The Reality of the Resurrection
How does the Resurrection of Jesus impact your life? As we start our series, Fully Alive, we explore how to find life in the one who conquered the grave. This 4 part series zooms into one central passage of scripture: 1 Corinthians 15. This is the clearest and most concise theology that Paul gives to impact of the resurrection of Christ, both now and forever. In the first 11 verses, we see the purpose, the proof, and the power of the gospel message. God wants you to find life in him. That only comes by being fully alive in the one who conquered death.
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Hope in Suffering
Suffering is a part of life. It is easy to grow weary when hardships are all around you. Yet, hope is the anchor in the midst of suffering. Where do you find hope in the hardships of life? When we walk with Christ, we have a living hope, a proven hope, as we are called to have an active hope. No matter the trial, Christ can take hardships and make them pathways of holiness as we hold onto hope in Him alone.
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Selah
As we close out our Worldview series, let's pause and reflect on what God has done and rejoice in what we trust he will continue to do. In this message, we pray through our three main worldview questions (What does the Bible say? How do we respond in humility? How do I love as an ambassador of Christ?). As we do, we posture our hearts before God to take next faithful steps in not just seeing the world but loving the world.
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Money and Possessions
Maybe more than anything, money and possessions reveal your heart. The world, flesh, and even the Christian culture pull us into believing that more earthly wealth or material goods will satisfy us. God is in the business of creating dependence and can use money and possessions to convict us to where we truly find our hope, joy, and dependency. Money and possessions are not evil. They are simply a tool that can be used to make much of you or much of God and the advancement of the gospel. The choice is yours. So let's take a step in growing in our ability to steward what God has given us.
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Perspective on Politics
What is the right perspective on politics? It's easy to forget a biblical lens when viewing politics when everything today is drenched in a political perspective. As believers, we must remember that God is sovereign, we have one king (though we live in two kingdoms), God created government to promote good and restrain evil, the government, church, and family have distinct roles, and the enemy would love nothing more than for Christians to put their trust in government and not God. When we have this perspective, we can examine our own hearts but also engage well with others. So when it comes to politics, let's pray, learn, vote, engage, and ultimately trust that God's got this.
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The Meaning of Marriage
Culture is downstream from the family. So goes marriages, so goes families, so goes communities, so goes cultures. God has designed marriages to be a firm foundation that leads to flourishing. When we continually confess and repent of our sins, forgive, and celebrate one another, we are able to walk in the fulness of what marriage was meant to be.
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Manhood and Womanhood
God made man and woman united in their humanity, equal in their dignity, and yet distinct in their sexes. The design is beautiful. The definition is simple. This makes the distortion of manhood and womanhood all the more devastating. Jesus has come to redeem everything, including biblical manhood and womanhood. Let's embrace, celebrate, and model God's design as he restores the beauty of manhood and womanhood in our lives and our culture.
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Partiality and Racism
How do you see groups of people? We have a tendency to group people based on externals and then assign stereotypes and value. This is the sin of partiality. Partiality is a rebellion against God. As Christians, we are called not to show preference based on externals but to serve people since they are made in God's image. God is creating a new family of God with people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, classes, and cultures. As we mimic God in reaching all people, the church becomes the beautiful mosaic it was meant to be.
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The Dignity of Life
As we continue our worldview series, we unpack our first topic: the dignity of life. We all have a tendency to see others through our own lens. When we see others through the lens of the world, we tend to value people based on what they can do for us. People then become a problem to solve, a point to validate your worldview or a pathway to your own self-advancement. But when we see people through the lens of God's word, we see people, not made in our image, but in the image of God. This means that they have dignity, value, and worth. When we begin to see people through the lens of Christ, we can love people in the name of Christ.
