Cypress Church

The compassion of Christ has given us opportunity to be saved as we are redeemed from our sin, restored to honor through adoption, and rescued from darkness by the power of the resurrected Jesus (even death could not hold Him) for in a heartless, cruel world, Jesus\' compassion is powerful, inclusive and life-changing. We are to take in this compassion and express it to others as we Engage Jesus’ Powerful Compassion, Embrace the Inclusiveness of Jesus’ Compassion, Experience the Life-Changing Compassion of Jesus.

In living out our salvation we need to hear from Jesus…for life gets ambiguous, yet Jesus holds the secret if we listen. So how can we listen and communicate well the secrets of Jesus? Jesus teaches us through the Parable of the Soils in Mark 4:1-20…we are to Create an Environment to Hear as Adjust Communication to be Heard…as we Shew Birds, Remove Rocks, and pull weeds. In this we will be cultivating that Good soil that is interested in Jesus, Intense on Jesus, and Intentional with Jesus.

As Jesus encounters a marginalized social outcast in Mark 1:40-45 we learn the truth, where life contaminates, Jesus regenerates…and our part to walk in newness of life in sin infested world is to Face the Reality of Sin’s Contamination and Embrace the regeneration of Jesus Touch.

Too often we think hope is found by packing more into our lives, yet true hope is found in holding onto Jesus. Simeon shows us how… to have a Good Grip on Faith in God, a Good Grasp on the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, and a Good Hold on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hope seems to fade when we fail…and the truth is we fail a lot! Failed companies, failed dreams, failed marriages, failed families, failed courses, even failed attempts to get closer to God…sure these failures can send us off into vortex of discouragement, for failures of life deflate, yet God’s hope fills to overflowing. King Dave experienced this overflowing hope even as he failed epically. How? His life reveals two choices to hold onto hope when we fail; Hope in Forgiveness (Psalm 51) and Hope in Surrender (Psalm 139).

We live in a world where we no longer have to wait. We actually don’t like to wait. We feel waiting is inconvenient, a bother, a waste of time, unnecessary and actually hope draining. Yet that is not God’s view of waiting. Waiting is a precious hope instilling time seen in the stories of Jesus’ genealogy. In the story of Abraham and Sarah (Luke 3:34/Gen 12-22) we discover three ways to hold onto hope in times of waiting as we Wait with Trust Depending on the Promises of God (Prov 3:5-6), Wait with Integrity Following the Precepts of God (Prov 13:14-19), and Wait with Wisdom Leaning on the Power of God (Isaiah 4:29-30).

As we move along on this Jesus-Built project called life, we will experience affliction! In these times like all the time we are to pull together and apply God’s love and mercy in times of sorrow. Lamentations 3:1-25 give us some help on how to do this; Accept we all face difficult and devastating times vs1-3, Be honest with God vs4-18, and Find hope in the love and mercy of God vs19-25

This crazy political time of diversity, dissimilarity, difference, and distinction accentuates the need for us to be have unity even in our diversity. Paul speaks to this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 to giving us four actions in maximizing the diversity of Christ’s Body, the church; Appreciate Unity in Diversity – Be Unifying in Christ (vs.12-14), Be Cautious of Envy in Dissimilarity – Be Inclusive in Christ (vs.15-16), Seek God’s Purpose in the Difference – Be Affirming in Christ (vs.17-20), Work to Maximize the Distinctions – Be Interdependent in Christ (vs.21-23).

The Lord never intended for us to just consumers, but true citizens that participate…not just in the communities and governments we live in, but to participate in the local church. He intended us to work together, in love using our gifts and abilities under the unity of His plan. To discover our gifting and how they fit in unity four key questions need to be answered: Who is Leading Me? Who am I Listing to? What is my Gift? What is the Plan? Answering these questions will help us participate and help us say “Let’s Do This!”

This building project of bring people into God’s family, building them up in the Lord, and sending them out to our neighborhoods, communities, and world is not a solo job, it is meant to be done together. The Apostle Paul in the last part of his letter to the building project of the church of Ephesus gives five important elements that foster togetherness as we are part of Jesus’ work crew. These elements do cost something of us to both initiate and maintain yet build a great sense of togetherness; Seek Connection, Pursue Peace, Show Love, Foster Faith, and Give Grace. So let’s do this together.