Jesus believed that being generous was part of being human. We were created in the image of a generous God, so generosity should be natural. But too often out lives are marked by stinginess, worry, and fear. What can we do to live out the generosity that God designed us for?

Jesus’ life was powered by a constant awareness of God’s presence. This awareness enabled him to do incredible things because he knew that nothing could separate him from his Father’s love. It’s this kind of closeness and awareness that Jesus makes available for everyone who follows him. But what can we do to experience more of that closeness and awareness?

It was one of the most radical things that Jesus believed: in order to truly live, we must die to ourselves. This death doesn’t mean that we lose who we are, though. It means that we are continually discovering the person that God designed us to be.

Does humility mean becoming a door mat? Or talking bad about yourself? Or not thinking you’re good at anything? Not according to Jesus. He taught that humility is one of the greatest character qualities a person can possess. In fact, humility is essential for the person who wants to live life with God and be part of changing the world for good. So where do we start if we want to be humble?

We spend most of our lives working as a means to someone else’s end. Most of the time we’re okay with it … as long as there’s something in it for us. But what if that end was so incredible and so important that we didn’t care what was in it for us? How would we feel about being a means to God’s end?

God’s love has the power to change us. But the change that God offers isn’t just surface-level. It is an internal transformation that impacts our entire lives. The key to experiencing this transformation is understanding God’s love for us in Jesus.

One belief that Jesus held was at the foundation of his entire life. It was the motivation behind his every action and the background of his every word. And it’s a belief that has the power to change the entire course of our lives.

Jesus lived in a culture where religion had become about exclusion. In this environment, his message of God’s love shattered the barriers that separated people from God and one another. Jesus taught men and women to welcome others like God had welcome them. But first, they had to accept God’s welcome for themselves.

He was the most influential, inspiring, and divisive person who has ever lived. His teachings and actions literally changed the course of human history. But what did Jesus believe that led him to live the kind of life that he did? And how would we live if we believed the same things?

Most people want to become better. That’s why we make New Year’s Resolutions. But do we really believe that it’s possible to move forward in the most important areas of our lives? If so, what’s holding us back? Or better yet, what are we holding on to that’s keeping us from moving ahead?

Join Alpine Chapel for our new message series, “Move”, and listen as Lead Pastor Dave Mudd helps us get to the bottom of how we can move UP, IN, and OUT in 2017.