Podcasts about blue oaks church

In the Old Testament, the banquet was used as a metaphor for God’s Kingdom. Jesus says in the story we’ll look at this Sunday that there are many open chairs at God’s table, and His Father is very concerned that they get filled. In this message we will be encouraged to invite people to the party, for there are many places at God’s table and every chair will be occupied. Nothing is going to stop God’s party! The post Who’s Invited To The Party appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

It’s easy to take on the attitudes of “I’ve earned” and “I deserve” when we look at what we’ve accomplished and compare it to others around us. But these attitudes can become two of the most damaging and destructive in our lives if we allow them to. Jesus tells a story that illustrates how both can create in us assumptions and expectations that could cause us to miss the greatest gift we’ll ever be offered. The post The Performance Trap appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This Sunday we look at one of the most misunderstood stories Jesus ever told. He explains that Christians can learn from non-Christians who at times do a better job dealing with reality.  Christians can be prone to over-spiritualizing, masking problems with language that sounds spiritual, avoiding realities and being too passive in the face of difficulty. If this dishonest manager had the courage to face his problem head-on by relying on the character and the generosity of his master, how The post Problem Solving appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Superiority and self-righteousness are difficult for human beings to recognize in themselves. Jesus attacks these issues harder than anything else because he knows the potential damage that can be done. Jesus tells a story about the up-side-down nature of the kingdom of God, where the religious person who looks good on the outside is blind, unloving, and very, very far away from God; and the person who is despised by society has a humility that keeps him right at the The post The Upside-Down Way of Jesus appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

What if you could know what’s going to happen after you die? Well Jesus tells a story that sheds light on the reality that after you die you will be wide awake; and you will be full of either tremendous gratitude or enormous regret; and you will be able to reflect back on your life here on earth with great clarity. It’s critically important that you get right with God while you’re on this side of eternity. That’s what the The post What Happens After Death appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

If there’s a fork in the road and one way says life and the other way says death, even for the directionally-challenged, that’s not a difficult decision. But the reality is, every time we make a decision we choose to either walk down a path of life or a path of death. This is a simple concept to theoretically understand, yet it is the most difficult task in life to faithfully carry out. We choose physical, mental, relational, and financial The post A Life or Death Decision appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

In this message we learn Moses is a great example of faithfulness and doing what’s right in the midst of a crisis. He shows integrity, conviction, follows God and does what’s right, which is what we desperately need in our day. The post A Crisis Reveals What’s Inside appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Moses was never alone, even in his darkest moment. And neither are we! The post Persist With God appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

When God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses gave excuses why he was not the right man for the job. But God told Moses, “I will be with you.” God proved to Moses He could be trusted and promised him he would not be on his own. God was essentially saying to Moses, “You have nothing to be afraid of Moses. I will be with you.” Whenever God calls ordinary people like you and The post Hearing God appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Moses was one of the most extraordinary human beings to ever live. He was the founder of the nation of Israel; he was the giver of the law; he established Israel’s worship; he organized Israel’s government; and he led Israel to freedom. Outside of Jesus Christ, we could argue Moses was the single most influential human being to ever live. While Moses was a remarkable human being, he could claim a somewhat dysfunctional start to life. He made some unwise The post The Extraordinary Life appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Colossians 3:17 is one of the key verses in the New Testament. Paul says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” We can get vague and abstract about what it means to live in the name of Jesus, so Paul moves directly on from this pivotal verse to talk about three of the most common and important areas of life: marriage, The post Doing Work and Family Right appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Did you ever play dress when you were young? Maybe you dressed up as a superhero, or put on your parents’ clothes, pretending you were all grown up. Maybe you put on a costume to act out your part in a school play. Whatever you put on, it gave you an opportunity to be different, a new identity for a short time. This Sunday, we’ll see how Paul uses clothing as a metaphor in his letter to the Colossians to The post A New Wardrobe appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Our thoughts and feelings take on certain patterns and tendencies that inevitably determine the kind of things we say and do. When we say or do something, we’re just letting out the thoughts and feelings that are on the inside. People who do well at loving are simply the kind of people who have loving thoughts and loving feelings. Cranky people are simply people who tend to have bitter, resentment-producing thoughts and feelings. Yet the apostle Paul makes this staggering The post A New Mind appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

We live in a culture that expects performance, drives performance, and rewards performance. But is that how God operates with us? Is a relationship with God all about following the rules and doing all the right things? As we return to The New You, we’ll look at the difference between the expectations of religion in light of what Christ has done. With change comes the opportunity to become better versions of ourselves, and lean into Christ-centered living. Join us Sunday The post Live in The Reality of Done appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

What is the correct position for a Christian to take on gun control? What is the correct position for a Christian to take on immigration? What is the role, Biblically speaking, that the government ought to take in caring for the poor? What about capital punishment? What about global warming? What is the Christian response to Covid-19? What is the Christian response to protests for equality? Underneath all these questions is the question we will focus on this Sunday: what The post The Way Of Jesus In Politics appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

