Risen Church Nc

A message all about discipleship: - What our motives should be as followers of Jesus - What an active, working faith looks like - How ready and willing we should be to respond to Jesus - The impact of true, pure faith A prayer for each day: God give me eyes to recognize when you pass by Give me ears to hear what you command me to do Give me feet that are swift to go wherever you send me

The world has really changed over the last 150 years or so. Nothing is more emblematic of this transformation than summertime and all that it means to most of us. What once was a time of year that only made work more grueling, now mean vacation and days of play. America introduced brand new categories to the world, through which we've come to enjoy far better standards of living than our predecessors. We've relished in this American Dream for more than a century now, but has it made us all any happier? In so many ways, we're as strung out, stressed out, and burnt out as ever before. Perhaps all the avenues that promise us everything we could ever want, only actually tease us of what they cannot truly provide us. In this message, we hear an ancient anthem of Israel which reminded the people of God of their need for true revival. While Israel was enjoying prosperity like never before, Psalm 85 pointed them to their greater, outstanding, spiritual need. This Psalm reminds us of the story of Jacob, how he on

Remember the church trend from a few decades ago that prompted the question, What Would Jesus Do? Well, we don't really ever have to wonder what Jesus would do, because the Gospels show us exactly what Jesus did. We see Him across all the lanes of life, reacting to situations similar to those that we face each and every day. He set for us an example of how to always honor God and make the most of every opportunity afforded us by God. In this message, we hear how Jesus sacrificed everything for the Kingdom of God, valuing it and its mission above all else. We see how His commitment allowed Him to see and showcase the power of God in spectacular ways. All the while, we see and hear Him call us to FOLLOW Him, so that we might experience a similar life.

Do you find that your joy, peace, and sense of worth is often effected or even controlled by other people? Do you live by the wins of this world and die by your losses? Do you thrive off things that make you feel better about yourself? Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel better/worse based on them? If your answer to any of these is yes, then your old, fallen nature is still exerting its dominance over your life. Did you know that "in Christ" you can find true, unwavering peace and acceptance? When we lean on Him for justification, we find a foundation that can withstand any and all of life's circumstances. In Christ, we are not fazed by others' opinions and aren't tempted to compare ourselves. In Him, we find the approval we desperately long for. In this message, we hear the Apostle Paul take on his critics with a stoic confidence. He shows us how we might be able to rise above this world's broken system of affirmation and judgment. We learn how to see ourselves complete in Christ and how t

Psalm 43 is a lament like none other. It's messy, raw, and reveals a heart full of conflict and confusion. In it, David confesses that he has placed his trust in the Lord, yet he hardly feels anything as a result. He identifies the Lord as his refuge, but he admits that he still feels helpless and vulnerable. In this message, we look inside David's heart and see a reflection of our own. In his honesty with God, we see how we too can bring all of our emotions to God and find a listening, interested ear. We also discover how leaning into what faith we do have, allows us to overcome the pit of our unbelief and obtain true, lasting hope.

As Paul continues to detail how the grace of God has a transforming work in every believer, he turns his attention to his critics. They had attempted to discredit his ministry, and cited his meekness and gentle nature as proof of his weakness. Paul uses this as an opportunity to boast of these "weaknesses", pointing to how Spiritual strengths stand in contrast to what this world celebrates. It's on that note that we are clued into the battle within all of us, the push and pull from our flesh against what the Spirit wants to do in and through us. In this message we discuss this internal battle and hear how the Spirit enables our nature to become like Christ's. While it's tempting to see the battle around us or with others, we must keep in mind that the real battle is within and our true prize is becoming like Jesus. If we desire God to do great things through our lives, He must first bring about this great change within our hearts.

Worship services are meant to do more than just make us emotional. They're meant to inspire us and lead us in response to God. Many of the psalms showcase the goodness of God, but also lead us in making vows and commitments to Him. In this message, we hear from Psalm 19 about how worship services aren't contained to Sundays and Sanctuaries. Nature around us is constantly praising God and reminding us of His power. Those reminders, as it turns out, are crucial for us - because we are a very forgetful people. With so many reminders, we are without excuse. Listen as we're encouraged to slow down and join along in worshipping and glorifying our great and awesome God.

