CCW Podcast

Have you ever been one ingredient off on cooking something? Do you remember how that affected the taste, flavor, and appearance? You can have most of the ingredients, but missing one changes everything.

Paul said in Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit." The heresy invading the Colossian church was persuasive, philosophical, and had a place for Christ, but not THE place. This is one of the oldest attacks of the enemy and it is very alive today. We have to be on guard and deeply rooted in Christ to fight the schemes of an enemy who seeks to disguise almost truths to divert Christians from living fully in Christ!

I love the feeling of checking a box on the list, accomplishing a task, and finishing an assignment. Those things are called work! It takes work to get ROOTED! Paul says in Colossians 1:24, "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you," and in vs. 29, "to this end, I also labor (work), striving according to His working which works in me mightily." If anyone could say anything about suffering and serving it was Paul who was beaten and battered for the faith so that we may be presented mature (v. 28). As we dig deeper, we must understand why it is so vital for us to do the hard work to mature into the full-court followers of Christ that God desires for us to be.

We are kicking off our new series called “Rooted” on the book of Colossians. A book written to the church by Paul to define the supremacy of Christ! Christ is more than enough to fulfill their every need. His letter is a warning to the because of false teachers that were trying to infiltrate with fake messages.

The theme of this series is found in Colossians 2:6-7, "so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."

We live in a time and age in which many voices are vying to get our attention. It is vital that the church of Jesus Christ, in an all out effort to fight against the schemes of the enemy, be rooted. Rooted in God's Word, rooted in our faith, rooted in discipleship, and rooted in service to the the King of Kings!

In history, what happened after the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Jesus appeared to the disciples and spent 40 additional days of preparation, and then - poof - he was gone, ascended to Heaven. They watched Jesus's compelling flight, were left gazing into the Heavens over their complexing future, and given an imperative challenge of faith. Acts 1:8, "And ye shall be witnesses of me...to all the world." Jesus left this earth making the disciples the message bearers to the whole world. Over 2000 years later, and the message still permeates to every believer: "Be witnesses of me."

This Sunday, Christians will gather across the globe in churches to celebrate the most important day in all of history - Resurrection Day. Paul, in a sequence of "if/thens," explains: if there is no resurrection, then Christ is not risen; if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty; if Christ is not risen, our faith is empty; if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; and if Christ is not risen then we are still in our sins. Dr. Larry Moyer taught my evangelism class and must've have said over 1000 times, "The gospel in 10 words is this: 'Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.'" Jesus is Alive!

Palm Sunday. The beginning of the most important week in the history of humanity. Over 25% of the information in the gospels is devoted to the eight days from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. So many stories and events, so many characters and principles. The Bible seems to scream at us…. “Hey, this is important!”

This week we are going to explore “The Garden Incident” in Matthew 26 and look at the last interactions Jesus had with his disciples - one disciple in particular - before He was arrested.

This week is the grand finale of our Forward series, and it’s a beautiful closing statement on Joshua’s service as well as a charge to us all.

Joshua 24:15 says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It’s unique when you think about how Deuteronomy closes and then how Joshua completes. They both end with a choice. Life and death, blessing and curse in Deuteronomy. Here, serve all these false, foreign gods that do not fulfill or serve the Lord God who alone is satisfaction.

This week is the grand finale of our Forward series, and it’s a beautiful closing statement on Joshua’s service as well as a charge to us all.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I felt the prayer?" In Joshua 10, we see a looming battle and as the Israelites gain the upper hand and we see an amazing prayer. Joshua 10:14 says, “There has been no day like it before or since when the Lord heeded the voice of the man.” Joshua prayed an audacious prayer, Sun stand still and God did it.

“I should’ve seen that coming.” Everyone hates that feeling. No one likes to be deceived. Join us this Sunday as we continue through our Joshua series with the message titled “the lie of self-sufficiency.” Joshua and the Israelites have experienced a lot of victories provided from the Lord's hand, but in Joshua chapter 9 we see what happens when they take decision making into their own hands when deception enters the camp.

Have you ever heard the statement right after a big victory is a dangerous time? Last week we saw the Israelites making a major breakthrough, marching as God commanded, and the walls of Jericho came crashing down. This week we see in Joshua 7 Israel suffer an immediate defeat at the hands of one man’s greed and covetousness.