Why is this happening? When will it stop? How should I respond? These (and many others) are common questions we ask when our world gets rocked. But there is one question that clarifies all the others when we learn to ask it first.
One of the biggest dangers of times like ours is to develop the mindset that the way it is now is the way it will always be. When we think this way, we doom ourselves to live in continual survival mode. In this message, we discover a mindset that keeps us looking to something greater, no matter how things look right now.
Change is risky. Change is uncomfortable. Change is hard to control. There are several reasons we don’t like change. However, when the world changes around us, it often forces us to change things that we already knew needed changing. In this message, we look at four areas of change that God might be calling you toward during these times of change.
“I just didn’t see it coming!” We’ve all said that at one time or another. Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us, and every time it does, our stability is shaken. But the key to security is not to find ways to stabilize the world, but to center ourselves upon an unchanging God.
What would it take to satisfy you? Some claim to be satisfied with very little and others know that they "just can't get no satisfaction." The strange thing is, most of us have more than we need and yet never enough. In this message, we find out how God reshapes us so that we are only satisfied with good.
What would your life be like without Jesus' death and resurrection? Simply put, it would be lifeless. In this message, we discover that Jesus' resurrection is fully completed in your revived life.
Quick question: Are you fully and finally forgiven? Most Christians would say, "yes," but many of still carry a burden of guilt and shame. In this message, we discover how to get over the barriers that we erect that keep us from complete forgiveness.
The biggest danger in stressful seasons is that we give up and resign ourselves to whatever fate determines. In this message, Pastor Bryon explains how blessing God changes resignation into renewal.
Times of crisis have a unique way of exposing our character. In this message, Pastor Bryon shares the secret behind the difference between being in a crisis and being in crisis.
At some time, you have probably heard someone say, "Well, all we can do now is pray!" Why is it that prayer is often our last recourse instead of our first resource? In this message, we find out how regular changes everything; including you.
Every Christ-follower has a personal relationship with God through Christ, but that does not mean we have an individual relationship. Christ calls us into community with each other for His Kingdom. In this message, we discover why and how to make meeting with Christ's church a priority.
When God says He'll do something, He keeps His word. Our confidence comes not only from believing in God, but believing what He says. This means we can have confidence that when we ask for something, His answer is always, "Yes."
If we were responsible for developing the strength and perseverance needed to overcome the challenges of this life, we would be in despair. In this message, we find out that God is in the business of making dramatic changes in each and every believer, which equips us to answer experience and exercise perfect love.
We don't need the world and it's temptations to attack our faith; we do a pretty good job of it ourselves. In this message we discover that self-condemnation is the biggest enemy our confidence faces and what we can do about it.
One of the biggest hurdles we face is that obstacles to confident living keep on coming. In this message, we look at three roadblocks to our faith and find out why consistency is key to our confidence.
The clock is ticking on all of us. Every year that passes by means we are all one year closer to seeing God face-to-face. The book of 1 John was written to prepare its readers for that very moment.
Through Jesus, God sent a Jewish Messiah to a Jewish people to proclaim salvation for the entire world. Since His love extends to all, so should ours.
The paradox of the Christmas season is that we are so concerned with getting presents that we often have a hard time being present. What if we made a conscious decision to spend less, but be more sensitive to what we give and why?
The wise men instinctively knew that giving is one major way we worship. Like them, God gives us opportunities and reasons to give. Unlike them, we do not have a “baby Jesus” to give to. In this message, we find out that giving to “the least of these” is how we give to Jesus.
Not everyone approaches Christmas with joy and expectation. For some of us, Christmas is mostly a reminder of how lonely, broken, and forgotten we are. Our natural inclination is to hide and wait the season out. In this message, we look at how Christmas came to some of the most forgotten people in society, and how it turned wallowing into worship.
The hardest battle to fight is the one that rages inside us. When the wishes of our hearts do not match the will of God, we can never be at peace. In this message, we find out that the battle is won when we trade what we want for what God wants.
Contrary to popular belief, the enemy cannot read your mind, but he is a great student of human nature. He knows where our weak spots are. In this message, we find out how to defend against the enemy’s attacks.
One of the most destructive lies we believe is that our enemies are people in the here and now. But the Bible shows us that our enemies are not of this world, but in the unseen world. In this message, we discover that we only win when we address the spiritual authorities that have come against humanity.
One of the main reasons we avoid spiritual warfare is because we are not confident in our ability to win the fight. But the reality is, God uses people just like you to push back the darkness in our world. In this message, discover that you are the very thing that the enemy fears.
