Message by Bob Crosthwaite, Pastor Emeritus

“Tu t’appelles comment?”

“Comment vous appelez-vous?”

“Quel est votre nom?”

What is your name?

What does your name mean?

Names can carry several meanings.

What is in your name?

Philippians 2:5-11

(all Scripture can be found below ⬇)

NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

The most important name of all.

Luke 1:26-38

Matthew 1:21

Isaiah 9:6-7

That NAME is:

1) Wonderful

God is awesome!

2) Counselor

Psalm 73:24

2 Timothy 3:16

3) The Mighty God

All the power you will ever need to live the abundant Christian life is available for you -- right NOW.

4) Everlasting Father

He takes care of the future of life and ALL of your futures!

Do you know Him?

5) The Prince of Peace

See the space between verse 6 and verse 7 (Isaiah 9).

Positive, admirable features (35).

Names of God, with meanings, are also mirror attributes of Jesus.

What is in a name?

It all depends on whose name it is.

Romans 10:13

Let’s call on the Name of Jesus … … Name Above All Names

Message by Ben Crosthwaite, Creative Arts Director

John 21

"Come and have breakfast"

Jesus invites us in.

"Do you love me?"

Jesus restores us back.

"What is that to you? As for you, follow me."

Jesus sends us out.

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REFLECTION

If you feel like Peter out in the boat -- accept Jesus' invitation to "come and have breakfast."

If you feel like Peter walking with Jesus -- accept you are accepted and forgiven.

If you feel like Peter asking "What about them?" -- hear Jesus say "What is it to you? As for you, follow me."

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

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"How To Be A Christian At Work"(without making it weird)

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Our work is a platform to share our faith.

Preach the Gospel at all times; and if necessary, use words.

Matthew 5:14-15

creating pull, not push (recoil)

> magnetic

People will often think about Jesus the way they think about people who claim to follow him.

You are a brand ambassador.

2 Cor 5:20

Love

Acts 16

Love… service

Phil 2:3-5

Matt 16:25

1 Peter 3:15

Acts 1:8

Talking about our faith:

#1, Talk about what you like.

#2, Share when you're struggling.

#3, Pay attention when things are not going well for those around you.

Who in your life needs what you have to share?

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

89% ~ on the verge of burnout

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“How Not to Burn Out"

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Stress = short-lived, temporaryevent

Burnout = chronic stress that feels never-ending

1 Kings 19:3-4

**see all verses below ⬇

Stress & Burnout:

physical manifestation

mental implications

emotional issues

COMMON MISTAKES:

#1, we run ourselves into the ground.

vs 3

#2, we try to do it all on our own.

vs 3

#3, we tend to dwell on the negative.

vs 4

God came to him.

vs 5-6

Take care of yourself physically.

Don't let your mind bully your body

Take a break.

Be still.

What do I need?

vs 11-13

He whispers / because He's always close.

Matthew 11:28

Come.

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

“How Not to Hate Your Job”

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John 17:4

**see all verses below ⬇

God’s creation mandate to help life flourish on this planet.

Genesis 2:2

John 5:17

Genesis 1:26-28

Creation mandate: make life work so that all of creation can flourish

Work: rearranging the raw material of God's creation in such a way that it helps the world in general,and people in particular, thrive and flourish.

What you do at work matters.

The Fall --> futility

Genesis 3:17,19

Romans 8:19,22

Revelation 21-22

God invites us to work with Him…to restore what sin has ruined, and to make it more like what God intended all along.

Your influence is a stewardship.

Colossians 3:17,23

Ephesians 6:7-8

How is what you’re doing helping others flourish?

Message by Bob Crosthwaite, Pastor Emeritus

Contentment vs Discontentment

Our society doesn't understand the difference between WANTS and NEEDS.

Discontentment is the “If Only” disease.

It will take you to places that you would never want to go.

The Apostle Paul’s Example

Philippians 4:11-13

Paul is not a victim of his circumstances, but is literally the master of them.

Faith has never looked logical to the world.

Noah // Moses // David // the Disciples

What God promises — HE always proves in His perfect time.

Contentment desires to produce in us:

1) Faith

2) Humility

3) Weaning from the world

Gratitude is not only a gift, but it has to become a mindset.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

Hebrews 13:5-6

Psalm 145:4

Psalm 119:165

Isaiah 26:3

Let us praise our God ALWAYS, even... as the pendulum swings!

Message by Ben Crosthwaite, Creative Arts Director

Mark 2:15-16

Mark 7:5-8

Religion gone bad only cares about 3 things:

believing the right ideas

performing the right actions

and abstaining from what is prohibited.

Religion can lead us to miss God!

Philippians 3:7-8

Everybody is religious -

We run on beliefs, crave tradition, and change through practice.

The temptation to become a Pharisee vs. The invitation to follow Jesus

exclusivity vs. inclusivity

Beliefs: What vs. Who

John 5:39-40

Tradition: Preferences vs. Connection

Pharisees "moralize their preferences"

Healthy tradition connects us

Isaiah 55:1

Practices: Performing vs. Transforming

Matthew 6:5-8

James 1:26-27

The invitation to follow Jesus is to a fulfilling life of beliefs, traditions, and practices that center around Him and the Spirit and lead us to relationship with God.

Matthew 11:28-30

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

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PEACE

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...lack of conflict

“Grace and peace to you.”

Mark 5:24-34

shalom = wholeness

John 16:33

Philippians 4:6-7

Anxiety:

a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease

excessive uneasiness and apprehension

fear takes over your mind

How you think influences how you feel.

We need to learn to think about what we think about.

2 Corinthians 10:4,5

Philippians 4:8

Matthew 6:25, 34

Galatians 5:22-23

the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives

Colossians 3:15-16

How is your peace within?

Matthew 11:28

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

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GRACE

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Grace is the Christian faith’s best gift to the world!

Ephesians 2:1,8

Romans 3:21-24

2 Corinthians 5:21

There are no loopholes that disqualify us from God’s grace.

Luke 15, lost sheep

John 12, Mary’s anointing of Jesus

Mark 12, widow’s offering

Matthew 20, workers in the vineyard

We can only receive grace as a gift from God, not as something we work to earn.

In the realm of grace, the word deserve doesn’t even apply.

Isaiah 55:8-9

Isaiah 55:6-7

Romans 5:20

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more.

And, grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.

But we look for loopholes.

John 8:7-11

Grace must be received (by repentance).

Romans 6:1-2

Romans 6:15

> gratitude

John 13:35

Mark 10:18

Grace conveys the best news possible – that the God of the universe loves us!

1 Peter 4:10

the “one anothers”

Matthew 5:16

For the common good…over-flowing with grace and gratitude.

Matthew 6:10

…dispensers of unconditional love, unconditional forgiveness, unconditional grace.

Message by Todd Crosthwaite, Lead Pastor

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KINGDOM OF GOD

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Matthew 4:12-25

What on earth is the Kingdom of God?

Three key moments:

1, Genesis 1:27-28

2, Abraham > Pharaoh > Moses

3, Covenant with Israel

Isaiah 52:7-10

What does it actually mean to live under this King’s reign?

Matthew 5, 6 & 7,

the Sermon on the Mount:

Jesus’ Manifesto for a whole new way to be human in the broken reality of the kingdom of God.

“The kingdom is…”

An encounter with Jesus compels us to deal with the core issues, the darkest parts of our character… to allow his mercy, love and wisdom to redefine who we are, and to change the way we engage with our Heavenly Father and with the people around us.