"They [the angels] could have brought
judgment. Instead, they proclaimed
peace. In so doing they introduced to
the shepherds that night and indeed to the whole world the overtures of loving
God Who longs for us to choose His offered peace instead of destruction and
despair."
Showing posts with label light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label light. Show all posts
Thursday, February 15, 2018
2017 Advent Sunday 2 - The Peace of Angels
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Easter Sunday - 2017
Easter Sunday at Water of Life Fellowship is always special. It is impossible to capture in a recording or even in pictures. You will have to be sure to join us sometime! Maybe next year? Plan to join us if you can! Here is a snippet from the day:
Isn’t it spectacular to realize the rejoicing of their hearts that day? You have heard echoes of that same rejoicing still ringing in our hearts over two thousand years later! It is the song of the redeemed! “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (Matthew 4:16).” Jesus is the light of the world and He shattered the darkness of sin, death, and despair that wonderful Easter morning so long ago. He shattered it forever! “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).”
Jesus came, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).”
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men (John 1:3-4).”
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”
“…ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9).”
Is your heart bound in darkness today? You can be set free by His light! Is your life captive to despair? You can discover His Joy! Is death fearsome to you? You need no longer fear. He has conquered death too! This is why we no longer sit in darkness but rejoice in the light! “…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).” This is the Gospel – the Good News – of the Cross and the Resurrection: that we can leave the darkness and walk in the light with Him. Today, we celebrate His Light and Life! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Jesus came, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).”
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men (John 1:3-4).”
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”
“…ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9).”
Is your heart bound in darkness today? You can be set free by His light! Is your life captive to despair? You can discover His Joy! Is death fearsome to you? You need no longer fear. He has conquered death too! This is why we no longer sit in darkness but rejoice in the light! “…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).” This is the Gospel – the Good News – of the Cross and the Resurrection: that we can leave the darkness and walk in the light with Him. Today, we celebrate His Light and Life! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Monday, October 10, 2016
Who Is God to You?
Due to technical challenges, this message was not recorded. However, the notes are included below.
1 ¶ Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 ¶ To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
(KJV)
PRAYER
In this chapter, Isaiah declares that the idols of Babylon were so weak and so incapable that they themselves had to be carried on the backs and carts of beasts. These false gods were so weak they could not even walk or move themselves. Isaiah contrasts this with the love and care of the living God for Israel from beginning to end – from birth to death. In verses 5-7 he then calls upon them to think about the origins and weakness of such made up gods. Then in verse 8 Isaiah calls on them to face the truth and consider who God is. Then he writes some beautiful words about God in verses 9-13, which include a prophecy of the Jews’ future deliverance from captivity and looks ahead to distant future coming of the Messiah.
So now that we have a vague understanding of the passage generally, let’s home in on our focus today:
Listen to Pastor Rick’s translation here of God’s re-introduction of Himself:
“Remember what you once knew: that I am God and there is no other living God at all. I am the God there is nothing you can create that is like me. I know and declare what will happen from the very beginning before it ever happens and what I say will happen, happens. Whatever I desire to do, I do it and no one or no thing can stop me. If I speak it I will bring it to pass and if I decide to do something it will be done. I am bringing my righteousness nearby. It is not far away. I am bringing my salvation that will not wait any longer. This salvation is established in Israel for my glory.”
These are powerful powerful words! We will come back to them. But with God’s words in your mind, I want to ask you a serious question today: Who is God to you? – Not only the general theological question, “Who is God?” but I added the prepositional phrase, “…to you?”
Let’s see the difference: Ask an adult, “Who is God?” followed by “Who is God to You?”
Maybe this seems like a weird question to ask in a Christian church. But let’s ponder it for a little bit. (Ask several people, “Who is God to you?”)
