Last year, people in the United States spent $11.7 billion dollars in their search for self-improvement. We are all searching for help. Help for our problems. Help to become what we aren’t. Help to become more than we are. So we read books, follow blogs, watch videos, join gyms, attend seminars…

In the words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you?” Are you happier, thinner, richer, wiser, hotter? Finally ready to take on the world with your newly elevated self-esteem?

The comedian George Carlin once said he went into a book store and asked a sales woman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said, “If I tell you, it will defeat the purpose.”

The search for help. Anyway you look at it, we want it and need it. Jesus not only offered help, He gave it. This Sunday we’ll take a look at the help He can give.

How many people do you know who have been turned away from the church because of religion, without experiencing or understanding the good news of Jesus Christ? How many of your friends do you think could even articulate the difference between religion and what Jesus offers? …Could you?

This Sunday we continue our “Rethinking Church” series, looking at one key question – why we believe – and what role the local church should have in it.

There are very few things that can make us feel smaller than to be on the outside of something we wish we were a part of. Take church, for example. Have you ever showed up to church with the expectation that you would be in, but for whatever reason the church or another Christian told you or made you feel like you were out, that you weren’t welcome? If so, you’re not alone.

Ever since its inception, the Christian church has had a reputation for being more exclusive than inclusive. But is this what God intended? What does the Bible have to say about this, and what should be our response? Perhaps we need to “rethink church.”

God is BIG on encouragement. Really big! That’s not surprising since He is described as the God of all encouragement. And since God longs for His children to walk in His steps, it makes complete sense that He wants His children to be big encouragers too.

Are you? Would you like to be? Would you like others to be big on encouraging you?

This morning we'll look at the whys and hows for elevating encouragement among us. We especially need help with this here in the Silicon Valley where everything is so competitive and encouraging words can be few and far between – in our workplaces, homes, neighborhoods, and even in the church.

How would you feel if Jim Harbaugh (Coach of the 49ers) happened to see you throwing your first football and said, “That’s incredible! You have the potential to become a Hall-of-Famer in the NFL!” Or what if Yoyo Ma heard you playing the cello and said, “Wow, you have the potential to become a concert virtuoso!” I’m guessing a part of us would be ecstatic – “I can’t believe these experts think I have it in me to be so great!” But then on the other hand, I’m sure a part of us would dismiss it as pure fantasy – “They must be delusional!”

This week, we take a look at a passage where the apostle Paul describes the potential of the Christ-follower as becoming “…mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Talk about unparalleled potential! (to be like Christ?!) And as we continue our ONE sermon series, we’ll see how Unity is at the center of reaching our amazing, God-given potential.

Early in life we welcomed help because we needed it. Feed me, burp me, change me, hold me. The sooner the better. Crying is hard work.

The help that we once craved and parents sacrificially gave can often be dismissed in adulthood. After all, grown ups are supposed to act, look, and live like they have it all together, right? Or are they?

The fact is, whether we want to admit it or not, we never stop needing help. And as followers of Christ we should never stop giving help. That’s why this Sunday’s message is a perfect prescription for hurting and needy people like us.

If you ever travel, you know that it can be helpful to receive cultural advice beforehand on local etiquette and traditions that you’ll need to be aware of in the places you’re going. You’ll quickly learn that every culture has its own ideas, both about proper ways to show honor and about things you can do that dishonor people.

Many feel we live in a time and in an American culture in which the concept of honor has been lost. The reality is that we all have room for improvement when it comes to living with honor. We have confused it with respect. We think honor is something we can and should withhold from someone based on their performance. Based on how much we like them. But that’s not biblical honor. In the Bible, honor is weight. Honor is value. It’s something freely given. And it’s something that can transform a church, a marriage, a family, and a culture. It’s time for a re-education.

If God had a wish list, peace would be on the first page. It’s been there since the beginning of mankind. When sin entered the world, relational friction came with it. Marriage turned into a battle ground. One of the first two brothers was murdered at the hands of the other. Prayers for peace became more than a nice thought but something this fallen world desperately needed.

If you are among the billions of people who grew up with a sibling, along the way you probably heard the words “work it out.” Remember? Straight from your parent’s mouth aimed at ending the argument caused by someone other than you, right? Did you work it out and go on to become a pro at working life out with relationally challenged people? For most of us the answer is probably no.

This Sunday’s message is very applicable for all of us because we live in a world where peace continues to be an elusive dream. That makes Jesus' command to "be a peacemaker" of interest to all.

Ours is a world of diversity and difference. God intended it to be that way. We have different ethnicities, backgrounds, preferences, personalities, gifts, loyalties. Is it no wonder that some at this time of year are rooting for the Dodgers and others are, well, thinking about next year?

If we’re not careful our differences can easily divide us. Especially when we major on what’s minor or have to have things our own way.

This Sunday’s message is relevant for all of us as we look at God’s counsel about how to live in unity in the midst of our diversity. His words are as relevant today as it was when it was written and timely in our oft splintered world.