John Mulligan talks about Respecting the Presence of God. Acts 5:1-12 tells the story of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, who sold some land. Rather than give the proceeds to the apostles to distribute to those in need, they secretly kept a portion for themselves. Peter said "You have not lied just to human beings but to God”, and Ananias fell down and died. Sapphira met the same fate.

There are other instances in the Bible where people are struck dead for defying God’s word. We might think we can deceive others (or God), but the Holy Spirit lives IN us; we can’t possibly hide from it. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we must accept it by faith and respect its presence. It is our constant companion.

Listen to the whole message to learn more about how the Holy Spirit can help us thrive and live as God would have us live.

In week 3 of our What Now? series, Josh looks at what the Bible means by the “Filling of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2. Is the filling of the Spirit the same as the gift of the Spirit, or the anointing of the Spirit? Or is God at work in believers in different ways? The answer may surprise you. Check out this week’s message and be encouraged as we dig into what really happened at Pentecost and what that means for us as Christians today.

You might have heard of water baptism, but have you heard about Spirit baptism? Find out what it's all about as we continue our series on the power and person that is the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus spoke to his disciples at the Last Supper, he told them it was better for him to leave so that another could come. What Now? is an 8-week series, designed to look at what comes next in the life of Christians and the Church through the work and power of the Holy Spirit. In Week 1, we tackle the Promise of the Holy Spirit given by Jesus to Nicodemus and to the Disciples. Stay tuned for rest of our exciting series!

Hear the joyous message of Easter: the grave is empty - he is risen! Though we all know the ending of the story, we rejoice in hearing it again and again.

In the garden of Gethsemane, thinking about his impending death, Jesus prayed to God, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will.” We now know that God’s wrath would not be poured out on all humanity and all its sins; it would be poured out on one innocent man.

Yet in three days, he would rise, as described in the soul-stirring 28th chapter of Matthew. And in Matthew 12:40 we read, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Jesus indeed died for our sins, a sacrifice we can never repay. Josh Parrish’s question for us to ponder this week is, how has my sin made me need Jesus’ forgiveness?

On Palm Sunday, Josh Parrish told us about the story told in Matthew 21:1-11, about Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Before he arrived there, he sent two disciples ahead to fetch a donkey and a colt. Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem.

The significance of Jesus making such an ordinary entrance wasn’t just to fulfill the prophet’s words. He made his entrance using intentional imagery; he would grab attention by using humility. He was to be their King, but he would not come as a mortal king would, with fanfare and pomp and circumstance. He would come as a new kind of king, one who was humble and righteous.

The people had 5 expectations for their coming Messiah. He would return the kingdom to Israel, build the temple in Jerusalem, gather the exiles and return them to Jerusalem, rule over the world and enforce Torah obedience, and fight the wars of God, delivering the Jewish people from their enemies. The story would end very differently, though. They did not get the ‘king’ they expected, but Jesus led us to God, the King they (and we) needed.

Sunday’s sermon was the last part of Josh Parrish’s 3-part series on “Going All IN”, with the focus on INviting. Jesus extended an invitation to his disciples: he invited them to follow him into a deep, accountable relationship with God. But what can we do? Who do we invite, where, and to what end?

In Luke 14:7-14, we learn to extend invitations to those who cannot repay us. Living a spiritual life is about hospitality and living a life of service - not networking to find people who can help us somehow. We learn to extend our invitations to those who are thirsty, people who are struggling, people who thirst for relief from their pain. In John 7:37-38, Jesus says “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them”. Believe and you will never thirst again. Do you know someone who wants that kind of relief?

Our homework this week is to determine (1) Who in my life is thirsty? and (2) What can I invite them to do? Sometimes an invitation for coffee and a chat is all someone needs. A simple offer of friendship can spark a welcoming feeling of community where there was none before. And, of course, an invitation to come and hear the gospel on Sunday morning is always a good idea. What will your invitation be this week, and who will get it?

Josh’s sermon on Sunday was part two of Going All IN, about how we can live with INtent and INvest our talents. Calling from the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30, he encouraged us to improve whatever situation we come across by investing our skills or our time to make it better.

Our best investments are when we invest time in others, building personal relationships. Note that Jesus spent most of his time with his 12 disciples, molding them into leaders who would make new believers. When he spoke to crowds, he often pulled one person out for special attention. He invested in relationships to change lives.

Our challenge is to create disciples. Josh gave us the 4 stages to INvest in a disciple:

1. Jesus, the living example (I do, you watch)

2. Jesus, the provocative teacher (I do, you help)

3. Jesus, the supportive coach (you do, I help)

4. Jesus, the ultimate delegator (you do, I watch)

Whatever your God-given talents or skills are, you are meant to share them. Matthew 25:29, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have an abundance.” Jesus wants us to not just use our gifts/talents, but to double down and multiply those gifts by investing in relationships that will create new disciples.

Josh asks us to challenge ourselves between now and Easter to live with INtent. Get to know a neighbor. Invite someone to church. Set a numerical goal for INvesting in a relationship with someone else. Be specific and let us know how you’re doing!

Sunday’s lesson by Josh Parrish was about us becoming disciples, and encouraging us to live with intent so we can do that. But, what IS a disciple? Here’s our definition for Lake Merced Church:

A disciple is anyone who knows and follows Christ, is changed by Christ, and is committed to the mission of Christ.

The topic, “Going All In”, taught us that intent has two facets, resolve and attention. You can simply believe, which is easy, but living with intent means you have an urgent desire for the Lord that drives you to serve God and share your faith, that is, to be a disciple.

The scripture charges us to make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20 states: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That’s another reminder that we’re not alone. Alone, we have no power, but when He is with us we can do things we never could before. Jesus molds us into the people we were meant to become if we let him. As it states in Matthew 4:19, “Come follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will make you fish for people.” We are meant to be disciples; we are meant to cast our nets and fish for people, for new members of our church.

Josh’s challenge to us in this month before Easter is to live with intent. Intent can be as simple as reading the Bible and praying for guidance. Intent can be getting to know one of your neighbors. Intent can be inviting someone to our Easter service. What is your intent as you Go All In to become a disciple of Christ?