Fusion Christian Church

This is part 1 of "God With Us," our series at Fusion Christian Church where we examine what it means for God to be present with his people through Jesus Christ. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches us that God is with us through both good times and dark times.

God is with you in the good times

The most important thing to do when we are in good times is to remember the God who brought us here. It's easy to forget about God when things are going well, but remembering God lets us show him gratitude. We also should learn that good times are not for us, but for us to give glory to God. In the good times, we should say: "I didn't get here on my own, God was with me." We most often forget God when everything is going well. Try to avoid falling into that trap!

God is with you in the dark times

Jesus came as our Emmanuel, which means "God with us." When he came down and took on humanity, he took on our weaknesses as well. We do not have a God who is distant, but one who walked through the trials of a human life. Because of that, he is able to comfort us through our own trials. What should you do to help you through the dark times?

Get your strength from God

God's power is made perfect in our weakness. When we feel weak, we must rely on him for strength. Let him restore you.

Fix your mind on God

Your focus sets your course. If we set our eyes, our minds, and our hearts on God, we will be able to endure through all sorts of trials and obstacles. How can you focus on God throughout your week?

This is part 3 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about how important it is to live our lives for other people and not for ourselves. Teaching from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, he draws out biblical truth about how we should treat other people. What does it look like when we start loving others?

I value others above myself.

In the parable, the rich man knew Lazarus but never offered to help him. He only ever valued his own comfort and left Lazarus to suffer. As Christians we should value other people more than ourselves, putting their needs first. In humility, we should consider others to be of greater value than ourselves.

I care for others more than my comfort.

It would have been uncomfortable for the rich man to offer care for Lazarus, so he never did. Christians are called to set aside our own selfish desires and put first the good of others. Discomfort should not discourage us from giving comfort to others. 

I show kindness to those who are different than me.

This means not only that we are kind to people from different backgrounds, but also to people who disagree with us. According to the bible, we must show love even to our enemies.

My love for others is a mirror of my love for Jesus.

We should be honest about ourselves and ask whether or not we truly love others. If we truly love others, it shows that we truly love Jesus. On the other hand, if we do not love others, it shows that we do not know Jesus at all. Don't be a hypocrite, but instead love God, love others, and tell everyone the good news.

This is part 2 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about the importance of gratitude in our lives. We choose to focus on our ingratitude and negative experiences when we should be grateful and focus on the blessings we have instead.

In Gratitude I Trust

In our story for this message, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one of the ten return to thank him. While many of us are unfamiliar with leprosy today, in Jesus' day it was a deadly disease. Many of those who contracted leprosy would lose feeling in their limbs, causing any minor wound to become infected. Quite often, lepers lost limbs because of this. Much like sin, leprosy destroys the body from the inside out.

Leprosy and sin have more in common as well. Both are more than skin deep and both infect a whole person. Leprosy caused a person to be cast out of society, while sin, much more seriously, causes people to be cast out of God's kingdom into hell. Both lepers and sinners are essentially dead men walking. Finally, just as the only hope for the lepers was healing through Jesus, the only hope for sinners is salvation through Jesus. What can we learn about showing gratitude from this story?

We can cry out to Jesus, our Master

When we recognize Jesus as Master, we subjugate our sinful desire to reject authority. At its core, sin is rebellion against God, and when we cry out to Jesus as Lord and Master, we put him back in charge.

When we walk in obedience, miracles happen.

We must choose to walk according to what God designed. The lepers were healed when they did what Jesus told them to do. If we ever want to see miracles in our lives, we must walk in the way God laid out for us.

We need a rapid return to gratitude

We should be as quick to show gratitude as the tenth leper was to return to Jesus. Some of us are very quick to show other responses, but how often are we quick to say, "Thank you"?

In God's healing I trust

We must recognize that Jesus is the healer and we should look to him first when we need healing. God might work through modern medicine or doctors or any number of means to heal us, but all good things ultimately come from God. Turn to God first.

This is part 1 of our series, "In __ We Trust," where we examine the things that we wrongly put our trust in and compare them to the God we should trust in. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about the new life we have in Christ, and why that means we shouldn't live in our old life any longer. We start with the question: What does a new life in Christ look like?

We died with Christ - We are alive with Christ - We are raised with Christ

To die with Christ means we die to sin. We are no longer to indulge our sinful desires, but instead we must live a life that is transformed. We have been freed from bondage to slavery, and now we can live for Christ. Just as Christ lives, we can also live with him. Just as Christ has been raised to new life, so, too, are we raised to new life with him.

We are hidden with Christ

Because we are hidden with Christ, we are protected from danger and our salvation is secure. There is nothing that will separate us from the love of God expressed in Christ Jesus. Take heart! If God is for us, then who can be against us?

