Freedom Point Church's Weekly Sermon

This morning Pastor Mike returns with the continuation of the series of the study Revelation. The format today is more like a bible study, so there might be some Q&A as we go along.Covering chapters 6-18, we’ve got a lot to dive in to!Israel was a ‘nation’ of people in that it was a people group with heritage and culture, even though they’ve not had a physical land for thousands of years! That’s astonishing! Historically, any people group that doesn’t have an established piece of land that is theirs doesn’t survive past 100 years. Here, the nation of Israel was scattered throughout the other nations of the world, but they remained a people for 2000 years! Israel is at the center of God’s plan for the end of times.The tribulation is God’s final plea for humanity to repent.The tribulation is described as a 7 year period where lots and lots of things happen. We get the numeration from Daniel 9, where he refers to 70 weeks of years, which translates to 7 years total. In the book of Revelation however, the time frame is 3.5 years.The period of time we’re in now is called the age of the Gentiles, and it will be followed by the time of Jacobs trouble. Halfway thru that last ‘week’ of the time of the Gentiles, Revelation tells us that the Antichrist will break his peace covenant with Israel!The tribulation is about the judgment of sin and evil. God’a plan isn’t to destroy people, but to bring righteous judgment to the forefront so that people can see the wickedness of their ways and repent.Revelation 6:16-17 is God’s wrath being poured out. His wrath is pure- when we think of wrath we always tie it to anger, unchecked raged, selfishness and punishment. Gods wrath is holy, and burns against the things that hinder love.Revelation 12:12 is satan’s wrath being poured out. He has access to God’s ear, as he accuses the saints day and night. But we have Jesus who lives forever to make intercession for us! The devil knows his time is short, so he directs his anger towards Israel and God’s creation!In Revelation there are 3 sets of 7 judgments - the seal judgments, the trumpets, and the bowl judgments.The seal judgments include the 4 horseman of the apocalypse, Martyrs, and natural disasters.In chapter 12, we’re introduced to the woman with child, and the dragon. The woman is Israel, the child is Jesus Christ, and the dragon is satan. This is a story within the story that shows what’s happened up until the point in history that John was shown.In Revelation 7, we read about the 144,000 that are sealed from the sons of Israel. This group of people is protected by God’ power so that they can’t be harmed by satan’s wrath.Also in Revelation 7, we see the great multitude. They are the people that come to faith in Christ during the Tribulation. They come to faith during the time of increasing martyrdom and terror! In Revelation 17 we see a woman riding in a beast covered in writings and abominations, jewels and fine linens. The woman represents the false religious system, and the beast she rides on represents the Antichrist system. This is In Revelation 13 we see the first beast - the Antichrist is revealed. This is an actual person that will nations will come under and be fiercely loyal to, and he will have almost complete control over the world. He will do miraculous things and people will think he is a god. Daniel, in chap 7, calls him a king with a fierce face. Paul talks about him in 2 Thessalonians.And then we see the second beast - the false prophet. He causes everyone and anyone in the world to worship and believe the Antichrist and his rule.And then we see the image of the beast - the false prophet is allowed to give breath to this monument-like structure! This ‘living’ image then causes those that won’t worship the Antichrist, false prophet, and the spirit of the Antichrist to be slain!It’s through the Antichrist and the false prophet that the mark of the beast is instituted. It’s not going to be something we are unaware of or are caught by surprise by. So, let’s put all this together. There’s a shout in Revelation 7, it’s a shout that calls all the Church and all those under the age of accountability (babies, toddlers, etc). Crazy times of chaos ensue, wherein the Antichrist arises. He brings unity and peace to the chaos, and does miraculous things. People begin to stand against him across the earth, and the Antichrist starts to show his true colors. The false prophet will come to bolster the Antichrist’s reign. Somewhere in the midst of this time, satan is cast out of heaven, and the 3.5 years begins. Seal, trumpets, and bowl judgments begin to be poured out on the earth, as God brings judgments against the horrid level of sin and evil. The Antichrist rallies the evil kings of the earth to gather outside Israel to Armageddon. The satanically empowered armies and leaders gather to literally battle against the Lord and His Christ!That brings us to chapter 19. Where the entire scene changes. Pastor Mike will talk with us about the entrance of Jesus - read it and join us in 7 days!

Daniel 3 - you can’t read Revelation without reading Daniel, right?A central character is introduced in Daniel 1:1-3, king Nebuchadnezzar is given the king of Judah in battle. In Daniel 2, king Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and he is troubled by it. He calls all the sorcerers, enchanters, political guys, seers, and Daniel too. The king wanted them to tell him what he dreamed and interpret it... divine help was needed for sure! We see that Daniel heard from the Lord and got it right, and won great favor from a ruthless king!Daniel 3 starts the story of the ribbon-cutting ceremony of sorts for the new giant statue of the king. All the fancy people of the day came, and soon the herald proclaimed why they were really there... they were commanded to worship or be burned alive! Everyone knew the expectations at that moment, that they would worship or die, that’s pretty clear. The king was smart... here are all these people who want everyone around them to keep high opinions of them, they were paid to be in those positions, and there’s the imminent threat of death... sure you could say no and rebel, but right NOW?So what about Daniel and his friends, who served the Lord? Daniel recruited his friends to lead with him in king Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, which angered the astrologers and enchanters greatly. So here is the king saying ‘bow or die’ and those angry astrologers made sure to tell the king they knew for sure that Daniel and his friends would rebel! The king had so much trust in these 3 Jews that he put them over his own Babylonian people, and he was furious at hearing this! The king called for the 3 Jews to be brought before him, and gave them an opportunity to prove that the astrology bunch was lying about them - so the whole ceremony is on hold while this plays out!The four said “we don’t need to defend ourselves- He will deliver us! Even if He doesn’t we won’t worship what is false!’What are our standards?The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people - an African proverb.The bravery and confidence with which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t just show up in that moment, it was something they cultivated over their whole lives. Do we have that courage on the inside? Are we teaching our children to have that kind of confidence in God?Now the king is mad - so mad because he is looking straight into the scene of rebellion, in front of all his big shots in his kingdom - that he orders that fire be turned up to 7 times hotter than a ‘normal’ fire they used to burn rebels! The men that tied them up died getting them into the fire!The 3 Jews walked around in the fire unharmed, and a 4 man (who looked like a Son of God) was with them! The king was astonished and commanded them to come out - and they didn’t even smell like smoke!Can you imagine that moment? ALL those people standing in front of a false god statue that they were moments from worshipping- a king that commanded everyone to acknowledge him as a god, the king wanting to squash rebellion and burn up men who he used to deeply trust... and now the king must say something...something! The king Nebuchadnezzar declares praise to God who rescues, and that no other god can save like that! He declares that the whole kingdom should worship the God of these 3 guys!As you listen to this message, this incredible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ask yourself ‘what do I really stand for?’It’s easy to give a regular, shallow answer. But we are in a time where we must look at our own lives honestly, and genuinely. It matters.

Continuing Pastor Mike’s study of Revelation - notes coming soon!

Do you have a bible with the red letters? All scripture is breathed by the same Spirit, but there’s something special about the words that Jesus spoke himself, the ones that mankind saw proceed from His mouth! Pastor Mike is continuing with the message in Revelation, and for us to really focus on the words that Jesus Himself said to John - wrote these words down and give them to my bride, to my church, my beloved people for whom I shed my blood.Revelation 3:22 - again we see Him say ‘whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Remembering that He says this to those churches at the time to us too - and that ‘hearing’ is about the ears of our hearts and spirits open to what He says to us, today. It’s easy to hear and understand something.. but making it real and acting on it is a whole different part of ‘hearing.’Paul reminded Timothy that there will be times when people don’t want to hear the whole truth, but they’ll gather around preachers who just say positive and happy things. We’ve got to be careful to hear the whole truth, to look at what the scriptures say, and the Lord and His messengers, and take it all in together. Some parts are incredible and mind-blowing, others are sobering and corrective...but it is far better that we take care to evaluate our lives both good and bad, now, than after we’ve died and can’t make any changes!Revelation 3:14-16 is about Laodicea. They were a super wealthy city, and often didn’t need financial support from Rome after earthquakes (the same way the US Federal gov’t would send relief) because they could just pay for it themselves! They had several natural resources that weren’t found anywhere else in the world, and were a center for trade. They funneled in water from hot springs and cold water springs from a distance away into the city, and this is an important fact, given what Jesus was about to say to them. If you think about it, hot water coming from miles away, cold water coming from miles away, by the time they got to the city, you guessed it - the water whether is started hot or cold, was lukewarm! Also, they were known for sheep with black wool, very rare and expensive. There was a certain mineral that was used in eye ointment that wasn’t found anywhere else in the world....In this passage Jesus is introduced as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. The Amen is in total agreement with what the Father says, and the So Be It as He has said. The faithful and true witness indicated that nothing is hidden from Him. He is the ruler of creation, showing Him as the One who is over everything, even hot and cold springs.This passage is often quoted and we read that God would would rather us be hot or cold... like cold would be better. If we read it in context, maybe in a different light than we usually do, it could mean something different. That the hot water from the springs needed to stay hot because that’s how he made it. And likewise the cold water needs to stay cold because that’s how it’s made to be. Hot springs that aren’t hot, aren’t beneficial and neither is cold water that isn’t cold. Who wants to take a lukewarm bath? Or drink a glass of lukewarm water?When He says Laodicea thinks they are rich (they had tons of wealth) but they can’t fix everything with their money. They were created to remember their need of God. He says that should buy white clothes - the opposite of the black clothes they were famous for. They should be covered in the humility they receive from Jesus’ sufficient sacrifice. He says to get from Him salve so they can see - not the salve that they themselves produce so that they can see when they have trouble with their eyes.Anything that is used as a substitute in our lives for what God has provided, has got to go! Verses 19-20 says ‘their whim I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’He didn’t say if the church as a whole would open the door, He said if any person would open the door. In those days, sharing a meal was usually a sign of family covenant and covering. If two families not related to each other had a meal, and the heads of those households enjoyed their times together, that meal would then become a sign and contract saying essentially it will defend your family and support them as if they were my own blood and kin.’ It was a strong allegiance that should not ever be broken! When Jesus says I will come in and eat with that person and them with Me... He means it will be like that for them!So what do we do after reading this? His command is to be earnest and repent. What does earnest even mean in -real- life? If there’s issues with sin, we’ve got to get right with God and with people, to repent and turn the opposite direction totally. If you need to go to someone and repent to them and ask their forgiveness. Do you need to be more diligent with your own words towards your spouse or children, to be more responsible with the words and the attitudes you allow in yourself. Repentance is not just so we can just get forgiveness, although it surely is, but that’s the beginning of inviting Jesus to come into our lives in a greater way. We’ve got to see beyond the goal of ‘not doing wrong things’ to where we look to God and repent so that our relationship with Him grows. He didn’t die to just forgive us, He died to restore relationship with the Father and redeem us into what we were always meant to be!So today, be earnest and repent. The ugly stuff we don’t say out loud, the things that have been nagging our minds. Know that He is faithful, but we must make the first move to repent earnestly.

