Character that pleases God
Posted by acgosser on January 17, 2010
Associate Pastor Ron Barber’s sermon from Sunday January 17th, 2010: Character that pleases God.
The Great Exchange: Security for Love
Posted by acgosser on January 10, 2010
Pastor Jeff’s sermon series The Great Exchange, from January 10, 2010.
The Great Exchange| Week 2
Posted by acgosser on January 3, 2010
Pastor Jeff Rollison’s sermon series The Great Exchange, Sunday January 3, 2010
in the word | week of Jan. 3rd
Posted by acgosser on
Day 1: Read I John 4:7.
Many people spend their lives, as the song goes, “Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places.” So, how do we find real, lasting love? Love comes from God. In your journal list some ways people search for love in this world. Include your thoughts about how those sources of love may be lacking in true love. Pray asking God to teach you how to love others like He loves you.
Day 2: Read Matthew 22:37-39.
Many people think that God is only interested in rules. But God is all about love. Jesus, God the Son, reminds us of the most important “rule.” Meditate on Jesus’ instructions on how you are to love God. Ask God to search your heart, soul, and mind. Listen as He prompts you to respond in love to Him. Commit to obeying Him as He guides you in your meditation.
Day 3: Read Matthew 22:37-39.
Meditate today on Jesus’ instructions on how you are to love others. Ask God to heart, soul, and mind. Ask God to search your actions and words as well. Are there any areas in which you feel powerless to love others? Re-read I John 4:7. Pray and ask God to give you the love that you need to express toward others.
Day 4: Read 1 John 4:7-10.
Anything you have done that is not loving separates you from a loving God. You don’t have to murder or commit armed robbery to “sin.” Sin is simply breaking God’s commandment to fully love Him and others. His only Son Jesus Christ died and rose again to “atone” for your unloving behavior. Atone means to make “at-one.” When you confess your lack of love (sin) and believe that Christ died and arose for your sin, you are forgiven and are “at one” with God and His love. Talk to God about your response to this passage.
Day 5: Read 1 John 4:11-12.
Re-read today’s scripture as follows: “Dear friend, since God so loved me, I also ought to love others. No one has ever seen God; but if I love others, God lives in me and His love is made complete in me.” What a wonder? You live out God’s love to others. Do others see God in the way that you relate to them? Spend some time today reflecting on any recent experiences that God brings to your mind. Are there any words or actions that He would like to make holy in you?
Day 6: Read I John 4:11-12.
We get to know God and His love better through reading His love letter (the Bible), talking to Him (prayer), and being with those who also love Him (the church). The better we know God, the easier it is for us to obey His commandment to love Him and others. Re-read all of this week’s scriptures and spend some time praying and journaling as God speaks to your heart, soul, and mind.
The Great Exchange; Week 1
Posted by acgosser on December 27, 2009
The first week of Pastor Rollison’s three-part sermon series, The Great Exchange: Power for Humility.
in the word | week of Dec. 20th
Posted by sdouglas on December 22, 2009
Day 1: Read 2 Corinthians 9:15 & Matthew 1:20-21
Sit quietly and clear your mind of all of the things you’ve yet to do to prepare for Christmas. Say 2 Corinthians 9:15 aloud several times. Determine today that your relationship with the Lord will take priority over EVERYTHING else. Take time to think of how you have typically prioritized your life. What changes need to take place so that the Lord is always first place?
Day 2: Read Romans 6:22-23
After reading these verses several times, write them in your own words. This Good News says that you are free from the penalty of sin because of Jesus. What benefits do you receive? Praise God for his indescribable gift! Journal your thoughts.
Day 3: Read Romans 6:11-14
More Good News! You do not have to sin. Offer yourself to God! What does this look like in your everyday life? How will you “reign in your mortal body”? Scripture says that we have a choice. Journal your thoughts.
Day 4: Read Romans 6:6-7
If you have a relationship with Jesus, then the “old self was crucified with him” which means you have a new self. What do you hope this new self will be like next year? What does the Lord want you to do with this new self? What will your priorities be? Journal your thoughts.
Day 5: Read 2 Corinthians 9:1-14
After reading the Scripture several times, create two columns in your journal. Title one How I Respond and the other Why I Respond. List under each one what you found in the Scripture. End your time with a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for giving the Indescribable Gift.
Day 6: Read Philippians 2:1-11 in The Message
This Scripture gives us examples of many ways to keep our priorities in focus. As you read, make a list of the practical ways to show glory to God in our everyday lives. Merry Christmas!
