The Branch Church

<p>Of the more than 31,000 verses in the Bible, Galatians 2:20 would be one of my candidates for a “life-verse.” It’s dense with powerful revelations for what it means to live “the after-life.” The gospel tells the story of two of the greatest substitutions there have ever been. Christ dying in our place upon the cross, and Christ living in our place within our hearts. This week, we’ll consider the significance of this phrase: “but Christ lives in me.”</p>

<p>What in the world does it mean that we’ve been “crucified with Christ?” It's all over the New Testament, but most of us probably don’t think about it much. <br><br>You’re not just “raised with Christ,” you’ve “died with Him.” Really? When did this happen? And what difference does considering myself a “dead man” or “dead woman” make practically in my life today?</p>

<p>The gospels are full of some powerful before/after stories... And in every one of those before/after’s Jesus is the difference.<br><br>When you read the rest of the New Testament, one of the most common phrases the writers use to talk about the life of a Christian is the phrase “you’ve been raised with Christ.”<br><br>Raised from what?</p>

<p>The after-life isn’t just about heaven.<br>It’s about the resurrected life HERE and NOW on earth. When Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, is on the scene in someone’s life – get ready for different.</p>

<p>It’s one thing to be spiritually lost or “off-course.” It’s another to realize it. One of the first steps to us being “found” is when we become aware that we are off-course and ask for help. The Spirit of God is often involved in bringing about this awareness. John 15:26-16:11</p>

<p>This weekend we're exploring what Jesus has to say about the “help” that the Spirit of God brings into our lives. John 14:15-27</p>

<p>In week three of “Until Then” we’ll be in John 14:15-31.</p>

<p>In week two of “Until Then,” we’ll be in four verses that are “ants in the pants” of my faith. They can be uncomfortable and challenging, yet they keep it moving. Our journey continues through Jesus’ parting words to His disciples in John 14-16.</p>

<p>A new series begins this weekend at The Branch!<br><br>If you had a few days left to live would you want to know? Suppose you weren’t given the choice as to whether or not you would know it. You just knew it. How would you spend those few days? What would you want to say to those you were closest to? <br><br>This weekend we kick off a new series that will take us all the way up to Easter. We’ll be spending some time in the last extended conversation Jesus has with His disciples before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. You could consider this conversation His “parting words.” This is the stuff He wants His disciples, including us, to know and to live out until He returns. We’ll be walking through passages from John 14-16 over the next five weekends.</p>

<p>The final message in a series that has become an increasingly appropriate series with every week that rolls by in 2021. This week has been a terribly difficult week for so very many, all over the state and in the communities where we live. <br><br>In the midst of it all, we’ve heard story after story of many who’ve been able to open up their homes and share their resources with strangers and neighborhood acquaintances.<br><br>This message shines a light on how there are always opportunities for the love of Christ to be shown.</p>

<p>This weekend we’ll explore the one question that’s not always at the top of our minds when faced with a decision. It’s a question that represents counsel that Scripture gives us repeatedly from the Old Testament through the New Testament.<br><br>Decision-making isn’t simply about determining whether something is right or wrong. Nor is it about having enough information. And no, the question isn’t “What will glorify God?” (Good guess, though!) Asking this question will, though, often bear fruit that will give you an opportunity to point to God, no doubt!<br><br>So what’s the question?</p>

<p>Think of your conscience as like an organ in your body that has a sense of right and wrong... like a red flag that waves back and forth telling us we’ve done something wrong, or are about to do something wrong, or that something is wrong in the situation we’re in.<br><br>It’s a reflection of us being made in the image of a holy and just God.</p>

<p>Some decisions you see coming from miles away. Other decisions, not so much. Have you ever found yourself in the middle of something that you didn’t see coming, but now you’re faced with having to make some decisions?<br><br>We’ll explore this challenge this weekend and draw from the story of a person in Scripture who faced one situation after another – and he didn’t see them coming! The decisions he made in the midst of those situations became part of a story worth telling for generations.</p>

<p>When decisions are being made, we often hear the phrase:<br><br>“What’s your heart telling you? Follow your heart.”<br><br>What is a biblical perspective of this? It may not be what you were expecting!</p>

<p>Where you are today has something to do with the decisions you made yesterday. And where you will be tomorrow has something to do with <br>decisions made today. <br><br>This weekend, Chris kicks off a new series through some passages of Scripture that will serve as a guide to helping us make better decisions. This week we focus on Galatians 6:7-8.<br><br>As a helpful and practical partner resource for this series, we recommend the book, “Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets” by Andy Stanley.</p>

<p>This weekend, Josh Brake brings us a poignant message from Mark 5:25-29.<br><br>The power of Jesus is available to those who come to him in faith. When we come to Jesus desperate for Him AND confident He is able, His power is unleashed in our lives.</p>

<p>This weekend at the Farmers Branch campus, Hunter Wheatcraft brings us a message out of 2 Thessalonians.</p>

<p>This Sunday, Chris brings us the message from his home to yours.<br><br>Many are wondering what we’re in for in 2021. But it’s important to clarify WHO we’re in it for. This determines our response to whatever comes our way.</p>

<p>The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is usually treated like an intermission. <br><br>Something big has just happened and there is something big coming, but right now we are waiting.<br><br>Jesus taught his disciples about times like this - but on a much grander scale. <br><br>We are going to dive into a few of His teachings and learn how we should live in this intermission in which we find ourselves.</p>

<p>Who needs a counselor?<br><br>Apparently, we all do. “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). <br><br>Chris brings this series to a close with this message for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Services.<br><br>There’s something about that name.</p>

<p>Have you ever considered why it’s called “Christmas” and not “Jesus-mas?” “Messiah” has something to do with that. <br><br>This weekend we consider perhaps the least-understood of all titles or names when it comes to Jesus – “Messiah.” What it means and why it matters today.</p>

<p>This weekend, Chris unwraps another name for Jesus - Immanuel. He came to be with us that first Christmas. And still is.</p>

<p>Most every parent names their child with some measure of thought. And that includes God Himself. God had a name in mind from the very beginning… Because there was a story He wanted to tell with that name.<br>“…and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)</p>

<p>This weekend we come to the end our series, Strangers and our journey through I Peter. Peter closes by talking about something he hadn’t mentioned yet...<br>It has to do with a culprit we don’t see - though we see the symptoms of his involvement in our lives.<br>An invisible enemy.</p>

<p>Resilient: (a) capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture. (b) tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.<br>There are times where we will suffer for God’s will – sometimes it’s tied to us denying ourselves and sometimes it’s tied to how others are responding to us. Whatever it may be – don’t back off – commit yourselves to God<br>who is faithful and continue to do good. Let us be resilient.</p>