In the final installment of the "Kingdom Builders" series, Pastor Nate reads from Ezra chapter 8 in which the non-religious king not only allows the Israelites to return home, but sends them with resources to rebuild God's temple there. Even with this miraculous offer, only a fraction go. This illustrates our unwillingness at times to move when God makes a way for us because the known is more comfortable in the moment although it may be less so in the long-run. Those who returned to rebuild the temple likely encountered God and had a deeper relationship with Him through that act of faith than those who stayed behind ever did. Not that God loved the others any less, but often big acts of faith & trusting in His promises are rewarded with greater faith, the establishment of more resources, etc. Being a good steward of what God gives you doesn't simply mean preserving it, as can be seen in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25). God gives to us, whether it be in the form of opportunities, resources, abilities for us to be blessed but to also bless others.

In the second week of the "Kingdom Builders" series, Pastor Nate Gagne speaks of God's promise & provision to accomplish His will, which can only be done through faith. Just as you had faith or will, in the promise of your spouse or partner to be true only to you, in sickness & health, for richer or poorer; we must have faith in God to be steadfast in His promise to bless us & not forsake us as well. Just as building a good marriage takes hard work, trust, hope & faith; so too does the building of His kingdom.

Pastor Nate expounds on the vision of Restoration Church to help build God's kingdom & what that work entails. It will take courage, community and stepping out of our comfort zone to reach just one more.

The song "sit next to me" by Foster the People resonates with so many likely because the general message is one of closeness & a sense of belonging. As Jonathan Cashman shares, Jesus' commission was to "go and make disciples". A disciple is someone who loves and relates a message. No one likes being where they aren't wanted, the most important part of being the church isn't simply keeping a building open, but keeping our hearts open to building relationships. The more we work toward sharing our lives and experiences with Christ with others, the stronger our faith will be while helping to foster some in others.

Although the contemporary idea of success is being "cutthroat" & saving face even at the expense of others, the bible recounts a story of King David's response to a grave mistake he made. Although he initially took pains to cover up his sins, he was convicted & decided to come clean about his extra-marital affairs and the lengths he went to to cover them up. The difference between confessing & repenting to God rather than others is that God will always love you unconditionally & forgive you.

Sinning against God should be as upsetting as when someone sins against us. Pastor Nate contrasts Ariana Grande's song "No Tears Left to Cry" with King David's Psalm 6. Both are expressions of sorrow; one of the sorrow involving a sin committed against Grande & concert goers when one of her concerts was targeted in 2017, one involving a sin committed against God by King David when he committed adultery. The key is that although one seems greater than the other, all sin is equal in God's eyes. Although a sin against God isn't always as publicly recognized, it serves to distance the one committing it from God in equal measure to the one committing sin against another man.

The term "Say Amen" can elicit multiple responses; praise God or 'yes, I agree'. In the Panic! at the Disco song, Urie is asking listeners to agree with him that living for the weekend is the path to take. In the Psalm, writer Asaph uses the term to mean, praise God for all He has done for me. Each song starts with the same idea but concludes in the author walking down a different path; one living his idea of what life should be & the other living with God and following His path. Although the writers lived in vastly different circumstances and eras in history, they both wrestled with the same question; is living with God worth it?

Ā "In your life, whether it's sickness, sorrow, poverty, illness, sin; God is able to bring healing, God is able to bring salvation, God is able to bring salvation, God is able to transform, God is able to provide, God is able to do miracles. Why? Because HeĀ is a supernatural God. One of our core values is, 'Our God is able'. WeĀ don't ever want to forget that. Because if God's not able to do it then we're hopeless."

In the final installment of the "Launch" series, Pastor Nate expands on Pastor Dan's week 3 message on perseverance with the importance of staying on mission even one you are successful. Pastor Nate shares some examples of famous business owners unwilling to compromise their trust in God's guidance for their business.

In the third week of the "Launch" series, Pastor Dan Dedrick uses Peter & John's healing of the lame man as an example of perseverance. It would have been so easy for them to give up preaching the gospel, as it appeared Jesus was gone & the pressure from the religious leaders at the time was closing in. However, they took the opportunity to press on as they knew their mission was worth continuing. Even in the midst of trial, if we persevere toward what God has put on our hearts, we will glorify Him even further by not only completing the mission, but by not giving up on it when it would have been easier to do so.