Back Creek Church | Charlotte, NC

The root of the Gospel is Christ. The fruit of the Gospel in change. In Colossians 3:5-17, the Apostle Paul calls us to seek transformation by killing sin and living Christ.

We are naturally inclined and oriented to this world and the things in it. But they can't bear the weight of glory. We need a reorientation of our glory (our identity, our honor, our pursuit, our satisfaction) to that which is actually glorious. Being rooted in Christ reorients our glory. The Apostle Paul teaches us to reorient our glory by dwelling on our past, our present, and our future in Christ.

If we are rooted in Christ, we can walk in victory...victory over the worldvictory over the fleshvictory over the devil

We are called to fight for community by- struggling for one another's encouragement- struggling for one another's belonging- struggling for one another's assurance- struggling for one another's good

We have a mission. Three essential parts of our mission: The cost of our mission: a ministry of suffering and stewardshipThe content of our mission: a mystery of riches to be revealedThe culmination of our mission: a maturity in wisdom and work

What is the hope of the Gospel? The One who is above everything (Jesus) has done everything so you can have everything and overcome everything.

The Apostle Paul prays for the local church in Colossae and provides a model for us to pray for our church (to grow). Pray for your church to grow full of wisdom (1:9)Pray for your church to grow fruitful in works (1:10)Pray for your church to grow fortified for the walk (1:11-12)

Thank God for the root and the fruit of the Gospel. The root of the Gospel is Christ, as we receive and rest in him alone.The fruit of the Gospel is change, as we are transformed by grace and bear fruit of faith, hope, and love.

Are you rooted in Christ? In this first message on Paul's letter to the Colossians, we unearth the essence of being firmly planted in faith. As we navigate Colossians 2:6-7, we see the deep connection Paul fostered with the Colossian believers through Epaphras's ministry, and we confront the allure of the "Jesus plus" gospel that threatened their spiritual stability. We share insights on why having a foundation in Christ alone is not just necessary, but life-changing. This passage reminds us to resist adding to the gospel, steering us instead toward the freeing truth found in Christ's sufficiency.Moving beyond intellectual agreement, this message challenges you to reflect: Is your relationship with Jesus just intellectual agreement with the facts? Or is it a transformative, life-enveloping faith? We discuss what it means to truly receive Jesus, emphasizing the difference between knowing about Him and personally knowing Him. This isn't just about salvation; it's about enriching the fabric of our daily lives with a genuine, relational faith. As we delve into this introduction to the series, we invite listeners to ask three simple but important questions of their own faith as a “root check” of their walk with God. Prepare to reassess your spiritual life with a heart open to embracing Jesus in every step you take.

"whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."- Jesus

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - Jesus

Jesus promises that in this world we will have tribulation, but we can have a conquering peace because he has overcome the world.

Those who are in Christ are loved forever and will live forever.

The story of Ruth is about how God is at work in the circumstances and lives of ordinary people to restore what is broken - to bring rest to the weary, fullness to the empty, hope to the hurting. He is making all things new.But the beginning of this story is one of weariness, tragedy, and loss. We see in chapter 1 that our weariness comes from circumstances beyond our power and decisions within our power. But rest comes from the God of all power.

Death is our enemy, but a defeated enemy because of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He has the keys.He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

In this series, we want to learn from Jesus and his apostles about how to engage our disciple-making mission with one very simple but powerful strategy: the invite.In this passage, Jesus provides a model for how to invite others into your life through intentionality ("the next day again..."), curiosity ("what are you seeking?), and hospitality ("come and you will see"). 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.John 1:35-39

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Living without The Lord looks like seizing control of my life - my work, my world, through my worry - and with it vanity and anxiety.Living with The Lord looks like surrendering control of my life - and receiving meaning and purpose, rest and peace.

Because The Lord has done great things for us, we have the experience of his past faithfulness, the encouragement of his present faithfulness, and the expectation of his future faithfulness.

Those who trust in the Lord are secure in the Lord, surrounded by the Lord, and saved by the Lord. We express our trust through prayer for provision, protection, and peace.

Pilgrim Songs #5: If It Had Not Been The Lord (Psalm 124)

Pilgrim Songs #4: Have Mercy Upon Us, O Lord! (Psalm 123)

Pilgrim Songs #3: Let Us Go to the House of The Lord (Psalm 122)

Pilgrim Songs #2: My Help Comes from The Lord (Psalm 121)

Pilgrim Songs #1: I Called to The Lord (Psalm 120)

Starting Point #5: The Church (Romans 12:1-21)

Starting Point #4: The Standards (Acts 15:1-35)

Starting Point: The Christian Life (Galatians 5:13-26)

Starting Point #2: The Bible (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Starting Point #1: The GospelStarting Point is our class for those exploring membership with Back Creek Church. In this series, we take a deeper dive into that content as a helpful refresh for our members and to help our guests know better who we are and why we exist. It all starts with the Gospel.

On the morning of the resurrection of Jesus, the women at the tomb (and through them, we) receive three invitations:Come and see! Come and worship! Go and tell!