We are glorified with Christ

A deep mystery of the faith is that just as Christ was glorified, so will we also be glorified. Christ's resurrection is a promise of our own future resurrection. On that day, we will receive glorified bodies free of sin or any blemish. When Jesus returns, he will raise all believers from the dead and restore our bodies to a perfected and glorified state. This is the hope which Christians have eagerly awaited for 2,000 years.

What should you do now?

Because of this, we must strive to put to death all our worldly desires. It is not only that we try to stop sinning, but that we try to purge even our sinful passions. With God's help, we must replace our earthly natures little by little with something that resembles heaven.

How can you defeat your sinful desires this week?

This is part 4 of "Built Different," our series at Fusion Christian Church about how Christians are different from the world and how we should act because of that. In this message, Pastor Matt teaches us how we can build our faith in a way that's different. Starting with 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, we will walk through how to build our faith.

You need a foundation before you can build

In our main passage, we read that each of us must start with the foundation of Jesus Christ. He is the chief cornerstone, and we must build our faith beginning with him. We can and will and should build on top of that foundation using good materials, but it is essential that the building begins with Jesus.

We need to build wisely

Again, returning to our main passage, we see the admonition for each of us to "take care" how we build upon our foundation. Once we have Jesus Christ as our starting block, we must choose carefully how to build after that.

We need to build with materials that will last

When the day of judgment comes, what we have built will be tested. We need to be sure to build with good materials so that when testing comes, our work stands the test.

What material will last?

The first material which lasts is the word of God. When we build our faith using God's Word, we build a faith that will last. There are four steps to building our faith with God's word, the first being to simply read it. If we do not read it, how can we make any use of it? The second step is to meditate on the scriptures, keeping them always in mind so that we can fully digest their meaning. The third step is to memorize it. Obviously, memorizing the whole bible is a tall task, so start small and memorize what you can! Any scripture memorized can be a benefit to the believer. The fourth step is to apply God's word. Knowing what God's word says is not much help if we don't ultimately put it into practice.

The second material which lasts is people. To build our faith with people, we need to participate in the ministry of reconciliation which Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5. God designed us to be in relationship with him, and our duty as Christians is to bring as many people as possible back into that relationship.

This is part 3 of "Built Different," our series at Fusion Christian Church about how Christians are different from the world and how we should act because of that. In this message, Elder Reuben teaches us how we as Christians are built to serve.

We Are Blessed to Be a Blessing

The blessings God gave us were given so that we could be a blessing to others. Abraham was able to become a blessing to many nations because God blessed him with a son. What gifts do you have that you can bless others with?

We Have the Power of the Holy Spirit

Often we feel as though we are inadequate or unequipped to serve, but the Holy Spirit can enable us to do more than we ever thought possible. The Holy Spirit will empower you with gifts so that you can boldly step out in faith. If you are hesitant to step out and serve, pray that the Spirit would strengthen you and lead you to serve in the way God has for you.

We are Wired to Serve

God has given each of us unique gifts. We are to use these gifts to serve God and others. God did not design us to sit on our hands, but to go out and serve. How is God calling you? If we learn to recognize our gifts, we will learn where we should serve. Consider speaking to other Christians about what your spiritual gifts are. Perhaps you have giftings you haven't yet discovered!

In all things, we must remember that serving God and others is a primary goal for a Christian. Consider checking out some local service opportunities.

This is part 2 of "Built Different," our series at Fusion Christian Church about how Christians are different from the world and how we should act because of that. In this sermon, Pastor Zac finishes teaching through the book of Jude and we continue to learn how to build our faith. He begins with teaching what the result of bad building is.

What does it look like when I build the wrong way?

Here are 7 characteristics of a person who has built the wrong way: grumbling, boasting, manipulating, scoffing, self-centeredness, divisiveness, and lack of the Holy Spirit. Are you guilty of any of these? If so, examine your life and make sure you have been building it on Jesus and not your own desires. Christians should not look like this, so what do we do to look different?

How should you build?

There are several ways to build our lives based on what Jude says. We build our faith; pray in the Spirit; keep ourselves in God's love; and plunder hell to populate heaven.

Build your faith.

Our faith will not magically build itself! We must intentionally build our faith by doing the things Jesus commanded of us.

Pray in the Spirit.

Praying in the Spirit is sometimes made too complicated for believers. What it primarily means is to pray that God's will be done. When we pray for God's will to be done, it helps align our hearts with God's.

Keep yourself in God's love.

Love is a choice, not a feeling. If you base your love on feelings, it will collapse. Love is a commitment that we must stick to even when we don't feel like it. To love God, we must try to keep his commands even when we don't want to.

Plunder hell to populate heaven.

Among God's commands is to evangelize to those who are in danger of the fire of God's judgment. Our job is to pull people from the jaws of hell and bring them to God. One of the best ways to grow our own faith is to share it with others.

Choose one thing you can do to start building your faith.

