Arise Church Denver Weekly Messages

Gandhi once famously uttered, “I like you’re Christ. I do not like your Christians.” Sadly, Christians often get labeled as judgmental and mean. Even sadder, sometimes that label is justified. This Sunday learn how we can do things differently, and be a church that is different—where people are drawn to Christ because of us Christians.

I once thought that some people believe and some simply don’t. One person can see the Kingdom and another is blind to it. I assumed that as long as someone hears the truth, that’s all that matters. But is it? This Sunday we jump into the first parable to discover what it means to cultivate the seeds of the Kingdom.

Jesus often taught through parables. These simple stories used everyday stuff to reveal profound truths. This Sunday we begin a new series through several of these parables in Matthew chapter 13. Through this series, we will discover how God is leading us with a new vision—a Kingdom Vision—because it’s time to see the world with new eyes.

At some point in our lives we all wrestle with God. It may be because of doubts. Does God even exist? It may be because of difficult questions. How do science and faith fit together? It may be because of sin and pride. We want to do things our way and don’t understand why God would say it’s a wrong to do so. It may be because of trials. Why would God allow this to happen to me? We all wrestle with God. The amazing thing is that God wrestles back. Discover why this good news.

After decades of waiting, God gave Abraham the son he had promised. Then, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, his only son, whom he loved. In this message, we will journey with Abraham up the mountain for one of the most dramatic encounters with God in the entire Bible.

Religion is two-sided. You hold up your side of the bargain, and God will hold up his side. If you do what is right you will be rewarded. However, if you don’t you will be punished. Some religions call it Karma. Others say, “You reap what you sow.” But when we encounter the true God, we experience something completely different that religion. Discover how the promises of God are so much greater than any religion.

What if you could encounter God? I mean, really encounter him? In our series starting this Sunday, we examine the several of these God encounters and see what they teach us about God--so we too can encounter him in all his power. Week one: Moses.

Isaiah didn't just prophesy that Jesus would come as a baby, but that he would also suffer and die for us. Discover the power of Isaiah's prophecy.

Lights are everywhere this time of year. They adorn our homes and our hearths, our businesses and our landscaping. But what we really need is an undying light, that would fill our hearts with hope and joy. Discover that true light through Isaiah's prophecy.

A hospital charges someone $14,000 for a four-hour stay and a bottle of water. A CEO lays off thousands of employees because of his mismanagement and retires with a 40 million dollar parachute. DNA evidence exonerates an innocent man who spent forty years in prison. A rapist receives three months of probation. Stories like these strike a nerve for one reason: we want justice. From one of Isaiah’s prophecies, see how the birth of Jesus brings justice.

After Pastor's ordination, he delivered a message straight from the prophecies of Isaiah that show why we can trust God’s Word always.

Hundreds of years before he ever lived, his birth was foretold. Discover the hope of Jesus through the prophecies of Isaiah. This series will examine several messages given by the prophet Isaiah and will go through the month of December. In this message: the virgin birth.

Kynton Chan, one of our elders, shares a message on the story of Esther about finding purpose in our situation.

Though we may not get thrown in a pit or sold into slavery or spend years in a dungeon, we all have trials to overcome. Through his journey, Joseph learned one overarching truth that helped him overcome. In our series finale, discover that key to overcoming evil.

Imagine if you were once again face-to-face with the person or the people that had hurt you the most. What would you do? How would you respond? Would you choose to forgive or continue to hold onto a painful grudge? This week Joseph faces that exact situation just as he had forgotten of the pain of his past. Discover what he did and what we can learn from his response.

Discover how Joseph finally overcame his pit, and what it means for us today.

The 1970 musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, retold the story of Joseph. In it, the narrator encourages the imprisoned Joseph not to despair because, “I’ve read the book and you come out on top.” When we’re waiting we frequently have people tell us similar sentiments: “It’ll be over soon. It won’t stay this way forever. You’ll find the right person. You’ll get there.” We may respond politely, but inside we’re screaming, “But when!!!” In this message learn from Joseph how to handle the wait.