Fusion Christian Church

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 6, Pastor Zac teaches us about the necessity of godliness and the influence it has.

Godly people can stand out even in an ungodly world.

In the story of Daniel 6, the Persian officials all become jealous of Daniel because of his success. He not only was one of the three men in charge of all the other officials, but King Darius planned to promote him even over the other two. This illustrates an important principle for Christians: that we can succeed in an ungodly atmosphere. Even though Daniel was surrounded by worldly influences and away from his people, he was still able to rise to high station.

Stand on prayer and thanksgiving.

Because of their jealousy, the scheming officials set a trap for Daniel. They convinced the King to pass a law that made Daniel's prayers to God illegal. However, despite the law, Daniel continued to pray openly. He knew that he had to honor God above this wicked law. He continued to pray and give thanks for God so that the only crime he committed would be righteousness. Even so, Daniel is caught in the trap and Darius is forced to throw him into the Lion's Den.

Your godliness will point people to God.

Because of his godliness, God spared Daniel. Daniel survived the night and came out of the den alive. Darius then released a proclamation praising the God of Israel as one who rescues and saves. He recognized the miracle God had done and drew attention to it. Ultimately, Daniel's faithfulness and godliness set an example for the King and then the world to see. What steps can you make toward godliness in your life?

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 5, Pastor Matt teaches about the Fear of the Lord and what happens with or without it.

No Fear of the Lord.

In the story of Daniel, the King of Babylon, Belshazzar chose not to fear God. In fact, he chose to spite God by using the holy items from His temple for a party. Because of this behavior, God writes on the wall in the middle of this party a prophecy of impending doom. Even then, Belshazzar feels fear not of the Lord, but only for his own potential downfall. 

Refusing to listen to wisdom.

To make matters worse, God had already demonstrated his greatness to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar knew about it. Instead of learning from the mistakes of his predecessor, Belshazzar acted foolishly. He chose to mock the Most High God instead of honoring him. While the Persian army was waiting at the gates, Belshazzar threw caution to the wind and threw a party. Even when the prophecy was given, Belshazzar refused to change his ways. He chose to die in his sin and in rebellion against God.

We will all be numbered, weighed, and judged.

King Belshazzar's days were numbered, his actions were weighed, and his choices were judged. We will not escape this measuring by God. This is why it is so important for us to live in the Fear of the Lord. This means we recognize that God will hold us accountable for our decisions and live accordingly. Even so, we must recognize that living rightly will not save us. We are not good enough to earn our salvation, so part of the Fear of the Lord is trusting in him for salvation. Only Jesus lived a perfect life; we must trust in him. Our good works are a result of our faith in him; they do not save us.

This impacts your life now!

When we do all of this, we can see that the Fear of the Lord changes our lives now. This is not a distant reality, but a way of living. Choosing to live in the Fear of the Lord will affect every other choice we make in our lives. Honor and revere God first and you will begin to walk in wisdom.

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 4, Pastor Zac teaches about the pride of the King and the humbling lesson he learned.

Always start your story by giving God the glory.

Instead of being told from Daniel's perspective, Daniel chapter four is actually narrated by Nebuchadnezzar. While describing the most humbling experience of his life, King Nebuchadnezzar chooses to start by acknowledging God as Most High and worthy of worship. When we reflect on our own lives and our own stories, we ought to do the same. God must be first in our lives.

Start your story with repentance.

As the King tells his story in Daniel 4, he noticeably fails to repent early on. If he had changed his ways when God gave him a dream of warning, he would not have needed the extreme humbling later. Instead, because the King failed to repent, God cursed him to become like a dumb animal for seven years. Fortunately for Nebuchadnezzar, God gave him another chance to repent at the end of those seven years. Eventually, the King's sanity returned to him and he looked to God and changed his ways.

Your story isn't about you; it's about God working in you and through you.

At the end of Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar once again acknowledges the greatness of God. This is an important lesson for us because we should recognize that our stories are also mere windows through which God displays his glory. The purpose of your life and your story is to give glory to God. Even for people who reject God, the bible teaches that their lives will still eventually demonstrate the glory of God. However, it is always better to choose to acknowledge God's greatness yourself. How can you choose to give God the glory in your life this week?

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 3, Pastor Zac teaches about the courage to stand for God by refusing to bow for anyone else.

This world will never stop asking you to bow to it.

Idolatry does not always take the form of bowing to physical idols. In our modern culture, it more often takes the form of compromise or misplaced priorities. In other words, we are more likely to commit idolatry by submitting to the demands of the culture around us rather than to God. Alternatively, we may commit idolatry by prioritizing other aspects of our lives above God. This temptation never ceases and we must constantly be alert to it.

Never bow to fear.

One of the greatest temptations for every Christian is to submit to fear. Often when we are challenged on our faith we desire to compromise our beliefs and surrender out of fear. Instead of standing firm on what God has told us, we take the easy way out and surrender to avoid difficulty. Christians are to hold fast to what God has given us and trust in his ultimate plan. We should fear disobeying God more than we fear the threats of the world.

We will never bring the world to Christ by becoming like it.