If you watch the news for 10 seconds - there’s a quick tendency to feel overwhelmed and weary and not-so-optimistic about your own future, the future of our country and even the whole world. When someone asks for you want the good news or the bad news first,’ which do you choose? We’re starting with the ‘bad news’ today - when we look at part of what happens at the end of the age, there’s a lot of bad in it. Wars. Pestilence. Starvation. Terror. Murder. The extermination if Christians. One world government. Jesus said if He didn’t bring an end to this period of time, there’d be no one left! The great tribulation is set up to be the worst part of human history, in human history.So, what’s the good news then? Well, if you’ve got a Bible (the one with the paper pages in it!) take a look at it. Not only is it Holy Spirit inspired - He wanted us to have this book! - but the focus from Genesis to Malachi was on the nation of Israel and Gods relationship to them, and to the rest of the world through them. But in the New Testament, the focus is on Jesus and how He was the One who reconciled the whole world to God! He was called the new and living way - and gave the responsibility to tell the whole world about Jesus’ sacrifice. All the gospels and the epistles and letters of the New Testament but there’s a shift of focus when we get to the book of Revelation.The first 3 letters of Revelation are focused on, but not again until the end of the book. The chapters after 3 are about what’s happening on the earth. We shouldn’t fear the great tribulation- Pastor Mike is going to lay out the case for it this morning.The letter to the church in Philadelphia is next in the series if you’ve been following along. Revelation 3:7-13 is where we find this letter, and we see Jesus introduced as the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. Back in those days, there would be one man that n a kingdom who was trusted with the key that would unlock the door to the kings chamber. The king was so highly protected and being in his presence was so highly revered that the holder of the key was the only way to see, hold the audience of, or even be beat the king. So Jesus, He is the one and only way to the Father, and He is holy and true in His decision of who can enter! V10 the Lord says He will keep the church in Philadelphia from the hour of trial that is coming - because they have kept His command to endure patiently. He says He’s coming soon, and that they should hold on to what they have. Jesus is specific about the trial He will keep them from - the hour of trial that will come onto those who are the earth-dwellers, meaning the ones who are not followers of Christ. The rapture is most clearly defined in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18. The word ‘rapture’ is not actually in the original text, but rather a word that means a great snatching away, rapturo. The Thessalonians were afraid that they’d missed the Lord’s return, and were extremely distraught about it, so Paul was saying these things to give them confidence that the time was still coming, and to encourage each other that they’ll be like pillars in God’s temple, with new names written on them forever and ever. Scripture doesn’t set dates but rather timelines and event markers for the second coming of Christ. Those events, we will be talking about in the weeks to come. But for the rapture, the scriptures don’t make any specific requirements of time, actions, events, or even seasons before that happens. So the rapture can happen at any moment, but the tribulation (or righteous wrath of God being poured out) only comes after specific events take place.There are a few times in history when God has poured out wrath on mankind (the flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, Jesus taking our sin on the cross) and we see each time that God sends people to warn the world, then He makes a way of deliverance for the ones who are faithful. Romans 5:8-9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says He will save us from wrath.We have got to be ready like the wise virgins in Matthew 25:1-6, the ones who had oil in their lamp and were whisked away at just the right time. Those that weren’t prepared had to go out and get oil - and were too late.Let’s be people who have faith, and have gotten for ourselves oil for the day that’s surely coming.

This week Pastor Mike is focusing on this question: can you be a person (or a church) who does all the stuff Christians are supposed to do, be someone who believes you’re saved... but in reality you’re lost? Again we start with Revelation 3:6, the call for he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To reiterate- that means not only is the letter to those people at that actual church, but to anyone who is willing to listen!Chapter 3 of Revelation starts with a letter to The church in Sardis. Jesus is introduced to them as the One Who has the seven stars, and the seven Spirits of God, which shows how He is the one Who holds all things in completeness. Jesus says that they have a ‘reputation of being alive, but (you) are dead.’ Jesus is saying He knows what it looks like from the outside looking in, past the facade and the form of godliness, but He sees what their internal culture is like. On the inside of the church, and of their own hearts - they appear to be alive but are in fact dead on the inside.He admonished them to wake up, to strengthen what remains and is about to die. He says ‘for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God,’ and He writes the remedy...the fact that He says ‘wake up’ means that there is something they can do to change their condition, and avoid the impending consequences.He says they need to remember what they received and heard - and keep it and repent. He tells them what will be the result of not choosing to wake up...He will come like a thief and it will be a surprise to them.Matthew 7:12-27 is the story where people who were doing things that would indicate that they’re close to the Lord... prophesying and casting out devils etc... but the Lord Jesus says He never knew them! We must be careful to study the word, and to wake ourselves up, that we would be ones who know Him, and that the signs and wonders would come because of relationship and not as a facade of having relationship!Let’s be people that spend time not analyzing our sinful downfalls but repenting for them and remember what they’ve received and heard. Let’s be people who keep the first commandment in first place - not rule followers and actors. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and evaluate our own hearts and lives. Maybe it’s time to seek after Him and to know Him, and not just do live as normal!

Ever had one of those days where you’re painfully aware of how hard, how heavy, how messy our lives can be? Sarah Lango shares with us this morning a moment in her life this week that the Lord used to remind her of truth - redemption. Redemption, practically, is God exchanging our mess for His goodness. Something crappy traded for something beautiful. Redemption in Romans 3:24 and in Ephesians 1:7 - what that really means is beyond what we see here in earth, and what we will experience in eternity. See it in 1 Corinth 13:12 - we see a reflection now, but then we will know fully! This week, Sarah was looking to the Lord for some encouragement in her heart, for some relief from the heaviness she was carrying. She looked over at her baby nephew, and the Lord whispered to her, ‘redemption.’ Sarah’s sister’s family had come through a difficult time of infertility- and yet here, smiling at Sarah in that moment, was a gift of precious redemption. The Lord didn’t have to do what He did, but He did.Look for glimmers of redemption in your current circumstances. Have you ever said ‘nothing good can come from this hard thing!’...but once that season has passed and you looked back, you could see that all along He was working it out, working redemption into your everyday. Psalm 143:4 reminds us to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness to us. Deuteronomy 7:17-19 talks about how the nation of Israel was afraid of the enemies around them...but they were commanded to remember how God brought great deliverance when the situation was all but impossible and hopeless! They have history with God, of His great goodness!Joshua 3:7 starts a story of Joshua setting up markers of remembrance. (Exodus 25:22 talks about the ark of the covenant and what the purpose of the mercy seat was.) Joshua was the leader when Moses had died, and the Lord told him to get the whole nation of Israel across the mighty and flooded Jordan river. He set foot in the rushing flow and just like the Lord said, the water split so they could cross safely, just the way the sea split for Moses! Joshua 4:1 starts the key part we’re focusing on - 1 man from each of the 12 tribes was supposed to pick up a large stone from the middle of the river and bring it with them to the other side to build a monument with. That way, whenever anyone would see the pile of rocks, they could recall...be reminded of... the redemption and the miraculous works of the Lord!We must have markers in our own lives to remind us to tell the story again and again - to ourselves, to our families, to all who need to know about God’s faithfulness.Psalm 91:4 says we will find refuge in Him.Psalm 111:2-8 says He is remembered, and He remembers His covenant forever, and He is trustworthy for all of eternity.Lamentations 3:22-23 says great is your (the Lord’s) faithfulness!This week, be purposeful about remembering the places in your life that He’s shown again and again what He’s really like, He is more faithful than we deserve!If you have time check out the song “Evidence” by Josh Baldwin, it captures so well how the faithfulness of God is all around.

