Followers With Power

You can manufacture strength and organization within a team, but ultimately, you need the empowerment of the leader. Have we settled for following Jesus with little expectation of His power? Do we really believe that Jesus can exercise His authority through ordinary people like us? Pastor Oscar Roche continues the Come Follow Me series, opening Mark 3:7-19. Jesus never intended His followers merely to admire His authority. He intended for them to carry it. He wants us to be followers with power! Let's fully participate in His discipleship plan! Touch Him, do life with Him, and go in the power He has given to us.

Humans have the tendency to miss the point. They can be committed to rules and regulations that end up causing more harm than the good intentions they began with. Religion is like that too. In Jesus' day, the priests had created many laws to avoid any chance of violating the holy day. Pastor Mike Patz looks at the Sabbath, unpacking Mark 2:23-28 and 3:1-6 as we continue with the Come Follow Me series. Sabbath was to cease, to pause, to stop doing what you normally would be doing and delight in the Lord. The very law of God was always good for humans. Religion has a way of missing the point. What's on the other side of the command? Humans flourish when they're living within the true commands of God. So Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

We all have a picture in mind of how life works, a scoreboard of how success looks.As the Come Follow Me series continues, Pastor Mike Patz opens up Mark chapter 2:18-22, challenging us: don't sleep through the wedding! Be awake, the Bridegroom is alive and He rejoices over us. Does His presence thrill your soul? Have you spent your whole life trying to convince God to love you, trying to be good enough? There is really good news today: you may have left your first love for Him, but the Bridegroom has not lost His first love for you. We can know His voice! Jesus has already scored all the points needed to know Him, on the cross. He is the all in all, the Lord of lords, and it's all about Him! Our lives must be rearranged around Him. You don't add Jesus to your life; you give your life to Jesus.

What is the Gospel? Euangelion = gospel, meaning a better life has come. The Gospel should take your breath away! Let's look deeply at the Good News at work in the midst of the bad news we experience in this life. Darkness is real, but light is breaking in! Keep looking because there's more than meets the eye.As we journey through the book of Mark, a discipleship manual, Jesus says, "Come follow me." Pastor Mike Patz opens Mark chapter 1:14-15, asking, "What is the Gospel?" Is the gospel you're believing in the good advice, or the Good News?Jesus is in Galilee, bringing the Good News to the nations. We have been called into this Kingdom! Religion says: do. Try harder. Be better. Clean yourself up. Keep the rules. Make yourself acceptable. Work your way to God. Strive. There are many gospels, but the true Gospel is our God reigns! There is healing to the brokenhearted, freedom to the captives, comfort to those who mourn. The Gospel is the Good News that in Jesus, God's Kingdom has come, and because of Jesus, we can get in. Repent and believe the Gospel!

What does the Trinity have to do with the way we actually live?In the final message of our Trinity series, Pastor Mike walks through Matthew 28:16–20 and Jesus’ command to make disciples by baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Baptism is more than saying the right words—it is an invitation into a new way of life. Jesus calls us to be immersed in the life of the Father, Son, and Spirit.When we are immersed in the Father, we discover love—that we are wanted, known, adopted, and deeply loved.When we are immersed in the Son, we encounter truth—learning to live like Jesus, follow His ways, and receive His life as our own.When we are immersed in the Spirit, we encounter power—His presence, His voice, His calling, and His power working through us.True formation comes by being immersed in the life of the Father, Son, and Spirit.Love. Truth. Power.This is why the Trinity matters.

Have you ever looked around at the world and felt like Daniel did: grieved, troubled in your spirit with the headlines?  Is the chaos of the world or the true Word of God on your mind? We don't debate timeliness and dates, but we focus on what we are sure of. The Unshakable Kingdom! Pastor Oscar Roche concludes our series on the Book of Daniel, opening chapter 7.The Kingdom of our God and King shall never be destroyed! Jesus is the Ancient of Days, and has purchased an everlasting Kingdom with His death on the cross. He is seated on the throne above, ruling everything on earth with righteousness and justice. Let us remain unshakable in our faith until the end!

Have you ever done your job so well that you were persecuted because of it? Trustworthy, firm, reliable, one that's faithful, this is the description of Daniel. He stayed faithful for over 70 years through exile, a shifting culture, political changes and rulers! Unshakable faith over decades! Pastor Oscar Roche continues our series on the Book of Daniel, looking at chapter 6.Daniel's first response when he hears that the law has been changed is to go to the window to pray, "as he had always done."We tend to wait for the crisis to come before we seek the Lord. But when life starts unraveling it's not the time to finally come to the Lord. Crisis doesn't create your devotion, it's found in what you're giving yourself to daily. The ordinary rhythms are where faithfulness is cultivated. It must be formed before it can be tested. Faithfulness is not formed in the lion's den. It's formed at the window.

There's an overarching sense of anxiety in our culture today. Constant fear vies to override the truth of the scripture in many of our lives. Has God lost control?Unshakable! The pressure of the world reveals the allegiance of the heart. Pastor Matt Ulrich continues our series on The Book of Daniel. In chapters 2-4, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that terrifies him. The kingdoms of man rise and fall; they are not permanent. What looks ultimate on earth is temporary in heaven. Any kingdom without the King is destined to fall. The Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, and His name is Jesus Christ. He is in control of everything, and so we don't have to be.

Unshakable! The pressure of the world reveals the allegiance of the heart. Pastor Tim Sikpi kicks off a new series on The Book of Daniel.The purposed heart stays faithful in the fire. We can land in bad situations because of decisions we have made. We're living in a Babylon society today. It lulls us to sleep so we no longer are aware of God's presence. We must remember we are not at home! God desires to transform us by His Spirit, but this requires a choice to be yielded to Him, not the world. Our lives are not an accident, they are comprised of the little choices we make over time. Don't be double -minded in your walk. You have been chosen, set apart for God, so live up to that calling. Come our from Babylon! Pursue holiness and watch God give you a heart that is fully His.

The book of Ecclesiastes sets you up for everlasting truths; it's all about the conclusion of the matter. It exposes all the false loves of Solomon. If everything under the sun is meaningless, where do you find meaning? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Pastor Mike Patz concludes our series, What's the Point, a look at meaning, purpose, and the point behind it all. Heed the warning! Living in the fear of the Lord means recognizing and honoring His holiness, power, and great might. It means loving God with your whole being. We live in a culture of dishonor, and there is a concerning lack of awe in the world today that must be rectified. He is more magnificent than any other! Holy, holy, holy, we stand in awe of Him. Yet even in His holiness, God desires that we come close in love. Holiness and love came together in the cross for us.