How can we make the most of what God has GIVEN us?

This is actually not another part of The Trailhead Series as we originally planned it, but it is a BONUS MESSAGE. And it’s something we should definitely consider as we’re discovering what it means to follow Jesus together. 

Last week, I thought we were at the end of our series, but then God says, “No, I got one more.” We make plans and try to do things in an orderly fashion, but then God sometimes steps in and calls an audible.

This week as I was working on our next series, I felt the Lord impress upon me strongly that I couldn’t leave The Trailhead without sharing with you what He shared with me as a bonus installment in this series.

And at the center of this message is the question: How can we make the most of what God has GIVEN us? Take a listen and let me know what you think!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #BeFaithfulTogether #ExpectRealLifeChange 

What does it mean to have Adult and Teen Challenge in the house? 

Today we are honored to have with us special guests from the Portland Metro Campus of the Pacific Northwest Adult and Teen Challenge Drug and Alcohol Addiction Centers. Our guest speaker is Zory Kirakossian, the executive director at the Portland Metro Campus.

Teen Challenge is the #1 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program in the country. A recent nationwide study conducted by the Center for Compassion at Evangel University confirms that an astonishing 78% of graduates from Adult & Teen Challenge addiction recovery centers remain sober and substance free post-graduation!

If you know someone is struggling with drugs or alcohol addiction, please call or encourage them to get in contact with the Adult and Teen Challenge center right here in the Portland area (https://teenchallengepnw.com).

How can Adult and Teen Challenge make a difference in someone you may know who is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction? Take a listen and find out!

#TeenChallenge #DrugAddiction #GetHelp 

This is part SIX and our final installment in our series entitled, “The Trailhead,” where we’ve been discovering what it means to FOLLOW JESUS together.

Today, we’re going to talk about the greatest decision you could ever make in life. No other decision you’ll ever make in life compares to this one because this decision will always determine your quality of life here on earth and in the life after.

The greatest decision you could ever make in life is deciding WHO you’re going to follow. Why? Because it will always influence and directly impact your quality of life here on earth and in the life to come. And there is no greater life decision than the life lived following Jesus!

When you make this decision to follow Jesus, one of the first things you’ll discover that Jesus did when He began His public ministry, was get baptized in water. 

Why is FOLLOWING JESUS in WATER BAPTISM one of the most powerful life decisions one could ever make? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #WaterBaptism #RealLifeChange 

This is part FIVE in our current series entitled, “The Trailhead,” where we’ve been discovering what it means to FOLLOW JESUS together.

Discovering, developing and deploying our spiritual gifts play an essential role in following and serving Jesus together.

Without the Holy Spirit manifesting in Himself in expression of fruit, gifts and ministries our human efforts will always remain within the confines of our limited wisdom, strength and resources. Without the Holy Spirit, the best humanity has to offer this world will always be temporary in nature.

When the Holy Spirit is present and actively moving among God’s people, His church takes on an eternal nature, giving witness to the truth that Jesus is alive and still ministering in the world today! Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said His followers would do not just the same things He did, but even greater things!

What spiritual gifts are present in His Church right now, and how can we use them to FOLLOW and SERVE JESUS together? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #SpiritualGifts #RealLifeChange 

What is Jesus building right here and right now in the local church? 

This is part FOUR in our current series entitled, “The Trailhead”, where we’ve been discovering what it means to FOLLOW JESUS together.

In this series we’ve learned that FOLLOWING JESUS together means being His Church. It means being the people of God, the family of God, the temple of God, the body of Christ, and the Bride of Christ. 

It means fulfilling the Great Commandment and Great Commission—loving God and loving people and making disciples of all the nations.

It means letting Christ come alive within us together in worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission. This is what Jesus is still building His Church for today, in our generation!

After His death and resurrection, Jesus entered into His glory and He poured out His Holy Spirit upon His Church. The Holy Spirit was poured out to empower His Church so that it could give witness to the Truth that Jesus is alive and still ministering in the world today!

In this week’s message, we now need address the question: What is Jesus building right here and right now in the local church? 

How is Jesus calling us to FOLLOW HIM right here and right now in the local church? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #RealLifeChange 

This is part THREE in our current series entitled, “The Trailhead,” where we’re discovering what it means to FOLLOW JESUS together.

