Crossroads - Weekend Messages

How is the health of your soul? Is the deepest part of you flourishing—or is it languishing and gasping for air? Life lately has been filled with exhausting challenges: personal loss, political division, economic turmoil, faith deconstruction, and isolation. And our soul feels it. Yet in the face of uncertainty, the Bible assures us we can thrive inwardly. Jesus promised his followers the abundant life. But how do we find it? How can we flourish in difficult times?

I love it when things end on a high note. There is just something so beautiful when things end well and with great fanfare. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Jesus’ seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. After the great excitement of the church in Philadelphia, these letters end with a scathing challenge to the church in Laodicea. This church is struggling in a big way, although you might not know it from the outside. Their biggest issue was the fact that they were spiritually lukewarm. Prepare to be challenged as we close out this powerful section in the Book of Revelation.

The word “break” has interesting uses. Often we say “I need a break” and other times we say to our kids “Don't play with that or it will break.” Whether we want to convey our need for rest or want to express caution over something fragile, the word break has little to no application when combined with the word faith. Where do we find an example of unbroken faith? How do we develop such faith? What are the symptoms of a fragile faith?

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? Have you asked why you’re here, and whether there is more to life than the day-to-day grind? It’s only natural. But God’s answer – His “big idea” for humankind – may be a lot different than we think it is. And it strikes at the very core of who we believe God is and who He really is. Join us this Sunday to explore The Glory of God.

There is nothing more amazing than to see a church fulfilling the will of God. They have their eyes fixed on Jesus. They are fully aware that they are anointed and appointed to do specific things that Jesus ordains. And then they are getting at the work of ministry with faith, hope and love. The church in Philadelphia, in Revelation 3, is that church. And this is the church that we want to model ourselves after.

Our culture has a fascination with zombies. There is a steady stream of movies that come out where humanity has to fight against the living dead. We even see trucks with bumper stickers letting us know that the driver is part of the “Zombie Outbreak Response Team.” At the very least, a zombie is something that is dead but looks alive. Unfortunately, a church can be like this. Sure they meet together, maybe even often and in large numbers, but when Jesus looks at that church, He sees that they are spiritually dead. We will be challenged to examine our hearts as we study the Church in Sardis in Revelation 3.

In every season in the life of the people of God, there are certain things that Jesus is wanting us to understand. He loves us and desires to transform us into His image. Whenever we become more like Jesus, we are experiencing, at street level, the holiness of Jesus. It is truly His holiness, which He has chosen to share with us. But what happens when we choose things that Jesus doesn’t want? We become unholy and our lives suffer for it. In this weekend’s message, we will see where the Church in Thyatira is struggling and how Jesus invites them to join Him in holiness.