This Weekend's Message: Washing Up

Some people are uncomfortable receiving gifts from others. Let me just say...I’m not. If someone offers to pay for lunch, if someone opens a door for me, if someone gives me tickets to see the Dodgers, I don’t say, “I couldn’t possibly accept these.” Instead, I say a genuine, “Thank you,” and I accept. I have friends, though, who have a lot of trouble receiving gifts. They feel uncomfortable and feel like they “owe” the gift-giver or that they need to make themselves worthy of the gift. This is not a struggle that I have.

I can brag that I am not too proud to receive gifts from others, but, on the other hand, I am not always as cognizant of ways that I can meet the needs of others. I am a pretty good receiver, but not a great giver. Some people are poor receivers, but they are active givers, constantly seeing the meeting the needs of others.
           
Most of us are good at giving or good at receiving, but very few of us are good at both. We probably, unconsciously, feel like we need to choose. Givers get frustrated with the mooching receivers, and receivers get frustrated with the uptight givers.
           
Does God call us to choose? Does He call us to get up out of our seats and make sure we are giving? Does He call us to rest and relax and simply receive? The answer is that it is not either-or. On Sunday, as we observe Jesus perform one of His most beautiful acts of servanthood, we will see the relationship between giving and receiving.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Everything to Lose

How much are you willing to lose?

How much are you willing to lose for your career? Your leisure time, your energy, your freedom, your integrity? How much are you willing to lose for your family? Your tastes and preferences, your pride, your anger, your discretionary income? How much are you willing to lose for your health? Your time, your energy, your favorite foods, your mental focus?

How much are you willing to lose for your relationship with Jesus? A little bit of time? A little bit of money? A little Bible reading, a little Christian music, a little volunteer work, a little prayer before meals? If you’re not willing to lose very much for your relationship with Jesus, is it possible that you’re missing out on some amazing gains?

At Life Bible Fellowship Church on Sunday we will talk about what Jesus has to say about what we need to be willing to lose in order to experience the full benefits that He came to bring.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: What Did You Expect?

When I was a kid, I used to hate it when my ears needed to pop. I would try just about anything to get the discomfort to go away, but my options seemed limited. I would yawn. I would try to get any excess wax out of them. I would drink some water. Sometimes, though, none of these tried-and-true methods worked. Then, one day, someone told me to plug my nose and fill my cheeks with air.
           
Imagine hearing that as a kid. It sounded so silly that I thought that the person who said it to me was making fun of me. Eventually, though, I gave it a try. Immediately my ears popped and I said, “I can’t believe that worked!” My problem ended up being solved by a method that I would never have tried, never have conceived, and never would have imagined would be effective.
           
Jesus was an expert in surprising people with His own actions and with the actions He called them to take. This Sunday we will explore a story in which Jesus shatters others’ expectations of Him, and surprises everyone with how He presents Himself. And, in doing this, He also invites us to follow Him into a very surprising solution to the problems that we deeply long for God to resolve.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Extravagant Worship

Have you ever been given an extravagant gift from someone, but had a difficult time receiving it? Maybe you’ve said to the gift giver, “This is too much, I just can’t accept it.” And then the giver insists and then the two of you argue back and forth for a while, but after some time you relent and finally accept it. 

How does that make you feel and what do you do next?

If you’re like many people, maybe you feel like you must out-give the giver of the gift and do something bigger and better. And so you figure out a way to give back. Or maybe you just try and show your appreciation over and over again to the giver. Or maybe you say nice things or do nice things in an effort to feel worthy of the gift or somehow make up for the extravagant gift you've received. How should we respond when we’ve been given an extravagant gift? 

This week as we worship through music and message, we will look at what it means to bring our extravagant worship to Jesus. We will see Mary bring a very extravagant gift to Jesus and as she brings her gift, we’ll see how others respond and we’ll see how Jesus responds. And in the process we will explore how we can respond as we learn from Mary about the worship we bring to Jesus.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. It’s going to be a great morning!

Gary

This Weekend's Message: When God is Too Late

There is a dramatic scene near the beginning of the movie Braveheart. William Wallace’s wife is captured by British soldiers and is about to be executed. As she awaits her own death, she looks beyond herself to the hills. Clearly she is hoping to see her husband come riding in to save her. As her execution grows closer, she looks all the more urgently, hoping to be rescued. Without him intervening, she is sure to die. And William Wallace does arrive, but not until long after her death. He arrives far too late to do anything.

Have you ever been in desperate situation and prayed—I mean really prayed—for God to intervene and keep something terrible from happening? You probably have. And, sadly, sometimes you have probably experienced the disappointment of God not intervening before the tragedy struck. Your faith may have suffered because it seemed that, if God arrived at all, he arrived too late.

On Sunday we will look at a time, a long ago, when Jesus seemed to arrive too late. Many people thought that the story had already ended. But Jesus was only beginning.

Dan