Cityline Church

What if there was one word that if we better understood could radically change the direction of our life? What if there was just one word that if we understood and applied that word to our life it would bring us to a place of living out God’s purpose for our life? Over the next several weeks, we will be doing just that. We will be taking time to unpack one word each week in search of God's heart within that word. In this message, Pastor Troy unpacks a biblical foundation for "Humility" and the lifestyle that God is inviting us into.

What will happen after summer? What does life hold in the fall,what does the long-term future hold? With inflation, a potential recession, ongoing health concerns, security worries, what will happen when the kids go back to school, and cultural tensions, our questions and concerns are many. There is an element of fear or worry that plagues most of us. From time to time, or in some environments, or in some area of our lives, fear can easily become the driving force behind our thoughts and decisions. While not all fear is bad, unhealthy fear and worry rob us of opportunities, interferes in our relationships, and impacts every area of our lives including our relationship with Jesus. When Jesus says to you, “Do not be afraid," you can do that—not because there's nothing to be afraid of, but because you have focused your affection and attention on the one who deserves all your confidence, respect and trust. God is a personal God: He knows your name, he knows your circumstances, and He is concerned about your life. Fear and worry are a permanent part of the human experience, but because of Jesus, fear and worry doesn’t have to control our life. Even when there's something to be afraid of, Jesus is with you. We may not know exactly what the future holds, but we can be confident in who holds the future in his hands.

The greatest enemy to the life you want may be the life that you’re living. Every year it seems that season we call “Summer Time” gets shorter and shorter. The tendency is to do all we can to make sure we make the most of summer. While there is nothing wrong with summer fun, at the same time there are those who are certain that filling up the summer calendar with endless plans and places to be will help keep the kids busy, keep the excitement of summer alive and give us a since of accomplishment that we are really living it up! Busyness has become a badge of honor. Hurry has become a means by which we feel worth and value. Our tendency to need to be needed, and the need to be seen as living the good life drives us too more and more. Hurry is not a condition of the calendar, but is instead a condition/problem of the soul. Jesus was often busy, but never hurried. Learning to say yes to the best and no to the rest. The practice of intentional slowing. Walking slowly enough experience Jesus in the ordinary and uneventful. Learning to be present and love well. Creating margin, developing healthy balance by learning spiritual rhythms that keep us off the treadmill of accomplishment. To slow down, is to create the space to follow the ways of Jesus.

Comparison has become so common that we forget how damaging it actually is. The word that the bible uses for the results of comparison is envy. Envy leaves us competing with people who don’t even know there’s a competition. Comparison can be a hard habit to break, but it doesn't have to control your life. Join us as we take steps in choosing contentment over comparison.

Jesus says in Matthew 4 that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." There is a fresh word that God wishes is deposit in sons and daughters.

As we bring our series "A People Of Prayer" to a close, Pastor Jack shares on how to hear the voice of the Father. Being able to understand what God is speaking is vital in the life of a believer. We can have great prayer rhythms, but without being able to discern the voice of the Lord, our connection to the Father will be proven limited. Our hearts must remain connected to his heart as we steward the words he is speaking to us.

When we pray, we usually expect that our prayers will be answered. Sometimes, they are not. We’ve all had unanswered prayer. Unanswered prayer is the source of doubt and frustration for so many people it often causes us to question so much and for good reason, it’s confusing. Why is it that some prayers seem to go unanswered? How do we live with that? How are we supposed to respond to God?

In this message, Pastor Troy unpacks what our approach should look like in these times.

Like any relationship, prayer should be a constant communication with God. We should not look at prayer as an event, task or ritual we perform at certain times of day or when things are at their worst, rather, prayer is an active and living expression of our faith. Is your prayer life more of a transaction than a conversation? Is your motive in prayer just to get what you want? What change could you make to gain greater intimacy and connection to Him? The words of Jesus to help us understand what God had in mind when He gave us the ability and the opportunity to talk to Him.

In this message, Pastor Jack unpacks the many of ways that the believer can pray and engage with God - through petition, intercession, confession, thanksgiving, and lament.

We like the disciples; we often have misconceptions and fears around prayer. Prayer is more about us getting aligned with God than Him being aligned with us. Jesus’ disciples noticed how close he was to the Father, so they asked him to teach them how to pray. And what did Jesus do? Rather than giving them a sermon on prayer or a theology about God, he prayed; "The Lord's Prayer." But the Lord’s prayer wasn’t as much a liturgy to recite as it was a template to follow when you pray.

Join us in this message as Pastor Jack unpacks the richness found within the Lord's Prayer and how to increase our connection with God.

Prayer is the center-point of life with God. It should be woven into the fabric of our routine and our weekly schedule. We should make time for prayer every single day. Prayer is a conversation; not a ceremony or ritual. Prayer is simply talking to God and also making time and space to let God talk to us. Prayer is a back-and-forth continual conversation with God that comes out of our intimacy with him.

Join us over these next several weeks as we seek out what it means to be "A People Of Prayer."

Pentecost Sunday is one of the most monumental days for the believer. It represents the very birth of the church; a new reality the people of God could be a part of. It represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; the ''advocate" and friend that Jesus promises to his disciples once he had endured the cross. In this message, Pastor Jack reminds us of the significance of Pentecost and the promise, power, and purpose that is brought by way of the Holy Spirit.