There is wonder this time of year especially when it comes to wondering what's inside those wrapped gifts. In this new series Father Christmas, Jeremy discusses the significance of recognizing our spiritual gifts, using them and what the three gifts the infant Jesus received means to us.
So often people will give their lives to Christ only to weeks, months or even years later doubt their salvation. Everything seems to be in place except the feeling of being saved. Today we take a look at the marvelous grace of God and the overwhelming magnitude of our salvation.
To live the type of generous life God requires of us means staying connected to the vine. In this sermon on bearing fruit our "grove" is the most important thing to maintain. Simply put, we cannot do it well apart from the gardener.
Potential is never really used positively. It generally is used to explain the failures of someone with promise. The shame and guilt that accompany that are self defeating, but perhaps it's not that you don't care enough, but that you care too much to reach your full God created potential.
Wouldn't you love to have the word "Flourishing" to describe your life? What if you knew that was God's intention? Today, we look at exactly that, but not as your might think about flourishing. This was the essence of Jesus and should be of ourselves as well.
Perspective is everything. Regardless of how much we think we know, there is sometimes beauty and freedom with "not knowing". The Churches of Christ have had an interesting history in relation to the Holy Spirit. At the origins of our movement the Holy Spirit was welcomed, but after a while the Holy Spirit became defined and regulated as something of the past and only usable to us in the sense of the Bible only. In the lesson today, Jeremy discusses that Giving It Your All, is being ok with the uncertainty of God leading us through His Spirit.
It's often been said by someone who owns a boat, "It's like throwing money into a hole". Strangely, when it comes to giving, many Christians feel like their weekly offering is also "thrown into a hole". Where does it go? Too many churches exist with zero accountability. Too many churches create a sense of uneasiness when it comes to how they use the offering. In today's message, Jeremy addresses just where it is your money goes at Gateway... and we think you'll be happy about it.
We all know our way around the tithing argument. Don't we? Truth be told, for seasoned churchgoers we have heard the same teachings for years. In this lesson entitled "Tithe Fatigue" Jeremy discusses the personalities behind giving that most of us struggle to admit.
It's a fast paced world we live in. So fast in fact that perhaps the one thing God desires most gets cut from our list of daily rituals. Most frustrated Christians will occasionally wonder out of frustration whether or not they are "doing enough". In this new sermon entitled "What does God want from me?", Jeremy lays out the most important expectation God has placed upon his creation and how we often get in the way of giving God what He wants and what we so desperately need.