We live in a world full of gods and goddesses invented by humans for many different purposes. For some they are means of control or power. For others they are a means of income. For still others they are a means to pleasure or fantasy, or an opening of the doors of the imagination. For some they are an outlet for art and creativity. For others they are a source of humor or mockery. And on and on. Even the story of the Supreme God of Christianity is manipulated and abused in these ways. From the supreme deity of the Hindus, Krishna, with his hundreds of millions of sub-gods to the absence of God entirely in the lives of those who have enthroned themselves as god and master of their own destiny, the wide range of beliefs and ideas leaves many people reeling. Then rather than deal with it, or sort through it, or address the hard questions, you begin to hear things like this:
“All roads lead to the same place.”
“Everyone worships the same God – He just has different names.”
“No one is wrong – everyone is right – we just need to be tolerant and coexist.”
“There is no God really so it doesn’t matter who or what you worship as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
These vague and dangerous generalizations leave many people lost, confused, empty, with still a nagging feeling inside that something just isn’t quite right. And that’s because something still isn’t right. The God of the Bible rather than by being fashioned according to the hands of men instead states that He fashioned them. Rather than being invented, He invents. Rather than being created, He creates. And reveals Himself to mankind throughout history.
But now, over 2000 years after the life of Jesus Christ, millions of Christians worldwide gather in His name to worship God and their methods and traditions and even their proclamations of what is true vary widely. How are we in our little church able to know Who God is generally and even more important on a personal level, who He is to us?
Sadly, even in Christendom, God is far too often misunderstood, misjudged, and misrepresented.
For some He is their ticket to prosperity. If you follow the right formula of faith you will land a good job, have lots of money, live in a grand house, drive a Cadillac, and never be ill.
For some He is their health guru. If you follow His dietary restrictions and pray the prayers of faith anointing with olive oil from Israel in a special fancy bottle then you will not get sick – or if you get sick you will always every time me miraculously healed.
For some He is their talisman and good luck charm. They pray little prayers of protection when they travel or do dangerous things. They expect that God will take care of them shielding them from harm like He is some kind of glorified rabbit’s foot.
For some He is their ticket into a social club. If they say and do the right things then they get to be part of a community of people that all say they believe the same things. They get to hang out, have friends, and do cool stuff.
For some He is a security blanket. They rub Him when they are afraid or when life is tough: but only then. As soon as the danger is past the forget all about Him.
For some He is their personal bodyguard and avenger. They summon His protection amid their own foolishness and demand His wrath upon their enemies.
Now in all of these singular abuses of understanding are glimpses of the true identity of God. He IS a source of blessing, sustainment, healing, protection, strength, peace, belonging, safety, and justice. But these are merely fragments of His actions and abilities. He is far more than some kind of vending machine for our well-being. Focusing in on these various attributes and abilities of God in a vacuum causes many people to lose faith; when they pray for success and instead find failure; When they pray for protection and they are hurt in a car accident; when they pray for healing and yet their cancer persists; when these things happen, people are left wondering, “Who is God and is He even real?”
You see we have not truly discovered Who God Is to Us in the way He revealed Himself for us to know. So if you will allow me for a moment, I want to introduce you to God in the way He wants us to know Him.
God begins all things with Himself…”In the beginning God….” He masterfully creates everything we know of (and perhaps things we do not know). Then, as He concludes His creation, He designs a reflection of Himself and His glory as ultimate objects of His love and devotion: male and female He creates them and places them in the midst of all He has made and then invites them to walk only with Him in love. In that sweet relationship of communion and peace He intends to reveal all they ever need to know about everything and about Himself. But they spurn His love and the dream is shattered.
Across the succeeding centuries, humankind willfully rejects all God designed to be to them. They forsake Him utterly until the earth was full of wickedness and sin until only the family of one man can be found who will listen at all to the voice of the Creator. For 120 years this man cries out to his generation calling them to repentance and back into relationship with God. No one listens. Finally the ark is finished. Noah and his family enter in. The door is shut. God wipes the world clean of its wickedness and prepares to start again. But it is not long before the children of men turn their backs again on the God Who made them. Again the fall far from His glory. They rush away madly after the pleasures of their own desires and in many ways push God completely out of their memory.
