Sermons – Ordinary Faith

Men and Women working together in a committed relationship, that is a beautiful thing. It is one of heaven's clearest examples of what it looks like to mutually invest in each other for greater joy and satisfaction. God has used these relationships again and again to bring His heart, will, and kindness into the world.

We have made a fundamental mistake. Because so many of our life transformations are birthed in seasons of deep pain, we've assumed that repentance IS the pain. We've turned “Repent!” into a religious threat—a shame spiral where we have to feel bad enough for long enough before God stops being angry.

We have made a fundamental mistake. Because so many of our life transformations are birthed in seasons of deep pain, we've assumed that repentance IS the pain. We've turned “Repent!” into a religious threat—a shame spiral where we have to feel bad enough for long enough before God stops being angry.

As Ordinary Faith prepares to move into Abundant Grace Ministries' building it is useful to ask the question, “what is a Church?” No matter what tradition you come from, they all agree that the Church is both the local congregation of believers and universal family of God regardless of location. As we move into AGM's building we must remember that, although many things about our traditions are different (and our differences are important!) We are more united in Christ as The Church, than we are separated by our differences as AGM or OF.

With God, all things are possible. You do not have to surrender to the circumstances you are experiencing. You can embrace a tomorrow filled with possibilities. Hope is your inheritance, not fear.

God is Love, and we were created to live best with Love as our basic operating system. But, what does it mean to Love and Be Loved? Let's explore the meaning and application of Love as a way of living today.

 Last week we turned down the noise. This week we change the angle. How do you choose to see your life? The picture only gets clear when you stop looking at life from a horizontal, earthly perspective and embrace a vertical, heavenly perspective. You are seated with and in Christ at the right hand of God, right now.

Do you have clarity for the coming year? Do you know your identity as God's child? Have you embraced your Kingdom purpose? Or, does your vision feel pixelated and your motivation nonexistent.

To have hope and joy you have to have a vision for the future that you can pursue in the present. As Christians we have an incorruptible hope because we know that the Kingdom of God is breaking into the present. We can have hope during pain and suffering because our hope is a commission to bring the glory of the next world into the brokenness of this one.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, invites us into vulnerability—not to expose our wounds, but to heal them and set us free. His healing restores us to God and others. Jesus came…

Mary's story teaches us that the joyous and sometimes traumatic breaking of God's Story into our own is worth the disruption. Her faith and surrender in the Christmas narrative shows how God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.

The story of the wise men is a story of taking the time to find God.

Friendship is an often forgotten gift from God. Our stories are interwoven with the stories of others. Shared vocation, experience, and trial forge relationships that continually bless us with the best gifts in life.

Through Christ's story we are invited into a Ministry of Reconciliation

God's plan has always been people in relationship with others and with Him.

Living out your true identity is not a destination but a journey. You will discover false versions of yourself and beliefs unworthy of your purpose. We can find joy in the process.

Blank Canvas Tour

God is still creating His masterpiece that is you. Your song isn't finished yet. You are Untitled.

Living our true identity requires faith-driven action. It takes courage to refuse the labels of others, or the false identities we've embraced as a matter of survival. People and institutions will always try to conform us into something they can label, pigeonhole, and dismiss. When we choose to trust God's revealed identity for us, we choose courage.

God's plan to overcome fear in our lives will not always make sense to those around us. We can learn to trust God's revealed will, plan, and identity even when it doesn't make sense.

True identity is revealed through God's unique call on our lives and confirmed by our faith community. God reveals your calling and identity through scripture and the Spirit's revelation. You can hear from God. He will tell you who you are and what to do. David asked God direct questions and got answers. And, David had people around him to help him listen.

When we discover the truth from Scripture and God's voice, we can embrace it. Learning to trust God's revelation about our identity sets us free and gives us purpose. Exchanging lies for truth empowers us to act fearlessly.

During a stand off with the Philistines, Israel's army is put to shame by a warrior named Goliath. While King Saul and the rest of Israel's army cower in fear, a young shepherd boy hears Goliath's challenge and decides to step up. David's brothers and King Saul himself tell him why he can't fight Goliath, David knows who his God is, and who he is.

We can learn to discern God's voice from the chaos in our minds. The scriptures and learning to listen when we pray will transform our thinking.

Only Jesus has earned the right to define you as a person. God created and sees your true identity. Only He can reveal the best version of you. Only by “abiding” in God will we discover our true self.

Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth who says that the moment she saw Mary her own baby leapt for joy. When Elizabeth confirms the importance of this baby, Mary sings a song. Her song is a beautiful example of God's heart, the gospel itself, and the power of saying ‘yes, Lord' when God calls your name.

