The Messiah was coming! In the months and weeks leading up to an event that would change the world, heavenly voices broadcast the news of Jesus' birth. Angels visited Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds, and each angel visit held a particular and significant message about Who Jesus was and how He would impact the world for all eternity. Jesus was no longer an idea, a future happening. He was here, live, in the flesh. And as the angels' broadcast proclaimed, that changed everything!
Jesus gave many invitations in the Gospels. He called His disciples to "Come, follow me". He called many to salvation in Him--some that we would probably consider extremists today. Throughout the Gospels the theme "Come to Jesus" is loud and clear. Today, as we look at the life of Christ and how we can live like Him, we can often miss the opportunity to extend an open invitation to Christ and His church to our friends, relatives and others.
Who is your missing person? That individual who could know Christ today if you gave them a simple invitation? Join us for this practical and powerful teaching series from Pastor Merritt entitled "Missing Person". Together, looking at Jesus' example, we'll learn how "Come with me to church" may be the five most influential and impactful words you can say to another person.
Everybody's done it--take a gift you received, repackage it and give it to someone else. One of many wonderful things about the Christmas story is that regifting is a part of it. Not the cheesy, slightly cheap and awkward regifting you might accomplish with a pair of plaid socks or a fruitcake. No, God's amazing gift of Christ allows us to re-gift the incredible love, joy and peace that comes from a personal relationship with a living Savior.
Ever received an invitation in the mail? The finely crafted envelope and your name emblazoned in hand-inked calligraphy on the front. Inside, a carefully worded card that beckons you to be a part of something special. At at the close those four letters, abbreviated from the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît--your response to the invitation is requested.
In this three-part message series, Pastor Merritt looks at the most important invitation ever given. An invitation from Christ to join His kingdom and His work on earth. As Christ-followers we have already given our response with our lives. Now, it is our turn to share this most precious of invitations with our friends, our neighbors, our families.
Ever notice how summer sun and long days can cause you to "zone out" during those months? You've seen the look--eyes out of focus, staring at the trees, accomplishing very little. So how do you make the most of the summer months and move your life, your faith, your witness and your relationships forward? Together we'll explore how God's Word, prayer and other disciplines of the faith can help us stay connected to Christ and focused in life during the summer months.
A person's character--who he is--determines the impact he or she has on others. The Bible unlocks nine key qualities of a Christ-follower that, if consistently exercised and seen by others, will influence them toward Christ and their own full potential in Him. In Galatians we see the Fruit of the Spirit--nine traits the Apostle Paul mentions that are part of the character of a Christ-follower.
No one can do anything about his heritage, but he can do something about his legacy. Beginning today, you can become the kind of person who makes a life-changing difference for others. In Christ, your life can be tasty--one that others see and crave because they see Jesus in you.
He was foretold from the beginning--soon after the world's very creation. He would come to vanquish sin and death, once and for all. The people anticipated His coming for literally thousands of years--a mighty warrior who would destroy evil and reign as ruler over all that was good for all time.
And yet when He did finally come, it was not the approach of hoofbeats that sounded His arrival, but the cry of a baby. And when He came to the battlefield, He was not the last soldier standing, but the first and only one to be sacrificed. Yet in the end, this Warrior will be called King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Listen to this powerful series set around the Easter season entitled "The Warrior". Hear the story of Christ from a decidedly different perspective, and be joyful in the victory of the One who fought for you, and gave His very life for you.