The primary mission of the church on earth is to bring it to Christ and we can never do that if we are not different! If we surrender and bow to the world we will not succeed in our mission. Christianity shows a better way of living, but if we don't live it ourselves, how will others see the better way?

Only one God has the power to save.

Ultimately we must remember that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. We cannot be saved by following any other way and we cannot try to take two roads at the same time. There is only one road and one doorway leading to eternal life: the man Christ Jesus. We must follow him and teach others to do the same. How can you use your words and your actions to teach Christ to others this week?

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 2, Pastor Zac teaches about the advent of God's Kingdom on earth.

There are problems in life that human wisdom cannot fix.

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar asks for his wisemen to interpret his dream. The problem is, the King knows that his wisemen might make up an interpretation from their own wisdom, so he tests them. He wants them to tell him what the dream was in the first place! None of the wisemen with their human wisdom could do this. What they needed was a word from God himself. None of the Babylonian wisemen were able to interpret the dream. Only Daniel, because God told it to him, was able to ultimately give the interpretation.

Don’t stand alone, stand in prayer with godly people.

Before God revealed the answer to Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to kill all of his wisemen! Hoping to avoid this, Daniel went to his three godly friends and they all prayed together. This is an important lesson for Christians today, because we need to remember prayer as well. Prayer is a practice of turning to God, and we should be turning to him every day. We also need to go to other believers and pray with them as well. There is power in the prayers of God's people.

Don’t take credit for things only God can do. 

When God responded to Daniel's prayers and gave him the interpretation, Daniel could have taken credit. Daniel could have gone to the king and pretended that the wisdom and insight came from himself. Wisely, he refused to do this, instead, he gave all the glory to God alone. He did not speak of his ability to interpret, he spoke of an interpretation God had given him. In all things, we should give honor to God and not try to steal it for ourselves.

Jesus the cornerstone.

In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, he saw a statue representing earthly kingdoms destroyed by a stone from heaven. The bible speaks in many places of the "stone" from heaven being Jesus Christ. When Jesus came, he came to establish the Kingdom of God, and that kingdom will never fade away. This is the ultimate meaning of the vision in Daniel 2: that God's Kingdom will reign forever. So the question is, where will you stand? Will you stand in the kingdoms of this earth? Or will you stand in the Kingdom of Heaven?

"Take A Stand" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on having the courage to stand strong in the faith. From the book of Daniel we will learn what it takes follow God in a world that doesn't. In chapter 1, Pastor Zac will teach about committing to honor God in everything we do.

If you’re going to take a stand, there’s no prize for compromise.

Taking a stand means being resolute in your decision. If you claim to be resolved but you compromise around the edges, you won't win any prizes! Taking a stand means refusing to compromise, knowing that doing so will forfeit your benefits. God wants people who are all in on his mission and won't cave to the world. God wants people who will commit to him even when the world wants us to lower our standards.

If we keep choosing the world over God, eventually God will give us over to what we keep choosing.

Sometimes people become angry with God's judgments, but we really have no right to feel that way. When God chooses to punish us, it is only because we chose to sin. Because God is merciful, he often does not punish us right away. However, if we continue to sin and reject God's correction, eventually he will give us over to the consequences of our sin. If we think we can cheat the consequences of our sins, God will eventually punish us.

Honor God in the small things.

In the story of Daniel and the three Hebrews, they took a stand over their diet. God had given them restrictions on what they could eat and drink, and they chose to abide by those rules. Even though the culture around them was eating all sorts of other foods, Daniel and his friends decided to honor God even in something as small as their diet. Choosing to honor God in small areas of our lives shows him that we are willing to honor him in much bigger areas as well.

God honors those who honor Him.

God is gracious and fair. He will always reward those who seek and honor him. Taking a stand as a Christian means choosing to follow God and to honor him with our lives. We offer him everything and he honors us for doing so, knowing that it will cost us in this life. How can you choose to honor God in your life this week?

"Victim to Victor" is our series at Fusion Christian Church about overcoming through Christ Jesus. No matter how bad your wounds are or how great your challenges, victory belongs to the Christian through Christ. In Part 3, Pastor Zac talks about how to heal from our hurts, horrors, and hangups.

Let Jesus bind up your wounds.

The most important way to handle our hurts is to let God tend to them. Jesus suffered in every way that a human can suffer, which means he knows what you are experiencing. Jesus is able to perfectly address every hurt we have and to bind them up. If you take your pain to Jesus, know that, as a man, he intimately understands it, as God, he is able to heal it. 

Forgive as God forgives you.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is expected. For the Christian, it is important to constantly remember God's forgiveness to us so that we can offer it to others. Remembering that we needed forgiveness from God helps us offer forgiveness when others need it from us. Whether or not they accept our forgiveness, we are still to offer it and to forgive in our hearts. If we’ve truly experienced God’s forgiveness, we’ll be ready to forgive others. Humans need forgiveness from God far more than anyone else needs it from you. If God has forgiven, you must also forgive.

Release the hangup of bitterness.

