Redeemer Weekend Sermons

As we approach this season of anticipation and awaiting the arrival of Christ, we are called to find peace in this season. Peace with those around us and being at peace with God in our minds and prayers. Pastor Bill Clark shares with us what the Bible tells us about peace and how that can have an impact on our daily interactions. On Peace Advent 2017 | Week 1 December 3, 2017 | Bill Clark John 14:27 (NIV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Peace is safety for ourselves and those we love. Peace, for us, is uninterrupted security, to be protected from outside threats. ~ Doug Stevens The rock solid certainty that we are GREATLY VALUED and DEEPLY LOVED. Isaiah 9:2,6-7 (NIV) The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his peaceful reign there will be no end. He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord almighty will accomplish this. Luke 2:10-11,14 (NIV) Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord…Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. John 20:19 (NIV) Peace be with you. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Like Jesus, empty yourself of the desire to WIN THE ARGUMENT. As you confront the brokenness of another person, be prepared to admit YOUR OWN BROKENNESS. Invest yourself in the lives of HURTING PEOPLE. Pray for Christ to be a PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

God created an incredibly large universe with infinite complexity. It’s often very easy for us to forget how big the universe is and how small we are in comparison. Michael Wopsle takes us on a journey to discover the wonder that is the expansive universe around us and how it all points back to the amazing God we serve. Universal Perspective Shift | Week 5 November 26, 2017 | Michael Wopsle Psalm 50:9-12 (NIV) I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. The site and sound illustration was recreated and adapted from a sermon by Louie Giglio. View his illustration here. Psalm 148:3 (NIV) Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148:3,7 (NIV) Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, Psalm 148:3,5-13 (NIV) Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, kings of the earth and all people, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above the earth and the heavens.

Marriage is the proving ground of whether we have cast side our old self. Paul lays out what this looks like in his letter to the Colossians. Bill Clark continues our Shift series by looking at God’s perspective on marriage. Christian Marriage Shift | Week 4 November 19, 2017 | Bill Clark Marriage is the PROVING GROUND of whether we have cast side our OLD SELF. Colossians 3:1-14 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. MYTH 1 How you get married, where you get married, who performs the ceremony, and how grand your reception is will determine the success of your marriage. MYTH 2 Your marriage will thrive if you have strong marriages in your family tree. MYTH 3 We will have a good marriage if we continue to stare into each other’s eyes in a deeply romantic, loving way all the time, every day, and more than other people. Colossians 3:1 (NIV) You have been raised with Christ. Colossians 3:3 (NIV) Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:4 (NIV) You also will appear with Christ in glory. Colossians 3:1 (NIV) Set your hearts on things above. You Are What You Love - James Smith “…a kingdom, a little church, and therefore a sacrament of and a way to the Kingdom. Marriage is a mission, and together it bears witness.” MYTH 4 There is such a thing as a perfect marriage.

We are called to view children as God sees them, as the future of His kingdom and the legacy by which those who have come before are judged. Children need shaping, direction and most of all release. And not just from their parents. All are called to be an influence and a contributor to that legacy. Adam Barnett shares from Psalm 127 as we continue our Shift series. Long Lasting Legacy Shift | Week 3 November 12th, 2017 | Adam Barnett Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV) Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3 (NIV) Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Having a child isn’t the end to the good things of life. It is an and to the good things of life! Psalm 127:4 (NIV) Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise. — Andy Stanley Psalm 127:5 (NIV) Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Arrows must be SHAPED. Biblical Training + Moral Correction + Firm Discipline + Loving Affirmation = Shaping your Children Arrows must be DIRECTED. Arrows must be RELEASED.

We are not called to live our faith lives in a bubble, but to look outside ourselves and see the injustice in the world the way God does. Adam Barnett continues our SHIFT series with a look at social injustice and how we are commanded to respond. Social Injustice Shift | Week 2 November 5, 2017 | Adam Barnett Social Injustice: Unfair practices (seen and unseen) within a society that promote inequality and hinder social advancement. Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Micah 6:8 (NIV) He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. To act justly... And to love mercy... And to walk humbly with your God. Isaiah 58:6-7; 9-10 (NIV) “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice & untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free & break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Devotion that does not produce a passion for social justice and practical mercy is useless. The authenticity of our worship on Sunday is evident in our compassion, mercy & justice on Monday. Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV) Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Gaining a Godly perspective on love is essential. It allows us to effectively love God, love ourselves and especially love those who we perceive to be unlovable. Pastor Bill Clark starts our new series encouraging us to shift our perspective away from our own and to that of God. Loving Others SHIFT | Week 1 October 29, 2017 | Bill Clark 1 John 4:7-12 (NIV) Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:17b-21 (NIV) In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. A fierce determination to engage others with an attitude of grace and forgiveness. If we’re going to be emotionally, spiritually healthy people, we have to love other people. In God’s way of thinking there is a shift unique to the Christian message. What we need to be are people who can disagree well.