A recent poll showed that 80% of Americans polled said they’d opened their bible (30% of those polled were atheist or agnostic) to see if they could figure out if we are in the End Times. This week Pastor Mike continues talking about the importance of prophecy in the Bible, and the overview of the Book of Revelation. Let’s be prepared by seeing what the scriptures say.

Reading Revelation will help our perspective on what the whole thing means, and is meant to be like. Revelation is the revealing of Jesus Christ to creation - including humans! What more could we want to know than He sees us and He walks among us! All throughout the book He keeps drawing people to Himself. God loves people - He wants everyone to be with Him in heaven! This book is about the enemy in our life coming to an end - disease, terror, evil, pain, sickness, doubt, fear, sin...all of those things don’t exist in the reality of the Kingdom that is now, and yet to come.Rev 1:19 - John hears ‘write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.’The book of Revelation are divided into 3 parts, those that we have seen, the things that are, and the things to come.Rev 2:7 - ‘he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Jesus says this to all the churches in the seven letters! How important must it be to listen, if the Lord says it each and every time! What are we each willing to hear? Are we willing to examine ourselves?Revelation 2 starts the letters with Ephesus. John lived in Ephesus (1,2,3 John); Acts 18-19 highlights Ephesus, and it’s believed that Timothy was the first leader of the biggest Gentile churches. It was a place of high commerce and a center for the worship of the pagan god Diana. There was a lot of work to do there! Revelation 2:4 has a big ‘but’ in it - even though the church at Ephesus had many things right, but there is something that pains Him about their lives... they abandoned the love they had in the beginning! Hosea 6:6 - God wants us to know Him more than anything else.This is so key - the first commandment must be first place in our lives, and to know the Lord. We must know Him better and more deeply in an ongoing and genuine way. This is eternal life - read John 17:3!Luke 19:38-42 is the story of Martha and Mary. Jesus tells us there is one thing worth being concerned about - Mary discovered it and it won’t be taken away from her - that’s to sit at the feet of her beloved! We have to live life - pay our bills, raise our kids, wash the dishes...all the things. But we have to keep the flame in our heart guarded and - in Rev 2:5 Jesus gives us the answer to what to do when we see our own hearts growing cold or dull. He says to remember - repent - and repeat what you did back in the beginning when love was fiery and vibrant.In Rev 2:7 He says to him who overcomes, He will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God...wow!! Can you imagine?Lord help us examine our hearts and return the first commandment to first place in our lives, and to help us return to the live we had at first!

The final message in the series, Pastor Mike talks about where our faith really is. We as individuals can live our lives according to what the culture of God’s eternal Kingdom is like. It’s more real than the reality we see around us!We need to spend our lives pursuing a relationship with the Lord that continually changes us from the inside. What else is more worthy of our deepest devotion?Sometimes we focus so much on faith that we lose sight of what ‘faith’ is! We don’t want to work so hard on our faith that we forget that our faith is IN Him - not in our ability to muster up or master enough control of our faith. Let’s look at Matthew 14 - John the Baptist was just beheaded and things were stressful for the disciples. Jesus was wanting to take the disciples to a place where they could go to rest and connect with their Heavenly Father. But no matter where they went there we always people (like thousands!) of people there waiting for them. No rest! And not only that - this group of people is hungry! When Jesus feeds the multitudes by multiplying the food - He was showing them (and us) what the Kingdom is like. There’s more than enough; everyone eats to their fill; the impossible is normal. Picking up in verse 24, a terrible wind had come up causing the disciples to row hard and freak out a bit. Mark 6:48 says Jesus SAW that they were in trouble... from 3.5 miles away, at 3am, on crazy stormy waters. He could SEE them! Our faith is in that man - not just a guy with good teaching and a genuine heart (although He is), He wasn’t just a well - blessed guy who loved people (although He was)...He is a Savior who sees you right in the middle of your storm. David talked about this in Psalm 139 - anywhere David would go, he’d always be in the sight of the Lord, and the care of His love. But as the wind and waves roared - verse 25-27 tells us how Jesus came out to them walking in the water. He tells them ‘...I am here!’ What that means (we lose translation sometimes because of the depth of the original language), is the same phrase that God spoke to Moses at the scene of the burning bush: ‘I AM THAT I AM.’ Peter climbs out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus, but began to sink when Peter began to look at circumstances and lose faith in Jesus (verse 31). The faith Peter needed was not in his own faith... confidence that he had enough faith to walk on water... but faith that Jesus would make walking on water possible, even in the middle of all the winds and waves. It’s Jesus. Our faith is in a man that is fully God!

In the midst of troubled times today and throughout history- God has never been out of control. It’s His plan, His culture, for us to live like the Kingdom, according to the heart, character, and holiness of the King!Are you satisfied with your relationship with God? How much you know Him? How much you experience Him? What does Kingdom Culture look like? Here’s a summary:1. Faith - live our lives in a way that proves we believe what the Bible says. Hebrews 11 talks about this - read the chapter and see how there’s a whole list of people who had convictions about things that didn’t seem to make sense to the people around them. Everyone laughed at Noah - it had never rained before. Abraham left a really good and comfy life to go to a place that God didn’t tell Abraham where it was...and that he’d be the father of nations, even though he was really old already!2. Pursuit. Going after relationship with God, to know His nature, His character, His heart. Think about Moses and how He heard Gods audible voice, he was covered in so much glory from spending time with God that they had to cover Moses’ face because it was blinding people. Moses asked to see the glory - Exodus 33:18. There’s always more that God will show us if we will pursue Him with our whole hearts. We need a people who is constantly amazed at who God is, and who He is to us.3. Obedience. We believe God so much that we structure our lives around what the Word says. We hold fast to the truth, and are disciplined to make our emotions, our actions, and our opinions are rooted and based in the new nature He has given us as those saved by grace and living in the Kingdom.If you read the first 3 chapters of Colossians - it’s amazing.

Jesus said in Matthew 5 that those who believed in Him would be salt, and light. In these times, our good deeds should shine for everyone to see that others would see that God is real and change their minds about what He’s really, really like.So why aren’t we making a bigger difference, and what can we do about that? We are of a different Kingdom, and when we live that out we bring heaven to earth. We are to be missionaries wherever we go - ambassadors from the Kingdom of love and justice. We are to show kindness wherever we go - it’s counterculture when anger and opinion are flaming up but we can bring peaceful kindness. With all the ‘news’ about how dangerous it is to come to church - we have to move into the next move of God, under the leadership and partnership of the Holy Spirit. We can’t depend on the church meeting on Sundays to bring our unchurched friends and family...God wants to see America return to it’s rightful call.We are meant to make a difference. How can we have the universe-creating God living on the inside of us and be ‘regular’ folks?Ephesians 1:13- when you believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and light. We are to bring freedom and light (light that reveals truth and reality, the truth of Gods Kingdom and the what’s really going on there) to everyone we meet.A light bulb in and of itself has the potential to bring light, but it can not produce light on its own - it has to be connected to a power source!It wasn’t one singular event, or even many events, but a whole string of events have slowly eroded our roots in America. Evolution began being taught as fact - saying God wasn’t necessary in any way. Prayer began to be removed from schools, the power of God and His truth has been being removed. We’ve given in to the loudest voices, and we shouldn’t be surprised that we are experiencing darkness. Our light as the church has been being steadily dimmed. The world isn’t a mess because the enemy is growing stronger, it’s because we the church have not been shining!We need to love out our lives, walking with the Spirit leading our life, pursuing deep relationship with the real source of light and life. How can I take my relationship with God more seriously! John 15:4-7 Jesus tells us He is the vine and we are the branches and we must stay connected! Verse 7 is incredible - ‘if you remain in Me (Jesus) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.’The Holy Spirit loves to reveal Jesus to the human heart. When Jesus’ sacrifice satisfied the righteous requirement of the Father, we gained incredible access to the deep things of God.We have to dedicate time to growing our relationship with the Lord:-turn off our phones!-Turn off Netflix or Hulu!-Plan and protect time that is just for prayer and study-Get with people who are seeking God ferventlyChurch has changed and it doesn’t look like it will ever go back to ‘normal.’ We need to be people who are willingly part of what God is doing in the earth. God has used a single person and small groups of people to change the course of history. Noah. Abraham. Moses. David. Joseph. Daniel. Samuel. Jesus. The disciples. Paul.God wants to use us, even though we are few and weak, to change the course of our culture, and bring the Kingdom’s culture to the earth.

We are living in a time that’s stressful - there’s so much division the enemy is working to sow into the very fabric of American life. Anger and hatred seems to be much easier to find than it used to be.Last week we processed how we can make a difference - little bitty us, can be salt and light and have real influence in our neck of the woods.Matt 5:13-16 is the passage about salt and light.When we decide to follow Jesus, we became part of His Kingdom, and essentially signed up to be a missionary right where we are. This week we’re adding another part to the conversation- kindness. It’s so simple, but it can make as much difference as almost anything else we can do to impact culture.The most important thing in a church is to create a culture of kindness. To carry kindness in our own hearts towards each other and ourselves - so that we have an internal culture that overflows into the world around us. We need to intentionally show kindness in this messed up world! If you look up the word ‘kindness’ in the scriptures, you might be surprised at how often it shows up! And the meaning of kindness is more than just holding the door for someone (although that is indeed kindness!) but it’s an attitude of the heart. It’s a way to live.Check out the story in Luke 10:30-37. It’s where Jesus explains what the greatest commandment - loving God and your neighbor. But... who is my ‘neighbor’ that’s I’m supposed to love. Is that people in the whole world that I’ve never met? Is that literally the people who live next door? Jesus explains with the story of the Good Samaritan...that the Samaritan took pity on him and took care of the man who had been robbed and beaten. Jesus told them to go and do likewise!It’s important for us to ask the question as a church, and as an individual - are we walking past those in dire need? We must realize that we have the ability to look the other way - and the ability to help hurting people we find along our way.Kindness can change what preaching can’t. Kindness can change what politics can’t. Kindness can change what protests can’t. Kindness can change what arguments can’t. Kindness can change the lives of the broken. Kindness can change the lives of the lost. Kindness can change the lives of the angry. Kindness can change the world.

