Door of Life Christian Church is a non-denominational church located in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Our mission is to share the love of Jesus with the world and believers, to teach them how to walk in victory and to help them find and fulfill God's plan for their life. Door of Life is a warm & welcome ch…
The scripture tells us repeatedly that as believers, we need to be people of honor (Romans 12:10, 1 Peter 2:17, Romans 13:7). What does that mean? - Honor To Whom Honor Is Due.
The Hebrew writer lets us know that there is no longer an offering for sin (Hebrews 10:15-18). Have you ever tried to make an offering for your sin? - No More Sin Offerings.
Jesus told us that the greatest commandment of all time is to simply LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. What does this really mean? - Jesus Centered.
The scripture refers to our fallen human nature as the "flesh". In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul provides a list of what the flesh looks like. We typically recognize the things on the top of the list (adultery, fornication, lewdness) and the bottom of the list (murder, drunkenness, revelries) as flesh. What about the things in the middle of the list (hatred, contention, wrath)? - Confronting The "Middle Flesh".
The Apostle Paul tells the Thessonalian church in no uncertain terms, the will of God. He states (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4), "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor" - Possessing Your Vessel.
This is the day we celebrate what the angel of the Lord declared that glorious Sunday morning, 2000 years ago, "Jesus isn't here! He has risen from the dead!" This is our declaration too! - Jesus Is Alive!
Shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was then greeted by a large crowd of people with palm branches who were shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (John 12:12-19). As we reflect on the events of that first Palm Sunday, it will prepare our hearts for the greatest event of all. - Palm Sunday.
The Apostle Paul said that there are three things that remain...faith, hope, and love. It's these three things that comprise the vision for Door of Life Christian Church. - Our Vision.
When King David failed, he cried out to God for the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51:12). We also read that Jesus was able to endure horrible persecution because of the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:1-3) . Did you know that we also have a joy that is set before us? - The Joy of Your Salvation.
Jesus told His disciples to love their enemies and to do good to those who hate them. This was and still is "The Jesus Way". - Choosing The Jesus Way. .
King Solomon declares in the book of Ecclesiastes, "Vanity. Vanity. All is vanity." He's a man on a quest to find the meaning of life. He has wealth, status, and influence. If anyone can find it, it would be him. Right? - A Quest For The Meaning of Life.
One day as Jesus was fasting, the devil came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread." Jesus replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” Jesus rejected the devil's suggestion because He was under a different authority. - Our Authority.
The Apostle Paul warned Timothy about people who had a "false faith" (1 Timothy 1:5) and commended him for having "genuine faith" (2 Timothy 1:5). What does "genuine faith" look like? - Genuine Faith.
Have you ever been to a huge mall or park and were so glad to find the map? The first thing you look for is the arrow that points to your current location. This arrow has a message attached to it that says, "You Are Here". This is helpful because it gives you a sense of perspective and direction. As we face the complexities of this life, we can take comfort that the Holy Spirit has revealed to us all the different ways that God has blessed us (1 Corinthians 2:7-14). This too gives us that same sense of perspective and direction. - You Are Here.
The scripture states (2 Corinthians 4:16) that even though our bodies are getting older that our inward man is simultaneously being renewed. Our outward man and inward man are on 2 completely different trajectories. - God's Fountain of Youth.
We understand the concept of "accepting change" as it relates to other people's decisions that affect us, or circumstances out of our control, or other external catalysts where some form of change is imposed upon us. However, there's another form of "accepting change" that is voluntary, and very important as it relates to living for God. If we're going to be "changed" by the Word of God (Romans 12:2), then we have to understand the concept of "accepting change" in ourselves. - Accepting Change.
King David cried out to the Lord for mercy. He had sinned and desperately wanted to be clean again. Have you ever asked God to forgive you but still felt dirty after you prayed? It's good to know that God forgives us but we also have a part to play - A Clean Slate.
One day, Jesus was invited into a home for dinner. As Jesus was teaching, a woman named Mary was sitting and listening to Him. Her sister (Martha) was upset that Mary wasn't helping her serve. However, Jesus commended Mary because she had chosen the one thing that was needed. - Choosing The One Thing.
The prophetic scriptures (Micah 5:2, Isaiah 9:6) declared that a Ruler would be born in Bethlehem as a Child. However, this Child would come from an everlasting past and would reign as the Mighty God over an everlasting future - Let Us Adore Him.
Have you ever felt frustrated as you're trying to live for God, wondering why things can't go smoothly? In these times, we can feel intimidated and isolated, like there is something wrong with us. However, we all experience messiness as we learn to walk by faith. Let's take a look at Mary & Joseph's journey. - Christmas Faith.
There's an amazing story in the Old Testament regarding the prophet Elisha. One day the King of Aram sent a great army to capture him. Elisha's servant saw all the troops and was terrified. Elisha then asks the Lord to open the servant's eyes who then sees that they're surrounded with God's chariots of fire to protect them. - Flipping The Script.
The Apostle Paul repeatedly warned believers to not allow themselves to be judged by people who were criticizing them from a worldly perspective (Colossians 2:8) or even from a religious perspective (Colossians 2:16-18). How do we deal with outside criticism in a loving way that doesn't shake our faith? - Am I A Heretic?
Philippians 4:4 states, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" How do we do this? - Rejoice In The Lord Always.
Jesus has given us an amazing promise (Matthew 16:25), that it is possible to "Find Yourself" - Finding Yourself.
