Greater Life Church

In this message, we explore one of life’s most sobering possibilities — not a near-death experience, but a near-life experience. Joash did right in the sight of the Lord only as long as the godly priest Jehoiada was alive. When that influence was gone, so was his faithfulness. His story is a warning about how close we can come to the life God has for us without ever fully receiving it. Agrippa told Paul he was almost persuaded. Israel stood at the edge of the Promised Land and could see it — but fear and doubt kept them from possessing it. Judas walked with Jesus but never fully surrendered. This message confronts a quiet danger: the person who sits in the pew, feels the pull, acknowledges the truth — but never receives it. Being near the altar is not enough. Being near the baptistry is not enough. “Almost” is not a destination. While many say “Not today, Satan,” this message challenges us to stop saying “Not today” to Jesus — because a near-life experience is one of the greatest tragedies of all.

In this message, we explore one of life’s most sobering possibilities — not a near-death experience, but a near-life experience. Joash did right in the sight of the Lord only as long as the godly priest Jehoiada was alive. When that influence was gone, so was his faithfulness. His story is a warning about how close we can come to the life God has for us without ever fully receiving it. Agrippa told Paul he was almost persuaded. Israel stood at the edge of the Promised Land and could see it — but fear and doubt kept them from possessing it. Judas walked with Jesus but never fully surrendered. This message confronts a quiet danger: the person who sits in the pew, feels the pull, acknowledges the truth — but never receives it. Being near the altar is not enough. Being near the baptistry is not enough. “Almost” is not a destination. While many say “Not today, Satan,” this message challenges us to stop saying “Not today” to Jesus — because a near-life experience is one of the greatest tragedies of all.

In this message, we discover that Scripture is filled with thousands of unnamed, barely-mentioned people — and yet God knows every one of their stories. The characters we do know by name share one thing in common: they did something. They cried out. They pressed through. They refused to be quiet when the crowd told them to stand down. From Bartimaeus to the four friends who tore open a roof, from the woman with the issue of blood to Jairus — none of them were rebuked by Jesus. The rebukes came from the crowd. This message asks us three defining questions: Would you trouble the Master? Would you cry out when everyone tells you to be quiet? Would you keep believing when they tell you it’s over? When a messenger arrived to tell Jairus his daughter was already gone — before anyone else could speak — Jesus said simply, “Only believe.” What we think of as troubling the Master is often exactly what He’s been waiting for us to do.

In this message, we discover that Scripture is filled with thousands of unnamed, barely-mentioned people — and yet God knows every one of their stories. The characters we do know by name share one thing in common: they did something. They cried out. They pressed through. They refused to be quiet when the crowd told them to stand down. From Bartimaeus to the four friends who tore open a roof, from the woman with the issue of blood to Jairus — none of them were rebuked by Jesus. The rebukes came from the crowd. This message asks us three defining questions: Would you trouble the Master? Would you cry out when everyone tells you to be quiet? Would you keep believing when they tell you it’s over? When a messenger arrived to tell Jairus his daughter was already gone — before anyone else could speak — Jesus said simply, “Only believe.” What we think of as troubling the Master is often exactly what He’s been waiting for us to do.

In this message, we explore what it means to stay rooted through every season of life. Like the tree in Psalm 1, planted by rivers of living water, our survival and fruitfulness depend not on the season we're in — but on staying connected to the Source. Some seasons break the soil, others bring the harvest, but none are wasted when God is in them. The only wasted season is the one we quit in. In Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace, we see that every difficult chapter was necessary to reach his purpose. This message also introduces a sobering image: the zombie tree, healthy on the outside but dying within, a picture of what happens when our connection to God is limited. Every season contributes to the fruit. God may not always bring us out of the storm, but He is faithful to bring us through it. We are not in this alone — and we don't have to wait until the harvest to praise Him.

In this message, we explore what it means to stay rooted through every season of life. Like the tree in Psalm 1, planted by rivers of living water, our survival and fruitfulness depend not on the season we're in — but on staying connected to the Source. Some seasons break the soil, others bring the harvest, but none are wasted when God is in them. The only wasted season is the one we quit in. In Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace, we see that every difficult chapter was necessary to reach his purpose. This message also introduces a sobering image: the zombie tree, healthy on the outside but dying within, a picture of what happens when our connection to God is limited. Every season contributes to the fruit. God may not always bring us out of the storm, but He is faithful to bring us through it. We are not in this alone — and we don't have to wait until the harvest to praise Him.

In this message, we're confronted with one of life's greatest illusions — ownership. Everything we have is temporary, and one day it will belong to someone else. The real question is not what we accumulate, but what we leave behind. Drawing from the example of David, who couldn't build the temple himself but devoted everything to equipping Solomon to do it, we see that sometimes our greatest role is being a conduit for the next generation. True inheritance isn't measured in material things — floods and fires can take those. It's measured in faith, righteousness, and a living relationship with God passed down through the way we live. We sit in the shade of trees we didn't plant; now it's our turn to plant for those who come after us. We are living longer but thinking shorter. This message calls us to lift our eyes beyond the here and now, and to invest in a legacy that will bear fruit for generations we may never see.

In this message, we're confronted with one of life's greatest illusions — ownership. Everything we have is temporary, and one day it will belong to someone else. The real question is not what we accumulate, but what we leave behind. Drawing from the example of David, who couldn't build the temple himself but devoted everything to equipping Solomon to do it, we see that sometimes our greatest role is being a conduit for the next generation. True inheritance isn't measured in material things — floods and fires can take those. It's measured in faith, righteousness, and a living relationship with God passed down through the way we live. We sit in the shade of trees we didn't plant; now it's our turn to plant for those who come after us. We are living longer but thinking shorter. This message calls us to lift our eyes beyond the here and now, and to invest in a legacy that will bear fruit for generations we may never see.

Today is Missions Sunday, but Bro. Blake's message applies to our everyday lives. His title is a simple question: Who Gets the Glory? This simple title should convict us. Kingdom work should not be about who gets credit. More specifically, kingdom work should ensure that God gets the credit, not us. Jesus humbled himself to come to earth as a baby and offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins. No matter how much we do for our ministry, no matter how much we give, no matter how much we sacrifice, all of that should bring glory to God, not ourselves.

Today is Missions Sunday, but Bro. Blake's message applies to our everyday lives. His title is a simple question: Who Gets the Glory? This simple title should convict us. Kingdom work should not be about who gets credit. More specifically, kingdom work should ensure that God gets the credit, not us. Jesus humbled himself to come to earth as a baby and offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins. No matter how much we do for our ministry, no matter how much we give, no matter how much we sacrifice, all of that should bring glory to God, not ourselves.