Carolina Family Church (audio)

It seems like everybody looks for the loophole. When we make a commitment and things get difficult, our first reaction is to find a way out. This should not be the mentality of a Christian. In our passage this week, Jesus talks about the right way to think about our commitments.

It’s easy to judge others and ourselves by what we see on the outside, but that’s not how God looks at us. Our ongoing relationship with Him rises and falls based on our hearts more than our actions. In this week’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, we will hear Jesus give two powerful examples of this and discuss what He wants us to learn.

Now that Jesus has introduced new understandings for a new Kingdom, the question is, “What about the old rules?” Jesus explains the role of the Law to them then and it will help us understand how to live faithfully today.

After flipping His follower’s understanding of the world on its head, Jesus wants them to know how important it is for them to take this seriously and why they shouldn’t be afraid to live in this upside-down way. In this message, we will hear Jesus encourage us to step forward into the world with confidence.

To start the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about how to be blessed. That’s definitely something we all want. But the message He gave was the polar opposite of what most people say it means to be blessed. As we start our Solid Ground series, we will look more closely at this teaching to understand what He means.

Freedom is one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given, but if we’re not careful, it can end up killing us. How? In this message, we will talk about how to use our freedom to live instead of letting it destroy us.

It’s incredible how our appetites will drive us and cause us to make poor health decisions. More than food, our appetites will also drive what we value and pursue. If we aren’t careful, they can cause us to waste our lives away! We want to be hungry for what our Creator says will nourish and sustain us.

In a culture that celebrates greed, we shouldn’t be at all surprised we are surrounded by so much fear and frustration. There is a better way that will lead us to live this year! In this message, we will uncover what that is and how to walk with it.

Is God just or gracious, which is it? How we think about God will play a big part in whether we live in life or in death. In this message, we will discuss God’s grace and what it means for our view of justice.

Even though our culture tells us the problem is that we don’t think enough of ourselves, the true problem is quite the opposite. In this message, we discuss how pride damages our relationships and that the key to life is found in a very different mentality.

Do you ever get sick of playing a part? Pretending that you are something you’re not? Hypocrisy will eventually kill our life, joy, and faith, which explains why Jesus hated it so much. We are going to make a commitment this year to something better.

God did not save us with the intent of us just waiting out our time until we go to heaven. One of the best gifts given to us through Christmas is the direction and empowering to make a difference. In this message, we will talk about how that happens and how we can focus on it this Christmas.

The obvious “gift story” of the nativity is the Wise Men. But what if the Christmas present in their story is about a gift they receive than the ones they give? In this message, we will look at their journey and the gift God gave them.

When we examine a gift, we can learn a lot about the relationship we have with the giver. As we look closer at the present given to humanity in the Christmas account, we will learn who this gift is for and what it shows us about God’s love.

God has given so many gifts to us that often go unclaimed, unopened. And after all, a gift doesn’t do much good left unopened does it? So, throughout the course of this series, we hope to UNWRAP some of those gifts that God has just been waiting on us all to open!

In this message we wrap up all that we learned in the James message series as well as hear from people within the church as to how this has impacted them!

James started his letter by telling his readers that their trials will produce patience. He ends it by showing them how to endure when the weight feels too heavy and they are starting to crack. In this week’s message, we will find hope for when we are suffering and learn how God wants to raise us up.

If Christians need to accept that they won’t fit in with the world if they are choosing to be faithful to God, how are we supposed to endure the hardship that will naturally create? In this message, we will talk about what to focus on and how to wait patiently for the return of Christ.

Whose plans are we following? While we can be really good at developing our own plans, even ones that lead to apparent success, if they are based in human wisdom, they will be short-sighted. God offers us something better and in this message we will talk about why it’s so important to follow Him.