The Good Samaritan story is known to Christians and non-Christians alike. What many people don’t know is how the cultural, social and religious realities of Jesus’ day color the story. In this message we will explore what this story meant to Jesus’ listeners and hopefully give us a new appreciation for in light of what we’re experiencing today. The post The Good Samaritan appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

All the reading I’m doing on racism has forced me to come face to face with my own pride and sense of privilege that keeps me at a distance from people who are different than me. It’s been difficult because I’m learning that deep down in the cracks of my own soul, I have a sense of superiority, and I have prejudice, and I have fear that I would just like to keep covered up. I would just like to The post Tear Down The Wall appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Amos was a simple farmer in ancient Judah, but God had bigger plans for him. God used him to instruct the Israelites on how to respond to marginalized people. God’s dream was a society that reaches out with compassion to those who are oppressed, and treats those who don’t have power with justice. God’s dream has not changed, and it’s up to us, his church, to live it out in our communities today. The post A Bold Statement From Amos For Today appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

What is one thing the church has to offer that the world cannot get anywhere else? It’s grace! We can say to people with confidence, “You were dead, but now you’re alive. You were lost, but now you’re found. You were guilty, but now you’re set free.” Join us Sunday as we learn to realize God’s grace. The post Live In God’s Grace appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Often, we place our hope in the people around us, the profession we’re in, or the possibilities that may come our way. What if we had a hope based on a promise, one that could not be broken, a hope that lived within us? There is no mystery to finding this hope in Christ and it’s the difference between Christ and us and Christ in us. The post Christ In You, The Hope of Glory appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

The way we live directly reflects how we perceive Jesus. When Jesus is weak, we offer prayers without faith, worship without awe, service without joy, and suffering without hope. The result is fear, retreat, loss of vision and failure to persevere. However, life with a powerful God is a life of risky faith, fearless obedience, and passionate leadership. Join is Sunday as we learn to live in the reality of a powerful God. The post Jesus’ Power And Presence Are With You appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” It’s hard reading that truth in light of this season, as all of our plans have shifted. We aren’t comfortable with the unknowns, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, know that you are not crazy. Peace can be found in the truth that God knows the plans He has The post God’s Plans are Meant for Good appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Hope is a quality that can run very deep. It’s a belief that the best is yet to come. Those with hope have courage that allows them to dream big and take risks. Hope enables us to endure pain and overcome grief. With it we are able to surmount obstacles, frustrations and failure. Join us Sunday as we learn how to be carriers of hope rather than despair. The post Keep Hope Alive appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Fear is one of the most prevalent human emotions, capable of influencing or controlling our decisions and behavior. Peter experienced a moment of fear when he jumped out of a boat to meet Jesus in the middle of a storm. How Jesus responds to him teaches us how we can find faith in the midst of our fear.  The post Finding Faith in Fear appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

We all deal with worry. It might be because of health, work, finances, a relationship, a recession, or a pandemic.  Worry cuts us off from the presence and power of God like almost nothing else. It robs us of joy and paralyzes our ability to trust God.  This week we lean to give our worries to God and live with a peace that is beyond human understanding. The post Give Your Worries to God appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Three day stories in Scripture, like the Good Friday/Easter Sunday story, follow a pattern: the first day (a day of trouble) and the third day (a day of deliverance from the trouble). But what about the middle day? The middle day is the day you wake up after the trouble, knowing you’ve got to go on, but not knowing how and not knowing if the third day will come. We can sit in the middle-day with despair or denial, or The post Living Through Difficult Days appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the crowds were celebrating him as the coming King, giving him a welcome usually reserved for kings returning victorious from battle. But was he entering the city as the King the people were expecting? A mixture of symbolism and prophecy, the scene caused the entire city to be stirred with excitement and agitation, and prompted the question, “Who is this?” Join us Sunday as we ask the question, “Who is this?” The post Who Is This? appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

The master of physical touch, the love language we look at Sunday, was Jesus. It’s powerful to learn from Jesus how to touch the lives around us. We’ve been learning how Jesus loved using the five love languages as a template. We’ve looked at words of affirmation, quality time, giving of gifts, acts of service, and today we look at physical touch. It’s ironic we’re looking at physical touch during a time of social distancing in our world, but it’s The post Love With Touch appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This week we look at what Jesus taught about greatness. We all want to be people of impact. We all want to make a difference in the lives of those around us; in our families, with our friends, at our work, and in our church. So what does greatness look like? The post Love With Serving appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

