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Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Jesus spoke of the church as a future reality. Matthew 16:15-17, “…And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” This passage is not about the supremacy of Peter but the supremacy of Jesus Christ as revealed in Peter’s confession. The church has been built upon Peter’s confession not Peter’s person. Jesus was not referring to building buildings but building people. The church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 with the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was established through the preaching of the apostles and prophets.

We are responsible to manage what belongs to God not us. This means that when we give to Gospel causes, we are simply giving back to God what belongs to Him in the first place.

Are things more important to me than people?

My desire for money can negatively impact my family and my relationships.

Am I collecting more things and finding less fulfillment?

Things do not bring lasting contentment.

Am I compromising my integrity to gain more things?

The love of money will exert a powerful influence on my life.

Am I seeking to find through money what only Jesus can provide?

Last Sunday and saw that Jesus is the only infallible financial advisor. Jesus is not teaching buying or giving one’s way into heaven as some believe. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone, Romans 6:23

A financial planner is a person employed to manage the personal finances of clients. I would like to commend to you the wisest financial counselor of all. His name is Jesus. Jesus does not give counsel based on what might happen but on what will happen. Many Christians set up a false dichotomy separating the material from the spiritual. This is especially true in the area of personal finances. Jesus never viewed that kind of division in the lives of His followers. The commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment to follow Him in all of life. That is certainly the implication of the scriptural title of “Lord” applied to Jesus, John 13:13 & Luke 6:46.

Obedience is always the mark of the true disciple of Jesus. If Jesus is truly Lord of my life, then He is Lord of my wealth. There is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and our material possessions. We are beginning in Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus talks about money 109 times. Jesus spoke about money 57 times in Mark, 94 times in Luke, and 88 times in John.

Labor Day historically was a celebration of the American work ethic. Many of the original immigrants to America brought with them a very strong work ethic. This was the result of the influence f Christianity in Europe particularly that of the Reformation. Protestants, beginning with Martin Luther, began to view worldly work as a duty which benefits both the individual and society as a whole. MarLabor Day historically was a celebration of the American work ethic.

One of the keys to living a Christian life in our increasing pagan culture is to have a firm foundation. Jesus illustrated this in Matthew 7:24. The foolish person built their house on shifting sand which was destroyed when the storms came. Jesus wasn’t referring to building a house but building one’s life. In this chapter James writes about trials that come from without and temptations that come from within. He is not writing about becoming a Christian but living as a Christian. In this series we are focusing on the trials that assail us.

Main Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Pastor Daren Ritchey preaches his third message in our series, "The School of Suffering"

Romans 5:1-11

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

The experience of Paul in this passage illustrates the paradox of pain and suffering in the life of the believer. We saw last Sunday the process of suffering in Romans 5. God has invested our pain with purpose. As a Christian suffering is never just a random event of the subject of chance. Whatever occurs in our lives is within the providence of our loving Heavenly Father.