Multiply - Part 4: Praying & Dreaming BigAbraham prayed a really big prayer on behalf of a really evil city. You could make the case that his prayer pushed the envelope with God. Why don’t we do the same? Isn’t that the kind of prayers we should be praying? God loves when we ask big prayers, like the salvation of Sodom, on Jesus’ behalf, because in asking big we honor the size of God’s grace demonstrated in Jesus’ sacrifice.    (This series was based on a series of the same title by JD Greear)STUDY GUIDE 

Multiply - Part 3: Priority #1Abraham and Lot took two different approaches to their treasure. Lot thought of himself as an owner, Abraham thought of himself as a steward. Lot thought of himself first, Abraham thought of others first. Lot thought of himself as a reservoir, Abraham thought of himself as a river. Paul says that God will enrich us in every way so we can be generous in every way. The question that begs to be asked is: how has God enriched you?  (This series was based on a series of the same title by JD Greear)STUDY GUIDE

Multiply - Part 2: Trust MeWe’re looking at the life of one of the most important figures in human history, Abraham, to see how God multiplied his life for eternal significance, and more importantly the path God led him down to accomplish that. It was a path of sacrifice, risk, testing, and commitment. It’s really not that different than the path we will have to take if we want our lives to multiply for eternal significance. It can all be summarized in one word: trust.(This series was based on a series of the same title by JD Greear)STUDY GUIDE

Multiply Part 1: The Journey Starts HereYou and I are part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. The promise was that kings, nations, and the whole world would be blessed through this one man’s family. However, the last piece of the promise is the most important: the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, who has blessed all of humanity. Jesus made a way for all of humanity to be counted among God’s righteous children. In Matthew 28 Jesus gave us the new way for multiplication: discipling others to follow him. That is the Church’s way of being fruitful and multiplying as we bless all nations with the gospel.(This series was based on a series of the same title by JD Greear)STUDY GUIDE

Christmas Eve Service

Carols - Part 4: Hark the Herald Angels Sing“Hark” is a really old word we don’t use much anymore but it simply means “listen”. Charles Wesley, the author of this carol, puts this word in the mouth of a shepherd, telling us to pay attention to something he’s afraid we’ll miss. The shepherds certainly didn’t miss the message that first Christmas night, how could they? We don’t have a celestial choir appearing to us in the middle of the night but let’s make sure we don’t miss the message and meaning of Christmas.Study Guide

Carols: Part 3 - O Come, O Come EmmanuelThis is the oldest carol we sing today, dating all the way back to 800 AD. We don’t know who wrote it but was more than likely a priest or monk. It is theologically rich in explaining the story of Jesus’ first coming, longing for his second, and in the meantime, taking comfort in the fact that he’s with us. This is part of the good news we celebrate and share with others at Christmas.      

Carols - Part 2: Go Tell it on the MountainWe don’t know exactly who wrote this carol, or even when it was written. We do know it was a slave song, most likely composed in the south sometime between 1840-1860. The lyrics connect the Christmas story to the Great Commission and gives us glimpse into our marching orders as followers of Jesus today.STUDY GUIDE

Carols: Part 1 - Joy to the WorldIt was written over 300 years ago but today is one of the most popular Christmas carols—inside and outside the church. So popular around the world that it’s been translated into dozens of languages. Isaac Watts based Joy To The World on Psalm 98. What did he see in this psalm, in this world, that made him think Jesus’ coming brought joy to the world? Study Guide 

Give.Serve.Love - Part 3: LoveWe all assume that we can behave and confess our way into a barrier-free relationship with God. If we sin against someone, we can just pray for God’s forgiveness and we’ll be back in his good graces. But what if God wants more from us than vertical morality? What if he cares about our horizontal relationships?Study Guide