Westside Church of Christ

Peace is a blessing from God and he has given us instructions on how to obtain it. God can help us find peace in our relationships with those in the world, our relationships within the church, our relationship with God, and our relationship with ourselves.

In Isaiah 36, the Rabshakeh, an Assyrian representaive, goes to Jerusalem to convince the Jewish people to surrender. However, the people of Jerusalem ignore whta the Rabshakeh says to them, and God delivers him. We should learn from this story to ignore fears, lies, and desires that do not align with God's will, and instead trust in God to deliver us.

We all get frustrated from time to time. Listen in as Jacob relays the story of someone in the Bible who got very frustrated and how God helped him overcome it.

What does it mean to be a Christian? What do we have to give up and what do we gain? Listen as David explains that there is nothing of value we lose and everything of value we gain be following Christ.

We are all building something. Sometimes literally: a house, a car, etc. but also metaphorically: a career, a family, a legacy. Listen as Lanny explains the most important and lasting thing we should be building in our life.

In the book of John he records a statement from Jesus that he gave us a "New Commandment". What is this new commandment that Jesus brought? And how do we obey it? Listen as Jacob explains what this new commandment means for us today.

Elders and deacons are given specific roles in the church to lead and serve with humility and dedication. Elders are responsible for overseeing the congregation and making decisions that benefit the flock, while deacons lead by example in serving others. Both roles are vital for the growth of the church, and they must be carried out with a selfless mindset, always seeking to glorify God and protect the well-being of His people.

Listen as we sing praises to our God!

The resurrection of Lazarus shows Jesus' power over death, and demonstrates that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Lazarus was hated for his association with Jesus, and we may also face this hatred, but must continue to boldly follow Jesus. This story also demonstrates the love and compassion Jesus has for us, and how anyone, regardless of their background may have eternal life through Jesus.

We all have the ability and responsibility to encourage one another. Those who preach have a particular responsibility to encourage through their teaching, but we can all encourage each other through other means. Encouragement can come through personal relationships and assembling together to worship God. When we encourage others we bring them comfort and strength in their walk as Christians.

Hospitality is not only a requirement for an elder, but something all members of the church can and should take part in. We should be hospitable, not for the sake of recognition or with hopes of being given something in return, but out of love for others and for God. Being hospitable helps further God's will and connect us with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are adopted into God's family, and we are able to come before him boldly in prayer. We are able to ask for spiritual and physical needs and comforts, and will receive them if it is God's will. We should pray selflessly and while putting God before ourselves.

Sickness and need were brought into the world by sin. Ministering to the sick and needy allows for us to show Christ love to the world. Need is abundant in the world, giving us many opportunities to minister to others. It is our responsibility to identify these opportunities and take them.

A teacher in the church can be someone who teaches publicly in the assembly, or privately in personal studies. Public teachers must be male members of the church who have sound knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. While we can't all be public teachers, we may all contribute to teaching by either private study or connecting others to those who can teach.

Someone who holds the office of an evangelist is a person who spreads the gospel as their vocation. While most are not able to fill that role, we can all contribute to evangelism, by either supporting evangelist or by spreading the Word ourselves. We should work to build relationships with those around us, so we can teach them about the gospel.

We are commanded to give, and there are many examples of church members doing so in the Bible. When we give, we should not do so begrudgingly or for personal gain, but liberally and with a cheerful heart. When we give to the church, we are fulfilling an essential role, as financial contributions support evangelism and charity, which are crucial to the church's mission.

We can look to the story of the Prodigal's Son to understand the process we should take when asking for forgiveness. When the Prodigal's Son realized that he had done something wrong, he humbled himself, went to his father, admitted his fault, and asked for forgiveness. When we sin against a brother or sister, we are also sinning against God, and we must be willing to humble ourselves and repent.

We are commanded to forgive others, so we must understand what it means to do so. Forgiveness does not erase the effects of a conflict. If a relationship is damaged due to conflict, we must put in effort to repair it. And although we may not be able to forget what someone has done, when forgiving someone, we must not dwell on how they have wronged us or hold it against them.

There are ways we can prepare our hearts better handle conflict, before a situation arises. We must work on creating a merciful heart that is prepared to forgive. We should view forgiveness not as something we may do if we feel it is fit, but something we must do. Our perfect God has unending mercy for us, so we should have unending mercy for others.

Saul's grudge against David, not only affected his own life, but David's also, who had to live in fear of Saul's retaliation. When we refuse to forgive a brother or sister, it may cause them to become distant or hesitate to participate in the church family. If we do not forgive and heal our relationships with our brothers and sisters, we not only risk harm to ourselves, but to them as well.

1 Samuel contains the story of how Saul became angry at David due to his jealousy, and how when he gave into his anger, he allowed his grudge to consume him and send his life into a downward spiral. If we do not forgive and resolve our conflicts with others, we will destroy our lives and inhibit ourselves from properly serving God.

Often when we face conflict with a brother or sister, we would like to ignore the issue to avoid confrontation. However, the Bible says that we should go to our brother or sister in love, in order to resolve the conflict and avoid any spiritual damage.

