We are kicking off a new series today!

Over the last few months, we've been talking about the Kingdom of God, the family of God, the characteristics of God, and now we're going to talk further about the ten values of the Vineyard!

We're so blessed to have these implicitly as our values, but now we're going to go through each of these that will be the foundation for where we're going as a church.

Today, we're going to be looking at the idea of a family and how we are called as Christians to approach one another and live together. We'll be looking at some current trends in our culture and society, and we'll be discussing what it means to be a healthy family (not just in our homes but also as a church!).

When people come together as a family, there are lots of dynamics and things to work through and think through, and as God continues to knit us together, we're called to not just be a church but a family.

We are continuing in our summer preaching by focusing on the promise given to Abraham and Sarah.

It has been said that a hope deferred makes a heart sick, and sometimes when we're waiting for the fulfillment of the promise, we lose heart and grow weary. But when the Lord speaks, we have to respond.

When God gives a promise, we are called to receive it, believe it, and participate in it. And that's what we'll be talking about today!

Throughout Jesus' itinerant ministry, something becomes abundantly clear: Jesus was on the move, and everywhere he went, he brought the Kingdom of God. The church, the Ekklesia, was never meant to be a destination or location. It was always about a gathering of people on the move.

Over the years, there's been a shift in the church's identity and purpose; the church became a place you go to rather than a launching pad for the Kingdom of God to break through and in.

The church was always meant to be on the move, always meant to bring and carry the Kingdom of God into every realm. As Jesus said, "On earth as it is in heaven..." and let it be so, Lord!

This weekend, we are so excited for Jon Petersen to speak at the Vineyard!

Jon is a prolific author and writer, and he loves to encourage churches and ministries into being communities of friendship and relationship. He has once said that the Kingdom of God advances at the speed of relationships, and it’s so important for the Body of Christ to not just tolerate one another but do life together.

Jesus knew that his disciples needed help, and that's why he breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn't some spooky or mysterious being; He's a person, our Helper and Friend, and without his help, life, especially the Christian life, is almost impossible.

Many of us go throughout our days relying on muscle memory or our routine, but when we reach some obstacle or hurdle, then we ask for the Holy Spirit to help. But what if we spent every moment, every second, as an opportunity to pray, "Come Holy Spirit"? What if we didn't have to wait until life got hard to ask for the Helper? What if we relied on his power and presence all the time?

This Sunday, we're going to spend some time learning about the person of the Holy Spirit and how he is our help!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

We just finished, Taking Destiny, and we'll be moving into a series of topical sermons for the summer before we begin a new series later in August about Vineyard DNA.

This week, we're looking at a pretty famous passage of Scripture where Jesus encounters a wee-little man and changes everything for him. Just by befriending him, Zacchaeus' whole life becomes redeemed. We're going to look at five ways that Jesus is a friend to sinners and how we can all be better friends like Jesus!

We finished our series, Taking Destiny, last week by looking at the last tribe. And this week, we'll go through each of the tribes to refresh all the different enemies that we might face while stepping into God's promises!

This has been a wonderful series, and there's so much more that we could say about God's promises. But hopefully it's been abundantly clear: if God calls you into something, He will provide the very means to accomplish the thing He is calling you to. There may be obstacles and roadblocks and even attacks, but greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. And if God is for us, who can be against us?

We are finishing up our series, Taking Destiny, by looking at the last tribe, the Rephaim. These were giants and pretty intimidating people. Physically, they were scary, but what they represented to the Hebrews: a BIG problem.

Many people know the story of David and Goliath, of a child overtaking a giant, and this story is kind of a prequel. Pretty early on, God's people found themselves in hard situations facing large obstacles, and they had to lean not on their own understanding and trust in God!

In the flesh, we see a huge obstacle, but in the Spirit and with God's help, all giants can be conquered!