And today, I want to address the question: What is Jesus building His Church for? Because you know, He’s NOT finished!! We are a work in progress. Following Jesus together is a work in progress. 

50 Days after Jesus’ resurrection the Church was born! It was on the Day of Pentecost when God breathed the breath of life and the Holy Spirit came upon those first followers of Jesus Christ with an enduement of power that gave birth to what we are a part of today — His Church!

The Early Church was a new creation in Christ. The old life was gone and a new life had begun! Those first followers of Christ had now become the Church, a called out assembly, a community of believers filled with a supernatural life, vitality and power the world had never seen before!

What were the things that brought life and vitality within the community of believers in the New Testament Church? What is Jesus building His Church for? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #RealLifeChange 

This is part TWO in our new series — The Trailhead — where we’re discovering what it means to FOLLOW JESUS together.

And today, I want share with you not only what it means to follow Jesus together, but what it means to follow IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.

The Early Church played a significant role in carrying on the ministry and mission of Jesus in the world they lived in. And part of following in His footsteps meant living out and fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission together! 

What does it mean for us today, to FOLLOW JESUS together in His footsteps? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #RealLifeChange 

There are TWO WORDS that have literally changed the world. They are the two most “power-filled” words ever spoken in the history of the world, facilitating breakthrough and transforming people’s lives ever since Jesus first uttered them over 2,000 years ago. 

These two words have touched and transformed the hearts of all kinds of people; men, women, and children; the rich and the poor, kings and presidents; teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians, shepherds, fishermen, and even tax collectors. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or what language you speak. These two words don’t discriminate, but are offered to anyone who would dare to listen and believe!

TODAY, if you’re tired of being stuck and overburdened? If you need a breakthrough or a miracle to be set in motion in your life? Then open your heart to the One who still speaks these two “power-filled” words into our lives today. What are these words? Listen for His voice, as He speaks to us even right now the words, “Follow Me.”

The most important decision you’ll ever make in your life is deciding WHO you will follow! Why? Where life goes and ends up is ultimately dependent on WHO you follow. Life can go in so many directions, be filled will countless experiences, and end up in who knows how many places. But, the most important place your life could ever end up in, is in heaven. And there is only One Person who can and is able to help us get there — Jesus Christ!

When you choose to follow Jesus Christ, you have made the greatest decision you could ever make for your life. And you’ll find you’re not alone in this journey. In fact, you’ll discover there are a lot of people in this world that have made this same critical decision for their lives — people who said, “Yes” to Jesus, when He said, “Follow Me.”

We’re meeting at The Trailhead in this series to discover what it means to follow Jesus Christ together.

What does it mean to FOLLOW JESUS together? Take a listen and find out!

#TheTrailhead #TheChurch #FollowJesusTogether #RealLifeChange 

This is part NINE, our final installment, in our series on the Holy Spirit. And today, I want to share with you one last promise Jesus made to His disciples concerning the Holy Spirit, and to consider this specific question: How does the Holy Spirit help us face an uncertain future?

With Jesus preparing to depart this world, His disciples were having a hard time processing what it would mean for them to face the future without Him. They only had one precious evening left with Him, before Jesus would be arrested, beaten, tried, and wrongfully sentenced to die a criminal’s death on a cross. 

Yet in these last few moments they had with Him, He gave them one more promise concerning the Holy Spirit that would help them in times when they had to face an uncertain future.

How does the Holy Spirit help us face an uncertain future?  Take a listen and find out! 

#HolySpirit #HisComingKingdom #SpiritofTruth #RealLifeChange

This is part EIGHT in our series on the Holy Spirit. And today, I want share with you what it means to have the Holy Spirit with you when life is hard. 

Maybe you’re here today and life has been difficult. It’s been challenging as you’ve tried to make the most out of the life you have been given here on earth. You’re not alone. Getting on the other side of hard is one of the most difficult things to do in life. Most people don’t make it and often avoid that which is hard altogether. 

This is WHY I want to share with you TODAY what it means to have the Holy Spirit with you when life is hard. 

What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit with you when life is really hard?  Take a listen and find out!

#HolySpirit #WhenLifeIsHard #RealLifeChange