What sits at the center of God's heart?  What work is He most consumed with?  In our passage today, Jesus reveals the essence of His mission on earth--"that we may believe in Him whom He has sent."  As followers of Jesus, we must realign our mission with that of our Lord doing all that we can to participate in the work of God.  Church is more than a hospital, it should be an army fully committed to advancing the Kingdom of God with urgency and diligence.

Synergy is the word for you in the year 2020. Defined as “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, the word refers to the amazing effect that cooperation brings. At the heart of burning out, being tired, and losing joy is the lack of togetherness. King Solomon’s wisdom translates well to our personal lives as well as church ministry. I pray that we experience the joy of reaching new heights as we commit to this “together life” with God and with others.

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane at one of the lowest moments of His life here on earth. He’s about to be betrayed and crucified. But, He’s also about to become sin for us and experience the wrath of God, separation from the Father, so that in Christ we can be forgiven and be redeemed. Separation from the Father was something Jesus did not want to experience. So, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus is in distress and trouble, and in agony calls out to the Father to see if there’s another way to accomplish the will of Father. Knowing that this is the only way for salvation and this is the Father’s will, Jesus prays “Yet not my will, but Yours Be Done.” Are we willing to say the same thing to our Heavenly Father when His will in our lives seems challenging, difficult and even painful like it was for Jesus?

On the last Sunday of the Advent, we worship together with our children. We will explore through the story of the wise men who made a long journey to see the birth of the Messiah. They brought gifts and bowed down and worshiped the newborn King. We want to glean from the magi’s response to the birth of our Savior—to come to Him, honor Him, and worship Him. May we worship Jesus during this Christmas season.

What we believe about sex is what we believe about God.  In a chapter where Paul addresses sexual immorality of the Corinthians, he describes at length our need for understanding God’s intent of sex, and the dangers of having sex outside of marriage.  Today, we explore this difficult, yet necessary, topic as we desire to pursue holiness.

Local churches have a responsibility to address sin in their congregations. As we understand that there are clear boundaries which God has set for mankind, what is moral and immoral, the Church must protect its body and promote repentance and holy-living. If there is known sin in our midst, we must address it and even discipline those that are in need of it.

Ephesians 4:1-3 + 5:1-2

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner

worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility

and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3

being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

+

1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love,

just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a

sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, we want to make sure that we are thankful people. As people of God, giving thanks is never limited to what God has done for us—victories, healing, redemption...but we ought to give thanks and praise God even in less fortunate and difficult circumstances. We ought to praise Him and give thanks even before the breakthrough as thanksgiving is a declaration of our trust in God.

The Bible clearly states that we are a temple of God—God’s spirit lives in us. Not only is this true for us individually, but the church (body of Christ) is a dwelling place for God. Who we live with us affects how we live. Today, we explore what it means to be God’s dwelling place as a church. We strive to understand and accept that we are called to live set part, resembling and portraying the holiness of God.

Paul addresses one of the main issues of the Corinthian Church as a pastor would. As discussed in chapter 1, disunity and infighting was a serious concern for the Christians in that church. In this sermon, we will explore the roots issues of fighting in church: jealousy and strife. Especially for a young church like ours, we want to make sure to rid such barriers to growth and maturity.