Risen Church Nc

For the most part, those recognized as famous throughout history were people of power, wealth, and great success. However, when it comes to the history of the Christian faith, most of the people that we celebrate were relative nobodies in their day compared to their contemporary leaders and influencers. It is truly remarkable how kings and rulers of the ancient world are mere footnotes in the stories of peasants, shepherds, and refugees. The truth is, the stories from ancient Israel and the first century church only survived because the original followers of Jesus believed they were worth telling. They were willing to sacrifice everything to make the redemption story known to everyone, everywhere. In this message, we take one more look at the aftermath of the Resurrection and see how Jesus convinced the disciples to choose Him instead of an easier, more convenient path. We also see how this same calling is over our lives, how we are sent just like the first century church was. The question over us today

There is probably no better or more pure expression of Christianity than Romans 8. Having established that we are justified by faith alone, Paul uses this chapter to exult over the benefits of saving faith. In this message, we break down the blessing of being in Christ. Paul gives us two major revelations regarding what salvation means for us. Listen as we marvel at the work that God has done on our behalf and discover just what manner of power rests upon us as a result.

Across the first six chapters of Romans, Paul has made a few things very clear: We need to be reconciled to God and are incapable of accomplishing that on our own. In Romans 7, he is going to make one final case about the unreliable and counterproductive nature of religion insofar as bringing about justification and salvation. Paul emphatically states that even the Jewish Law, as holy and inspired as it may be, is not a means of salvation for us. He also offers us a proper understanding of the Law's purpose and place in our lives today. We cover all of this and more in this message. Listen as we uncover a true and certain way to overcome sin and stay in fellowship with God.

Whether or not Jesus would fulfill His earthly mission was never in question. However, whether His followers would accept their mission was a whole other story. After unfollowing Him and hiding out in fear, on top of outright scoffing at the idea of Jesus being resurrected, the Disciples weren't exactly eager for whatever Jesus had planned next. Jesus spent a period of 40 days after His resurrection persistently working to re-recruit His Disciples and turn them loose on the world. After several encounters, while they seemed glad that Jesus was alive, they weren't all too inspired. Eventually, they realize the errors of their ways and surrender to God's plan. But what if? What if Peter and the others had stayed on their self-centered path? What if they had chosen to stay in Galilee and reverted back completely to their former lifestyles. In this series, we study the aftermath of Easter and consider the potential directions things could have taken. We hear from Jesus how crucial and urgent it is that we c

Easter has had an undeniable impact on the world. A New Creation was put into place through Jesus' death and resurrection, and we can experience New Life through Him. In this message we hear how Jesus changed everything and how He can change our lives for the better. Easter can be summed up as our inheritance. God has done something for us and desires that we take hold of this gift and make it personal.

2000 years ago, Crucifixion wasn't something only heard about in history books, it was a constant backdrop of every day life. In the Roman Empire, people were crucified regularly, and as a result everyone was familiar with the sights and sounds of this brutal, inhumane practice. This makes the demand for Jesus to be crucified all the more bewildering. Over the last few days of Jesus' life, the cries were ever-growing for Him to be put to death in the most devastating way. What had humanity come to? How could things have descended to this place. Was this the world and the people to whom God had sent Jesus? Was there any hope for redemption and regeneration? As Jesus suffered, John tells us that His mother Mary watched it all from the hillside. Can you imagine the emotions she experienced? Assuredly, God the Father watched from Heaven as well. Both were near the cross, not only in proximity but participation. While Mary felt helpless, surely God could do something about this. Jesus was one with the Father

On Palm Sunday, Jesus was by far the most popular person in all the land and had enough support to overturn both Temple and Empire. By Friday of the same week, everything had changed. Everyone had turned on Jesus. Shouts of praise had turned into jeers. "Hosanna" was replace with "Crucify Him!" How did this happen? How did Jesus go from beloved to betrayed? Chosen to cursed? Destined for exaltation to delivered over for extermination? The Apostle John was there for it all and gives us the inside scoop of how it all unfolded. He heard the sermon after the parade on Palm Sunday that thinned the crowds. He heard the rumors of the religious leaders colluded with Judas to set a trap for Jesus. He tells us exactly how Jesus went from adored to unfollowed. Listen as we unpack how Jesus' movement appeared to unravel over a single week. One thing becomes clear with each passing day, Jesus wasn't panicking at all. Even when He was left alone, arrested, and falsely accused, He was absolutely committed to His plan -

