The Harbor

We know that as followers of Jesus, we are to be sharing the Gospel. But how do we begin? In this message, Pastor Jeff Maness begins with the first letter of the acrostic B.L.E.S.S., "Evangelism Begins with Prayer". Jeff explains not only what to pray and whom to pray for, but what prayer can do as he answers the Big Question, "In evangelism, how can prayer change me?" Referenc...

What do you think of when you hear the word evangelism? Some might think of going door to door, telling people about Jesus. Others might envision the street corner preacher, yelling through the megaphone, or secretly placing a Gospel pamphlet in a public place. The word itself causes anxiety in some and excitement for others. But what if we told you that evangelism is much simpler and more practic...

A good playlist of your favorite music is a helpful tool to have. A good playlist motivates, elevates, and encourages. When you don't feel like working out, it gets you moving. When you are working, it keeps you focused. But a playlist must be prearranged, so when you go into a situation, it's ready to go. And just like a playlist of your favorite music is a great tool to have, you need...

How do we know we are living in Christ? How do we show that we truly love Him? According to 1 John 2:5-6, it is by obeying God's word as Jesus did. Obedience is a daily choice that may require risk and sacrifice, but gets easier the more we connect with Jesus. Learn more in this message by Lead Pastor Dana Aaronson as he double dog dares us to choose to live our lives as Jesus did, in obedien...

We all go through times in life when we just can't seem to climb out of the pit. It may be a pit of depression, or of grief, anger, or bad habits. Many times we are in the pit because life has overwhelmed us. Watch this message by Pastor David Miller to find the best way to get out of your desolate pit. (Hint: It's not by trying harder!) David's notes are here: https://notes.subspla...

What does it mean to be asleep spiritually? In Ephesians 5, Paul gives a warning with a promise to his fellow Christ-followers not to be asleep, but to “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Some are asleep and don't even realize it. This could lead to dangerous consequences for themselves and those around them, definitely impeding their walk with Christ. A...

A memorial is something that keeps remembrance alive. Praise is a memorial. As much as it is us telling God how much we love Him, it also builds our faith by reminding us of all the things God has done, all the times He's been there for us. As we praise God, we can experience His power to keep our focus on Him and not on our problems. In praising, His power can set us free! And as we praise G...

Everyone has doubts about Jesus from time to time. Even His cousin, John the Baptist, the one who devoted his life to preparing the way for the Messiah, had doubts. And yet even though John doubted Jesus said, “of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist." But what do we do with our doubts? How do we handle them well? In this message, Pastor Jeff Maness gives us three th...

Doubts themselves aren’t wrong, but they can easily lead us astray. Doubting God can lead us to distrust Him, to disobeying Him, and to our destruction. But if we examine those areas in our lives, our doubts can finally lead us to full dependence on God.  As you listen to this message, pray and ask these questions: Distrust – “What areas of my life am I struggling to trust You the most?” Disobedie...

Baptism is a public expression of the inward work that Christ has done in our hearts. But it represents much more than that. Listen to this message, "What Does Baptism Represent?" to learn what baptism is all about. Jeff's notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=3a_VL0puqz ________________________________________________________________ Like and subscribe so you don&apo...

One question that many ask is, "If God is real, especially if He’s loving, why would He allow so much evil, pain, and suffering?" This may be the most common question and most common critique of the Christian faith. It is such a relevant question in life and one that Senior Pastor Jeff Maness has an answer to in his message, "Evil, Pain, & Suffering". Jeff's notes are...

As Christians we look to the Bible for answers. But how can we know that the Bible is trustworthy? In this message, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness shows why there is abundant evidence that we can fully trust the Bible. Jeff's notes are here: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=U4GJO6kI1 Unfortunately, in the 35 minutes we have for this message, we can only scratch the surface of this sub...

How can you believe in God when you can’t prove He exists? That is the Big Question in this second message of Doubters Welcome. Senior Pastor Jeff Maness challenges us to ask if there is any evidence of God or not, and if so, where does it lead? Jeff's notes are here: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=MA1erR4kQ The messages in this series are about deep subjects and the short 30-3...

Everyone deals with doubt. Even the most faithful followers of Jesus experience doubt at some point in their life. How can Jesus be the only way to Heaven? What if the Bible can’t be trusted? Why is there so much evil, pain, and suffering in the world? Can you really prove God exists? Those are legitimate questions that have haunted humans for centuries and still haunt many of us today. So, the qu...

At the end of the Lord's Prayer Jesus says to pray, "And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one." Some translations add, "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13) In this last message from the Pray Like This series, Pastor Jeff Maness shows us that God’s power is available and accessible for those who be...

As we continue our study of The Lord's Prayer, we come to the verse that asks us to check our hearts, Matthew 6:12, "and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Living in relationship with God requires that we forgive those who have hurt us, but forgiveness is not always easy, especially if that person hurt us in a very deep way. It may give us a sort of comfor...

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus told us to ask the Father to, "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11) Just as in Exodus 16:15b-20 when God provided manna for the Israelites each day, just enough for that day, we are to trust God to give us what we need each day. But we don't seek God because of what He can give us. If we did, we would miss so much! In this message, Worsh...

God does not want His children to go through suffering, but because of the broken world in which we live, we will likely all experience suffering of some kind at one point or another. What is important is how we respond to God's will for our lives, even when it involves potential suffering. Pastor Jeff Maness teaches us to look to Jesus' suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 2...

In the Lord's Prayer we pray, "May your Kingdom come soon." What does this mean? Nineteenth century theologian Albert Barnes says in his commentary of Matthew, "The word 'kingdom' here means 'reign.' The petition is the expression of a wish that God may 'reign' everywhere; that his laws may be obeyed; and especially that the gospel of Christ may be...

When we follow the model prayer that Jesus gave us, we find that our prayers to God are fueled by our praises of God. Watch this message, "Praise in Our Prayer", to see how we can fuel our prayers by praising God for who He is, what He's done, and what He's going to do! Pastor Jeff's note are here: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=GvXeM2F539 Christian Copyrigh...

The Lord's Prayer was not presented by Jesus as a mandate for how we should pray but as a model of what our prayers should look like. It's not a prescription to get what we want from God, but principles to grow our relationship with Him. The Lord's prayer is much more about WHO we are praying to than what we are praying for. Ultimately, the Lord's Prayer should stand out to all...

We all have weaknesses. They may be something we have a hard time saying no to, a chronic illness or deformity, how we feel about the way we look, or something else, but it's always something that embarrasses us and causes us to not be able to live the life we desire. We don't like to talk about our weaknesses. The truth is we all want to be known for our strengths. We will do anything a...

Grace is the unmerited gift of God’s favor and kindness, extended to us, through Jesus, for our forgiveness and salvation. But God’s grace does more than save us. It is meant to sustain us as well. In this last message of our series, 23, Pastor Jeff Maness focuses on Psalm 23:5-6 to show us four ways that God's grace sustains us to give us the full and abundant life He desires for all who fol...

All of us either have walked through the valley, are walking through the valley, or will walk through the valley. Sometimes, it’s a valley of our own doing; sometimes it's a valley caused by circumstances around us. But in the valley, Jesus wants to be our guard. In this message we look at what He does to guard us in the valley, even though sometimes it may feel like He wasn't guarding u...

Did you know that God wants us to rest and be restored and not harried and hurried? There are many, many places in God's word that show His desire is just that. As our Shepherd, He wants to take care of us not only spiritually, but also mentally, emotionally, and physically. But there always seems to be something keeping us from allowing ourselves to be rested and restored.  In this message,...