Jerry McCoy, Physics Professor at the University of Tulsa, joins us for a special message exploring the intersection of Science & Faith.

There are big supernatural topics in the Christian faith, and when we can't understand or see them, it's difficult to know how to handle it. Bill Clark concludes our Angels series by encouraging us to look for God's unseen but comforting presence. God’s Comforting Presence Angels | Week 2 October 15, 2017 | Bill Clark The Hum of Angels What do we do with the supernatural dimensions of the Christian Faith? The presence of God, Father, Son and Spirit, is experienced every minute around the world - though God is unseen. BIG EVENT Angels Whatever else angels do — they point the way to Jesus. Luke 24:1-6 (NIV) On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!… Acts 1:10-11 (NIV) They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” When Christ returns, He will rule as God’s Son over all creation. Revelation 5:13 (NIV) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Angels are talked about all throughout the Bible and are a vital part of the Christian and Jewish stories. So why don’t we talk about them anymore? And why are they so important? Denise McKinney explores these questions in the first week of our two-week series on Angels. Unseen Messengers Angels | Week 1 October 8, 2017 | Denise McKinney Why talk about angels? They are actually a big part of the Jewish-Christian story. We don’t talk about angels like we used to. Lots of people believe still believe in angels today. What do we know about angels? They are also created beings, but different than us. They can appear in different forms Why does it matter? 2 Kings 6:8-17 (NIV) Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him. The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Why does it matter? They are active and working for our good in the world. They point us to God. They confirm God’s presence. They are spiritual and tangible reminders of God’s love So what should we do with this understanding?

Worship is an incredibly powerful thing, but also something that we should not take for granted. We are to enter God’s courts with gladness and express that gladness to Him. And it’s possible for us to even enter in because Jesus stands in the gap for us as our Good Shepherd. Adam Barnett concludes our Psalms series by examining worship and Psalm 100. The Good Shepherd Psalms | Week 5 October 1, 2017 | Adam Barnett Have you truly ever comprehended the awesome act of worship? Psalm 100:1-2 (NIV) Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. We sing songs at church NOT TO CREATE our gladness, but to EXPRESS IT. Psalm 100:3 (NIV) Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:4 (NIV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and bless his name. Psalm 100:5 (NIV) For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. John 10:14-15 (NIV) I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

God is calling, repeatedly, consistently and He’s calling you by name. Bill takes us through Psalm 95 to remind us that the God of the universe is calling out to us. Persistent God Psalms | Week 4 September 24, 2017 | Bill Clark Psalm 95:1-11 (NIV) Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV) Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. God knows your name. Psalm 95:7-10 (NIV) Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ The people Worshipped & Remembered What do you remember this morning that can cause you to thank God?

Paul writes in Romans that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This means everyone. Adam discusses how King David handled sin in his own life and what we can learn from his prayer in Psalm 51. Treason Against God Psalms | Week 3 September 17, 2017 | Adam Barnett We can’t fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s grace until we acknowledge the offensiveness of our sin. Psalm 51:1-4 (NIV) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. God’s faithfulness is NOT CONDITIONAL upon human faithfulness. Psalm 51:5-9 (NIV) Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Repentance (to be aware of and disgusted by sin) Confession (to express remorse and ask for help) Restoration (to receive transforming grace) Declaration (to witness about God’s grace) Comfort Complacency Comparison Fatigue Isolation

The Psalms are full of bold prayers and we are called to continue to pray boldly. Not because God is subservient to our requests, obligated to answer in the way we want. But because we are called pray with bold faith. The Answer Psalms | Week 2 September 10, 2017 | Bill Clark Psalm 20:1-5 (NIV) May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God… Psalm 20:1 (NIV) May the Lord answer you when you are in distress… Psalm 20:1-2,4 (NIV) May the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion…May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. When you get to the place where only God can be the only answer, you are right where you need to be. God of Jacob Psalm 20:6-8 (NIV) Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:7 (NIV) …we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:9 (NIV) Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!

