Teachings from Unionville Alliance

As we conclude this series, the Jewish people are protected, Esther & Mordecai are safe, and there is joy, feasting, and celebration throughout the kingdom. The feast of Purim is instituted so Israel can remember how God defended His people. We should also celebrate God's kindness, blessing and provision for us as we see the fingerprints of God in our lives!

In chapters five to seven of Esther we see the effect of pride in the downfall of Haman. He was the second most powerful man in the kingdom but pride got the best of him. Pride is blinding, deceptive, deadly and can never be satisfied. Let's not follow the example of Haman but emulate the Lord Jesus in His humility.

In chapter four, Esther is met with a crisis. Mordecai tells her to plead with the King for the lives of the Jewish people, but she hasn't been called by the King to see him. If she goes uninvited she may be killed. This is Esther's moment and a time of great risk. She is courageous in this time of calamity. The Lord also calls us to take a risk, to be courageous, and stand for what is right.

In chapter three, we see the conflict between Mordecai and Haman. As true Israelites, it is symbolic of the spiritual battle we are in against the enemy who comes against us. We can have courage and hope knowing that Christ has already won the victory for us!

The book of Esther starts off with great pomp and celebration as the King flaunts his wealth, prestige and power. Esther is chosen to be the next Queen but at what cost? She compromises her values and conforms to the ways of the world. She fails to be a true Israelite who is set apart for God. See how Esther's experience foreshadows our experience and learn what values are truly important.

The year ahead presents us with some wonderful possibilities. It will require making good and wise decisions. To do this we need a North Star to guide us in the way we should go. Jesus gives us such a star to guide us through 2018.

We are on the threshold of a New Year. There are new possibilities and possible challenges. How do we face the uncertainties in a new year? This message will help you to handle whatever may come.

Pastor Kevin spoke on how our God, sent Jesus to take on human form... completely. Jesus had our human emotions, and there are several instances in the Bible where Jesus wept.

Christmas is about the coming of Jesus, God Son, to earth. But why did he have to become a human? We want to tackle this question as we continue to explore this undercover boss.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

An important way that growth occurs in our life is through spiritual disciplines. As we practice various disciplines that are both personal and interpersonal, we draw closer to God and grow in Christlikeness by the grace of God. It is vital to maintain various disciplines in our life and to begin some new ones!

When we consider how God grows our faith, we may focus on the things God builds into our lives to mature us. If this were the only direction we were looking we would miss a crucial component—what we give out in service. In this message we will look at how God uses our serving others to develop and strengthen our faith.

One catalyst that God uses to grow our faith is the people he puts in our lives. Almost everyone who tells their faith story will relate the impact that someone or a group of people have had in shaping their spiritual life. We want to discover how God uses others in our lives and how he may want to use us.

Strengthening your faith begins with God’s Word. The problem for so many of us is not just that we don’t know enough of the Bible, it’s that we need to know how it affects my life and learning to live it out in daily life.

From the beginning of creation, God has been pursing a relationship with us. From the garden of Eden, to the calling of Abraham, to the building of the tabernacle, and to the coming Jesus, we see the hands of God extended towards mankind. He has accomplished everything to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. Now we must run after God with our whole heart. Join us in the pursuit of God...

Prayer is such a critical component of the Christian life and what we do at Unionville Alliance Church. In this message we will review our prayer ministries and see the beautiful nature and character of God who delights to answer our prayers. Pastor Daniel Mills speaking.

Pastor Derek Burnett speaks about his mission journey and the importance of our answer to the question.

The world is in a state of constant flux. Change has invaded every area of life. How do Christians respond to these changes and how does the church deal with the whirlwind of continuous movement? What is God’s disposition when it comes to change? This message will seek to provide some answers to these issues.

Fulfilling the mission of Jesus presents us as believers with a daunting challenge. Often we conceive of helping people to become followers of Jesus and to help them grow in their spiritual life as beyond our ability. One problem we face is that too often we conceive of this task as being our exclusive responsibility. In this message we will discover that we were never meant to do it alone and how...

While every church has the same mission, to make disciples, no two churches are alike. Each has its own style, passions, gifts and audience. Churches shouldn’t mimic others, but discover how God has uniquely situated them to serve their community. In this message we will discover what makes Unionville Alliance distinctive.

We are called periodically to review where we are going as a church. We need to be clearly committed to fulfilling the mission Christ has entrusted to us. But each generation needs to effectively reach its own. In this message we will reaffirm our mission and begin to unfold a new vision for our church.

We come to the conclusion of our series in the book of Psalms. Whatever happens in our life of ups and downs God has us on a journey with a destination.

Throughout life we will go through amazing experiences and also low times. Depression is a battle that many face at varying degrees. The Psalmist went through a depressing time but sought to encourage himself in God. If we never went through depressing times then we would never know God as the one who encourages and lifts us up. Therefore, we can use our experiences of depression to draw closer to...

We can be pretty casual and imprecise with the superlatives we throw around. "Awesome" can be applied to the most mundane things. In this Psalm we step back to reorient ourselves to recapture the wonder of God and what is truly superlative.

One of the most important emotions that we can express to God is gratitude which is a response to the grace that God pours out on us. Gratitude then should cause us to respond by telling others of God’s love, doing the will of God for our lives, and praising God even in the midst of difficult situations. We can learn all of these things from Psalm 40 as the psalmist expresses his gratitude to God.