LifePoint Church

When Jesus entered our world, he began making everything new again. In John's Gospel about Jesus, Jesus' ministry begins with change. He announced the coming of a new age with his first miracle and his initial confrontation with religious leaders. Today, we are still part of the new creation work that Jesus is accomplishing in our world. Jesus, who turned water into wine and overturned the money-changing tables, is making things new in our lives too.Support the show

In John's gospel, we explore how John reveals the essence and significance of Jesus' life for all humanity. Today, we will examine Andrew and Philip proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and the ripple effect of their testimonies. Their example reminds us that we are not called to change hearts—we are simply called to introduce people to the One who can. The power of sharing our faith does not come from persuasive words, extensive biblical knowledge, or sinless lives, but from the transforming power of the gospel at work within us. When Christ changes us, our greatest testimony is simply pointing others to Him.Support the show

Have you ever met someone so remarkable that you could not stop talking about them? Imagine that the person was more than remarkable—that was John the Baptist's experience. At first, he did not know he would encounter God in the flesh, Jesus. The one who was, who is, and who changes everything. But when he did realize it, he could not stop proclaiming it. John the Baptist's testimony still captures our attention today as he points us to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of all humanity.Support the show

Everyone is searching for something…significance, identity, security, belonging, love. Sometimes we look for something, and we have difficulty articulating what that something is. John understands that search. He launches his Gospel by claiming that the deepest longings of every heart find their satisfaction only in Jesus because there is no one else like him. Jesus shows us just how far God would go to bridge the gap between us and him. Jesus shows us exactly who God is because he is God, and Jesus shows us the way to new life because he is also human. This weekend, we begin to explore how God came near to us.Support the show

We all have a choice. We can build our lives on Jesus or follow our own path. Jesus reminds us that it's not enough to simply hear His words. We must put them into practice. The storms of life will come for everyone, and those storms reveal the foundation we've been building on all along. Where are you following your own path instead of God's? Take an honest look beneath the surface, because a life built on the solid rock of Jesus will stand firm when everything else is shaken.Support the show

Fear has a way of keeping us at a distance—from people, opportunities, and even the things God is calling us to do. In this message from our Love Does series, we'll see how fear can hold us back from loving like Jesus, and how experiencing His presence, love, and power gives us the courage to step toward people instead of away from them.Support the show

Have you ever felt like someone else was loved more than you — by a parent, a friend, or even by God? That feeling of comparison and competition can quietly distort how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. This week's study invites us to examine what God's Word says about the true nature of His love — and how receiving it fully transforms the way we love the people around us.Support the show

Everyone experiences failure yet we tend to fear and to avoid failing at any cost. Failure can cause us to feel embarrassed or vulnerable and—if we're not careful—can even shape our identity. What if failure creates opportunities, you would otherwise miss? What if failure is part of God's plan for us to grow into the people, he wants us to be? This weekend, we can reframe failure and discover how failure can become an indispensable teacher for us.Support the show

As we start our summer series, we are looking at how Jesus' love leads us to action. The blessings of God are not meant to be kept to ourselves but instead shared with everyone around us. We will look at two illustrations that Jesus gives in The Sermon On The Mount that will help guide us as we share the goodness of God with those around us.Support the show

Psalm 23 ends with a sure and certain declaration of truth just as it began with a powerful statement of faith. As we've journeyed through this prayer song together, we've surveyed not only the landscape for sheep but different seasons of life. In the final verse we find reassuring truth about God, a strong call to action for us, and a look ahead to our eternal home.Support the show

Joy could be one of the most confusing aspects of God's character and elusive aspects of a life of following Jesus. Sometimes we experience deep sorrow and disappointment, but we never need to lose our sense of joy. However, we also have an enemy who seems to tirelessly work to steal away our joy. When we live out of God's blessing, unflinching welcome to us, and constant care—we can discover a pervasive sense of joy in every moment.Support the show

No one wants to walk through the darkest valley. In life, our Good Shepherd always leads us through those places. In those shadowed experiences of life, our fear comes alive but so can our faith. The dark valley paths of our life journey often help us learn more about ourselves and our God, as we encounter his protective presence and his parental correction. This weekend, we can remember a few reasons we never need to be afraid.Support the show

A good shepherd restores and renews sheep who have been cast down. Our Good Shepherd finds us and leads us on toward restoration through the moments of life when we've been cast down. Jesus' plan for all things in this world is to restore everything that has been damaged or broken. We look to him for hope and guidance to make all things new.Support the show

What is something we all need but never seem to have enough of? Peace. Running through the words of Psalm 23 is a deep seem of peacefulness. Whatever chaos may surround us, peace is always available to us. This weekend, we want to move toward peace, even if we are unable to leave our problems behind us. Our Shepherd always leads us toward peace.Support the show

What uncertainty or even chaos do you feel in life? Psalm 23 returns our attention to the sure truths we can hold onto at every moment. This prayer song begins with the foundation of our relationship with the Lord. Let's remember some of the truths that belong to us because the Lord is our good Shepherd.Support the show

