MACC Worship

Are you ready? It starts in the heart.

In this session from our men's weekend at the Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas, Rickie Jenkins shows that readiness is never an accident or something we're shamed into. It's a deliberate choice that starts with what we treasure and guard in our hearts (Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45).

Using Jesus' call to count the cost in Luke 14, Rickie leads us through a spiritual audit in three parts:

- Remember what we were: Joseph, Jacob, and "such were some of you" (1 Corinthians 6)
- Remember who we are: Paul's "not that I have already attained," and pressing toward the mark of becoming like Christ (Philippians 3)
- Remember where we're going: a heavenly citizenship and a glory that will be revealed in us (1 John 3; Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 3)

"We don't go to heaven. We grow to heaven."

He closes with three questions for each of us: Who am I becoming? Do I have joy in who I'm becoming? Do I really have an appetite for the glory to be revealed?

Part of our "Are You Ready?" weekend series.

📖 Scripture: Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45; Luke 14:25–33; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Philippians 3:12–21; 1 John 3:1–2; Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18
🎧 Listen on the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1040440/episodes/19850406-rickie-opening-session
⛪ Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ, Lubbock, Texas

#ReadinessStartsWithin #BibleStudy #ChurchOfChrist

Are you ready for action?

In this Sunday morning sermon at the Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas, Noah Diestelkamp of the Cedar Park church opens with something we all do: playing out hypothetical scenarios in our heads that we're not actually prepared for. The danger is doing the same thing spiritually.

In 1 Peter, our hope is a living hope, grounded in the resurrection of Jesus, that can't be corrupted, destroyed, or lost. And true hope changes the way we live. Like a farmer who plows and plants because he believes the rain will come, real hope moves us to act.

In this sermon:
- A living hope that gives us direction and motivation (1 Peter 1:3–9)
- "Preparing your minds for action": girding up the mind for the work God has for us (1 Peter 1:13)
- Being aware: sober-minded, watchful, and looking outside ourselves
- Being equipped: called to be holy as our Father is holy, and growing into it (1 Peter 1:14–19)
- Getting ready now: serving one another and working with one another (1 Peter 4:7–11)

"If we wait for some big, important time in the future to take action and do what is right, we'll find it's too late. The time to prepare is now."

Part of our "Are You Ready?" weekend series.

📖 Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3–19; 1 Peter 4:7–11
🎧 Listen on the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1040440/episodes/19850386-noah-am-sermon
⛪ Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ, Lubbock, Texas

#1Peter #LivingHope #ChurchOfChrist

Ready to stand firm?

In this men's breakout session at the Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas, Rickie Jenkins opens Ephesians 6, where Paul, writing from prison, tells Christians three times to "stand."

This is an interactive class. The men in the room help define conviction and courage and name the Bible's great "standers": Abraham, Moses, Nehemiah, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jude, and Paul himself.

In this session:
- Standing firm requires conviction, and conviction is tested when there's a price to pay
- Courage isn't fearlessness: Polycarp's "Eighty and six years I have served Him"
- Knowing who we're standing against: not flesh and blood, and not each other
- Getting right with God at home, in purity, and in the church
- The whole armor of God, piece by piece
- Hope for the future: God's promises, the power of the resurrection, and a home waiting for us
- The Cheyenne Dog Soldiers and the question: will you hold your ground until everyone passes safely?

Part of our "Are You Ready?" weekend series.

0:00 Reading Ephesians 6:10–20
5:58 The wild boar experiment
8:32 Standing firm requires conviction
18:01 Standing firm requires courage
30:26 Putting on the armor of God

📖 Scripture: Ephesians 6:10–20; Psalm 139; Joshua 24; 2 Corinthians 11; 1 Corinthians 15
🎧 Listen on the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1040440/episodes/19850378-rickie-breakout-session
⛪ Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ, Lubbock, Texas

#Ephesians6 #ArmorOfGod #ChurchOfChrist

Are you ready to let go?

In this Sunday morning Bible class at the Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas, Rickie Jenkins walks through Philippians 3, where Paul lays out a lifetime of credentials and then counts it all as loss "for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."

Paul wasn't letting go of evil things. He was letting go of good things he had held onto tightly for years, so his hands would be open to gain Christ. Rickie draws a clear line between release and resignation. Resignation gives up because there's no hope left. Release is an active choice that comes from trust.

In this lesson:
- Paul's "resume of resumes" and why he walked away from it (Philippians 3:4–7)
- Three things we struggle to let go of: a grudge, a role we used to fill, and a promise we haven't fully accepted
- "Forgetting those things which are behind": honoring the past without living there
- Putting off the old man and renewing the mind (Ephesians 4, Romans 6)
- Abraham, Isaac, and the question: how many Isaacs do we need to let go of? (Genesis 22)
- The relay race: sometimes you have to hand off the baton to win

Part of our "Are You Ready?" weekend series.

📖 Scripture: Philippians 3:4–14; Genesis 22; Ephesians 4; Romans 6; Hebrews 12
🎧 Listen on the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1040440/episodes/19850321-rickie-jenkins-bible-class
⛪ Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ, Lubbock, Texas

#Philippians #BibleClass #ChurchOfChrist

True readiness for Christ's return requires intentional, daily preparation rather than waiting for a midnight crisis to strike. By cultivating daily intimacy with God, staying grounded in His Word, and remaining active in Christian community, believers can maintain their spiritual stamina. Waiting until the last minute leaves one caught off guard when the door is finally shut. Milwaukee Avenue Church of Christ 3814 Milwaukee Ave, Lubbock, TX 79407 (806) 799-6813 Sunday Classes: 9:30am | Sunday Worship: 10:30am & 5pm Wednesday Classes: 7pm Website: https://www.machurch.org/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/MilwaukeeAveChurch Instagram: https://instagram.com/milwaukee_ave/