Element Christian Church

God’s original promises to Abraham was not based on Abraham’s specific actions in carrying out the test, but rather was based on the faith and obedience of Abraham that showed through this test.

Soren Kierkegaard “The press of busyness is like a charm. It’s power swells…it reaches out seeking always to lay hold of ever younger victims so that childhood or youth are scarcely allowed the quiet and the retirement in which the Eternal may unfold a divine growth.”

God makes promises to Abraham that he would have a son. Abraham finally gets his son, but he has another son who was born of another woman (bad decision, you can listen to audio of that message at http://goo.gl/w0oQaweek 27). Today, this distrust of God has ramifications that effect the world even unto today.

The complete picture of an intercessor is found and fulfilled in Jesus. He was God and Man, yet died in our place and rose three days later and now lives as an intercessor between us and God forever.

When God speaks, He fulfills what He says. This is a statement you hear a lot at Element, so much so that we almost take it for granted and almost always over look the very simple and yet extraordinary thought: THAT GOD ACTUALLY DOES SPEAK.

Jesus, as God, can bring hope to any situation; even Lot’s and even yours.

It’s easy to condemn the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when we read this story. Pride, injustice, sexual immorality, and violence were the ways of their people. Whether in great ways or small ways, these are not the ways of the kingdom of God. We are called to forsake the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah, both great and small, and flee to Jesus to save us from the wrath to come.

Damnation is walking our own way, but salvation is shown as OVER abundance. When the Kingdom of God TRANSFORMS our lives, in understanding of who He is by His own revelation; the abundance of His life in us should work itself out of us in abundance, truth, and grace.

Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Genesis chapter 16 contains allusions to other important passages in Genesis; by bringing the events of Hagar and Abram into the larger context of these other passages, Moses enlarges the reference of the story beyond Abram and Hagar as individuals and ties their actions to the themes of the book as a whole.

Throughout the scriptures we are constantly reminded that our faith is in a big God who saves people despite their continued indifference and sin. We are also reminded that our righteousness before God has nothing to do with ourselves and everything to do with Him.

This covenant has called us to believe in Jesus Christ. It has called us to understand that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. We are all covenant breakers, and yet Jesus trades Himself for us. 2 Corinthains 5:21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If we don’t understand Jesus, nothing in the scriptures will make sense, especially when it comes to money and our “things.” God spoke and created everything with His words; therefore, there is nothing that does not belong to Him. All things were made for His glory, to reflect His Glory, and be used for His purposes.

The Cinema. Today's modern day pulpit... telling today's story through the digital story form. We'll watch these popular movies and follow up with an expository exploration of the narrative themes and spiritual parallels of these movies.

John Piper wrote that there were Six Reasons for Jesus’ Coming: 1. to ransom many, 2. to call sinners, 3. to give sight to the morally blind, 4. to divide households, 5. to save from divine condemnation 6. to give eternal life.

Jesus constantly addressed our tendency to be over-impressed with how hard we are trying…that even in our servant-hood we would get prideful. When we truly learn to walk in grace, to understand God better, we will learn to live the call that places others above ourselves.

The Cinema. Today's modern day pulpit... telling today's story through the digital story form. We'll watch these popular movies and follow up with an expository exploration of the narrative themes and spiritual parallels of these movies.

Dallas Willard “Whatever our position in life, if our lives and works are to be of the kingdom of God, we must not have human approval as a primary or even major aim. We must lovingly allow people to think whatever they will.”

Joseph lived a life trusting and submitting to God, and when God called him and told to that he was to take care of Mary and raise Jesus he dropped everything, got his priorities in order, and simply submitted to God. As a father (or would be father one day) our main priorities are: 1) Jesus 2) Wife (or husband) 3) Children 4) Providing (work) 5) Everything else (Hobbies, friends, extended family, sports tv…the etceteras). This is mission in action.

The Cinema. Today's modern day pulpit... telling today's story through the digital story form. We'll watch these popular movies and follow up with an expository exploration of the narrative themes and spiritual parallels of these movies.