Life is complicated. We juggle relationships across family, work, school, church, and everything in between, all while trying to grow, succeed, and find meaning. Tension builds externally through misunderstandings and competing priorities. Additionally, tension builds internally when we use others to shape our identity instead of God. In Galatians, Paul confronts this very struggle. Without his strong message, they may have continued in destructive patterns—and if we're not careful, so might we.Support the show

Living out of God's grace creates the opportunity for us to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, but our desires often work against the Holy Spirit. Each day and every moment, we are presented with a choice to follow our sinful nature or to follow the Holy Spirit. One way leads toward death and the other toward life. One way produces all types of evil while the other produces the fruit of good character. Through the power of Jesus' cross, we are empowered to choose life.Support the show

Jesus has truly set us free, but we easily slip into the bondage of fear and insecurity or to being captives to our own appetites and desires. We want to avoid the dangers of losing our freedom or abusing our freedom. Let's live free because Jesus has truly set us free by his grace!Support the show

Self-reliance, hard work, taking initiative—these are all positive traits that help us find success at work and in life. But what happens when we apply those traits to our relationship with God? Paul advances the argument of Galatians that as a gift of God's grace we are made right with God by faith and that we make progress in our spiritual lives by faith with a story from Genesis. This weekend we discover who is eligible to receive God's good gifts of grace.Support the show

At just the right time, God brought his Son into this world. At just the right time, God adopted you to become his child. Being God's child brings gifts of freedom, but that freedom is always in danger of being lost. Together, we find encouragement to celebrate and enjoy our freedom as God's children.Support the show

Growing up is part of life, but it's never easy. The growing pains we experience on our journey from infancy to maturity in our physical, mental, emotional, and social lives are mirrored in our spiritual lives. Growing in our generosity and financial management represents a measurement of our spiritual growth because the more our heart belongs to God, the more our money does too. Through the example of early believers, we can be challenged to continue our spiritual growth by growing in our generosity.Support the show

Have you ever considered the impact you have? Each of us influences others every single day, whether we realize it or not. Your words, actions, attitudes, and choices create ripples that extend far beyond what you can see. Our influence can either help or hurt, shine a spotlight on Jesus or become a distraction, encourage others, or disappoint them. But when our faith is genuine, it naturally shines through everything we do.Support the show

God designed us for real, relational connection with one another, and there is no technological substitute for that. While some isolation in life is obvious, like the loss of a spouse, health challenges, or family distance, there is another kind of isolation that is more subtle and dangerous. It happens quietly, as we spend more and more time in front of screens that feel engaging, realistic, and connected, yet slowly distance us from embodied, face-to-face relationships. Screen time and “synthetic reality” give us the feeling of connection but without the depth of real relationship. While technology can be helpful and even supportive, it cannot carry the weight of real life. That kind of support comes from being connected to each other. We are many parts of the same Body. God created us to live in life-giving community, not in isolation.Support the show

The world talks about leadership. Jesus talks about leadership. Same word. Entirely different way.  If Jesus said “Not so with you” directly to your leadership style today, what would He be correcting?Support the show

Have you ever said you were going to do something but never followed through? It's okay. We've all been there. It's the thought that counts. But when it comes to our faith and how we love one another, it's NOT the thought that counts. Aren't you glad that God didn't just think about loving you? He actually showed His love by sending His one and only Son. God calls us to respond to the love He has given us by sharing that same love with those around us.Support the show

While every family is unique, every person is profoundly shaped by our families. Whatever roles you have in a family—sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, child, spouse, or other—your influence may be more strongly felt among family members than any other part of your life. How are you influencing the people in your family and how could you refine that influence?Support the show

Leadership is influence, and everyone has influence. To begin this year, we're focusing on seven areas where we want to expand our influence. Your influence begins with most important and difficult person you will ever lead…yourself. This weekend, we can discover three statements to help you encourage yourself through every success and challenge you encounter.Support the show

We live between the kingdom that Jesus began and fully stepping into Jesus' kingdom that is hasn't come yet. Simeon was waiting to see God's chosen one because God had promised him that before his death, he would see the deliverer. After losing her husband when she was young, Anna devoted the rest of her long life to worship, prayer, and serving others in the Temple. Both elderly believers found great joy by meeting Jesus when he was an infant. Their example teaches us how to live between what God has already done and not yet completed as well as how to live faithfully in each in-between space of life.Support the show

While shepherds guarded their flocks, the angels' song broke the quiet announcing that God's light was shattering the darkness: “Glory to God and peace on earth!” That song echoes to all people and to us, pushing back against notes of hate, fear, and hopelessness that threaten to invade our hearts. Like that small band of shepherds, we come together to find the baby born to Mary, born to bring joy to all people, born to bring salvation—and we adore him!Support the show

God works in surprising ways. He only completes his perfect plan through imperfect realities and flawed people like you and me. The Christmas story reminds us of this principle. Mary, Jesus' mother, recorded a praise hymn in response to God's promise that still teaches us about how God keeps his promise and reverses our expectations as we trust in him.Support the show

