North Hills Church of God

Struggles are a part of life. Doubt is common but it's important to keep wrestling, keep at it and never get up. Pray and ask God to strengthen your faith. The reward is worth it!

Why do we not enter into the paradise of God's kingdom immediately after accepting Jesus as lord and savior? The thought of immediately entering into the perfection of God's kingdom is intriguing however, we would not have an opportunity to witness to others if that were the case.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are the greatest events in human history. His life was a sacrifice for our sins, but his second coming will be in power and glory brining about his father's kingdom. We have the opportunity through faith to be on the side of Jesus when that day comes - we must simply believe.

Jesus' triumphal entry boldly fulfills the prophecy in Zechariah 9 that he is the king. Like the witnesses to this event, we can respect Jesus as our king through obedience and giving him the best that we have.

God gives us multiple chances, but NOT infinite chances! This means that: We must repent quickly There is hope for us even after failure God's mercy is not something to play games with

You don't need to try harder; you need to connect closer.

In the pursuit of knowing and understanding who God is, let the scriptures speak to you. Don't let tradition get in the way but listen to Jesus who said the his father was greater than him. This is important because God desires our recognition.

When one of these relationships is missing or broken, it leads to a sick church. When a church lacks in influence, it loses its mission. Symptoms include: inward focused culture lacking in growth and decline community irrelevance When a church lacks in community, it loses its strength. Symptoms include: shallow relationships and support conflict and division grow spiritual growth stalls When a church lacks in intimacy, it loses its purpose. Symptoms include: prayer becomes an afterthought programs and activities overshadow spiritual growth sin is tolerated or ignored These three core relationships are an embodiment of what Jesus identified as the two greatest commandments - loving God and loving others. (Mark 12:28-34)

The decision is ours. We already know that God wants a relationship with us. Our responsibility is to put this most important relationship first and foremost in our lives. In order to do that, watch out for barriers like sin, busyness, and a divided heart. If we have no love for God, we have no purpose.

Creating authentic community within the church requires overcoming division, busyness, and individualism. However, we can succeed in creating real church community by committing to regular fellowship, getting involved in a small group, and praying together and for one another.

Relationships with fellow Christians inside the church are more community driven and meant to be more like family. These relationships are paramount because we can spiritually strengthen each other and provide mutual encouragement. In fact, our influence with the world is all for naught if not for our love for one another.

Our relationships with those outside the church must involve serving as ambassadors for God's kingdom. We can seek the interests of God's kingdom and influence the world around us by serving, praying, leading by example, developing meaningful relationships, and finding opportunities to share the gospel message.

As Christians, we often find ourselves in a choice between following Christ or listening to the world. These showdowns require faith in God, but when we choose to make a stand and live for Christ, we gain so much more than we lose.

The next step in determining what we value is looking at how we spend our money. Our finances are a key indicator of what's important to us. How you spend helps you discover what you value.

The first step in determining what we value is looking at what we do. How you spend your time is a key indicator of the people and activities that are important to you. What you do helps you discover what you value.

There are countless things we can value and pursue in our lives. Many of these things are good and worthy, but something has to be first place and that needs to be God. Understanding what we are to value in our life and what that looks like is crucial because what you value determines what you do.

A year ago, North Hills established five goals to accomplish in the next five years in the series Five Down, Five to Go. Now, one year later, we re-examine the goals and check in on our status. Progress towards these goals should be helping us to realize our vision of growing closer to God and expanding his kingdom.

The approaching new year is a good time to remember how we should be living and what we have to look forward to as believers.

This Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we can learn seven valuable lessons from the movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Tory Pence shares a message on Youth Sunday about trusting in God's plan even through unexpected turns.

Humility doesn't come natural to us. But when we master living a humble life as Christ did, God will exalt us just as he exalted Christ Jesus. The truth of the matter is that as counter intuitive as it appears, humility is the path to greatness.

The first six chapters of 1 Corinthians contains a lot of wisdom on how we should act as Christians and how the church should behave and respond to our calling. It is up to us to imitate Paul and follow his instruction so that the church can bring others to Christ. This job is of the utmost importance and is the reason we are called together.

The church has a responsibility to hold our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ accountable. Just as a little yeast works through a whole batch of dough, sin spreads and affects the whole church body. We must make sure we are representing Christ well to the rest of the world.

As Christians, our kingdom hope is a hope of an eternal age where......everything wrong with this world will be made right. ...we can enjoy God's restored creation with renewed bodies. ...we can fellowship with every Christ follower. ...we can fellowship with Christ Jesus and God himself. ...we have a never ending celebration. This hope should be at the forefront of our minds everyday and is a hope that we must share with others. Sermon Notes Handout

We belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. As such, we need to imitate Paul in doing God's work.

Like division in a nation, division in a church hampers the works of that church. As a church, we need to work together to build on the foundation of Christ and represent God well to the world.

