The Local Church

In just the first few verses of Colossians, Paul reminds the church of the "already, but not yet" reality that we are God's, already declared holy, but not yet seeing its fruition. He also outlines three key anchor points of the Christian life: faith, love, and hope. Which do you need to grow in your life?

Ephesians urges the people of the church to “bear with one another in love” because the thing is, relationships are hard and people can be annoying! Examining the original translation of the text gives us a rich understanding of what it looks like for us - and for God - to truly bear with people in love, even when it's difficult.

June 11, 2023

We're constantly trying to prove that we're no longer children - we're self-sufficient. But the stance of being children dependent on God is integral to our relationship with Him. 1 John outlines four key characteristics of being God's children: we're lavishly loved, majorly misunderstood, future focused, and presently purifying. Are these characteristics of your life today?

Whether you're a parent or not, you have family relationships of some type. We're often committed to pouring our time and energy into these, but is it with the goal of helping our families form their view of God? Deuteronomy 6:5-9 demonstrates that the ordinary, everyday moments of life can point our families back to the Father.

Culture can often make it seem like being single is a curse or an unnatural way of being, but scripture tells us that it is a valid and valuable calling! Guest speaker Pieter Valk dove into vocational singleness: a lifetime calling to singleness for the sake of kingdom work with undivided attention.

No matter what your romantic "relationship status" is, there is something to gain from learning about the purpose of marriage. Pastor Toran is joined by local Christian counselor, Mario, to discuss the psychology and theology behind scripture's instructions to husbands and wives. They explore selfishness, submission, the definition of love, and why tension can be a good thing in our...

May 7, 2023

t TLC we want everyone to have an owner's versus renter's mentality in their involvement as they step into roles and responsibilities to serve our church. A part of how we invest as owners is through our financial giving. In order to do this we need to look at where our treasure is because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). When we give our money we get t...

We believe that the church is stronger, better and more beautiful when we are different. When two or more different things come together, there can be unity! This value was not created bc of some cultural trend. It was created because of our discipleship to Jesus; He is passionate about it, and so we are as well. 

When we look at TLC's value Healthy Things Grow, the focus is really on the word "health". John 15:1-8 gives us a way to visualize how regular connection with Jesus is what grows healthy fruit in our lives. 

When Jesus was crucified and buried, many of His followers felt empty and lost. We, too, feel this emptiness and try to fill it with things of this world. But the reality is that Jesus is the only one who can fill the void. He never forces himself into a life - but once He's invited, Jesus turns into the host. So will you go through life with an empty YOU, or believing in the empty TOMB?

Looking at the story of Palm Sunday reminds us of three truths about Jesus: He is humble; He is King; and He is the victor. We meditate on these truths as we enter Holy Week to remind us that while we live in a broken "Good Friday" world, we ARE victorious "Easter" people.

A foundational value at TLC is Awe & Wonder. We believe that when we gather together as a church, the power and presence of Christ is uniquely present. When we're in the assembly, we experience awe and wonder.

TLC believes that our response to the weak and vulnerable is our response to Jesus. Our acts of justice and mercy as a church are the outflow of a heart that has been redeemed, restored, and rejuvenated by Jesus. This belief is what shaped our value "Would She Weep?".

You have an individual calling, and our church has a calling. As we develop disciples, multiply churches, and extend the reach of the gospel, we see our value "We Create the Future" coming to life.

The Bible is our guide, but it can be hard to know how to engage with it. A good method is to envision yourself sitting down with God and going through a cycle: read, reflect, respond, review. Visit our website Teaching Archive to download the worksheet referenced.

Can the Bible be trusted? It's an oral history, coped over 3,500 years, in multiple languages, and in multiple cultures. As we dig into this, we see that the Bible is, in fact, one of the most trustworthy ancient texts available today.

The Christian Canon is made up of 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. But where did it come from and how was it decided on?

Have you ever asked - or been asked - “Do you really believe this?” about the Bible? As Christians strive to answer this question, we need to first understand what the Bible is and its intention. It's not about us; it's all about Jesus.

The prophetic calling recorded in Jeremiah 1 reminds us that everyone is designed with intention by God, is known intimately by Him, and has been set apart for a purpose.

Today we often see the words of Jeremiah 29:11 on coffee mugs and journals. But they were originally meant as an encouragement for the Jewish people who God disciplined by sending into exile in a wildly different culture. This short verse reminded them - and us - that He meets us even when we're in a hard place, and His intention is for us to prosper.

Jeremiah is in prison, the Babylonians are invading Jerusalem, and all hope seems lost. This is the setting of Jeremiah 32:1-15. Even then, Jeremiah does something unexpected: he buys a field in the land occupied by the enemy. This prophetic act of hope declares God's presence in the midst of chaos, and His promises for the future. That’s the same hope that God wants to speak into our lives today.

Our faithfulness to God can be compared to the kind of faithfulness required in the high and low seasons of marriage. In Jeremiah 7:1-15, Jeremiah gave a sermon challenging the Israelite people about their faithfulness to God beyond the temple gatherings, similarly to the faithfulness needed beyond the wedding day to the actual marriage. We can come with this same mindset of faithfulness on a Sund...

Few people lived life with God and for God better than the prophet Jeremiah. This life did not come easily for him though. There were plenty of times when Jeremiah was frustrated and angry at the hardship that he faced. He complained to God in Jeremiah 12:1-5 and God responded....” if you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?” The question was an...