What a journey we've experienced through the story of Joseph: struggle and triumph, betrayal and blessing. Behind and beneath all of Joseph's life, God was at work to faithfully keep his promises. Whatever twists and turns your life story includes, God will also always be faithful to you. As Joseph's life concludes, we want to scratch beneath the surface to decode the meaning to the puzzle of our life story.Support the show

Joseph is about to be reunited with his family and is faced with a choice between bitterness and blessing. We see how Joseph uses the power and authority that he has been given to bless those who have hurt him the most. This is a countercultural idea but one that is very close to the heart of our Heavenly Father. But the blessing doesn't stop with Joseph. Joseph's generosity has a ripple effect that will change the course of history for God's people.Support the show

God specializes in plot twists - taking the most broken family situations and writing completely different endings through the power of sacrificial love. In Genesis 44-45, we witness perhaps the greatest plot twist in Scripture: a family torn apart by jealousy, deception, and betrayal for over twenty years experiences miraculous restoration. Judah's willingness to sacrifice himself and Joseph's choice to extend grace transform a broken family into a restored one.Support the show

God gently corrects his children to shape us into the people he wants us to become. Through our life experiences, God changes our hearts as we respond to his correction. Joseph's father, brothers, and Joseph himself needed to change; and God patiently confronted them to help them grow. Together, let's explore how we can respond faithfully to God's correction in our lives.Support the show

We live in a time in which we all struggle to wait on God. With modern conveniences, waiting has become almost foreign to us. Are you in a season of waiting right now? Are you waiting for God for answers about healing, a relationship restoration, a job opportunity, or perhaps just clarity about your next steps? Well, you are not alone. As we will learn from Joseph, God's timeline never matches our own, but his purposes are always worth the wait. Joseph's promotion wasn't mere luck or coincidence, but the culmination of years of faithful preparation for God's plan, just as Jesus waited and suffered death to fulfill the Father's master plan of salvation for humanity.Support the show

Often we look at life working in a linear, predictable manner. We function under the assumption that if we do good things, we get good results. Conversely, we assume that if we do bad things we get bad results. If you are a believer, you can easily apply similar logic to your spiritual life. Our thoughts travel along the lines that if I do good things, God will bless me. Similarly, we conclude that if bad things happen to me then God must be against me. What happens to our faith when these perspectives get challenged? Today, in part 3 of our series on Joseph, we look closely at Genesis 39 and see Joseph's circumstances running drastically different to our assumptions. The story of Joseph may cause us to realign our thoughts to God's sovereignty and our attitudes toward Him and our circumstances.Support the show

Every person is a work-in-progress. Our character remains under construction and will not be finished until Jesus completes his work in us. In Genesis 38, we receive the benefit of peering into the private life of Joseph's brother Judah. We see his shortcomings, and we discover the seeds of change through God's grace that will transform his character. This weekend, we can remember how God's grace changes our lives and character.Support the show

If God loves me, how could he let me hurt so deeply? Why should I keep trusting God when my life is such a mess? Questions like that hang over the story of Joseph's life in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 37, we find the bad beginning to Joseph's story including a difficult family life, betrayal, kidnapping, and a murder plot. Through this painful beginning, Joseph found a way to endure. If you've been asking hard questions about God and your life, then Joseph's example and faith will encourage you. This weekend we will learn about endurance from his example.Support the show

To conclude our study through the first half of the letter to the Galatians, we find a description of our relationship with God…a whole new identity that includes intimacy with God, incredible privilege, and freedom. When you remember that God has made you his child and set you free through faith in Jesus, what new perspectives and opportunities will open up for you?Support the show

What is so important to you that your life takes shape around it? The Book of Galatians teaches us we are made right with God by faith in Jesus alone. This weekend we find that not only are we made right with God by faith in Jesus (not our good works) but our spiritual growth is also fueled by our faith in Jesus (not our good works). While different values or objectives (including the achievement of law-keeping) attempt to dominate our lives, the central truth beating at the heart of every story is God's love and our faith in his grace.Support the show

How is your life aligned with God's grace and the truth of the Gospel message? In our passage today, the Apostle Paul confronted the Apostle Peter over his failure to live out the Good News about Jesus. Our eternal life is not something that begins when we die but includes our new life right now. Let's explore how the truth that we have been made right with God in Jesus is changing every part of our life and being.Support the show

One of the most significant conflicts in the early church period involved the question: Do all Jesus-followers need to convert to cultural Judaism as part of believing in or following Jesus? That may seem like a question far removed from our contemporary life and faith, but have you ever considered the possibility that part of our faith commitments may be cultural values? The struggle and resolution of this conflict in the early church has never been more applicable than today. Today our world is as divided, hostile to differences, and angry as it has ever been. Jesus calls us to unity in him without making all of us the same. This weekend, we want to rediscover the freedom that grows from unity within diversity.Support the show