In a final word of practical advice, choose one small area to start in. Don't try to tackle too many things at once, but instead pick one small thing that you can do first. 

This is part 1 of "Built Different," our series at Fusion Christian Church about how Christians are different from the world and how we should act because of that. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches through the first half of the book of Jude, offering insights into how we should stand out from the way of the world and not be like those who fall into judgment.

How are we built different?

According to Peter, we are like stones being built into a spiritual house. From the first half of Jude, we will see four ways that we are "built different" from the world.

We contend for the faith.

As Christians, we must stand up for our beliefs. We should not be like those who desire to be in God's army but aren't willing fight for our beliefs. It is essential that we combat false teaching and refuse to let it spread in the church.

We live in reverent fear of God's judgment.

Though the subject is unpopular, we must not forget that God's judgment is very real. If we forget God's judgment, we will downplay our sin, because his judgment serves as a warning that our sins are deadly serious. As the bible teaches in many places, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing this, we should maintain a healthy fear of God's judgment.

We walk under authority.

We must always remember that God is the only true authority. Though some Christians are fond of "rebuking" things in their prayers, Jude tells us that not even the archangels do that. Instead, we submit to God and offer every situation up to his judgment.

We learn from the examples God gives us.

Pay attention to the examples of evil behavior Jude gives so that we might learn to avoid the mistakes they made. Cain thought he knew better than God and refused to offer a worthy sacrifice. Balaam tried to curse God's people for money, an when that didn't work, he encouraged seduction as a way to draw them away from God. Korah despised Moses' leadership, rebelling against the one God had chosen to lead the people. God severely punished the sin of all three men.

Through it all, remember that God has made you a new creation, and that we should respond to that by acting differently in the world.

This is Part 5 of "Heart for the House," our series at Fusion Christian Church on growing and maintaining a heart that is passionate about God's people, the church. In this message, Pastor Zac teaches about the importance of building a place of worship by examining how it was done in the bible. He also makes an important announcement about future plans for Fusion Christian Church.

As our church looks forward to purchasing a building, getting ready for that significant cost must be a priority for us. This sermon follows two stories in scripture about the construction of God's house and the lessons we learn from them. To begin, we ask the question: what does it take to get ready?

To build the house, we must give from the heart.

The first story is the building of the tabernacle of Moses. In this story, we see that God's people offer their own treasures to the building of God's house. God tells Moses to collect whatever is on the heart of the people to give, and they give so much that Moses has to stop collecting donations. God had richly provided for the Israelites when they left Egypt, and the people gave those riches right back to God for the building of His house.

To build the house, we must give creatively.

Some of the things given by the people may seem odd to us, but there is more which we can offer to God than a lump sum. Other material possessions can be offered to God as well, and God can use what we offer Him.

To build the house, we must give willingly from what we have.

It is not for us to demand from God's people, but it is more blessed to give than to receive. God desires that we choose to give out of love for Him and His house. We should desire to give, not do so merely out of obligation.

To build the house, we must also give of our God-given skill.

Just as described when Moses built the tabernacle, many skilled workers from God's people contributed to the construction. What skills do you have that can help?

To build the house, we must give as an example to others.

David set the example for his people by giving his personal treasury and asking the people to do likewise. David knew that if he could not build the house, it was his job to ensure the project was ready for his son to carry out. How can you set an example with your generosity?

To build the house, we give to the Lord.

Ultimately, if God is not involved, our plans will fail. We must remember to keep God at the center at all times.

This is Part 4 of "Heart for the House," our series at Fusion Christian Church on growing and maintaining a heart that is passionate about God's people, the church. In this message, Pastor Matt teaches us four elements to a heart for the house.

Unity

The first element is that a heart for the house has unity. If we are not unified, we will never be effective in ministry. We must avoid divisions in the church so that we might be prepared for the work God has prepared for us to do. This also means we must speak the truth in love and not avoid confrontation.

No Gossip

The second element is that a heart for the house refuses to gossip. As Christians, our job is not only to refuse to participate in gossip, but to put an end to it when we hear it. We must encourage each other to speak directly to those with whom we have disagreements rather than gossiping to others about our problems with them. Few things breed disunity and destroy churches faster than gossip does.

Love One Another

The third element is that hearts for the house love one another. We don't have to like everyone, but we do have to love everyone. Love is an act of the will that aims for the good of others. This can be done regardless of our feelings towards another person. When we demonstrate love for each other, this becomes a witness for unbelievers. When we love one another, we will...

Shine in this Dark World

The fourth element is that a heart for the house shines in this dark world. As Jesus described it, the church is a city on a hill and a light for all to see. By persevering through trials and doing so without complaining, we demonstrate the hope we have in Jesus.

Finally, our mission is offensive: we will build God's church on the confession of Jesus as the Christ and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!