Ottawa Valley Vineyard Sermons

What are we leaving for the next generation? As believers, we are called to prepare and equip the next generation of leaders, but so often we don't think about how our lives leave a legacy. Randal, a missionary in Hong Kong, shares how, in his experience, legacy-building is often an informal process that happens as younger Christians watch and interact with us. Thus, we need to be intentional about what we are teaching those around us so that we can plant and water the seeds that God will one day use to produce much fruit.

"Follow me as I follow Christ" was Paul's instruction to the Corinthians. As believers, we should be able to say the same thing to those around us. In order to be used by God, we must be like Christ, and that starts with humility Looking at the story of Joseph, Ivan gives an example from the Old Testament of what it means to have a servant heart.

In part 2 of our "Why Church?" series, Ahren talks about our mission to God. We tend (sometimes unintentionally) to build our churches around the idea of what we, as "consumers," can get out of the experience. But what if our main goal in every ministry was to bring glory to God? We often fail to realize that God desires to have us glorifying Him because it is actually the best thing He can do for us.

As members of the Church, many of us may be feeling insecurity in our current cultural context. The Church has diminished in numbers, significance, and reputation recently. There are many past hurts and current controversies that are tied to the Church. But, when we look at scripture, we see that the Church was and is God's chosen instrument to reveal himself to the world. In this week's message, Ahren reminds us that our purpose is to bring glory to God, and challenges us to consider how we can make that our central focus.

When God is in something, we can do it. Often, when God asks us to do something, the task can seem impossible. But all God asks of us is that we faithfully do what is possible for us and leave the impossible up to Him. In particular, Ivan asks us to consider this in light of the work of evangelizing and discipling, and he shares how God called him to do this in his own life.

The Great Commission tells us to "GO."(Matt. 28:16-20) However, if we're honest, we're not going very fast. The imperative to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that he has commanded, sounds incredibly challenging in a cultural context when no one wants to be taught and no-one wants to obey. That being said, the first Christians thrived in an environment like that, and we can too. As we examine the life of the early church, we'll discover that the only way to make teachable obedient disciples is to become true disciples ourselves. List any inner resistance to reaching your friend, and you'll find a discipleship issue with yourself. Will we engage in the process and let him MAKE (poieó/construct) us into "fishers of men"(Matt. 4:19)?

How do we wait well? This week, Vince talks about how to read the book of Revelation in light of our current state of waiting for Christ to return.

Ivan joins us this week to share the story of a man who became a blood donor and ended up saving millions of lives, and he invites us to reflect on our need for a different kind of blood donor to save our lives.

Where is God when we experience "storms" in our lives? Darren shares how he has been like the disciples in Mark 4:35-41, who were so troubled by their earthly situation that they missed seeing that God was in control the whole time, and how he came to experience God's perfect peace in spite of stormy seasons.

Is God enough for us to delight in Him? That is the question Ahren asks this week as he talks about finding true delight in God and how it looks to live that out.

Ruth chapter 3 tells the love story of Ruth and Boaz. While this may not be our typical kind of romance, as Ahren explains, it is a representation of our relationship with God. Like Boaz, Jesus fills the role of kinsman redeemer and we can learn from Ruth how to respond to Him accordingly.

As we celebrate Father's Day, Ahren leads us in a discussion about walking in the Spirit. Looking at Galatians 5:16-25, he talks about how this concept applies both to fathers and to all of us as a church community.

How do we navigate our place in the sovereignty of God? Ahren answers this question in a practical way through the story of Ruth and gives applicable instructions for how to live in this understanding on a daily basis.

In this first part of our journey through the book of Ruth, Ahren talks about the theme of conversion and commitment. Looking at the background of the family in the first chapter, we see the consequences of trying to fix our own problems and what true commitment to God (and others) should look like.

Addressing the idols in your life isn't always easy. This week, Ahren discusses the story of King Josiah recorded in 2 Kings 23 to reveal the wisdom with which Josiah proceeded to remove the idols from his life and how we can follow the example he set.

Diving into 2 Kings, Ahren takes us through the story of Josiah, the boy king who led the restoration of the temple and the revival of faith in Judah. Through the history of Judah and King Josiah, we see the importance of God's Word for protecting us from following idols.

In honour of Mother's Day, Ahren takes us through the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 to answer the question "What makes a great mother?" Hannah's story is a great example not just for mothers but for every individual, of how to live faithfully.

That Jesus was a real person who was crucified is commonly accepted fact. But His resurrection is much more disputed. Resident historian Vince joins us this week to look at the historical context and evidence for Jesus's resurrection and the implications of this significant event throughout history and in our lives today.

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Ahren shares with us five undisputed facts about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ acclaimed by historians and scholars. In this, we see not only strong evidence of these events, but also a sense of how our lives are to look because of them.

While the rest of our Lent series has been looking at the week leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, today Ahren is taking us backwards to Palm Sunday. Examining the significance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he asks us to consider this question: "Is the cross enough?"