As the church seeks to make an impact in the community, we need to keep in mind that we are in a spiritual war. Sometimes we end up wounded and lose these battles because we tend to disregard the importance of a holy life. God STILL cares for the sacred. Today's story is from 1 Samuel 4:1-11, and it shows how Israel was experiencing defeats against their enemy because of their resistance to obey God's command.
God's desire is to bless his children but, what would it take for us to experience his blessings? What are you willing to do in order to see God blessing your life? Even though there is not a formula to become prosperous in life, delighting in God's Word is essential to experience abundance of peace and joy.
God lead those who he loves through circumstances that, at first, are very hard to understand. While he many times allows those challenges and takes us through it, he is also available to us so we can come closer to him and experience his care, love and guidance. Today's message highlights the unconditional love of God and the incomparable gift of his presence to his children in times of need.
For Small Groups to be encouraging, inspiring and disciple-making, we need to learn from Jesus' way of relating to people in different settings. Today's story is from Luke 7:36-50, and in it we find key principles for small groups. A pharisee that challenges everyone in the room, a loving leader, and a broken woman who understood how grace, love and truth work.
Small Groups are intended to be a place to rest, to connect and be part of what God is doing in others. However, we struggle to find small groups inspiring and encouraging because we tend to see them as another program or another thing in our calendar. This message encourages us to think of small groups as a family that is organically learning to love each other beyond the meetings.
Today's message encourages us to learn from the New Testament church in how they interact with their faith. The Book of Acts show us that the church was excited and dedicated to the gospel, meeting throughout the week with a clear purpose. What can we learn from them?
One of the main needs every person has is to connect with others. Small groups provide a community where we all can feel connected, known and be able to know others.
This message includes three short messages on Jesus' birth: The role of the angels, the humility of God, and his love.
How is it that we are supposed to have Joy and sing "Joy to the World" when the world and life is painful? We all would want to have that sense of Joy in our hearts and in order to have that Joy we need to understand that JOY IS FOUND IN THE THINGS THAT WE DEPEND UPON. The Christmas story teaches us that Joy is possible!
The coming of Jesus brings Peace. Sometimes we have the idea that Peace is a passive thing that all of the sudden will come to us. However, Peace won't just happen, Peace must be pursued. How do we experience Peace in all circumstances?