On two different occasions, the crowds that accompanied Jesus tried to make Him king. WIth numbers greater than the average Roman legion, all Jesus had to do was lean into their support and they would be unstoppable. He had displayed such greater power and wonders, clearly He was able to do whatever He wanted. After refusing the support again and again, one thing was becoming clear - Jesus didn't want to be king. Indeed He was a king, but a different kind of king - one unlike this world had ever seen. In this message, we take a look at Jesus' response to the crowds rallying around Him on two different occasions. We hear Him inform His Disciples in private the true nature of His Kingdom and cast a vision over them for how they should represent Him going forward. As Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of "Hosanna, Hosanna", He would refuse the throne and embrace a cross. This is why He came into this world, leaving the glory of Heaven to face a gory punishment from Rome. Herein is Christianity defined, showin

In this message, we unpack yet another powerful passage from Romans, regarding the impact salvation should and can have on a believer. After teaching us about what it means to be "alive in Christ" and "made new", Paul takes us deep into a conversation about grace and sin. Now that we're under grace, we can come out from under sin. We no longer have to be slaves to sin, because sin is no longer our master. If we are still obeying our sinful nature and walking in the flesh, we are out of step with Christ. Romans 6 is a must-read text for any believer, but especially anyone that is struggling to break free from their old life. Paul gives us practical instruction about how we can take full advantage of our forgiveness and freedom. He calls us to a place of total dependency and devotion to Christ, so that we can be filled with His life and power. As we'll discover, following Jesus removes the burden of sin and the pressure of religion, and opens us up to True and Eternal Life.

Within just a few decades of Jesus’ time on earth, the Roman Empire was totally immersed in the Jesus Movement. Try as they might to quell its growth and destroy it, Rome was powerless. However, it was undeniable that there was great power behind and within the Church. As Jesus became a household name, questions burned within every heart and mind: Who is Jesus? Why are so many worshipping Him? What exactly did He accomplish in His ministry? In this series, we follow John’s telling of Jesus’ story to learn from an eye-witness and Day One Follower the answers to these important questions. John gives his testimony of who Jesus was to him and why he came to worship Him. John’s words are bold and profound, and leave us without a doubt regarding Jesus’ identity and impact. John tells us that if there’s ever been an expression of God, Jesus is it. John identifies Jesus as God’s definitive Word - the full revelation and manifestation of God. To many, Jesus appeared to be just a man, but to John, Jesus was clearly

Maybe you’ve asked the question, about yourself or someone else, “Why am I the way that I am?… Why is anyone the way that they are?” Research shows that the the answers to these questions can be quite complex, but the short of it is a combination of genetics and conditioning. We are all born with certain predispositions and we are all conditioned into certain behaviors. According the Romans, these factors prove to be true regarding our connection to God. We are all born into sin and fallen in our nature, thanks to the first man, Adam. Try as we might to rehabilitate ourselves, we need more than just religious conditioning. We need to be made new. Jesus promises to undo what Adam did and reverse the curse of sin. His death and resurrection unleashed a brand new reality on the world, and opens the doors for us all to find new life in Him. Our sinful nature can be overcome and we can learn to walk in the newness and power of resurrection life. In this message, we breakdown the gift of salvation and talk ab

The Church reminds us that we have a better belonging and invites us to find a more satisfying life. Deep down all of us long to find a life of true, deeper meaning. None of us want to be forgotten, and are well aware of our world's ability and tendency to wear away and dispose of life. Jesus came to make sure we all can find true and full life. He came alongside everybody in every possible walk of life, including those who were as far from God as one could imagine. In this message, we consider the final person He visited during His earthly ministry, and how that exchange still speaks to us. If you're looking for eternal hope and hoping to ensure that your life makes an eternal impact, Jesus invites you to follow Him. Only in Him can we find our way to God and the way to make our lives count for all eternity.

