The Local Church

God's word tells us that despair is simply a gateway to joy. If you want to grow in Christ, you must first sink to the solid ground of self-despair. To the degree that we minimize the evil within, we lower the ceiling on how deeply we can grow. 

In order to grow Deeper in our relationship with Jesus, and become more mature disciples of Him, we need to understand His nature and what Jesus truly wants for and from us. Jesus is bigger than you can imagine, and Jesus is closer than you dare believe. He is more committed to your growth in Him than you are.

Paul ends his letter to the Colossians with some acknowledgements. These acknowledgements tell us that not only should the church be made up a wide and diverse group of individuals, but that people are imperfect and in need of God's grace. God is not looking for perfection, but faithfulness.

When we read and reflect on scripture, we can come across components of it that do not sit well with us. To us and the culture we find ourselves in, these parts of scripture can taste "off" and wrong to us. It's important that we understand the context on which scripture is written so that we can comprehend and appreciate what the author is really saying about us, God, and our relati...

Like Eustace & Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, God wants to rip off our old clothes and dress us in new clothes. All of this starts with us dropping our fig leaves at the feet of the King who rescues us back into relationship: our God who is our father, and we his beloved children.

In Colossians 3:5-11, Paul reminds us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the salvation that Christ has given us. When we consciously and continually choose sin instead of God, we become less and less human. Because we are alive in Christ, we must seek to be more like Him. Because we died with Christ, we cannot wear the clothes of the new creation if we are still wearing the clothes of the...

In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul reminds us that we cannot earn our way into Heaven. Many highly religious people will argue that obeying man-made laws is necessary for salvation, but Paul says that's not the case. Strict discipline and adherence to rules can represent an increasing reliance on the self, which will always fall short in comparison to resting in Jesus' finished work.

It's easy to be deceived by the world and convinced that we can decide for ourselves what is good and evil. But in Colossians 2:6-15, Paul reminds the church that Christ is sovereign. We can joyfully leave behind our old selves that struggle for control and trust in Him above all.

According to Colossians 1:24-2:5, Christ is in us and He is the hope of glory. If we truly believe this, it changes  everything : we have the responsibility and privilege to share it.

A perfect gift awakens a response that realizes the value of the gift and brings transformation. In Colossians 1:21-23, Paul explains that Jesus's physical death offers the gift of rescue and reconciliation. Our continued faith and choice to make Him our foundation bring about the fullness of life that God wants for us.

Viewing the poem in Colossians 1:15-20 as the beautiful, full truth about Jesus, we can take away four powerful applications about: where we find fullness of life,  the "threats" of this world,  Christ's capability to sustain us, and how vital connection to the church body is.

Are you intentional about becoming something wonderful, or are you ambivalent? An outline of the Colossians 1:9-14's "ask" and outcomes helps us understand the power of setting intentions targets and praying for certain characteristics in our lives.

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.