Northgate Christian Fellowship

Clearing away all of the religious clutter and sanctimonious double-talk of his time Jesus simplified his message with a straight-forward command: "Love God with all of your being and love your neighbor as yourself." Incredibly simple, incredibly profound, because the type of love that Jesus taught was far different and far more penetrating than what passes for love in our culture. "Simply Love", this weekend's study, continues our "Simple Faith" series looking at how nurturing our love for God enables us to more deeply love others.

As we begin a new year we always should take time to look back. But then there is always the New Year, so we need to take time to look at what we hope for in this New Year. So with looking ahead, we are starting a series called SIMPLE Faith. With all that is going on in life, wouldn’t it be nice to find something that is simple for this New Year? This Sunday: Simple Faith & Simple Focus. Let’s take a look at how Jesus took the religion of his day and made it SIMPLE.

Before stepping into a new year it's always wise to stop, reflect and take note of the lessons we've learned through our experiences of the past year. It is the best way to mark our growth and acknowledge God's goodness as we move forward. "Some Final Thoughts... - Reflections on the Year", this weekend's study, will look at what God has taught us and how we can apply those lessons to the year ahead.

The Christmas story tells of many different visitors who came to see a newborn baby. Different people with different backgrounds and different sets of expectations. But the one thing they all had in common was a desire to find what they were looking for. "What Are You Looking For?", this weekend's study, concludes our Christmas series, "Getting Christmas Right", with a look at becoming better seekers in our desire to follow God.

The central message of the Christmas story is that God, in Jesus, "became flesh and lived among us." As absurd as that might sound to some, it's the assertion of Scripture that Christ came, "that they may have life, and have it to the full." That presents us with the question, "Am I living that type of life, am I experiencing life in its fullest?" "Are You Living?", this weekend's study, continues our Christmas series, "Getting Christmas Right", with a look at the difference between life on our terms and the life that God has promised.

The Christmas Season is filled with light. White lights, colored lights, blinking and running lights decorate the homes, stores and businesses all around us. It's a great tradition that fills the darkest time of the year with joy and wonder. Jesus, we are told, came as a light to this world. And if we are paying attention to him and his teachings we can find hope, guidance and encouragement in him. "Can You See Him?", this weekend's study, continues our "Getting Christmas Right" series with a look at how the light of Christ can penetrate the darkness of our lives.

The Christmas Season is filled with tradition. There are traditional songs, traditional meals, traditional decorations. There are family traditions; "his" family's traditions and "her" family's traditions. And if we're not paying attention we can get so caught up in fulfilling all of the Christmas traditions that we can miss the message. "Are You Listening?"- this weekend's study- begins a new series for the Christmas season: "Getting Christmas Right", with a look at how God speaks to us.

On Sunday, November 25th, we'll welcome back Tom Eggum, of Hope 4 Kids International. Tom talks about current H4KI projects in Romania, Peru and Uganda.

You're going over your invitation list for Thanksgiving or any other event. As you consider those you would like to invite, what is a factor in whom you choose? Is it possible that you will invite those who have invited or will invite you to enjoyable events? This message, "Savory Feast", will probe one of the more challenging teachings of Jesus so we may learn what it means for us today. We'll discover that living as followers of Christ demands a willingness to bless others who may not be able to bless us.

When Jesus taught about the "Kingdom of God" he challenged his listeners in very big ways to represent what God intended in the Law. There are many areas of the Law that address the proper use of resources to sustain human needs. We are urged to not hoard what God has blessed us with. This week's message, "Precarious Abundance", reflects on the meaning of Jesus' words and how a few lives at Northgate have recently been impacted by putting our faith into action.

Jesus announced that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. He insisted that these were not two separate commandments but the dual expressions of one single commandment. Then he added, "all of the law and the prophets hang on this." If there is anything that we need to learn in this lifetime, it's this: Learn How To Love. "Love God, Love People", concludes our "Faith In Action" series this weekend as we learn to put into practice the loving grace of God.

