Faith Church Kansas - Audio Podcast

​Order of Life. God created us with three distinct parts: a spirit that must be redeemed, a soul that must be restored, and a body that must surrender. God’s plan is that our spirits become the strongest part of our three-part design and be the “command center” of who we are and what we do. Spiritual order provides a framework for living in the Tree of Life. Living in spiritual order brings with it incredible benefits, such as protection, spiritual growth, and power to overcome obstacles in our lives.

Renewing the Innocence of Life. This week, we will look at the Tree of Life and its ability to set us free from incorrect thoughts about God and ourselves. Fellowship with God results in innocence—not the other way around. As we spend more time walking with God, listening to His voice, talking to Him, obeying Him, worshipping Him, and enjoying Him, we will notice a transformation taking place, not only on the outside​ but on the inside as well. We will become transparent and unashamed before Him.

Tree of Knowledge. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil produces shame and victimization. Shame causes us to separate ourselves from God. Victimization causes us to blame others, displacing our responsibility for the condition of our lives and souls. After consuming the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve hid, but God came looking for them. God is in love with sinful man and sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue people.

The second story in the Bible describes two trees from the Garden of Eden: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Everything in our Christian lives is filtered through the idea of the two trees. We have the choice to approach our lives through one tree or the other.

High Fives and Chest Bumps. It’s hard to celebrate when you feel conflicted or like you are losing. When Jesus’ was put in the grave, His disciples felt crushed. Yet, Jesus made the ultimate comeback and He is still in the business of bringing back things that have been crushed. We celebrate​ because Jesus conquered the grave!

Unforgettable Voices. Elvis. Elmo. Mike Tyson. Ryan Seacrest. Charles Barkley. Certain voices are just iconic and unmistakable. When Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” He declared His followers would hear His voice. How can the voice of God become unmistakable to us?

Carb-loading. Every person wants to be satisfied in life. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the bread of life.” Like warm bread served before your meal, Jesus comes to satisfy our hunger and curb the appetite of sin in our life. One way Jesus fills the longing in our heart is to reveal truth through God’s Word, helping faith come alive within our lives.

WTF. There are over 1,500 texting acronyms. It’s tempting to reduce the Gospel to Christian one-liners, acronyms, ​and zingers. They may read nicely on a bumper sticker, but such things often only add to the confusion instead of bringing clarity. Jesus came to decrypt the identity of God the Father and God’s greatest desire, a personal relationship with every individual. That’s why Jesus identified Himself as the Way, Truth, and Freedom (Life) — WTF.

Lift The Shade. Is there anything more beautiful than the sun peaking over the horizon? It’s a great feeling to open the curtains and allowing light into our homes. Jesus reveals Himself as the “Light of the world.” His very presence​ eliminates darkness. When we worship, the light comes in and overcomes the darkness we find ourselves surrounded by.

Inside Job. Identity is a big deal for us humans. How many years have you spent trying to identify who you really are? How many times have you heard someone say, “I just need to find myself.” We all are on a quest for a deeply satisfying life, which often causes us to search for our purpose through external activity. Our identity isn’t shaped by our activity. In fact, your life (activity) is sourced by your identity. Your identity is shaped by your internal voice. And I believe Jesus is the best voice to shape our identity.

Level Up. Leveling up is a concept in games in which a character experiences some sort of progression that usually entails unlocking new abilities, skills, access to new items, access to a new area of the game, or as a benchmark of how far into the game a character has progressed. Life is not a video game, but God has provided us a “level up” in our spiritual walk through the person of the Holy Spirit. Walking in the Spirit helps the Fruit of the Spirit become evident in our life. In this sermon,​ we’ll explore how to walk in the Spirit.

“I just don’t have the strength for this today.” How many times have you uttered those words? Exercise, parenting, budgeting, and many other areas of life suffering because we feel a lack of strength in an area. How can we gain strength and not feel like we just shuffling through life? The answer is found in your standards.

I’d imagine you could hear (possibly feel) a giant coming from a long way off as they step toward you. Similarly, people without grace can be noticed from quite a distance. We need a grace-filled stride. Grace stabilizes our stride of faith. How can we have a stride of grace instead of the stride of giants?

When it comes to running there is an improper stride I’ve heard labeled “the unicorn.” It’s a stretched-out, over-striding that keeps someone from running at max speed—and makes you more susceptible to injury. When your foot reaches out too far in front of your knee, you're essentially "putting on the brakes" and stopping forward momentum. However, good posture helps avoid “the unicorn” effect. Proper posture matters, spiritually too. Faith is the posture we need to hit the right stride in our lives.

Stride Rite. We don’t have to struggle in a system of Spirituality that suffocates the life out of us. We can have a vibrant life of faith, with a blossoming spirituality. We will look like for your life to be aligned to the spiritual purpose God has for you?

God is able to do immeasurably more than we could image. This is the power of prayer — exponentially making an impact. Which means that God can multiply the effects of our prayers. Prayer, like a line of dominos, can have an on-going and increasing effect on what comes next. In this final message, we will explore four basic truths that immerse us in the stunning domino effect of prayer.

When it comes to prayer, we must “think long.” We must remember that prayers do not have an expiration date, and God will answer them across the span of generations. So today, we will consider how the Bible instructs us to offer prayers that will influence future decades . . . if not centuries.

Pray Hard. Today, we will next consider what it takes to pray hard. We will see that to pray hard requires two decisive actions: (1) consecrating yourself to God, and (2) taking a daring step of faith.

We serve a God who’s grandeur is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. His love for us is just as big. The more we grasp His love, the more firm our grip on faith becomes, allowing us to dream big. In this message, we will consider the “bigness” of our God, what is involved in dreaming big, and how we can pray in our communities for those brave dreams to become realities.

If you want to see God do amazing things in your life and in the life of this church, then you need to be a praying person. Prayer is powerful and something we should continually do. What would life look like if you “circled a promise from God” by consistently praying for forty days? In this sermon, we explore some of the dynamics of praying for forty days.