Centre Church

Speaker: Norm Funk 03/09/08

Text: Matthew 6:1-4

Summary: The WWJD craze hit the Christian community with a vengeance in the 90's. What would Jesus Do? Not an entirely bad question but certainly incomplete for you can't begin to attempt to react or respond like Jesus would without doing what Jesus did. What did Jesus do? He made the disciplines a consistent part of His life. Chapter 6 in the Sermon on the Mt. begins with a focus on those practices - modeled by Jesus - that set our hearts on our Heavenly Father.

Speaker: Kristian Martens 03/02/08

Text: Matthew 5:38-48

Summary: Peace, Love & Jesus - or - The Way of the Sword-Bearing Peaceable King

Speaker: Norm Funk 02/24/08

Text: Matthew 5:33-37

Summary: Jesus continues His discussion on what fleshed out righteousness looks like as He now tackles the issue of integrity and truth speaking - and like anger, adultery and divorce it is much more an issue of the heart.

Speaker: Norm Funk 02/17/08

Text: Matthew 5:27-32

Summary: Sex and violence sells - the entertainment and advertisement industry is based on that maxim. In God's kingdom however, sex and violence coming out of a hard heart maim, kill and destroy leaving in the wake the used, abused and divorced.

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Speaker: Norm Funk 02/10/08

Text: Matthew 5:21-26

Summary: In Matthew 5:21 Jesus goes from talking about the internal transformation of the Spirit to talking about what that tranformation looks like on the outside. Of all the things Jesus could have started with He chooses to begin with anger and forgiveness.

Speaker: Kristian Martens 01/27/08

Text: Matthew 5: 11-16

Summary: Continuing his sermon, Jesus reminds His followers that, not only are they blessed for Kingdom characteristics like peacemaking, meekness & hungering for righteousness - but that we should expect a good butt-kicking from the world when we live this way. He then challenges His people that they ARE the salt of the earth - and the light of the world... statements that should evoke courage & confidence within the Church. But the sad reality in N.America is that the church has lost its place in culture...becoming unsalty, dim and with little influence. This message looks at some reasons for this reality and then looks to the hope we have in Jesus to restore our saltiness and reflect His light. Jesus remains the true Light of the world and His desire remains to reach this city, and every city, with His contagious, flavourful and faithful Good News.

Speaker: Norm Funk 02/03/07

Text: Matthew 5:17-20

Summary: Get some perspective! We've all heard the expression, or ones like it. A wrong perspective, namely His listener's perspective of what the Law and righteousness looked like, was what Jesus is fighting in this passage within the Sermon on the Mt.

Speaker: Norm Funk 01/20/08

Text: Matthew 5:4-10

Summary: The kingdom of God is absolutely upside down when contrasted to what current culture says is vital and necessary, this is no more evident than what is seen in the beatitudes of Jesus.

Speaker: Norm Funk 01/13/08

Text: Matthew 5:1-3

Summary: A key mistake in studying the Sermon on the Mt. is to read it and attempt to apply it as a list of do's and don'ts - that wasn't Jesus' point. In fact it's an impossibility to apply Jesus' teaching found in the Sermon on the Mt. without an internal change - a heart change. How does one achieve a heart change? It begins with understanding how spiritually impoverished we are without Jesus.

Speaker: Kris Martens 01/06/08

Text: John 14:1-7

Summary: Religion is the enemy of the way and mission of Jesus, and is the institution He came to tear down. Tragically, in our day, Christianity and the Christian church are commonly viewed as institutional structures consisting of underfilled buildings, overhyped programs, well-intentioned social services and legalistic bible-thumpers. What is desperately needed is a radical return to the Way, the Truth and the Life of Jesus. His invitation for us all is simply