Leaving Simple

God is so much more, so much greater! Sit at the feet of Jesus and say, "God, what did You create me for?"

This teaching continues to solve the mystery of unanswered prayer. This mystery can be solved by studying John 14 – 17 and the book of 1 John. Those who walk in union with Christ will have all their prayers answered.

Jesus gave us some incredible promises in John 14:13-14, 15:7, 15:16 and 16:24 that God will answer all our prayers. But how should we understand these promises? So much teaching on prayer revolves around how to pray so that our prayers are effective, and we end up with a list of techniques on how to pray so we can get things from God. Was that Jesus’ intention? (NOTE: At 231/2 minutes into this teaching, we have placed 3 seconds of silence to note the absence of about 6 minutes that are missing from the recording.)

There are many promises in the Bible that God will answer your prayers. However, there are quite likely times in your life experience when it didn’t seem like it! Why didn’t He answer? Here are four Biblical reasons.

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. We are therefore God's ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us." 1Pet 2:11, 2Cor 5:20

The first in a two-part study on what a "church" is, what "church life" is, and how the church meets. Our source for understanding church life is not the latest trends but the eternal Word of God! In particular, Acts 2:42-47 and Ephesians 4:15-16 give clear and powerful direction. Revolutionary stuff!

A verse-by-verse study of Psalm 22. Even though it looks like God has abandoned you, He has not. He is with you and will carry you through to the end. Don't give up!

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

How do we connect with God to get the strength we need? We awaken our hunger for God through prayer. When our hunger for God increases, we will be stronger in prayer.

How did Jesus respond to suffering, pressure and opportunity? His response was always the same. Always! We should respond the same way.

Powerful and effective prayer is not a ritual and it is more than positive desire. Jesus continually went to His Father - all the time pulling back and praying. This was not just because He enjoyed prayer - it was because He needed to pray. How much more do we! The measure of what's happening spiritually in our lives now is closely connected to the depth of prayer in our lives. If we will be a praying people, we will see our cities and nations impacted!

The Bible is filled with stories of the faithfulness of God. The stories of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Naaman, and Elijah are just a few of those stories. God is always faithful!

What is the one thing that brings us back to Christ? Many times it is an experience that we would not choose to have because of the pain and difficulties that come with the experience.

Worry, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'! A worry free strategy is to: 1. Read the psalms 2. Go to Jesus 3. Pray 4. Go to prayer group meetings

Jesus did not see His own life and ministry in a vacuum. He understood where His own ministry fit within the context of the previous leaders God had sent, and He recognized and honored those who had gone before Him. Jesus respected the past, honored the past and built on the past. And then, in everything He did, He prepared for the future. Next generation: honor the past. Honor your spiritual mothers and fathers. Build on what they have done. Don't disregard it. If you honor the past, you unlock the future!

A healthy church is one in which every member is functioning properly. In such a church, what are the roles of the staff? And in what ways should every member function? And, practically, what can this look like in everyone's daily life?

Real faith trusts God in the midst of the contradictions of this life. And real faith not only endures the contradictions - it thrives in the midst of the struggles and pursues the opportunities of God! Together, let's honestly reflect on the pain and struggles of the past. But we won't be overwhelmed by them. Together we will push into the opportunities that God has prepared for us in the future!

In this time of year when the hustle and bustle of the season can be overwhelming and downright distracting how are you focusing on the true meaning of Christmas? Do you have Jesus at the center? Can you even recognize Jesus for who He truly is and what He is offering? He won't be physically coming down to a manger on the other side of the world this December 25th, so how are people going to recognize Him? (Please note that there is poor quality audio with the children's video.)

God loves us with an everlasting love and He has promised to care for us. He is infinitely powerful so He's certainly able to do that. And yet we suffer in this life. This is such a contradiction! How do we understand it? We need real faith.