Arise Church Denver Weekly Messages

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a trial, like your wheels are spinning but you can’t escape the mud, like your past or your grief could never be overcome, then this message is for you. Hear the powerful finale to our series through the book of Ruth.

Ruth is a powerful story that has captivated the minds of Jews, Christians, and others for a millennia. But there’s one major hiccup: chapter three. It appears as if a young, desperate widow gets all dolled up to sneak into the boys club after the men have been partying all night. Then she approaches an older, wealthy man in the dark to spend the night with him. So is this a scandalous seduction? Or is it something else entirely? Discover what really happened that scandalous night on the threshing floor.

Has it ever just turned out that you were in the right place at the right time? Or did you just happen to meet the person you needed to meet? Is it coincidence? Or is there more to it? In this message discover how God’s fingerprints are all over Ruth and Naomi’s story and how they’re all over yours too.

Grieving. Angry. Depressed. Broke. Broken. Hurting. Bitter. We all go through difficult times. When we do, those events and situations can not only control our emotions but they can begin to define us. They become our identity. In this message, we will be introduced to two women who went through difficulties and tragedy. They felt all those emotions and more. And the events of their past began to become their identities. But their past didn't have to determine their future, they could move from bitter to better. As we embark on a new series through the book of Ruth, Pastor Matt and Melissa team up to help us all move past our past, so we too can move from bitter to better.

We desire to be a church that holds equally firmly to both grace & truth. However, in order to do that, we need a certain kind of leadership, leaders like Jesus. Discover what leaders like Jesus are and about some new aspects of Stapleton Church’s leadership moving forward.

“What about marriage and sexuality?" After we learned in the first message of this series how followers of Jesus are called to hold firmly to both grace AND truth, I was asked several times about how that relates to marriage and sexuality. So instead of avoiding this challenging topic, we’re diving right in. What does Grace + Truth look like when it comes to sexuality? Thankfully, Jesus shows us how.

Have you ever felt like you're being pulled in two different directions? You want to be kind & grace-filled, to accept everyone just as they are; yet you want to stand up for what is true & right, to be solid and unwavering. So which one do you choose? Grace? Or truth? This week kicks off a new series, Where Grace & Truth Collide. For three weeks we will tackle this challenging subject to help us be a church which stands with Jesus through this tension.

"Here is the conclusion of the matter...” As we examine the final section of the book of Ecclesiastes this week, we come to the end of Solomon’s search for meaning. So, is it all meaningless? Or is there a way to a meaningful life? You’re not gonna wanna miss this powerful conclusion to our series, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For."

As advanced as medical science has come, there is no cure for death. It’s coming for all of us. Probably when we don't expect it. This inevitable reality of death is something we either dread or choose not to think about. However, thinking about death may actually be really good for our lives right now.

Have you ever had a run-in with an authority figure? Whether it was a teacher, a boss, a drill sergeant, a pastor, a police officer, a politician or all of the above, we often disagree with the decisions of authorities above us. Sometimes it’s merely a difference of opinion or philosophy, but other times the leader is just plain wrong—or even sinful. How do we deal with these authority figures? That’s what this message is about.

If I just had a nicer car, a bigger house, even just a new pair of shoes. Life would be so much better if I could just make my first million, pay off my debt, or just get above the poverty line. We often think that the next thing or more money will solve our problems. And it certainly would solve some of them. But will it make our lives happier or more meaningful? In this message, we look at our meaningless pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Every week at church we sing songs of praise and worship to God, but is that all that worship is? What if our voice isn’t the greatest or our heart and mind are occupied with all the stresses of life? As we continue our series on Ecclesiastes, searching for the true and meaningful things of life, Solomon will challenge us to expand our definition of worship and open ourselves up to a more holistic approach to worshipping God

We live in a society that promotes the "good life" as being made up of money, comfort, material possessions and so much more. This is the goal toward which so many of us are spending our lives working every day. Could this really be the best life we can live on this earth? Join us this Sunday in our study of Ecclesiastes 4 as we discover together what God's word says is one of the most essential elements to living the good life today.

Has life ever seemed schizophrenic to you? One day you’re on top of the world, the next you get terrible news that sends you spiraling downwards. Something gives you great enjoyment, then out of nowhere, it is taken away. It’s enough to make you wanna get off this lousy tilt-a-whirl before you vomit. In this message, we look at the ups and downs of life, and how our longing for something better points us to something beyond this earth.

Some seasons we love. (Summer, why won’t it get here already!) Others we hate. (Why is winter dragging on so long!) The same holds true for the seasons of our lives. So what are we supposed to do through the seasons that seem so difficult? Like when we move to a new place, or our kids are rebelling, or we experience a loss? That’s what Solomon is gonna help us navigate.

