LifePointe Church Sermon of the Week

God's presence is what distinguishes the Church from the world. He is what gives us significance and value. He is the Spring of Living Water and without Him we are in a dry and parched land. The Church today needs to people who long for His presence more deeply and allow Jesus to be our King! Without King Jesus we are nothing.

In Jeremiah chapter 2, God is reminiscing about the days of Israel's youth when they loved Him and followed Him whole heartedly. Israel had drifted away from Him and had begun following worthless idols. And now, God was calling them back to Himself. We are not unlike Israel. We have a propensity towards wandering away from God to empty things, but God is calling us back to Himself.

This week we have the privilege of welcoming Pastor Austin Weaver to be our special guest speaker. Austin and his family pastor and reside in Des Moines and have been longtime friends of LifePointe. Today he shares a message on passing the baton of faith to the next generation.

The next generation deserves a opportunity to experience the power of God in an authentic way. Without an encounter with Him, we will produce an empty performance based religion. Jesus shows us the fruit of such a life in many of His encounters with the Pharisees. In Luke 18, Jesus tells us a parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector to show that God is looking for a humble a repentant heart.

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is one of the most beautiful benefits of following Jesus. The nearness that comes in walking with Him is priceless. So how do we have fellowship with the Spirit? This morning Pastor Tony gives us some helpful principles for experiencing the Holy Spirit daily.

The presence of God is the what distinguishes His people from the world. He desires that His presence invade every part of our lives. That is why we honor Him with our worship and we pray the prayer, 'Come Lord Jesus", so that He might come and change, transform, and renew our region.

Our status with God, our access to Him, or His opinion of us is not based on our behavior. It is based entirely on the power of Jesus' blood. His blood is enough! It is strong enough! This morning, Pastor Alex shares from Acts 11 on God declaring what was once unclean, has now been made clean.

God is calling us to take new ground! But in order to take new ground we will have to go a way we've not been before. We will have to trust and follow God in ways we have not before. Pastor Drew shares from Joshua about God leading the Israelites across the Jordan.

Humanity has always desired a leader who is just and will fight our battles for us. We were created to be citizens of a kingdom not of this world, God's kingdom. In 1 Samuel, Israel rejects God as King and instead asks for a king like other nations. Listen this morning as Pastor Drew shares why Jesus is the one true King!

Humanity has always been inclined to cast our affections on things other than God. But God has always had a desire to woo His people back to Himself. He doesn't want to share us with anything else! This morning, Pastor Drew shares a word from 1 Samuel 7 on Israel turning their hearts from idols back to God.

All throughout history God has revealed Himself to mankind. And those who experience His presence are marked by it and changed. This morning. Pastor Nicole shares about being a people who establish God's presence.

The glory of God upon a people is what makes them distinct. It protects and transforms a people. But what if the glory lifts from a people? Pastor Drew shares from 1 Samuel when the glory lifts from God's people and they are defeated by the Philistines. May we be a people known for His glory!

What happens when it seems like God is silent? What happens when we need a word from God but one doesn't seem to come? Today Pastor Drew shares about hearing God's voice in the most crucial times.

Every generation needs their own encounter with Jesus. We rejoice in what God has done and our faith is built by hearing of revivals in the past, but we need an awakening in this generation! Pastor Drew kicks off this new series as we contend for a mighty move of God.

As we conclude our series "Life Together", Pastor Tony shares a message on the church staying true to it's mission. In Acts 4 we see God respond to the prayers of His people and shakes them to the core. The results is a people empowered to do what God has called them to.

As we continue in our series "Life Together", Pastor Drew challenges us with a message on having a heart that is unable to be offended. We see a world constantly offended with every little thing, but the church in not exempt for offense either. Often you'll find offense in the church just as ramped as you will in the world. God has something better for us!

This morning Pastor Drew shares from Psalm 23 on Jesus the Shepherd King.

The kingdom of God should infiltrate and inform every part of our lives. And the truth is that God has purpose and intention for our families. How we function and the mission we are on as a family should be seen through the lens of kingdom. Join us this morning as Pastor Drew continues our series "Life Together".

