July 21, 2019 | John Bartlett | 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Our faith should be something others see, impacting how we live, as we share the Gospel and make disciples.
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
July 14, 2019 | Kyle Brenon | Jonah 4:1-4
For the past four weeks we have been looking at the book of Jonah in order to better understand God’s heart for those who are lost. This week we conclude our series by getting a very telling look into the heart of the reluctant prophet. After Jonah finally obeys the LORD by speaking out against Nineveh’s sin, the entire city repents of their evil ways and turns to worship God.
Seeing that this is certainly pleasing to the LORD and has brought Him tremendous glory, we would be right to think that a prophet of God would be excited to see this happen. However, we see in Jonah chapter four that this is not the case. The bitterness in Jonah’s heart has grown deep, and in many ways, it has blinded him to God’s ultimate plan as well as his own ultimate calling.
Have we unknowingly allowed these same roots to grow in our own hearts? Are we willing to ask ourselves what we desire more? That God's enemies are brought to judgement or that they would be miraculously saved (like we were), so that the Lord is glorified in their lives?
July 7, 2019 | Kyle Brenon | Jonah 3
We are 4 weeks into our sermon series “For God so Loved Nineveh” where we have been getting a glimpse into God’s heart for those who don’t know Him, and what our response should be when He calls us to reach out. So far, we have seen God’s clear call to Jonah, telling him to go to Nineveh and call out against their sin as it has come before Him.
We saw Jonah’s hardened heart cause him to run in disobedience not wanting his enemies to receive God’s grace. We have seen God chase him, catch him, and finally, safely deliver him to shore.
This week we see God speak to Jonah a second time calling him to “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” This time things go quite a bit differently.
June 30, 2019 | Kyle Brenon | Jonah 2:5-8
This week we continue in our sermon series “For God So Loved Nineveh,” as we walk through the book of Jonah. Throughout this series we have been discovering God’s heart for those who don’t know Him, and what our response should be when He calls us to reach out. This week we find Jonah having been tossed off of a boat in order to calm the raging sea and has now been swallowed up by a giant fish! It certainly looks as though things have gone from bad to worse.
Like Jonah we too can find ourselves in impossible situations. Sometimes these situations are a direct result of our own disobedience. But even in our rebellion, God's grace reaches us and the very trial we find ourselves in might be the tool God uses to rescue us.
