Maryville Church of Christ

Sermon Series: The Power of Invite

Sermon Title: (Part 2) Arrange and Encounter

Summary:  In this series we explore the power of inviting people into the community of faith.  In Part 2, we explore what can happen when an unbeliever enters the assembly of Christians and encounters the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:23-25

Missionary report from Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Sermon Series: The Power of Invite

Sermon Title: (Part 1) Blessed are the Spacemakers

Summary:  In this series we explore the power of inviting people into the community of faith.  In Part 1, we are challenged to be more aware of the space that we create, or take from, others.  Jesus totally reverses social custom and establishes an entirely different set of rules for meal etiquette, table fellowship and who we invite into our circle of friendship.

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Series: Caught Up in the Cross

Sermon Title: (Part 2) Caught in the Act

Summary:  Jesus is the perfect embodiment of grace and truth.  When dealing with people in the midst of their sin, Jesus is caught in the act of both acknowledging sin but offering forgiveness.  Truth always involves grace and grace is only powerful when we know the truth about sin.      

Scripture Reading: John 8:1-11

Sermon Series: Caught Up in the Cross

Sermon Title: (Part 1) Caught in the Middle

Summary:  At the cross we find a beautiful and perfect intersection between grace and truth.  Throughout Jesus ministry he found himself caught in the middle between religious moralists and broken sinners.  Jesus' gospel message presents a third pathway between legalism and license--a way to stand for truth while extending grace.

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-3, 14-17

Sermon Title: Intergenerational Mentoring

Summary:  Too often we are reactionary about the next generation and only complain about the direction it is going.  Rather than being reactive, we must each be proactive to invest in the next generation.  Throughout the Bible, the concept of intergenerational mentoring is presented as a means of relationally investing in one another.  In Genesis 48, Jacob demonstrates intergenerational mentoring with the sons of Joseph.

Sermon Title: Spiritual Friendships (Part 2)

Summary: Much of the damage, of the fall of man, is done in human relationships. Restoring spiritual friendships is at the center of God's redemptive plan. Jesus came to reverse the curse and call us into a mission of expanding the community of the cross. While we all struggle with our fallen nature, the church is called to spiritual friendships and the lessons God teaches by entering relationships with people vastly different than ourselves.

Scripture Reading: Galatians 2:11-14, 3:26-29

Sermon Title: Spiritual Friendships (Part 1)

Summary: The early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship. As we realize our created purpose in Christ, we discover that we were made for spiritual friendship. We desperately need spiritual friendships but they are only discovered by sharing something bigger than ourselves. These types of friendships must be worked at but the benefit lasts forever.

Scripture Reading: Acts 20:36-21:8

Sermon Title: Temple Builders: helping the next generation construct the future of the church

Summary: Each generation has a part to play in the building of God's Temple. However, the hand-off of this responsibility can become a tricky thing. Israel's king David illustrates the attitude and partnership that is necessary in both beginning and finishing the great work of temple building. For them it was completing the monumental structure that housed the name of God. For us, it is contributing to the health and growth of the Church of Jesus Christ, the dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Eph. 2:22).

Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

Sermon Title: How Christ Responded to a Changing Culture.

Summary: The culture around us is rapidly changing.  Followers of Christ must work to respond as Jesus would.  How would Jesus respond?  We are not left to wonder.  A changing culture is the very background of the story of the New Testament, and in it we see the way Jesus responded.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:43-48