Does Jesus Wreck Your Christmas?
The Beatitudes are eight blessings recounted in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. Each is a proverb-like proclamation, full of meaning. In this series while engaging this famous message from Jesus, we will learn what His Kingdom is really all about. We think you'll discover Jesus growing your heart and ruining your Christmas/New Year all at the same time!
** Click on the graphic to watch the video **
Look to the sky
JANUARY 27, 2013
Speaker: Rob Paterson
Have you ever noticed how much 'what someone says' and 'what others do', work together? If you speak and those around are not engaged or even listening, it doesn't much matter. If those listening actually hear, we just may have something. If those who hear begin, even just incrementally, to live differently, that is the type of thing that ignites a revolution! As we conclude our series about God's Kingdom, we are going to jump from Jesus' initial teaching to his final words. From beginning to end, Jesus' desire was to grow our hearts and wreck our lives all at the same time!
God's kingdom is here & now!
JANUARY 20, 2013
Speaker: Rob Paterson
This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here." Some people still think that heaven is something that happens after we die, but Jesus has a drastically different message. He declares that His Kingdom is something that is here and that we can participate in now!
Friendly fire & flawed thinking
JANUARY 13, 2013
Speaker: Rob Paterson
Some people feel they are persecuted quite frequently for being a follower of Jesus while others believe that we don't see much of that in our country and culture. It is important to understand what Jesus means when he talks about persecution, where it can come from, and why it is not as bad as we tend to think.
Bringing Heaven to earth
January 6, 2013
Speaker: Rob Paterson
We live in a world of sides where people want us to choose one over the other. Have you ever felt trapped, seeing both good and bad on both sides of an issue, and yet the only path people would accept is picking one and renouncing the other? The way of Jesus offers a radically different option.
jesus riding a bulldozer
december 30, 2012
Speaker: Jeff Cooper
We can probably all agree that God loves everyone. But does He 'like' us? WHO does God like? The Bible says that King David was a man after God's own heart... certainly God liked David. Yet David orchestrated a man's death to cover up his own affair with that man's wife! Yikes! This week we look at the heart. What does it take to be "pure in heart"?
sin in the periphery
christmas eve, 2012
Speaker: Rob Paterson
Even though it is ALWAYS December 25th, does Christmas seem to sneak up on anyone else? What I love are the years when Christmas taps me on the shoulder in surprise, not because I was too engrossed in the hype of the holiday, but because I was eating and drinking with people who are important to me... busy sharing the kingdom life with others!
god on the go
DECEMBER 23, 2012
Speaker: Rob Paterson
As we continue in our series "Does Jesus Wreck Your Christmas?", we are going to get an energizing double shot (Sunday and Monday) from the sermon on the mount, and learn more of what Jesus' Kingdom is really all about. Maybe all of our hearts will grow 3 sizes this weekend!
THE art of subtle wooing
DECEMBER 16, 2012
Speaker: Rob Paterson
We live in a world where the strong and powerful seem to rule the day. Those who stay with it... who are the most aggressive and able to outlast all the others, tend to win. Jesus' announcements are contrary to that and will sound strange to our ears, but when we consider this beatitude about the meek being blessed, it will ring true.
the problem with family values
DECEMBER 9, 2012
Speaker: Rob Paterson
The Christmas season is one time a year that some people love and and others detest. If you have lost a close friend or family member this can be a sad time. If you have great relationships but find yourself unable to get to them this is a lonely time. If your life is a mess, this month can feel like hell in all sorts of ways. If you can relate to any of these things, Jesus' announcement this week, in the second beatitude, is just for you!
open your mind, enter the kingdom
DecEMBER 2, 2012
Speaker: Rob Paterson
Have you ever once thought that being poor was a good thing? Have you ever wished you had less or got to relearn a difficult thing all over again? Jesus' foundational statement in his manifesto is not just that the poor are blessed, but also that God's Kingdom is theirs for the taking!