Psalm 139 takes us through a journey of understand how God has called us to respond to His presence in our lives. Denise McKinney walks through this with us as we start our series studying the Psalms. Made for What Psalms | Week 1 September 3, 2017 | Denise McKinney What are they? originally poems set to music truthful outpourings of the human experience What do they do? help us pray and worship invite us to expand our perspective “truthful, the sincere outpourings… And when we worship the creator God with our whole, truthful self…” it renews and remakes us. ~ N.T. Wright Psalm 139:1-12 (NIV) You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. OUR IDENTITY An identity grounded in God would mean that when we think of who we are, the first thing that would come to mind is our status as someone who is deeply loved by God. ~ David Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself HIS PRESENCE I am convinced that God loves each and every one of us with depth, persistence and intensity beyond imagination. ~David Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself Psalm 139:13-22 (NIV) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. OUR PURPOSE Vocation is knowing you are fearfully and wonderfully made for something bigger than yourself. …the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. ~ Frederick Buechner Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. HIS POWER Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. How do I get there? By saying yes to what is right in front of you. Give him your little, and he will make it much

We are at war. But too often most of our casualties are from friendly fire. We are called to be the church together, but we forget that our enemy is the kingdom of darkness, not those brothers and sisters in Christ who might have differing opinions or views. We are most responsible with the Gospel when we are united as a body. Adam Barnett concludes our series by laying out how we cultivate unity with our words, grace and love. Wage War! Ekklesia | Week 4 August 27, 2017 | Adam Barnett Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are most responsible with the gospel when we are UNIFIED as a BODY. Cultivate Unity with Words Proverbs 16:24 (NIV) Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 12:18 (NIV) There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts… Cultivate Unity with Grace Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV) Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Cultivate Unity with Love John 13:34-35 (NIV) A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

The reality that God uses fragile and flawed humans to contain His gospel and immense power is mind-blowing. Pastor Bill Clark explores Paul’s words to the church at Corinth talking about how we as believers are simple jars of clay that God uses to show His power. Jars of Clay Ekklesia | Week 3 August 20, 2017 | Bill Clark 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 (NIV) Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Jars of Clay Flawed & Fragile We are fragile, broken vessels who contain within us the very presence of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are called out by God to be His Church. In that is our responsibility to be the Church to those around us. Adam continues our series by exploring what that responsibility looks like. Stay on the Altar Ekklesia | Week 2 August 13, 2017 | Adam Barnett 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. “I know not your gods. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is my God. Beat, tear or burn me, and if my words offend you, cut out my tongue; every part of my body is ready when God calls for it as a sacrifice.” — Theodore Heraclea Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world… We can be an OFFERING, or we can be ORDINARY. Are we called to make a POINT or make a DIFFERENCE? Romans 12:2 (NIV) …but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

The Church we’ve known from the past is dying, but the Church itself will never die. As time progresses, what should the Church look like in today’s contemporary culture, in light of secularism and technology? We kick off our series, Ekklesia, today with a great word from our senior pastor, Bill Clark. Worship, Grow & Serve Ekklesia | Week 1 August 6, 2017 | Bill Clark The church many of us grew up in has changed. Acts 1:6-8 (NIV) So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 2:42 (NIV) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Worship Together He is the audience of one. Just prompters You aren’t spectators, you are the actors Acts 2:46-47 (NIV) They continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. To Grow The goal of growth is real life change. We Serve Worship, Grow, Serve

Wopsle concludes our look at the parables of Christ by exploring the idea of growth and how the smallest things we encounter can have the biggest influence. Cupcakes & Dinner Rolls Storyteller | Week 10 July 30, 2017 | Wopsle Matthew 13:31-33 (NIV) He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV) Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27 (The Message) Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?

Grace is given freely to all! If it were dependent upon performance or achievement, then it would be earned rather than grace. Pastor Adam explores the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector to illustrate how Christ taught on this principle. Pharisee & Tax Collector Storyteller | Week 9 July 23, 2017 | Adam Barnett Luke 18:9-10 (NIV) To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Luke 18:11-12 (NIV) The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ Luke 18:13 (NIV) But the tax collector… stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Luke 18:14 (NIV) I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. The Kingdom of God is where grace reigns — not achievement. We must recognize our depravity, and depend on the mercy of God to enter His Kingdom. God’s love is not earned. It is freely given to those who are conscious of their need of it and yet their unworthiness of it.