Today we start a new series entitled "Life Together". Over the next coming weeks we will explore what the relationships in our lives look like through the lens of God's kingdom. This morning, Pastor Tony shares a message on marriage in the kingdom.

Today we have the honor of welcoming friends and pastors Ted & Jana Sawchuk from Burning Hearts Church in Fargo, ND back to LifePointe! This morning Pastor Jana shares testimonies of God's power and a challenge to be a people who come and see and then go and tell.

Happy Resurrection Sunday! Today we celebrate the risen King Jesus! He is alive and He is still moving, still healing, and still transforming hearts and minds. AND, if He has overcome death, our greatest adversary, then He can overcome anything you will face in this life.

Part of God's rescue plan for humanity was to get His presence in us. No longer would His Spirit reside in a temple but now we would be temples of the Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus' finished work on the cross we have the privilege of being hosts of His presence and carry a great responsibility to steward that privilege well.

We need an encounter with the Holy Spirit! God's plan for our lives is to be full of the Holy Spirit and power. This morning we look to the words of Jesus who said it would be better if He leaves so He could send the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that because of His finished work on the cross the Holy Spirit would not just be with us, but in us and on us.

In John 14, Jesus explains in a greater measure the depth and breadth in which His kingdom is meant to impact our lives. Because of Jesus we have an inheritance in God's kingdom and that inheritance is, in part, meant for us to experience now. Jesus said, "Whoever believes" would do the works that He did and greater. Pastor Drew challenges us to trust God and take up our inheritance.

This morning we have Pastor Josh Skjoldol with us. Pastor Josh is lead pastor of Evangel Church in Bismarck, ND. Evangel is a regional church that is having a huge impact on North Dakota. This morning Pastor Josh challenges us to be vessels that are ready to be used by God.

Sunday Evening Service - Tonight we hear again from Pastor Josh Skjoldol. God wants to use highly unlikely people from highly unlikely places to do highly unlikely things.

This week Pastor Drew challenges us as believers to embrace our new way of life in the Kingdom where we come into alignment of who we're supposed to be! We are no longer slaves but free in Jesus. He freed us from slavery for something greater than we can imagine!

We have been made sons and daughters through the finished work of Jesus. We have been adopted into the family of God. Still, many of us live as orphans even though we have been called His own. This morning Pastor Drew challenges that orphan spirit that many of us still walk in.

Continuing our series on Pastor Drew's new book "A Prince from the Ashes", we explore the love of the Father. God's extravagant love has been poured out on us and brings definition, purpose, and meaning to our lives. And the truth is, The Father is speaking over you and I. Let us be open to receive His great love!

This week, Pastor Drew kicks off a new series from his new book, "A Prince from the Ashes". Psalm 113 says, "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes, with the princes of his people." This is our story! He lifts us from our own mess and prepares a place for us at the table with Him.

This month's Sunday Evening Service, we have a special guest speaker Carol Hubing. Jeff and Carol pastor and lead a Fire School of Ministry in Chicago. Carol has a humble and beautiful way of sharing God's hear for us! Tonight, she challenges us to not just be wearers of God's presence but be be bearers of it.

This week, we have a special guest speaker Dr. Jeff Hubing. Jeff and Carol pastor and lead a Fire School of Ministry in Chicago. They have long been a voice of encouragement and exhortation into the LifePointe Family. Today Jeff shares his heart on the kingship of Jesus.

God's Word is sharper than any two-edged sword and is living and active. It is not like any other book on your bookshelf! It is relevant for your life and all the things you face. And, one of its functions for believers is as weapon against the enemy of our souls. Sadly, often Christians do not use utilize it like we were meant to. Today, Pastor Drew encourages us to wield the powerful weapon of God's Word as just that, a weapon.

Often as followers of Jesus we can find ourselves fighting for or against things thinking that we are fighting on behalf of God. The reality is that we need to be asking the question, "Am I fighting my battles or God's battles?" We need to be submitted to His agenda and His plans, not ours. Worship is a place of strength and power that we fight from and it aligns our hearts with God's heart and will.