Bitterness is more than just an emotion: it's a mindset. Bitterness happens when we hold onto the wrong others have done toward us until it sets us against them. The original offense may have been serious, or it may not have been, but bitterness will make it serious. When we hold onto the wrongs others have done, we only harm ourselves more. Like an alcoholic who refuses to quit his habit is the embittered man who refuses to let go. By refusing to let go we not only slowly poison ourselves, but we prevent any possible reconciliation. It's time to let go of your hurts, horrors, and hangups and to give them to Christ.

"Victim to Victor" is our series at Fusion Christian Church about overcoming through Christ Jesus. No matter how bad your wounds are or how great your challenges, victory belongs to the Christian through Christ. In Part 2, Pastor Matt teaches about four biblical steps to overcome the Victim Mentality.

Take every thought captive.

As Christians, we are not meant to let our thoughts be ruled by worldly influences. Instead, we are to renew our minds and take control of our thoughts. The Christian who does not make his mind obedient to Christ will fall victim to temptations. That temptation might even be the temptation to play the victim when you aren't! Regardless, we are to take our thoughts captive and submit them to Christ's authority.

Fix your mind on heavenly things.

We very often focus on wordly and negative things but God wants us to focus on him. We must get a heavenly perspective if we want to beat the victim mentality. When we start to see things as God sees them we start to see things as they are. This means keeping what's most important first in our minds and refusing to focus on the negative.

Change your outlook.

Beating the victim mentality is not about delusionally ignoring bad things in our life. It is recognizing the bad but choosing to look at the good instead. The bible teaches that we will suffer and we will have trouble. The bible also teaches that Jesus has overcome these things. Because of this, the Christian knows that God wins in the end and so we win too. Looking past the difficulties of life is key to overcoming them.

Be content.

Lastly, it is crucial to be content with what we have. It's very normal for us to desire more, and it is even healthy to desire good things. However, we must cultivate contentment. Contentment does not mean settling for less, but rather recognizing that God is in control. This means that if God provides less, then less is all we need. True contentment is being secure in the knowledge that we have everything we need in Christ. Anything on top of that is just icing on the cake!

If you follow these four steps, you will be well on your way to beating the victim mentality in your life.

"Victim to Victor" is our series at Fusion Christian Church about overcoming through Christ Jesus. No matter how bad your wounds are or how great your challenges, victory belongs to the Christian through Christ. In Part 1, Pastor Zac talks about how Jesus won the most important victory by defeating death.

We can never be good enough to make our sins right.

We all know from experience that we are broken people, and the bible confirms it. God tells us that all of us are guilty of sin, and that no amount of trying will fix that problem. Many people try to justify themselves, but God is clear that it will never actually be enough. God is perfect and he cannot accept anything short of perfection.

The good news is that God didn’t leave us in our sin—He sent Jesus to give us victory over it.

Because of his love for us, God didn't want us to die in our sins. That is why Jesus came to defeat death and sin and share his victory with us who believe. That is the message of the gospel, the good news. Although we deserved punishment, Jesus took it for us to set us free.

Jesus paid the debt for our sins on the cross.

One way to think of our sins is as a debt. Every time we sin, we add on to that debt. The cost for just one sin is more than any of us would like to pay, but we sin much more than that. Because of that, the debt of our sin is massive, and we can never pay it off. That is why it is so important that Jesus paid it all. 

The BEST NEWS OF ALL ...Jesus didn’t stay dead.

Not only did Jesus pay for our debt on the cross, but he rose from the dead as well. Not only do we not face death in the way he did, but we have the hope of never ending life in him! The cross is a symbol of God's mercy: we don't face the punishment we deserve. The empty tomb is a symbol of God's grace: He gives us eternal life that we didn't deserve!

Eternal victory can only be found in the risen Jesus.

Because Jesus defeated death on the cross he will reign forever. That means the victory belongs to him forever. If we believe in Jesus, we get to share in that victory. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Are you ready to share in his victory?

“Eyewitness” is our series at Fusion Christian Church about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the people who saw it happen. These were real people, in real moments, who had real encounters with Jesus. In Part 4, Pastor Zac teaches about the thieves who were crucified with Jesus. One chose repentance in his final moments while the other chose his sin.

Jesus did not die for His own sins, because He had none; He died for our sins.

The gospel is simple, but not always easy to accept. The trouble is that we don't want to accept that we are sinful. The bible is very clear that all humans are sinners by nature. Because of that, we all spend our lives accruing debt against God. The debt we owe comes from committing crimes against him, which is what we call sin. The punishment for sin is death, which is a problem most of us don't want to face! The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus came and lived the perfect life so that he could take our place on the cross. He deserved blessings but took punishment. We deserved his punishment, but got his blessings.

One thief held onto his sin to his last breath. The other turned to Jesus with his.

We are all, like the thieves, presented with a choice. We can either recognize our sin and turn to Jesus, or reject Jesus and choose our sin. One of the thieves realized he needed Jesus while on the cross. At some point, while he was hanging there, his heart changed and he chose to acknowledge Christ as his Lord. The other thief chose to deny Jesus in his final moments. His heart hardened as he hung on his cross. The choice to accept Christ is before you. Will you accept him?