Foothills Church

God’s lovingkindness is oftentimes granted to us through agents of His grace. Scripture: Ruth 2 The post Agents of God’s Lovingkindness appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The book of Ruth takes place in the dark setting of the time of the judges. Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong. What we would expect is that every person would do what is right in their eyes, but what happens is that even in the most difficult times imaginable, an unlikely […] The post Dark Days, Bitter Heart appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Paul brings his first and deeply affirming, encouraging letter to the Thessalonians to a close. He prays that their sanctification, God’s will for them, will be finished and through at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he promises them that their faithful, heavenly Father, the God of peace, will surely do it! In […] The post A Prayer and a Promise for Unfinished People appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

What does it look like to be a family of believers headed to forever together? That’s the question Paul is answering in this text. He’s calling the believers in Thessalonica to walk in a way that pleases God more and more. He’s told them that it’s God’s will for them to be sanctified. And as […] The post How to be the Family of God appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

How do people come to faith in Christ? How do Christians grow in Christ? One thing is central to both – the scriptures. Apart from the scriptures, apart from teaching the Word, disciples cannot be made, and teaching them cannot happen. This text shows us that Paul, Aquilla and Priscilla, and Apollos all rely on […] The post Make Disciples – Teach Them appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Rejection and failure affect all of us at some level. Who likes to share something of importance and deep personal value only to have it rejected, questioned, or mocked? When you’re being authentic and open, you’ve made yourself vulnerable. The least you hope for is a reasonable response. Maybe you’ve faced rejection in the past […] The post Don’t Give Up! appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Maybe your neighbor has this bumper sticker, “Coexist.” That was Athens when the Apostle Paul entered it on his second missionary journey. Athens was like a college town. Philosophy, art, politics, education, commerce, and religion were all part of the experience in the heart of the city, the marketplace. As we look into this passage, […] The post Making Known the Unknown God appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Once again in Acts we see the Apostles proclaiming the gospel. And we see people respond much the same way as we have, some are persuaded and some are jealous and create so much conflict that the Apostolic team has to pivot to another place. But in the midst of these verses, we don’t just […] The post Giving and Receiving the Scriptures appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

This text introduces us to a significant event in the history of the world. Today, people tour the great Cathedrals of Europe. But before there were Cathedrals, a small group of faithful followers of Jesus crossed the sea from Asia to Europe and shared the gospel on the banks of a river in Philippi. When […] The post The Disrupting Affects of the Gospel and the Power of Jesus appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The gospel can be threatened. The Good News of how a person can be saved can be threatened by persecution or obscured by false teaching. False teaching changes the good news, adding to or subtracting from God’s clear message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. Acts 15 is the story of how the […] The post Grace Alone appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

God looked down on the hopelessness of humanity, and He took action by sending forth His Son, for the intended purpose of redeeming His people, with the desired result of adoption and affection. Christian’s are imitators of our Heavenly Father. So when we see the hopelessness of orphans, we take action by caring for them […] The post Divine Adoption appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Today, “missions” has become any work a local church does outside of its community to improve the lives of people living in other places. But in Acts 13-14, the clear work of missions is the proclamation of the gospel. In these two chapters we see Paul and Barnabas proclaim the gospel and persevere by the […] The post Missions – The Work of the Spirit, Part 2 appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

We were privileged to hear from Pastor Bryan Catherman who is the pastor at Redeeming Life Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, as he talks about being Ambassadors for Christ, referencing 2 Corinthians 5:16. Listen to what he had to say about this topic. The post Ambassadors for Christ appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

When a Christian shares the gospel with someone, we typically call that “evangelism.” People who are not Christians typically call that “proselytizing,” and it usually has a negative connotation. Christian missions is seen by many as a negative thing as well. “Why not do your clinics and water projects, but keep Jesus out of it? […] The post Missions – The Work of the Spirit, Part 1 appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Acts 12 is like a door that closes the first half of the book, focused on the Apostle Peter and the gospel going to the Jews, and opening to the second half of the book, focused on the Apostle Paul and the gospel going to the Gentiles. Acts 12 shows us how once again, conflict […] The post Tale of Two Kings appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

God is a good Father who answers persistent prayer. In this passage, Jesus teaches us how to pray and the daily petitions we should bring before God. We see God juxtaposed with an unwilling neighbor and earthly fathers, both of whom are willing to meet needs, but how much more is God able and willing […] The post Persistent Prayer appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

