God works in surprising ways. He only completes his perfect plan through imperfect realities and flawed people like you and me. The Christmas story reminds us of this principle. Mary, Jesus’ mother, recorded a praise hymn in response to God’s promise that still teaches us about how God keeps his promise and reverses our expectations as we trust in him. Support the show
What a journey we’ve experienced through the story of Joseph: struggle and triumph, betrayal and blessing. Behind and beneath all of Joseph’s life, God was at work to faithfully keep his promises. Whatever twists and turns your life story includes, God will also always be faithful to you. As Joseph’s life concludes, we want to scratch beneath the surface to decode the meaning to the puzzle of our life story. Support the show
Joseph is about to be reunited with his family and is faced with a choice between bitterness and blessing. We see how Joseph uses the power and authority that he has been given to bless those who have hurt him the most. This is a countercultural idea but one that is very close to the heart of our Heavenly Father. But the blessing doesn’t stop with Joseph. Joseph’s generosity has a ripple effect that will change the course of history for God’s people. Support the show
God specializes in plot twists - taking the most broken family situations and writing completely different endings through the power of sacrificial love. In Genesis 44-45, we witness perhaps the greatest plot twist in Scripture: a family torn apart by jealousy, deception, and betrayal for over twenty years experiences miraculous restoration. Judah's willingness to sacrifice himself and Joseph's choice to extend grace transform a broken family into a restored one. Support the show
God gently corrects his children to shape us into the people he wants us to become. Through our life experiences, God changes our hearts as we respond to his correction. Joseph’s father, brothers, and Joseph himself needed to change; and God patiently confronted them to help them grow. Together, let’s explore how we can respond faithfully to God’s correction in our lives. Support the show
We live in a time in which we all struggle to wait on God. With modern conveniences, waiting has become almost foreign to us. Are you in a season of waiting right now? Are you waiting for God for answers about healing, a relationship restoration, a job opportunity, or perhaps just clarity about your next steps? Well, you are not alone. As we will learn from Joseph, God's timeline never matches our own, but his purposes are always worth the wait. Joseph's promotion wasn't mere luck or coincide...
Often we look at life working in a linear, predictable manner. We function under the assumption that if we do good things, we get good results. Conversely, we assume that if we do bad things we get bad results. If you are a believer, you can easily apply similar logic to your spiritual life. Our thoughts travel along the lines that if I do good things, God will bless me. Similarly, we conclude that if bad things happen to me then God must be against me. What happens to our faith when these pe...
Every person is a work-in-progress. Our character remains under construction and will not be finished until Jesus completes his work in us. In Genesis 38, we receive the benefit of peering into the private life of Joseph’s brother Judah. We see his shortcomings, and we discover the seeds of change through God’s grace that will transform his character. This weekend, we can remember how God’s grace changes our lives and character. Support the show
If God loves me, how could he let me hurt so deeply? Why should I keep trusting God when my life is such a mess? Questions like that hang over the story of Joseph’s life in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 37, we find the bad beginning to Joseph’s story including a difficult family life, betrayal, kidnapping, and a murder plot. Through this painful beginning, Joseph found a way to endure. If you’ve been asking hard questions about God and your life, then Joseph’s example and faith will encoura...
To conclude our study through the first half of the letter to the Galatians, we find a description of our relationship with God…a whole new identity that includes intimacy with God, incredible privilege, and freedom. When you remember that God has made you his child and set you free through faith in Jesus, what new perspectives and opportunities will open up for you? Support the show
What is so important to you that your life takes shape around it? The Book of Galatians teaches us we are made right with God by faith in Jesus alone. This weekend we find that not only are we made right with God by faith in Jesus (not our good works) but our spiritual growth is also fueled by our faith in Jesus (not our good works). While different values or objectives (including the achievement of law-keeping) attempt to dominate our lives, the central truth beating at the heart of every st...
How is your life aligned with God’s grace and the truth of the Gospel message? In our passage today, the Apostle Paul confronted the Apostle Peter over his failure to live out the Good News about Jesus. Our eternal life is not something that begins when we die but includes our new life right now. Let’s explore how the truth that we have been made right with God in Jesus is changing every part of our life and being. Support the show
One of the most significant conflicts in the early church period involved the question: Do all Jesus-followers need to convert to cultural Judaism as part of believing in or following Jesus? That may seem like a question far removed from our contemporary life and faith, but have you ever considered the possibility that part of our faith commitments may be cultural values? The struggle and resolution of this conflict in the early church has never been more applicable than today. Today our worl...
How has your story been marked by God’s grace and presence just as you’ve been marked by pain and struggle? Paul shared parts of his story, not to boost his own ego, but to make the Good News about Jesus clear and shine a spotlight on what Jesus does in our lives. Understanding your own story of grace can deepen your faith and sharing your story of grace can develop faith in others. Each of our stories reveal God’s gracious hand. As we co-author our life with God, we live to please him becaus...
Paul wrote a personal letter to the Galatian believers packed with theological truth and biographical notes. In this opening to the letter, Paul begins with a bang and emphasizes the simplicity of believing in what Jesus has done for us and relying completely on God’s grace. Over the next six weeks, we want to explore our own stories while understanding the story of Paul and the Galatians to reconfirm our confidence in the simple Gospel of Jesus and rediscover God’s grace at the heart of our ...
While our culture celebrates independence and self-sufficiency, the Bible calls us to something very different: carrying one another’s burdens. In Galatians 6:2, Paul tells us that we fulfill the law of Christ by loving God and loving our neighbor. True strength isn’t found in standing alone but in standing together as the body of Christ. In community, we see God’s faithfulness in each other’s stories and discover we’re not alone. We support each other with strength we can’t muster on our own...
When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure from earth, he commissioned them to be his witnesses both near and far. He even listed examples of those distances beginning with their hometown and going all the way to the furthest places on earth. As his disciples today, we continue working in that same commission. We are witnesses of Jesus both near and far. Let's learn more about LifePoint's initiatives in the “far” places from 2 guests today and what it means to be witnesses for J...
Jesus designed his church to endure through every generation. From the beginning, God’s people have been called to share his works and ways with those who come after them. As we faithfully continue Jesus’ mission, we invest in the next generation—passing on a living faith that will outlast us. Support the show
Jesus designed his church to endure over time and to expand across the world. The Church in Jerusalem exploded into existence in fulfillment of Jesus’ promises. As we faithfully continue Jesus’ mission and effectively witness to him—we gather in worship, grow in Jesus-centered relationships, and serve by sharing ourselves and our money. Support the show
Grace without truth becomes powerless. Truth without grace becomes a harsh taskmaster. Jesus held grace and truth together completely in his person. This quality allowed him to bring people together and to bring people to God. Our world feels more divided than ever, but Jesus calls us to keep bringing people together so they can be connected with him. By exploring how Jesus connected and changed the life of one person in Luke 19, let’s explore how we can keep bringing people together and intr...