The Connection Church

Someone who sees the Holy Spirit as an influence or supreme Spirit will say, “I want more of His Spirit.” On the contrary, someone who sees Him as a wonderful person will constantly say, “How can I give myself more to Him.” Join us as we continue our series, Understanding God's Spirit.

We continue our series, Understanding God's Spirit. We'll cover the three levels of relationships. If we desire to know God more, we'll establish a relationship with His Spirit on the deepest and highest level.

The Holy Spirit is not a commodity to be desired. He is a Person to be honored and invited. We should want to have the Spirit of Truth present in everything we do. 

Why is it important to know the personality of the Holy Spirit? When we do, we'll be closer to Him. The Father sent the permanent indwelling Holy Spirit to commune with us as our Comforter and Guide. He is our Shield and Defender, guarding us from the evil one and guiding us into all truth.

Last week, we started a new series on the Person of the Holy Spirit. Let's come to know Him as He really is.

Why do a series on the Holy Spirit? He is the most misunderstood Person in the church. Countless labels and stereotypes have been assigned to Him. But too few in the Body of Christ know Him as He really is. Join us as we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Let's allow Him to remove any beliefs not grounded in Scripture.

As we celebrate Easter, we continue our sermon series, Believe. We examine Luke's account of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead. We observe how Jesus got sidetracked by a different suffering person on His way to Jairus' house. What most would have seen as inconvenience, Jesus saw as an opportunity!

You've heard the story: Jesus raised Mary and Martha's brother, Lazarus—from death! How did Mary and Martha respond to Jesus before and after Lazarus was raised? How might that have impacted their response to Jesus' death and resurrection?

Join us as we examine the story of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. We'll consider his role and encounters in the crucifixion of our Lord and what he came to believe.

Join us as we examine the story of the soldier at the cross, his response to the crucifixion of our Lord, and what he came to believe.

Scripture makes it clear that honoring others is always a benefit to us. Honor is a fleeting quality today, and the few who live by its code will stand apart from the rest. Don't miss the next part of our this sermon series, Restoring Honor.

Have you ever witnessed a lack of respect or dishonor given to someone? How do you feel when you witness someone dishonoring another? God is a God of honor and all that He is and says in His word reflects this. God's heart is to honor His people and for them to practice authentic honor.

Join us as we continue to dive into what the Bible says about relationships. We'll be talking about the dynamics of the parent-child relationship. Let's learn the truths from God's Word that shape our values and give us wisdom for life. 

Enjoy this wonderful sermon on being blessedly single in the Lord!

Today, many approach marriage as a transactional exchange of benefits with the mindset “I'll do my part as long as you do yours,” which is contrary to God's Word. Biblically-based marriages are beautiful and fulfilling, yet they are often charged with challenges that require intentionality, grace, and perseverance. Join us as we explore the Scriptures for attributes reflecting God's divine design for a strong and balanced marriage relationship.

The Bible reveals two distinct roles for marriage relationships: the man as “head” and the woman as “help meet.” But the question is, how do we define these two roles found in Scripture? Discover how to interpret them as we look at God's Design for Oneness in the marriage relationship.

What does an ordinary Christian do to hear the voice of the Lord? In addition to the sermon, we conducted some interviews on the subject. Pull up a chair as we wrap up our series, Stop & Listen.

Let's examine what to do when you believe you've heard the voice of the Lord. Whether you hear an audible voice or a voice in your head, you must evaluate the message to determine if it's from the Lord. After that, what's next?

In our sermon series so far, we have learned that we can't just “put our time in” when it comes to prayer. It's also important for us to live separately before Him by caring for the things of God rather than the things of this world. Have a listen to the third prerequisite to hearing the voice of the Lord.

Ready to learn the second prerequisite to hearing the voice of the Lord?This past Sunday we learned that when it comes to prayer we can't just “put our time in.” It's imperative that we come to God with a willing heart that is open to hear God's voice. This week we will continue our series Stop & Listen.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice…” (John 10:27). As a follower of Christ, hearing the voice of God should be a normal and expected reality. There is no simple formula to hearing God, but there are basic principles that each of us can learn to hear His voice. God can speak to us individually in different ways, but every Christian must Stop & Listen in order to hear.

Enjoy this message for the new year from our friend and guest speaker, Peter Markgraaff.

God was the coming Messiah in the Old Testament, our Savior and Redeemer today, and He will come again. The Lord will gloriously return one day. No matter your end-time beliefs, you should anticipate Him. But what does that mean for us? How should we act in our anticipation? As we examine Christ's first advent, we can find answers to how we should anticipate the second.

Why does it matter so much that God came to earth in the person of Jesus? When we dive into His character, we can see what God is like. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Join us as we look at the second part of our sermon series: Who Was, Who Is, and Who Is to Come. 

The Bible is one big book of Advent. The word, Advent, has its roots in Latin and carries with it the meaning of “coming.” The story of the coming of Jesus doesn't begin in the New Testament, and it doesn't end with a baby in a manger. The entire Bible anticipates and tells of this great Messiah, the Anointed King, who has come to bring hope to a dark and dying world. Discover “Who Was and Is and Is to Come!”