700 years before the birth of Jesus, God promised to restore justice to the world and bring healing to the nations. He would do that through His Servant in Isaiah 42. When you look at the world, it’s apparent the world needs saving, people need a Savior, and God sent His servant into the world […] The post The Promised Servant appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Isaiah gives hope to God’s people by describing a Glorious King who would usher in a Kingdom that would provide a glorious rest. Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10 The post The Glorious King appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The people to whom Isaiah speaks, the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel, have turned their backs to God. They remain spiritual people, but they no longer seek God’s will from His word, they trust in other sources, to the extent that they ask mediums to “speak to the dead about the living.” They […] The post The Promised Son appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Christmas is proof that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. This is the first message in a series of four for Christmas as we study some of the promises God made and kept about the coming and work of Jesus from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 7-12 is one unit of thought, […] The post The Promised Sign appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

At it’s best, a model is a pattern of something to be made, a design to be followed. You use a model when you want to sew a dress, construct a freeway, or build a new car. So, before you can put on that first tire, or move any earth, or cut that first length […] The post A Model Missionary Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

This text is about how the gospel penetrates a new people – the Gentiles. It shows us the conversion of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion and his household. But it also shows us the conversion of Peter, the Apostle, and the Church. First, God converts Peter through a vision that His grace is enough for everyone. […] The post Grace Enough for Everyone appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Most commentators say that Peter and Paul are the two most pivotal people in the book. This passage, Acts 9:1-31, is the story of Saul’s (soon to be known as Paul) conversion. His lust for stamping out Christianity has him pursuing the Christians outside of Jerusalem. But on his way to Damascus, he’s confronted by […] The post God Can Save Anyone appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

God is working in your life, in the foreground and background, to bring about His will for you. Scripture: Acts 8:26-40 The post Philip and the Ethiopian appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

At this point in Acts, the church has experienced significant growth. Thousands of people have come to faith. At the same time, the Apostles have faced significant trouble: arrests, imprisonment, questioned before the authorities, threatened, and beaten. Chapters 6-8 begin a transition of people and places. The ministry of the gospel begins to spread through […] The post Scattered with the Gospel for the Joy of the City appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Jesus promised His disciples that we would be hated as He was hated. We would be mocked, misrepresented, shamed, even killed for following Him. The persecution of Christians began within days of the birth of the church, and it will continue until Jesus comes. In this text, we read about the first Christian martyr, Stephen. […] The post The Seed of a Faithful Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Acts is an amazing history of how God unleashed the gospel into the world through the church. Yale historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette notes, “Never in so short a time has any other religious faith, or for that matter, any other set of ideas, religious, political, or economic, ever achieved so commanding a position in such […] The post Growing Pains appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

In Acts 4-7, the Christians face a lot of opposition. This passage shows us how they handled that opposition, the threat of death, and a beating with heroic courage. At the same time, God proves that He is not going to let anything or anyone get in the way of the Gospel going out. He […] The post Opposition and Blessing in God’s Providence appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish the Church would just get back to the way it was in the book of Acts!” If you have, you may be speaking with someone who’s never read the text for this sermon. There are two stories in this text. One is a picture of radical, gospel […] The post Generosity and Hypocrisy in the Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

If you have shared the gospel or your story of faith with many people, then you’ve run into “trouble.” Some people are antagonistic, others can be apathetic, and a few might be accepting. It seems, however, that the negative response far outweighs the positive. This is not new. Jesus faced trouble, He taught His followers […] The post Boldness In Trouble appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

After months of searching for the will of God, the church has now affirmed Brian McCoy as the new Lead Elder of Foothills Baptist Church. This is the installation service instating Brian into this new position. What are the responsibilities that accompany the office of lead elder? What priorities should he establish to serve well […] The post Lead Elder Installation Service appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Acts 3 is an example of the “signs and wonders” being done at the hands of the Apostles Luke refers to in Acts 2:43. Peter and John, going to the temple see a lame man they likely have seen many times before, but this time it’s different. Peter speaks in Jesus name and the man […] The post Who Is Jesus? appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

If we were to ask 100 active Christians about their motivations for joining a specific church, we would get a wide variety of answers. Some join for the youth program, others for the music, some join for the convenient location, and others because a friend invited them. The are many reasons why people make that […] The post The Marks of a Healthy Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Everyone experiences defining moments, times that change the trajectory of your life. The most important is the moment of your salvation! However, other defining moments may include going to college, marriage, the birth of a child, retirement, and others. One of the most crucial and life-changing moments in the life of the Church is recorded […] The post The Promise of the Holy Spirit appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