How much more blessed is it to give than to receive? Well, we will never know until our lives are more defined by giving than they are receiving. That sounds simple, but it's also so striking. Most of our lives and the goals we set in this life are all about gaining, saving, taking, and having more. But if we are to take Jesus' word for it, then if we want to get the most out of this life - and prepare for the next life - than we will make our lives all about giving and serving. In this message, we hear Paul call the Corinthians beyond just small, proportional giving to a bold, radical kind of generosity. This is not a message about tithing - that's just the baseline for any believer. This message dives into two passages that should be the moral compass for every follower of Jesus and shows us how Christians are called to give, give, and give some more. And no, the goal isn't about gaining more earthly treasure, but rather it is about becoming more like Christ and setting our hearts on His Kingdom to co

Perhaps you've only ever related to God on the basis of truth. As in, it appears that God only cares about us knowing what's true and behaving for truth's sake. While for certainty, God and His Word reveal truth and what rightly honors Him, this isn't His only intention for reaching out to us... It could be argued that God is as interested in - maybe even more so - in our finding and sustaining true happiness. His Word and Will for us have our best in mind, and He longs for us live under His goodness. In this first installment in our Summer Psalms series, we look at Psalm 1 and hear David muse about where true happiness is - and isn't - found. He invites to approach God wide-eyed, expecting to find much more than this world otherwise offers us.

From the very onset, Jesus intended on His followers representing Him to the rest of the world. Just after recruiting His first disciples, He cast a vision over them as to how they might reach and impact their world. These many years later, that same vision remains over us... In this message, we hear how Jesus positioned His Church as Keepers of His Kingdom and sent us on a mission to make disciples. It's clear in His teaching that our greatest opportunities are found in the relationships we build and foster. He's given us the keys and He calls us Salt, Light, and Refuge. We must make much of our appointed time on this mission field, until His Kingdom comes.

The Bible tells many stories, from God's perspective and humanity's. From Genesis to Revelation, the overarching narrative is one about kingdoms, rising and falling. God's Kingdom has always ruled over all, with His realm spanning from the highest heaven to the depths of the earth. Since the fall, man has attempted to build its own kingdoms, set in opposition to God. While we may not realize it, all the kingdoms of this earth lead us away from the Kingdom of God. From Eden to Babel, and on down through the ages, every initiative and agenda of man has always been in rebellion against God. In this message, we discover the origin of our dissension and trace throughout the Bible the folly of the kingdoms of earth. We see how God has worked relentlessly to rescue us and reveal His higher throne to us. In conclusion, we focus on how Jesus came preaching that a greater Kingdom had opened its doors for all. Entering His Kingdom would require turning away from all other inferior kings and kingdoms, and putting

The work of Christ on the cross offers a change to the human race at our core. Our sin was placed on Him, so that His righteousness might be received by all of us. In this message, we discuss this great exchange that took place on Calvary and learn the true and full nature of our salvation. We talk about what it meant for Christ to bear our sin and what it looks like for us to embody His righteousness.

In order to take hold of our full inheritance as believers - sons and daughters of God - we must be fully awake. Ephesians 5 and 6 call us to wake up from our sleep so that we might know where exactly God is leading us and where His blessings are found. We are often exhausted and strung out, going about half-asleep, with a lack of awareness. If we are not resting in Christ, we won't be able to be fully awake to God's Will for us. Rest assured, if we are not fully awake, there is an enemy seeking to take advantage of our vulnerability. In the very areas that God wants to work the most in our lives, Satan takes aim at us. Ephesians tells us that the days are not neutral- they are evil and deceptive. Today's evil works to prevent us from arriving at tomorrow's blessing and eternity's reward. We must be fully awake to God's Will and fully aware of what's at risk.

