Risen Church Nc

Have you ever wanted something that you considered going to extreme measures to obtain it? Or, is there something that has eluded you that you would do anything to have? The story of humanity is one of an Incredible Longing... a longing and desire for fulfillment, purpose, and peace. We want this happiness so badly, that we spend our lives looking for it in people, places, and things. Yet, what if there is only one solution for this incredible, inescapable, otherwise inconsolable longing? If Jesus is to be believed and trusted, then there is but one answer. He is that answer. Do we treasure Him like this is true? Do we value Him above and beyond all that we have? Or do we put weight and expectations on lesser, weaker things that prove to fall short of meeting our needs time and time again? We will only experience Eternal Life in full when we see Jesus for who He truly is: Everything.

We spend many of our days in the presence of our enemies. These enemies sometimes are people, things, emotions, things around us and even within us. Try as we might to escape them or evade them, they are always there. This shouldn't be too surprising, as our world is fallen and sin works to prevent God's redemptive work. Yet God's presence is greater and His purpose cannot be thwarted, when we rest and trust in Him. As we face opposition and obstacles, we can take heart knowing that they are actually opportunities for God to make His power known. In reality, the enemies of God, tremble at the work that He can and will do. Satan works in various ways to roar into our minds and put fear and dread in our hearts, but he cannot take possession of us. After all, we rejoice knowing that God's Spirit has filled our hearts and minds and dwells within us. So what is the secret to overcoming the enemy? Worship. It can turn enemy territory into Holy Ground. We can rejoice knowing that the blood of Jesus washes us an

On the last night of Jesus' earthly life, He took refuge in a secret garden, to pray. The contents of that prayer are some of the most sacred, enlightening words ever spoken. Thankfully, John was able to hear and transcribe this prayer, for us to hear and learn from. As Jesus is facing indescribable pressure from the moment, as His suffering under the sin of the world was imminent, He cast Himself under His Father's care. He speaks to the Father about their plan from the beginning, for Jesus to submit to Him, for the salvation of the world. Jesus prays that He might glorify God, as in make famous and known. He prays that the Father take him to whatever place, that might show the Father's place over all. Jesus was all in on this predetermined plan to redeem creation. Because of His submission and sacrifice, we can have Eternal Life. Jesus defines Eternal Life as knowing God and having a relationship with Him. Hear we learn that Eternal Life is much more than endless life, but Full Life. Salvation isn't ju

One of Jesus' greatest and most encouraging promises is found in John 16:20, and the passage surrounding it. He bluntly talks to His disciples about the darkness that was upon them, and the challenges they would often face in this world, but doesn't leave them without hope. Though we face long and grueling nights, we press on, trusting that we will overcome with Christ, knowing that joy comes with the morning.

2020 has peeled back a reality and truth that was covered up by our modern and evolved world. After years of progress, it seemed as if we as a society were bullet-proof, or at least, able to brush off anything. It seemed as if we had a grasp on every aspect of life, able to foresee and defeat any foe with our own ingenuity and expertise. We had become so certain of our own strength and stability, until in an instance, things changed. 2020 has reminded us that the only thing that was truly certain, is uncertainty. We are now confronted and face-to-face with many unknowns, with no definite date on when 'certainty' will return. Christians, this is our time to shine. This season is Holy Ground, for God is calling us to be lights and leaders in our world. We may not know when things will change, but we know who we can be and what we can do until things change and beyond. Even if things don't change, our mission remains the same. We don't rely on certainty of this world to rise up to our callings. We rely on

Discover a brand new approach for reading and receiving God's Word. Jeremiah and his contemporaries didn't just hear God's words, but they saw it and felt it. When Jeremiah heard God's voice, he would describe an experience and a vision. When we open the Bible, we can have this same sort of encounter with God. We aren't just reading or hearing words off of a page, but the Holy Spirit is moving from page to person. He adds another dimension, a depth and layer to the text that proves the inspiration from Heaven that we have in our hands. God uses His Church and messengers to proclaim His Word and take us deeper into it.

The Bible tells us that perhaps our most human flaw is our assumption that our plans are automatically in tune with God's will. If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that we truly have little to no control over what tomorrow holds. But could it be a good, even saving, thing to learn this before it's too late? For far too we long, we've stood up and told God what our plans are. God's Spirit has been reaching out to us for months now, to surrender and covet His will and purposes. If we are willing to be stretched and be led, we can arrive at a relationship with God like never before. If we seek Him and His glory, we may be ruined of this world and it's desires, but we will find an out-of-this world, unrivaled and unmatched connection. If we learn to tremble before Him, in total vulnerability and dependence, we will learn that knowing Him is far greater than having certainty or control over anything else. As much as we want answers and a return to "normal", may we take this opportunity to behold God like ne

In John 16, Jesus details the role and work of the Holy Spirit in this current age and in our individual lives. We often hear about and pray to be "Spirit-filled", but do we know what this really means? In this message, we learn that the Holy Spirit wants to do a work within us and through us. He works in tandem with God's Word, to inspire and impress God's Will into our hearts. As He leads us, sin will be exposed, righteousness will be enabled, and we will be emboldened against God's enemies. As we become more like Christ, the Spirit will further knit us to God's work in our world, and gift us with His power to be a true witness.

