Search Results for: there is one

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 […]

Posted: 06 Jan, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.  When we put our faith in Christ, we become God’s people and citizens of his kingdom. We no longer pledge our allegiance to this world, but to God. As the verse says, […]

Posted: 25 Nov, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Hebrews 5:12-14 …Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the […]

Posted: 07 Oct, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. NIV11 You may have seen the famous poem “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis. It talks about how someday our tombstones will have two […]

Posted: 23 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path. NIV11 Once, when I was a kid, my family went to church at a drive-in theater. My dad pulled up, put the speaker on his partially rolled-down window, and we quietly sat through the service. We were on vacation […]

Posted: 09 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be […]

Posted: 22 Jul, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

At times, it seems like the solution to the pain of life and the path to find happiness is to change our circumstances, our bodies, our habits, our relationships, our jobs, our pastimes, or at least change something.  This message shows the potential to thrive wherever we are at in life—enjoying thankfulness for the little […]

Posted: 15 Jul, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

One of the difficulties in discerning God’s will is that our own will causes interference that makes it challenging to be impartial in decision making. By identifying some of the ways we misidentify God’s will, we can avoid making bad decision that favors our will instead of His. Download Handout: With blanks / Without blanks

Posted: 17 Jun, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Relational conflict is normal, and God gives lots of helpful instruction on how to develop deeper and closer relationships as we work through conflict. Download Handout: With blanks/Without blanks

Posted: 06 May, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

CT Studd, missionary to Africa, found a tract which was reportedly written by an atheist. It read as follows: Did I firmly believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as […]

Posted: 25 Feb, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ESV In human relationships, when we assess someone’s love, we don’t just take their word for it. It is not enough. We consider a wide variety of factors. How have they treated us? How have […]

Posted: 18 Feb, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

After a short introduction reviewing our goals, Dove talks about a part of what makes us human, emotions.  The conclusions he comes to are that emotions are an important part of being human, made in the image of God.  We can learn to use our emotions in healthy ways, not be used by them.  One […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

Posted: 15 Oct, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

Christians are not just messengers of God’s plan of mercy and forgiveness, but we are witnesses of how He has worked in our lives! Each of us has a story of how God saved, healed, or met us in some critical life event. In fact, if we stop to think about it, we likely have […]

Posted: 17 Sep, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

“Common people become uncommon standing on the promises of God.” (Dawson Trotman) Do you have the sense that you were created for uncommon purposes? Or perhaps that you have some unfulfilled potential? In reality, God has designed you with certain purposes in mind (Ephesians 2:10). What are these things? What are we supposed to be […]

Posted: 13 Aug, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

This message continues on the theme from two weeks ago that life, perfection, righteousness is found in Christ’s life in us.  A full life, perfection, and righteousness are not achieved from our own power to change ourselves, or even from good circumstances, but from the gift of God.  Today we look at how giving thanks […]

Posted: 16 Jul, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

We are all busy people. We want our lives to count and so we fill them up with all sorts of activities. One of the most fulfilling things we can dedicate ourselves to is loving others, but we need to be careful that the busyness of life doesn’t choke out the things we really want […]

Posted: 07 May, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

The religious leaders tried to trap Jesus by bringing before him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. Would he withhold mercy and have her put to death, or would he show mercy and ignore the law? One response would put Jesus in a horrible light with the people, and the […]

Posted: 23 Apr, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

In the account of the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus, we learn that Jesus wants us to come to Him for forgiveness—spiritual healing! This is one of the amazing ways we experience life from God. When we ask for and receive forgiveness, we are no longer defined by our loserness! We are freed […]

Posted: 16 Apr, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

A man named Nicodemus came to Jesus in the secret of night only to get far more than he bargained for.  As we look at this interaction with the Life Giver we find how to be born again into a new life.  We do not get life by trying to be a better person, but […]

Posted: 26 Feb, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

We should never be surprised when we find ourselves discouraged or even despondent. After all, we live in terrible times. Yet God offers hope in the midst of our trials. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can find life from God even […]

Posted: 19 Feb, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares about the opportunity to develop an ongoing, growing relationship with the living God.  He unpacks Jesus’ call in the beginning of Matthew chapter 6, to pray, give, and fast in secret—not for the approval of others but for God only.  When done with a desire to discover the heart of God, not just […]

Posted: 12 Feb, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

If those who speak are supposed to speak as if speaking the very words of God, how are those who listen supposed to listen? In faith, can we believe that God will speak to us through His Word, through worship, through others, and even through the sermons we hear? 1 Peter 4:11a If anyone speaks, […]

Posted: 01 Jan, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

The greatest disciples throughout history, from Jesus’ Twelve all the way to modern-day martyrs, have something in common. They don’t care. They don’t care about what others think, about their own personal gain, or even about their own lives. This one commonly held attribute allows them to live with abandon and care about the things […]

Posted: 04 Dec, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

What comes to mind when you think of authority and the submission to authority?  Our own experience and cultural context have inevitably shaped that view.  We probably all know examples of the abuse of authority and realize the potential to be taken advantage of.  As we look deeper, we see that a loving authority is […]

Posted: 13 Nov, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

Have you ever felt judged by Christians? You vote one way, but they think you should vote another. You trick or treat, but they don’t. You have a Christmas tree and they seem to think you are worshiping the forest god in your living room. You public school and they home school. Paul addresses these […]

Posted: 06 Nov, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

Each of us lives in a situation that is not always easy.  In fact life is often extremely challenging, and it is easy to think that if we were only in a different situation then we would be happy and fulfilled.  If only I had a spouse, or if I didn’t have one but could […]