In the last 30 years everything that we used to know has changed, gone are the days of sleeping with your doors unlocked, or even letting your kids walk home from school. Even in our small towns where we though we were isolated things have simply changed. The question is what are we really doing to make a difference? What are we doing to reach our cities, communities and the world with the gospel? Or are we just complaining and criticizing others about their inaction? In order for things to change the first thing that has to happen is we have to get a burdened heart for a broken city. In this sermon from Acts 17, Paul shows us three ways in which he acheved that for the city of Athens. 1. He was a preacher that didn't surrender. (Vs. 16-18), He met a people in need of a Savior. (Vs. 19-20), 3. He made a proclamation of salvation. (Vs. 22-34).

All of us have been to a wedding at some point in our lifetime, and if we think hard enough we can remember one that stood out above the rest. Most weddings are joyous occasions, where two people deeply in love begin a journey that should last a lifetime. Heaven is also a place that we know has had many joyous occasions, when Enoch appeared, or Moses came home, or when Jesus returned victorious, but I believe they'll all pale in compairson to the Marriage Suppper of the Lamb. The time when the Church is finally united with Christ for all eternity, and God's ultimate plan is perfected. Rev. 19:5-9 gives us the clearest picture of that moment. In this sermon we see three things that all believers should be looking forward to; I. The Heavens Rejoice. (Vs. 5-6), II. The Bride is Robed. (Vs. 7-9) III. The Banquet is Ready. (Vs. 9) Are you prepared for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

In the beginning God spoke everything into existance following a pattern, He called everything, "good" until He came to the relationship that man had being alone. From that He formed the union of marriage, and passed that union down to His chosen people. When the Jewish people began their religious system they also had customs, like marriage ceremonies. God would use that marriage custom as an allegory for His relationship with the Church. In this message we take a look at how the Church is currently in the betrothed period with Christ and how those customs of the Jewish wedding relate to our relationship with Christ so that we can better prepare ourselves for His coming. (I'm sorry for the sound quality on this message, something happened with the microphone, I didn't notice until I went back and listed this week. I will change to a new one for next week.)

The Bride of Christ is a makeup of those that have accepted Christ as their Savior, we call them the Church. As in any marriage both the bride and groom have responsibilities. As with any person there are events, people, and a background that make them who they are. This week we will look at what makes the Bride (Church) who she is. Using Ephesisans 2:18-22 we will see the church's; I. Foundation. (Vs. 18-20), II. Framing. (Vs. 21) and III. Fellowship. (Vs. 14, 22). When the Groom returns will He find you prepared for the wedding?

In the Bible the allegory of marriage is used to represent to relationship between Jesus and the Chruch. Over the next four week we will enter into a series of messages that will cover this relationship. Why is this so important? Because people have become disenchanted with the Church, thinking that it no longer is important, or that they not longer need to be part of the church to get to heaven, or be in right standing with God. Because of this I think its vital that we look at why God set up the Church and how the relationship plays out in the timeline of eterity. The first sermon covers the Bridegroom, better known to our culture as the husband. We will answer the questions from Colossians 1:18-20 of; Why is it so important to see Jesus as the Head of the Church?(Vs. 18) As well as, How did he become the Head of the Church? (Vs. 19-20) My hope is that in doing this people will be able to see the importance of the local church and then find their place in the Body of Christ so that they can glorify God through the work they do here on earth.

To us wells are something that we don't often think to much about, or something that we throw a coin in and make a wish, but during the time of Moses they were critical to survival. The person that held a well held the ability to grow his power and influence, he basically had life giving power in his hands. The wells were also a symbol of God's providence, that God was by their side and was going to sustain them. As the Hebrew people had spent 38 years wandering in the widerness they were about to pass over into the promised land, but their troubles were far from over. The well was a promise. They needed a well, both physicall and spiritually, we too need this, you may ask why? Numbers 21 tells us; I. Because of our past troubles. (Vs. 1), II. Because of our empty bottles. (Vs. 10-11), III. Becuse of our future battles. (Vs. 21, 33). So how do we dig these wells in our Church? A. By Unity. (Vs. 16), B. By Dependence. (Vs. 16), C. By Worship. (Vs. 17), D. By Leadership. (Vs. 18).

Job is a story of a man that lost almost everything that he had in just one converstation, but yet he retained his integrity. We can learn much about about the character of such a man, I believe that is why God chose to test him and then add his life story to the Bible for all to see. Losses, struggles, setbacks, temptations, trials, persecution, are all part of the Christian walk, but when they come how do we respond? Job showed us how that we as Christians can face adversity and use it as an oppretuity to glorify God. In the text of Job 2:1-10 we see; I. The Accuser. (Vs. 1-3), II. The Accusation. (Vs. 4-6), III. The Adversity. (7-9), IV. The Attitude. (Vs. 10).

When we look around us there is so much uncertainty, so much pain, so much hate, so much to worry about, and while we have hope in Christ it's easy to lose sight of that when living in such a wicked world. So what do we do in these troubling times, how do we respond? Paul wrote the book of 1 Thessalonians to a group of young believers that had every reason to be happy, they had found Jesus, but at the same time they had lost everything. Believing in Jesus during that time meant that people would hate you, reject you, and even disown you. In this message I use Paul's word to remind us how to be thankful even in troubling times.

We often make decisions in a moment, but when the circumstances change so does our commitment to our word. When Elijah was told to go and bring Elisha into the ministry we see a very committed response. There were four thigns about 1 Kings 19:19-21 that I think relate to our commitment to God. I. Elisha was just an ordinary person. (Vs. 19), II. Elisha wasn't given any details. (Vs. 19) III. Elisha's call was from God. (Vs. 20). IV. Elisha left himself no fallback plan (Vs. 21).

Imagine going into the bank on Monday to make a payment on your car or home and to be told that you no longer owe anything because on Friday someone paid your debt. That’s exactly how grace works, by the time you come to the realization that you are guilty you also come to the understanding that Jesus has paid for your sins. In Matthew 18:21-35 we see three things that grace doesn't do and how that we can better reflect the image of Jesus to the world. 1. Grace Doesn't Keep Count (Vs. 21-22). 2. Grace Doesn't Play Favorites (Vs. 23-27). 3. Grace Doesn't Belong to us. (Vs. 28-35).