But God is love. He is light. He is holy. He cannot abandon His creation no matter how far they flee Him. So with great longsuffering He preserves a people and a family line that stretches all the way back to the beginning – through which He sends His only begotten Son for the salvation of mankind. His Son comes – Jesus the Christ – and clarifies so much that had been forgotten and misunderstood about God. Finally, Jesus laid down His life on the cross atoning for the sins of all men and raised again from the dead sealing the work He had completed. Then He commissioned his band of followers to go into all the world with the good news that God had provided a means of restoration to Eden. Eden might not be known again on earth, but walking with God as in Eden was again possible if only we would believe. If only we will trust in Christ we will find the redemption of our hearts and the cleansing of our spirits that once again we might know God as He always intended that we might know Him: personally, individually, intimately walking with Him as Creator, as Friend, as Father, as Lover.
In his proclamation of what God might do for fallen sinful Israel, the prophet Micah exclaimed, “7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
Jesus embodied this love and longsuffering of God and called us to know Him again.
I ask you again today: Who is God to you?
Is he merely your security blanket, your ticket to the club, or your fire escape? Or is He Who He always intended to be in your heart:
Your Creator Whom You Worship
Your Friend Who Walks Always Beside You
Your Father In Who You Utterly Trust
Your Lover In Whom You Delight
Maybe you say, Pastor Rick, I have been guilty of only knowing God in a fragmented way and not knowing Him for real in the present in the way He designed me to know Him. How can I go deeper? How can I go beyond relying on Him as my own personal vending machine?
Listen to the writing of the Apostle John who was the closest disciple to Jesus during his time on earth:
1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1 John 4: 14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
2 John 1:9b He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
In other words, surrender your life to Christ, take up your cross, and follow Him. Say “Yes” to His proposal! When you believe on Christ and walk in obedience in His ways, you will discover what life with God means and what it really is to know Him now. Through the power of the Holy Spirit you can know Eden again in your heart and walk with Him every day whether you fail or prosper, whether you are well or ill, whether you are happy or sad. No matter what your life may hold, you can KNOW him and walk in the hope of His life in you!
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
1 ¶ Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 ¶ To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
(KJV)
PRAYER
In this chapter, Isaiah declares that the idols of Babylon were so weak and so incapable that they themselves had to be carried on the backs and carts of beasts. These false gods were so weak they could not even walk or move themselves. Isaiah contrasts this with the love and care of the living God for Israel from beginning to end – from birth to death. In verses 5-7 he then calls upon them to think about the origins and weakness of such made up gods. Then in verse 8 Isaiah calls on them to face the truth and consider who God is. Then he writes some beautiful words about God in verses 9-13, which include a prophecy of the Jews’ future deliverance from captivity and looks ahead to distant future coming of the Messiah.
So now that we have a vague understanding of the passage generally, let’s home in on our focus today:
Listen to Pastor Rick’s translation here of God’s re-introduction of Himself:
“Remember what you once knew: that I am God and there is no other living God at all. I am the God there is nothing you can create that is like me. I know and declare what will happen from the very beginning before it ever happens and what I say will happen, happens. Whatever I desire to do, I do it and no one or no thing can stop me. If I speak it I will bring it to pass and if I decide to do something it will be done. I am bringing my righteousness nearby. It is not far away. I am bringing my salvation that will not wait any longer. This salvation is established in Israel for my glory.”
These are powerful powerful words! We will come back to them. But with God’s words in your mind, I want to ask you a serious question today: Who is God to you? – Not only the general theological question, “Who is God?” but I added the prepositional phrase, “…to you?”
Let’s see the difference: Ask an adult, “Who is God?” followed by “Who is God to You?”
Maybe this seems like a weird question to ask in a Christian church. But let’s ponder it for a little bit. (Ask several people, “Who is God to you?”)
We live in a world full of gods and goddesses invented by humans for many different purposes. For some they are means of control or power. For others they are a means of income. For still others they are a means to pleasure or fantasy, or an opening of the doors of the imagination. For some they are an outlet for art and creativity. For others they are a source of humor or mockery. And on and on. Even the story of the Supreme God of Christianity is manipulated and abused in these ways. From the supreme deity of the Hindus, Krishna, with his hundreds of millions of sub-gods to the absence of God entirely in the lives of those who have enthroned themselves as god and master of their own destiny, the wide range of beliefs and ideas leaves many people reeling. Then rather than deal with it, or sort through it, or address the hard questions, you begin to hear things like this:
“All roads lead to the same place.”
