Every year we have annual dates set on our calendar that remind us of important events in our lives. For many of us, we remember the day that we were joined with our spouse in marriage. As parents, we remember the wonderful day that God gave each of our children to us. But today Pastor Ricky will remind us of another appointment that is even more important in our lives, it’s the communion table. When we come together as a body of believers and partake, we remember what it took to save us.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with Social Rejects, Part 3
Pastor Ricky has been sharing with us just how we exist in our own personal comforts, and how we generally don't give a second thought for that person that may not get invited to many dinner parties or other social events. We tend to only think about ourselves and what makes us happy. Jesus was and is so different than us. He spent time with anyone. Today Pastor Ricky will exhort us to follow our Savior's example and step out of our own personal comfort zone so that we might be used by God for His glory.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with Social Rejects, Part 2
Today Pastor Ricky will show us a few characteristics of the divine economy and wow, it's very different from this kingdom's “get all that you can get” economy. You’ll learn that because we all battle with our sinful nature on a moment-by-moment basis, we need to be purposeful in combating the tendency to exist where it's comfortable and to only spend time with those that we enjoy spending time with. Consider spending time with someone that isn't inside your circle of friends and watch what God will do.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with Social Rejects, Part 1
You all know that person at the office or perhaps in your small group, that sort of awkward one who seems to say the most uncomfortable things at the wrong times, is that the person that you had over to play cards or watch the game this past week? Today Pastor Ricky will challenge our personal space and comfort by asking the questions, who did Jesus eat with, and who am I eating with? The answers to these questions will reveal a great deal about our spiritual maturity in Christ.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with 500, Part 3
This morning when you woke up the sun rose just like it has for thousands of years and if the Lord causes it to do so, it will rise again tomorrow. This is the God that we serve. This is the God of unlimited resources, the amazing God described throughout the Bible. Yet, we oftentimes find ourselves wondering whether this all-powerful God we serve can provide for our basic needs. As Pastor Ricky will share today, our God is more than able.
A Meal with Jesus - A Meal with 500, Part 2
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.
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.
Even If - Living When You Don't Understand, Part 1
Have you ever thought about just how powerful faith is? Not just faith as a description of being religious but the deepest meaning of faith, trust and hope. As Pastor Ricky teaches us today, faith in Jesus brings salvation, receiving that gift, it's an amazing thing. Pastor Ricky reminds us that living a life in the power of the cross is crucial. Faith doesn't just end when you start your journey with Christ. You continue living, serving, and flourishing, in and through faith every single day.