Jesus taught about our response to His words by comparing two types of builders, one who builds his house on the rock and the other the sand. Pastor Adam Barnett explores this parable and encourages us to remember what is required for planting our foundation on the rock. Two Builders Storyteller | Week 8 July 16, 2017 | Adam Barnett Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV) Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them… Matthew 7:24 (NIV) Therefore everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers. Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) Therefore everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. If you hear the gospel and profess faith in Christ, you will express your faith through obedience and action

We are all found equal in our need for grace. Joe Scruggs explores the parable of the workers in the field to illustrate how we are called to be grace-based people. Grace Based Life Storyteller | Week 7 July 9, 2017 | Joe Scruggs Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV) “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. But it’s based on what we do. It’s built on His generosity & grace. Titus 3:4-5 (NIV) But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. What difference has grace made in our lives? What does a grace based person look like?

This week Wopsle discusses the parables of the treasure and the pearl to discover not only how we should value the Kingdom of God, but how the Kingdom of God values us. A Measure of Value Storyteller | Week 6 July 2, 2017 | Michael Wopsle Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV) The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. The Kingdom of God understands value. Matthew 13:45-46 (NIV) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Ephesians 5:25 (ESV) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, Titus 3:5 (ESV) He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. “Use the means as vigorously as if you were to be saved by your own efforts, and yet trust as entirely to the grace of God as if you made use of no means whatsoever” - Archibald Alexander “We slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” - D.A. Carson

Pastor Bill Clark explores the parable of the Rich Fool and how Jesus used this example to put a call on us to not seek to accumulate more stuff, but instead think first of the Kingdom purpose for our life and possessions. The Rich Fool Storyteller | Week 5 June 25, 2017 | Bill Clark Luke 12:13-21 (NIV) Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Three Types of People Wise Fools Evil Thou Shalt Not Covet Rather than release it, redeem it.

Jesus demonstrated God’s desire to reach out to those far from Him by sharing a series of parables about the Lost. Adam challenges us to read the parable of the Lost Son and seek to see what we’ve been called to do in response. Seeking the Lost Storyteller | Week 4 June 18, 2017 | Adam Barnett Luke 15:1-2 (NIV) Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. Luke 15:3-7 (NIV) Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:8-10 (NIV) Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:11-12 (NIV) Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Luke 15:13-16 (NIV) Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Luke 15:17-19 (NIV) When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ Luke 15:20-23 (NIV) So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:25-30 (NIV) Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ Luke 15:31-32 (NIV) ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” Which son is the Prodigal Son? The Younger Son The Older Son The Father Jesus counts in ones. JESUS COUNTS IN ONES.

What does it look like to fulfill the call to love our neighbors? Denise breaks down how Jesus used the parable of the Good Samaritan to explain how we are called to live out what Christ has commanded. The Good Samaritan Storyteller | Week 3 June 11, 2017 | Denise McKinney Luke 10:25-37 (The Message) “Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story: "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”” This man lost almost everything - his clothes, his belongings and even his life. The Priest and the Levite The Samaritan 2 Denarii: 1 denarius = a full day's wage for a laborer Today that might look like: $15/hr x 8 = $120 x 2 = $240 What’s in it for me? Inconvenience Insulation Irritation The most effective distortion of God's love for us is my concern for me. We share food with friends and family, we offer hospitality to strangers.

When Jesus taught on the parable of the unmerciful servant, he was reminding us that the grace we have been given is free, but it also comes with a responsibility to have forgiveness for others. Bill Clark breaks down this parable and the idea of how grace should impact our lives. Response to Grace Storyteller | Week 2 June 4, 2017 | Bill Clark He is a forgiving God who actually recreates our pasts by forgiving them. Matthew 18:21-35 (NIV) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Bottom Line: We all owe God more than we could ever repay. Grace brings Responsibility. Whom do you need to set free? Someone else or yourself?

