Being Used By God

God uses ordinary

Date: 1/29/2017
Title: Being Used By God
Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 1-4

 

 

Many of us want to be used by God for building His kingdom, but often feel unqualified for the task. We look at the Apostles and perceive them as super saints, uniquely qualified in themselves to serve Christ. We elevate them and lift them onto pedestals so high that they cease to be people, but myths of legend. Doing so, we forget their beginnings. They too struggled with insignificant beginnings and mundane occupations. The often lacked spiritual understanding, humility, faith, commitment, an power. They were not the first stringers of the religious elite, but rather those who would not have even been considered by them as part of the team. It is these twelve ordinary men that Jesus chose do do the extraordinary. Like them, God can and does use us for the building of His kingdom, not because of any innate ability on our part. Rather, He works through us because of who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and our relationship to him.

A Passion for Lost Souls

sheep without a shepherd

Date: 1/22/2017
Title: A Passion for Lost Souls
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38

 

What do you see and how do you feel when you look around at the people around you? For Jesus the answer was simple: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus saw people who were lost and in need of compassion. He saw a field ripe for a spiritual harvest, but few who would labor for it. In Matthew 9 Jesus calls his people to not only pray for more laborers, but to be willing to be those who would labor in compassion to bring people to the Shepherd they so desperately need.

Jesus Brings Our Salvation

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Date: 1/15/2017
Title: Jesus Brings Our Salvation
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 9:27-34

 

In this passage two blind men cry out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” As they come to Jesus in faith He responds by miraculously restoring their sight. Although we cannot merely spiritualize away this tremendous and marvelous miracle, this passage is a beautiful picture of what happens in salvation. We are born spiritually blind and cannot see God, but when we cry out to Jesus in faith, “Have mercy on us,” he brings us salvation and restores our sight.

How is Your Faith?

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Date: 1/8/2017
Title: How is Your Faith?
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 9:18-26

 

We all face moments of desperation in our lives that can challenge our faith. Such was the case of two individuals in Matthew chapter nine who faced immense personal pain, loss, and sickness. Yet, despite the striking differences between the two, they both reached out to Jesus in the time of need and Jesus met them there. So too does He meet us in our pain, often using these moments as a means of building our faith and declaring his glory.

The Greatest Gift Ever Given

MangerDate: 12/24/2016
Title: The Greatest Gift Ever Given
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-23

 

Christmas time is often referred to as the season of giving. It is with great joy and excitement that we wake up Christmas morning and see a bunch of wrapped gifts underneath a lit tree. No matter how great these gifts might be, they pale in comparison to the first Christmas, where God gave the greatest gift ever given: Jesus Christ.