It doesn’t take more than 30 seconds on any social media platform to see that there’s a lot going on in our nation. There seems to be division on every front - there’s even division regarding how divided we are! We see before our eyes and even sometimes say with our own mouths, how easily people are labeled and judged. But we are just one little person, in one little church in one little town - what can I do to have any affect on this culture around me?There’s a culture in our churches too - over the last 2000 years we as a group of followers have made decisions about what we like and don’t like, what we expect and accept, what we reject and disallow. Over the next several weeks we are going to be talking about how God’s culture - the way of life in the Kingdom - and church culture often aren’t the same. We want to align with the culture of heaven, if we ever want to see the world saved, and our cities, and our households.We are called to be engaged in our culture and make a positive, Kingdom impact. If we take this seriously, it could revolutionize our nation....our life is meant to be lived like we are always on a missions trip. We are missionaries; we are ambassadors; we are representing what God is like every day, everywhere.Matthew 5:13-16 - salt brings out the best flavors, it’s a terrific preservative. Light to the world...when there is light we can see what’s really real, the real truth!John 20:21 - we are sent in the same way that Jesus was sent by the Father!Acts 1:8 - Jesus said we are His witnesses (someone who gives a testimony of what they saw or experienced).Matthew 28:19-20 - make disciples, baptize them, teach them to obey the commands of Jesus...Jesus will be with us the whole time.Philippians 2:14-15 - don’t grumble or argue, so we can shine like the stars.2 Corinthians 5:20 - God is making His appeal through YOU, to the world.

Faith and Prejudice - Why does God hate prejudice? This week Pastor Mike walks us through God’s word in reference to prejudice.

Pastor Mike talks to us about temptation, bad habits, and sin - and their cost in our lives. God has made a way for us to not only escape sin, but to live in a completely different way than we did before we put our faith in Jesus. In the book of James, Pastor Mike breaks down that the author describes how sin is serious business! If we don’t deal with our sin, we will ultimately find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be. Even after we’ve placed our faith in God, there will inevitably have times where sin and temptations are in front of us. How do we overcome all that mess? All the things that cause us to stumble and hold on to negative or sinful habits? 1. Acknowledge my problem - Hebrews 1:12 2. Know my triggers - Proverbs 4:23 3. Make a plan - Proverbs 4:26, 14:8 4. Ask God for help - Hebrews 4:15-16 5. Refocus my thoughts - Philippians 4:8 6. Get accountability - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 7. Remember God is on my side - 1 Corinthians 10:13

This season we’re coming out of as a nation and as a church has shown us that there’s a lot we’ve relied on ourselves for - it’s easy to have faith without much hardship to challenge it.So what do we do when those challenges come? This is where faith is built in a way it can only come with these troubles! This morning Pastor Mike talks about how our faith helps us make decisions, big and small.Scripture references: James 1:5 Proverbs 3:13Proverbs 4:7 Psalms 111:10 Proverbs 15:33 John 13:17 2 Samuel 22:31 James 1:25 Proverbs 13:20 Isaiah 64:4 Romans 8:28

Faith! Pastor Mike has been taking us through some great truths on Wednesday nights in the life of Gideon. If you have missed those - check the Facebook page for those videos! So what does it mean to really live our lives by faith? Faith is a word that means a lot of different things to different people in different seasons.How do we have faith in troubling times? How do we answer the enormity of issues we face in our nation? It’s the same hope Gideon had. The same hope Israel has. Pastor Mike takes us through James 1...Facts to remember about difficulties:1. Problems are inevitable. 2. Problems will come in all shapes and sizes. 3. Problems serve a purpose.Purposes of difficulties:1. Problems test your faith. 2. Problems develop our endurance. 3. Problems mature our character.How should we respond to difficulties? 1. Rejoice in problem (not FOR the problem). 2. Ask God for Wisdom. 3. Relax and trust God. 4. Remember God’s promises over your life.

This week we have special guest speaker Sarah Lango of Gracefilled Growth! She shares her heart about struggles in life - the big ones.

This week Pastor Mike talks about the story in Matthew 8 - where Jesus calms the wind and the waves. These guys that were with Him were fishermen, being out on the water was what they did for a living. If you’ve ever been out with an experienced sailor, you know that they are able to handle much more tumultuous seas than ‘average’ folks. So if these fishermen, who’d fished these waters for years and years were afraid - you know the storm was bad! But then Jesus. Jesus, who was asleep, made it calm. Not just that the waves died down enough, but they were completely calm! Read how this story goes - and put yourself in those disciples’ sandals:Matthew 823 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”The world, as were told throughout scripture, will continue to escalate in intensity of turmoil, evil, wars…but it tells us more about the escalating glory that those that know Jesus will walk in. We must be confident in this for ourselves, and digging into our faith and growing in our relationship with Jesus in an intentional way. It’s about more than doing ‘religious’ things - it’s about getting to know the Man we call Savior, the very Man who is God that calms the wind and waves.

The statement that He was lead like a Lamb to the slaughter - it's picture of what God's love is really like. It points to the solution to our sin, and the sure redemption of us for eternity.

Our land needs healing - but it's the church that needs to humble themselves, focus themselves, repent, seek His face...like 2 Chronicles 7:14 says. He promises He will hear our prayer! Pastor Mike encourages us to take that seriously - to pray for our neighbors, people who are working overtime in this unstable hour, our government officials that must weigh all the information and make heavy decisions. Let's pray - that's the church!We're continuing the series Against All Odds, continuing to study God's truth in our lives through Jesus' time leading up to Easter Morning.Have you done your homework? Have you read through any of the gospels focusing on the week leading up to the crucifixion? We can use this extra time because of social distancing...to really dive deep into the Word!Let's go back 700 years, to Isaiah. It's amazing that long before Jesus came onto the scene, that God told Isaiah so specifically, and in such detail! This should cause us to:1. When we see how literally and specifically Isaiah's prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus, we can decide that this can be no coincidence! That this book, this story, must be real, and the God of this book must be real.2. Consider what those days must have been like - the disciples left their families, their careers, their security. They believed that Jesus was their future, and that He was who He said He was, and things were getting intense with the Pharisees, the Romans, the people....and THEN after things got turned upside down, Jesus was killed. What must that have been like? When their whole lives had been put aside to follow this guy, and then He is dead? What a moment to live through for the disciples and those who loved Jesus.3. Fill us with faith because we see that God is real, He's in control (even in the crazy and difficult days of Jesus crucifixion!), that He's proven His faithfulness!Let's read Isaiah 53:12 - I (the Lord) will give Him (speaking of Jesus) the honors of a victorious soldier because He exposed Himself to death, He was counted among the rebels, He bore the sin of many and He interceded for the rebels.Rebels are put to death because of crimes they commited. Innocent people are sometimes falsely accused and convicted even though they weren't guilty - but in Isaiah we see that all people are all guilty and before a holy God we are rebels. We all may have a different 'scale' as to what is right and wrong, but ultimately God is the one who declares and decides what is right and wrong. God is absolutely perfect and absolutely righteous - and our sin deserves death...that's the wages of sin! All of us, except for One...Jesus! His perfect life was on trial, and the Pharisees and rulers weighed and accused. BUT, not one thing could be found against Him. In John 1:1 - In the beginning - the VERY beginning of everything - was the Word, and the word was with God and the Word was God. ....and through Him all things were made...He wasn't just a man who got everything right...He was the very Son of God that allowed Himself to be crucified for us. Why would He, the One who was in the beginning, Who lived in perfection of unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, come down and suffer so ultimately?Because Jesus knew that there was a day that you were born. And that you were going to be a rebel. And that you'd be lost and hopelessly separated from God because you would inevitably sin. And there wouldn't be any way for you to fix that - no matter what you did. Jesus paid that price, that you could never ever ever pay. That's why His love and death is a gift - and this gift is the very reconciliation of your life to God! Because Jesus overcame death and the grave, so will all those who put their faith in Him. It is by grace alone...if you've found yourself thinking 'but God could never forgive me, if anyone knew how bad I really am, if anyone knew what I'd doneLuke 20:43 - The thieves on the cross talk about how they are sinners and deserve what they get, but Jesus is undeserving of this punishment. The thief that said 'I deserve this and You Jesus do not!' didn't go to any church services before he died. He didn't do 'religious' things that would seemingly make Him right with God. But even still, he said to Jesus 'remember me in paradise' and Jesus replied, 'today you will be with Me....' With this in mind - we can be absolutely sure that Jesus can save every single one of us, that there is no one outside of His grace. We, the true rebels, will be saved through what Jesus did.