Throughout the summer we will be exploring the stories that Jesus told to teach and inspire. Join us for the next 9 weeks as we learn from these stories together! Adam Barnett kicks off our series with an introduction to the topic of parables. Parables 101 Storyteller | Week 1 May 28, 2017 | Adam Barnett Discipleship Discussion Questions: What is something you noticed for the first time? What questions did you have? Was there anything that bothered you? What did you learn about loving God? What did you learn about loving others? “The parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” — Klyne Snodgrass Jesus used Parables primarily to explain: The Kingdom of God The Character of God Expectations of God Matthew 13:1-9 (NIV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:10 (NIV) The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Matthew 13:11-13 (NIV) He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV) Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Good Soil: Hear God’s Word Believe it is True Make Necessary Changes Engage in Discipleship Bear Fruit

Peace can be found, peace can be felt. Both internally and externally. Rest in that peace and then give it away to others. Denise McKinney concludes our study on dwelling with Christ by encouraging us to live into the peace of Christ. Shalom Dwell | Week 5 May 21, 2017 | Denise McKinney Shalom: wholeness, completeness, soundness, & welfare to make things right, or restore eirene: eiréneuó: to bring to peace, to be at peace eirénopoieó - I make peace, reconcile Shalom is …the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight…Shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be…the full flourishing of human life in all aspects, as God intended it to be. -Cornelius Plantinga Ezekiel 34:11-16a (NLT) For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. Colossians 1:19-20 (NLT) For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 (MSG) So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. Peace is not the absence of struggle or pain, but the unmistakable and strong presence of God in it. Philippians 4:7 (NIV) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Peace isn’t the absence of conflict or differences, or even war, but the intentional movement toward reconciling and restoring people to God and to each other. Ephesians 2:14-17 (NIV) For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. I myself will search I will be like a shepherd I will find and rescue I will bring them back home I will feed them I will give them good pastureland I myself will tend I will search for my lost ones I will bandage the injured I will strengthen the weak Bridge Over Troubled Water - Audrey Assad

In today’s busy life, it’s important to remember that although the specifics of the biblical sabbath don’t apply to us today, the principle of taking rest is just as vital. Bill Clark continues our Dwell series by exploring the Sabbath. Take the Sabbath Dwell | Week 4 May 14, 2017 | Bill Clark Exodus 20:8-10a (NIV) Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall do no work... Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV) If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight...then you will find joy in the Lord. Mark 2:23-28 (NIV) One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Divert Daily Withdraw Weekly Abandon Annually

What would it look like if we took seriously the call to create disciples? And rather than just memorizing scripture, we followed it in our daily lives. Adam Barnett puts the call on us to remember to do what we read. Discipleship Dwell | Week 3 May 7th, 2017 | Adam Barnett Disciple: a disciplined learner and relentlessly committed follower of a teacher. John 8:31 (NIV) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples…” Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Solitude is a place where you yield to God's ability to care for you. Bill calls us to take the guilt we can feel over our human-ness and let God minister to us in solitude. Creating Space for God Dwell | Week 2 April 30, 2017 | Bill Clark We all need to create space for God. Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Psalm 46:10 (NIV) Be still and know that I am God. Mark 6:30-32 (NIV) The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. We feel worthwhile only when we are achieving and doing. Community, Solitude, and Ministry Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV) Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.

We can be so quick to complicate our lives. We get caught up in all that we are responsible for and we miss the simple truth that Christ calls us to Him to find rest and peace. Adam Barnett launches our Dwell series by encouraging us to keep it simple. Simple Spirituality Dwell | Week 1 April 23, 2017 | Adam Barnett Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands.” The Enemy’s Strategy is to complicate your life to prevent you from loving God or others. KISS Keep It Simple Stupid | Keep It Simple Spirituality Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28 (NIV) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:29 (NIV) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:30 (NIV) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The power of the resurrection of Jesus is living and active in all who call Him Lord, even 2,000 years later! Bill Clark unpacks this amazing fact and how it can truly impact our lives today. Easter 2017 April 16, 2017 Bill Clark Why did the faith of Jesus of Nazareth last and what difference does it make? John 20:1-18 (NIV) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bend over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the heart and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken by Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father, to my god and your god.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have the seen the Lord!” And she told them that he said these things to her. Jesus appeared to over 500 people after the resurrection. God has wired into us a sense, a longing for that which is eternal. This day is either true or it’s not. There is no third option.

The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was just the beginning on Jesus’ final week. Adam Barnett explores this powerful week in Christ’s life that lead up to His crucifixion. Palm Sunday April 9, 2017 Adam Barnett Luke 19:37-40 (NIV) When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (You’re not the king!) “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Jesus didn't come to engage in a temporary, physical battle. Jesus came to win an eternal, spiritual war. John 13:34-35 (NIV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Disciples’ Group Text Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3 John 13:1-3 (NIV) It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; John 13:4-5 (NIV) so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV) Being in very nature God, Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross. John 13:6-11 (NIV) He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. John 13:12-17 (NIV) When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Jesus Washing Feet The Cross Where the best of God redeems the worst of man.

