Stonecreek Church

How is my joy?Joy - a confident assurance that God’s goodness determines the story of my life.Joy is the serious business of heaven. C.S. Lewis10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.Luke 2:10-11

This Sunday we heard from Pastor Steven Gibbs as he taught on the Advent theme of love. Love is the unending commitment to one’s good, no matter the cost. The litmus test of how well we know the love of God is how well we love others – and we can’t have one without the other.

We kicked off this Advent season by hearing from Pastor Steven as he talked about the theme of hope. When our optimism runs out, all that’s left is what we put our hope in. Hope is desire accompanied by conviction of fulfillment, and we were created for hope.

This past Sunday we heard from Pastor Steven Gibbs as he set up the Advent season with the practice of gratitude. Being thankful gives us personalized access to God, and it’s the way we fight against anxiety. We aren’t supposed to be thankful sometimes, we’re supposed to grateful in all circumstances, and we can always find a reason to thank God.

This past Sunday we heard from Pastor Steven about the cost of having a vision that matters and the importance of generosity. The early church gave whatever it took because they were so devoted to Jesus and His mission, and we want to be that same kind of church: we want to give whatever it takes to see God’s kingdom here on earth. 

This past Sunday we heard from Pastor Joey McLaughlin as he unpacked our initiative to have 10 church campuses/plants in the next 10 years. Jesus died for the Church. Jesus loves the Church. Jesus’ bride is the Church. The Church is the hope of the world: it is the purposed people of Jesus gathering in His name, around His message, practicing His ways for the advancement of His kingdom.

This past Sunday we heard from Pastor Steven as he unpacked our next initiative: we’ve gone to the nations. We learned about God’s heart for people to hear the gospel to the ends of the earth, and that the reality of heaven and hell should give us a sense of urgency to share the Gospel. Jesus raised the stakes of eternity by giving us a missions mindset. If God’s heart beats for missions, what does yours beat for?

We can’t get over how awesome this weekend was! We heard from Pastor Mike Reinsel as he unpacked our next initiative – caring for the poor, the widow, and the orphan. We are a people of compassion and it is our duty to serve the least of these. How we treat the hurting and the lost is evidence of the faith that saved them. Serving them is not just something we do, but it becomes something we are. 

Baptism is an outward expression of an inward transformation!

This past Sunday we continued in our vision series, X Multiply, where Pastor Steven Gibbs talked about the power of the Gospel. Only the good news of the Kingdom of God has the power to save and change lives. We can’t just live the Gospel – we have to preach it with boldness.