Prairie View Christian Church

Mark set out to tell the story of Jesus, the Son of God, and this week the story hastened to an abrupt conclusion. We followed Jesus from Gethsemane to the cross, and then in and out of the tomb. His story intersected with several other characters' this week, none of whom could grasp the significance of what was happening. But thanks to Mark, we CAN understand - Jesus was dying for our sins, and h...

The Gospel of Mark doesn’t just tell us about Jesus – it has Peter’s story, too. But while Mark gives the story of Jesus’ whole life, Peter’s story stops at his very lowest moment. After Peter abandoned and denied Jesus, what hope was there for him? The same as for any of us: that through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, we can have new life. And, Jesus sends his Spirit to enable us to l...

Jesus was much more than a miracle-working moral teacher - he came to fulfill the Law, and to enable US to keep it as well. Jesus knew that keeping the law was a matter of the heart, not behavior. And he knew that we could only truly keep the law - loving God with our whole being, loving our neighbor as ourselves - because God first loved us. He showed his love for us on the cross - how have you r...

Jesus said some things that are hard to accept. Divorce is a bad thing - so how do we live in an age of broken families and abusive relationships? Wealthy people can't enter heaven - so how DO we enter heaven? Desiring personal greatness is a sign of profound selfishness - so how do we channel our desires for significance? It all comes down to how you view the cross: by receiving God's grace, we c...

Jesus gives spiritual life to our hearts and spiritual sight to our eyes, allowing us to see him for who he is. But do we understand what he came to do? Do we recognize his call to humbly serve others, like he did? And do we heed his command to rid ourselves of sin? Find out how he wants us to respond to what he tells us.

When God begins a work in our lives, we begin to see things differently. As Jesus reveals himself to us, we come to see him more and more as he truly is. Just as Jesus healed the blind, he also gave sight to his disciples. Do you see Jesus as not just a man or a teacher or a myth, but as he really is - our Lord and Savior? Ask him for eyes to see this week.

The Bible sure has a lot of rules, commandments, and instructions. But that hasn't stopped us from adding more, with the hope of staying even further away from sin. But can self-discipline and behavior-modification make us righteous? Can our external activities change our heart and our motives? Change on the inside is something only God can do, and Jesus came to make it possible for us to have tha...

Join us as Pastor Ben talks about working in the power of the Holy Spirit from Mark 6.

Mark 5 features Jesus performing three familiar miracles: casting out a demon, healing a chronically sick woman, and raising a young girl from the dead. What do these three have in common? Why are they grouped together by Mark? On the surface, they have nothing in common. The one common theme: these people were desperate, out of resources, and flung themselves at Jesus' feet, seeking his mercy and...

Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching his followers, and his moral teaching has been loved through the ages. But he was more than a moral teacher - he was God, revealing his kingdom, even the parts that are hard to understand or accept. Are we willing to hear what he has to say about himself, and us, and our right response?

In Mark 1, Jesus developed a fast-growing preaching and healing ministry. But he came for much more, so starting in Chapter 2, he starts telling people about who he is, and what he came to do - intending to provoke a response from them. When he claimed to be the arrival of God himself, come to rescue his people from their sins, the response was immediate: some people rushed to him in repentance an...

As Jesus began his ministries, he was preaching and teaching in the towns of Galilee, and developing a reputation. He was becoming more and more famous - but why? Were people drawn to his message of repentance and forgiveness, or did they just want to see him do miracles? Jesus himself gives us a hint when he tells his disciples that he came to preach; the miracles simply served to authenticate hi...

The Gospel of Mark was written to provoke a response. In his opening verses, Mark sought to establish that Jesus was the Son of God, sent on a mission from the Father, continuing the work God has been doing since creation: gathering a people to himself. God sent Jesus to continue the work of reconciling people to him, unfolding the "Kingdom of God", and inviting people to come to him and participa...

During the week leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus took several opportunities to remind his disciples that he was in control of the events going on. Not just going with the flow, Jesus was actually proceeding according to a plan, accomplishing the work God gave him to do. But the story didn't end on Easter - we, too, are called to be part of God's story and God's work. How will you respond to th...

When Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple in triumph, his followers thought they were part of a great story - the overthrow of Rome. But Jesus had a much bigger plan, and a much bigger story to tell - the salvation of God's people, by his death and resurrection. When the disciples thought the story was over after Jesus' arrest, in truth it was just beginning. Today, we are called and inv...

The parable of the Good Samaritan may be a familiar story, but put yourself in the shoes of the victim - waking up, rescued, well-cared-for - wouldn't you want everyone to experience the same grace you'd received?

PVCC is at the opening of a new chapter, and it is a great opportunity to consider what kind of church we want to be. Pastor Ben helps us see that in Acts 2, the church is called to be devoted to Scripture, communion, prayer, love, and fellowship - and as we practice those things, we will be the kind of church God wants.

This week Erick Riddle takes us through the last of our study of Colossians, and Paul's parting words continue his pattern of basing his instructions on the Gospel: be devoted to prayer, with thanksgiving; pray for open doors, so the Gospel may go forward; and take care of each other, your brothers and sisters in Christ. There will be no open doors for ministry without prayer, and truly taking car...

In Colossians, we've seen that Christ is supreme over all things, and he has conquered all our enemies in the cross. So what does our new life in him look like? Paul shows us that becoming more LIKE Christ flows from being IN Christ. As we grow in our knowledge of him, we will put off our old sinful patterns and put on the new attitudes and actions that glorify God.

We're turning the corner in Colossians - now that we've covered how Christ triumphed over all our enemies in the cross, we're considering how to live in response. Paul begins by telling us to train our hearts, train our minds, and then train our actions - all by concentrating on Jesus, who is our life now. One key habit to develop? Gratitude and thanksgiving.

Christ's death on the cross set us free - free from our sin's penalty, and its power, but also free from all the other futtile ways we tried to reach God, like rules, regulations, or religious activities. So why do we sometimes want to run back toward slavery? Partly familiarity, and partly because we like feeling like we can control our relationship with God. But Christ came to set us free from t...

Pastoral Candidating sermon for Ben Halliburton. In Luke 9, Jesus appears to dissuade some potential followers. Surely somebody trying to start a religion would take every follower he can get? No - because Jesus wants to establish a relationship with us based on faith and trust; he insists we come to him on HIS terms, for the right reasons, rather than for what WE can get out of it. The cost of fo...

Why did God ordain that his Son should be preached and his church should grow - through suffering? Our suffering shows the value of Christ's work, and the depth of his live for his people. We demonstrate that when we suffer for his sake, for the blessing of others.

When studying a passage of Scripture, it's good to know that your conclusions match the rest of the Bible. People have used Colossians 1 to support some very unhealthy doctrines and practices, but a careful consideration of the text helps us steer clear. Paul was writing to make sure that we know Jesus is God, so that we can continue in him - growing and becoming stronger in our fath.

As we continue our series in Colossians, Paul is preparing to address the spiritual environment of the church. But before he tackles the problems, he reviews the solid foundation of our faith: the person and work of Jesus Christ. He reminds us that Jesus is the supreme and preeminent Son of God, and that those who believe in him should continue, patiently, enduring to the end.