What kind of person does God look for when an important work needs to get done? When Saul failed to accurately represent the Lord as Israel’s first king, God chose a new servant whom others overlooked. Join us this Sunday for our second message from the era of Israel’s Kings. We will discover an often-overlooked virtue that always catches God’s attention when He looks for someone through whom He can do significant things!
"listening" Tagged Sermons
When Joseph discovered that his betrothed wife, Mary, was with child, he quickly thought of two options. Later, in a more restful posture, God revealed a third way, God’s way. God is always willing to unveil His plan to those who resist the initial impulse to act without divine knowledge. In this message, we will learn how to wait attentively for God’s guidance as we anticipate the upcoming arrival of Jesus!
He was “born a child and yet a king.” So the Sermon on the Mount is His vision for the King’s kingdom – how things look when everything goes according to His way. This vision includes an ongoing conversation between God and His people that leads to His glory and our peace. His path to divine peace, revealed in Matthew 7:7-11, is a gift for all as we head into the New Year and beyond!
We spend our lives looking all over the place for the right answers. Unfortunately, we often look in all the wrong places. God has made Lady Wisdom accessible and tangible for us. Her clarion call is often right beside us. Are you listening?
Part of the Good News of the Gospel is that the Resurrected Jesus is still actively speaking in our world today to bring about healing, deliverance and change. So, no matter what you may be going through, some kind of a trial, a painful emotional situation, a battle with sin, hurt and disappointed by God, or you’re just somehow “stuck” and can’t seem to move forward, the Lord cares and wants to meet with you and speak to you in that place.
“All the church wants is my money!” Living in a post-Christian culture has unique challenges. Loving neighbors in a society that, in many ways, is a reaction against Christianity is even more difficult. In this message you will be equipped and encouraged to love your neighbors in a way that may be more in line with Jesus’ approach than he approaches some of His followers (including us) have used in the recent past.
Jesus invites each of His followers to join Him in his mission of love to help those who are far from God find a restored relationship with their Maker. Yet, most of us disciples struggle to know how to best serve those who don’t believe or behave like us. Fortunately, Jesus models an intentional approach for loving those outside His church. In this Sunday’s message and service we discover His way and receive His help to love our neighbors well.
We all have a way we interpret and react to the suffering of ourselves and others. We must recognize and resist any temptations to resolve it for others. The truth is, only God knows why He allows the suffering of the innocent; our role as listeners is to point those who are suffering to God, Who is with the broken-hearted. Through us mourning with them and encouraging them to be emotionally authentic with God, our friends are most likely to meet the challenge, be refined, and develop a greater love of God for who He is, and not merely what He does for us. In so doing they become more like Jesus Himself, who is God’s ultimate answer for suffering.
Who did you vote for? How do you reconcile Genesis 1 and science? Should we baptize infants? Should children have cell phones? People have disagreements and genuine followers of Jesus have disagreements too. When these disagreements exist within the church should we ignore them, fight over them or seek to compromise in them? What if the way of Jesus was applied to disagreements among his followers? What if we showed the younger generation and the watching world that it is possible to love God and love others by humbly listening even in the midst of our differences?
Our world is full of hurting people waiting to be heard. Jesus’ solution is laborers—laborers who listen. What does it mean to be slow to speak? And what does it look like to be God’s laborer who truly listens?