The enemy wants nothing more than for followers of Jesus to be lukewarm, passive, or indifferent. Especially in the midst of a battle, the enemy wants us to waffle in our obedience to King Jesus. That's because he knows how powerful a weapon obedience is. Obedience is the fruit of our faith and our beliefs in action. Jesus wants to equip us to win and destroy the works of the enemy through obedience to His ways! Join us today as Pastor Tony shares his heart on obedience.

As followers of Jesus, our battle is not against flesh and blood or this world. Instead, our battle is in the place of prayer against the schemes and plans of the enemy. It is God who fights for us, which is why it is even more important for us to go to prayer as means of action in the kingdom. This morning Pastor Drew kicks off our new series "Battle Lines".

In 2020, hopelessness has been experienced at epidemic proportions. The systems of this world, people, our health have all been shaken this year and who or what we put our trust in has been revealed. For many this has causes a great chasm of hopelessness. The good news is that God has called us to come and know Him and experience Him in a new and deeper way. Join us as Pastor Tony challenges us to embrace the truth of God over and for our lives.

2000 years ago, an angel appeared to shepherds in a field and announced the birth of The Messiah. The angel declared that His birth would bring great joy to all people. All people. Not the spiritual elite, or the affluent, or the most holy but all people. And the message was given to some humble shepherds in the middle of the night.

This morning, Pastor Drew challenges us a with a message entitled "The Return of the King".

We have all grasped for control in various circumstances in our life. We try to hold it all together ourselves. We often worry and grow anxious when things are out of our control. It isn't until we are confronted with King Jesus that we realize our desire for control is just an illusion. In fact, King Jesus is a direct assault against our need for control. This morning, Pastor Drew encourages us from Matthew 2 to give up control to King Jesus.

This week we kick of a new series for our Christmas season entitled "The Arrival of the King". We are not celebrating the arrival of just any king, but The King. King Jesus is what our hearts have longed for and our souls have hoped for! He is better than we think and far exceeds any expectations we may have of Him. Oh that we would lift up our heads and invited Him in!

In the Gospel of John, Jesus commissions Peter to not only feed His sheep but to feed His lambs also. God's heart is for all generations and He desires us to be a people who intentional about the legacy we are leaving. This week, Pastor Nicole Barnes our Children's Director, shares heart on being a people concerned with discipling and feeding the next generation.

Join us as continue our series "Kingdom Culture" with a message from our Youth Pastor, Riley Edwards. The truth is, God loves the next generation and we need to be as passionate about them as He is.

Jesus gave us the gift of showing us how we are to love people. Not only did He say it with His words but through everything that He did. He modeled love. Many of the things Jesus did and people He spent His time with was against the better judgement of the day. Jesus calls us to love like Him! This week, our Chi Alpha Director, Pastor Alex Rosinger shares His heart on loving like Jesus.

Sunday Evening Service - We welcome back Dr. Jack Klugh as he shares his heart on growing in maturity in Jesus.

This week, we have the privilege of welcoming special guest Dr. Jack Klugh. Dr. Klugh has served for decades as Chaplain for our Armed Forces. He has unique perspective and wisdom to share about his journey with Christ. This morning we ask the question, how will we respond to the storms of life?

All over the gospels we see the way of prayer modeled to us by Jesus. And it's actually something that He invites every single one of us into. It's not something that is left up to just pastor's. elders, or the spiritual elite. It is a way that Jesus has laid out before us to walk in. Join us as Pastor Drew shares about the the way of prayer.

Jesus declares a new way of life. But, He doesn't just talk about it He also shows us. In John 1 we see Jesus call His first disciples and invites them on an adventure with Him that will change them from the inside out. Join us as Pastor Tony continues our series "Kingdom Culture".

This week, we will hear from our special guest Rich Greene, Lead Pastor of LifeChurch in Corallville, IA. Pastor Rich will continue our series "Kingdom Culture" with a message about living on mission.

This week, Pastor Drew kicks off a new series "Kingdom Culture". Over the coming weeks we will explore the way of the kingdom Jesus unveiled to the world. This morning we will look at the way Jesus modeled honor, humility, and servant leadership with the way of honor/