Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Now that the gifts have been unwrapped and the organizing and reorganizing has begun, you’ve probably been thinking about the new year. 2020. Wow! Remember back in the year 2000 when we thought all computers were going to explode? Time has flown and we still have computers intact.

As you reflect over the past year and begin to plan for the new year, we will look through the book of Philippians at the lives of a few men. We will notice some healthy, godly habits that we can make a part of our lives for 2020.

The incarnation of Jesus wasn't the end of God's work in human life, it was just the beginning. Enjoy the reality that our lives don't have to be perfect, we just need to have enough faith to follow Jesus. (The fun quiz on the Christmas story in this message is more black and white, though!)

Everyone knows that in any kingdom there is only room for one king. That’s what makes the Magi’s request to Herod so startling. Herod is the king of the Jews and they ask to see the king of the Jews, but they’re not talking about him. What a scene that must have been. We explore it together in this sermon as we consider the question of who is on the throne of your life? Remember, there is only room for one king.

Last week we were reminded that a relationship costs everything, anything less is just a contract. This week we will be reminded of several miracles in the Scriptures and I'm sure we all believe them. But, the question will come - do you you have the room to believe God can do more in your life? This is a message you will not want to miss.

The sights, the sounds, the smells of Christmas. It is truly a season like no other. It’s a season of joy and fullness… It can be so full, in fact, that we don’t know how we can squeeze in another party, another event, another program. Maybe you feel like the innkeeper with a no vacancy sign hanging on your life. Because as you look around, you think you’ve got no room in your inn. Join us this Christmas season and be challenged as we look at our lives to be sure there’s room for Jesus.

This series on Being More of a Neighbor has been convicting. And yet, so far we've just used the culture's definition of "neighbor." In this sermon, we'll see how Jesus defines a neighbor.

Holiday time is full of families eating together. Aunts, uncles, children, grandchildren, everybody together laughing and eating. Those are good times, aren’t they? And have you ever noticed something about family gatherings… it seems that no matter how many people come or how small the house is, there’s always room for one more. There’s room for you and your neighbor in God's family tree.

Have you ever heard a child say something and you know exactly who they picked that up from? It’s a funny thing about kids, they catch a lot. We realize the same thing about faith. Our faith is much more caught than taught. What are our kids and our neighbors catching from our lives? Join us for the next message in our Being More of a Neighbor series on how to make your home a ministry center.

We live in an increasingly mobile and global society. Many have hundreds of "friends" through online social platforms and yet oftentimes we don't even know the names of our neighbors down the street. Jesus commissioned us to love our neighbors as ourselves. To love them, surely we must know them. Get ready to be challenged and equipped during our new series, Being More of a Neighbor. In fact, why don't you be good neighbor and share it with someone.

Are you familiar with the phrase that came out of the enlightenment, “I think therefore I am?" That idea has been prevalent in modern society for several centuries now. We see the ramifications of elevating the individual over and above the community all over society. But could that same thinking have unwittingly infected our churches as well? Come, let us reason together as we pursue the shift from more guilt to more love.