In this sermon Pastor Keith gives 10 reasons to live joyfully generous lives and aims to convince the saints that it truly is "more blessed to give than to receive". Joyful Generosity is a value we have at City Church. God has been abundantly generous towards us and the effect of His generosity on us leads us to be joyfully generous towards others.

Here are two great quotes shared in this sermon:

"Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him." Randy Alcorn

"The ministry of giving has many goals: spreading the gospel, sustaining the church, providing care for distressed individuals… The ministry of giving in all its forms aims to advance the kingdom of God, which becomes reality in human life whenever the values and priorities of Christ’s teaching are observed. It goes without saying that in this ministry, all God’s people are meant to be involved." J.I. Packer

In this sermon Pasto Mike Ward explains that the essential quality of Christian discipleship is nothing less than a radical, thoughtful and calculated commitment to faithfully following Jesus, even at the cost of our most significant relationships and personal safety.

In this sermon Kevin Diaz gives the basis for participation in the loving community of the local church.

One of our values at City Church Loving Community – Our love for one another is the mark of following Jesus genuinely. We make it our aim to do life together, weeping with one another, rejoicing with one another, praying for one another, encouraging one another & living out all the “one anothers” of Scripture. One of the places this is walked out in our community groups that meet in homes on a regular basis.

In this teach on 1 Corinthians 14 Pastor Mike Ward explains that we must a mature/biblical perspective on the use of tongues and prophecy. And we must have order in the use of these spiritual gifts, with an ultimate submission to authority of Scripture.

In this sermon Pastor Keith explains how God desires the unity and maturity of His people. At City Church we value Unified Diversity. We embrace and honor diversity in our church. Heaven is and will be a place of diversity with people from every ethnic group. There are core truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ that unite us which we refuse to compromise. There are also secondary issues and preferences in which we give one another freedom to believe differently without judging or breaking fellowship.

In this teaching on 1 Corinthians 14 Pastor Keith explains what the gift of prophecy & speaking in tongues is, along with how it's properly used in the church. God has given every Christian the capacity yo build up others in the church through the use of gifts and abilities they possess. And Christian must seek to love and serve those in the church with their gifts.

What Should Our Attitude Towards Spiritual Gifts Be?

• Desire them earnestly -14:1, 39

• Don’t Despise-1 Thessalonians 5:19-20

• Don’t Forbid them- 1 Corinthians 14:39

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor. 14:1

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 ESV

How Should We Use Spiritual Gifts?

• In Love -1 Corinthians 13, 14:1

• In Faith- Romans 12:6

• In Submission- 1 Corinthians 14:29-32

• In Humility- Romans 12:3

• In Order & Decency- 1 Corinthians 14:40

What is Tongues?

* Tongues is the Spirit-prompted ability to pray and praise God in a heavenly dialect. - Sam Storms

* Speaking in tongues is prayer or praise in syllabus not understood by the speaker. - Wayne Grudem

What is Prophecy?

* Prophecy is the reception and subsequent transmission of spontaneous, divinely originating revelation. Wayne Grudeum, The Gift of Prophecy

In this sermon on prayer from the teaching of Christ in Luke 18 Pastor Keith explains how: God desires that His people be faithful in prayerful so that they may experience all the blessings He has for them and see His will accomplished on earth. Jesus told the parable of the widow and the unjust judge to the effect that His people would pray always and not lose heart. May you live a prayerful life fueled with he perspective that Scripture gives on prayer & fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit.

At City Church we value FAITHFUL PRAYER. We are aware of our own limitations and God‘s willingness and ability to do the impossible. So we pray and continue to believe that God hears us and will answer our prayers in His timing. Prayer changes things. It is the means that God has ordained for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. The early church was a prayerful community and as they prayed the Holy Spirit moved powerfully among them.

In this teaching by Pastor Mike Ward he examines what it looks like to be truly spiritual or spiritually mature. In 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul describes the truly spiritual person as loving regardless how many spiritual gifts one has operating in their life. Without love we are spiritually bankrupt.

In this sermon preached by Dr. Justin Bass he gives us a glimpse of what drove the Apostle Paul to live on mission for Christ, as he took the gospel around the world. And he also looks at the inspiring example of the Moravian Missionaries who were pioneers in the modern missions movement, through their fervent and constant prayer and passion make Christ known where he wasn't known.

May this sermon inspire and challenge you to participate in the mission of God that the Father calls all His children to participate in, whether it's praying, sending, financially supporting or going.

Here at City Church we value Missional Living. We are a people on mission with God. God has invited us to join Him in reaching all peoples with the gospel message. So we live with a sense of mission aiming to speak about the good news of Christ.

In this message shared at our Men's Breakfast by Dr. Justin Bass he challenged men with the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians:

“Be on the alert,

stand firm in the faith,

act like men,

be strong.

Let all that you do be done in love.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13-14‬ ‭NASB

We live in a time in history when there are numerous men who need to grow up and become responsible adults and contributors to society. The term that has been developed to describe this immature man is "man-child". May God use this message to wake up the man-child who is spiritually asleep and stir the hearts of men to be alert, courageous, strong and loving.