Shartel Church

Many people make New Year's resolutions that they don't keep. They are often related to losing weight or exercising. Unfortunately, most fall off that path quickly because they don’t think correctly about their bodies or change the right pieces in their lives to make it happen. This message will examine why God views our bodies as "sacred" and what we do to truly treat them as though they are "tem...

Could you use a new attitude and outlook? Many of us would have lives that would dramatically improve if we took our thoughts captive and took on the mind of Christ. This message will focus on changing what we pour into our minds so we’re not living "garbage in, garbage out." We'll also look at changing how we look at ourselves, our circumstances, and the challenges of life around us. If we let Go...

Could you use a new home? Not a new house, but a new HOME? This message will look at how we can allow God to transform our households into places of love and intimacy and a home where Jesus is the cornerstone of our families. We’ll explore how to have marriages that honor God and fulfill one another. We'll look at new things we can do to connect with our children and help them feel loved, safe, an...

Is your relationship with God fresh and alive? Have you grown a bit routine and stagnant this past year? Like any love relationship, our walk with God needs to be stoked with fresh fire and zeal from time to time. This message will look at how we can walk a NEW walk with God, which is vibrant and alive. We'll look at what we can do to go from being around God to walking close to Him in an exciting...

We make our choices, and then our choices make us! If this New Year is going to be different than last year, we must commit to making different choices. Otherwise, it's just last year repeated all over again! This message will look at the most important choices we can make, including the choice to make Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord of our lives!

In a manger–that’s where Jesus was born. It was in a stable or cave, but it was not in a palace. The King of Kings. The Alpha and Omega. The Great I Am. And He was born in a manger. This changed everything. The God who was so distant came near. The God who was unknowable became seen. The God, who we knew nothing about, became one of us. So Christmas changed many things, but nothing more than our i...

The wise men were looking for something–something important. Maybe it was fame, favor with the new king, or finding a place of security and belonging. Whatever it was they were looking for; they found MORE! They stumbled into the greatest story the world has ever known. Seeing the Christ child gave them a purpose greater than any they had ever known. They came looking for a king. They found a new...

Life can change in a moment. In the blink of an eye, our worlds can be turned upside down and inside out. That was what happened to Mary and Joseph. An unexpected pregnancy upended their wonderful courtship and marriage. Now they would have to deal with the judgment of friends and family and a thousand questions. But what seemed like doom turned to awe and wonder. Everything changed when the angel...

It's so interesting how, out of all the people in the world, it was to Shepherds that the angels appeared. But it foreshadowed what Jesus declared was the whole reason He came: "To seek and save those who are lost." Today we will be reminded that the work that God wants to do is a work within us. He wants to change our hearts! Whether darkened and cold or simply lukewarm and indifferent, God desir...

God meets us in our need. No matter how big. No matter how overwhelming. No matter how impossible. The disciples faced a crowd of thousands; all they had to feed them was a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread. But Jesus met them in their neediness, and He blessed what little they had until it became more than enough. God can do that for us as well. So let’s lift our "little" before a God who...

God meets us in our grief. Jesus showed in John 11 that God doesn't always do what we want Him to do the way we want Him to. But He has come to us. He brings us comfort and hope. He grieves with us. And He promises us a resurrection. As we head into the holiday season, we remember that there are many of us for whom the holidays are difficult and sad. This message will remind us that God will meet...

God meets us in our doubts. Let’s be honest—we ALL have them sometimes! Maybe God hasn’t answered our prayers the way we thought He should. Or perhaps we've become disillusioned by how some of God’s people have treated us. Doubt becomes a foothold that the Enemy loves to widen. Jesus wasn't afraid of Thomas' doubts, and He’s not afraid of ours either. He wants to give us the assurance we need that...

God meets us in our sin. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:8 that "it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us." Jesus didn’t come to point out how bad we were. He came to show us how different we could be. The woman caught in adultery was guilty of sin. Jesus met her amid her guilt and made her brand new. Jesus will meet us in our sin too.

God meets us in our pain. Of all the names God wears, there is none so needed as our Jehovah-Raphe, the God who heals us! Jesus was met by a woman who had been suffering for twelve years. As she reached out to Him, her life was forever changed. No matter our need for healing, Jesus is still our Great Physician who meets us in our pain.

God meets us in our fears. Whether it's a storm of life that has caught us off-guard or something we're facing that seems too big or too scary to face, God is there. Our story from Mark reminds us that when the disciples were paralyzed by fear, Jesus was already there with them. He is already here with us as well.

No one lives forever. Therefore, all of us need to be grooming someone up to take our place. That's what Moses did with Joshua. Moses would take them TO the Promised Land, but Joshua would take them IN. We'll explore the art of passing on the baton of our faith and the dire consequences if we fail to do so.

While traversing across the desert, Moses made a critical mistake. He thought it was HIM leading the people instead of God. When the people got thirsty and needed something to drink, God gave Moses instructions on how he was supposed to do it. Instead, Moses reacted in anger and arrogance. That disobedience proved costly. God calls us to humility and dependence upon Him above all else. This messag...

One of the best things that happened to Moses as a leader was when his father-in-law, Jethro, came to visit. Jethro gave Moses some advice that helped him change from being a leader of followers to a leader of leaders. This message will be a challenge for ALL of us to get better at inviting others into our journey and sharing the loads that we bear.

Things got rough when Moses went back to rally the leaders together to face the Pharaoh. Despite the miracles and proof of God's blessing, Pharoah wasn't letting go. In fact, he made things worse! Times like that can make us question ourselves, God, and what we thought we heard God say. We forget that troubles can be a stumbling block or a stepping stone. It all depends on how we deal with it.

No sooner does God give Moses this AMAZING assignment that will change history than Moses starts coming up with a thousand excuses as to why he couldn't do it! Isn't that like us? God opens doors, provides opportunities, or gives us the green light to impact the world, and we try to convince Him we can't! This message will look at the excuses we give and why none of them are sufficient in light of...

God called Moses to an unbelievable taskto set His People free! That task was bigger than Moses. It was bigger than ANYONE! But it wasn't bigger than God. When God calls us, it's not because of who we are. It's because of who He is. When God calls, He supplies. God will give us all we need to do what He calls us to do.

Moses ran from Egypt to start a new life. But he made the startling discovery that God was waiting on him! Moses may be able to run from crime, but he couldn't run from his calling. God will keep calling, keep chasing, and keep inviting us to take hold of His plan for our lives. When we stop running FROM God, we can start running WITH God!

Moses made the horrible mistake of playing God. He got angry and took the life of an Egyptian. That crime caused him to flee the country to save his life. We don't know how his sin impacted the work that God was going to do. It may have prolonged the timeline. It may have changed how God accomplished what He did. God would still accomplish His work. But now, He would have to do a little work with...

When Moses was born, God was already at work. The Israelites were praying for help. They had no idea that God was already on His way to answer their prayers. God knows us even before we come into this world. He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. This message will look at the wonder of God's Sovereignty and the opportunity that God gives us to be a part of His work in this world.

Psalm 23 ends with a reminder of God's relentless love. He's not just the Shepherd that goes before us; He is the Shepherd who comes after us! He pursues when we go on trails we shouldn't be on. He chases us when we wander into dangerous places to nudge us back on the right path. Yet, his love and faithfulness for us are ENDLESS. He's a relentless God who never gives up on us!