Mission Church: Teaching Podcast

We all have questions, small and big. Maybe you've grown to believe that questions are a bad thing, especially when it comes to our faith. Dan Ruta showed us today that it is quite the opposite; questions reveal your pursuit of faith, not your lack of it. So, what kind of questions are you asking? If it's something like: Is there more to life than this? Does prayer work? Why is there pain and suffering? Then we want to invite you to join Alpha! Learn more at WhyAlpha.com

We were fortunate enough to welcome Executive Director of Alpha USA, Craig Springer, to 82 Stratford Drive this morning! He taught us the importance of being a coworker of God. If we actively do this, if we let hope be renewed, if we trust in God’s provision and power and believe even when we’ve been knocked down, working alongside Him, we will see that with God all things are possible.

What are you learning in the midst of the storm? That may sound like an odd question. Usually, we’re so ready to be through the storm that we’re not being thoughtful in the storm. Today, our Co-Founding Pastor Jon Peacock showed us how God uses the unusual to accomplish the unexpected. There is something God has called us into and yet so many of us are waiting until we feel worthy, ready, or qualified. What if the storm we are in right now is preparing us for what we are called for?

Today, Dan Ruta taught us how to navigate the unexpected storms of life. Just because we follow Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t encounter storms. When it comes to unexpected storms, we need courage for the heart, not clarity for the eyes. If we allow for it to happen, unexpected storms can cause us to take our faith to new depths, having faith as our foundation and trusting God in new and greater ways.

In this series we are learning how to navigate the storms of life. Today, our Co-Founding Pastor Jon Peacock hit us with some hard truth: We create the storms of our life. The unconfessed sin in our life is affecting us more than we know. Today, we learn that by asking God to search our hearts and by listening closely to His voice, we can find our way through the storm.

Storms are an inevitable part of life. But, what we learn from them is invaluable. Today, our Co-Founding Pastor Jon Peacock showed us how true that is through the story of Daniel as he faced the blazing furnace. There was something for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, and there is something for you in the storm.

Christmas and singing go hand-in-hand. Even Buddy The Elf said, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” We read in Luke 2 and we sing in O Holy Night about the importance of our praise through worship. We are the choir and Jesus is the audience. We hope that even past this Christmas season you would lift up God's name in worship, regardless of how or where you gather.

We have a sin problem. (That's probably not exactly what you'd imagine an Advent series to be about, but stick with us for a minute.) It can be hard to come to the realization that we are all sinners, but it is a critical realization. Jon showed us today that if we minimize sin, we miss the reason for this Christmas season. Jesus is the only sin solution for us.

We all have at least one thing in our life that has value to us. Maybe it's your family, maybe it's the car you saved for, but would you ever put your soul in that category? Today, our Co-Founding Pastor Tommy Bowman showed us just how valuable our soul is. Just like anything that is valuable, there are things we need to do to safeguard it. Your soul is no exception. Your soul needs your will to be relinquished to Jesus, your mind to be renewed by Jesus, your body to be revived in Jesus, and your relationships to be restored for Jesus.

Over the past four weeks we have learned that love is compassionate, courageous, connects, and finally, love is costly. In order to love like God, with an agapē kind of love, we have to understand and be willing to love in costly ways. But here's the best part: God would never ask you to give something you don’t have. Giving and generosity are similar but not the same. Will you be generous today and love the fatherless, the trafficked and the working poor? www.befor.love

"The gospel is less about how to get into the Kingdom of heaven after you die, and more about how to live in the Kingdom of heaven before you die." - Dallas Willard God calls us to love, and if we focus on how we are called to live here on Earth, we will embody the love of Christ as much as we can through practical and spiritual ways. Love connects. Love pulls up a chair. Love extends the table. Love pours out in extravagant, almost reckless ways. That’s what BE. FOR. is all about. Because that’s who Jesus is. Learn more about BE. FOR. and donate here: https://www.befor.love/

We've all got a comfort zone. But, as we learned today, we can have compassion or we can have comfort, but we can’t have both. Through our BE. FOR. campaign, we are asking you to be compassionate toward some of the most vulnerable people in our area. The working poor, the fatherless, and the trafficked need our help. It will require courage, but if we look at the life of Jesus, we can find courage through His example. Learn more about BE. FOR. and donate at https://www.befor.love/

In every direction we look, we see difficult, complex, and challenging issues plaguing our world and communities. So, we have a choice: What is our response in the midst of a wounded world? Jesus taught us that love is not complacent, it's compassionate. That is why we are choosing to help some of the most vulnerable people in our city, the working poor, the fatherless, and the trafficked. We can’t do everything but we can do something. Be compassionate this week and make a difference in the lives that need us most. Learn more and donate at https://www.befor.love/

In 2018 we began our journey of Never The Same. Over the last two years, we experienced transformation like we never could have imagined as we built, funded, and moved into 82 Stratford Drive. We are so grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey and today we celebrated everything that God has done through Never The Same. Never the Same is done but God’s work in and through this church is not done.

Today we were blessed by a powerful message from author and speaker, Aubrey Sampson. She walked us through Psalm 23 and showed us that our good shepherd, God, is not a shepherd waiting for us to mess up so that He can beat us back into submission. Rather, He is a good shepherd that is nurturing, protective, and does not leave us.

Most of us are probably familiar with the verse, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Well, today Dan Ruta gave us some insight into the verse that actually comes before this one, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Contentment is the key, and contentment comes through Him.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4 Paul mentions joy as a noun or verb 15 times in the Bible. If we want to safeguard what matters most, Paul says, we've gotta understand joy and joy in action, which is to rejoice.

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. Do you plan to build a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” - Saint Augustine Humility is the foundation of all other virtues. Today, as we dive into Philippians 2, we learn that as God’s children, humility is a choice but not an option.

Whether it be in our marriages, relationships, or in churches, putting Jesus first leads toward deep and abiding unity regardless of circumstance. When we stop living our lives aimed at Jesus, we will leave a wake of brokenness and damage in us, around us, and behind us. Seeking Jesus first together leads to an enduring and resilient unity.

Fear has become a common part of our culture. The only way to combat that fear is to import courage, and thankfully, we can find that courage through Jesus.