My Identity in Jesus (Sermon)
I have been united with Jesus. I am free: I can find grace in time of need. I have not been given a spirit of fear but instead one of power, love and self-discipline.
Jesus
Freedom in Jesus
Jesus wants to make you and I truly free. He wants to free me from dependence on what other people think or say or do. He wants me to be free from addiction to money, power or material possessions He wants me to depend on nothing but Him alone. Only then will I be truly free.
When God Speaks
Do you recognize when God speaks? If He were speaking to you right now would you have ears to hear what He was saying to you? We sit in Church, read our Bible and think we know what God’s voice sounds like but do we really know how to recognize when Jesus is speaking to us?
My Identity in Jesus
We let our faith and belief be shaped by what we see around us and what we feel as well as whether this whole “doing” thing is working. We’re Americans after all. If it doesn’t work, why bother to keep trying? But being a Christian is far more than what you do. In fact, I’d argue that being a Christian has far more to do with your identity in Jesus than with what you’ve done.
Faith = Risk (Sermon)
We are addicted to sight. We are addicted to needing to know. We are addicted to control. Some of you plan way in advance. Some of you do tons of research before you even think about buying something. You might get nervous before you travel. You worry that something might not go according to plan. I don’t think a single one of you wants to live a boring life.
Everything is Trash compared to Knowing Jesus
We have so much stuff that I bet there are things you own that you forgot you have or own things that are still brand new and unused. We think that adding one more activity, item or program to our lives will complete us. But they never will and never do.
Thoughts on Christian-Subculture Part Two
I can’t help but wonder what we as Christians do, say or think that is particularly indicative of our specific culture or upbringing that is influencing us. What things from our culture are influencing us that are un-Christian? What things might influence us that contradict our faith? What things could we be learning from Christians from other time periods or other countries and therefore from other cultures?
Thoughts on Christian-Subculture Part One
We’ve got tons of Christian websites, Christian music, Christian movies, Christian political groups–in effect we’ve created an alternative to just about everything the secular world offers and slapped a Christian-approved stamp on it.
We all Need Encouragement
Who is someone you could go out and encourage today? What random stranger could you give an unexpected, unknown encouragement to? Your encouragement to them today will mean a lot coming from you. You could give a random friend a hug and tell them you’re happy that the two of you are friends. You could call up a random friend and tell them you miss them and are praying for them.