North Way Christian Community

We all face different types of fear in our lives. There is the fear of flying, fear of heights, claustrophobia and much more. But what about spiritual fear? Do you struggle with trusting God? We can become paralyzed in fear spiritually if we don’t choose to trust him, his love, power, and direction. We loose sight of our worth when we attach it to anything other than Jesus. 

In this sermon, Pastor Ryan discusses what Jesus has done and how he demonstrated our worth, which now enables us to not be ruled be fear.

Where do we spiritually drift? Sometimes we become so preoccupied with something else other than our faith over time, that we don’t notice. Drifting creates consequences and the less thankful we are, the more we drift. In this sermon, we learn that gratitude is what helps us shift our focus, slow us down, and fight the drift. Let’s acknowledge God and give thanks in our hearts for who He is! 

Have you ever had a certain plan of how you wanted something to turn out? Sometimes we have certain expectations and a clear picture of how we want our life to be. Then suddenly a curve ball comes in and knocks us on our feet. We are then left wondering, where are you God? It feels like he is being silent. We start to feel discouraged, doubtful, and wonder if our faith is really worth it. 

In this sermon, we kick off our new series on Hebrews. In the book of Hebrews, the Christian life is compared to running a marathon. There are times where we will want to give up, but we are meant to endure and always fix our eyes on Jesus. The secret to steadfast endurance is to replace trying harder with looking closer.

God uniquely created and gifted each of us. He has a big story planned for us. But why are we so hesitant to accept this? What is causing us to choose the smaller story instead? Sometimes we rather take the easy way out because we are too afraid or just don’t want to leave our comfort zone. If we aren’t careful, we might find ourselves so far away when God’s plan for our lives can be right in front of us. All we have to do is take that first step and He will meet us where we are. It is never too late to do great things. 

He is not here. He has risen! When Jesus rose from the dead and the tomb was empty, there were different reactions throughout the scriptures. Mary Magdalene was confused, sorrowful, and suspicious. She didn’t recognize Jesus at first and assumed he was still dead. However, she kept seeking despite her reaction. What was your reaction to the empty tomb? What does it take for you to believe?

In this sermon, we learn to strive to be more like Mary, to never stop wondering and pursuing Jesus. She gives all of us hope. Our initial reaction doesn’t determine our final position. 

Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Throughout Jesus’ last week, the disciples truly didn’t understand what was happening. They were confused. After hearing that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the crowd was very curious. They Pharisees were frustrated. But when they took a closer look at Jesus, he’s not what they expected. All these reactions are very relatable to us today. Sometimes we just see what we want to see. But when we open our eyes and hearts fully and simply embrace the beauty of Jesus, we can expect that Jesus is consistent in an inconsistent world.  

Do you find yourself focusing on the disapproval or criticism of others? Do you ever feel hopeless or full of despair? As we conclude our series on The 7 Letters, we reflect on Jesus’ truth and promises written to the churches. We must allow ourselves to trust Him and focus on the promise rather than the rebuke. Jesus is offering us the blessing of anticipation. He’s giving us a chance to live differently now by showing us heaven and the future. When our hope is anchored there, we live differently today. He is our conqueror. 

We all have experienced some sort of hardship in our lives. In some instances, it can feel like the suffering never ends. Do you ever wonder if it will stop? Do you ask yourself, what did I do wrong? Is God punishing me? When we experience hardship, God is disciplining us, not punishing us. In this sermon, we learn that there is a big difference between the two. God’s discipline is evidence of His gracious love for us. We must invite Him into our hearts to let him lovingly correct and shape us to be more like Jesus.

Do you find yourself resorting to other things than Jesus? Do you feel like your life is going great, so you don’t really need Him? In the Letter to Laodicea, Jesus calls the church lukewarm, which sent the message that there was nothing distinctive about following Jesus. Today, we conform to our culture too much. If we also become lukewarm, we reinforce the idea that Christianity is more about the American Dream than the story of God. 

In this sermon, we learn that our world needs the church to be both hot and cold water. We need to rely on Jesus...His presence, promises, and His people.

If the opportunity appeared to protect Jesus’ name, would you? In the letter to the Church of Philadelphia, Jesus commended them for faithfully following His word. They were also unashamed to make Him known. Today, the spirit is showing us that we should continue to share His word! Jesus is the holy one, sinless perfection. We must look for open doors to share His good news with others and strive to love selflessly.