Text: Psalm 86; Psalm 110:1 | Listen to Message Everyone Has A Master We like to think we’re independent, autonomous, self-determining individuals. The spirit of our age is that we are free – and nobody can tell us what to do. But the simple fact is we all have a master. We all have a lord. We all have something that controls us. Some people are controlled by money or possessions or the pursuit of “The American Dream.” Some are controlled by power or success. Some are controlled by pleasure or comfort. Some are controlled by the opinions of the peer group they’re...
Text: Exodus 3:1-15; 6:1-8 | Listen to Message I AM Who I AM When God chose to reveal His name to Moses, He said, “I AM Who I AM…I am Yahweh…This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:14-15). But what exactly did God mean, “I AM Who I AM”? His people Israel were suffering through generations of brutal slavery in Egypt and they were convinced God had forgotten them. Did God really think what they needed was some vague, philosophical or ontological statement of being? Of course not! But at the very least,...
Text: Psalm 91:1, 9-10; Isaiah 40:28-31 | Listen to Message How Strong Is Your God? In the Old Testament, the word “God” is actually the name Elohim, which literally translates to something like “Strong God” or “Mighty God.” Elohim is the God who created the entire universe out of nothing. Elohim is the God who rules every moment of every day and every atom everywhere. Elohim is the God whose promises are certain, even if they’re impossible. And Elohim is the God who saves. The Bible states all of these things as objective facts. So what difference does this...
Text: Mark 12:41-44 | Listen to Message Hope For Moms (And Others) Motherhood involves a lot of little, routine, monotonous tasks and moments that happen over and over and over again: cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, doing laundry, reading stories, playing games, wiping away tears, transporting, … repeat. Often these little things seem insignificant, trivial, and even pointless. As soon as you’ve done them once, you’re starting them all over again. And for what? What difference are you really making anyway? And here’s the danger: when moms feel that what they’re doing is insignificant, it’s natural for them to conclude...
Text: Acts 28:11-31 | Listen to Message You're Part Of The Story The book of Acts ends somewhat abruptly with lots of loose ends and no real conclusion – and that’s because Luke intends for his story “to be continued…” The Church’s mission, in every generation, is to advance the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. Having inherited this mission ourselves, we have the opportunity to write new chapters of this story through our own witness to Christ today. To that end, here are a few pieces of encouragement: First, remember that the Good News of Jesus is...