Jesus once said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive.", yet we continue to live as though the opposite were true. He said, "The greatest among you will be your servant.", yet we continue to climb the ladder of ambition. Could it be we've got it all wrong? Is it possible that when we give thoughtfully and serve faithfully we will truly experience the greatest joy of all? "Celebration, The Joy Of A Job Well Done", continues our "Faith In Action" series this weekend as we look at the great delight that comes from joining in God's work.

It is sometimes overwhelming when we look at the needs around us. "The needs are so great," we think, "and I have so little to offer. What difference can I possibly make?" and because we can't do the BIG thing we end up doing NOTHING. Jesus often took small stuff and did great things with it. He fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He taught his followers to be "faithful with little." and he used the example of a mustard seed to describe how a little faith can have a huge impact. "Think Big But Start Small", continues our "Faith In Action" series as we learn how to look at how God can take what little we have to offer and use it to do great things.

We all have a lens through which we look at the world. Our "lens" influences how we see the people around us. It is colored by certain experiences, assumptions and judgments that we make on a regular basis. When Jesus looked at people he often saw them in a way that was quite different from the way others did. He always seemed to see with eyes of compassion. "Perspective, Seeing With God's Eyes", continues our "Faith In Action" series as we learn how to look at people as Jesus did so that we will better treat people as he did.

Nobody likes detours. Detours send you out of your way, they put you on an unfamiliar route, they interrupt your schedule and they always take longer than the way you'd planned to go. We don't like detours in our driving and we don't like detours in our lives. But what if life's detours had a purpose? What if we looked at life's interruptions as opportunities? What if God were using the alternate routes that our lives sometimes take to point us in the direction that he wants us to go? These are the thoughts we're going to explore in this study,"Detours, Delays and God's Direction ", as Pastor Ken begin a new four week series, "Putting Our Faith Into Action."

Choices. We make them every day and we most often opt for what we deem is "best". How do we determine what the "best" is? We go by standards we have adopted for ourselves influenced by the culture and mindset around us. As is typical when reading what God has revealed in the Bible, we are challenged about our held notions. God, very often, places a very high value on that which we would not be naturally inclined to esteem. We will hear and learn "What is Best", according to God, in Pastor Jeff's message this week.

An old Arab proverb says: "All sunshine and no rain makes a desert." It takes good times and bad times to make a mature person. Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, of success and failure, of mountain tops and valleys. If you never have any down times you'll have no depth to yourself, no maturity. Comfort; He Restores My Soul, continuing the series, Meeting God; Learning To Express Our Heart, and looks at the promise of God's presence through all the experiences of life.

"There's no place like home", Dorothy's famous line from "The Wizard Of Oz", was not about Kansas. It was about family, community and belonging. It was about her heart's desire for love, comfort and safety. We live in a world that often leaves us with a longing for something more. It's where we live, but on a very deep level we sense it's not really "home". Home -The Place We Were Meant To Live, continues the series, Meeting God; Learning To Express Our Hearts, and takes a look at how we meet with God in the community of His people.

Although we may want to stay fully connected with God, there always seem to be interruptions and distractions fighting for our attention and affection. It is like we are sitting in a boat surrounded by salt water, looking for fresh water that will quench our deepest thirst. Thirst - Satisfying My Soul's Desire, takes a look at what to do in times of spiritual dryness and continues the study in the book of Psalms, Meeting God; Learning To Express Our Hearts. After the message, Jeff and Tina Stewart share their upcoming plans for an exciting change in their service to God.

Can you remember the first time that you realized you'd done something wrong? The feelings of guilt and the remorse you may have felt from disappointing someone you respected? We've all messed up at one time or another. And we've all had to go back, apologize and make things right. But how do you reconcile with God? How do experience forgiveness and restoration in your relationship with Him? That's the subject Renewal - Create In Me A Clean Heart, continuing the study of the book of Psalms, Meeting God; Learning To Express Our Hearts.