When you are being accused, do you speak up? Do you get angry? Do you shy away and express your grief in private? The story of Easter is arguably the most important story in the timeline of Christianity. If there was no resurrection then there’s no faith! As part of fulfilling the prophecies that lead to the cross, that lead to that Easter morning that changed the history of eternity...Jesus was silent in the face of His accusers.From before the foundation of the world, God has His plan laid out. When Genesis happened, God set into motion an interaction with humans that would change the landscape of heaven. When we look at all the things that the scriptures foretell the story of Jesus and His people, it becomes obvious that this story line came from a divine storyteller!There is a supernatural reality, that we can see and perceive because the Bible shows us! Isaiah 53 has a section specific to the crucifixion story, and we’re focusing on that today. There are 24 different prophecies in this chapter alone! God is showing us in advance what will happen through Isaiah and others, and the gospels confirm and relay the events that transpired just like the Lord said it would. This should give us confidence to trust the results God speaks of. John 18:1-13 - this is just after the Passover meal where Jesus said ‘this is my body, this is my blood.’ In verse 5, the AM in the sentence ‘In AM He’ is capitalized on purpose. It is a direct reference to the burning bush Moses encountered! God said ‘I AM that I AM’ when Moses asked who he should tell them spoke from the bush. In John, it says everyone was knocked to the ground! What power!Jesus had several trial. 1. Jesus went through a trial before the high priest Anna’s. He was the most powerful man in the synagogue, even though Rome has appointed his son in law Caiaphas as the high priest. 2. Then they took Him to trial before Caiaphas, where they couldn’t find anything He actually did wrong, and people were lying in testimony, and all the stories just couldn’t be corroborated in any way. The high priest asked Him what He has to say about the accusations, and He was silent. The priest pressed Him and asked Him who He was - and He replied I AM. He was declared guilty of blasphemy.3. Then they took Jesus to the Sanhedrin, and they said guilty but we can’t kill people, only Rome can do that! Send Him to Pilate!4. They took Jesus to Pilate the Roman governor to have another ‘trial’ of accusations. Pilate said he found no guilt in the man. Pilot found out Jesus was from Galilee so Pilate sent Him to Hero’s Antipas who was the governor of Galilee.5. Herod Antipas asked questions but found no fault in Him. So Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.6. Jesus is returned to Pilate. Pilate says he’ll flog Him and release Him, but the crowds demanded a murderer be released instead- and that Jesus be crucified.The entirety of the process was actually completely illegal according to Jewish law. It was a complete and utter injustice.Have you ever been in trouble before, for things that you’ve done? What about things you didn’t actually do? False accusations carry a different sting. The injustice is difficult to bear! (The foundations of His throne are Justice and Righteousness...how wonderful!)Jesus was followed around by the religious leaders and challenged by them regularly- and He would answer them with heavenly Wisdom and make them look foolish. They plotted ways to take Him down daily. His perfect answers amazed the crowds and angered the religious leaders.Isaiah 53:7 tells us that despite all the accusations, oppression, and affliction, that He would remain silent.Jesus stood silently as a fulfillment of prophecy that He orchestrated Himself - so He had the confidence in His own authority and ultimate control and triumph. Remember God’s hand in history, and His unfailing promises. There’s never been a moment that His Hans isn’t guiding the existence of all mankind. He was fully in control then, and now - through Eternity He will be the highest one! We must find our confidence in the one that remained silent before His accusers SO THAT we could be with Him forever.

Leading up to Easter, it’s a perfect time to remind ourselves of the passion week of Jesus. It’s a perfect time to connect with God in a way that you never have before - by spending time reading the gospels and asking the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to us afresh!In a world full of difficulties, rumors of wars, seemingly insurmountable problems - it can be hard to understand and even believe that a God we’ve never seen or touched is really involved, and even more than that, in control. In the time leading up to Easter, let’s read the gospels and ask the Holy Spirit to connect us to His story - which is our story - in a brand new way.In Isaiah 53, there is much foretelling of a savior that would come 700 years later. We can know that Isaiah was reliable in his prediction of Jesus several ways. The Septuagint was translated into Greek about 200 years before Jesus came; the Dead Sea scrolls have preserved copies of Isaiah that predate Jesus via carbon dating; Isaiah makes 24 different prophecies about Jesus that He fulfilled very specifically.What are the odds that a person could fulfill all 330 prophecies in their life? We don’t have numbers big enough to calculate the odds! So what if one person fulfilled just 8? Mathematically it would take 1 with 57 zeros after it. The odds are astronomical! It’s the same as this: if you took a silver dollar and painted it red, then filled the entire state of Texas 2 ft deep in silver dollars and tossed in the one you painted red. Mix them all up - then take a person and blindfold them, drop them out of a helicopter somewhere in the middle. If that person walks around blindfolded, and reaches down and on the first try picks up that one red silver dollar - that’s what the odds of someone fulfilling just 8 of the prophecies in Isaiah are! Unbelievable!There are some parts of this section of scripture that aren’t immediately obvious to us modern Christians - because our culture and history are much different from the Israelites. We can miss them easily! Look at Isaiah 52:13-15 for instance, and then John 3:14. Jesus said ‘just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up.’ When Jesus was ‘lifted up’ on the cross and the crowds looked up at Him - it was the moment foreshadowed by Moses lifting up the serpent on a pike in the desert and those that looked on it would be healed.Read Isaiah 52:14, and John 19:5. Isaiah said He would be unrecognizable as a human because of the unbelievable severity of His brutal beating. That’s just what John described.Here are a few more fulfillments:Isaiah 53:5 - John 19:34Isaiah 53:7 - Matt 26:63Isaiah 53 is not only about Jesus but about us. The odds that a single person could fulfill just 8 prophecies in their life is astronomical- if Jesus fulfilled all 330 then it can be no other conclusion that He really was God, the Son of Man, and that everything He said and did must be true!

Is it even OK to talk about money in church? Isn’t this a bit awkward? Would it surprise you to know that Jesus talked about money more than He did about love? Or about heaven and hell? Or about most of the ‘regular topics’ we talk about?Matthew 6:21 - wherever your treasure is there the desires of your heart will be.So when Jesus was talking about money He wasn’t just talking about cash - He was talking about our resources, and that the desires of our heart are revealed by the way we handle our money. When we think ‘of I just had more money I would ________’ what we’re really saying is that we would get peace from stuff and not the Spirit.You’ve heard ‘money is the root of all evil’ but what it actually says is the LOVE of money is in fact the root. God blesses people with money all throughout the scriptures, He uses money to further the gospel, He uses money to solve problems. But our desires that are directly revealed by how we see and use money - is the big, big question.Using our resources wisely will bring us peace - the opposite is true! The number one stress in marriages is finances! It’s SO important to think rightly about money. When we go to work and get a paycheck, we usually consider that OUR money, our wages. But the scriptures say that the very air we breathe came from Him, and so did that check! Every good thing is from Him...while we were working we breathed air, used strength, used our minds to think things through, all of which He gave us! 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 says that all wealth comes from God!So what about tithing? Isn’t that just to keep the lights on at church? Deuteronomy 14:23 tells us the purpose of the tithe is to teach us to always put God first in our lives! Yes the lights stay on...but God’s purpose is to keep us focusing on God as our source.Think about the Israelites coming out of Egypt. They’d been slaves for 400 years, and had no money management skills because they didn’t have anything of their own. God was going to take them to a place where they’d inherit lots of wealth, and He knew that they’d find security and comfort in their ‘stuff.’ So the Lord had them in the desert for 40 years to teach them how He was their source. He set up the tithe to keep the way they viewed and used their resources in a right way. How do we get this money stuff right?1. Give. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says that if you sow generously you will reap generously. But that everyone should decide in their heart how much to give and not give because of pressure - because God loves a cheerful giver!2. Save. Proverbs 21:20 says the fool spends whatever he gets. But a wise person...sets money aside so they have wealth.3. Live on the rest. The scriptures say that when we have debt we are enslaved to the ones we owe. We need to live without credit debt, it’s so much freer when we do!

Jesus died on the cross to establish an unchangeable way to have relationship with God - His blood in the sand wasn’t for rules or rituals! God showed His love for us in that amazing sacrifice, and then Jesus said we need to love God and our neighbors. Pastor Mike asked the youth group this week what a ‘close relationship’ looks like. They answered with trust that is earned, time that is spent together, it’s someone that you like, someone that smells good, someone you talk to a lot. In the beginning the relationship that Adam and Eve has with God and each other was perfect - but because of sin we destroyed our ability to walk in perfect relationship with God. Because of this, we must now pursue relationship with God, but Jesus made this way for us!Revelation 3 is where John, while on the isle of Patmos, describes what Jesus will be like when He returns. He came as a servant, as a baby, as a sacrifice 2000 years ago - but in His return He will come to reign over everything that exists. To the church in Laodicea, He says that they are lukewarm, but God tells them to be zealous and repent! Because they were neither hot or cold, it made God sick to His stomach. What does He mean ‘cold or hot?’Imagine if Jesus showed up to the church this morning but we told Him: “we’ll, we have songs we like, small groups are going good, kids church is doing well...we’re fine and don’t know what more you could tell us!” That would look be crazy!What does a cold relationship with God look like? Probably not even thinking about Him or what He’s like, or His word. What does a hot relationship with God look like? A consistent pursuit of His activity in our lives and a deep personal understanding of His character.What does a lukewarm relationship look like? One where we don’t think much about God except on Sundays, or we hear what the word says but we don’t do it. Where pursuing relationship with God is an afterthought or happens only in emergencies.When you think about your relationship to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Father... what are they like to you?In what way do you know His as your Savior? In what way do you know Him as your Lord? In what way do you know Him as your friend? He is on a journey with us- if you don’t have all these things figured out, don’t worry! He’s so big we could never know it all anyways. What He really wants from you is the seeking... the knocking! Deuteronomy 4:29, Provers 8:17, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-8, Acts 17:24-27 all day that we must seek because He is worthy, and He will be found by those who do seek!

