Sermon Podcast - Round Rock Church of Christ

The first fundamental of prayer is opening ourselves up to the transforming presence of God.

How do we begin to love those people who have hurt us so badly that we can't even bring ourselves to be in the same room as them, much less love them in a direct way? Or what about the people we struggle to love who we only know from afar, like a politician or celebrity? Is there a first step we can take in loving these people?

Whenever we open ourselves up to love we also open ourselves up to the possibility of disappointment or difficulty. This message outlines three ways we rely upon the love of God when love gets difficult.

We all tend to have different definitions for the word, love. In this message, we discuss four practical ways to express love in the same way that God, in Jesus Christ, expresses love.

Fed up. Burned out. This is where many of us find ourselves when we try to love those who are difficult to love. Sharing life with Jesus offers a different process based off of the words found in the third chapter of 1st John.

Where is a good place to start with those who are hard to love? The letters of 1st John illuminate our path of how God is involved in our moments where we fail to love.

Do you have someone in your life who is difficult to love? Love, contrary to popular belief, isn't always instant or instinctual. The Process of Love unpacks the words of a Christian letter, 1st John, and how Jesus followers receive & extend a love that enables them to love those who aren't always easy to love.

In the church, when we hear about sheep and goats, our mind immediately takes us to final judgment, to a split between those who are saved and those who are not. This week, we pause to take a look at the fuller picture of the here and now which might just bring us to encounter a whole new reality that is one of justice and grace.

We are all called to serve, and when we do it's easy for us to take center stage, but service isn't meant to elevate us. When we serve, we have to do it with humility so that God can be revealed.

The work of God is happening all around us. In this message we unpack 3 practices that help ignite our ability to see & join God's work again (or for the first time) in our lives.