Sermons Podcast

Students (of all ages K-12) are called to lead in one of the greatest mission fields the worlds knows. How should you lead at school? Paul encouraged Timothy his young mentoree, to lead by living a consistent life that teaches. As is often quoted students should share their Christ-story and if necessary use words. A life lived consistently, gives credence to the Christ-stories students are called to share. Right living is more powerful than right confessions. A student’s life truly speaks much louder then their words. 1-Timothy 4:20 (MSG) “And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.”

Church leaders are used of God in their areas of gifting to serve the Body-of-Christ. Everyone in the Body-of-Christ has a gift that the Spirit of God administers at salvation. A gift is not a talent, strength (although your gift becomes a strength) or natural ability. Gifts of the Spirit are given so that the believers are built up and become mature in the faith. This message will encourage and challenge listeners to discover their spiritual gift(s) and then put them to work on behalf of the kingdom of God. KEY SCRIPTURE:1 Corinthians 12:4-13 (MSG) God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety

INTRODUCTION: Today we begin a brand new message series on leadership in the Kingdom of God. We began this year of leadership with a series called Follow that challenged us to live and lead like Jesus. Now we want to complete the year grappling with the everyday implications of leadership in the world of work, church, home, and school. SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS:
 The word culture generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of "culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. Anthropologists most commonly use the term "culture" to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. The Kingdom of God is that place where those who belong to it worship, obey and love God, most willingly, and every single thing exists in terms of Him and for His pleasure. This is not to say that God is not sovereign elsewhere,

Today we wrap up our Multiplied Series. I know I said that we wrapped it up last week but I could not wrap the series without dealing with the area of debt—a killer of the multiplication that God wants to work in us as we bring him the first and best of our time, talent and treasurer. As I writing this message I decided to entitle it DEBT: MULTIPLIED SUBTRACTION. Now I told you a number of weeks ago that I’m not very good in the area of math. So Friday night as I was discussing the title of the message with my daughter Jasmine (who is somewhat a math scholar). She said that my title did not make any sense. Being the tenacious person that I am I tried to explain what I was getting at and yet she didn’t change her mind about my non-sensical title. She said dad what you are talking about is not called Multiplied Subtraction. What you are describing in Exponential Decay. Can you see me shacking my head having never heard that term in my life? So for all you math enthusiast out there when I say Multiplied Subtract

Scripture: Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back––given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Luke 6:38(MSG) The NIV says it like Give and it will be given to you. With good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. Key Thought: Our key thought about planting and harvesting is this: What you keep is all you have. What you give, God multiplies.

SCRIPTURE: Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Luke 9:12-17 (MSG)

MULTIPLY Message 1: God Must Be First Scripture: God spoke to Moses, saying, "Consecrate every firstborn to me––the first one to come from the womb among the Israelites, whether person or animal, is mine.” Exodus 13:1-2(MSG) You are to set aside the first birth out of every womb to God. Every first birth from your livestock belongs to God. You can redeem every first birth of a donkey if you want to by substituting a lamb; if you decide not to redeem it, you must break its neck. "Redeem every firstborn child among your sons.” Exodus 13:12-13 (MSG)

Ezekiel 37:1-13 “God grabbed me. God 's Spirit took me up and sat me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them––a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain––dry bones, bleached by the sun.” “He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, "Master God, only you know that.” Ok here comes the big idea for this message… Your current location doesn’t have to be your final destination. “James, I’m a bag of bones in the valley. I’m depressed. I’m buried. I’m dusty. I’m dry. I’m brittle.” Your current location doesn't have to be your final destination. Where are you located today?

A Place For You - Get Connected - Get Involved - Learn More & - Grow He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor–teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love––like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 Msg.

Every day, we are faced with decisions that either lead us toward God’s plan or away from it. And often, those decisions seem overwhelming. Too many times, in the face of temptation, we feel lost and alone. But the reality is, we aren’t. In this message, Pastor James Heyward gives us an insight into temptation that will help us all battle the tough decisions in life. And he reveals how even in our darkest times, we have someone who can relate, someone who can help us succeed and overcome temptation at every turn.

ZOMBIE: Someone who moves very slowly and who is unaware of what’s happening, especially it’s someone who is very tired. SCRIPTURE: We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master's Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well–lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third–story window. When they picked him up, he was dead. Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. "No more crying," he said. "There's life in him yet. Acts 20:7-9 (MSG)

Getting Over the Post Christmas Blues Christmas 2003 is over! The tree is still up, but it looks mighty empty underneath. All that’s left of the turkey or in our case beef tenderloin is drippings. Visiting family members (the crazy uncle Fred and aunt Mildred and her fruitcake have headed back home. The excitement of Christmas took weeks to build to a crescendo … and now it’s over. Life has gotten back to normal. Or to as normal as life gets around your place. AND … many psychologist tell us that people suffer from what’s called the post-Christmas blahs … a kind of depression after all the hoop-la of Christmas … the “Post-Christmas Blues”. SCRIPTURE: After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.” Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why:so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. John 3:16-17 (MSG) This is how we've come to understand and experience love:Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. 1 John 3:16-17 (MSG) Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, "That you love the Lord your

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one–of–a–kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 1:14 (MSG)

Scripture: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory––this was during Herod's kingship––a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 (MSG) This week we are going to examine how to Spend LESS and Give MORE instead of Spending MORE and Giving LESS. You know we spend the most money on the stuff that here’s today and outdated, outsourced and antiquated in a couple of years. The presents that cost the most money are sometimes the lessor gifts. I like the Lexus commercials each year. Who gives these Lexus' with the big red bows for Christmas anyway? I mean with 240,000 miles on my car I like to be-friend or even be adopted this Christmas by one of those Lexus gift giver. Ok. I digress. Now don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with presents, So don’t tell folks the pastor went all Soor

Worship Fully: How Do You Keep Christmas at the Manger and Not the Mall? 1. FOCUS: Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed––that exhilarating finish in and with God––he could put up with anything along the way:cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. Hebrews 12:2 (MSG) 2. CHANGE: Serenity prayer -God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr 3. ENJOY! 4. WORSHIP Angels: At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. Luke 2:13-14 (MSG) Sheepherders: As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left,

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened

Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, "On your feet now! Look toward the sea."He went, looked, and reported back, "I don't see a thing.” "Keep looking," said Elijah, "seven times if necessary.” And sure enough, the seventh time he said, "Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone's hand, rising out of the sea.” "Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, 'Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” 1 Kings 18:42b-44 (MSG)

The moment Ahab saw Elijah he said, "So it's you, old troublemaker!" "It's not I who has caused trouble in Israel," said Elijah, "but you and your government––you've dumped God 's ways and commands and run off after the local gods, the Baals. Here's what I want you to do:Assemble everyone in Israel at Mount Carmel. And make sure that the special pets of Jezebel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of the local gods, the Baals, and the four hundred prophets of the whore goddess Asherah, are there." So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel, particularly the prophets, to Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged the people:"How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!" Nobody said a word; nobody made a move. Then Elijah said, "I'm the only prophet of God left in Israel; and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar on firewood––but don

And then this happened:Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab:"As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought––not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise." God then told Elijah, "Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I've ordered the ravens to feed you." Elijah obeyed God 's orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook. Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: "Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I've instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you." So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He