MIDWEEK INVITATION

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purificati...

"Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it." Hebrews 2:1 No one sets out the new day with a plan to drift. Right? We generally don't wake up and declare to the world that this is the day where we will finally stop being intentional and purposeful and begin to float aimlessly on the random currents of life, spinning with...

"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:16-17 ESV) There are a lot of wonderful things in this life: good careers, spouses, children, health, art, music, and Christmas presents (to name a few). We as Christians vie...

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV) Something about the human condition pushes against grace. We see grace as an enemy, our hearts are poised against it we hate it. The fact is that grace says something incredibly powerful about us a...

"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
 he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
 but has lifted up the humble.
 He has filled the hungry with good things.. " Luke 1:51-53 As we heard this past Sunday, the proclamation of Jesus birth brought tension into the lives of the people who heard it...

"For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:9-10 ESV) Every time I hear "I'm living the dream" I have the same thought "Really this is the dream?" The fact is that most...

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved" Ephesians 2:1-5 Recently, I was talking with a friend at a Starbucks and he told me that he has been dealing with pride issues. He said that he sometimes found himself looking disdainfull...

"When he (Barnabas) came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith." Acts 11:23-24 It's been great to spend the last several weeks looking into the Word together and learning about the Holy Spirit. From setting our sights on the Holy Spirit...

"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7 The metaphors that the scriptures give us to help us understand God's vision for the church point to His deep commitment to unity and diversity. The church referred to as a "body" points to our physical identity as a very diverse set of organs, systems and processes that nonetheless...

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 On Sunday, Pastor Joe gave us a Grand Canyon fly over of the book of Ephesians, reminding us of the staggering realities of who God is and what He has done and is doing here on planet earth! He then zeroed in on the command to be filled with the Spirit in Chapter 5. He offered three ...