Posted: 24 Jul, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
God loves us passionately and wants a special place in our lives. He wants your heart given to Him and not to anyone or anything else. In this message Dove shares a powerful illustration that will help you understand the place God wants in your heart. Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 17 Jul, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
To have a meaningful relationship with God, we must not see Him as an emotionless robot—always the same: passionless, uncaring, and unaffected by what He sees and experiences. We must see Him as a being who experiences joy and grief, pleasure and displeasure, intense love and extreme jealousy. Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 30 Jun, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
The Bible is full of amazing teachings about God’s love for people and His relentless pursuit of their hearts. In the culmination of His plan, He gave His special son to die on the cross so that our sins could be paid for. It’s an amazing story, but only if it is true. There are […]
Read More...Posted: 26 Jun, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
God’s not just after our obedience; he’s after our hearts! Do you ever feel guilty, dirty, and like you have nothing to offer to God? And then, to feel better, do you start doing things like going to church, reading the Bible, or giving money at church? An amazing illustration from Haggai helps us see […]
Read More...Posted: 19 Jun, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
Is your spiritual life a religious practice or a relationship with God? In this message pastor Dove helps us reflect on our past and look ahead into our futures so that we can experience the full life in Christ that our souls long for. Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 12 Jun, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
We know that following God pays off in the next life, but does it pay off in this life? Can we expect a blessing in following God, or is that some sort of prosperity-gospel teaching? We need to be careful to avoid both extremes in this matter. We shouldn’t expect wealth and health from following God, […]
Read More...Posted: 05 Jun, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
“Behind the scenes is where the work is done.” How can we experience growth and the presence of God apart from our own effort? Me must learn to be connected to the vine by surrender instead of strength. Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your […]
Read More...Posted: 29 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
It’s one thing to follow God when God asks something easy of us, but it is another thing to follow God when we have a completely different plan that we think is easier or better. To help us make good choices in these situations it is helpful to understand how we think. We need to […]
Read More...Posted: 22 May, 2016 | Author: Tom Schwieger
God values relationships! One of the greatest themes throughout the New Testament is the command to love others. In this message, Tom Schwieger talks about the importance of having meaningful relationships with five different groups of people: Lifers, Laborers, Leaders, Learners, and the Lost. God uses each of these types of relationships to impact us, […]
Read More...Posted: 14 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
If you had to play a game of high-stakes chess, would you accept the advice of a grandmaster? Would you even go so far as to taking the advice of the grandmaster even when it seemed like it was going to cost you dearly? This is similar to our wrestle of faith. There are times […]
Read More...Posted: 01 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
In this message, Steve talks about how being involved in the church is a strategic part of our mission to advance God’s Kingdom. Church was never intended to be an event, but the church is Christ’s body, in a brotherhood expressed practically in deep and meaningful local relationships, and on mission like a spiritual army. Serving in […]
Read More...Posted: 17 Apr, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
This is the first of a four-part series called “There is.” Our “There is” campaign is a rallying call, to not just be a group of people who meet together on Sunday mornings, but, to be one body with one faith, following one God. It is based on this verse: There is one body and one […]
Read More...Posted: 02 Apr, 2016 | Author: Bruce Bradford
Bullies come in all shapes and size—financial trouble, stress, anger, sin, and fear. But we don’t have to face these bullies on our own. Bullies cower in fear when someone bigger than them is backing you up. And that’s what God says he’ll do for us. Download
Read More...Posted: 02 Apr, 2016 | Author: Blaise Nelson
Sometimes we want to set our own course in life, but God has a different plan. In this message, Blaise tells the story of finishing college and wrestling with giving 100% of his life to whatever God wanted for him. Download
Read More...Posted: 26 Mar, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
As the completion of the Disciple trilogy (Don’t Miss the Duh Moment and Follow were the first two), Steve talks about the thrill of following Jesus. Life with God is an adventure, not a chore! Download
Read More...Posted: 06 Mar, 2016 | Author: John Houser
In this message, John Houser talks about the importance of working through offense and conflict within the church. God wants the church to be united, and in order to do that we must be prepared to deal with the internal conflicts that will arise over time. “I have given them the glory that you gave […]
Read More...Posted: 28 Feb, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
“‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” – Matthew 4:19 NIV84 When God calls us to something, sometimes there isn’t any debate about whether or not it’s the best thing to do. It’s a duh moment! In this message, Steve talks […]
Read More...Posted: 20 Feb, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
In this message, Dove takes a look at Jesus’ parable of the sower from Luke 8 and how it relates to our lives today. “While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed…” Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 13 Feb, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
If God treated us with grace before we were saved, how much more will he show grace to us now that we are his Children? “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 30 Jan, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
Now that we’ve wrapped our Disciple the Heart series, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of effort it takes to live a life devoted to Jesus. In this message, Steve talks about how God thinks of us. Does our performance dictate whether or not God approves of us? Can he be […]
Read More...Posted: 23 Jan, 2016 | Author: Dr. Michael Parsa
In this second part of Dr. Parsa’s message on obedience (listen to the first), we take a look at what it looks like to live a life of obedience to God versus a life of selfishness. Download Handout Disciple the Heart resource- Obey: Living with Integrity
Read More...Posted: 17 Jan, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
As we wrap up our series on the commitments that help Christians live all out for Christ, Steve addresses a very important topic. As Steve addresses the issue of controlling your thought life—specifically when it comes to sexual purity—he reminds us that this is an issue that is very important to God that we should pay […]
Read More...Posted: 10 Jan, 2016 | Author: Dr. Michael Parsa
The Bible tells us that God calls his followers to obey himself and those in authority over us. But what is a Christian supposed to do when these two conflict with one another? What does true obedience to God look like anyway? What about the grey areas? In this message, Dr. Mike Parsa addresses these questions […]
Read More...Posted: 26 Dec, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making […]
Read More...Posted: 20 Dec, 2015 | Author: John Houser
Merry Christmas from the Rio! In this message John Houser speaks about the joy of giving. The more we give, the less time we spend with out stuff. And less time you spend with something, the less you love it. And the less you love the things of the world, the easier it is to love […]
Read More...Posted: 12 Dec, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” – Revelation 3:20 Download
Read More...Posted: 28 Nov, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
So often we make Christianity about a list of things to do or events to attend. And yet when Jesus walked the earth, he didn’t ask people to come to small group or prayer meeting. Instead he took his disciples on a journey of commitment and excitement. In this sermon, Dove speaks about how Christianity […]
Read More...Posted: 21 Nov, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson
Our human plan for reaching the world is not working. However, God has a plan to reach the world, and we know that it does work. However, in order for it to work well, we have to be doing things God way. In this message, Steve takes a look at God’s way of reaching the world—through the […]
Read More...Posted: 14 Nov, 2015 | Author: Bruce Bradford
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” -Hebrews 6:10 Download Handout Disciple the Heart resource 4 – Serve – Give of Your Life
Read More...Posted: 07 Nov, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson
In this message, Steve speaks about the importance of discovering God through His Word. “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. […]
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