South Ridge Church FXBG

Life is unpredictable. There are days that are mundane and we’re wondering if anyone will notice we emptied the dishwasher for the second time. Other days are memorable and we’re taking mental notes. Then there are tragic days and we’re wanting a redo. The unexpected ways Jesus helps us navigate the unpredictability is worth telling others!

Connection is one of the most important factors in any successful relationship. When it comes to marriage, connection to the other person is vital to any success. Without connection, relationships suffer from isolation, which may lead to separation and divorce. Connection to Jesus is the path to success.

Attraction is a powerful thing and it’s designed to be developed. As we look at Solomon’s song, there are four qualities that we need to develop within ourselves that honor to God and the person we are attracted to. The results of getting the development of these qualities right will lead to a lifetime of honor.

We know God is for us because Jesus died for us not because things always work out for us.

How many of us have prayed for something we wanted? Then we waited and nothing. Then we prayed some more and then we just stopped. It felt like a “no” from God. When we stopped, perhaps we’ve asked whether or not God loves us or what can we do to change His mind. We’ll learn that the cross was a result of a “no” and what happened to Jesus after the “no.”

What does it mean to be male and female? How do people know who they are when they don’t believe that they fit? Amazingly enough, Jesus addresses the transgender questions years before that term was coined.

What does it mean when we say we have individual rights? Do we all have the same rights or do we have different rights? In American culture, we are asking whether or not gay marriage is like interracial marriage and whether or not a woman has a right to abortion? Jesus shows us a different set of rights.

There is a saying that goes like this: Love is love. Whether between friends or couples or between parents and their kids, love is said to be all the same. During the time of Jesus, the Greeks had 8 words for love. In English, we have one word for love. Jesus modeled different kinds of love.

Jesus modeled diversity pretty early on in His teaching ministry. His students and disciples had different views and different hues. His commitment to diversity came from what He established on the sixth day of human history. How does diversity in Jesus’ Kingdom compare to the BLM movement?

Why are we, as humans, drawn to the promises of hope and change? What is so appealing with hope and change? Many have come and many will come promising a better tomorrow, more equality, more harmony, and better justice. What Jesus promises is a different kind of hope and change.

The world doing everything it can to provide humanity with the perfect life. The world is attempting to establish human flourishing apart from God. How effective has the world been with re-establishing human flourishing. We’ll find that humanity only flourishes when we live under His authority.

The flesh is “the desires of our body that feel natural but are apart of God.” These desires are for control, dominion, and survival. Desires aren’t wrong in themselves but how they are applied. We all experience strong desires but just because they’re strong doesn’t mean we need to give into them. We’ll find that the flesh wants our desires disordered and God wants our deepest desires ordered.

We learn from Jesus that the devil is a master manipulator as the most effective lies are the mostly true lies. He provides some truth to each lie, which makes it believable. Most often it is the “you deserve to be happy” one. From teenagers to those married for 25 years, it’s the most believable lie. It’s a lie that fits in our culture and fit with our media. We’ll find that through lies, the dev...

Taking a step just means doing something slightly out of your comfort zone, but on the other side can be a greater faith experience with God.

From the beginning, the Holy Spirit brought order to chaos and light to darkness. We may be capable of creating physical life, but only the Holy Spirit can redeem our spiritual lives.

The same Spirit that brought Jesus back to life is alive in you.

It is in us all to try to fill our lives with temporary things. The world says we should look inward for what we want, but the gospel says to look upward toward what God wants. We have the opportunity to follow Jesus as Lord even when it costs us something.

If we allow self-discovery to lead to self-focus, we begin a happiness chase that will never end. But if we allow self-discovery to lead us to our part in God’s common purpose, we will discover lasting fulfillment and joy.

Our culture would have us look deeply into our hearts to discover our most authentic selves. The world says we should look inward, but the gospel challenges us to look upward. And by looking upward, we will not lose ourselves, but rather find ourselves—our true selves.

It wasn’t by accident that God messaged the shepherds first and entrusted them with the message that God is with us. Instead of trusting the angels or emperors or the religious elite, God has entrusted everyday, hard-working people like you and me with the Good News that He is with us.

First-centuries Jews expected the arrival of a messiah. Scripture had recorded God’s promise to provide them with a Savior. They believed that this messiah would be a political and military leader. He would save their culture by driving out the Roman Empire and making Israel a feared military power in the region once again. But when God orchestrated Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, he was up to somethin...

Maybe you wandered away from the church. Maybe the church pushed you away. You lost interest. You got busy. You got hurt. You thought you were done with God forever. But then you started to miss the peace. Despite everything you had experienced, you sensed a light out there. The doubt, the anger, the disappointment with God, the sin, and the shame didn’t put out the light. And here you are in chur...

The Christmas season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many people, it’s complicated. It’s a time of year that surfaces tensions in relationships, unmet expectations, and the pain of absent loved ones. What do you do when the magic and wonder of the Christmas season feels out of reach? How do you reconnect with the reason for the season?

Jude went from thinking his half-brother, Jesus, was a fraud at best and liar at worst to believing that Jesus was his Savior and Lord. It took the Resurrection to change his mind. Has the Resurrection changed your mind and changed your life?

Jude is writing in a time where Rome treated Christianity like Judaism...another distraction from full allegiance to Rome. But something happened over decades and decades against all odds the Church outlasted Rome. So what won people over to Jesus?