I hear those chains fallin'

Are you stuck? Do you have chains wrapped around aspects of your life? Are you without hope? There is an answer, His name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus can break the chains off your life, you can hear those chains fall and the metal clank on the ground, the sound of freedom. You can have true freedom in your life. Turn to Jesus, lean on Jesus, rely on Him, trust in Him. Call on the name of Jesus, there is power in His name. We don't call him because he needs us, but because we need Him.

Where are you in your life? Are you coming up short? Are you struggling at work, in school, in your family, in your finances, in your health? Are you struggling in some other way? There is one name that can fix all of that, his name can BREAK every chain in your life. You can have true freedom and joy. 

Here are a few scriptural examples...

"For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band." - Isaiah 9:4

"On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands." Acts 12:6,7


"...and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened." Acts 16:26

Listen to the song in the video below...if that doesn't get you pumped...nothing will.

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Joseph Series Week #4 - Trapped

Looking forward to Ignite tomorrow morning as we discussed how Joseph was "Trapped," and how we can apply his actions to our daily walk.

This week we will discuss how Joseph was stuck in a hopeless situation. In a few short years he had fallen from a fortunate son to a forgotten prisoner in a foreign land. This video illustration is an example of how we can respond when our lives aren’t what we expected.

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Joseph Series Week #3 - Tested

This week we are going to discuss how Joseph was tested. 

Decisions we make under pressure reveal who we really are. When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, Joseph had to make a split-second decision. This week demonstrates that as usual, the right choice was not the easy one.

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Joseph Series Week #2 - Promoted

We are going a little out of order from how Genesis tells the story and talking about Joseph's promotion from prisoner to prince this week! 

Difficult times do not equal failure. The hardships Joseph endured prepared and strengthened him. This week will reveal that once Joseph had matured into the right man for the job, God presented the opportunity for his leadership.

 

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Joseph Series - Week 1 - Abandoned

Tomorrow morning I'll be teaching the Young Adult's Sunday School class. We will be talking about Old Testament (Or as I like to say, 1st Testament) Joseph, primarily out of Genesis 37. Joseph was abandoned by his brothers, his own flesh and blood, sold into slavery, and nearly left for dead...how can we relate to such betrayal...

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Do Visitors Feel Welcome in Your Church?

I don't want to always sound like I'm chewing church people out, I'll preface this post by saying I'm equally guilty of everything I'm going to be talking about in this post. So let's just shoot straight for a minute, which is easier; talking to a person you know and like, or a complete and total stranger? Obviously for most people that answer is the person they already know. Talking to strangers is awkward at best for most people, mix it up and make the setting a church and you've got a whole new bunch of obstacles to make the encounter even more uncomfortable... but it doesn't have to be, and it shouldn't.

A saying from my dad, "You only get one chance at a first impression," this statement is never more true than inside a church. You only get one shot to show people who you are, as a church when they visit. If they don't like it, they are moving to the next church on their list. So the first impression they get of you starts early, with the people you have greeting them when the enter the doors of your church, or as they drive their cars onto your parking lot (I'm a big fan of having parking lot attendants directing visitors to the "easy to find and close to an entrance" visitor parking). 

We talked about it today in an impromptu staff meeting, what do you say to someone if you aren't sure they are a visitor? You don't want to offend someone who's been coming for years, and don't want to ignore a possible visitor... what to do? Get creative, here is an example of an easy and friendly question, "Good morning, how are you doing etc," followed up by a, "Now, how long have you been coming here?" Either they are a visitor, or you've just connected to someone in your church you haven't connected with before. It is a Win-Win.

As a church, we cannot afford to not be friendly, especially to visitors, what kind of Jesus Christ does that convey? "We are only friendly to people we know..." ? That's not the way Jesus rolled. I encourage you to extend a warm welcome to unfamiliar faces in your church this week, whether you are on the "Greeting Team" or not. As Christians we are called to be Christ-Like, He wouldn't ignore someone, so you don't either (myself included).

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