The Living Word

God has always been for the Gentiles and those outside of Israel, just as much as he was for them. He set Israel apart and built them up to be a blessing to the other nations of the world, and to demonstrate what a nation under God should really look like. Sadly just like most of us do on an individual level, it’s really struggled as a nation to fulfill that purpose. As Pastor Danny will point out in today’s message, just like us they’re far too easily distracted by their own efforts to reach God.

This is still happening with many religious people today. They fashioned a Jesus similar to the one in scripture, but one who conforms to what They want in a savior. They want to save your who blesses them with riches, health, and comfort. Not one who calls them to let go of their earthly possessions so that they can serve him and the vulnerable. As Pastor Danny will explain in today’s message, this man-made version of the Messiah is a poor copy, and it lacks the power of life and eternal salvation.

For many churches in our country, there’s a set of unwritten rules for who is welcome and who is not. If you’ve avoided a list of specific sins and generally agree with everything said from the pulpit, then you’ll feel right at home in those places. If you don’t get the mold you might not hear it directly but you’ll definitely feel like you don’t belong. As Pastor Danny will challenge us in today’s message, our churches should be places where the broken, however, broken they might be, should be embraced and be given hope.

Who or what is leading you? Is it your ambition or maybe what you’ve reasoned to be the best way to serve God while still avoiding discomfort? Are you fashioning your life after the example and direction of a spiritual leader or a pastor? Well in today’s message, Pastor Danny will challenge us to place the Holy Spirit in the driver's seat. Let him lead you where you want to go. It’s extremely likely that it’s going to be much different than you expect but he always has a good reason and you can trust him with the outcome.

Standing up for Christ will cost you. In our country, the cost is much different than what Nicodemus faced in the passage of scripture that we’re going to examine today. It’s much different than with brothers and sisters in China or many other countries who oppose the gospel might face. But as Pastor Danny will explain in today’s message, it doesn’t make it any less serious. If you really allow Jesus to transform you from the inside out, it’s going to bring opposition from some of the people around you.

We are used to hearing the phrase “coming out of the closet” in a very different context than Pastor Danny is using it in today’s message. Can you imagine living in a culture where believing in Jesus comes with the risk of complete rejection from your community? Well, that’s what Nicodemus faced! He saw the truth in Jesus, but he stood to lose so much if he admitted that before his peers. He was a man of position and respect, following Jesus would be giving up all of that Pastor Danny.

What would you say is the driving factor behind your daily actions and choices? Are you centered around what serves your needs and desires the best? Do you do whatever builds you up in the eyes of your friends or your family or coworkers? As Pastor Danny will explain in today’s message, living for the approval and acceptance of men and women will leave you empty and disappointed. You might succeed at times, maybe even most of the time, but in the end, if you miss God’s acceptance then it is worth it.

Greed is still a serious problem in today’s culture. Even in the church! It can take many different forms and push us to extreme life just to satisfy our impulses. We see it happening from the pulpit in some churches, more than we might imagine. Where Pastors use guilt and the threat of spiritual destruction or financial ruin to con money out of the congregants. As Pastor Danny will point out in today’s message, Jesus doesn’t take this abuse lightly, and the abusers can expect dire consequences.

The world around us always seems to be obsessed with one main thing; the self. It’s always about how much YOU can get out of life. How much money you can make, how many things you can own, or even how many good things you can do. In today’s message, Pastor Danny explains that when we come to Christ we let God change our lives in ways that matter. Sure you might not suddenly get everything that you wanted before, but that’s because once you have Christ need any earthly thing.

Sometimes it’s easy to think of Jesus as this above all untouchable guy who never had to face a struggle in his life. But in today’s message, Pastor Danny reminds us that Jesus struggled in his life. He was hated, discriminated against, attacked, plotted against, betrayed, and above all he was tortured and killed. Even though he was resurrected, that doesn’t mean that none of that stuff happened. He bled, he suffered, and he felt every part of it. He never ever let that pain stop him and neither should we.