The heart of Ephesians is God's desire for us to take hold of our true and full Spiritual Inheritance in Christ. As personal and individual based as our salvation is, Paul shows us that our full participation and experience in God's Kingdom comes through belonging to the community being built by God. In this message, we hear Paul's invitation to see ourselves as part of Christ's body, which is a deeply communal and relational experience (Ephesians 2:11-21). Then, we hear Paul pray that we would come to understand and receive the fullness of God, which is our Spiritual Inheritance (Ch. 3:14-21). Finally, we see all of this culminate with a command to walk the pathway of a true Christian and member of the Church (Ch. 4:1-6). It's in this last passage that we spend most of our time, unpacking this call towards unity with one another, our brother and sister in Christ. We discover that to take hold of our true inheritance, we will have to share and unite in a life with our fellow saints. If we aren't pursuing u

To be a follower of Jesus is to be an evangelist for Him. Every disciple is called to make disciples. We've all heard these points before, over and over again, but do we really understand how every Christian is called to spread the Good News? Should every salvation lead to evangelism? In this message, we hear Paul implore every believer to join him on mission, and we unpack why we should all seriously consider the role we play. From a look at the Gospels to discussing the different personalities we possess and the challenges they present - this is a must-listen for every Christian.

Jesus performed many miracles during His earthly ministry, exercising Heaven's power over nature, disease, and all kinds of misfortunes. Most assumed these were previews of a coming, earthly reality, however Jesus meant them as signs of something even greater... In John 6, Jesus shows us how all of these signs were tastes of the full, abundant, and spiritual life He came to give us. He called the crowds that day to follow Him with an all-consuming faith, relying on and finding in Him eternal life. In this message, we talk about the top item on God's Will for us and what is our Spiritual Inheritance as His children. No longer do we have to be incomplete or held back by sin - with a dynamic faith and God's dynamite Spirit, we can indeed come fully alive in Christ.

Capping off the trilogy of Christian Holy Days - Pentecost should be just as celebrated as Christmas and Easter. Whereas Christmas means "God With Us" and Easter proclaims "God For Us", Pentecost brings us the promise of "God Within Us". In this message, we learn about the origin story of the Church and the work that the Holy Spirit has been doing through it and within its members ever since. Just as there is one Jesus and one cross, Pentecost gave us the birth of the one and only Church. Listen and learn how the movement that began 2000 years ago continues to this day. The Church was born to be a vehicle that carried the Gospel to the world, with a focus on reliability, efficiency, and maneuverability. The mission is too great and the power within us is too sacred for us to not seek to be as closely in line with the original movement as we can be.

No matter how much of this world we obtain or what we may accomplish in this life, deep down we all fear exposure. Our flesh is terrified of coming up short one day, where and when it really counts. However, our sinful nature tries its best to sway us with remedies that are proven to be insufficient. After pleading with us to embrace our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, as mere jars of clay, the Apostle Paul continues to invite us to take full advantage of our Life in Christ. In Chapter 5, he contrasts this flesh and our glorified state to come, along with this world and the Heavens above. As he so poignantly puts it, this life is like a temporary tent in light of the permanent home God is preparing for us in Eternity. In this message, we consider the two paths we can take in this life, whether it be seeking temporary gain or eternal glory. We relish in the promise of our Eternal Home and Glorified, Resurrected Body. We also learn how if these promises are our guide, then we can indeed learn to walk by fai

To have access to something great and not take advantage of it or even to underutilize it is such a shame. We would all agree that if there's a path for us to obtain something that can be ours and should be ours, we are only shorting ourselves to not pursue it. Yet, this is exactly the case for many Christians who fail to receive the fullness of spiritual blessings which God has deeded to us. In this series, we dive into Ephesians 1 which entices every reader with a word on God's riches towards us, how He desires to lavish upon us from His abundant grace, and give us a glorious inheritance in Christ. In this introduction, we distinguish between what this inheritance is and what it is not. So often the idea of blessings and riches from God gets diluted and reduced down to earthly, material things. Is Paul's message to us really about temporary goods? Is God really trying to draw us in with treasures that will fade and waste away? We learn that He indeed has much better, spiritual blessings to give us tha

Our greatest temptation or at least our most often one is to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Since the serpent first came after humanity in Eden, we've all struggled with the allure of becoming like god, being independent and invincible. We scoff at the notion that we might rely on or trust in something more than we do God, but our actions suggest we are rather quick to shift our weight away from Him. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul invites us to understand this great temptation we face and come to terms with our nature's obsession with power and self-sufficiency and its want to embellish and evade weakness. We are and always will be jars of clay, after all. In this message, we learn how our vulnerability and fragile nature is an opportunity for us to keep our faith in Christ and an opening in our hearts so that we might increase our trust. Paul's message invites us to not resist serving the Lord out of a fear for discomfort or loss, but rather that we take the leap of faith. This passage makes it