these days focuses on skills, with little emphasis put on character. Not so with God in His word. Last week Greg talked about elders/overseers in the church. In the second message of this series we will look at who they are, or should be, at their core.

When we witness failures in church leaders it's tempting to think we should just go it alone, i.e. all I need is my Bible, I follow Jesus so I don't need a church. But Jesus called the apostles and set up church leadership! So let's look at what He can teach us.

God is not going to leave us hanging; He will deliver on all His promises. Some day we will finally see that He worked all things for good.

We’ve looked at creation, and the intention God had for us. We’ve looked at the ruin, and how it has wrecked everything. We are broken, but in this message we learn that God picks us up to restore us to his works and makes us better.

Humanity is a wreck and news ratings prove that we love to stare at it (if it bleeds, it leads). Last week we looked at the good, God's intention in creation, but this week we'll see the bad. Before you tune out, remember the big picture and the goal of this sermon series: Don’t evaluate your family in the moment, but by all four movements.

Every family has a story; how do you view yours? Is it inferior to another? Are there parts you don't want known? In this message we'll look at the good and the bad of our family stories through the lens of God's story.

We were created to know God and represent Him in the world. God made us for a purpose; we have a responsibility. It is God who enables us to move out of victimhood to victory.

So far we've identified if we live in victimhood and if so, determined what may be keeping us there. Now it's time to pack up so we can move out, and if you've ever moved, you know that packing up can be the most work.

So far we've seen how Jesus' example can show us how to move from victim to victory, and we've learned how to determine if we are, or someone we know is, living in victimhood. Now we'll see why staying in victimhood can be comfortable for us, but very costly.

Are stuck in the pain of what happened to you? Some people are raised with a victim mindset, and our culture can teach us to be offended by everything. Even if you don't currently live in victimhood, you probably know someone who does. And you are not immune from moving in someday.

Let's examine Jesus' own words while on the cross to learn how He went from Victim to Victory.

We humans can mess up any good thing God gives us, and the spiritual gifts are no different. The church in Corinth caused problems using their gifts and we can learn from them.

We've all heard people call something a miracle. But what is a miracle, really? What are the miraculous gifts? And what is God's purpose for them?

Welcome back to class, students. This week we'll study spiritual gifts that fall into these categories: leadership, care, and practical.

Has church become something we "purchase"—we just go there to get something? Let's make sure we know our spiritual gift(s) so we can be the church, not just go to church.

Last week we learned that God gave us gifts for the purpose of promoting Jesus. But what exactly is a spiritual gift and what makes a gift spiritual? Students, grab your Bibles and let's dig in.

In this series we are going to examine the spiritual gifts found in the Bible. Perhaps you have no idea what they are. Maybe you have had an odd experience with them. Have you been taught the time for spiritual gifts, or at least some of them, is over? You may be open to them, but have never experienced them. Well let's learn about them together. Welcome to class!

Have you ever hesitated to share your faith with someone because you don't live it out perfectly yourself? Or maybe you've wondered if telling someone about Jesus is somehow judging them, telling them their thinking is wrong. These are just a couple of the things Pastor Greg explores in this message.

Last week we learned that the greatest changes happen when we constantly center our lives on Christ. This week we will be called to go further, so Christ is not only known by us, but Christ is known in us. This may seem abstract, so let's dig in and see what it means.

2020 made it clear that our mission is more relevant today than it has ever been: To LOVE, LIVE and SHARE Christ, to make him known wherever we go. These three acts center our lives in Christ so he is known. Bit by bit, God is shaping our souls, but we need to stay centered so he can do his work.

Continuing in 1 Timothy 2:8–15, this message turns the focus on women. Men and women are of equal value as God’s image and He designed us to work together. In fact, the church should be an example to the world in this area.

1 Timothy is teaching us that the church needs to be reassembled and so far we've learned that before anything else we must pray, then we must have a global view of the gospel, and now Paul instructs about the role of men and women in 1 Timothy 2:8–14. In this message we'll focus on men. N

1 Timothy 2:5-7 is essentially a creed we all believe: It explains the need for Jesus, explains that He has been our mediator, and implies that He has made us right with God. What does this mean for us? Through Jesus we can approach God in prayer. This is an awesome privilege and a serious responsibility.