Posted: 17 Mar, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson
Galatians 4:19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you… 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate [reflect/behold] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Is […]
Read More...Posted: 03 Mar, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that […]
Read More...Posted: 03 Feb, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson
Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away all who […]
Read More...Posted: 30 Dec, 2018 | Author: Tom Schwieger
Acts 20:35b Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” As Jesus said, there is a blessing that comes when we give. Developing a habit of generosity is an important part of our Christian expression of faith. Download
Read More...Posted: 07 Oct, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness.” We are constantly and unconditionally loved by God. But, the things we do are not always pleasing to God. What pleases God? He is not withholding his pleasure until we reach perfection. […]
Read More...Posted: 30 Sep, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
Genesis 3:8-9 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Jesus invites us […]
Read More...Posted: 15 Jul, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
Identity is answering the question: who am I? Because of our experiences and perceptions, we each have messages to ourselves, telling us who we are. In Christ, we are given a gift of leaving behind these messages and taking on the Lord’s opinion. He gets to say who I am, and He says I am […]
Read More...Posted: 08 Apr, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson
Psalms 16:5-6 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. NIV84 It is important for us, as a church, to be thankful for the special things God has given us, and […]
Read More...Posted: 25 Mar, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ESV Sometimes in the midst of difficulty we can feel like something must be wrong. We aren’t naive. We know life is hard; but we don’t expect it to be this hard. When we try to make […]
Read More...Posted: 10 Dec, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
Jesus gave instructions to be generous, promised blessings for our giving, and implied that giving impacts our hearts! Luke 6:38 [Jesus said, ] “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will […]
Read More...Posted: 03 Dec, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my […]
Read More...Posted: 26 Nov, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
What does it look like to follow Jesus? In this message, Steve uses the story of Ruth to illustrate the devotion of a follower of Jesus. Ruth's heart was to follow Naomi into a completely new life. When we become Christians, we do the same. Baptism is simply our first step at following Jesus lead […]
Read More...Posted: 12 Nov, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
To embrace God’s call to love others, we must commit ourselves to loving those who are difficult, inconvenient, and uncomfortable for us. God is not simply calling us to love those who give us the warm fuzzies, but to love the unfuzzy. Mark 12:29-31 “The most important [command],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, […]
Read More...Posted: 05 Nov, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
Jesus said his followers should teach other followers of Jesus to obey everything he commanded. So what did Jesus command? What are we supposed to obey and teach others to obey? This talk looks at what Jesus said was the first and greatest commandment: to love God. How can we love the infinite God of […]
Read More...Posted: 03 Sep, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
We all find plenty to complain about, whether it is genuine hardships like sickness, suffering, and death, or it is the little stuff like having to eat the same thing for dinner that we had for lunch. As we see in the example of the Israelites (Numbers 11:1-6), complaining leads to misery, even in times […]
Read More...Posted: 14 May, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
What would it be like to host Jesus and some of his friends for dinner? What preparations would you make? During dinner would you be busy doing things or would you just sit there and listen to Jesus? This is the situation of Martha and Mary who hosted Jesus many years ago. Mary “sat at […]
Read More...Posted: 25 Dec, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
When a child turns his back on his parents, what gift should he give his father for Christmas? A tie? A shirt? Many of us will relate to this story from Steve’s childhood and may even see some of the same tendencies in our relationships with God. May this message help bring restoration with our […]
Read More...Posted: 20 Nov, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
As we continue to look at the Higher Calling we have in Jesus, we see the example of Paul to work with extreme effort to bring the good news of Jesus to others, breaking down barriers and enduring difficulties in the process. What is the source of his dedication and sacrifice? Is he trying to […]
Read More...Posted: 25 Sep, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson
In a culture where intellect and worldly wisdom is praised, God’s wisdom is often neglected or belittled. Many seem to think we have become too smart for God. In this look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2, human wisdom is contrasted with the vast mystery of God’s wisdom. The chapter lays out how God’s wisdom is […]
Read More...Posted: 10 Sep, 2016 | Author: Kathleen Nelson
Kathleen Nelson shares her story of how the Lord led her down a personal journey, and clarified six biblical areas in her life in which God has already called her to live out a “holy ambition.” Download Handout
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: 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: Steve Nelson
Merry Christmas from the Rio! In this message, Steve talks about how, before the first Christmas, the world eagerly waited for the Lord’s first coming—and also about how we now wait for his second coming to take us all home. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” – Psalm […]
Read More...Posted: 31 Oct, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
Dove’s message about repentance, both at the initial point of salvation and daily repentance in your walk as a new creation. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” —Acts 3:19 Handout Disciple the Heart resource 2 – Repent – […]
Read More...Posted: 18 Jul, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
As we wrap up Philippians 3 in our Knowing Jesus series, we take a look at this passage: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so […]
Read More...Posted: 21 Jun, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know […]
Read More...Posted: 10 May, 2015 | Author: Tom Schwieger
“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident […]
Read More...Posted: 14 Dec, 2014 | Author: Steve Nelson
Luke 2:10-11 But the angel said to [the shepherds], “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” NIV Download
Read More...Posted: 23 Nov, 2014 | Author: Troy Roberts
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among […]
Read More...Posted: 02 Nov, 2014 | Author: Steve Nelson
Jesus prayed for several things right before He was arrested. In this message we look to see what was on His heart, and how that relates to each of us as we strive to follow His will for our lives. Download
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