Romans 5 casts a clear vision for what our life in Christ can look like - Full of God's peace and grace, reconciled and transformed by the promise of Christ. However, the key word in this chapter is "access". In Christ, we have access to a new and better life. The question is, will we take advantage of and activate our resurrection power? Romans 5:12-21 acknowledges the sin of Adam that works against all of us, while also punctuating how Christ came to do an opposite and greater work to save us. In Adam, we are fallen, but in Christ we are raised up anew. In Adam, sin dominates us, but in Christ grace resurrects us. Listen to this message for more about the salvation we have been provided through Christ and learn how we can come to life in Him.

Of all the stumbling blocks put before by the Enemy, guilt may be the most sinister and most toxic. Tragically, it's also something that many of us assume is actually from God. Religion has leveraged guilt for generations, leaving many to feel as if guilt is a curse we'll forever have to bear. Thankfully, this is not so... In this message, we discover that God has been trying to free His people from guilt since the beginning. He has never imposed it, but rather Satan has imprisoned many by guilt. Jesus came to remove our sin and absolve our guilt. If we trust in Him for salvation, we no longer have to bear our shame or regrets. If we make Christ our hiding place, rather than running from God, He will remove our disgrace and empower us with His grace. Guilt will try to keep us from peace and joy, but Christ died and rose again to give us forgiveness and freedom.

Romans 5 is one of the best and most basic descriptions of the Christian Life. In this chapter we learn how faith anchors us in God's peace and grace. With our hearts and minds transformed by these gifts, we gain a new perspective which raises us up to New Life in Christ.

In this special message, we dive deep into the Scriptures looking for clarity and perspective regarding the chaos in our world and how God may be found in its midst. What we discover may surprise you, but will almost certainly offer you peace that is out of this world.

Of all the ways the Enemy seeks to combat our faith in God and faithfulness to His Kingdom, this message addresses his most subtle strategy. This world often causes us to feel infringed and marginalized, and many environments in which we find ourselves cause us to feel out of place, making us want to retreat or even rebel. It turns out, however, that it's in these places that God may very well be sending us and calling us to endure for Him. The Bible is full of charges over the people of God to be mindful of their greater purpose and always see past the Enemy's attempts to discourage and aggravate us, and fill us with apathy. If indeed we have been driven to the margins, then it stands to reason that it's from those margins we have been called to endure and from which the Kingdom of God will emerge. The question is, will we remain determined, motivated and ambitious to serve God no matter where He places us, no matter what we may face?

We all have a certain level of anger within us. Anger lurks in every heart that has ever been wounded... that has ever been taken from, let down, or wronged. Ultimately, anger is the result of a heart that didn't get what it wanted. And isn't it true, we get angry because we don't get our way. We feel like we deserved better, or at least different. While it's tempting to categorize anger as being someone else's fault, anger is our problem to deal with. It may have been triggered by something external, but at the end of the day, anger is inside of US... anger is a poison in OUR hearts. James brings an incredible word to us regarding anger - about where it came from and how we can overcome it. James leads us in admitting that it's ours to own, so that it won't own us and control us. If we will admit why we're angry, then we can embrace and enjoy the solution that only God can provide for it. We cannot wait on someone else to be the solution to our anger, because only Jesus can give us the grace and peace

After spending the opening of Romans dismissing any and all alternative pathway to God, Paul finally focuses in on the true way in Romans 3. In this message, we discuss why righteousness is not something we achieve, but rather a gift we receive by faith. Paul gives us the very basis for our Christian faith, by articulating what our salvation does for us. Listen and learn what it means to be imputed and imparted with righteousness, and how by faith we can begin to live a life that honors God.

Are you more sensitive to this broken world or our Mighty God? Our answer to this question will determine whether or not we are overtaken by fear or emboldened by faith in times of uncertainty and distress. This world is fragile and volatile, and gives us plenty of reasons to be afraid. However, if our God is good and sovereign, then we have a greater reason to have faith. Ephesians 6 teaches us that we can overcome the fiery darts the enemy targets us with. We can stand firm against fear if we are grounded in the Gospel. If our faith is in Jesus and His coming Kingdom, then we will not be shaken and we will continue finding courage to serve Him in every season. We don't have to be frozen by fear. We can remain focused in our faith. We can see God through the fog, if our hope rests in Christ alone.