Pastoring in a Pandemic Episode I: Redeeming the Time by Risen Church NC

This world has made so many of us so unsettled and so anxious, because we’re always trying to find something that won’t fix anything - and actually it just makes things worse. Our faith is often displaced and our joy and peace forfeited for something less. May we monitor and guard our hearts from being fastened to the wrong things, and lose the one thing we value and want the most. May we not settle for unsettled, but trust in Jesus. May we not trade God’s favor for this world’s fervor and frenzy. May we not allow this world to choke out your peace and joy - Let Him adorn you with His His grace and glory.

In our look at Jeremiah 1, we build off of our introduction and get to know the man behind the message. In God’s call and commission over Jeremiah, we learn about the universal capacity for passion and purpose in all of our hearts. However, we also see how God has uniquely gifted each of us with an opportunity that only we ourselves can realize. We all long for our true purpose. This world tries to convince us that it is found by obtaining or arriving at a certain status or place, but God tells us that purpose stems from within our hearts. God wants to use each of us for His glory and He has given each and every one of us unique interests and passions and capabilities. When we begin to pray that we might leverage those passions for His glory, we will find ways that we can our worlds better and bless those around us. When we acknowledge that God is the one who has formed us as we are, we will begin to see the appointments He makes for us, wherever we are.

God doesn't always lead us away from rocky roads, but leads us down them. As we face trials, we are reminded that Christ bore our pain and sorrow on His cross. His death reminds us that there is purpose in suffering, and that there is a special encounter with God that we will never experience otherwise. We may be inclined to ask God to help us evade or escape these paths, but to become the Jesus Follower we are meant to be, we must pray for endurance. Only with an enduring faith, will we make it down life's most difficult roads and receive God's greatest blessings.

Jesus gathered His disciples together in an Upper Room and a Secret Garden the night before He died, to cast His vision for the Church. He informed them of their crucial role in its beginning and expansion, by previewing the Greater Things they'd accomplish and the joy they would find in serving. He told them the key to all of it would be by loving one another the way God was revealing His love through Him. Before this conversation ended, and the night would take abrupt turn. Jesus took a hard left in His teaching, by informing them how they would be hated and suffer for their association with Him. As hard as it would be to endure through this, Jesus' charge to never settle for less than God's way rings loud to this day. We may be opposed, belittled, and our message may be rejected, but we are to love with the same passion no matter what. Why? Because when Jesus was rejected and crucified, His love only grew for us and was magnified. When we've understood what God has done for us, we won't question this

Jeremiah tells a story of a relentless love for a rebellious people. Jeremiah, like his God, pursues his people with his whole heart, only to be rejected. God uses this experience to teach Jeremiah that at the heart of every person is this sinful nature. Jeremiah observes all that is broken and ill about the human heart, while watching the nation of Israel fall apart. All the while, God keeps His covenant with His people, and reveals that a new, better, and greater plan is on the horizon. In this introduction to this exciting study, we preview the book of Jeremiah and unpack the nature of God's covenant with Israel.

Fruit and fish don't sound like an appetizing or ideal combination, but in this message we find learn that for Christians, they actually go hand-in-hand. Jesus teaches us that the quintessential Christian fruit is love. Christian love is a special kind of love, namely a selfless, out-pouring, others-first, one-anothering kind of love. This sort of love from God is how we are saved. This same love through us, is how others can be saved as well.

Following Jesus leads us in the best possible life, but there are plenty of challenges along the way. Jesus actually leads us down difficult paths to prove that He can redeem all things. Often, we become distracted on some paths rather than remaining devoted. Our faith is snatched away as our attention turns away. In this message, we find out how to remain devoted to God during the most distracting seasons of life.

The Altar's Flame - Psalm 33 by Risen Church NC

Undeniable: Abide in Me - John 15:1-11 by Risen Church NC

Regathering: The Tale of Two Kings - 1 Kings 12 by Risen Church NC

From Genesis to Revelation, if there is one single theme and intended message from God, it is this: God wants us to know He is our Father, and we are His child. When we understand the Bible - all 66 books, all 35 or so authors, both Old and New Testament - we come to this conclusion: God is our Father and we are His Children. We know this with confidence, because the Bible is more than just a definition of God. It's a demonstration of His passionate love for us. Yes, sin has separated and disconnected us from God... But God had drawn near to redeem and reclaim us. Sin and shame tells us to look away from God. God’s love and grace bids us to turn towards Him and trust in, rely on and depend on Him Like a child does to their father, knowing that he will always come through. He will go before us. He will fight for us. He will always save the day. He will always save us.