“Everyone worships the same God – He just has different names.”
“No one is wrong – everyone is right – we just need to be tolerant and coexist.”
“There is no God really so it doesn’t matter who or what you worship as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
These vague and dangerous generalizations leave many people lost, confused, empty, with still a nagging feeling inside that something just isn’t quite right. And that’s because something still isn’t right. The God of the Bible rather than by being fashioned according to the hands of men instead states that He fashioned them. Rather than being invented, He invents. Rather than being created, He creates. And reveals Himself to mankind throughout history.
But now, over 2000 years after the life of Jesus Christ, millions of Christians worldwide gather in His name to worship God and their methods and traditions and even their proclamations of what is true vary widely. How are we in our little church able to know Who God is generally and even more important on a personal level, who He is to us?
Sadly, even in Christendom, God is far too often misunderstood, misjudged, and misrepresented.
For some He is their ticket to prosperity. If you follow the right formula of faith you will land a good job, have lots of money, live in a grand house, drive a Cadillac, and never be ill.
For some He is their health guru. If you follow His dietary restrictions and pray the prayers of faith anointing with olive oil from Israel in a special fancy bottle then you will not get sick – or if you get sick you will always every time me miraculously healed.
For some He is their talisman and good luck charm. They pray little prayers of protection when they travel or do dangerous things. They expect that God will take care of them shielding them from harm like He is some kind of glorified rabbit’s foot.
For some He is their ticket into a social club. If they say and do the right things then they get to be part of a community of people that all say they believe the same things. They get to hang out, have friends, and do cool stuff.
For some He is a security blanket. They rub Him when they are afraid or when life is tough: but only then. As soon as the danger is past the forget all about Him.
For some He is their personal bodyguard and avenger. They summon His protection amid their own foolishness and demand His wrath upon their enemies.
Now in all of these singular abuses of understanding are glimpses of the true identity of God. He IS a source of blessing, sustainment, healing, protection, strength, peace, belonging, safety, and justice. But these are merely fragments of His actions and abilities. He is far more than some kind of vending machine for our well-being. Focusing in on these various attributes and abilities of God in a vacuum causes many people to lose faith; when they pray for success and instead find failure; When they pray for protection and they are hurt in a car accident; when they pray for healing and yet their cancer persists; when these things happen, people are left wondering, “Who is God and is He even real?”
You see we have not truly discovered Who God Is to Us in the way He revealed Himself for us to know. So if you will allow me for a moment, I want to introduce you to God in the way He wants us to know Him.
God begins all things with Himself…”In the beginning God….” He masterfully creates everything we know of (and perhaps things we do not know). Then, as He concludes His creation, He designs a reflection of Himself and His glory as ultimate objects of His love and devotion: male and female He creates them and places them in the midst of all He has made and then invites them to walk only with Him in love. In that sweet relationship of communion and peace He intends to reveal all they ever need to know about everything and about Himself. But they spurn His love and the dream is shattered.
Across the succeeding centuries, humankind willfully rejects all God designed to be to them. They forsake Him utterly until the earth was full of wickedness and sin until only the family of one man can be found who will listen at all to the voice of the Creator. For 120 years this man cries out to his generation calling them to repentance and back into relationship with God. No one listens. Finally the ark is finished. Noah and his family enter in. The door is shut. God wipes the world clean of its wickedness and prepares to start again. But it is not long before the children of men turn their backs again on the God Who made them. Again the fall far from His glory. They rush away madly after the pleasures of their own desires and in many ways push God completely out of their memory.
