How much faith do we actually have? Stop and think about what we say we believe. We say that we believe in a God we've never seen, that sent His only Son over two thousand years ago to die in our place for the penalty of sin and because of that, we will spend eternity in a place called heaven that no one has ever seen. And yet, when the unexpected hardships arrive we question whether God is able.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with 500, Part 1
Insufficient. Unable. Incapable. These are all words that describe how we feel as followers of Christ from time to time. We all struggle with that nagging feeling that we're just not enough for the God that we serve. Today Pastor Ricky draws out a wonderful parallel in the story of The Feeding of the 5000. The truth is we are insufficient, unable, and incapable but the God that we serve is not. He can take the little that we are and multiply us to bring Himself glory.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with a Notoriously Loose Woman, Part 3
The last time you were walking down the street and a dirty drunk homeless person thrust their empty change cup at you, do you remember your immediate response? If you're honest I'm sure you shrunk back like the rest of us have. Pastor Ricky is challenging us to consider that sin is sin, is sin. If God has made a place for us at His table by His grace, then shouldn’t we be ready and willing to do the same for others?
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with a Notoriously Loose Woman, Part 2
Stop and think about this scene. You’re at the gym and the professional bodybuilders are there lifting hundreds, upon hundreds of pounds in their workout. You’ve brought your 4-year-old with you to keep you company while you get a quick run in on the treadmill. He works his way over to the bodybuilders and climbs underneath the weight to try and lift it. While we think this is cute, it truly parallels what our response should be when we experience God's grace. Our hearts should long to do more than we’re able because of God's love for us.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with a Notoriously Loose Woman, Part 1
Have you ever thought of your works as currency or money? That scenario is pretty funny but it's so true. We do attempt to gain God's favor by doing this or that, so many times. Pastor Ricky reminds us again that God's grace is not something that we can earn, it's something that has been lavished upon us because God loves us beyond our understanding. The key is to receive God's grace and walk in the power that it provides.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with a Dirty Defector, Part 2
Jesus came to be in the midst of sinners and call them to repentance. This type of thinking is foreign to us, be in the midst of sinners? Many of us have grown a bit too comfortable lounging in the church pew each Sunday that we have forgotten that Jesus has given us a mission to share His grace with the lost and dying around us, accepting them as they are yet loving them enough to challenge them to confess, repent, and change.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with a Dirty Defector, Part 1
Grace is one of those terms in the body of Christ that has been thrown around quite a bit. Today we’ll learn that grace is far more than the simple thought of unmerited favor. While it most certainly is unmerited favor, we’ll learn that biblical grace is better described by the definition of the Greek word Charis which it is derived from, “The divine influence upon the heart especially seen in the life”. You see Jesus exhibited this kind of grace where on one hand He would break bread with anyone while on the other hand, He asked them to change.
Who Cares? - Encourage the Fainthearted, Part 2
It can be really difficult to encourage someone who has cancer, or someone who's just lost a loved one. Those are difficult situations to navigate but you are called to encourage those who are faint-hearted. Today Pastor Ricky is going to give you some practical ways that you can encourage people around you who are feeling a bit discouraged. He's going to remind us that Jesus should always be the starting point of those conversations, remembering always to point people to Him and not to ourselves.
Who Cares? - Encourage the Fainthearted, Part 1
Are you feeling discouraged today? Being discouraged isn't a sin but discouragement is a result of the sin in our world. You might feel like there isn't any hope left in the world, that there isn't any hope left in your own life but there is hope. That hope comes through Jesus. He wants to encourage you. He wants to remind you that our life here on earth is only temporary and that we have an eternal hope in Him. Today Pastor Ricky is going to remind us that our discouragement can be turned to joy.
Who Cares? - Admonish the Idle, Part 2
Our culture generally doesn't align with what the Bible teaches us. Many people in our current culture believe that supporting those around us means supporting every choice that somebody makes, whether it's a good one or a bad one. But the Bible tells us that we should call each other out as brothers and sisters in Christ. When you see your friends doing sinful or harmful things you should lovingly help them get out of that sin. Today Pastor Ricky is going to encourage you to keep your friends accountable.
