Blaze Church

During the month of August, we have the privilege of being taught by Pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church. We are pulling a message series out of the archive for our podcast feed. We know this message will lead you to discover Jesus!

Sowing and reaping is a real principle we all experience. Where you invest, is where you'll see a return. Too often we invest in places that don't have positive returns. Today we are reminded that the greatest place for us to invest in is places that return a gospel impact. On this vision update Sunday we celebrate all that we've seen done so far in 2018, and discover where we are going this year.

Everyone loves being brought in. A text conversation, a Facebook group, an event, a party - we desire horizontal relationships. But we often struggle with bringing others in, because we are tired or busy, or don't see a need for it. God values hospitality. The action of bringing those who are outside in is a gospel image. Through the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus, we discover that the vertical hospitality of God leads us to be hospitable towards others. Jesus brought us in, so that we would become people who bring others in.

No one likes to be pushed by just anyone. When a person offers us advice or suggestions we tend to push back with, "Mind your own business." Usually, it is not the WHAT that makes us upset, it is the WHO. What if there was someone in your life that could push you and you actually embraced what they said? Today we discover that the someone we all need is considerate, confrontational, compassionate, and committed. Jesus is the One who pushes us vertically towards God, so that we can be people who push one another horizontally towards love and good works.

Squad Goals, Part 2: Can You Grab That // Keith Indovino - Life is hard. Each one of us is constantly carrying situations. Physical, emotional, spiritual, financial - the list is endless. How often have you thought, "I wish someone could grab that for me?" We all want people to carry what we have, and we want to carry what other people have. There is a desire in us to be a "Good Samaritan." But how can we arrive there. Today we discover that the only way to be a Good Samaritan is to first identify as helpless people needing rescue. Jesus came to carry our vertical burden, so that we would be changed and begin carrying the horizontal burdens of other people.

Squad Goals, Part 1: Remain In Love // Amy Indovino - We all have people that we find hard to love. We are justified in saying things like, "They don't desrve my love. I don't have to love everyone." When we live that way, we are not living free. But how can we love people who have hurt us? The answer is not try harder. It's not overlook the pain. Jesus says that to love one another, we need to be present with him. Loving others isn't built on me or we; it is built on He. Discover how to love one another, and begin living the best life God has for you!

Drop The Baggage - We all have a tendency to pick things up that we don't need to carry. We are easily defined by our pasts. We live to please other people. We carry emotional baggage that weighs us down, and stops us from being all that God has called us to be in Jesus. Today, Pastor Allie Trevisan reminds us how King Saul hid among the baggage, while King David left his baggage to fulfill God's call on his life. You are invited to come to Jesus, and have Him define you!

Father's Day: Status Update - We are an overworked society. Why do feel the need to let everyone know about how much we work? Why is it so hard to take a day off? Today we consider that the reason why we struggle with rest is because we've attched our identity and worth to our work. It is not just a job - it is who we are. In Jesus we find rest. He calls us and invites to Himself, so that we can work and keep our identity and worth in Him!

Life 101, Week 7: Better Home & Gardens - When we consider following Jesus, we can lean into knowing or doing. Is belief in Jesus about knowing more, or doing more? As Jesus concluded his message on the mountain, He taught a very important point: Discovering with doing is desutructive. The foundations that we need to survive the storms of life is to know Jesus AND do what He's given us to do.