From the very beginning we were created for relationship - with God, with each other, and the rest of creation! No matter what our lives look like, whether we have great wealth or great poverty, much success or much failure, many material possessions or few... the things that really matters are relationships. God wasn’t filling a void in His heart by creating people, it is His very nature that creates us in His love! We exist because of the overflow of God’s very nature. Our relationship with the Lord is always first and foremost...but the very first human to human relationship God made was a husband and a wife. This relationship is the most valuable one, and if this one isn’t working well then all the others will suffer.Last week Pastor Mike talked about the first two points of submission and the priority of our personal relationship with the Lord, and this week we cover the next two.#3 Pride. The surest was to bring a fall is to hold onto and believe in your own pride. Even in the Garden, Adam and Eve who had a perfect relationship, had their first issue because of pride! Proverbs 16:18 says pride comes before a fall. 1Peter 5:5 says we are to clothe ourselves, literally put on, humility. There’s hardly an event that itself brings the downfall of a marriage, it’s usually a lifestyle of pride, hurt, anger, selfishness, and immaturity. We must add to our personal awareness, a real view of our very own pride. Our own pride will ruin any relationship we let it into. We must ask God what our pride is costing us. Pride NEVER delivers on the promises it makes us. It can’t.God says divorce is out of the question (except for the allowance that Jesus makes) ... but we don’t want to just survive, marriage was never meant to be a terrible thing we survive. It’s supposed to be the most rewarding relationship we can have besides the Lord.Whenever we make a God centered choice, the people involved are honored. If you’re at odds with your spouse on a continual basis, why not just work on the relationship... because you’ll just be miserable until it’s fixed anyways!#4 Love. Husbands should love their wives like Christ loved the church - He loved the church so much that He laid everything aside to serve and honor her and make her the best she could be. These were actions - not just words! When husbands make godly choices, they must consider what will make the wife stronger, safer, taken care of etc. It is so key to remember that the Lord knows how we treat our spouses!Part of what God has called marriage to be a grand reflection of God and His church. God says in 1Corinth 13:4-8. Can you put your name in these scriptures? An honest evaluation with the help of the Holy Spirit can be hard and painful, but real freedom and joy are worth it!-Are you patient? (Able to see things from your spouse's perspective?)-Are you kind? (Do you have contempt towards your spouse?)-Are you envious? (Do you wish your spouse was like so-and-so’s spouse?)Are you boastful? (You say: Well you don’t see all the stuff I do, your opinions don’t matter)-Are you prideful? (I’m right, my spouse is wrong, I’ll do what I want)-Do you honor your spouse (if we asked your spouse, would they smile and say they feel like you honor them?)-Are you self seeking? (We do what I see as right, no matter what my spouse thinks because I'm the leader, or because they are a bad leader)-Are you easily angered? (It doesn’t take much to make you upset and selfish)-Do you keep records of wrongs? (Do you see a disagreement as ‘more proof’ of something?)-Do you rejoice in what’s true about your spouse? (That even if your spouse struggles with something you know what God says about them?)-Do you protect your spouse? (Do they know you always defend them and have their back?)-Do you trust your spouse? (Do you assign value to their insights and intuitions? Do you prove to your spouse that you are trustworthy?)-Do you have hope? (Speaking life and truth to your spouse, not making change solely their responsibility)-Do you persevere? (Are you quick to walk out of the room or quit doing what’s needed when it’s hard?)-Love never fails - when it’s real and like what Paul has explained. If and when you do those things that are the actions of love... you can’t fail.All of these things are focused on YOU, not on what your spouse should be doing. Imagine if both the husband and their wife were fully committed to what God says is love - how could they fail?

When we go on vacation we always take a ton of photos, right? But when we look at those photos years later, what do we remember the most? The people! Even when we look back on our lives, we measure our lives by the relationships we had to gauge whether or not our life was successful! Even the Ten Commandments are focused on relationship, because it’s so central to the real life we have in the Kingdom.In Mark 12, Jesus tells the crowd that loving God and loving our neighbors is the greatest - that everything in the scriptures is summed up in these!Today Pastor Mike talks about marriage, and what that looks like according the the Word. In the beginning God created an order that He shares plainly in Genesis. He created the man and the woman, and ordained and established marriage. It wasn’t a church organization, a committee, a co-op... it was what He was after, a family! God’s original design of marriage is under heavy attack these days, but one of the truths we want to stand on in a loving way, is that marriage is the cornerstone He started with!The healthier our marriages are, the healthier our church, community, and world are! If your marriage is struggling, don’t stay there! Do the hard thing, the uncomfortable thing, and the courageous thing - get mentoring. There’s no glory in needless suffering.We could talk about so many things that could be covered in this series, but Pastor Mike is focusing on 4. If you get these 4 things right, things will go well for you! (We'll cover 2 this week, and 2 next week.)1. Submission- what that really is supposed to look like-Ephesians 5:21-33 talks about marriage directly. In verse 22, it says that wives submit to their husbands. We usually equate submission as a negative thing - that it means to be a doormat and a maid. Submission is to put yourself under someone else’s leadership. Pastor Mike and his wonderful wife Marilyn talked about what this looks like in real life. Marilyn shares about how growing up she saw Notice that these scriptures don’t come with the word ...if. Our marriages are to be lived out in relationship to Jesus, knowing that our relationship with The Lord is first and foremost lived before His eyes.From the Lords perspective, things in marriage look much differently than what we usually see! The first part of this verse, Paul says submit to one another. The picture Paul paints is just like the way Christ loves the church! When a husband works for what’s best for his wife, and the wife works towards what’s best for her husband, it is what God calls unity.2. Our relationship with God comes first-Pastor Mike and Marilyn talked about how they as individuals are responsible for their own walks with the Lord. When each individual is committed in their own hearts to put God first, it gives a solid foundation for real growth, success, and joy. Marriage matters - let’s do whatever it takes to strengthen our marriages.

In Matthew 22:37-49 Jesus is asked by the religious leaders of the day what is the biggest/greatest/most reward earning commandment. Jesus’ reply was a bit shocking to those who like to check the boxes of religious activity! All the things in the law and the prophets are hinged on these two commandments - to love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength... and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But who are our ‘neighbors?’

In week 4, Pastor Mike talks with us about the truths that we’re invited, we’re invaluable, we’re influential, and this week’s topic - we’re invested.You attend a church, but are you invested there? You live in a community, but are you invested there? You’re in the Kingdom of God, but are you invested in it? You can know all the scriptures, you can attend all the meetings, or know all the current Christian lingo... but are you REALLY invested? Let’s examine our own hearts in light of John’s gospel, the last meeting of the disciples with Jesus before His ascension.They more than believe that Jesus was who He said He was - they were walking with and talking with the Risen Christ! The disciples were asking themselves what they were going to do now that Jesus was gone back to heaven.Peter and the others are fishing - what they knew life to be like before their wild adventure of ministry with the Messiah. Jesus causes a miraculous catch of fish, and Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to the shore to see Jesus. Pick up this story at John 21:15, where they’re having breakfast on the beach, and Jesus asks Peter a hard question- given that Peter had denied Jesus in a heart wrenching way. There’s so much happening in this scene, but let’s focus on one specific aspect. Jesus says ‘if you love me, feed my lambs.’ Jesus is not asking Peter to do farm chores! He was asking Peter to go into ministry and invest His life into what Jesus calls ‘my lambs and sheep.’ Feeding is not a one time thing, it’s continuous work. God is asking the same thing of us - just like Peter the Lord says to us ‘if you love Me, feed my lambs.’ The Lord knows, and you know, if you’re love for Him is genuine...that’s not the question. The charge for us, is to invest our lives into His plan.It’s so important to look honestly at our own hearts, lives, and actions. One day we will all stand before the Lord as He evaluates our lives - in that moment, will we see that we were ourselves invested in this great King and His Kingdom? Are you in - invested?When we are all together earnestly seeking His ways, and earnestly studying His word, and earned investing in the church and community- the Lord can mightily use us together mightily!Investment in the Kingdom also includes finances and resources. The Lord talked about money more than just about anything in the New Testament. Paul talked about it too, and we can see so much that it was a part of how the early church functioned. It was always God’s design that He would bless His people, and His people would sow into the ministry of the church so that needs could be met and the gospel could be furthered. God doesn’t need our money, but He commands us to give so that we can partner with His eternal plan!

