This Weekend's Message: What Does God Pray for You?

I once had a professor who brought me great joy whenever he would pray. The joy I had was not because he was praying for me; it was because his prayers seemed so different from the prayers to which I was accustomed. For me, prayer often seemed boring and routine. There was the maintenance of thanking God for some stuff (most often food), asking for safety and health, and then maybe sometimes apologizing for sins that I was aware that I had committed. For this professor, though, it was very different. It was as if he was deeply in tune with God. It was reverent, and yet conversational. It was deep and moving, yet very personal. His prayers reflected a life that was deeply connected to God and deeply committed to aligning with what mattered most to God.
           
For all of us, our prayers say something about who we are and what we value. When we pray only in times of crisis, this reveals what we think of God’s role in our lives. When we pray only for safety and health, this reveals what we think is most important. When we have great gaps with no prayer at all, this reveals the importance we place on being connected to God. This is why I am so impacted anytime I am in the presence of someone whose prayers reflect a powerful connection with God.
           
But what about being in the presence of Jesus while He prayed? What would that be like? What would we learn about Him, about God, about what is important, and about ourselves? This Sunday we will get to walk through the longest recorded prayer of Jesus, as He prepared to fulfill His ultimate purpose. Come prepared to learn how Jesus declassifies God through His prayer, and also to learn how His prayer reveals what He values most for all of us.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Be Known, Making Jesus Known (Back to Church Sunday)

Summer is a time when many of us take the opportunity to change up our routines – to spend time going places, slow down, see new sights, and find refreshment during times of vacations. But with the fall comes a time when routines are re-established – our children go back to school, college students go back to their dorms, vacations are over, and we go back to work. And while church has not stopped this summer, the fall does feel like a time of new beginnings – of starting something new and focusing on something that will make a difference. This Sunday will be an exciting time as we look ahead to what we believe God has for us. You won’t want to miss because we have a special surprise just for you.

Gary

This Weekend's Message: The Wrong Side of History

“The wrong side of history” has become a common phrase in recent cultural and political conversations. It is used to describe people who cling to a way of life, a system of beliefs, or a moral code that is fading out of existence (or at least out of favor). The threat of being on the wrong side of history can seem daunting. It can feel like being an aging, broken-down boxer, while the young up-and-comers begin to take over. All of us want to be the kind of people who, when our grandchildren look back on us, will be viewed as being on the right side of controversial and divisive issues.
           
It can often feel like Christians are on the wrong side of history. In our culture, many Christian beliefs are viewed as unenlightened. Many Christian moral beliefs are viewed as outdated. Many Christian movements can feel like they are fading. At a global level, and at an individual level, it can be intimidating to feel like many Christians are viewed as the aging boxer who refuses to hang up his gloves.
           
If you are a Christian, do you ever struggle to feel that you are on the wrong side of history? If you are not a Christian, do you tend to view Christians as people on the wrong side of history? This Sunday, in some of his last words to His disciples, Jesus gives a different perspective—and a different grid—for understanding what it looks like to be on the right side of history.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Stay Connected

When was the last time you were about to embark on some task that felt utterly overwhelming? Whether it was a work project, a school assignment, a family problem, or some physical challenge, you probably – at some point – started to wonder if you had what it took. This is what we all wonder when we face something daunting. Do we have what it takes? Is what is inside of us – our intelligence, our skills, our experiences – enough to make us sufficient for what is before us?
           
Many of us feel overwhelmed when we think of what it means to follow Jesus fully. We need the strength to fight against sin, the courage to speak boldly to others, the compassion to sacrifice for those in need, and the love to pour out to those around us. Do we really have what it takes? The answer, according to what Jesus says in John 15, is "No." We don’t have what it takes. But we have access to the one who does.
           
This Sunday we will explore Jesus as the one and only source and we will explore how we stay connected to Him.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: The One That Got Away

If you watch enough baseball, you will occasionally see a pitcher dramatically lose control of one of his pitches. Everything will seem to be normal and then suddenly the pitch will get away from him and sail over the catcher’s head, or past him toward the backstop, or—even worse—directly at the batter. It is dramatic to watch him as he—at one moment—seems to have complete control over where the ball will go, and then as he—the next moment—seems to have no say in the matter.

Have you ever had a situation get away from you? Have you ever—at work or at home or in your personal life—had something that you thought was under control, spin dramatically out of your reach? Have you ever had that helpless feeling that a significant situation had gotten away from you and that you have no power to fix it?

What do we do when a situation gets away from us? And how does the dramatic story of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas help answer this question?

Dan

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