Prairie View Christian Church

This is the last Sunday in 2014 - has it been a good year for you? Or was 2014 one you'd like to forget as quickly as possible? If it's been a great year, Deuteronomy 6 reminds us that it it the Lord we have to thank for anything good in our lives. If it's been a dark and challenging year, Psalm 23 reminds us that God is our Shepherd, and he is with us every step of the way - even when we can't se...

Tonight we finish our series about "WHY" Jesus came: he came to save his people from their sins. Jesus's birth is nothing less than God coming to seek us out, even though we were so lost we didn't know we needed him. But his birth was just the beginning, and has no significance without his true saving work - his death and resurrection. When you celebrate Christmas this year, remember that Jesus ca...

We sing about "glory to God, and on earth peace, goodwill to men" - but in Matthew 10, Jesus claims he did NOT come to bring peace - but a sword, and division, and conflict. How can this be? Sometimes permanent peace requires temporary conflict. Being permanently at peace with God means being at war with sin, and incurring the hostility of all who oppose the things of God. That can come at the cos...

Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament - what did he mean by that, and what does it mean for us? It means we can neither disregard the Old Testament, nor treat it as perfect on its own. Jesus fulfilled the promise of victory over sin and Satan, blessings to all through God's people Israel, completion of prophecies, and the perfect completion of the moral code. Jesus changed the idea of what it me...

How do we know what God is like? Can we make him what we imagine him to be, like some form of Santa, Gandalf, an officer, a judge, or a crutch? Or has he revealed himself to us in the Bible, and specifically in his son Jesus? If you want to know God, study Jesus - his manger, his life, his cross, his empty tomb, and his work in the world today. Are you shining God's light through your life this mo...

Last week, we learned it was helpful to each other to be generous with our service, kindness, and truth. This week, our founding pastor Erick Riddle took us to the life of Elijah to remind us that if we wish to be helpful to others in God's kingdom and our circles of influence, we must steward carefully the gifts of time, energy, and health that he has given us. If we aren't operating with good re...

This week we finish our "Generosity" series, considering how God's great mercy and generosity toward us impacts the way we live. We've been called to be generous not just with our resources and our time, but also within the church. We are to be generous with our spiritual gifts, no matter how "insignificant"; we are to be generous with grace in relationships, even when undeserved; and we are to be...

So, after coming to believe in Jesus and becoming part of his church, how should that new reality be reflected in our daily lives? What does being a recipient of the mercy of Christ have to do with parenting, marriage, friendship, work, and athletics? Not surprisingly, the Bible has a lot to say about how we can live our lives in a manner that brings glory to God, and especially testifies to the w...

We're all given the same amount of time, but we use it according to our priorities. Some prefer to live as though life will last forever, even though we know better; others prefer to devote their limited time to purposes without any eternal value. But through the gospel of Jesus, we are given a cause worthy of our days and our years: seeking his kingdom. Whether in our own lives, our families, our...

We started our November series on Generosity this week, and we jumped right into our finances. Potentially uncomfortable but frequently discussed in Scripture, it's essential to realize wealth (or poverty) is not innately good or evil. However, wealth can easily become an idol, for those who possess it OR simply wish too. If we are to work hard and be generous with our surplus, what will it look l...

As we finish our "Come To The Table" series, we are in the Book of Revelation, studying the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. Often intimidating and perplexing, the key themes of Revelation are judgment, endurance, hope, and reunion. In particular, the book leaves us looking forward to the day when all of God's church is reunited in his presence, celebrating what Jesus has done. Are you preparing yourse...

Prairie View Christian Church

Come To The Table Part 4

If someone makes an outrageous claim, they need to be prepared to back it up with extraordinary evidence. When Jesus arrived, heralded as the Lamb of God and calling followers to believe in him, he provided a series of noteworthy signs that pointed to his glory. This week in our "Come to the Table" series, we see Jesus deliver a family from shame by providing wine at a feast. Salvation came to the...

Slavery isn't just an issue for history class - it's a real problem around the world today, and its toxic effects last for generations. But in what way are we ALL born as slaves? In our slavery to sin. In our second "Come To The Table" sermon, we see how God used the Passover meal to depict his deliverance of his people. The lamb's blood, the bitter herbs, the urgency - each part helped Israel rem...

Part One of "Come To The Table" series.

Spiritual stagnancy. We all experience this, at some point in our Christian walk. How do Paul's instruction to Titus help us with this, and how does the gift of God's grace and the work of the Holy Spirit change us? What role do we play in this, and might God be accomplishing something during this time?

Our 4th Trustworthy saying is on the topic of suffering. Paul invites Timothy (and all believers) to share in suffering for the gospel, and throughout history, it has been more common than not for Christians to endure persecution and hardship. As the atmosphere in the US becomes more toxic, what hope or strength can we call on to help us endure? As Paul did, we must remember that God has given us...

When Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he wanted to leave a long-lasting legacy of strength and courage. He challenged them to serve the Lord only, or to choose some other idol of their option. We face the same challenge: God has called us to himself in Christ, but we face many other rivals for our attention. Whatever promises to give us purpose, meaning, comfort, security, a...

Paul's 2nd "trustworthy saying" to Timothy was about the sort of leadership a church needs to have. Rather than the most gifted, talented, high-capacity leaders by the world's standards, Paul sets out a completely different model for leadership: men of integrity, maturity, and humility, who are already respected and esteemed in their home, their work, their community, and growing in their walk wit...

When Paul wanted to give encouragement to a beloved friend serving in a challenging location, he reminded him of what he already knew: God saves sinners. No matter how offensive the sin, God is a God who is merciful and gracious to his people. No matter how toxic the environment, he is at work in his people, extending his mercy further and further. We each have a story to tell about how God has be...

This week we finish our 10 Commandments series with the commandment that perhaps summarizes them all - coveting. When we covet, we are failing to love God purely and singly, by putting other things ahead of him; and likewise, we are failing to love our neighbors, by being jealous of what is theirs. How do we avoid this sneaky, contagious, gateway sin? By cultivating our desire and pursuing that wh...

Lies have consequences - we've all felt them, whether we've been the liar or the lied-to. The 9th Commandment is about honesty, integrity, and trust, and it reminds us of something important about God: he defines truth, creates truth, decides truth, and reveals truth. He calls us to be honest with ourselves, with him, with others, and with how we represent him to others. And he sent us his only So...

Very few of us are brazen daylight bank robbers. But, as usual, when God says "do not steal", he has more in mind than the simplest and worst offenses. Do we improperly acquire anything which is another's? Do we have anything we weren't able to come by honorably? Stealing can come in many subtle forms, and not just in the workplace and the marketplace. But when you already possess and treasure the...

This week we come to the seventh commandment, the prohibition against adultery. God cares about marriage, and God cares about sex - he created them both! But like all the commandments, these aren't just issues of the body, the eyes, and the mind, but of the heart. And in our hearts, we are all unrighteous and sinful, impure and unfaithful. This makes God's redeeming grace shine all the brighter, s...