Two Cities Church - Fresno/clovis, Ca

We want answers for life’s mysteries. Is there an after life? Will I see my mom again? What does the Bible say about divorce? Does the Bible say we have to give ten percent of our money to the church? Religion tries to answer those questions. Religion is about answers, order, predictability. Unfortunately, life isn’t about any of those things. Life can be messy. Religion has a place in our lives, but Jesus taught us it’s not the first place. When religion takes first place, it begins flexing its muscles at the expense of mercy.

We’ve all been picked on for something we had no control over. It’s dehumanizing. In all likelihood, you’ve also picked on others. It’s such a strange thing. It’s such a human thing. The easiest way to feel superior is to find a person or group we feel is inferior and power up. And we’ve probably all been guilty of that outwardly or inwardly. One of the reasons Jesus came into the world was to change all that.

If there is a God, we all want to know what he’s like. We’re curious. Our tendency is to look in nature, outer space, or within ourselves to find clues about him. But that only provides us with an incomplete picture. Jesus made a radical claim. He said if you want to know about God, look no further than him. If you’ve seen the Son, you’ve seen the Father.

One of the unique things Christians believe is that God became one of us. For thirty years he lived under cover as a carpenter, surfaced as a miracle worker and rabbi for three years, and allowed himself to die in the most degrading way imaginable. He came as one of us but was treated as less than one of us. Why in the world would God do that?

What's different about people who stay in love? What is their secret . . . their magic formula? They've learned what to place in the gaps between expectations and reality. To wrap up this series, Andy Stanley shares this secret from a part of the familiar Scripture passage, 1 Corinthians 13.

What happens after I do? How can the person to whom a woman gave her deepest vow become the person she despises most? How can the beautiful woman a man couldn't stay away from become the person he can't stand to be around? In Part 3, Micah Foster dispels a common myth about why we fall out of love and exposes the true problem.

Do you remember what it felt like to fall in love? How you would do anything for that person? What happens to those feelings? Falling in love comes naturally. But staying in love requires a plan. While many couples just endure their marriages, in this message, Micah Foster shares a blueprint for maintaining, and even growing, those feelings over time

It's never been easier to fall in love and never been harder to stay in love. Is it even possible for two people to be happy together forever? Yes. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus gave us the foundation for enduring love. In this message, Andy Stanley reveals the simple, yet powerful, principle.

We all have mistakes in our pasts—financial, professional, academic, relational. Unfortunately, we tend to learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least and repeat our mistakes in the areas that matter most. Sometimes that’s because we avoid owing our part of a mistake. It’s easier to blame others. But once you’ve taken ownership of your part of a mistake, what do you do with the part owned by others? How do you get past the stuff other people have done to turn your life upside down?

We learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least. We repeat our mistakes in the areas that matter most. Too often, we look at our pasts and our decisions don’t even make sense to us. We end up asking, “What was I thinking?” How do we avoid getting stuck in cycles of repeated mistakes that take our lives down the wrong path?

One reason history repeats itself is that we don’t own our part of our history. And the reason you don’t own it is there’s nothing to own—it wasn’t your fault! But if something important has come to an end and you are starting over, you must look back and own your part in order to move ahead. Your best bet for a successful future is to own your share of the past.

Many of us don’t like to follow directions. But there’s a price to pay for rushing into a situation without knowing what we’re doing. We get things wrong. And by the time we go back, undo everything we messed up, and then do it correctly, we’ve wasted more time than if we’d just followed the directions to begin with. The consequences are usually mild when we ignore the directions for repairing a computer or assembling a child’s toy. But the price of rushing into a life situation can be steep. What if there were directions for the choices we make in life? What if we could avoid repeating past mistakes when we find ourselves starting over?

Have you ever thought about what God wishes for you?

Have you ever thought about what God wishes for you?

What are you concerned about? What do you think about all day? What do you pray for? Your mortgage payment? Your 401K? Your kids? We all have things were concerned for, but what is God concerned about? What does he want us to focus on? Those are the questions we wrestle with as we wrap up this series.

Being disciplined is never fun. So why does God do it? To pay us back? In this message, Andy Stanley uses the story of Jonah's distress to unveil the real reason God disciplines us. The answer just might surprise you.

We can run. God gives us room to. We can escape to new jobs or new relationships, but at the end of all that running, we are faced with the simple truth you can run from God, but you can't outrun God. So what is God up to when we run? And why do we run when deep down we know resistance is futile? In this message, Andy Stanley addresses these questions and more.

At some point in our attempts to get the most out of life, we lose control of our lives. We try to force one more thing in to our already busy lives and we reach a breaking point. Too much pressure causes an emotional breakdown. Too much debt causes a financial breakdown. Or maybe you're on the verge of a breakdown in your relationships. What do you do when your worklife is so full you don't have time for the people who matter most?

We live in a culture that continually tells us to pursue a higher standard of living in order to improve our quality of life. But "standard of living" and "quality of life" aren't the same thing. One has to do with the stuff we accumulate. The other is about the peace we experience regardless of our circumstances. What if your pursuit of a standard of living is undermining your quality of life?

We're all busy. Our schedules are packed with career, family, friends, church, and other responsibilities. Sometimes our days are so full that we don't enjoy anything because we're trying to do everything. Our relationship with God and with others benefits when we create breathing room in our schedules. But where do we start?