The scripture tells us that before we sin there's an inflection point where we need to make a decision (James 1:13-15). It's at this inflection point we can choose God's strength - Psyched Out or Psyched Up.
Jesus said that if we would continue in His word, that we would know the truth in such an intimate way that it would cause us to be free. - A Relationship With Words.
Is there really a devil? Can we resist him? The scripture states (1 Peter 5:8-9), "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." - Spiritual Warfare - Resisting The Devil.
The Apostles Paul (Ephesians 6:12), Peter (1 Peter 5:8), and James (James 4:7) let us know that we are engaged in a very real spiritual warfare. James gives us a great guideline, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." We need to put first things first and submit to God as we prepare to resist the devil - Spiritual Warfare: Preparing For Battle.
The scripture clearly states (Romans 8:18) that the sufferings we're experiencing now cannot even be compared with the future glory that awaits us. However, the scripture does provide several glimpses into this glory. - Glimpses of Glory.
The Apostle Paul provides some specific instructions about praying for our nation (1 Timothy 2:2), "Pray for every political leader and representative, so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts." - Praying For Our Nation.
Have you ever felt spiritually burned out? Maybe you've tried to live for God with all your heart but instead of getting a breakthrough you experience a spiritual burnout. It can be tempting to throw in the towel at times. You need to know that there is GOOD NEWS for you! - How to Un-Burnout.
The Word of God asks us a profound question, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" It's the answer to this question that answers so many other questions in our lives. - If God Is For Us.
A strange thing happened to a guy named Saul on his way to Damascus. He had an encounter with God that ultimately transitioned him to become the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-19) - Transitions of Life.
As believers in Jesus Christ, the Word of God gives us guidance about specific areas that we need to pursue. The Apostle Paul declares (1 Timothy 6:11), "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." Notice the last subject in the list, gentleness. Do we think of gentleness as something important enough to pursue? - The Awesome Power of Gentleness.
Jesus had some powerful parting words for His disciples before going to the cross (John 13-17). In fact, He introduced a new commandment, that they were to love one another in the same way that He had loved them. Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that we haven been COMMANDED to love? - Can Love Be Commanded?
God told the Hebrew children that both life and death were set before them, and that they were to "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). What does it mean to choose life? - Choosing Life.
The Apostle Paul lets us know that a day is coming (1 Corinthians 3:9-15) when we'll all stand before God (as believers) and be judged, not for salvation, but for rewards based on the things we did while here on this Earth. In other words, God has a "Rewards Program". - God's Rewards Program.
The scripture declares (Romans 1:16-17) that those who have been saved by grace through faith, will continue to live out their lives by faith. What does it mean to live by faith? - Facets of Faith.
The moment you became a Christian you were placed into the Body of Christ. You are not alone. You are part of the family of God. As brothers and sisters in Christ we're called to encourage each other as we walk out God's plan! - Friendships In Christ.
The scripture declares repeatedly that in the midst of the chaos in our world that God is the strength of our life. It was true then and it's still true today because our God never changes! - Our Changing World & Our Unchanging God.
Jesus told His disciples that if they would abide in His word that something wonderful would happen (John 8:31-32). Something that transcends all the heated debates over "who's right" and "who's wrong". Jesus said that they would know the truth in a way that would make them FREE! - Who's Right? Who's Wrong? Who's Free?
There has been an argument against the certainty of God's love that has played out in the minds of mankind since the serpent entered the garden. However, as we look into the scriptures, we can know with certainty the powerful argument of God's inseparable love for us (Romans 8:31-39) - The Argument of Love.
The scripture tells us (Romans 7:6) that we no longer serve God in an "oldness of the letter" but rather in a "newness of the Spirit". What does this mean? - Oldness of Letter VS Newness of Spirit.
The Apostle Paul wrote (Romans 7:15-24) that no matter how much he "willed" to do the "right" thing, he still failed to do it. He finally comes to the end of himself and asks the question, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" He then proceeds to answer his own question by stating, "The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death!" - Will Power VS Spirit Power.
The Apostle Paul was greatly used by God in his generation. However, he had to endure much persecution. How was he able to endure all of his trials and stay on message with the Gospel? Paul tells us his secret. - Contentment.
There was an occasion in Jesus ministry where the religious leaders tried to trap Him regarding a case where a woman was caught in the act of adultery. He was given the choice of stoning her according to the law or not stoning her and disregarding the law. Have you ever been in a situation where it seems all your choices are wrong? - Doing The Next Right Thing.
From the time we wake up to the time we start our day there is something in between we call "The Morning Routine". We don't call that process a devotion time. We call it a routine. This message is about the other morning routine - The Morning Routine.
Shortly before Jesus went to the cross, He had a powerful Q & A session with His disciples. The answers that Jesus provided them 2000 years ago are the same answers we need today. - Q & A Session With Jesus.
One day, while the disciples were out in the boat, they saw Jesus walking on the water. Just to be sure, Peter asked Jesus to tell him to come out on the water too. Jesus said, "Come." With amazing faith and obedience, Peter climbs over the side of the boat and actually walks on the water. However, after he felt the wind and saw the waves, he began to sink. Jesus then grabbed him and asked why he doubted. We've all been there where we've started out in faith, and genuinely experienced something supernatural, but are then are distracted by something natural that causes us to let go of our faith. We can learn a lot from Peter about what it means to live for God - Peter's Greatest Hits (And Misses).