The good news is that God equips you with weapons to fight your spiritual battles. But these weapons are different than any other weapons we see in this world. In this message, we find out that the way we fight is as important as that we fight.
Whether you know it or not, you are in the middle of a cosmic battle. You have an enemy that is after one thing: your faith. In this message, we discover that your faith is worth fighting for.
In the final message of the Undecided series, we take a look under the hood of the most powerful and widely experienced objection to following Jesus.
Following God would be much easier if He would just show Himself. In this message, we discover that God can, and has shown himself in the most dynamic way.
One of the things that make faith difficult is that “godly” people do some the most ungodly things. In this message we address the tension that is created by unfaithful followers of the faithful God.
One of the scariest things about taking a step of faith is the idea that if you say yes to a one part you have to say yes to the whole package. That puts a lot of weight on one decision. But Jesus did not approach people like that. As a matter of fact, faith starts with one simple, no strings attached decision: To follow.
One phrase commonly used by Christians is, “that person really needs Jesus.” Too often, the motivation for that phrase is either judgement or a desire for that person to be less of a burden. Those motivations steal the power from sharing faith with others. In this message, we discover that people listen best when we let love lead.
Peter was the first to call Jesus the Messiah. He was the only person besides Jesus who has walked on water. He became the first leader of the church, and without him, we probably would not be worshipping together today. Yet, we sometimes forget that Peter’s first step began with an invite. In this message, we discover that an invite can change a life.
At the end of the game, it doesn’t matter who had more yards, who had more first-downs, or who had more sacks. All of those statistics are important, but ultimately, the only thing that matters is the ending score.
In the same way, there are many ways to measure the effectiveness of our belief systems, but if they do not lead people into the kingdom of God, we lose the game. The reason Christians need to share their faith in Christ is because salvation is not intuitive. People need to know that Jesus is the only way to enter the kingdom.
When an opposing team comes to play, the home team often tries to inspire their players by declaring that this is “Our House!”
God’s plan is so much bigger than giving us a prescription for the sin in our lives. Jesus did not come just to redeem humans, but to redeem all creation. In this message, we outline the over-arching story of God’s plan from creation, to fall, redemption, and recreation, and point out that the church is the only means by which God will accomplish His it.
Usually, the only time we consult God about money is when we are drastically short of it. Somehow, we do not see that what we are doing is asking the one we have put last in our financial picture to rescue us from financial ruin. That doesn't make sense, does it? This is why it is so important to prioritize our giving over all the other areas of our finances.
Everyone has a system for determining the most important uses for their money. For some, it is whatever is due next. For others, it is whatever they want most. But for most of us, some of our spending habits make us feel guilty, trapped, or out-of-control. In this message, we find out a way of thinking about our spending that helps us enjoy what God has given.
Every family faces the risk of being torn apart. But family is not the reason for family. God has a purpose for your family, and when you orient your household around this one reason, it makes your family stronger than ever.
There is no step-by-step manual on how to keep your home from being torn apart. Not one of us can predict the future, and many homes that look impervious to attack often suffer the worst. However, there is one practice we can institute in our homes that keep our families focused on unity.
Too often, instead of honoring Dads on Father's Day, they get reminded about how they fall short. At Engage Community Church, we believe that strong households create a culture of honor.
Shame binds the members of our homes to their sin. When we address our family members as extensions of their sin, we guarantee repeat performances. The only way to combat shame is to separate sin from our sense of self.
Envy kills relationships. As long as our eyes are focused on what God has given to others, we will never be able to see what God has given to us. In this message, find out why envy is so self-destructive to a home, and what we can do to avoid it.
THE AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON WAS LOST DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY. PLEASE VIEW MESSAGE NOTES THIS WEEK.
Every attack on your home is the result of an attack on the heart. The things we do and say cause the hurt that destroys a home, but words and behaviors are symptoms of the deeper sickness within our hearts. If we want to have a healthy home, we have to guard against attacks to the heart.
God created His children to be connected to each other in spirit and purpose. The reason we are different is so that we can all fulfill the needs of someone else in our community. When we cut ourselves off from community, we rob ourselves of God’s touch and rob the body of our own gifts.
Why would God trade His Son's life for yours? Why would Jesus sacrifice Himself? Believe it or not, the way you answer these questions has much to do with how you live your life, the choices you make, and the things you chase after. In this message you will discover how much Jesus paid, and how much you are really worth.
Have you ever looked back upon something you have done and remarked, "I don't know what came over me!" The things that come over are often the most difficult things to overcome. No one of us sails through life without challenges that are greater than our strength. In this message, Pastor Bryon reveals how the cross of Christ turns believers into overcomers.