If one love language more deeply reflects the heart of God as Jesus teaches about it, it might be the one we’re going to talk about on Sunday. The post Love With Gifts appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Our goal as a church is to produce a community of extraordinarily loving people who are the greatest among us. The Five Love Languages is the template for this five week series. The post Love With Time appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Love is the greatest commandment of all. Nothing in this world matters more than love. Life is all about love. Love is the measure of our humanity. Love is the purpose of our lives. Love is what God calls us to.  There are a lot of things we could excel in, but if we get love wrong, none of it will matter. The whole purpose of the church is to increase the amount of love in our world. The apostle Paul wrote, “But the The post Love With Words appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

We take a moment to actually think about, express and symbolize our commitment to God. The post All In Spiritually appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

The poet John Donne spoke truthfully when he coined the phrase, “No man is an island.” One of the first things God says in the Bible is that it’s not good for man to be alone. We were created in the image of a relational God, with the ability, even the deep need, to be in relationship with others; family, friends, and marriage.  The friendship of Jonathan and David gives us a glimpse of what God can bring into a relationship The post All In Relationally appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

In order to live life to the fullest we need to be ALL IN financially, which requires that we earn money ethically, spend money wisely, avoid destructive debt, save consistently, and give generously. Do you have the drive and determination to take the realistic steps required to change your personal money management system? Do you have enough faith in God to believe He will bless you when you commit to following his way with your finances? The post All In Financially appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Commitment can be a real scary word, because a commitment is a promise about the future. But in the future, things might change. The post All In appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This is the last week of our series, “I’m Done With That”  with the message, “I’m done with being afraid.”  All throughout Scripture, God says, “Do not be afraid.” He actually says it 365 times. That’s one for every day of the year. It’s like God is saying, “I hope you get it. Don’t be afraid.” In this message, we will look at courage as the antidote to fear; not the kind of courage that’s needed on rare occasions when The post I’m Done With Being Afraid appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This Sunday we look at two questions related to shame: Where does it come from? How do we gain the power to be done with dealing with it? The post I’m Done With Dealing With Shame appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This Sunday we walk through several scenes in Scripture and in life, and look at why it is that comparing myself to other people is such a miserable, toxic, anti-kingdom way to live. The post I’m Done With Comparing appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

his Sunday we kick off our series with the message, “I’m Done With Complaining.” In this message we’ll look at the anatomy of complaining; we’ll walk through a time in the history of Israel when they had a big problem with complaining; we’ll look at why complaining is so destructive; we’ll do a self-assessment around complaining; and we’ll look at how we can be freed from complaining for good. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 2, “Do everything without complaining.” The post I’m Done With Complaining appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

We see in the life of Jesus that He would often challenge the religious traditions of His day. There is a story of an encounter Jesus had with a Samaritan woman where He begins to shift a long held tradition and in the process, shape our understanding of how we approach God in worship. The post Worship appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Jesus comes to rescue people… but sometimes people think they dont really need it. The post Christmas 2019 appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Jesus, talking to people who are tempted to throw their life away on stuff that doesnt matter and wont last, in typical fashion tells a story. It’s found in Luke 12:13-21. The post Prepare Your Heart appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

A lawyer once asked Jesus what needed to be done to gain eternal life. The answer was to love God and love your neighbor. But what does that mean, to love your neighbor? As we continue to prepare the way for Christmas, we’ll look at a story Jesus told that’s intended to open our eyes and hands to those around us, our neighbors, and respond compassionately to the needs that surround us.  The post Prepare Your Hands appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

Lets live with an attitude of anticipation that he’s coming back someday — a new day when all things will be set right. And until he comes back, lets allow God to use us to be Jesus to the waiting world. The post Prepare Your Attitude appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

In this message Matt challenges us to put serious effort into preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas, as well as gives specific next steps that will encourage that process throughout the days leading to Christmas. The post Prepare Your Mind appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This week we look at how One Invitation Can Change Everything. The post One Invitation Can Change Everything appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

This Sunday we will talk about how to recognize the opportunities to connect with outsiders, which could lead to significant spiritual progress in a person’s life.  The post One Conversation Changes Everything appeared first on Blue Oaks Church.

God gives us dreams for our future. Yet, the circumstances and demands of life have a way of causing us to put those dreams away or forget them all together. How do we allow God to awaken us to the dreams he offers us? In this powerful message, Nicole Bullock (Co-Pastor of Blue Oaks Church in Brooklyn Center, MN) shares the story of a Shunammite woman who makes room for God in the face of paralyzing discouragement. Nicole also shares her own story of keeping faith in God through the uncertainty of seemingly-hopeless circumstances.

God gives us dreams for our future. Yet, the circumstances and demands of life have a way of causing us to put those dreams away or forget them all together. How do we allow God to awaken us to the dreams he offers us? In this powerful message, Nicole Bullock (Co-Pastor of Blue Oaks Church in Brooklyn Center, MN) shares the story of a Shunammite woman who makes room for God in the face of paralyzing discouragement. Nicole also shares her own story of keeping faith in God through the uncertainty of seemingly-hopeless circumstances.