This Weekend's Message: Unexpected

Unexpected
John 12:12-16

One time, when I was starting a new job, the person doing my orientation showed me a chart called “Expectations vs. Reality.” The chart was meant to demonstrate that I would have certain high expectations of my new place of employment, and that I needed to temper those expectations so that I did not end up being disappointed by reality. This is an important concept because it can be very difficult for us when our expectations are not met by others. We can feel cheated because most of us believe that our expectations are perfectly normal. We think others must be deficient if they are not meeting them.

What happens when God doesn’t meet your expectations of him? How do you deal with the confusion and disappointment that occurs when God acts in a way that is completely unexpected?

Dan Franklin

So What?

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching

Easter: Who cares? It sounds dangerous to say, right? It sounds sacrilegious. But let’s feel free to be honest and go ahead and say it. Easter is coming. So what?

Every year, Easter rolls around. And every year, churches all over the world celebrate by talking about the resurrection of Jesus. The Bible teaches, and history confirms, that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday after being crucified on Friday. Churches celebrate this through songs, through sermons, through dramas, and sometimes through sunrise services. 2012 will be no exception to this trend. Millions of people will
gather because of the resurrection of Jesus.

For many of us, though, the response to the resurrection of Jesus is a question: So what? This is a completely legitimate question for both Christians and non-Christians. Easter celebrates a historical event that took place almost 2,000 years ago. So what?

Most of us don’t spend most of our waking moments thinking about things like the Civil War or Pearl Harbor, let alone the Magna Carta or the Fall of Rome. These events have little connection to our everyday lives. They happened. That’s wonderful. So what?

Most of our time is spent thinking about how we’re going to make our mortgage payments, or how we’re going to raise successful children, or how we’re going to work through issues in our relationships, or how we’re going to find a way to live a meaningful life. Why celebrate a 2,000 year-old event when our minds are filled with much more pressing matters?

This Easter, at Life Bible Fellowship Church, we will look to answer this question. Why does the resurrection of Jesus have significance to your life today? Why should Holy Week (including Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday) have special significance for you? And, more importantly, how should the news about Jesus’ resurrection impact your life beyond the annual Easter celebration?

This significance of Easter is for everyone. It is for you. It is for the non-Christian who is searching for the significance of the holiday and looking for answers on what it has to with life today. It is for the Christian who is struggling to center his or her life on Jesus, and wondering what this looks like on a daily basis. It is for the Christian who is walking with Jesus day by day, and can’t wait to celebrate the good news of Easter.

On Easter this year, don’t come to church simply to fulfill or requirement or a tradition. Come for answers. Specifically come for an answer to the question, “So what?”

This year at Life Bible Fellowship Church. We will have four identical one-hour services on Sunday, April 8, at 7:30, 8:45, 10, and 11:15 a.m., in addition to other Easter events. Find out more about the Easter week services at LBF here.

This Weekend's Message: Liberator

Liberator
Colossians 2:16-23

“If you listen to every word I say, and if you obey everything I tell you, and if you devote yourself completely to me, then you will be...free?” This scenario doesn’t seem possible. It seems like a contradiction in terms. Many people avoid Jesus because they want to be free from having someone else run their lives. How can freedom come from bowing the knee to someone? Yet this is exactly what Jesus tells us. He tells us that we will only be free if we deny ourselves and commit ourselves completely to him.

This week, come and hear how the Apostle Paul can claim that Jesus, to whom we all are supposed to bow the knee, is actually The Great Liberator.

Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: Champion

Champion
Colossians 2:11-15

"I'll make it up to you." How many times have you used this phrase? When do you use it? Probably when you've messed up in some way and someone else has either had to forgive you or pick up the slack for your shortcomings. Most of the times that we use this phrase, we probably have good intentions, but the mentality behind this phrase can be both arrogant and enslaving. The big question is this: What happens when we say, "I'll make it up to you" to God?

Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: Home Base

Home Base
Colossians 2:6-10
When I go to Disneyland, I am deeply grateful for the occasional posted sign with a giant “You Are Here” dot. Without those, I would be constantly lost. Those signs allow me to get my orientation. Otherwise I would wander around and become frustrated as I tried to reach my destination. Having a proper orientation for life is very important. As this Sunday approaches the question is, “How is your orientation?”

Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: Know It All

Know It All
Colossians 2:1-5

Ever searched for an answer to a question, only to feel more confused by what you found? Have you ever felt like everyone else has the answer but you? Our culture is filled with books, products, and people who say that they got the answers you need to your questions. There is always someone saying that they got the answer that you are searching for if you read a particular book, listen to the right person, and buy the right product. This weekend come searching for an answer! We are continuing our series in Colossians as we discover more of how Jesus is the X Factor in our lives.

Matt Sasso