Faith Ignited

Following up on our series on forgiveness, how do we communicate when there are problems in our relationship to our spouse?

Today Michael and Aaron discuss what a disciple is and how to become one.

What is our hope in uncertain times? We live in uncertain times constantly, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or helpless. What is God's solution to this Earthly problem? The stories of both Aristides de Sousa Mendes and Mary demonstrate the answer to this question.

Was the virgin conception of Jesus copied from Pagan myths? Or is the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus something much more? Listen to Pastor Aaron and Executive Pastor Michael discuss this topic thoroughly.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven," Jesus' message goes to the heart of human existence and meaning. If we understand the purpose of our lives we would mourn what has been lost and at the same time, give praise for the gift of grace from Jesus Christ.

In our first message on the Beatitudes, we recognize that what Jesus said changed everything. In Matthew 5, Jesus' first beatitude is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven." What does it mean to be "poor in spirit?" How do we live in this great reversal?

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most complex revelations found in scripture.  God has revealed himself in three persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, with one essence.    

Our culture is filled with reasons to be anxious. But we were never created to live that way. Jesus believed that we could master our emotions by surrendering them to him. So what do we do with the anxiety we feel?

Question: Every time I talk to my neighbor about the church we end up in a fight. Can you offer any advice?

Fear is a paralyzing force in our lives. Jesus believed that we could be masters of our emotions by trusting and surrendering to him. Jesus instructed his disciples that their faith could take on the gates of hell and fear itself.

The question we are answering today is, "Is it ok to live together before we get married?" Cohabitation is common in our culture, but is it what is best for us?    

Jesus taught us to call God, Father. This places a big responsibility on earthly fathers because we can either assist our children in understanding who God is by how we model Fatherhood or we can hinder their understanding of who God is by how we fail at this. Today I give this message as a challenge to all dads to rise up to the challenge of being a godly dad.

Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom for sin.  In this episode, we examine the question, why all the talk about his blood.  Couldn't God have made another way to forgive me 

Sanctification is the fifth step in the discipleship journey and it never ends. God is always in the process of Sanctifying us. Sanctifying grace is the grace that transforms our hearts and desires to align with God. God makes us holy and we are declared holy by the blood of Jesus. We are to give God's grace to others that they may experience his power and grace as well.

Without a correct understanding of who God is we cannot truly follow God. If we view God as Santa Clause we will stop following when he doesn't give us what we want. If we view God as a grouchy, angry father will stop following him because we can never make him happy. Jesus is the incarnation of God and helps us understand God as a loving, heavenly, Father.

Discipleship step three is Safe Guarding your Relationship with God, with others, and self. Satan wants to steal your joy, kill your passion and destroy your relationships. We are instructed to guard our hearts.

A listener wanted to know if Jesus taught anything about sexual ethics. She said when she reads the Bible she can't find where Jesus addresses any specific sexual issues. The answer is that Jesus often addressed sexual morality.

Discipleship is Step 1 J We all need Jesus Step 2 E Everything is about Relationships Join us as we discuss how being a disciple of Christ is about having the correct relationship with Jesus and with others.

A Disciple is someone who has a healthy, intimate, passionate, growing relationship with Jesus. The five discipleship steps are: Step 1                  J                            Jesus Step 2                  E                           Everything is relational Step 3                  S                            Safeguards Step 4                  U                           Understanding Step 5                  S                            Sanctification

Have you ever wondered why you are alive? Ever questioned if your life has a purpose? In a culture where a person's value is determined by their likes and number of followers on social media, it should be little wonder we are witnessing an epidemic of depression. In contrast, the Biblical worldview says that culture and society do not define a person, but the Creator God is the source and definitive author of our identity.

Join us for a Q and A session at Faith Ignited. Questions from Divorce, Biblical Trustworthiness and many more

Jesus didn't die and resurrect just to save us from sin. We have been adopted into the family of God as children transformed by grace. The sins of our past and the past of our family do not define us. Learn how to heal and move forward into the grace of the family of God. How does your family of origin impact your discipleship in both healthy and unhealthy ways.

The book of Ruth was written between the time of Judges and the Kingship of Samuel. The book describes a family leaving Israel because of a famine. In a foreign land the main character Ruth, emerges as an unlikely hero. What can we learn from Ruth and the other characters in the story.

We need to stop inviting people to church until after they have received grace from us. We must first help people know Jesus and the power of his love by how we interact with them.

Jesus commanded the disciples, to go make disciples, not invite people to church. If we are going to obediently live into Jesus calling we must change the way we think about making disciples. Our first step should be to meet people where they are and then lead them to Jesus.

This video is an interview with Kevin White. Kevin is a black man who grew up in a white culture. This makes Keven an Oreo, which is the Title of his book "Growing Up White: An Oreo's Guide To Fitting In." Kevin explains many of the challenges unique to Oreo's and biracial individuals. Kevin agrees that Jesus is the only solution to racism and hate.

