Behind Enemy Lines
Apr 8 - May 20, 2018
Fight From Freedom, Not For It
May 20, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus is focused on carrying out the work assigned Him by His Father. Jesus was sent from above to connect people with God: “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth” (John 1:51). John the Baptist said: “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else” (John 3:31).
Submission Wins Battles
May 13, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
After the period of the Judges, Israel demanded a king. “Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations” they told Samuel, prophet, priest, and last judge of Israel. Samuel was grieved at their request and ask God for guidance. But the LORD said, “Do everything they say to you... it is me they are rejecting, not you. They do not want me to be their King” (1 Samuel 8:5b-7). God sends Samuel a man from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul son of Kish (1 Samuel 9:15-17). Saul had the look of a king, “head-and-shoulders above anyone else” (1 Samuel 10:23b). Saul appeared to be humble (1 Samuel 9:21) and after winning the first battle, he did not retaliate against those who scorned his leadership (1 Samuel 11:13). But in time, Saul’s fears, jealousy, and disobedience robbed him of God’s special anointing. Saul’s pride surfaced as he rose in power and position. Saul failed to recognize that any position or authority is a gift from God.
Conquering the Enemy
May 6, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
Our enemy is not conquered when we take the easy way out. Nor is the enemy conquered if we resign to defeat in times of despair. But hell trembles as individuals, imperfect people like you and me, decide not to take the easy way out, but get up and move out of our despair. If we seek the better place, we will begin to look better (and smell better!) as we experience God’s redemption. Everything changes because God created us Himself. But know this, the forces of darkness will try to do anything to try to keep you behind enemy lines. Where will you go when life falls apart?
Victory Over Fear & Anxiety
April 29, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
Fear is a paralyzing force that can keep us from a life of faith. No one is exempt from some level of fear. But fear doesn’t have to back us into a corner. The Lord wants us to live into His purpose and be on mission for Him. He wants to help us see the wonderful things He is doing, meet new people, try new things, and help us develop an outlook of gratitude. With God we can face the present and future courageously. He will help us with our decisions, and be a stronghold in times of trouble. In Christ we no longer have to be enslaved to fear and anxiety.
Standing Firm in an Earthquake
April 22, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
In 1960 the worst earthquake on record happened in Chile. Not only was this slender South American country devastated, but Islands stretching across the Pacific Ocean were affected by destructive tidal waves and tsunamis. Some 7,000 people perished. What happens when life unravels – an earthquake takes out 7,000 people, a tornado rips through your home of thirty years, you lose your business, or you find out your spouse has cancer with only six months to live? Or what about relationally—your co-worker slanders you, a parent disowns you, your friend betrays your trust, your spouse lives a secret life on the side, your ‘church family’ turns out being more like an enemy? When ground once secure begins to shift and crumble, how can we survive the dangerous fault lines that lie beneath?
Stealth Christianity
April 15, 2018 • Dr Charles Kyker
God’s story takes a people who are no people and makes them His very own. In slavery God’s people become numerous and under-the-radar—apart from the accolade and attention of this world—they become a mighty nation whose King is God. In an incredible exodus, His people depart for a land they call their own where God lives among them. The assignment: to drive out the enemy – opposing inhabitants of the land who wage war against the living God.
Stand Up, and Cross the Line
April 8, 2018 • Vincent Ross
Jesus was clear when He spoke to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18). Just as Jesus was about to suffer, there would be suffering ahead for them, as well. Making the choice to follow Christ, to align our lives with Christ, will cost us something. This fallen world is dominated by the ‘prince of darkness’ and in direct opposition to the ways of God. Since the first sin (the Fall of Adam and Eve), forces of darkness have sought to bring down (discredit, dismantle, destroy) all that God has created—including the ‘crowning glory of His creation.’