People Becoming the Church

Sometimes God feels distant, and our circumstances seem hopeless. Yet His presence is never absent, and His purposes are quietly unfolding behind the scenes. Even in the darkest seasons, hope exists because God is working to bring restoration and life in ways we cannot yet see.

"Apprenticeship to Jesus always produces growth." Nate digs into 2 Peter 1:1-11 and walks through what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus. There are 3 things we must do to be His apprentice: Be with Jesus, Become like Jesus, and Do what Jesus did. With a new year upon us, how are you planning on growing in your relationship with Jesus? Nate gave 2 takeaways: 1) Set aside 5-10 min each day this...

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the...

The shepherds were tending their flocks, living the ordinary rhythm of life, when the extraordinary broke in. An angel appeared and declared that the Messiah had been born! Filled with awe and urgency, they hurried to see if it was true. And it was just as the angel had said. Their encounter with Jesus didn’t leave them unchanged. They couldn’t simply return to their normal routines; they shared t...

The wise men had been watching and waiting for signs of the promised King. When His star appeared, they recognized the moment and set out immediately to worship Him. Their journey was marked by awe, and urgency. But not everyone responded the same way. When Herod learned of a rival king, fear and jealousy turned to murderous plotting. Jesus doesn't leave anyone in the middle ground. Everyone must...

Mary and Joseph were called by God to an extraordinary role; parenting the Messiah. It was a privilege beyond imagining, but with it came incredible responsibility and uncertainty. Yet, instead of turning away, they trusted God's plan and humbly embraced the task, showing us what faithful obedience looks like even in the midst of awe and wonder.

For thousands of years, Israel waited for the Messiah; the One who would rescue and restore. More than 700 years before Jesus' birth, Isaiah prophesied about the coming King. In his Gospel, John connects that prophecy to Jesus' arrival, declaring that He is the promised Light who gives light to everyone.

It is our One Day To Feed The World where we bring one days wage to give to Convoy of Hope and our community. Our one day and change their everyday. Today we hear from Bryan Elementary and how our partnership last year affected our community. We also hear about Convoy of Hope and what they are doing to impact the world.

Nate finishes up 1 Timothy. Nate walks through what it looks like to "Fight the good fight." 

We walked through 1 Timothy 6:2-10 and what it looks like to live a Godly life. Nate challenges us to keep eternity in focus and to find our satisfaction in Jesus.

Nate walks through 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2. Paul shares how we are to live our lives with honor and love for all. What does that look like in our day and age.

We all know it takes hard work to stay in shape. Do we work hard in the same way with our faith. Nate challenges us to live Godly lives and to work hard on our speak, our conduct, our love, our faith and our purity.   

We continue our journey through 1 Timothy. Nate unpacks what the church is supposed to be. What the truth is and how we live it out.

Nate unpacks the qualifications laid out by Paul for the roles of Elder and Deacon.  Resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1bjIuF5ziVtAHIfOY880eHcJYQG5wX3hb

Nate is back and takes on one of the most highly debated scriptures, 1 Timothy 2. Nate walks us through the entire chapter and helps us understand both sides of the debate. Egalitarian and Complementarian views on women's role in the church. For Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1EJgzH6NoBRMkE7KQtAhx1lGUjqtRpQ4Sl4inNwQs4WU/mobilebasic

Adam breaks down 1 Timothy 1:18-20. He challenges us to stay anchored to Christ, "Cling to your faith un Christ, and keep your conscience clear."(1 Timothy 1:19 NLT). 

Nate unpacks 1 Timothy 1:8-17. Unveiling the power of God's grace. ""Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" - and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me..." (1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT). What is your "But God" story and who do you need to share it with?

Nate dives into 1 Timothy 1:3-7 and the warning Paul gives to Timothy and to us about false teachings. Nate challenges us to stay focused and not get distracted by "endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees."(1 Timothy 3:4).

Nate starts our new series, Blueprint. He cast the vision for our journey through the book of 1 Timothy, which is our blueprint for how God designed the church.

The secret to living is contentment. Nate finishes the book of Philippians and gives us four practical ways that we can practice contentment. 

What are some practical things to put into practice in our lives that will bring the peace of God? Nate unpacks Philippians 4:1-9 where Paul gives us 4 things for us to do. As we practice these 4 things: Reconciliation, Rejoicing, Praying, and Right Thinking, we progress toward Christ and recieve his peace.

Ryan Thomas, a missionary to Spain that we support, continues our series in Philippians. He challenges us to live our lives with eternity in focus. "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:15 ESV 

Brandon walks us through Philippians 3:1-11 and the sobering reality that we can do nothing to gain our salvation and the awesomeness of Christ and the great exchange.  "I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." Philippians 3:9

Nate continues in Philippians and asks us who are we doing life with? Who are the few we can count on when we go through hard things? And he challenges us by asking, are you that friend for someone else? Citizens of Heaven are those type of friends. 

"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." Philippians 2:14-15 Justin Farley encourages us to be citizens of heaven, to be bright lights in this world. He challenges us to examine our lives to see if we are living clean, innocent lives an...