This week we discussed Ephesians 1:4 where it talks about God choosing us IN Christ. What does it mean that he chose us before the foundation of the world? Do we really have free will? As I share my beliefs and how I interpret these verses, I am well aware that many people smarter and more learned than me have argued these points for centuries. I am humbly sharing my beliefs. This is a pretty large and sweeping topic, so I hope you will be able to understand and follow what I am saying. 

Buckle up and come along for the ride!

In this episode we delve into what it means to be "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." As we go through Ephesians 1 we are focusing on the "in Christ" statements that are speaking of the abiding life of the Christian. This week is Ephesians 1:3. The enemy has done a good job at creating confusion and hesitation when it comes to living in abundance and the blessings of the Lord. Yet God clearly intends for us to live in the blessings He has given us.....maybe we just don't understand what the blessings are intended for.......

This is a brief explanation of the power and purpose of being grateful. We are implementing a time of gratitude/appreciation before our regular service in order to incorporate a spirit of gratitude into our community and lives. I hope this challenges you and opens up your eyes to the power of gratittude!

We continued unpacking what it means to "abide in Christ". The life of God flowing through man is what the world is starved for, the enemy fears and the delight of God. If we want live from the life and grace of God, it requires that we keep the Gospel ever in our view. This "fuel" source for our lives is what the engineer of creation has designed our lives to run off of. It's not about arriving spiritually, it is about an ongoing relationship and connection with Jesus that produces the poem of our life God always intended us to live. 

Last week we talked about the eternal divine life that has been extended to us through Christ. If you missed out on the Easter Service, I would encourage you to go back and listen to have a better understanding of the background of this sermon. Our text is John 15 where Jesus is talking about being the vine and we are the branches. Why does Jesus emphasize abiding and remaining attached to Him when the modern Christianity often times majors on all the things we should/shouldn't do. Can we truly live by the life of Christ through a deep heart connection to Him?

Come and experience the story of the eternal Life of God.

For Palm Sunday we talked about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. While everyone is celebrating (other than the religious leaders) expecting Jesus to become the King of a new worldly empire, Jesus is humbly stepping into His place as the true Passover lamb. Do we still largely miss what Jesus came to do, and what it truly means to follow Him?

How do we view the command from Jesus to abide in His love? What does that look like? How do we hold in tension the Love of God for us and the subsequent obedience that He calls us to live in? How does this connect with Joy and our connection with one another? 

Come alone and explore with us the answers to these questions.

In this sermon I continue to talk about the glory of the Joy that the Father and the Son had before the foundation of the world. This joy was a type of glory that the Father and Son shared. Then in John 17 we see Jesus praying that the Father would share this same glory with us, the same glory as the intimate friendship and delight that the Father and Son share. Even in Job we see the clear connection of the delight in God's face towards us as the source of our joy. 

In this sermon, we continue to look at Joy, and how God is happy to be with us. We look at both the scriptures and brain science that explains how we are wired to live in joy. But, what is joy.....really? What is the source of joy? And can we grow more joy in our lives?