Bill Clark wraps up our Vulnerable series by discussing the hard times of suffering we walk through and how Christ experienced suffering head on. Suffering Vulnerable | Week 5 April 2, 2017 | Bill Clark Luke 9:51 (NIV) As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Philippians 2:7-8 (NIV) ...making himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Matthew 27:46 (NIV) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Tim Keller No matter what precautions we take, no matter how well we have put together a good life, no matter how hard we have worked to be healthy, wealthy, comfortable with friends and family, and successful with our career — something will inevitably ruin it. Matthew 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. You don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. C.S. Lewis God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

In order to be vulnerable, we have to understand where our security comes from. Adam Barnett continues our series by reminding us that our security cannot be found in money. Financial Vulnerability Vulnerable | Week 4 March 26, 2017 | Adam Barnett The human soul was not created to find contentment in the accumulation of stuff. 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:7-8 (NIV) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV) Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. Materialism is a downward spiral, resulting in temporary satisfaction and permanent addiction. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NLT) Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. Waste less on yourself, and sow more in to others. Survey what you have and put it to good use. RELEASE it or REDEEM it. Conduct a self-evaluation to determine where you find contentment. Philippians 4:12 (NIV) I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content.

Anger can be a powerful emotion that can easily bring on shame and guilt. Denise McKinney continues our Vulnerable series by reminding us that it is not anger that is sinful, but how we navigate it and treat others in that anger. Anger Vulnerable | Week 3 March 19, 2017 | Denise McKinney God is big enough to handle whatever emotion we feel. Emotions aren't bad, they are a part of being human It’s not actually anger that trips us up, it’s how we navigate it. Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV) You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca,” is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. God is as serious about our anger issues as he is about violence against one another. When our anger tells someone they are worthless, we are in trouble. Practicing vulnerability in our anger means being willing to go make things right….sooner than later. There is a relational cost to allowing our anger to fester. So when was it ok for Jesus to get angry? “Anyone can become angry—that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not easy." ~Aristotle Sometimes anger masks the real emotion we are feeling.

We are not called to a pain-free life. Bill Clark continues our Vulnerable discussion by asking the question “Is your spirituality actually working for you?” and helping us to reframe our understanding of the principle behind it. Works In Progress Vulnerable | Week 1 March 12, 2017 | Bill Clark Is your spirituality actually working for you? Do you have less fear than you used to? Do you love your neighbor (Other People)? Do you have a greater trust of God now than in the past? All of us have “issues”. Ephesians 4:1-4 (NLT) ...lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. Integrity— integrity means wholeness

Trust in Christ invites vulnerability without fear, shame or fragility. The church is called to be a safe place for people to be vulnerable and for the church to be vulnerable, it has to be made up of safe people. Joe Scruggs kicks off our new series with a call to be safe people. Safe Vulnerable | Week 1 March 5, 2017 | Joe Scruggs We are all going to have struggles with what the Bible calls sin at one time or another in our lives. At all times, but especially during those times, we will need support and encouragement from one another. Vulnerable — Acknowledging or revealing a behavior or thought or situation which opens up the possibility of physical, emotional, mental or spiritual wounding of some type. Big Question: Is the Christian community a place where it is safe to risk being vulnerable? Romans 15:1-2 (MSG) Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step up and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” Matthew 7:1-5 (MSG) Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. James 5:16 (PHILLIPS) You should get into the habit of admitting your sins to each other, and praying for each other, so that if sickness comes to you, you may be healed. Hebrews 10:24-25 (PHILLIPS) and let us think of one another and how we can encourage each other to love and do good deeds. And let us not hold aloof from our church meetings, as some do. Let us do all we can to help one another’s faith... Big Question: What makes a church a safe place? Big Question: How do we do this? Mark 8:22-25 (NIV) They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Jesus said, “I Am the True Vine.” and with that simple statement, He opposed culture, brought Jewish past into present and established himself has the one true source of life. We are called to abide in Christ because all other sources of life are false. Adam concludes our weekend series, I Am with a call to pursue Christ! I Am the Vine I Am | Week 4 February 26, 2017 | Adam Barnett John 15:1-8 (NIV) I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:2a (NIV) He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit… John 15:2b (NIV) While every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:4 (NIV) Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:5b (NIV) ...apart from me you can do nothing. We are completely incapable of pleasing God until we are utterly & humbly dependent on Jesus Christ. John 15:7a (NIV) If you remain in me and my words remain in you… John 15:8 (NIV) This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Christ talks about being the Door of the sheep and their entry into a pasture of peace. In this pasture, we are in the hands of our Lord and He has come to give us life to the full. Bill Clark explores this critical I Am statement and how we are called to be His sheep! I Am the Door I Am | Week 3 February 19, 2017 | Bill Clark John 10:1-10 (NIV) “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Deuteronomy 28:6 (NIV) You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. He is the visible representation of the invisible God. Ephesians 2:18 (NIV) For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “There is nothing like suspense and anxiety of barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy. He wants me to be concerned with what they do; our business is the keep them thinking about what will happen to them.” ~C.S. Lewis | The Screwtape Letters This Shepherd doesn’t sleep. He wants you to experience life to the full.