Jesus' teaching on giving was radical. He believed that God's economy is one of divine abundance, not human lack. The Father is not a miser; He is a fountain of unending blessing, and He desires for us to be channels of that blessing, not reservoirs of worry.

God's name, Yahweh, is life, many believe we say it with every breath. Jesus' gift is life. “Dying to self” isn't about Death. It is a rejection of a “false self” so that the person God created will truly live.

Let's embrace a fearless vision for the future. What if the behaviors, and even the attacks, of others did not shake us? What if we were so confident in our Father's acceptance, that we could bless those who curse and persecute us? What if we were free from the opinions and accusations of those who consider us their enemies? What if we were so free, we could bless those who curse us?

Jesus is often credited with telling people the Truth, and that the main thing that He addressed was their sin. What if rather than correct people, he often chose to connect with people? What if in that connection He addressed their identity more often than their sin?

The church is called to be a family marked by unconditional love, support, and belonging, reflecting God's heart for His people.

The church of the future will learn to love and transform their community through serving, investing, influence, prayer, declaration, and patience.

The church of the future will learn to love and transform their community through serving, investing, influence, prayer, declaration, and patience.

Today we are talking about being a part of something, but what is that “something”. Is it an organization, or a business? Or, is it a family and a community? What do you think God has in mind for His children?

The Bible is critically important to a believer's faith and life. Your relationship with and use of the Bible will produce real growth and humility. It will keep Jesus as the focus of the Bible. While guiding you into connection with God.

The Passover story is the story of Israel's independence day, the day the Lord saved them from oppression and made them into new people under God. Passover is the story that informs the identity of the Jewish people. What story is shaping your identity?

You have likely heard that you and all of mankind have a “SIN Problem”. What does that even mean? Does it mean that you are predisposed to evil? What kind of problems does it present? And, Is there a real solution to it?

Your relationship with God begins at “Dearly Love and Greatly Enjoyed”. Sure, it's really hard to believe. But, it is true.

Life in the Kingdom of God is life the way it was meant to be lived. That Kingdom life includes everything from the big things like not murdering people to the everyday task of brushing your teeth in the morning. Ordinary everyday life in God's Kingdom is the path to righteousness and transformation and you can participate in it right now.

You are a spiritual being living in an earthly reality. You are seated in Heaven, while walking this earth. Understanding this begins a journey into the authority that inhabits you. That authority is where personal and community transformation are launched.

Will we trust God or will we make our own way? The choice to trust is the way of faith. It leads us from fear and anxiety into peace, joy, and success.

Be weird! Be powerful in prayer! People who enjoy and employ prayer have learned that God is amazingly good and WANTS to do wonderful things for us and others.

Jesus introduced an idea that will rock your world. It will change your thinking and transform your life. Everything awesome, powerful, and spiritual launches from something Jesus called Metanoia!

The night before Jesus was executed He spent the Passover celebration trying to console His disciples. He told them that He would be leaving but He would send a Comforter. This Counselor would teach them and empower them to testify about Jesus. After His ascension, the Holy Spirit showed up and landed on the disciples. In the miraculous aftermath, people hearing each other in their native language and Peter's powerful sermon, over 3,000 people were baptised into God's Kingdom. The Holy Spirit has been powerfully equipping His people to witness about Jesus ever since.

Best News Ever!

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the second most staggering event in history and eternity. What really happened? How does this beautiful tragedy change everything?

What is the value of a person? What is your value? It isn't a number on a screen. Your value is not defined by your failures or successes. Your value is determined by Jesus. He is the only one who truly defines you. Neither your opinion nor that of others has any bearing on who you are or what you are worth.

When you discover things in the Bible that give you doubts, that just means it's time to dig. Jesus deals firmly with the matter of forgiveness in Matthew 18. If we wear a lens of God that is punitive in nature, we will miss the entire point of Jesus' parable.

Peter asks Jesus about what kind of reward he will receive for leaving everything behind to follow Him. So, Jesus jumps into a story about a Landowner so generous and fair that his workers became resentful. Jesus summarizes His message in the challenging statement “the first will become last and the last become first,” calling us to live into the Kingdom of God's radical rejection of status.

Our anxiety, drama, and control issues are rooted in unbelief. Our Father God is truly good, and Jesus is the absolute best standard to evaluate our lives and faith. Jesus is the best and only argument against unbelief. He is your solution. He is real life.

What is the Father worth to you? What are you worth to Him? Make sure your opinion of Him and of yourself is formed by His relationship and history with you. Don't allow the opinions of others or the assault of your enemy to shape those opinions. You can trust Him.