This Weekend's Message: X-treme Marriage

In our culture we like to keep a wall of separation between our public life and our private life. This is especially true when it comes to our marriages. We make our marriages off-limits in the business world by passing laws that keep potential employers from asking questions about the health and stability of our marriages. We make our marriages off-limits in the political sphere by scorning campaigns that bring up marital failures as criticism for opposing candidates. Sometimes we also want to make our marriages separate from our religious life. We want Jesus and his church to help us with inner peace and freedom from guilt, but we consider our marriages to be our business. In Colossians 3:18-19, the Apostle Paul expresses a completely opposite viewpoint.

According to Paul, not only are our marriages fair game for Jesus to address, but they are one of the most profound areas of change when we experience the transformation that Jesus brings. This Sunday we'll look together at what happens to a marriage when Jesus steps in and brings transformation.

Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: The Clothes Matter

Steve Hanson was eating dinner with his family at a local restaurant. They hardly noticed when a group of firefighters walked in, still wearing their turnout pants after responding to an accident down the street. A bit later, as conversation around the Hanson table continued, Steve’s wife noticed he was silent. He soon showed signs of distress and clutched his throat. Steve’s wife looked to their son and said, “Get the firemen.” Without missing a beat, he ran straight to the firemen’s table and told them his dad was choking. They rushed to the table to find Steve turning blue from lack of oxygen and beginning to lose consciousness. One of the firefighters grabbed Steve from behind and performed the Heimlich Maneuver, launching a piece of steak that had been caught in Steve’s throat across the table. After all the hugs and thanks from the family, the firefighters went back to their dinner, the family so thankful they knew where to turn.

A key element in this story that may have gone unnoticed was how quickly Steve’s son was able to get help because he knew where to go. The firefighters were easily identifiable because of the clothes they were wearing. The family didn’t have to jump up and down in a panic shouting “Can someone help us?” or waste valuable time asking unqualified people to assist. Because of the clothes of the firemen, Steve got the help he needed when he needed it most.

So, what does this have to do with X-treme Living or church on Sunday? Get ready, because we are going to continue into Colossians 3:12-17 and see just what a difference the way we dress ourselves can have on saving the life of someone we may not even know is watching.

Interact with us on Twitter and maybe you’ll get a shout out during the sermon! Answer the following question... “What is a character trait you would like to be known for?” #lbfXtremeLiving

See ya Sunday,
Jeff

This Weekend's Message: Xtreme Makeover

Xtreme Makeover
Colossians 3:5-11

For nearly a decade “Extreme Makeover” shows have been very popular. There is extreme makeover weight loss edition, plastic surgery edition, before and after edition, and probably the most popular one is home edition. In each of these shows, the dream is that something major will change for the better. Maybe it’s a whole new life with loss of weight, or a new face through plastic surgery, or the big one is a brand new home. Now that is something to get excited about!

As we continue our series called “Xtreme Living” this week we will look at part one of what it means to get an extreme makeover. Now that we have this new life in Christ – our X Factor – what is involved in extreme living? How do I experience extreme living? This could be risky and dangerous, but it promises to bring about a life full of meaning and purpose that will last forever.

See you Sunday,
Gary Keith

This Weekend's Message: X-treme Hope

What does it look like to live an X-treme life for Jesus? And once you know what it means, how do you do it?

Dan Franklin

This Easter Weekend's Message: Great Story, But So What?

Jesus rose from the grave. Great story. But what in the world does it have to do with my life and my problems today? The answer is bigger and better than you think.

Dan Franklin

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.