Arise Church Denver Weekly Messages

Sadly, many wives have been put down, left out and even abused by husbands who misused the Bible to rule over their wives. So most people today categorically reject any biblical teaching on marriage. Yet marriages now are the least successful they ever have been. Perhaps we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater. In this message, learn what the Bible actually says about marriage. Discover how it can lead to happiness, success and flourishing for husbands and wives.

Conflicts abound in relationship. Arguments and fights grow out of proportion all the time. This Sunday, learn the secret to winning your fights.

Romantic adventures. Growing old together. A fantastic sex life. Well-behaved kids. Family get-aways without any fights. Respectful teenagers. Whatever your dreams were coming into marriage and parenting, reality can fall short. Join us as we dive into a new series on setting the right goals for our relationships and making them better than they ever were before.

Church can feel so rigid. The service is formal. There is an unwritten dress code. The pastor prays so professionally. But worship isn’t about any of that. As we wrap up our Undignified series learn one last way to worship like a king.

Have you ever considered the fact that your relationships with others have a direct impact on your worship of God? Come out this Sunday and hear from the heart of King David who experienced both joy and heartache when it came to relationships. What he has to say may just surprise you!

Have you ever been nervous or afraid? Do you wish you had more confidence? This Sunday, discover the true source of confidence in a special worship service. Four speakers drive us to worship with renewed confidence through a Psalm of David: Psalm 27.

Maybe you've heard the term ‘worship wars.’ Beginning in the 70’s and 80’s churches began moving from organs, choirs and hymnals to guitars, bands and projection screens in order to reach a changing culture. But not everyone liked the change. Lines were drawn. Churches split. People fought for their preferred musical expression as if it were commanded by Jesus himself. But all of this missed one of the most vital reasons about why Christians sing at all. “Whoever dubbed the debate over musical style a ‘worship war,’” Mike Cosper once penned, "failed to realize that worship is always a war.’ As we continue our series on King David, we will learn that Cosper is right. Worship is a war. In this message, get armed for the real battle.

What is worship? What is the right way to worship? Could it be more?
 In this series, we study a man after God's own heart: King David. We will learn what worship is and put it into practice. We will discover how to worship like a king.

I almost never do this. I am a planner, and I typically know what I’m gonna preach months--if not a full year—in advance. But God put a different message on my heart midweek, so I’m gonna go with the Spirit on this one. In this message hear what God is calling us to as a church. — Pastor Matt

Have you ever found yourself living in a place you didn’t like? Have you ever worked a job you loathe? Have you ever been unable to avoid the person or people you can’t stand? What are we supposed to do when we are put in these less than desirable situations? In this message, we’ll learn what to do even when we're planted in Babylon.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well known biblical stories. The phrase is a part of our vernacular. We have good samaritan laws and good samaritan hospitals. Yet somewhere along the lines, we've missed the whole reason why Jesus told the story in the first place. In this message we begin a new series, Love Your Neighborhood, as we uncover the impact we can have in the lives of others, right where we are.

We are saved for good for good. No, that isn't a typo. Learn how the two aspects of that simple phrase should shape us as individuals and as a church. Join us as we conclude our Healthy Church series and discover how a healthy church should make an impact into the community that surrounds it.

Since I grew up in church, I thought I was beyond the basics. I wanted something more advanced: Greek words, cultural insights into ancient Israel, end times minutiae. I thought I had moved beyond the gospel. Boy was I wrong. In this message, discover how the gospel isn’t just the beginning. The gospel is everything. -- Pastor Matt

Who are the disciples you think about first? Peter? John? Maybe James or Matthew? Maybe even Judas. But Andrew? He's often forgotten. He was an "average" disciple. Yet the three stories about him reveal an ordinary believer with an extraordinary impact. Pastor Leho Paldre from Kolgata church in Estonia shares this dynamic message.

Do we need doctrine in today’s day and age? Isn’t theology just boring and divisive? Do we need to be so dogmatic? Can’t we all just get along? In this message find out why sound doctrine actually is vital to a healthy church and how to recognize it.

Do you need hope? Josh Allen, a church planter in Colorado Springs, shares a dynamic message that will fill you with true hope.