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Loving the World
Cultural topics come and go. With all the various issues that can capture the cultural conversation, we need a consistent lens to see any and all topics. As we continue our worldview series, we look at three questions to ask any issue of the day: (1) What does the Bible say about it? (2) How do I respond in humility? (3) How do we love others as ambassadors of Christ? With these three questions, we can not only see the world clearly but love the world as Christ does.
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Seeing the World
How you see the world impacts what you think, feel, and ultimately do. The lens of the world is a denial of God that leads to a destructive life. The lens of the word is a trust in God that leads to a transformed life. God wants you to see himself, yourself, others, and the world around you in a way that brings life. Only when we see Him rightly can we see the world rightly. By the grace of God, he has given us eyes to see. So let's seek truth, speak truth, and love others well in the name of Christ.
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Celebrating One Year
WAY TO GO! What a year it has been. This time last year, we launched into independence with a new name and identity for this unique opportunity. As we celebrate where we have been, God calls us to excel still more in the days ahead. God has done amazing things, but he is not done telling stories because he is not done transforming lives. Here at CityBridge, we believe the best is still to come!
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Resolutions for Life
Tis the season for resolutions! This is the time each year where many people pause, evaluate their life and reset for what is next. However great a resolution can be, most are too small and too short-sighted. God wants something more significant for you. In this message, we see five resolutions for life founded in Scripture. These are not goals to achieve but guidelines to live by. What we do today is who we are becoming tomorrow. So let's stop our silly self-improvement project and surrender to what God has for us in Christ. Let's kick this year off right!
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Christmas Eve: Did You Know?
Have you ever wondered what the first Christmas was like for Mary? What must she have thought, felt, known about the coming savior that was in her womb? As we think what Mary thought, we are brought into the joy and wonder of God becoming man. So let us magnify Jesus by looking at the first Christmas through the lens of Mary.
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Jesus and the Resurrection
Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin. He rose to show us the check cleared. In John 20-21, Jesus encounters four different people after his resurrection. These people are meant to be reflections of all of us. Some are in pain. Some are in doubt. Some are in fear. Some have given up on God; others have given up on themselves. But Jesus returns for them all. Jesus showed his power through his resurrection. Jesus showed his love through returning for you. You have been saved to see Jesus, to be sent out for Jesus, to be secure in Jesus, and shepherd the flock of Jesus. The Gospel of John is over, but the story of Jesus has just begun. Let's fill the world with the stories of Jesus.
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Jesus and the Cross
The cross shows us the heart of God. Like a diamond from various sides, the more we behold Jesus and the cross, the more beauty we see. The central message from God to you, from Christmas to the cross, is that you are loved. The cross informs our hearts to see that, no matter the season, Jesus changes everything.
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Jesus and the Trial
What type of King is Jesus? He is a willing sufferer, calm under persecution, forgives and transforms, and is after human hearts, not human kingdoms. He is the rightful king who has come to lay down his life. Let us marvel at Jesus as we encounter Jesus at his trial.
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Jesus and the Father
How is your prayer life? In John 17, we see a window into the prayer life of Jesus. He prays for the glory of God, his inner circle, the church, and the world. As we marvel at Jesus praying for us in this way, he serves as a model for how we are to pray. Let's grow our dependence on God as we grow in our dedication to prayer.
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Jesus and the Road Ahead
Persecution is a promise from Jesus. Like a good coach, Jesus prepares his disciples for the road ahead. As they love others, the world will hate them. As they look like Christ, the world will cancel them. Yet, Jesus is not concerned. He is calm and confident because he knows that his words and the Spirit of God will give his disciples comfort and courage. As we cling to Christ, we can have confidence in a culture bent against Christ.
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Jesus and the Disciples
Jesus wants more than an hour of your weekend or a quick devotional time in the morning. He wants all of you, every moment of every day. He desires constant communion with you. Jesus calls this abiding. To abide means to rest and remain in God's goodness, gospel, and grace. When you abide in Christ, he prunes your heart so that more fruit can be grown in and through you. He wants all of you and for all of you to become all you were meant to be.
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