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Sierra Community Church exists to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known to other people. At Sierra Community Church, we gather together every Sunday to celebrate our relationship with God.
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What would it look like for our lives to shift from a “what if” mentality to an “even if” commitment? The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego captures this profound truth. God is capable of saving his people from anything in this world, but even if he doesn’t, his people are not to worship idols even if the alternative is death.
How do we interact meaningfully with a world that seems contrary to everything we believe? Like Daniel we do not have to compromise our beliefs by sacrificing our civility in our interactions, by condemning others with whom disagree, nor do we just throw in the towel, because of our fear of confrontation.
We are sojourners, living in exile in a modern day Babylon. Exile is an important theme throughout the Bible. It is the consistent human condition apart from God. Every day we need to ask God for the wisdom to live faithful lives like his kingdom was here as it is in heaven. That’s what Jesus taught his disciples to pray for. To be in, but not of this world.
Paul has been through a lot in the book of Acts! Beatings, shipwrecks, whippings, imprisonment; just to name some of it, and despite it all the Gospel cannot be stopped. The book of Acts ends quite abruptly with no official ending, which seems to make a profound statement that the book is not about Paul or Peter or Barnabas, but about the continuing of the story of God redeeming his people into a life-giving relationship.
Have you struggled with senseless suffering in the face of a loving God? How would you defend the idea that God does accomplish things in suffering? This Sunday's message dives into the theological complexities of suffering through the story of Paul's trip to Rome and gives us a better understanding of how the problem of evil and suffering works with a loving and good God.
Dedication in Deuteronomy 6 means...listening to God's voice, loving God with everything you are and worshiping the Lord alone. Which makes you wonder, is it the greatest commandment?
Paul’s real goal in all the arrests and trials was always to share the Good News. When given the opportunity to make his defense, Paul shows King Agrippa that Christianity makes sense 3 ways. It makes sense rationally, emotionally, and biblically.
The Spirit told Paul prison and hardship were waiting for him in Jerusalem. (Ch 20) His friends got the same message from the Spirit and their response was to try and get Paul not to go. Paul didn’t hear trouble as an excuse not to go, or the Spirit telling him to stay away because he would find trouble. Paul went because that’s where he believed God wanted him to go in spite of what awaited him. How about us?
The armor of God implies there is a fight we are in, but what are we fighting for? who are we fighting against? and how do we prepare for this spiritual fight of our lives?
What is one challenge to harmony that you face in your relationships? How easy or difficult is it for you to obey someone in authority over you?
In Chapter 5:21—6:9 of Ephesians, Paul addresses the cultural barriers that divide us and gives this huge command “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Why did Jesus come in the first place? Why did Jesus have to die? And how'd the resurrection change the understanding of scripture?
The resurrection had the same effect on Jesus’ apostles, each one of them giving their lives ultimately, to die rather than recant what they had witnessed first-hand. Their testimonies grew the faith exponentially throughout the world.
How did the crowd respond to Jesus entering Jerusalem? How is the crowd’s response in Jerusalem similar/different from the response Jesus gets from people today?
Crown Him or kill Him. Those were the two options for the people in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and they are the same two options for us today.
What is the meaning of marriage? It is bound up in a covenant, not chemistry. It's this binding promise of future love. That’s what marriage is designed to be.
...And thats also a picture of what our relationship with God is all about.
Paul doesn’t tell people to become someone new. He tells them to become like who they really are. Your new identity is the beginning point.
What does Paul mean when he says "put off the old self" and "put on the new self"? How did Paul's audience understand this? How should we understand it? And how would you explain the difference of the old and new self to a friend?
What are spiritual gifts? What is the goal of them? How can we rightly use these gifts? The only foolproof way to discover and use your gifts, is to roll up your sleeves and get to work in some area of ministry.
As Paul continues to emphasize unity in Christ to the church in Ephesus, his letter becomes more practical as he focuses on growing in humility and patience. The gift of a diverse group of people, the body of Christ, is the best opportunity to practice these very things!
How wide is God's love?...How long is God's love?...How deep is God's love?...How high is God's love?...grasping the love of God is the heart of Paul's prayer in Ephesians. At one level the Ephesians have these things, positionally in Christ. At another level they haven’t experienced them.
The “church” is a dominant theme in Ephesians . . . It dominates Paul's thinking because it’s through the church, the abundant wisdom of God should be made known.
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