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Many of us have scar stories. We can point to a scar, say, above our eye and recount exactly what happened on that day years ago. We can remember details, imprinted on our memories despite how long it's been since it happened.
Scar stories are one thing. But live long enough and we get other scars--often emotional scars. We tend to remember the bad, more than the good, especially when things are not going well. There's a soundtrack that runs in our mind, often played and replayed, telling us it won't get better.
Last week we celebrated the greatest comeback ever: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet while many of us love the emotion of a comeback story, when it comes to our own lives, many times it feels like the comeback won't happen like we think it should have. What do we do then? In this message from Acts 7, Pastor Skyler shares the story of Stephen, who called out the sin and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Isn't this where Stephen should be shielded by God, as the Pharisees start stoning him? If God is so good, how do things happen like this in our lives? As it turns out, Stephen knew there was a bigger story playing out--bigger than his individual life.
We love underdog stories. Whether it's a sports game or a movie, we're inspired by comeback stories. Yet in our own lives, it's easy to start believing that a comeback just is not looking possible.
On Easter morning, we introduced our new series entitled The Comeback. A key message is this: the greatest source of hope for any problem we have is Jesus. In this Easter morning message from Matthew 19, Pastor Skyler talked about the discussion between Jesus and a rich young man who thought he had it all together. It's not a story about money. Rather, it's a reminder about what is on the throne of our life. Jesus' response to His disciples is true for you today: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Please share this message with your friends and family, and join us this Sunday as we continue the series!
Is it possible for us--as individuals and as a church--to live our lives in such a way as to move the heart of God to action?
In this message from Mark 2, Pastor Skyler shares that if you are wanting to help others make a comeback, we must be aware of what Jesus is already up to. What if we shifted our perspective--from telling God in the morning what our plans are, to asking God what He's in the process of doing. We do that by being connected to God--"remaining in Him". We also have to be aware of the needs of others. We're too apt to have our eyes on ourselves. Who in your life needs you to have faith and action so they can get to Jesus? Faith is often best expressed in actions. One of the greatest ways we get to preach the gospel is how we practice it. Finally, we must remain committed to the process--to refuse to give up when things don't turn out the way we wanted. Outcomes are God's responsibility, not ours. You don't have to fully understand God in order to fully trust Him.
Join us for this replay, and please share it with your family and friends.