In our second message on Spiritual and Emotional Health, we ask the important question, "What do we do with our feelings?" Do we allow them to control us, dictate life to us, and govern our actions? Or do we identify them, process them and give them over to God, discerning the warning lights of our soul?

Our culture teaches us two ways to manage emotions 1. Ignore them and be tough. 2. Let them rule your life and guide your every action. God teaches us to master our emotions while not ignoring them. True Disciples of Christ are mature both spiritually and emotionally              

In our last message of the series: How Not To Read The Bible, we ask the question, “Are there contradictions in the Bible?”  The question is of vital importance because if there are contradictions then the Bible must not be the word of God.  If God contradicts himself then he cannot be trusted.  Those who stand in opposition to the reliability of scripture are constantly arguing that the Bible is full of contradictions, but as we will discover, their statement is simply not true. 

Reading and understanding the Bible can be a challange. We put together this quick video to help you get started reading the most important collection of books you will ever hold.

When we choose to follow Jesus, he transforms every part of our lives including how we handles stress and anxiety. Jesus did not save us from sin to have us be emotionally stunted and live in constant worry. Disciples of Christ are called to emotional and spiritual wholeness.

If we are going to understand the Bible we must recognize that Jesus came to save us from our sins. Before we get to Jesus it is important to know why we need saving from sin. Did God create us broken and sinful or did something happen to corrupt humanity and now things are not as they ought to be. If our story has a villain, is he still around and wanting to destroy God's children?

There are many questions that we should have about the reliability of a document over 2000 years old. We want to have healthy skepticism that seeks the truth beyond reasonable doubt. Unhealthy skepticism seeks truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. When we examine the evidence for the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible it more than passes the test.

In our first message on "How Not To Read The Bible," we take a look at the issue of slavery. At one time people misread the Bible and used it to claim that God supported slavery. This is a great example of how not to read the Bible. God is against slavery.

If a girl asked you out and then claimed to be the Queen of England, you should be skeptical. But if you found out that she was indeed the Queen, then that would change everything. Jesus' invitation to follow him sounds crazy unless he really was God.

When God made Adam and Eve, he set them in a garden. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sin messed everything up. It is no surprise or coincident that after Jesus' resurrection the first person to see Jesus, (Mary) mistakes him for the gardener. Jesus is restoring all things.

Easter message from 2021. Jesus conquered sin through his death upon the cross.  By atoning for our sins Jesus made a way for us to reestablish our relationship with God. But if Jesus stayed dead in the tomb there would be no hope.   The resurrection is the event that gives us hope.  Jesus is the person that is our hope. 

When Jesus claimed to be the good shepherd in John 10, he was making a claim to be God.  Against the background of Ezekiel 34 we see the power and fullness of Jesus exclusive and unique statement.  

What humanity wrecks, God restores is a powerful look into the corrupted heart of humankind compared to the power of restoration from God.  In Genesis 11 we see the people of the world repeating the same mistake as Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, they want to be like God.  To accomplish this the people, build a tower but their quest for joy and security apart from God has disastrous consequences.  True joy and security are only found in Jesus Christ.  Good news, what humanity wrecks, God restores.

What are the warning signs when dating the wrong guy or gal? How do I know if I have finally met Mr. or Mrs. Right? In this episode David and Aaron talking Dating to win.

You can't talk about Jesus without talking about the Trinity. The Trinity the term we use to describe how God has revealed himself in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

Aaron and David team up to give us the answer for fixing our broken relationships. Do you know anyone who longs to be needed? Do you know anyone who won't leave a toxic relationship because they want to be needed? You can change your relationships. 

Today, kids face more pressures about their sexuality than ever before.  The questions, doubts and push to conform is staggering even at the young age of six and seven.  Today we talk with licensed counselor Steve Karnum about how to help parents have healthy conversations with their children and sexuality.

In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God separated light and darkness.  The sun is not created until day four.  What is the light that is revealed on day one?  Journey with us to discover one of the most powerful images in scripture and the revelation that Jesus claimed to be The Light.  From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is restoring all things and driving away the darkness. 

 God longs to have us experience so much more in our relationship with Him than we do.  We were not created merely to exist, but to reveal to the world God's glory.  A healthy relationship with God is where we are obedient and following after Jesus.  We call this process of grace transformation, discipleship.  As disciples we reveal God to the world through our entire life, especially when we suffer.  Jesus' calling is to join Him in His suffering.  So take up your cross and follow him. 

Marriage, A Submission Competition Marriage…  The word alone invokes images and feelings depending on your background and experience.  Unfortunately, for many of us the images of marriage that we know have been shaped more by Hollywood than by God.  When the Apostle Paul wrote about Christian marriage in Ephesians 5, he had in mind a biblical union that set as its goal a Submission Competition.  Join us as we take a look at God’s intended plan for Marriage. 

There are behaviors we have that are self-destructive.  Like a Jack-in-the-box we allow our emotions to be wound up until they cause damage to ourselves and others.  How do we become healthy spiritually and emotionally and allow godly behaviors to be present in our life? When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the church of Ephesus, he addressed many of these behaviors in Chapter 5.