June 24, 2018
What is the point of the Book of Proverbs? It is to guide us into a life of wisdom; Godly wisdom. Pastor Ben continues his exploration of this topic, as taught in Chapter 3 of the Book of Proverbs. What are the marks of a wise person? You may, indeed, be surprised. Listen as Ben helps us to understand what is (and what is not) true wisdom.
June 17, 2018
Wisdom and knowledge are not one in the same. Knowledge has many sources: schools, books, mentors, etc. But, acquiring knowledge alone is not enough to become wise. Wisdom requires putting that knowledge into practice; life experience, deep reflection, and the mistakes we make, too, (provided that we learn from them) are necessary components. True wisdom, however, is Godly wisdom. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Are you asking, desiring, and learning to delight in God’s wisdom?
June 10, 2018
The dictionary defines foolish as having or showing a lack of good sense, judgment, or discretion. God's Word shows us that we are foolish in many different ways; it tells us that our attitudes are the reasons why we are either wise or foolish people. In this message, we'll learn what the books of Proverbs and Psalms have to say about the foolish.
June 03, 2018
Tragedy. Sooner or later, we all experience it. But, in the midst of the crisis, what do we do with it? Where do we put our focus? It is in these times that our faith is truly revealed. We can curse God for our affliction, or we can praise Him in the middle of it. And what better example of this, than Job?
May 27, 2018
Do you crave an authentic relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, or is He treated as your personal "genie"? Join us as Xavier Bright, our Youth Minister, fills in for the "vacationing" Pastor Ben. His message is quite personal, and truly hits close to home. Xavier calls on John 6:25-35, this morning.
May 20, 2018
As believers, we have great love for God. We are incredibly thankful for the love that He has for us. Or, at least we should be. We worship Him in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. We sing powerful songs to Him, and about Him. We sing these amazing songs in church, in our cars, and in our homes. Emotionally, they are moving and sometimes bring us to tears. And yet, are we able to translate that love for God into a loving passion for the sharing of the gospel with the lost around us, or is there a disconnect between the two? The heartbeat of the gospel and the heartbeat of Jesus that lead him to the cross was His mission, which was to advance the kingdom of God. How is His Kingdom to be advanced, if it is not made known?
May 13, 2018
Moms give us confidence in this life, because we know that we are unconditionally loved. Despite the great challenges and tragedy she faced, Mary is a great example of the depths of a mother’s love. From the beginning, Mary understands that her child, Jesus, would be her greatest joy, and yet the greatest sorrow a Mother could ever endure. Join us as Pastor Ben shows, through Scripture, that the moments we are living in are gifts from God. Mary understood this, and she lived and loved fully in the moments she was given with Jesus. The majority of Scriptures in today's Mother's Day message are found in Luke, and John.
May 06, 2018
Anxiety. Worry. Stress. Depression. We all experience these related conditions, to one degree or another. But, is anxiety a sin? Both Jesus and Paul clearly state that it is. To be clear, we are not talking about the types of anxiety that results from chemical imbalances, or psychiatric disorders such as clinical depression, severe anxiety, etc.. In the Biblical context, anxiety is shown to be a trust issue. Do we trust that God really is in control? Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?“ The question is, then, can God use our anxious moments to mature our faith? Of course, He can! In these times, what should be our single greatest pursuit? The confession of our great need for more of him. We have to ask God to increase our hunger and thirst for Him, especially in our times of worry and/or doubt. The Psalmist writes of this in Psalm 34:4, when he says, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." Today, Pastor Ben digs deep into Psalm 42, as well as several passages from New Testament scripture.
April 29, 2018
"How can we who died to sin still live in it?" This very question is raised in Romans 6:2. The price that Christ paid on the cross allows for those who believe in Him to live under grace, rather than under the Jewish law. Paul teaches this Gospel of grace, repeatedly, throughout the New Testament. Does the fact that believers live in a state of grace mean, as some have supposed, that immoral living really doesn't matter? Grace and justification are two of our topics, and Pastor Ben will teach us of what justification means and how the Gospel's teachings in this area are rejected by some, or at least misunderstood. Romans 6:1-14 is where we will be focused, today.
April 22, 2018
How easily are we deceived by our sin. Sin is not the violation of our conscience or community standards, but of God’s will for us. This flies in the face of today’s culture, which says that only we can define what’s right and wrong for us. A Holy God defines sin, not us. And God’s Word tells us that obedience is not too hard or burdensome. In this lesson, Pastor Ben leads us through 1Samuel 15 and examines the sins of two of Israel's kings, Saul and David. Could it be that we may be guilty of the same?
April 15, 2018
So, you've accepted Christ...What's next? Jesus didn't come just to save you from hell. As it is written in John 10:10, He came to show you the way that you may have life, and have it abundantly! Along the way, we'll see that it starts with an attitude of thankfulness. Choosing to be Christ-like (and it is a choice that must be made continually) is not always easy, particularly at first. In time, however, it can become almost second nature. Consistency is key. In this message, Pastor Ben guides us through Colossians 3:1-17.
April 8, 2018
In today's message, Pastor Ben sheds light on Paul's mindset while in the midst of his suffering for the Gospel. Paul accepts a God’s view perspective; He accepts that his God allowed this sovereign hardship, and even realizes that it is to serve the larger purpose of advancing the gospel. As puzzling as this may seem, his attitude towards his suffering is to rejoice!
April 1, 2018
In this Resurrection Sunday message, Pastor Ben helps us to understand that every promise of the Gospel Message hinged on the prayers of Jesus at Gethsemane just before His betrayal. We may be familiar with the evening as recounted in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, but do we really understand the significance of Jesus' prayers and what He was actually praying for?
March 25, 2018
Pastor Ben shows us the irony in the accounts of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, supported by Old Testament prophesy, and then concludes the massage with some tough questions, such as:
- Who is Jesus to you?
- What does your worship look like?
- Are you sure you are truly a disciple of Jesus?
March 18, 2018
The 18th and final installment of Pastor Ben's series, "Identity - A Study of Ephesians". In this lesson, we explore the fact that every Christian is a soldier in the midst of a war; a spiritual war between two kingdoms: Jesus' and Satan's.
March 11, 2018
We are nearing the end of "Identity - A Study of Ephesians". In this, Ben's 17th lesson in the series, we look at what our rewards in heaven may look like. The Bible teaches us repeatedly that God rewards the works of faithful believers as a way of encouraging them to persevere in holiness and faithfulness, knowing that the God who loves them sees and knows all and will reward our acts of obedience.