As General George Washington led the continental army during the Revolutionary War, he observed a truth: Whenever a regiment had good officers, the soldiers were well behaved. Whenever the soldiers were unruly or showed cowardly behavior, the regiment without fail had a bad officer. Leaders are important. They set an example and determine the culture and direction of an organization. For that reason, if we want a healthy church, we need healthy leaders. Learn what a healthy leader is.

Do you want a healthy, thriving church? A healthy church is so important for the individuals who call it their own. But even more than that, a healthy church can have an enormous impact on the community surrounding it. Join us as for our new series "Healthy Church," as we examine Paul's letter to a new pastor, Titus, and learn how we too can be a healthy, thriving church.

We all want contentment—that peaceful, happy, satiated feeling. But sometimes we don’t feel it. In this message, learn what we should when we don’t yet feel it.

We’ve already learned how discontentment comes from stressful situations, is stirred up because of people and things around us and gets worse because of our busyness. But one of the greatest enemies to our contentment is something else entirely: our own minds. So we how do we overcome negative thinking? Discover how this Sunday.

A woman moved to the U.S. from a totally different culture. She learned that everyone greeted each other the same way. So even though she could not find the greeting in her language books, she started to use it too: “Hi, I’m busy.” We live in a busy world and we have busy lives. Some of you reading this will even think you’re too busy for this message! However, busyness is one of the reasons we’re so discontent. In this message, learn to beat busyness and grow in contentment.

What if I told you there was a simple, easy way to fight discontentment. What if I told you it was one word? In this message, learn a practical and effective way to combat discontentment. Sorry for the low quality audio! We had some technical difficulties.

Kynton Chan gives a special message on why we all need grace.

Matthew Dionne shares a special message on sin, grace and obedience.

“Do not be anxious about anything.” “Do not worry.” These biblical commands sound great, but how the heck do we get there? We all experience anxiety. Stress takes a mental, emotional and physical toll on each of us. In this message move from the anxiety of our world to the peace of contentment by replacing the habit of worry.

Peace, happiness and calm. Contentment. We all want it. But we’re looking for it in the wrong places. As we kickoff our new series, Contentment in a Discontent World, learn the secret of contentment.

Guilt, shame and regret can weigh us down. In this powerful first person sermon, Simon Peter shares his redemption.

2 Kings 13:10-25. Seeing the Unseen is a series that challenged my faith. I hope it challenged yours as well. We covered some of the most extraordinary stories in the entire Bible and learned to see things that are invisible to the human eye. This message is no different. As a fitting conclusion to our series on Elisha, we hear perhaps the most bizarre story yet.

2 Kings 8-10. 42% of Americans say the media is trustworthy. 28% of Americans are satisfied with how our country is being governed. And a mere 13% approve of congress. Ouch. We’re are at a point in American history when we don’t really trust those in positions of authority. So are we to make of it all? From Elisha’s day we learn who we can trust in an imperfect world.

2 Kings 6:24-7:20. Elisha was a part of some of the strangest stories in the entire Bible. This week's story is no different. It describes one of the craziest stories in all of Israel’s history. Don’t miss this provocative story.

2 Kings 6:8-23. When life gets hard it’s hard to see a way out. Everything looks like it can only get worse. Fear consumes us. But God wants us to see the unseen. In this message have your eyes opened to the supernatural through a powerful story.

2 Kings 6:1-7. Have you ever wondered if you were bothering God with something trivial? Do you think the God of the universe has bigger fish to fry than you and your issues? Discover how God really feels about the small things in our lives.

2 Kings 5. Naaman was a decorated war general. He had great influence. He had friends in high places. He even had Scrooge McDuck money. But he also had something else: leprosy. When he learned that a prophet named Elisha could heal him, he set out, ready to use his power, influence and money to get it. Then Elisha told him what he would need to do to be healed. Like Meatloaf he cried, “I would do anything for healing…but I won’t do that.” In this message learn what it truly takes to be lifted up by God.

2 Kings 4:8-37. Sometimes it’s hard to hope. In fact, we become afraid to hope. We’ve been disappointed too many times. The situation hasn’t gotten better. The person hasn’t changed. It can feel easier to give up. If it’s hard to hope right now, this message is for you.

2 Kings 4:1-7. Her husband was a good man, but when he died he left behind a pile of debt. Now her two boys were about to be taken away because she couldn’t afford to keep them. The setting of our story is dark, but that’s when God’s power shines the brightest.