“How can I know God’s will?” That is a question that we ask many times in life. What is God’s will concerning where to go to college or work? How can I know where to go to church or what house to buy? Should I do this or does God want me to do that? […] The post How to Discern God’s Will appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Acts is the story of the Gospel unleashed by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the people of God to the world. And Jesus teaches us that He means for that story to be continued through us. But many Christians find witnessing awkward at best, and unthinkable at worst. Perhaps that’s because we’re “giving […] The post Spirit-Empowered Witnesses appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Before a parent would die for their child, they die to self. Love is not first found in the big outward acts of dying for another person, but inwardly dying to self. Love, as demonstrated by Jesus in washing His disciple’s feet, is laying aside status and forsaking entitlement to pursue the holiness of another […] The post Unacceptable Love Part 2 appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Jesus calls His people to love one another with a supernatural love, so much so as to joyfully participate in one another’s pursuit of holiness. Scripture: John 1:1-17 The post Unacceptable Love Part 1 appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

David was the king of Israel. There were only three men who could make that claim and none greater than David. Among his accomplishments was the establishment of the City of Jerusalem and make it the capital of the country. Sixty-six chapters of the Bible are devoted to him, more than any other Bible character. […] The post The King David appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The temptation to compromise our faith is enormous. Television commercials often reveal a homosexual agenda. The news carries stories about the “narrow mindedness” of Christians. Educators belittle Christian faith and values. And society, in general, is decaying into the moral abyss. What impact is this having on you? Before you say that it has not […] The post The Prophet Daniel appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Achan is a biblical character that made headlines for all the wrong reasons. He made a terrible decision in the city of Jericho, and the impact of that decision reverberated not only through his family but also the Israelite people. Finally, after years of wandering through the desert, the Israelites have crossed over the Jordan […] The post The Thief Achan appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Esther is a compelling and beautifully told story in the Bible. At the same time, it’s a bit obscure for some people. The story is told with many coincidences and reversals. Perhaps most impactful is that God is not mentioned anywhere in the book. However, just because He seems to be hidden, doesn’t mean He’s […] The post Esther the Queen appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Today we come to one of the most dramatic and most well-known events in the O.T. To understand Abraham, we must understand this passage. It is a one-of-a-kind story that portrays the greatest story ever told. Abraham would offer Isaac by faith and in doing so, gives us a good look at what would happen […] The post The Patriarch Abraham Part Two appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Abraham is a larger than life figure in both the Old and New Testaments. He is also called the father of our faith. What was it that made Abraham so special? Was he perfect? Far from it. Abraham had an unmistakable quality; most of the time, he trusted God even with the hard events of […] The post The Patriarch Abraham appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

What does it mean to serve God successfully? Can good come from insecurity? What is better than success? Is affluence always bad? Isaiah answered all of these questions and many more. Why is the Book of Isaiah considered by many as the best and most important of the Old Testament? His book is quoted more […] The post The Prophet Isaiah appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The most significant problem of both the Old and New Testaments is idolatry. And for that matter, the greatest problem that we face is also idolatry. Elijah was a man called by God to confront idolatry in the most convincing way. It is a story like none other. But Elijah shows us that even God’s […] The post The Prophet Elijah appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

What is it that the church has to say? We believe the message of the church is the Gospel. Paul refers to it as “the gospel of God,” “the gospel of His son,” and also “the word of the cross.” Christians are gospel people. We believe that the gospel is the message that saved us. […] The post The Message of the Church – The Gospel appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

The idea of church membership is fading. Many churches are doing away with it altogether. Many people see it as nothing more than a bureaucratic tool for keeping track of people’s attendance and giving. In our culture spirituality has become an individual rather than community pursuit. And even “churched people” often attend more than one […] The post Membership in the Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Worship is the proper response we to make to God as He comes to us clothed in His promises throughout the biblical narrative and covenantal promises, all of which culminate in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian worship, then, is Christ-centered. It is love inspired reverence, honor and glory for the One who is […] The post Worship in the Church appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

Jesus told us to be sure we included two “ordinances.” An ordinance is simply something that Jesus ordered His Church to do, on an ongoing basis, as central acts of worship. These two ordinances are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The origin of the Lord’s Supper stretches back about 1400 years before Jesus was born. […] The post The Lord’s Supper appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.

One hazard that we share as believers is that repetition can create inattention. We become so familiar with something that it loses its meaning. There are no biblical truths that we can afford to overlook. That is particularly true when it comes to worship. Chaucer once wrote that “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Having extensive knowledge of […] The post The Essential Nature of Baptism appeared first on Foothills Baptist Church.