Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Sometimes there are people in life we’d love to be around, but for whatever reason we can’t. So, we opt for the next best thing, being around people who know them best. Why? Because when you’ve been around people long enough they rub off on us. We take on some their mannerisms, tell the same stories, view life the same way. As we continue our series, Disciples Making Disciples, we’ll look at who a disciple is. You’ll surely be encouraged that a disciple can be any one of us, we just have to follow.

Jesus doesn’t merely teach about God’s concern for people; He sends out His followers to serve them. Now, that might sound a little intimidating. However, the disciples Jesus chose to send were everyday people who could relate well to other everyday people. He didn’t choose the pastors and religious leaders of the day, He mainly chose fisherman. And now He chooses to send you. The church is at her best when every Christ-follower takes seriously the imperative “to make disciples”. During our next thought provoking sermon series, Disciples Making Disciples, we’ll explore just how we can grow in our effectiveness in accomplishing the mission we’ve been given.

Sometimes we ask the wrong questions. We are continuing our series looking at stories of hope. This next story is the story of the sower. It’s easy to miss the point of the parable because we get distracted with other questions. This Sunday we’ll focus on the purpose of the story and you’ll be sure to be encouraged by the plans God has for you.

This Sunday, we’ll look at another one of Jesus’ stories. It’s a story about a king who sent out many invitations to see that his son would be honored. It’s a compelling story that causes us to wrestle with how do we respond to the invitation to honor the son.

Every parent wants to provide a strong, stable home for our children. We want our kids to grow up to be mature, responsible, good natured, and confident. Getting there can sometimes be an interesting journey. This Father’s day we are looking at a well known story that Jesus told where God is represented by a father. Well, that story is packed with a lot of helpful parenting principles that is helpful to parents in any stage of life.

Many times when Jesus taught he used stories. Stories of how to live, how to love, how honor God. His stories challenge our thinking and encourage our soul. During the next 5 weeks we will explore several of Jesus’ most captivating stories. Amazingly, Jesus’ timeless stories continue to connect with any audience.

We’ve reached the dramatic conclusion of the book of Exodus. There is one central question the Exodus has been dealing with and that is, “God, will you really be with us?” Because, sin the fall humanity moved from life to death, from God’s presence to God’s distance. Exodus 40 will answer that question in dramatic fashion, and yet leave with another cliffhanger. A cliffhanger, we’ll explore this Sunday. This is such an important message and I’m so excited to see you this Sunday.

We would sure love a silver bullet or a magic recipe to get fit or defying aging wouldn’t we? The truth is there is no silver bullet, it takes work. Likewise, with spiritual growth there is a cost involved. There is no secret recipe to make you a mature follower of Jesus. The Israelites would learn that lesson. I want us to see what it take as well. I’m excited to explore with you some key principles of spiritual growth.

Sometimes you fail so bad that know no matter how many do overs you get you can’t succeed on your own. That was the story of the Israelites. But, as we’ll see this week, God reached down to them, reestablished His covenant with them, and continued to involve them in the work of building His tabernacle. That was the story of the Israelites and in many ways it’s our story as well.

Do you ever feel like you’re losing hope? Like bad things just keep coming, or that you’ve messed up so bad this time, the situation is entirely toast? The good news is that God never counts you out, and His grace can handle any and every situation. Check in with us online or in-person this Sunday for the next stop in our journey through the Book of Exodus. We’ll see God restore hope in a big way that should encourage us for even the hardest moments we face in our lives!