Sometimes we struggle to believe. We have doubts. Sometimes we even ask for something in prayer never thinking it could actually happen. In this message be challenged to see our impossibilities from God’s perspective and grow in your faith.

2 Kings 2. When a challenge comes we often feel unprepared and inadequate. But ready or not, here it comes. For Elisha it was his time. From him, let’s learn what to do when it’s our time to step up.

1 Kings 19:19-21. Elisha was plowing his fields. Things were good. He had a comfortable life. But God called him to something greater. God is calling us to something greater as well. As we kick off our series in the life of Elisha, learn how you too can discover something greater.

A new year is a chance to start afresh, to bring new energy to things that are lagging behind and to try something different. In 2018 we will start where everything good starts: with prayer. Hear about this year’s theme and discover how we will come together as a church in prayer. We kick off the year with a powerful and effective 21 Days of Prayer as we ask God to move in our lives, church and community.

'Gonna find out who's naughty or nice...' Every year parents, teachers and older siblings use the all-seeing judge Santa to get better behavior out of kids. Sadly, many people think God acts in the same way--that he rewards good behavior with good things and punishes bad behavior with bad things. Sometimes it's called karma, sometimes rewards and punishment. Every other religion in the world operates on this basis. Every religion except Christianity. In this Christmas Eve message learn how the birth of Jesus demonstrates that God is not Santa Claus.

Presents! Shiny wrapped gifts have begun populating the base of our Christmas tree. As we all look forward to the gifts we will receive this holiday season, let’s use this season to focus on getting. You read that right. In this message learn the best way to get more.

Matthew 7:7-11. Some people get frustrated and abandon faith. Why? Because their prayers aren’t answered. But praying isn’t like asking Santa for what we want and getting it all nice and wrapped up under the tree. God is not Santa. God isn’t a genie in a bottle. He’s not our personal assistant. Learn in this message about how prayer actually works, including seven keys to answered prayers.

1 Peter 1:20-21. Reindeers flying without FAA approval, tiny elves sneaking around kitchens at night, a plump man in red velvet visiting 6,100 households a second. It's Christmas magic! Sadly, many equate believing in God to believing in Santa Claus. But that's not quite right. As we kick off our December series, God is not Santa Claus, learn how Christian faith is not Christmas magic.

2 Kings 1. The Bible contains some stories that are bizarre. This story is one of them. What is God trying to teach us by his fire from heaven?

1 Kings 21. Allegations of immoral activity are piling up every day in the news against actors and producers, coaches and politicians and more. Our legitimate disgust follows. Judging their illicit behavior is a daily discussion in America. For these national figures (and even for individuals in our lives), we wonder if they are just too evil to deserve redemption. In his day Elijah dealt with one of most evil public figures to ever live, someone who misused his power for wicked ends. This Sunday, through Elijah’s story we discover if anyone is ever beyond redemption.

1 Kings 19. Fear. Depression. Disappointment. Loneliness. Feelings of failure. We experience these things, but somehow don’t realize that the heroes of the Bible experienced them too. Elijah certainly did. "Elijah was a human being just like us,” the Bible declared (James 5:17). Through Elijah's story we will learn how to make it through our own grueling emotional trials.

1 Kings 18. Elijah lived in a time when the most evil king ever held power. Yet God had prepared Elijah, trained him to be a man of God, and now it was time for him to take a stand. Through his courageous showdown, the Rumble on Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged God’s people, and in turn will challenge us to likewise take a stand.

1 Kings 17. Elijah lived in a time of difficulties. A terrible leader was in power in his nation. The culture was morally bankrupt. Economic hardship swept through the land. And Elijah’s personal life grew more and more challenging. Yet God ended up using him in powerful ways. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest men of God to ever live. As we start a new series into the life of Elijah, learn how you might too become a man or woman of God.

Matthew 28:18-20. This message concludes our Come & Follow series. Learn how our mission here at Stapleton Church fits into God’s bigger mission. Discover how you can be a part of us as we move into the future.

Luke 9:23-25.“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” This was the advertisement Ernest Henry Shackleton used to recruit men for an expedition seeking to be the first to cross the continent of Antarctica. He received more than 5,000 applicants for 56 positions. Like Shackleton, Jesus’ call is challenging. When Jesus calls us, he calls us to come and die. For some it is too much, but in this message hear why his invitation is worth it.