purpose
This is The Way – Devo Day 47
In the Middle of a Cultural Pivot 13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding…
This is The Way – Devo Day 40
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:1–3 (ESV) In the first chapter of this letter, Peter showed the wonder of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. Now he shifts his emphasis to show the status that Christians have as…
REBAR – What’s holding your faith together?
When we were planning this series on the basic underpinnings of the Christian faith the image of a building’s foundation came to mind. I’ve been involved with construction projects most of my life and I quickly learned that it is critical to build on a solid foundation. Most get inpatient just working on the stuff that’s below ground. Stuff that no one sees but that everything depends on. The most common foundation material is concrete. But concrete by itself is not suitable for…
Loving the Church for All It’s Worth
“Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph. 5:25-27) Clearly Jesus loves his church and so should we. A Christ-like love for the church will be expressed in practical ways. The scriptural metaphors related to…
Discerning the Call of God – Introduction
What is God’s call on my life? Most Christians have wrestled with that question and some of us multiple times. Many get frustrated and simply give up thinking it is not possible to know the mind of God. A few turn it into a mystical quest and others think they can verbally strong-arm God making him reveal it by saying the “right things.” Part of our problem is that God doesn’t always communicate it to us in a way we want or expect it. How often…
Gods at War
Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm starting 11/12 [vimeo url=”http://vimeo.com/40604746″ title=”0″ fs=”0″ portrait=”0″ autoplay=”1″] There are gods at war within each of us. They battle for the throne of our hearts, and much is at stake. This is why idolatry is the most discussed problem in the entire Bible. Behind every sin struggle that you and I have is a false god that is winning the war in our lives. Don’t give in to the myth that gods are only statues that…
What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity
Maximus, in the movie Gladiator, before his epic battle with the barbarians said, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity!” But does it really? If who I am, what I do, or who I become means nothing, how then can life have any meaning? Inevitably we all will begin asking life’s most difficult questions. One question we all ask ourselves is; is my life significant? Does it matter? Is there purpose to my life? If so, what is that…
i WONDER? – sermon series
Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Does my life matter? – 9/27 God are you there? – 10/4 Why is there evil? – 10/11 Why is life so unfair? – 10/18 Is there life after death? – 10/25 Why do I feel so alone? – 11/1 If you have wondered about these questions (and who hasn’t) and are still looking for answers, then this series of messages might be for you. If you would like a safe and respectful place…
Where the Church is the People
This month we publically launch NineSevenZero Church. We come out of the closet and announce to our community that we exist. But make no mistake this isn’t the “start” of our church, just our formal introduction. NineSevenZero Church is a new church emerging in the Grand Valley. And while this launch has us consumed for the moment, we’re not working to create an organizational entity. We believe that the church is not a building or a denomination. We believe that the…
Lessons from the Vineyard
The Grand Valley of Colorado is known agriculturally for the quality of the fruit that it’s orchards and vineyards produce. The unique sediment soil, abundant sun light, protection by the massive Mesa and Book Cliffs mountains, and the life giving flow of the Colorado River make this desert fertile and productive. Recently while walking down the rows of vines, I was reminded of the parable Jesus told his disciples in John chapter 15 and some of the faith-life lessons that come…
That the World May Know (part 2)
I love how Jesus cuts through all the pretense and “wisdom” of men and exposes the heart of the matter with powerful simplicity. When confronted by the Pharisees and the scribes, He reduced all the law and the prophets to two incredibly clear and succinct statements (Matthew 22:37–39); You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You…
A Church Rising Up Out of the Culture
One of the books that we have referenced in the formation process of NineSevenZero Church is John Burke’s, No Perfect People Allowed. There he described a type of missional church that resonated with our hearts and our intentions – A Church Rising Up Out of the Culture. “This is…not a church for a post-Christian culture, where Christians huddle up behind the fortress walls and make forays outside into the messy culture, but a church molded out of a post-Christian people ~…
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