Real Life Arizona

Chances are if you look back on seasons of spiritual flourishing and growth, you will see a direct connection to people and community. That is because spiritual maturity does not happen in a vacuum - it happens in relationship with others. So how can we help to shepherd others towards spiritual growth? That is what we will discover in this week's message.

As humans, we often like to think that we are exceptions to some of the rules of God's created order. And while it is true that things like our ability to innovate and adapt allow us to overcome many obstacles, there are certain things that these abilities will never overcome. Join us this week as we discover these truths and the implications for the life of a disciple.

All kinds of plants and animals require certain environments and conditions to thrive. In the right environments and conditions, they thrive. Outside of that, they manage to barely survive or even fail to survive. We are no exception. When it comes to our spiritual and relational health, finding and remaining in healthy environments are key to our ability to not only survive, but thrive as God intended.

The heart of Jesus for lost people is one of the fundamental themes of the Gospels. That is why Reaching the Lost is an essential principle and practice for disciple making churches. Today we witness a camel passing through the eye of a needle kind of moment as Jesus stops everything to show that nothing is impossible with God. And to remind us that He came to seek and save the lost.

This message is the first in a new series called Stay the Course. Based on a book by Brandon Guindon, this series will focus on seven practices that are absolutely essential for any church that is committed to making disciples. If we commit ourselves to these practices, we will Stay the Course and resist temptations and distractions that come along the way. The first of these practices and the one that gives rise to all of the others is the call to Abide in Christ.

There is one final element of Spiritual Health and Kingdom Living and it is something that both Jesus and Paul completely agree on. Join us as we discover why loving God with our whole self and loving our neighbor as ourself is not just a thing, but is the thing!

Last week we discovered the importance of Loving God Completely – with our whole self, all the time. This week we examine the important place of Loving Ourselves Correctly. Because the truth is that if we fail to see ourselves as God sees us, we will never be able to love Him as we should or love our neighbors as ourselves.

Who is someone you would describe as spiritually healthy? Why did you choose them? The spiritual health of disciples is critical. When we are healthy spiritually we live out loving God and loving others in a way that best fulfills God’s desire for us and puts the Kingdom on display for others. In this series, we examine important themes including: Loving God Completely, Loving Ourselves Correctly, and Loving Others Compassionately. Join us as we pursue spiritual health from a biblical perspective.

Advent is a season of rejoicing. Rejoicing in a God who keeps His promises. Rejoicing in God's presence with us. And rejoicing in His unfolding plan of redemption in this world. Join us this week as Brian Bell walks us through reflections on Mary's song of rejoicing in the Gospel of Luke.

Have you ever read the story of Gabriel's announcement to Mary and wondered, "What was it about Mary? How did she come to be called 'O favored one'?" It's a great question for anyone who wants to be assured that "the Lord is with you." This week we zero in on the answer from the Gospel of Luke.