Adam continues our study of the I Am statements of Christ by unpacking what it truly means to know that Christ is the Light of the World and what our lives should look like as a result of this truth. I Am the Light of the World I Am | Week 2 February 12, 2017 | Adam Barnett John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Genesis 1:1-4 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 1 John 1:5 (AMP) This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection] John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and life abundantly.

This week Bill kicks off our new series exploring the several I Am statements made by Christ in the Gospel of John. I Am the Bread of Life I Am | Week 1 February 5, 2017 | Bill Clark John 6:26-27 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you... John 6:28 (NIV) Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” John 6:29 (NIV) Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” This is beyond us. God is here - you don’t have to beg him to be present. John 6:30-35 (NIV) So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’.” “Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Our lives to be filled with the presence of God. Am I actively pursuing a stronger relationship with God? Am I listening to God speak to me about whom I am to serve in Christ’s name? Am I willing to trade religious activities for a more whole-hearted trust in Christ?

Life today is hectic and busy, and sometimes practically loving God takes a lower priority place on our calendar. Pastor Adam concludes our Love(d) series by encouraging us to make worship and loving on our immense God the highest priority in our lives. Loving God Love(d) | Week 4 January 29 2017 | Adam Barnett Satan loves overly busy Christians. Matthew 10:30 (NIV) Every hair on your head has been counted. God is here. Psalm 84:1 (NIV) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! Psalm 84:2 (NIV) My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:3 (NIV) Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Psalm 84:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah. Worship isn’t just something you do, but also who you are. You are a worshipper. Psalm 84:10 (NIV) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

We are commanded to love our neighbor. But what does that mean? What does loving our neighbor look like and who is our neighbor? Bill continues our Love(d) series with a great message about how we are to love those around us. All of those around us. Love Your Neighbor Love(d) | Week 3 January 22, 2017 | Bill Clark To love is itself a gift from God. Our neighbor can be anyone who has fallen into life’s ditch. Luke 10:25-37 (NIV) On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Love isn’t love if it doesn’t include loving our neighbors. No human being ISN’T our neighbor. Pity never helped anyone. If I were that person, what help would I wish for? Go where your heart and your head meet.

Christ lays out for us what we are truly called to do, what informs and empowers us to do everything else he asks of us. It is simply to love God with all that we are..all. All of You Love(d) | Week 2 January 15, 2017 | Adam Barnett Mark 12:28 (NIV) One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Mark 12:29 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Obeying this command is not to be an act we perform, but a description of who we are.

You can't fully love until you understand how loved you are. Bill begins our series by unpacking the powerful truth that each of us are loved by God, and His love is unlimited and unconditional. You are Loved Love(d) | Week 1 January 8, 2017 | Bill Clark 1 John 4:16 (NIV) God is love. Jesus could not not love. Luke 8:28 (NIV) When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “what do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” Luke 8:40-56 (NIV) Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Luke 8:48 (NIV) “Daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:52 (NIV) “Stop wailing, she is not dead, but asleep.” He’s not indifferent about you. You are deeply loved. Sorry - you’ve got the wrong God. You are loved.

A light has dawned and it is up to us follow it out of the darkness and into the future God has for us. A Light to Follow Stand Alone January 1, 2017 | Bill Clark Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Matthew 4:12-17 (NIV) When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Psalm 27:1,5 (NIV) The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Are parts of you living in the shadows of dark places?

Life is Born | Born | Week 6 | December 25, 2016 | Joe Scruggs