We should always strive and work towards maintaining our humility. We are commanded to put others before ourselves, which takes humility through keeping our sense of self-importance in check. It is also important to remain humble so we are able to recognize and admit our failings, so we can work to combat them in order to live a more Godly life.

Genesis chapter 20 tells the story of Abraham travelling through a city, and telling the inhabitants that his wife was his sister, because he was afraid that they would kill him in order to have his wife. Although what he said was partially true, because him and his wife were half siblings, there was consequences for Abraham's deception. From this story we can learn the importance of complete honesty, how we should overcome our fears through faith, and our need for God's mercy.

Everyone has different gifts and abilities that we are able to use to further God's kingdom. Even though our abilities may be different, like the parts of a body, each gift is important and necessary for the body to function. We should search for and embrace the ways in which we can assist the church.

In Exodus, the Lord speaks to Moses through a burning bush, instructing him to go to pharaoh and demand him to release the Israelites. When Moses is hesitant to obey God, the Lord shows Moses signs and reassures Moses that he will allow him to succeed. From this story we can learn that God knows us and cares for us, as God saw the troubles of the Israelites, God is the all power creator, or the "I Am", and that God will use us for his purpose. If we allow him to, we will be able to accomplish great things that we could not on our own.

Shadows of Christ are real people and events that foreshadow or point to Christ. One shadow includes Adam, who's disobedience separated us from God, acting as a counterpart to Jesus, who's obedience brought us back to God. Another shadow is Moses, who left a life of royalty and comfort in order to free his people from bondage, similarly to how Jesus came to Earth in order to bring us salvation. These shadows help us build our faith and better understand who Christ it.

Entering a new year makes us reflect on the direction of our live. Isaiah 64:8 contains a metaphor of God being a potter, and us being clay. Without God's guidance, our lives are shapeless and messy, like unformed clay. Although we may not always understand God's reasoning, we must humble ourselves and allow God to shape us and use us for his plan.

There are many moments in human history that are seen as pivotal, such as the many technological advancements that have changed the way we live. However, the birth of Jesus Christ is much more significant than those events. Jesus's miraculous birth and life brought us an example of how we should live and a hope for salvation.

Standards are the way we measure or define a certain quality or quantity. Standards made by men are faulty, as they are prone to changes and errors, and if we try to create our own standard for how we should live, it will share these flaws. Thankfully, we have been given a standard for living a godly life through the example Jesus set for us, the only standard we should measure ourselves against.

Everything we do should be done for God's glory, so it should be done in a godly manner. No matter how great of a task you may accomplish, if it is not done in love, it does not glorify God. We should not view our accomplishments as a way to earn recognition for ourselves, but rather as a way to bring glory to God.

In Luke 10:24-27, a man questions Jesus about the commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself", prompting Jesus to deliver the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a Samaritan stops to help a man that he does not know who has been robbed. In order to show love for God, we must love our neighbor by having mercy and compassion for all, even those we may not know or like.

This life is just a short moment on our journey to our eternal destination. As Christians, we must keep in mind our final goal and dedicate our lives to our faith and serving God above all.

The meaning of the term "gospel" means good news. The gospel is the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, which allows us to have salvation. We have earned death through our sin. The gospel is good news to us because it gives us an opportunity for salvation. If we believe and obey the gospel, we may receive eternal life.

In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells the parable of a nobleman who gave one pound each to ten servants before going away to receive a kingdom. At his return, the nobleman rewards the servants that used there gifts to create a profit, and punished the servant who does not utilize this gift. We should strive to use the gifts we are given, to be profitable servants for the Lord, working for the Lord until he returns, so that we may gain a heavenly reward.

Are you truly committed to the Lord? We all make commitments to things in this life- but the most important commitment we can make is to the Lord. Listen as Steve explains what our commitment should look like.

The disciples distanced themselves from the master (Jesus) when he was about to be crucified. Listen in as Curtis talks about the danger of distancing yourself from Jesus and how important it is to draw closer to Him.

Are you stressed? Stress is inevitable, but the Bible gives us instructions on how to overcome it. Listen in as Cole discusses what often causes stress in our life and how we can overcome it.

David and Goliath is a familiar story for all of us. But who really defeated Goliath? Listen in as Shawn gives us the answer.

In 1 Peter 3:8-9 Peter gives us six steps to improve our relationships. Listen in as Jesus expounds upon each one of these steps.

Jesus has many names and one of them is the Good Shepherd. Listen in as Steve explains this title of Jesus and how He shepherds us.

Kindness is not a subject we discuss too often. However, Keagan explains to us that we are to pursue kindness per the scripture!

The Parable of the Sower tells us a lot about the nature of the human heart. Listen in as Curtis explains what type of heart we need to have.

Job suffered a lot but his story left us several lessons to learn about how to deal with suffering. Listen in as Clark share these lessons with us.

How strong is your faith? Do you truly believe in the existence of God and the truth of His word? Listen in as Jacob explains three reasons why he believes.