The Vine Church OC

If ever there is a time we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it is now. To the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been added an increased awareness of systemic racial injustice and numerous riots in response. This second message in a series on Acts 2, explores our need for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to help us thrive in these uncertain times. Pastor Michael unpacks two important gifts we are given when the Holy Spirit is poured out: the actual presence of God and transformative power. Both of these were experienced by the early church at Pentecost which radically changed their lives from that day forward. But how can we lean in to receive what the Holy Spirit has for us?

On this Pentecost Sunday 2020, we at The Vine find ourselves in a moment of transition. The state is gradually reopening and we can begin to transition into a gathered church. Pastor Michael announces our next step in that process, but first stresses that more important than when or what gathering will look like, is how we will navigate this transition. Will we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, like the early church did?

Looking at the first Pentecost, described in Acts 2:1-12, Pastor Michael casts vision for this next phase in the life of our church, inviting us to pray, “Come Holy Spirit” as we seek to be empowered for humility, faith, and love. He reminds us that “the only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6)

Are you seeing the real Jesus or a Jesus that has been reduced and diluted by the culture and popular voices around you? Pastor Ger explains: “How you see Jesus determines everything about your life. Your faith, your life, and your future all are in tune with how you view Jesus.” Pastor Ger Jones, lead pastor of Vintage Church LA and regional leader of our family of churches, invites us to take a step back and consider if we are truly seeing the REAL Jesus that is outlined here in Colossians 1:15-20. The more we see of the Real Jesus, the more our faith comes alive and the more we experience his Real power and presence.

Could our faithful perseverance through this long season of COVID-19 lockdown actually be producing hope in us? This third message, in a series that looks at the invitation to growth in this unique season, outlines the process by which hope becomes a part of our character. Using Romans 5:1-5 as his anchor text, Pastor Michael explains how we can become a “people of hope” so that we can offer hope to those around us. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:5 NLT).

What do you want to be true of you when this season is over? Seven weeks into our COVID 19 shutdown, many of us are experiencing “quarantine fatigue”. We wonder how we will endure and how long we will be asked to endure. In this second message in a series that looks at God’s invitation to be transformed during this unique season, Pastor Michael unpacks the virtue of perseverance. Hebrews 12:1-3 provides four strategies for running “The Race” with perseverance so that we will finish strong. Only as we persevere, will our character be formed into Jesus-likeness so that we come out the other side of this season changed and ready for the new season ahead.

What gave the Greatest Generation their name was not what they faced in WW2, but in how they responded to what they faced. In our present-day scenario of worldwide pandemic, how will we respond? How might God want to form us through this season so that we come out the other side changed? Pastor Michael begins a new series today looking at Exodus 13:17-22 and how Moses followed God’s lead. God wants to form us into people that follow him. He leads and we follow in this “dance of life” and as we lean into his love, we are changed to be more like Jesus.

Ger Jones (lead pastor at Vintage Church LA) encourages us to practice gratitude as a pathway to peace, patience, and joy. Walking us through Colossians 1:1-22, Ger unpacks what we can learn from the Apostle Paul who wrote this bit of wisdom to a small, vibrant church while he himself was experiencing the reality of being on lockdown in his house. Gratitude gives way to emotional, physical, and spiritual health as well as opening the door to God’s blessing.

Pastor Michael recounted Jesus' interactions with Martha and Mary around Lazarus' death, and explained how this was a time of grief - in some ways similar to what we are experiencing in our world right now. He explored how in the context of our grief and loss, Jesus wants to come and bring hope and new life (not just metaphorically - actual, real, resurrection-new life). Wherever Jesus is, hope is possible.

Pastor Michael looked at the story of Jesus bringing his peace to his disciples when they were in lockdown after his crucifixion. We, too, can find peace in a time of panic and faith in a time of fear, because Jesus is offering us the peace that comes from his presence, too.

Dr. Dave Horner began our Passion Week with the encouragement that Jesus' passion means he suffered, and that makes it possible for us to trust him when we, too, are suffering. It also means real hope - that we WILL be okay when the dust settles.