But God is love. He is light. He is holy. He cannot abandon His creation no matter how far they flee Him. So with great longsuffering He preserves a people and a family line that stretches all the way back to the beginning – through which He sends His only begotten Son for the salvation of mankind. His Son comes – Jesus the Christ – and clarifies so much that had been forgotten and misunderstood about God. Finally, Jesus laid down His life on the cross atoning for the sins of all men and raised again from the dead sealing the work He had completed. Then He commissioned his band of followers to go into all the world with the good news that God had provided a means of restoration to Eden. Eden might not be known again on earth, but walking with God as in Eden was again possible if only we would believe. If only we will trust in Christ we will find the redemption of our hearts and the cleansing of our spirits that once again we might know God as He always intended that we might know Him: personally, individually, intimately walking with Him as Creator, as Friend, as Father, as Lover.
In his proclamation of what God might do for fallen sinful Israel, the prophet Micah exclaimed, “7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
Jesus embodied this love and longsuffering of God and called us to know Him again.
I ask you again today: Who is God to you?
Is he merely your security blanket, your ticket to the club, or your fire escape? Or is He Who He always intended to be in your heart:
Your Creator Whom You Worship
Your Friend Who Walks Always Beside You
Your Father In Who You Utterly Trust
Your Lover In Whom You Delight
Maybe you say, Pastor Rick, I have been guilty of only knowing God in a fragmented way and not knowing Him for real in the present in the way He designed me to know Him. How can I go deeper? How can I go beyond relying on Him as my own personal vending machine?
Listen to the writing of the Apostle John who was the closest disciple to Jesus during his time on earth:
1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1 John 4: 14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
2 John 1:9b He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
In other words, surrender your life to Christ, take up your cross, and follow Him. Say “Yes” to His proposal! When you believe on Christ and walk in obedience in His ways, you will discover what life with God means and what it really is to know Him now. Through the power of the Holy Spirit you can know Eden again in your heart and walk with Him every day whether you fail or prosper, whether you are well or ill, whether you are happy or sad. No matter what your life may hold, you can KNOW him and walk in the hope of His life in you!
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
Friday, May 9, 2014
You Are What You Eat
Listen as Pastor Rick challenges us to consider our spiritual diets. If you are what you eat, what are you spiritually?
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The Gospel of John Series - God SO Loved
Listen as Pastor Rick shares perspective on the most famous verse in Scripture: John 3:16. Word by word Pastor Rick draws out the beauty of this verse. Do you realize how MUCH God loves you? No matter your sin, God loves you and gave His only begotten son for you. Will you surrender to Him?
The Gospel of John Series - SIN
Listen as Pastor Rick unburdens his heart and challenges us to be confronted with truth in this dramatic assessment of the thing called sin. Have you found the solution to sin?
The Gospel of John Series - Cleanse Your Temple
Listen as Pastor Rick describes the introduction of the Messiah to the World with an act of holiness rather than power, and then applies it to our hearts by calling on us to cleanse the temples of our hearts.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Mirror Mirror of the Word
Pastor Rick shares the fascinating story of a small Italian town called Vigonella. Will you be a mirror on a mountain?
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Bless the Lord (1)
Pastor Rick considers with us Psalm 104 looking at the magnificence of God to bless our souls and cause us to bless the Lord together!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
A Clear View of Jesus - Witnessing Workshops Series
Listen as Pastor Rick shares from Max Lucado's book, "God Came Near" to remind us of the importance of possessing a clear view of Jesus.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Ambassadors for Christ
Listen to one of Pastor Rick's Key Messages, "Ambassadors for Christ." Pastor Rick firmly believes in this concept. Made new creatures, reconciled to God in Christ Jesus, we are called to represent the High King of Heaven. Listen and be challenged!
Monday, July 29, 2013
DEEPER STILL
Listen as Pastor Rick challenges us to go deeper still with the Lord in this second half of 2013. Christ is the only answer to the challenges of our lives and culture. Surrender to Him is still most essential above all else.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Characters of Christmas Series - Light in the Darkness
Listen as Pastor Rick shares the last message in the Characters of Christmas series. The first Christmas was embedded in darkness. What do we do when we must face such darkness today?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Contagious 3 - Salt & Light
Listen to Lesson 3 as Pastor Rick concludes the introduction to the "Becoming A Contagious Christian" series, challenging us to be salt and light!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Encouragement
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