Stonecreek Church

This weekend was week 4 of our series What Everyone is Talking About! We heard from Pastor Steven as he dove into God’s good design for sex and marriage. We learned that God actually wants us to have a great sex life, but that this gift can only be experienced fully in the way that God created it: for pleasure and one-ness within the boundaries of marriage. Despite what our culture teaches us about sexual promiscuity, we don’t have to settle for anything less than what God created us for. We are royalty and we don’t have to eat the crumbs of our culture – we have a seat at the table with the King. 

God gave us the good gift of great sex.

Genesis 1:27-28

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We can never separate God’s plan for sex from our identity as His blessed creation.

God’s intention for sex: 

Procreation

Intimate knowing

Protection

Comfort

Pleasure

One-ness

Pleasure

God is not anti-sex

Song of Solomon is a book of the Bible that celebrates the gift of sexual pleasure

Genesis 2:18-25

“Then the lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ Now out of the round the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man, Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

This week was week 3 of “What Everyone is Talking About.” We heard from our Elevate City campus pastor, Joe Baker, and he unpacked the topic of deconstruction and doubt. We learned that it is imperative for us to make sure we are bringing our doubts and questions to the foot of the cross, and that we are actively reconstructing that which has been destroyed. Faith storms are real, but they don’t have to end in a shipwreck.

Ephesians 4:11-16

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried out by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”

Deconstruction is the dismantling of anything already constructed

2 Timothy 3:7

“...always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 6:20b

“Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.”

What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. – A.W. Tozer

Faith storms are real, but they don’t have to result in a shipwreck. 

We have to distinguish between loving the God we want versus the God who is.

Matthew 28:16-20

“...Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…”

John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Hebrews 13:7

“Remember you leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

Doubt doesn’t discredit your faith.

Demolition needs a plan for renovation. 

Too many people equate who God is with their feelings about God. 

New doesn’t mean true. 

1 Timothy 6:3-4

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions…”

This week we continued in our series “What Everyone is Talking About”! We heard from our creative pastor, Aaron Bennett as he discussed truth and relativity. We learned that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that in His truth alone, we have access to eternal life. Truth is on trial, and it’s not a matter of information, but authority. Who are you trusting as authority over your life? 

John 18:37-38

Then Pilate said to him, “So are you a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Truth is reality.

Truth is on trial.

What you believe about truth is the most important thing about you. 

Jesus didn’t just come to explain the truth, He came to embody truth.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Truth is still on trial. It’s not a question of the existence of God, but whether or not He is a good God.

John 8:44-45

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.”

What lies are you believing?

Truth always stands the test of time.

Joyful people make friends with reality. 

If truth is a person, then truth has a personality. 

Ephesians 4:14-15

…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grown up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…

This past weekend we started a new series called What Everyone is Talking About! Pastor Steven kicked the series off by talking about Jesus’ authority over the kingdom of Heaven and life itself. We were challenged to think about politics and legislative policies with an eternal perspective, knowing that we bear the image of God. We were challenged, encouraged, and equipped to think about these tough ideas with the truth and power of God’s Word. If you have questions, you can always reach out to our pastoral staff, and you can check out our resource page here. We can’t wait to continue on this journey with you!

This past Sunday we concluded our series “So Loved,” as Pastor Steven laid out just a few of the ways we can clearly see the love of God throughout Scripture. God’s love is a force to be reckoned with, and there’s nothing you can do to escape it. There will be a day when we are healed from every hurt and every scar, but when we see Jesus face to face, we will be able to clearly see the scars that His love for us has left. We invite you to find everything you need in the love of God.

This weekend at Stonecreek we began our new series, “So Loved.” Pastor Steven talked about what it means to live a loved life, a life that is lavished by the intentional love of God that requires our reciprocation. We learned just what it means that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” And just in case you need the reminder, you are loved. 

This weekend at Stonecreek we finished our series on “A New Way to Be Human: Life in the Spirit” as we dove deeper in what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit means for our lives. As Pastor Steven explores John 14 & 16, we learn that Jesus left and gave us another, another that is better for us, better because the Spirit of God is always by our side, in any and every circumstance. A new way to be human means living in the confidence that you are never alone. 

This weekend we dove into week 3 of our series "A New Way to Be Human: Life in the Spirit!" Pastor Steven Gibbs explains the mystery of the Holy Spirit as he teaches from 1 Corinthians 12. The invitation to pursue the higher gifts is an invitation for you to pursue the miraculous mystery of God's character and love for you. A new way to be human means believing that God is who He says He is.

This is week 2 of our series A New Way to Be Human: Life in the Spirit! In his message called, “The Wind in Your Sails,” Pastor Joey McLaughlin discusses Acts 1:8 and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be true disciples of Jesus and to testify to the power and goodness of God. This is a new way to be human. 

This Sunday at Stonecreek we started the adventure of discovering what it means to live life in the Holy Spirit. In his message "Meet Your Guide," Pastor Steven dives into John 16 where we are able to hear Jesus' teachings on the role and power of the Holy Spirit: He is our guide who convicts us and leads us into all truth. It is through the Spirit that we find freedom and rest. This is a new way to be human.