For Jesus to have been persecuted unto death must have looked and felt to everyone involved - both his followers and his enemies - that he had lost and his enemies had won. But persecution means the opposite of how it looks and feels! The darkest hour in human history - this trial of weakness, mocking, humiliation, crucifixion, condemnation, and death - meant the decisive victory of God over sin, Satan, and death and full atonement for God's people!Jesus may have been too weak to carry his cross, but he was strong enough to carry all our sin. Jesus may have been mocked as the "king of the Jews," but the response of nature to his death shows he is the King of creation.Jesus may have mocked as one who claimed he could rebuild the temple in three days, but he was referring to his body (which is the fulfillment of the temple - Immanuel, God with us!), and that's just what he did.Jesus may have been mocked as the "son of God" who couldn't deliver himself, but by receiving this punishment for sinners, he delivered his people. Jesus may have been crucified like a common criminal, but the instrument of his execution would become the worldwide symbol of his victory. Jesus may have cried out in forsakenness, but he is quoting Psalm 22, revealing his identity as the Davidic Messiah who would endure persecution yet would enjoy the presence and pleasure of God in his sacrifice.Jesus may have died, but in doing so he gave eternal life to his people. And Sunday's coming...

Those who persecuted Christ and those who persecute His Church do so because they are deceived by the evil one - we see this in the crowds who shouted "crucify him!"Because they were deceived, the crowds rejected Jesus.Because they were deceived, the crowds released Barabbas.Because they were deceived the crowds received judgment.Recognizing the reality of deception should help us in the way we see ourselves (as vulnerable to deception), the way we see our enemies (deceived by the devil, needing our compassion), and the way we see persecution itself, which often looks and feels like the devil is winning, when in reality it is an instrument Christ is using to build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

Jesus not only prepares us to endure persecution for His sake, He endured persecution for our sake. In Matthew 26:47-27:31, we see Jesus face persecution from cowards who had the opportunity to honor Him, but chose instead to participate through:Betrayal (Judas)Abandonment (Disciples)Denial (Peter)Abstaining (Pilate)Mocking (Soldiers)Yet, ultimately we must realize that we are as responsible as these cowards for the persecution and death of Jesus - through which God has brought salvation to all who receive and rest in the risen Christ!

Jesus taught that those who were persecuted for his sake would be blessed. And Jesus himself endured persecution from the most revered and respected men in his community - the council of the Sanhedrin, with all their civil, social, and religious power, would seek to kill him from false motives, by false witness, with false judgment. A disciple is not above his master, so we can expect to face this kind of persecution as well, and seek to endure it in emulation of our Savior.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake - Jesus expects us to face persecution as we seek to live as citizens of His kingdom in the hostile kingdom of this world. And how does he teach us to respond to persecution arising from irreconcilable value systems? Not with retaliation for, retreat from, or reveling in our persecution - but rejoicing! Why? Because the reward is the reaffirmation of our faith (we suffer on Christ's account) and our future (your reward is great in heaven).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Our God is a peace-making God and He makes us agents and ambassadors of peace in the world. We pursue peacemaking through faith, fellowship, forgiveness, focus, and following Jesus's example and command.

Blessed are the pure in heart - those who seek God are blessed to see God, to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place, not because we have clean hands and a pure heart, but because Christ does and he came to seek and to save the lost, that we might see God. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus has made Him known.

Blessed are the merciful, who have received mercy from Christ and now look with the eyes of Christ at those in need of mercy, responding with compassion (heart) and action (hands) to the poor, the hurting, and the lost.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness - those who look to Jesus for the righteousness we do not have and find that He has provided for us by satisfying the requirements of God's law in His life, satisfying the justice of God against sin in His death and resurrection, and satisfying out hunger and thirst for a practical righteousness to match our positional righteousness by sending God the Holy Spirit to indwell us and help us die more and more to sin and live more and more to Christ.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”Toward God, meekness bows the knee, bends the will, and believes the Word.Toward others, meekness bears mistreatment, bridles the tongue, and binds anger.Meekness imitates Jesus, overcoming evil with good.The meek inherit the earth as they never presume on or demand from God, but recognizing that all is grace, they gladly receive what he provides - fertile soil or barren.Ultimately, the meek (co-heirs w/ Christ!) will inherit the earth (and infinitely more) at the resurrection.Meekness frees us from an enslaved life, attempting to earn for ourselves an inheritance we could never achieve or deserve, holding on with white knuckles and straining faces to its faint shadows in the accumulation of what we can scrape up for ourselves on the earth.Meekness also allows us to “inherit the earth” in the sense of our mission. We take our rightful place as beggars who have received bread seeking to show other beggars where to find bread. Our confidence in sharing the good news is not in ourselves but in the God we can trust. He has made promises concerning the nations and his purposes will not fail. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Meekness frees us from fear (I’m far worse than whatever you might say or think of me, yet the Gospel says I'm infinitely loved) and meekness frees us from the pressure of having to convince and persuade or perfectly align our behavior with our message (though we strive for holiness by grace) - the word of Christ is the power of God for salvation, not my words or my ways."Lord give us grace that we, like them - the meek and lowly - on high may dwell with thee!"