Glendale Christian Ky

Paul opens his letter to the Galatians with a reminder: that the grace of Jesus is the only way to be saved. As many of the believers tried to grow in their faith, Paul knew they had fallen away from this core truth. The church and the world today need a similar reminder- that Jesus is the way to freedom.

Guilt is one of those feelings that can hold onto us for years, controlling how we live our lives every day. When we've done something we know is wrong, it's easiest to want to cover up and hide our mistakes. But freedom doesn't come in concealment- it comes in confession, and trusting Jesus to help us let go of our guilt.

When we go to church, or work, or school, and hear a lesson on pride, it's very easy for us to think of someone in our lives who needs to hear it. We think to ourselves, "I hope THEY are paying attention." But what happens when WE are the ones who need to hear the message? And how does the Bible say to deal with pride?

In John 13, Jesus set an example of service for all of his followers: he washed his disciples' feet. This moment was hugely significant in the story of grace, both historically and spiritually. As we look at this story, we also ask ourselves the question, "How does Jesus' example lead us to live our lives?"

Fear is an inevitable part of the human experience - because we can dream and look to the future, we can also be afraid. Jesus addressed the fear of his disciples many times, and his message was always the same - "Fear not." Fear tries to hold us back from moving forward, but Jesus' message of "fear not" changed the world.

In this stand-alone message, Mike Bell walks us through 2 Timothy 3, a chapter that he considers to be a sort of "last will and testament" for the apostle Paul to his disciple, Timothy. How is the church to move forward, and face the coming days? Paul gives Timothy his thoughts.

The goal of discipleship is not just to follow Jesus for a moment, but for a lifetime. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we read a message to new believers who have begun to struggle in their faith. The message? Stay focused on Jesus. Discipline will ultimately lead to righteousness.

Making disciples doesn't happen by accident- it happens when followers of Jesus intentionally reach out to others. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, telling them to reach every nation with the gospel. Today, we have the same calling: to reach the world with the hope of Jesus!

In John 15, Jesus refers to himself as "the true vine," and says that we are the branches. What does Jesus mean when he says this? What impact should this have on our lives? It means that our growth is meant to come from our direct connection to Jesus, our savior and friend.

One big question that many Christians and non-Christians alike have is, how do we hear from God? If we want to grow closer to Jesus, it's important that we follow him- so how do we do that? The first big clue that God gives us in searching for answers is His word- the Bible.

Once the walls had been completed, Nehemiah knew that the Israelites had won the battle, but not the war. For the Israelites to truly live as God's people, their spiritual growth had to be sustained, encouraged, and protected. The final chapters of Nehemiah show us the importance of putting our faith in God, not in ourselves or other people.

In Nehemiah 8, once the people of Israel had finished rebuilding the walls of the city, they gathered to read God's word. This was a reminder to the people of their identity- they were GOD's people. We as the church gather each week to study the word of God for the same reminder- that we are God's people!

In the beginning of Nehemiah 3, we read that each family in Jerusalem worked alongside one another on the wall. The importance of working as a team to build God's Kingdom is not lost on the church today. We have a calling to join together in ministry, and to set aside ourselves for the sake of serving others- together!

When Nehemiah heard Jerusalem was in ruins, he knew he had to meet a big, hairy, audacious goal: rebuilding the city. This meant he had to first approach his boss, and ask him for the resources and time to meet this goal. But even more importantly, he had to step out in faith, and know that God would help him on his journey.

When Nehemiah first learned of the destruction in Jerusalem, he wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. Each of these actions worked to prepare him for his calling: to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. When we face a challenges, are we willing to commit to prayer and fasting, in order to hear from God as He tells us what to do?

As we close out our "Big Church" series, we are reminded of the words we read at the beginning: BE BOLD. In the last verses of Acts 28, we see the apostle Paul boldly proclaiming the gospel to all who would listen, even to his death. So our final question in this series is this: are we willing to stand up and be not just a big church, but a BOLD church?

In his letter Galatians, the apostle Paul writes about the difference between living for the flesh and living for the Spirit. It's important we understand that living by faith through the Holy Spirit is what sets the church apart from the world. So what does it mean to live by the Spirit? And how does that affect us as a part of God's big church? Let's find out.

As we continue looking at the first church in Acts, we see the rise of a dangerous trend- the church's first big drift. The members of the church disagreed on how new Christians should live, and began drifting away from the gospel of grace. As we look back on this drift, we can learn how the church can continue to grow today, and avoid drifting from grace.

In Acts 8 & 9, we see the church face its first true persecution, specifically at the hands of a man named Saul. Yet, even in the midst of this persecution, believers still continued to share the truth of Jesus with others. And as we learn later, the persecutor Saul would become Paul- one of the greatest writers in the Bible.

Last week, we talked about the importance of being a church that prays for boldness. This week, we move forward to Acts 9, and talk about what being a bold church actually looks like. If we're going to pray for and believe that God will give us opportunities to be bold, how can we make the most of them?