Continuing in Paul's letter, more truths are revealed about the message of the cross and wisdom from the Spirit. 1. The message of the cross is simple, profound, and hidden from many. 2. You don't need to be a genius or great with speech to do great work for God. 3. God's wisdom is a secret that is only revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Don't be lulled into the idea that Christianity is foolish. From the Jews to the Greeks to present day, this has been an unfortunate line of thinking leading to a lack of faith in God. In fact, God's ways are higher than our ways and we need to put our faith in him!

Paul makes 3 key points early in his letter to the church in Corinth. 1. Approach every situation with thanksgiving 2.  Put your focus on God and Jesus Christ first and foremost 3.  Let us all agree. Agree to support decisions whether they are your favorite or not

Ancient Corinth and the modern United States have many similarities. The church today is also like the church in Corinth in that we are called to be saints together, not just with our local church, but with everyone that calls upon upon the name of Jesus.

A church should look different than other organizations like clubs and places of work. Through different spiritual gifts and roles, church members contribute to the mission. When this is done in love, the church stands out from others and is more effective for Christ.

What drives you into sin? For Samson it was sexual desire. In the end, he humbled himself and was still used by God in a mighty way. We can do the same by shedding our evil desires and be used by God for great works.

When we have courage and trust in God, he can use the twists and turns and the unexpected to work toward great ministry and good things for his people.

From the miracle of pregnancy and child birth to the amazing and necessary design of sleep, God's awesome creation is all around us. When we stop to appreciate God's work, we can strengthen our faith in him.

To follow God's will is to live for God, obey his word, and loving others. Doing these things is essential to living out his will for your life.

When faced with a big decision, we often want a clear sign from God. Even if we don't see a clear sign, God has given us important tools to know his will for our lives.

There are three aspects of God's will for us to examine: 1. God's will of decree 2. God's will of desire 3. God's will of direction Each are important when determining God's plan for our lives.

These signs are given to us for a good reason. We ought to be familiar with them and study them. Be aware of the signs but more importantly be ready at all times. We have to be careful how we conduct ourselves because our master is coming back.

It's important for a church to help strengthen families but the church is also a family. We need to love each other as Christ first loved us.

After all these signs take place, Jesus will return. We can look forward to the Son of Man descending and gathering his elect. If we endure, to the end we can be saved to be a part of the kingdom Jesus will bring with him.

A time of trouble such as the world has never seen is coming. Daniel connects this with Jesus' return and the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus references the "abomination of desolation" in his Olivet discourse. This is a direct reference to Daniel 9 and directly connects the events there with Jesus' return.

Jesus gives many general sigs of the end of this age when his disciples ask. We don't know exactly when that time will come, but we do know it is getting closer and we look forward to what that means for those that put their faith in Christ.

There has been increased interest as of late among Christians in the end times. In Matthew 24, Jesus' disciples ask him two questions - when will the temple be destroyed and what will be the sign of the end of this age. Jesus answers these questions by detailing many signs...signs that we can still watch for today as we await his glorious return!

Self-discipline and self-control means doing what you want most instead of what you want now. Temptations will try to deter you, but practicing self-control will help you stay focused on God and your relationship with him.

These six valuable tools can help fight the addiction of pornography.

You can never conquer what you choose not to confront. Be courageous in addressing and resolving obstacles so that you may continue to grow in your walk with God.

On multiple occasions, Israel gathered together to hear scripture being read. Even with the access we have to bibles today, this can still be a valuable practice. Each time we read, we can discover new insights. Listen to this reading of Mark 11-16 and consider the following: 1. Sum up what you heard in a few sentences. 2. What was something new you learned during the reading? 3. What stuck out to you in Mark 11-16 on the life and ministry of Jesus? 4. What questions do you have on Mark 11-16?

On multiple occasions, Israel gathered together to hear scripture being read. Even with the access we have to bibles today, this can still be a valuable practice. Each time we read, we can discover new insights. Listen to this reading of Mark 5-10 and consider the following: 1. Sum up what you heard in a few sentences. 2. What was something new you learned during the reading? 3. What stuck out to you in Mark 5-10 on the life and ministry of Jesus? 4. What questions do you have on Mark 5-10?

On multiple occasions, Israel gathered together to hear scripture being read. Even with the access we have to bibles today, this can still be a valuable practice. Each time we read, we can discover new insights. Listen to this reading of Mark 1-4 and consider the following: 1. Sum up what you heard in a few sentences. 2. What was something new you learned during the reading? 3. What stuck out to you in Mark 1-4 on the life and ministry of Jesus? 4. What questions do you have on Mark 1-4?

After being lost for over 1000 years, more and more people are finding the kingdom message again thanks to our predecessors like Martin Luther and the Anabaptists. It's up to us to make sure this gospel message of the kingdom is never lost again.