Who Cares? - Admonish the Idle, Part 1
Are you sitting idle in your walk with God? The Bible's definition of idle might not be as obvious as it seems. Being idle in God's view doesn't mean sitting still and doing nothing. It also isn't a competition to see who can be the busiest or the best at what they do. You can be distracting yourself with social media, video games, or anything else. What you’re involved in should reflect what God has put in your heart. Today Pastor Ricky is going to teach us what it means to be idle in the view of God.
Who Cares? - Who Cares, Part 2
Are you using the church as a convenience store? Maybe you walk into church and you go through the motions every week. You raise your hands in worship, you go through an offering and you listen to a sermon then you go throughout your week and repeat every Sunday. There's so much more to be involved in. God wants you to be close to one another so that you can care for one another. Today Pastor Ricky will give us some practical ways that we can care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Who Cares? - Who Cares, Part 1
Have you ever felt lonely, like there's nobody that can understand the pain that you've been through? Or the hardships that you've endured, the sin that you felt burdened by for so long? Well, Jesus cares about you. He cares so much that He died on the cross so that you could be set free from sin and so that you could have an eternal relationship with Him. Today Pastor Ricky is going to encourage you that Jesus cares about you. He cared for His people throughout the Bible and He cares about you now.
Even If - Yet I Will Rejoice, Part 2
Every time that you're in the presence of the Lord, you can have a taste of what heaven is going to feel like. We can have joy in the Lord because of the hope that we have in Jesus’ return. He's going to return and save us from the corruption and sin that’s in the world. You don't have to worry about tomorrow because God is in control. Today Pastor Ricky will encourage us to rejoice in God because He's already promised us the gift of eternal life and that's something to be thankful for.
Even If - Yet I Will Rejoice, Part 1
It can be really hard to have joy in your life when everything seems to be falling apart around you. You lost your job, you lost your friends, the car is breaking down, your marriage is failing, it seems like things just can't go your way, so how do you find joy during those unfortunate circumstances? Well the Lord is the answer. He can provide joy that’s everlasting. Today Pastor Ricky is going to use the story of Habakkuk to teach us how to have joy. Habakkuk understood how to rejoice in the Lord even when his circumstances weren't perfect.
Even If - Behold, The Waymaker and Warrior, Part 2
The old prayer, “Lord, give me patience and give it now” has more truth than we would like to admit. As Pastor Ricky teaches today, learning to trust God requires a great deal of patience and waiting. We’re learning in Habakkuk that God is squarely in charge. Another word for that is sovereign. Pastor Ricky reminds us that as we acknowledge that, it requires us to let go of forcing our own path and agendas in order to see progress the way we prefer it. Trust in God always pays off.
Even If - Behold, The Waymaker and Warrior, Part 1
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a family, a company, or a club where everybody looked out purely for the best interest of each other? That sounds a little too good to be true sometimes, doesn't it? Well as Pastor Ricky teaches us today, God is always working and always including us in His victories. We never see God off doing something with disregard to what's going on back in our own lives. Somehow, God sees fit to include us and have us as co-victors with Him. That's the good news of the Gospel.
Even If - When the World Seem Unjust, Part 2
God has your best interest in mind. God's plan is for His glory and for your good. As Pastor Ricky teaches us today, God is about wholeness and restoration. The application from our scripture lesson is timely and relevant. Pastor Ricky reminds us that we might be confused with all of the bad things going on, and it seems to continue, and many seem to get away with it, so we're tempted to wonder, where is the justice? Habakkuk shows us that God is in charge. He hasn't lost control. He's not overwhelmed. He is big enough for what we're facing.
Even If - When the World Seem Unjust, Part 1
God's ways are higher than our ways. How many times have we found that to be true? As Pastor Ricky teaches us today, God uses unlikely people even an unfaithful country to bring about His plan. What can really be confusing is when justice doesn't seem to come fast enough. Pastor Ricky reminds us that even though we might feel that God isn't bringing about justice swiftly enough, or harsh enough, His ways are still higher and better than ours. We’ll understand better one day but for now, we just have to trust Him.
Even If - Living When You Don't Understand, Part 2
With every day that passes, a couple of things seem to be an option for us to take. One is that we become more confident in what we've experienced and learned in life. If we're not careful that can lead to assumptions and reliance on our own knowledge. The other thing that could happen is that we realize just how much we don't know. As Pastor Ricky teaches today, trusting in the Lord is critical on our path with Jesus, even after many years of experience. So be open to where He leads today.