Church 21 West Island - Sermons

Does Christianity Work?

February 26, 2017

Prayer | First Things First

8 January 2017 / Dustin Boreland

Prayer is the most important aspect of the Christian life. We start 2017 by looking at how Jesus defined prayer and how we too, can find answers to all of the questions we have about the what, why, and how of a healthy prayer life.

Acts 2:42-47 

The Loved and the Loveless | Loving Our Enemies

12 December 2016 / Dustin Boreland

Loving people who love us back is challenging enough. What about loving people who don’t love us back? Is it even possible to love someone who has hurt, abused, or rejected us? It’s crazy and unfair to ask someone to love people who have wounded them. Yet Jesus commands it. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus commands his disciples: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

The only way we can live this out is by understanding that Jesus already has. And he still does. Without Jesus, we are God’s distant loved ones, incapable of making up for all the times we’ve hurt Him.

1 John 3:11-14; John 15:17-19

The Loved and the Loveless | Loving One Another

4 December 2016 / Dustin Boreland

Love is hard. Especially when we know someone really well. Often, loving people closest to us is more challenging than loving acquaintances or casual friends. Active, committed love requires knowing someone deeply, flaws and all.

This week in our study of 1 John we look at what it really means to love others as God loves us. The way we love others reveals how we understand God's love for us. And nothing could be more important.

1 John 4:7-12; John 13:34-35

The Loved and the Loveless | Loving Yourself

20 November 2016 / Dwight Bernier

You don’t love yourself enough. I’m sure of that. As we start a four-week series on the book of First John, The Loved and the Loveless, we will see that God wants for us to experience love in at least four different ways: with self, with God, with others, and with enemies. This week, we will zoom in on how we love ourselves. The world and Jesus want us to love ourselves - but the approach is radically different. One lasts for a moment and leaves us wanting, while the other is permanent and allows us to overflow.

Rebuilding Québec | Rebuilding Requires Continual Reform

13 November 2016 / Dwight Bernier

If God is rebuilding Québec in an entirely new way, change will be something we experience on a very regular basis. But if God is rebuilding Québec, then I want for us to embrace all the changes as they are part of his renewal project for all things.

Rebuilding Québec | Rebuilding Requires Relocation

6 November 2016 / Dwight Bernier

For those around Jerusalem, God was calling some of them to move into a city that was in the process of being rebuilt. There wasn’t much for them in the city - except God’s promises and His presence through the temple - which are pretty epic. But moving means leaving somewhere to rebuild life somewhere new. And that is never easy. This week in our Rebuilding Québec series, we will look at the reality that rebuilding requires relocation. We will look at Nehemiah 11-12 - and see what God did through His people 2500 years ago, while also dreaming of what God might do through leaders, relocating, and rejoicing. 

Rebuilding Québec  |  Rebuilding Requires Revival

Oct 30 2016 / Dustin Boreland

Nehemiah has built the walls - but the city itself remained lifeless. But God was going to change that. The people had an incredible desire for God and His Word. The people were responding to what they heard by making radical changes. The people wanted to know God in greater depth in all aspects of life. The people had an unusual affection for God and His purposes. And the people believed that God could change everything. So, they committed their entire lives to Him and what He wanted to accomplish. The same things that happened in Nehemiah’s day have happened in everywhere that great revival took place. This Sunday, we will dream together about what revival in Québec could look like. We will ask the Spirit of God to change whatever He wants in us so that we are ready to participate in whatever He wants to do.

Nehemiah 8–10; Matthew 6

Rebuilding Québec | Rebuilding Requires Completion

23 October 2016 / Dwight Bernier

Rebuilding requires completion. Of course. That is obvious. But often we do not think of the end goal because there are so many other things screaming for our attention.

Nehemiah experienced the same reality that we do. He was given a task and there were three things that were like sirens, attempting to move him away from the construction of the wall and leading the people.The three things were: distractions, discouragement, and disqualification. 

Rebuilding Québec | Rebuilding Requires Everyone

2 October 2016 / Dwight Bernier

Rebuilding requires everyone. This is the reality that we will see in Nehemiah 2.10-4.23. Everyone was necessary for the rebuilding to actually happen. The same is true in Québec. If transformation is going to take place in Québec, then it will require all of God’s people working together in unity and love for the good of the kingdom and the province.

Nehemiah 2.9-4.23