Sermons

Ross Lehman teaches the final sermon in our series on our Core Values. Ross teaches about how 3 attitudes detract from our worship and reminds us that our passion in worship is not measured by what we see and feel; that church is a people and not a place; and that we to make God big and people small.

What's the picture of a dying church? Not one with a dilapidated building and just a few folks in the pews, but a church that has forgotten its mission. Some churches have stately buildings and beautiful pulpits, but the offering box marked missions has cobwebs on it. Jesus challenges his disciples in Acts 1:6-8 to make his mission their mission. Jesus knew it was not yet time to restore Israel to its former glory, but it was time for his disciples to go throughout the world and bear witness to him. How has God called you to reach out to your local neighborhood, reach out across ethnic lines, or even reach people in foreign lands? Not all Christians are gifted evangelists or teachers, but we are all called to be witnesses for Christ.

How will the world know that we love Jesus? By the way we love one another. Genuine love involves opening our hearts to one another. In reality, sharing life in the church is often messy and quite tiring. But Jesus calls us to "be the church," not just to "do church." A lot of people want to have the nice vibes of church, but they want to avoid any entanglements emotionally; they don't want to get scraped up or have something spilled on the persona of their nice "Sunday dress." Loving one another is a sacrificial, costly investment. It involves tears of grief and tears of joy, moments of heartache and times of laughter. But the prize of loving one another is a powerful unity and witness that others cannot resist. The world will know we are followers of Jesus by the lengths we go to love one another.