We kick off the New Year in a big way as we introduce the verse-by-verse study of the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 5-6 & 7), which will be our theme for the next 6 months.
The series is called "The Normal Christian Life", the life Jesus intends for every child of God to live. Prepare to be amazed and transformed by what He has to say!
The Word Became Flesh
December 17, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Dorothy Sayers, a close friend of the great C.S. Lewis, once said:
"The incarnation is the most dramatic thing about Christianity; and indeed, the most dramatic thing that ever entered the mind of man."
But in recent years, the busyness of the Christmas season has tended to smother out our appreciation of the amazing account of the God who "became flesh" and the practical implications it has for how we live our lives today.
The Word Became Flesh
December 10, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Dorothy Sayers, a close friend of the great C.S. Lewis, once said:
"The incarnation is the most dramatic thing about Christianity; and indeed, the most dramatic thing that ever entered the mind of man."
But in recent years, the busyness of the Christmas season has tended to smother out our appreciation of the amazing account of the God who "became flesh" and the practical implications it has for how we live our lives today.
Law & Grace
December 3, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
For 2000 years, the Church has repeatedly tended to slide off the highway of holiness into one of two theological ditches:
Legalism (a misuse of the Law) and License (a misuse of Grace). The peril of the last generation was legalism. But this generation is facing the serious error of the other extreme:
a "hyper-grace" message that teaches God's grace has done away with God's law. If we are to "earnestly contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints", we're going to have to go back to the Bible to discover the law's place in an age of grace!
Wolf Proof
November 26, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the false prophets who were really wolves in sheep's clothing and that they could be known by their fruit. But in his parting words to the elders in the church of Ephesus in Acts 20, the Apostle Paul offers counsel on how to "wolf-proof" God's church. The answer may surprise you.
Contending For The Faith
November 19, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Thomas Lunaker, physician to England's King Henry VIII, did not receive Christ until his 30's. Upon reading the Gospels for the first time, he was astounded at the chasm between what he read and what he saw in the spiritual condition of the Church. His conclusion: "Either these are not the Gospels, or we are not Christians."
The battle for the Presidency is over. Perhaps now we can get on with an even more important conflict, recovering authentic Christianity in a postmodern world.
The Battle of the Mind
November 12, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Pastor Ray continues his series on "The Battle of the Mind" this weekend with Part 2, "The Weapons Of Our Warfare".
The Battle of the Mind
November 5, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
"Be very careful about what you think. Your thoughts run your life."
Proverbs 4:23 (NCV)
We are living the "perilous times" of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1) and the level of spiritual warfare has never been more intense. The battlefield is the mind. And it's a battle we can win!
Standing Up For God In a Falling Down World
October 29, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
Political, moral and spiritual crises often go hand in hand. A look back at Israel during the days of the prophet Jeremiah proves that this isn't the first time a once godly nation finds itself teeter-tottering over the abyss of judgement. Does God have a word for His people in times like these? He does. And it may surprise you.
What Should I Do as This Extraordinary Election Is Almost Here?
October 22, 2016 • Larry Tomczak
A national survey reveals nearly 40% of Americans are experiencing tension with family or friends over this election. The 2016 presidential campaign has been unprecedented and leaves us in a quandary:
How do we proceed?
What do we say?
How do we pray?
Paradigm Shift
October 15, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
"We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men." - George Orwell
The world is in crisis. Our nation is divided, and we find ourselves in the midst of a presidential election season that has become a spectacle. But there is a silver lining!
The Politics of Jesus
October 8, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
In a few short weeks, our politically polarized nation will go to the polls and elect the next President of the United States. With so much at stake, is there a word from God about what His people are to do?
Will You Be That Someone?
September 24, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
In the 8th chapter of Acts, an Angel sent the Apostle Philip into the desert, where he found an Ethiopian eunuch reading Old Testament scripture, and asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The Ethiopian replied with another question: "How can I unless SOMEONE guides me?"
God is calling us to care about the multitudes of people all around us who are in a kind of spiritual desert, waiting for SOMEONE to help. Will you be that "someone"? You can be.
Disciple-Making 101
September 17, 2016 • Herb Hodges
Brother Herb has been training Pastors, Christian leaders, and churches in the process of wold-impacting disciple-making for over 50 years. He has made over 70 overseas trips and now we have the opportunity to receive this intensive training right here in Middle Tennessee.
The Most Important Question for Our Church
September 10, 2016 • Pastor Ray McCollum
The most important question for our church is not who we are; or what we do; or how we do what we do. The most important question for our church, (or any church), is WHY are we here?