“And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” What did Jesus mean when He asked us to pray this? Find out as we finish our series on Jesus' model of prayer.

In the model prayer given to His disciples, Jesus asked them to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He goes on to tell them to also pray, “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” These prayers express our dependence on God and relate to our physical and relational needs.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” But what did Jesus really mean when He told us to pray for God's kingdom to come and for His will to be done? 

We continue examining the Lord's Prayer which is a model of prayer given to us by Jesus Himself. As we look deeper into this wonderful example, we will see Jesus telling us what we must know to grow stronger in prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13 is one of the most popular passages in the New Testament. It contains a model of prayer Jesus gave His disciples as part of the Sermon on the Mount. It covers foundational basics that are expanded upon throughout Scripture, and its importance cannot be overstated. Prayer is the primary way God releases His power through His people. Who better to learn from than Jesus Himself?

From the beginning, God gave mankind authority over the earth. However, if we don't know we have authority, we can't take advantage of what is available. As a result, we live below God's standard. Join us for a reminder of the authority God has given to us!

Enjoy this special message from our guest speaker and friend, Mark Shell.

We are defined by who we are in Christ. God establishes this definition by who He is and what He has done for us. When we truly understand this, we know how to live the life God intends for us. Satan hates who we are in Christ so he declares war on us. However, we don't have to let him win that war! Join us as we explore how to stand victorious in the revelation of how God sees us.

In the beginning, mankind messed up and put separation between us and God. Then Jesus came, as fully God and fully man, to restore what was lost in Eden's Garden with His death on the cross and victorious-over-death resurrection. We can now have the life God originally intended for us because our position with the Creator is restored!

Too many people lack a proper view of life and, therefore, don't value life the way they should. Scripture tells us in Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Join us as we look at the worth of humanity through the eyes of God.

Change is necessary for success. We all have a choice: to adjust how we live daily or to stay the same. Join us as we conclude this sermon series with our seventh and final decision for Godly success.

Everyone wants to have a successful life.Throughout the year we make daily choices that determine whether or not we are successful. Join us as we will continue to share the principles that will help us make decisions for Godly success.

As Christians, we know that our  Heavenly Father wants the best for all of His children. He wants us to be successful in every area of our lives. And we must understand that success is not based on what we do (career or job), it is based on who we are. It's making right decisions stemming from who we are in Christ. 

Life can be hard. It's full of twists, turns, and decisions that we have to make. The choices we make determine the course of our lives. The decisions we make not only affect us, but they affect those around us as well. What choices are the right ones? What makes the difference between failure and success?

In chapter 5, James winds down his letter by showing us that the heart of God is open to every aspect of our Christian lives through prayer and praise. He concludes his letter with the message that Christian fellowship is a safety net to protect all from falling away from God's grace.

In chapter 5 of our expository sermon series, James encourages Christians to be patient and strong in their faith as they wait for the Lord's coming. We will see our harvest!

A Living Faith cannot be achieved without a humble dependence on God. James cautions us against having an attitude of independence from our Creator. He also issues a challenge to every believer to live according to what we know in the Lord.

A living faith cannot be achieved through pride because God resists the proud. Therefore, being humble should be of the utmost importance to us. In fact, submitting ourselves to God in humility is our responsibility as Christ-confessing believers. Join us as we explore the humble attributes of a living faith revealed in James 4:1-12.

In the first chapter of James' letter, we learned that if we feel that we lack wisdom, we can ask God for it. Join us as we discover James' definition of what wisdom really is—his unique understanding of what wisdom from God actually looks like.

Words can hurt or heal. They can leave scars and cuts, or they can be soothing medicine. Thus it's imperative to be careful what we say to others.Can we control what we say? Yes.Is it always easy? No, but with the Lord's help, we can.

Being in control of what we say is part of how we demonstrate our living faith. Our words have power so what we say truly matters. James teaches us that the caution and care with what we say reveals a true spiritual maturity.

James seems to say that we need to work for our salvation. But is that true?Salvation is simple: faith by grace. At the same time, our actions matter.Transformation occurs in the life of the believer after salvation. What does that look like?

Do you see others the way God sees them?In his epistle, James establishes the principle of no partiality. As Christians, we need to embrace this same principle in the life of the church. Join us as we continue our exploration of James, and discover how to see others as God sees them.

There are so many ways that we can access and enjoy the Scriptures. We can:read our Biblesread Bible apps on our phones or computerscheck the verse of the daylisten to online sermons and podcasts as we perform daily tasksHearing God's Word is not a problem for most of us, but applying it to our lives is.Do we hear it and receive it? Or do we hear it and walk away from it to do what we want instead?We all must decide how we handle the word of truth.

More than any other book in the New Testament, James places a spotlight on the necessity for believers to think, speak, and act in faith. Do your actions mirror the faith that you proclaim? James helps us answer this challenging question and develop a living, thriving faith.Join us as we begin a new sermon series exploring the Epistle of James.