I have three questions for you to begin today. Question 1: Have you experienced God’s forgiveness? That means you lived with guilt and shame because you knew you had sin in your life, and you couldn’t do anything to get rid of it. That guilt and shame seemed to stick to you like cement boots. They wore you out. Then you prayed and asked God to forgive you and you felt God forgive you. The cement boots were shattered. . . . Read More »
Do You Believe: The Glory of God is Inside You?
Before we jump into today, I must stop and talk about last week at MRC. It was an awesome day for our spiritual family. Both MRC and MRG were together. Both worship teams sang. During announcements, Pat shared sad news that Ray from MRG passed away while working on his house for his family. Immediately lots of guys stepped up to love Ray’s family and finish what he stared. When someone passes it’s hard because we will always . . . Read More »
The Problem With Church: People
I ask you, ‘What is the point of Church?’ That is the series we are in. I want to share 10 things about church. Then I want to talk about what makes church messy. Church can feel messy because it’s filled with, wait for it, messy people. Point 1. Church is God’s body [Ephesians 1:21-23, 1 Corinthians 12]. That means, church is God’s only strategy to offer hope, healing, and forgiveness to the local community. To prove my . . . Read More »
Who you are and how you live directly impacts what God is up to in the local church
What I am about to share with you is right out of scripture. In fact, I’m going to read the words of Jesus. And as I read what Jesus said, I want you to ask yourself, ‘What is Jesus saying to me?’ Let’s read this story. 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with . . . Read More »
I Don’t Need To Go To Church To Be a Christian
Let’s read how God views church. God raised him [Jesus] from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is . . . Read More »
I Hate Organized Religion
I want you to see how God views Church. Ready – buckle up. God raised him [Jesus] from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules . . . Read More »
What Exactly Has God Been Up To?
This series is called ‘Do I Matter?’ We are walking through a 42-day daily devotional to discover just how much we matter. The series started with the Foundation of Life: God loves you and created you on purpose. Worship: trusting God in all the areas of life. Trusting God so much, we are jump into His arms like a three-year-old on a kitchen counter jumping into his loving father’s arms. Community: healthy community is when we are in . . . Read More »
The Proof That We Are Saved By God
Have you ever given up a day and volunteered somewhere? Years ago, MRC led the Youth Impact Project. It was incredible. We helped financially struggling families prepare their kids for school. It took all year long to plan for this one event. It impacted thousands of families. It was exhausting and it was awesome. We walked away from that event feeling so tired and so fulfilled. I’ll never forget the stories of the families who we helped. Have . . . Read More »
God Wants Character Development More Than Comfort
To the men out there, have you ever been working around the house and needed a tool to help you? And if you are near the kitchen, isn’t it just easier to grab a kitchen knife or fork to help fix whatever you are fixing? What happens? We end up bending the knife or fork and we try to bend it back and put it back into the drawer. Now, I have never done this, but I heard . . . Read More »
What Does It Mean to Trust God?
Last week Sam shared a Harvard Business School study. They asked one question. Do you have a set written goals and created a plan for their attainment? Prior to graduation, it was determined that 84% of the entire class had set no goals at all. 13% of the class had set written goals but had no concrete plans. 3% of the class had both written goals and concrete plans. What was the result 10 years later? The 13% of . . . Read More »