Being influential is part of being human; we all have people and have been people that influence others to live or think in a certain way. Some are good, and indeed some are bad. Influencers are a big deal in social media - think about a recent purchase you made because someone you thought was cool, said that thing was cool. Happens more than we realize! What about other brothers and sisters in the Kingdom? Who has influenced your walk with God? We all have different experiences in life, that God can empower you to reach people with His love. We can look at people like Paul the Apostle, Billy Graham, and others, and compare ourselves as ...not like those kind of people. The truth is, we need to measure the way God does.John 4 is where Jesus and His disciples are traveling around preaching, and they came to a well. Water was scarce...it was a desert! Getting water was a big deal, and towns were often built right by these water sources. Starting In verse 7, we see Jesus saw a Samaritan woman and spoke to her. It was scandalous for Jesus, a Jew, spoke to a woman...and a Samaritan at that! The laws or cultural belief of the day was that men shouldn’t talk to women in public, and Samaritans were a group of less-thans who shouldn’t even be acknowledged!In God’s plan, in His ways, is so different. Jesus talked with her, and showed that she’s more valuable than the social ‘rules.’ He spoke with her demonstrating that racism isn’t even a thought in His mind. Jesus tells her about her life, and knows her sinful past. But He says, drink from the cup of living water, and tells her that worship is not done in a place. Whoa! And then he tells her that He is indeed the messiah. She dropped her water jug and ran into the town to get everyone! So a whole town ends up getting to saved... because of a woman who society decided that she had no value (other than just going to get water!) had an ‘illegal’ conversation! Here’s something to put on tour heavenly bucket list (you know the one where you have questions you want to ask God like what was Eden like, can I go ask Noah what the boat was like, why do we have mosquitos, etc) to go and find some of the people from that town and talk to them about those 2 days Jesus stayed with them because of the woman at the well!Pastor Mike looked back at the influences in his life that lead him to be a pastor. So many people played different parts in drawing Mike into the plans of God. No one big event... but this man and this woman and this friend and this youth group, and these people... all influenced the direction on Pastor Mike’s life. We are all called, and prepared to influence those we meet. You never really know when a word you speak, a kind act you do, can have a profound impact on someone. You were created to show the world what God is like!

In the parable about the sheep, the shepherd proves the value of the sheep by going to find it. In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul starts explaining that the body has many parts that make up one whole unit. Often we only talk about a single body part when it’s giving us trouble! But it’s usually that we talk about our body as a whole. As Christians we together are a body, we are the church, the bride, the fellowship of believers, and so many more names for us as a whole. Paul continues to show us how if everyone thinks they should do the same thing...nothing works! In fact, Paul tells us that some of the weakest part of the body are the most important. Think about your pinky finger... it’s not usually a focus but it accounts for 50% of your hand’s strength! Just because what you do isn’t seen, doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. We need to assign value according to what God calls valuable. When Eric was younger, he went through one of the most difficult things in his life. There was someone he didn’t know, who didn’t know him, 600 miles away that prayed for him right at this time. That person had no idea how important their prayers were at that time... but years later Eric would meet Shandra. All those years ago, she prayed for her future husband and her future husband Eric’s life was changed. Your past doesn’t change your worth. Your mistakes don’t change your worth. The Good News is that Jesus proclaimed your worth on the cross, and that can’t be undone. Your history doesn’t disqualify you, it prepares you. What does it look like to be invaluable? Your prayers move the heart of God. When you invite someone to church, it could change their life forever. When you smile at someone who’s having a rough day, you give them something they need. When we do little things, God calls them big things. It says that if we give anyone a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name, He remembers it forever. Think about what’s possible if you do your part, others do their part, and everyone is doing their part all together...what would 2020 look like? What would be the effect on eternity if we were all your hands and feet and eyes and ears and did the thing you’ve given us to do?

As we look at the early church, we see the faithful gathering and gaining strength from being together. In the same way that a log burns best when it’s with other burning logs, we must be where other believers are on fire for the things of God!You may get tired of the pastor’s preaching; you might get tired of the music played at the beginning of service; you won’t get tired of being used by God to love and serve the people around you!Pastor Mike recalled a time he and the youth group went to serve at a church in the south, and were told that Sunday service dress code was just regular clothes. On that morning, the older ladies of the church made a scene with gossip and shaming about how Mike and his youth group were dressed - even though they were wearing what they were instructed was OK! That event stuck with Pastor Mike, because of how unwelcome and ashamed the people made him feel, and has shaped his perspective today. Before Netflix, people in the old days would go eavesdrop on the big parties the Pharisees would have. The Pharisees would leave the gate open so that commoners knew they could come listen in but not be officially invited. The common people would have heard how the Pharisees keep clean by specifically not associating with common people who were sinners. This one particular day, a woman came walking into the middle of the party. There wouldn’t have been any women other than servants, and servants even wouldn’t have come right into the middle of things!Luke 7:36-42 tells the story, and knowing culture, ‘a woman who lived a sinful life’ means she was a prostitute. Everyone knew who she was - and shockingly came right up to Jesus! How scandalous- a very sinful woman walks into a party of ‘clean’ people and touches Jesus! Not only did she touch Jesus but she poured perfume that’s a tool of the prostitution trade and her only asset, and then she took down her hair! In the culture a woman shows her hair and breaks the law, but if she shows her hair and takes it down it’s an act of seduction! But with all the looks of shock and flares of disgust and words of condemnation... Jesus sees a completely different scene. The Pharisees saw a sespool of human waste, acting in a horrific manner right before their eyes, and acting towards a man that’s supposed to be a miracle working prophet. Jesus saw something completely different. He saw her whole life, the things that lead her to this life of sin, and the weight of shame and the desperation to be clean, and free, and whole. The Pharisees wanted to prove Jesus was wrong, this woman was desperately hoping He’s right.Read verse 47 - Jesus even validates her love! Love is something that is completely absent for those caught on the life of prostitution- and Jesus, in front of all of these ‘clean’ men, that a woman, a filthy woman, has shown great love!We are welcome, and wanted, and invited into the kingdom of God. Maybe God has been misrepresented to you in your life, maybe you’ve never felt like you could even be allowed into the family of God - read that story again, and let it sink in the way He saw the woman who burst into the party.Are you in? You’re in the kingdom of God if you’ve put your faith in Jesus.

We’ve looked at the prophets, the angels, and the magi, and the parts of the story they played. This week we look at our own part in the big story. 1 John 4:9 says “this is how God showed His love among us: He sent His One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him. All of the things that happened up until Jesus’ birth were set into motion so that moment was just as the prophets predicted! Herod’s census...the wars that happened to bring Herod to power...every event that transpired to get everything in he world to just the right place! And why, to what end? God humbled Himself and became a human baby...it’s hard for us as regular humans to humble ourselves. But think for a moment the amount of humility it took for a God who was in perfect unity with the Father and Spirit in he most perfection in he universe in heaven...and He came and became a baby. A dependent baby, then a clumsy toddler, then a pre-teen and a teen - He slept on a bed less comfortable than anything in heaven. He ate food less delightful than what’s in heaven. He shared in our humanity - Hebrews 2:14-15 says He became one of us to do what we could no do on our own! He overcame the things any of struggle with - Hebrews 4:15 tells us He’s our high priest and empathizes with our weakness. How wonderful that the One who prays for us knows what it’s like to be us. The one who paid for us is he same one who prays for us. What joy!! Someday we’ll understand how Jesus was both fully man and fully God - such a mystery is our Salvation! In John 1:1-5 John uses ‘Word’ as a title for Jesus, telling more of the story surrounding Jesus’ birth. John describes how Jesus existed before He was born as a man- and how long before we ever came on the scene, I was for us that He was born! Continue reading in John 1:10-14, there’s so much in these few sentences! We must use this time to focus on Jesus - let’s be people who celebrate Christmas in whatever ways we do, but keep our hearts and minds grateful and awed by what Good News came for us all those years ago. What will your response be to Jesus this year? Let’s be like the wise men and not stop seeking Him until we find Him to bow before Him. Let’s be like the angels and proclaim what’s true in our lives, even saying out loud together!

Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”‭‭Something that has been a focus in our church recently has been perspective. The world is the way that it is because of the sin in the world and the forces of darkness that war against the Lord and His family. Moses understood this - and that the only and ultimate hope that all of humanity has is in the Lord’s plan for restoration and redemption. Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as a greater value than the treasure of Egypt - he was looking ahead to his reward. We need to grab a hold of this in our own life, that we want to live for what’s ahead. We so often ask why when things are difficult, when we aren’t as blessed as we think we should be, when we suffer loss and trials and heartbreak. The scriptures tell us that we are indeed blessed and are often blessed in the here and now, but the scriptures also tell us that we will face those difficult things and need to focus on the things Jesus told us are ahead.Our faith is in Jesus as the risen Son of the One True God, and our hope is in the restoration and redemption that He has brought and will bring. Hebrews 11 is often called ‘The hall of faith’ as it lists out forefathers in the faith and how they overcame and held to the evidence of the things yet unseen.Jesus created us, saved us, is redeeming us and will ultimately restore to perfection those who are called by His name. We will have pain until Jesus returns, because He is the only one that can bring true and complete restoration to all things. He is faithful when we hurt. He is faithful when we rejoice. We pray that Jesus comes soon to make it all right - because in Christ alone we have a future.

So the shepherds are out in this field, in the darkness of night surrounded them, when suddenly something happened that terrified them! Put yourself in their place...the sky bursts open, glory chases every bit of the night away, and a supernatural being starts talking to you! Think on this for a minute - what would that look like?

There’s things in our lives that are hard to be thankful for. Family members who’s health is difficult. Our situation in life that we’re in not because of what we did but what others have done. Sometimes it seems that the heartache and difficulties in life cast a big shadow on the things we have to be grateful for. Even in our toughest moments in life, we’ve got so much to be thankful for.

