from Luke 1:5-23
If we are taught anything about waiting, we are taught simply to be patient…we’re typically not taught anything about how to navigate the feelings of anxiousness that can arise when we find ourselves waiting for something.
Over the next few weeks we will look at how being anxious in our waiting can either be a hindrance to being a part of what God is doing, or serve as a catalyst that will propel us into deeper faith and more faithful participation in what God is doing.
w/ Vern Collins
from Philippians 2:1-11
What determines your priorities? What drives your life?
Is it Jesus?
Many who consider themselves Christians, while grateful for the saving work of Christ on the Cross, are still content to follow, “little kings,” as they work to establish their own, “little kingdoms.” And yet, based on Paul’s use of what is likely an early church hymn, we find that there is really only One Who is worthy of being called King.
Imagine how your life might change if you not only looked to Jesus as Savior, but submitted to Him as King!
w/ Vern Collins
from 1 Peter 2:4-11
What drives your life? For many wrapped up in whatever they may do is a search for an identity, or a means by which they are defined…
What if rather than working so hard to create an identity for yourself, you embraced the identity God longs to offer you through His Son Jesus? And what if that identity called you to live your life on behalf of those around you…regardless of where you find yourself planted? Part of a royal priesthood…that the world may know.
from Jeremiah 32:1-15
It’s not that we don’t want to respond faithfully to the life-changing gift that God has given us in Christ…it’s that too often faithfulness feels just too inconvenient.
What if instead of thinking about what it might mean for us now, we begin to think about what God is calling us to in terms of what it might mean for God’s Kingdom in the future?
What if you begin to think of both the little acts of faithfulness and the huge leaps of faithfulness as something might God use to teach you about Himself now as well as plant seeds for growth in the lives of others in the future?
w/ Vern Collins
from 2 Peter 1:1-11
If you could control anything what would it be? Time? Distractions? The weather?
What about yourself? What about those things that might be a distraction or a hindrance to experiencing, enjoying, and living in the fullness of life with Christ? What about those things that hinder and harm relationship with others, or those things that affect how you feel about YOU?
Imagine how your day or your week might begin to look different if you took seriously Peter’s words that one of the results of our faith in Jesus should be self-control.
w/ Vern Collins
from Psalm 27
Eugene Peterson speaks of the Christian journey as a, “long obedience in the same direction,” and is quick to note that this world does not encourage such a view of anything, much less Christianity. Impatience marks our interactions with others and with the world around us…and has seeped into our walk with Jesus.
And yet, Paul is clear: patience is meant to be one of the characteristics that marks our identity as Christ-followers. With situations that we want to get to the other side of, or people with whom we have little patience, how is it that we can cultivate this fruit that exemplifies God’s attitude toward us?
What if instead of pursuing a hundred little things (most of which we grow impatient with), you spent the remainder of your lifetime pursuing the One Thing that can change your perspective?
w/ Vern Collins
from John 14:22-31
What keeps you awake at night? What makes you nervous or anxious? Is it a relationship, concern for a loved one? Is it the state of the world right now, or our country?
How do you navigate that anxiety or unrest? Where do you turn? Do you just hope to survive it, or are you willing to believe that God is present in it? Imagine how things might begin to change if you believed that not only was God present in your worry, but offers you peace in the midst of it.
w/ Vern Collins
from Habakkuk 3:17-19
In our series on the Fruit of the Spirit (from Galatians 5:22-25) we look next at the fruit of “Joy.”
What is joy to you? Is it an intense feeling? Is it momentary or is it lasting? Is it the same as happiness or different? Is it some religious outburst or something that resides quietly within?
What if joy were all and none of these things? What if a response of joy had more to do with trusting God whatever your circumstances and offering a response of rejoicing as a result of that trust? How might your perspective on this life change of you chose a response of joy in the midst of trials? How might the lives around you be changed?
w/ Vern Collins
from Galatians 5:1, 13-25
This week begins an 8 week series looking at the Fruit of the Spirit Paul points to in his letter to the church in Galatia.
Living in the freedom that Christ offers is meant to look like something…the question is, are you living free or are you bound by things that have taken control in your life. To live freely means that God is able to bring things from you that are produced by the Life that is in you…imagine how different things could be!
w/ Vern Collins
from Matthew 28:16-20
In our final week of our “Church” series, we are challenged with the work that the church was tasked with: making disciples.
What if making disciples weren’t the terrifying thing we believe it to be? What if making disciples wasn’t about forcing something on people? What if making disciples was not about what you do, but about who you become? What if making disciples was simply rooted in relationship?
It can be. And God can do amazing things in and through you simply by a willingness to say, “yes.”
w/ Vern Collins
from 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
“Paul is challenging the people of Corinth, challenging us to consider that we are a gift…”
[apologies for the sound quality]
w/ Vern Collins
from Acts 2:42-47
“Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim…” Let us find true devotion to each other and to God.
w/ Vern Collins and David Hockett
Scripture – Acts 20:17-35
We have to trust that God will restore all things that need to be fixed. He is the great redeemer, and should remain captive to his will.
w/ Luke Edwards
Scripture – Acts 17:1-9
In the past, the world was turned upside down by the proclamation of Christ. It conflicted with the proclamation of Caesar. However, two Lords of opposite virtue cannot coexist. We must choose which of the Lords in out lives we serve.
w/ Reed McNitzky
Scripture – Acts 13:1-3
At times, we may think that we can save ourselves with the tools provided to us; however the right step may be to simply ask for help. We ask and seek help when we are lost and don’t know what to do, but it first takes realizing we’re lost.
w/ Ben Fitzgerald
from Scripture: Acts 9:1-19
Despite our best intentions to do the right thing, we don’t always get it right. We sometimes tend to do more harm than good. God has to remind us that His plan for the world is to draw all people to Christ…
w/ Jeff McClain
from – Mathew 14:13-21
Everything Jesus did pointed to the fact that God is enough for our lives. When we look about the feeding of the 5000, it is not just simply that Jesus could do so much with so little, it is why He did so much with so little…
w/ Vern Collins
from Matthew 25:34-40 and Isaiah 58:6-10
Instead of hoping for Jesus to arrive where you are, what would it look like for us to go where Jesus actually is?
With Vern Collins