The Indescribable Gift: Your Response
Posted by acgosser on December 20, 2009
December 20, 2009. Pastor Jeff Rollison’s second message in the series, “Unwrapping Christmas.”
EXTREME PERU!
Posted by acgosser on December 14, 2009
TCN is partnering with Extreme Nazarene Ministries to help support Extreme’s vision of planting 120 new churches in Peruvian communities that are either underserved by the gospel or have no gospel presence at all.
OUR COMMITMENT is to raise $7500 in order to plant a church in the jungle community of Campoverde, Peru. On DECEMBER 20th we will receive an offering as our Christmas gift with the goal of raising the remaining funds. This is achievable! Please consider joining pastor Jeff and Kim by giving $100 this Christmas to help spread the love of Jesus around the world.
Our community adoption will provide for:
• Compassionate Outreach (Hum./Dev. Aid)
• Bibles
• Praise and Worship materials
• Pastoral study books and materials
• Discipleship materials
• Local missionary transportation
Communities in Pucallpa – Campo Verde from Extreme Nazarene Ministries on Vimeo.
in the word | week of Dec. 14, 2009
Posted by acgosser on
Day 1: Read Luke 2:1-5
This was no speedy ride to the hospital for their baby’s birth. Mary and Joseph traveled about one hundred miles across rough terrain during Mary’s final stages of pregnancy. So many questions must have been going through their minds: Mary’s condition, separation from their families, housing in Bethlehem, safety while traveling… What lies ahead for them? Journal your thoughts.
Day 2: Read Luke 2:6-18
Glory to God in the highest! A savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord! Yet, he is born in a stable, placed in a feeding trough to sleep, and wrapped in strips of cloth for warmth. His first visitors were ordinary shepherds. Christ comes to all, even to you! Do not be afraid. The Good News is for all people. Receive him and be full of joy. Receive him!
Day 3: Read Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 2:21
What’s in a name? Do you know the meaning of your name? Look it up here. How did Jesus get his name? The angel told Joseph to give the baby the name Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins.” Immanuel, “God with us.” What do these names mean for you personally? Journal your response.
Day 4: Read Luke 2:22-24
In obedience to the law of the Lord, Joseph and Mary consecrated Jesus to the Lord. Consecrated means to “dedicate” or “devote.” If you have ever dedicated a child or children to the Lord, reflect upon that event. What did it mean to you at that time? Perhaps, events have occurred since that occasion that you never imagined. Consider how Joseph and Mary might have responded to events that occurred later in Jesus’ lifetime. Write you reflections down in your journal.
Day 5: Read Luke 2:25-38
The child’s parents marveled at what was said to them. Imagine what they must have thought and felt in response to Simeon’s and Anna’s words… God, why did you choose me to parent this child? I am unworthy. The enormity of the responsibility and privilege to raise God’s own son! And the piercing of their very souls, the depth of their love as well as the anguish they would suffer over the course of his sufferings. Journal your thoughts.
Day 6: Read Luke 2:39-40
Joseph and Mary did everything required by the law of the Lord. Most of all, they loved their son! Their child, God’s child, grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and grace. In what ways did Jesus grow strong? In what ways was wisdom and grace evident in Jesus’ life? You have the same resources available to you that Jesus had; God himself can make you strong and fill you with wisdom and grace. Consecrate yourself to God, obey his laws, and ask him to make you strong, to fill you with wisdom, and to fill you with his grace.
in the word | week of Dec. 7th 2009
Posted by acgosser on December 7, 2009
We are in the second week of celebrating Advent, which is the four week period before Christmas. The Church celebrates the first coming of Christ and anticipates his second coming. The word “advent,” means “coming” or “arrival.” The season of Advent is focused on the “coming” of Jesus as Messiah.
The focus of the second week of Advent is PEACE. The New International Version of the Bible defines peace as “state of calm; freedom from strife or discord; harmony in personal relationships.” Using the concordance in the back of your Bible or www.biblegateway.com, search for Scriptures with the word peace. Throughout this week, read these Scriptures and examine how you live your life. Is your life one that is calm, free from strife? Do you have harmony in your personal relationships?
For 15 minutes each day, sit quietly by yourself. Without music, TV, or others talking with you, ask the Lord to show you the wisdom in the Scriptures and how you can apply it to your everyday ordinary life. Daily write your thoughts in your journal.
You can use the Scriptures below to start you on your quest:
John 14:27
John 16:33
Philippians 4:7
Colossians 3:15
During the week, talk with others what you are learning from the Word of God and how you are applying it to your life. Continue to unwrap Christmas!