Do you love your job? Are you excited to wake up every morning and put your nose to the grindstone? If you answered 'yes,' then you are a rare species. You are part of the lucky 20 to 30%. But even if you do love your job, we all can admit that some days are just plain hard. Grueling. Some days overwhelm in how mundane the task seems. Other days overwhelm in how enormous the problem seems. There’s a four-letter word we could use to describe it: (No, not that one.) TOIL. Toil is the word used at the beginning to describe the curse we face in our work on this fallen planet. And it is the word Solomon uses to talk about the apparent meaninglessness of being a working man or woman. So is there a solution? That’s what this message is for.

James Corden, host of the Late Late Show and known for his Carpool Karaoke, chased every pleasure he could upon his arrival into celebrity. Yet after constant drinking, partying and nights sleeping, “In beds, I’d never slept in before, with girls I’d never met before,” he admitted that “The longer it went on, the emptier my should felt.” Like Solomon before him, James Corden discovered what all of us do if we chase after pleasure…that we “can’t get no satisfaction.” If you want to know the solution to this problem of pleasure, this message is for you.

A week is made up of 10,080 minutes. We spend around 80 of those minutes focused on faith each Sunday. But what about the other 10,000? That's what this podcast is for.
 
 In this first episode, Sawyer Trapp and Matt Wolf dive into some of Solomon's proverbs where we learn how death actually makes living better.

Join Stapleton Church this Sunday, May 5th as we welcome Beth Ann Erickson a missionary from Stapleton Church who serves in Tartu, Estonia. She is currently in the U.S. on home assignment. In the service on May 5, Beth Ann will share an update with the church and then that evening at 6:30 pm, we will be hosting a dinner to further celebrate her work and hear more about her vision for the future in Estonia.

Pleasure. Success. Relationships. Money. Religion. We pursue all sorts of things in our lives to find meaning. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, to paraphrase a great Irish poet, we still haven’t found what we're looking for. This week we start a series through the book of Ecclesiastes, “The truest of all books” according to Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick. In this series, we will learn from Solomon’s search for meaning, which in turn helps us with our own.

Did it really happen? That is the question we will address in this Easter message. Because if Jesus’ resurrection didn’t happen, “We are of all people most to be pitied,” as Paul once wrote. But if it did happen…well that changes everything.

Ezekiel had one of the most bizarre yet amazing encounters with God in the whole Bible. You’re not gonna wanna miss it.

If we are honest, many of us often feel disqualified or unequipped to be used by God. We know God calls people and uses them for His mission, but why would He want to use me? 
 
 In our Encounter with God this week, we look at Jeremiah's call and see that even the great prophet Jeremiah felt unqualified to be called by God and will find out how God responds to Jeremiah's insecurities and roadblocks to his calling.

Imagine standing in the very throne room of God. How would you feel in the presence of the Holy? Isaiah encountered God in just that way. Discover the profound impact of God’s holiness on our lives.

Is God only good in good times? Are we only thankful or blessed when we feel his favor? Then what do we do when the storms of life come? This Sunday, learn from the story of Job, who encountered a God in the storm so we can figure out how to make it through the harshest storms.

Does God speak today? If so, how do I hear his voice? These questions have dogged people for millennia. In this message, learn how to hear God speak as we examine the prophet Samuel’s first encounter with God.

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to personally encounter God? There are countless stories throughout the Bible of people who actually did and went on to share their stories. Join us this weekend as we go back to the beginning to look at one of the most stunning encounters with God in the entire Bible.

How much will it cost? When it comes to following Jesus, we all know that is will cost us something. Will I have to give this up? Am I required to change that? Do I need to go there? Asking the cost is an important question when it comes to faith. But it’s not the only question. In fact, perhaps the better question is: what will you gain? As we conclude our Kingdom Vision series, learn to see the incredible value of the Kingdom.

Many in our nation have a perception that Christianity is dying. And we do see churches that die. You can find doctor’s offices in old church buildings. You can even go clubbing in one here in Denver. Churches are dying. Denominations are dying. In entire regions of our country and nations in the world the influence of Christianity seems to be receding. But the Church is far from dying. God's Kingdom is in fact growing. Discover more this Sunday and learn some exciting things we are doing to be a part of that growth.

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.

After graduating college, Ryan finally got a job in his career field. But on his first day, his boss made it clear that he was going to have to do something immoral to keep his job. Though you have different circumstances in your own life, we all face situations like Ryan’s. So how do we handle these situations? What should we do in these situations that could cost us a lot?

Why? The question is so pervasive. Why do we have to go through so much junk? Why is there suffering in our lives? Why this trial? Why now? I’m sure as Joseph lay inside the cistern, awaiting his awful fate, he must have asked, “Why?” And we each have out own “pits.” So the question remain: why? Discover more in this message.

We all have difficulties in our lives. The question is: how will you respond? In this series, we look at the life of Joseph from Genesis 37 to 50. From it, we learn to overcome. In this first message, discover how to overcome your past.

This service was a special family service. It was made up of two short messages: one for kids and one for parents.