Jesus fulfilled everything the Old Covenant required so that a New Covenant could be made. Covenant is more than a contract or promise - in a covenant if one of the sides falters, the other side is still required to keep their side. God will always keep His covenant with us who call on His name!

We desperately need truth in the world we live in, and truth on the inside even more so. Here’s some principles (NOT formulas!) as we look at 2 Chronicles 7:14 this morning. Pastor Mike covers 4 conditions found in this verse.1. “If My people who are called by My Name...” His name is more than just the name, it calls to our memory His faithfulness, His character, His nature, His power and authority, etc. we must admit we are not in control!-If I’m humble, God will guide me.(Psalm 25:9). Humility is so prized in the Kingdom, because of the humility of Jesus. Pride always causes separation from God...Lucifer was cast out of heaven because of his pride, Adam and Eve were put out of the garden because of pride. Pride quickly and inevitably causes division. The more we understand God’s nature and our value in Him, the less we need to hold onto pride.-If I’m humble, God will bless me (Isaiah 66:2).-If I’m humble God will reduce my stress (Matt 11:29).2. Ask God for help. We must pray! In our private time, and corporately! (James 5:13-15) We’ve got to become more prayerful personally, and together as a family. That’s how the Lord says He wants to move for us and in us!3. “If my people...will seek my face...” We need to seek God and not miracle. The Lord loves those who love Him, and those that seek Him find Him, (Proverbs 8:17). We must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We must seek His kingdom and His righteous ways first and foremost (Matt 6:33).4. “...and turn from their wicked ways...” We need to repent - turn our attention from the world to the word. Repentance isn’t apologizing, it literally means to turn 180 degrees and choosing the right way from here on out. This isn’t talking about ‘those people over there’ this is talking about US! If we turn and confess, we will receive mercy (Proverbs 28:13). Prayers from righteous people are powerful and effective! (James 5:16).This verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14 mirrors the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus prayed while He was on the earth. Wow!Relationship with God is what we were made for - and it’s the first and great commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, souls and strength.

The Lord’s Prayer is probably the most famous prayer in the world, even people who aren’t Christians have likely heard it at least once in their lives. It’s a pattern of prayer, not the order of words given for rote memorization. It’s about relationship with God, the One who made you! And that relationship is daily - Matthew 6:11 asks for bread daily.The Lord Jesus blew the minds of those listening when He started the prayer that they were supposed to model in a dramatic way ... ‘our Father...’ Those listening only knew of God as creator and distant, powerful and to be feared - not close and endeared like a daddy (Jesus used the word ABBA!) that wanted to talk directly to them. The people remembered Mt Sinai and the fire that burnt it, the curses that came upon Egypt, the 40 years in the desert - the Father was a new level of revelation!When Jesus said ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done,’ it’s a reprioritization of our focus. As we declare and submit to the leadership of God our Father, it positions our hearts within us to actually receive the things God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.Have you read the scripture that says ‘ask whatever you want in My name and you’ll have it?’ Why then, do we not have the ‘things’ we ask for? Is the scripture wrong, are we wrong, is it a wrong translation? The qualifier, when you dig in, is that part of the Lord’s Prayer where we seek His will above our own. Making His kingdom more important than our own, where we want to see what God says is important before we tell God what we think is important will change our prayer time drastically.This week in the 40 Days of Prayer, let’s follow the model that Jesus set for us in conversation with Our Father. Will you make it a priority to get alone with God this week, and pray a bit differently that maybe you normally have?

1. God is a multidimensional God. We see it in His creation! There are literally billions of billions of stars, but He knows them all. We can’t even find our car keys some days - but He knows them all by name! Our perception of God, and our prayer life, often limits God into our dimensions...but He’s above and outside of what we know! His creation shows His limitless nature - check out Romans 1:20 and Job 11:7-9. Jesus’ incarnation shows His limitless existence - John 1:14, Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 1:4 show His eternalness. The Spirit shows His limitless presence and wisdom - check out John 3:82. Because God is multidimensional I’m never alone! Psalm 139 shows us that He is everywhere. Time for God is much different than it is for us. 3. Praying to our multidimensional God, who dwells outside of time, what’s that look like practically? I look backward to the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19). I look inward to Christ living inside me (2 Corinthians 13:5). I look around and ask the Holy Spirit to use me (Romans 6:13). I look forward to my future in faith (Philippians 1:6).Before we were ever created He had a plan to take care of the sin of the world ... think about how before the Lord even made the world, He saw the cross. He saw the cross before He made Eden. We are grateful today that the beauty of the cross, the horror of the cross, the blessing of the i dwelling spirit, partnership with the Holy Spirit in this world, and our glorious hope in eternity!

Our frustration with prayer can be caused by misconceptions: prayer isn’t a magic wand to get the stuff we want; prayer is not a fire extinguisher to be used only in emergencies; prayer isn’t a tug of war with God, convincing Him of what we want; prayer isn’t a ritual to relieve our guilt, in saying exact words etc.So we know what prayer isn’t, what does the scripture say that it is? Here are some (not all of course!) of the truths the scriptures tell us about prayer.God loves for me to talk to Him, about anything. Psalm 103:13 tells us that ‘The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate, to those who reverence Him.’ 1 John 5:14-15 tells us that we can have confidence in talking to Him. Prayer is a conversation - not a ceremony. Prayer is a relationship - not a ritual!God listens to prayers that are sincere and simple. read Matthew 6:5-8, and notice the difference between those with seemingly grand prayers proclamation style, and those that go into a quiet and private place and get honest in conversation with their Father in heaven.God likes to show His grace by answering our prayers. Matthew 7:11 says that God will give us good gifts, and James 4:2 encourages us that ‘you have not because you do not ask God.’ It gives God joy to answer the prayers of His children (even if those answers are no’s…sometimes those unanswered prayers are because God’s best is something else we haven’t seen yet).God longs to be close to me. The whole idea in the beginning - way back in the garden - was that we could walk with Him and talk with Him, have relationship and communion forever! In Hosea 6:6, the Lord says to His people ‘I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings.’ He wanted relationship more than rituals! James 4:8 gives us an incredible and divine invitation, ‘draw near to God and He will draw near to you.’ Think about that - the God who breathed galaxies into existence, whose home is heaven - says that He will draw near. Wow!The closer we draw to the Lord, the less stressed and more blessed we will be! Knowing the One we were made for, will change our lives the more we grasp and realize it.

Read Ephesians 4:13-14, it explains why growing in maturity is so important. We can be tossed about, living like children concerning our walk with the Lord if we do not mature! Just like in the natural world, number of years doesn’t automatically mean maturity... we must actively pursue becoming mature.We grow when we feed on God’s word- Matthew 4:4 is where Jesus quotes the scripture about needing Gods word to live.**Action Step: commit to daily time with the Lord for the next 40 days.We grow when we develop spiritual habits- Hebrews 5:12-14 & 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 shows us how teaching and personal discipline are required. No one trains accidentally- since our prize is eternal, we should be taking our training seriously.We grow spiritually when we help each other grow - Hebrews 10:24-25 shows that connection and meeting with other believers is so important.**Action Step: Join a small group (click here to be taken to the page with the schedule and groups).We grow when we expect to grow - Matthew 9:29 shows how the two blond men came with expectations that Jesus would answer their prayers.We grow when we commit to grow - Jeremiah 29:11-13 shows us that He has plans for us, and that when we pray He listens, and that looking for Him wholeheartedly will cause us to find Him. We often read verse 11 on its own, but Jeremiah wrote this as a letter, and these thoughts are connected together!The next 40 days we are committed as a church family to go deeper in prayer, and in relationship with each other! Let’s run this race together, and run it in such a way as to win the prize.

We are eternal beings with expectations and desires that just can’t be met by this life and this world we’re currently in. In Genesis 12, God gives Abram a big call and a big promise - the generations of all history will be blessed because of this one guy! But then (chapter 15)....time goes by, things aren’t happening, Abram reminds God about what He said because years have gone by!

Relationship is what it’s all about - love God and love others is what Jesus said! If we’re going to experience the life that we were created for, we need to spend our lives building healthy relationships with others, and with the Lord. Pastor Mike highlights James’ words from chapter 3 verse 17 about living wisely.

James 2: Real faith is not just something you say, something you feel, something you think, or something you believe - real faith is something you do!

The Lord Jesus was the only perfect man to ever live, and the way we see Him treat people is so far beyond what we often see in typical churches and even our own lives. Pastor Mike shares about a time when a young man came to a church he was attending, and was obviously struggling with some major issues. But, yet here he was in a church - despite of and because of his need for help. After most people had left after that church service, someone came up to Mike and said ‘you know, I was going to talk to that kid but...I couldn’t get over the fact that he wore a ball cap in a church. I couldn’t talk to someone who was so disrespectful.’ The scriptures say if we break any law at all, we are a lawbreaker. We shouldn’t show favoritism- because we all need the power of the blood, we are all the same before the Lord. James is encouraging the young church to create an environment where all are valued, accepted, and all are built up and encouraged. We must always call sin what it is - but always love the person for whom Jesus’ blood is in the sand... just like it is for us.James 2:1-12

We are all tempted by different things at different levels. There are desires that drag us away from what we know we should do. Sometimes it’s not the desires themselves that are wrong, but the way we satisfy those longings is... for example, a few Oreos isn’t going to affect your waistline the way a package of Oreos will. Do you know where you are prone to temptation? How can we see and recognize temptation, and rightly overcome it?James 1:12-18