The Church Next Door - AZ

A beautiful Fall day. A horse trough in a truck bed. And two women: Jennifer (brunette) and Brenda (blonde) who recently accepted Jesus proclaiming their love for Him through baptism. See pics below and click on the audio to hear how God saved Jennifer.  

This message was originally preached on a morning when we celebrated with God as 2 women who recently trusted Jesus to save them proclaimed their love for him through baptism. Psalm 40 tells a story that’s been repeated in millions if not billions of lives: We cry out to God in trust. He answers by saving us. Then we respond by praising…

Few things are as important to the growth of a Jesus follower than the Bible. Check out this message to learn some of the tools Paul used when he shared it. And learn what it looks like to receive it the way God wants you to.  Consider this your invitation to a more effective witness in the world and a deeper conversation…

Is it possible to live with love, confidence, and peace even during difficult trials? “Yes. IF you turn to Jesus” is the answer Paul gave in his letter to the Philippians. Ironically (or supernaturally) he was in chains when he wrote to them about how Jesus is the source of our love, our confidence, and our peace. In a nutshell, Jesus was…

Whether it’s a friendship, your rights, or your plans, letting go is hard to do. The good news is when we let go of something for God, we can trust Him completely. Check out this message to see how Paul and his missionary team learned to let go and what it means for us today. 08/25/13

Patrick Henry’s famous quote was the heartbeat of our nations’ founders. Freedom is worth everything. It is true politically. It’s also true spiritually.  How you respond when you come face to face with your sin will determine if you are free or not. Will you DENY your sin? Will you TRY to be made right on your own? Or will you RELY…

When you think of important meetings, what comes to mind? The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776? Lee’s surrender to Grant at the Appomatox Courthouse which ended the civil war? In A.D. 49, Paul and Barnabas traveled 300 miles to Jerusalem for a meeting that would decide the fate of Christianity: Would it be a small sect of Judaism or…

It’s always good to get an orientation when you start something new. As we follow Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, we learn four things for when we go out on mission today: Count on Division, Count on the Message of God’s Goodness, Count on Other Believers, and Count on God to open the door of faith. 07/28/13

In the movie, The Neverending Story, Bastion was startled to realize that he was not only reading the book, he was a part of it. The same is true for us when it comes to God’s Neverending Story: The story of saving lost sinners and bringing them into relationship with himself. God’s story is not just dusty history or distant future. It…

As Paul set out on his first missionary journey, we can learn about our mission today. Check out this message to see how he and Barnabas were sent by a local church, how they came face to face with the enemy of the mission, and how God’s power won the battle. Don’t go it alone. Expect opposition. Trust in a God who…

Mission comes with friction: attack from the enemy, struggles with temptation, even disagreements in the church.  In the face of this friction, encouragement is the oil that keeps the mission running. Check out how Barnabas encouraged the early church and what you and I can learn about being encouragers today. Are you an encourager? Who’s encouraging you? 06/08/13

In the early church, the Jewish Christians needed a reminder that the Savior didn’t only come to save them, but the Gentiles as well. Does the church today need a reminder that Jesus is not only for us? He came to seek and save the lost.  Are we hoarding Him? Or are we sharing? (recording cut off early…sorry for the inconvenience) 05/25/13

Going out to serve in the name of Jesus? Check out these 4 “P’s” to keep in mind: Purpose, Partner, Posture and Prayer. Originally created for 40 teams from 6 churches that served on the 2013 Day of Service in Prescott, Arizona, this 15 minute “Before you Go” talk will help any time you serve. 05/18/13

Check out what happened when our Missionary God orchestrated visions, angels, and the voice of the Holy Spirit, Peter and the good news about Jesus to bring Cornelius into a relationship with Him: A momentous event which opened the door for the good news to go to all Gentiles. Then be blown away by the fact that He’s still making these connections…

How do you get a healthy green lawn?  Don’t just pick and spray the weeds. Fertilize, feed, and water the grass so it thrives. The thicker the grass, the less room for weeds. The same is true in our spiritual lives.  We must remove sins, but we can’t stop there. We need to feed and cultivate our relationship with God so it…

Peter traveled here and there, going wherever God led: like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind of the Spirit. As he went, God did the supernatural through him and many believed in Jesus.  If you follow the Spirit’s lead in your own life, what kind of adventures will you roll into? 04/13/13

Useless preaching. Futile Faith. Christians enslaved by sin. Dead believers lost forever. Live however you want, because it all ends in the grave anyway.  That’s the nightmare of life without the Resurrection.  Thankfully, Paul shakes us awake and reminds us that our faith is based on the reality of a Savior who died for our sins, rose again, and appeared to many:…

Too often we treat Christ’s death and resurrection like an exhibit at a museum. We come check it out once a year. Maybe we even shed a few tears. But then we move on with “life as normal”, seemingly disconnected from what we just looked at. But what happened that week in Jerusalem is not some dusty artifact. Check out this message…

Acts chapter 8 gives us a real-life example of two men who answered that question very differently from each other. As we look at Philip and Simon the Magician, ask God to show you what your life reveals about your own answer. 02/23/13

A.W. Tozer said what a person thinks about God is the most important thing about them. How’s your view of God? The story of Stephen shows us some bad news and some good news. Bad news first:  A small view of God will cause you to miss out on some of what he wants to do in your life. The good news?…

Our journey through this world is filled with hope and danger. Psalm 121 is a traveling song sung in Israel as God’s people made the risky journey to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate with God and his people. Like them, we will find strength for our own journey if we look to God, rest in Him, and trust that his good…

Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Satan attacks individuals and churches. Disagreements, discouragement and depression can lead us to desperation. But don’t give up!  Often the deepest darkness comes just before God makes a significant breakthrough. 1/26/13

If you had to pick three things that characterized the early church, what would you say? (Hint: The answer is not Cozy, Convenient, and Comfortable.) They went public with their faith. They spoke the words of life. And they made a decision about Jesus that radically shaped the way they lived. Check out this message for more. 1/12/13

Ananias and his wife Sapphira left us a clear and tragic reminder: When we give and serve, God cares more about the inward reality than  outward appearances. What do you care more about? The reality God knows or what others see? Maybe if we found our significance in the truth that God loved us so much He sent His only Son ,…

Until Acts 3, the early church enjoyed relative peace. Then Peter and John went and healed a crippled man. They were jailed and told to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. When they were released, they told the other Jesus followers what had happened. What do you think they did? Did they hold a protest in the town square? Seek to…