The book of Judges describes a long, dark period of Israel's history in which they were stuck in a cycle of idolatry, punishment, deliverance, and then idolatry again. Yet they did not turn to other gods immediately but through a more subtle downward slide. Their failure to drive out the Canaanites completely from the Promised Land was the first part of this downward slide. Although they were able to conquer the land with the Lord's help, they did not do so completely. Their experience is a reminder to us to beware of similar subtle slides in our own lives, families, and society.

Jesus' definition of true Christianity involves dedication, commitment, and sacrifice for His sake and the gospel's.  Although salvation is a free gift from God, Christ demands that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him out of gratitude for what He has done for us.  This message spells out exactly what Jesus meant by His call.  Christianity is not merely about insurance against hell, but its essence is a single-minded focus on developing an intimate relationship with Christ and doing God's will, no matter what the cost.  We must understand the Christian faith as Jesus defined it so that we will know what it is, be able to examine ourselves and see whether or not our lives reflect it, and then commit to living out real Christianity.

Wrapping up CCIC's mission conference, guest speaker, Dr. Rev. Eddie Byun challenges us to ask ourselves, "what will it take for us to finish the mission that Christ has given to us?" To succeed, we need to be committed to three key items -  cultivating Intimacy with God, practicing constant Intercession / Prayer and focusing on Eternal Investments.

In preparation for the upcoming Missions and Compassion Conference, we will look at Matthew 5:14-16 and discover what Jesus says about the identity and purpose of a disciple. In the second half of the service, we have the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of congregation members on their experiences and thoughts on participating in God's Mission.

It is often said that a person's last words are their most memorable words because that is often the message that they want you to go forward with.  When Paul wrote 2 Timothy because he anticipated being executed in the near future and he wanted to prepare Timothy as best as he could.  This book is full of Paul's last words, and in today's study, we will look at 2 Timothy 2:1-2, where Paul admonished Timothy to Pass It On.

What is joy? We all want it but when it comes to describing what it is, the idea is a bit elusive to us. As we conclude our sermon series on the book of Philippians, Paul gives us himself as an example of one who has found joy and encourages the Philippian church and us to do the same.

In Phil. 4:2-9, Paul give a series of brief instructions to the Philippians. This message focuses on the first two of them: to pursue peace with one another in the church and to rejoice in the Lord always. Paul modeled joy in the Lord through his attitude toward his own suffering, including the possibility of his own death. Joy in the Lord is a powerful testimony to the worth of God himself and the preciousness of the gospel.

Relationships with Jesus are like marriages.  They begin with promises made and much optimism.  But if relationships are not tended to and invested in, then they tend to sour.  You can yearn for the good old days, and you don’t feel as good about the present days.  

 

Last week’s message, “The One Ambition of Our Lives” was kind of like that wedding day, or for many last week, like a renewal day.  To make those vows meaningful, you need to keep building on it over the time going forward.  Otherwise, you’ve only made some empty promises.  The Apostle Paul called this “pressing on” and today’s message will focus on what that means. 

 

With that in mind, let’s examine Philippians 3:12-4:1 and learn two reasons why Paul pressed on to follow Jesus, and six ways how he pressed on. Then from Paul, we too can learn how to apply these lessons to our own lives.

Why do you get up each morning? What are the ambitions of your life? In Philippians 3:1-11, the apostle Paul exhorts the believers in the church of Philippi and us to make knowing Christ as the one ambition for our lives. In this sermon, we'll explore what it means to know Christ by being found in him through faith, in the fellowship of his suffering, and through his resurrection power.

In Philippians, Paul often sets positive examples before the Philippians for them to learn from. He also provides negative examples for them to avoid. In Philippians 2:19-30, he commends Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples to not simply be admired but to be imitated. We should also imitate positive examples of Christian faithfulness around us and beyond.