Ephesus

Friendship Community Church

Ephesus

July 11, 2021 • Lead Pastor Logan Ames

Most of us have scene the movie "A Few Good Men" and probably recall the iconic scene in which Tom Cruise's character, Daniel Kaffee, demands that Colonel Nathan Jessep tell the truth, and then Jessep responds, "You can't handle the truth!" While Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson, is the villain in the movie, we have to consider that he is right about most of us. We say we are interested in hearing and knowing the truth, but can we actually handle it? The Apostle John, in his gospel account, refers to Jesus as "the Light" and later as "the way, THE TRUTH, and the life". In other words, when we are willing to come into the light and submit ourselves to Him, that's when we receive the truth from Him, not some messed up worldly distortion of it. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus has John write 7 letters to 7 different churches, all who need a reality check courtesy of the truth from Christ. This week at Friendship, we begin our sermon series through those 7 letters, starting with the church at Ephesus. We'll discover how they were enLIGHTened, but also what Jesus' words say about the state of the Church and specific congregations like Friendship today. You'll want to be there for some good old-fashioned self-reflection.

Laodicea

August 22, 2021 • Reverend Bob Mattern

Water is one of the most basic needs for every human being on the planet. Along with food, air, and shelter, it is one of the four things we must have in order to survive. Water can also be very pleasing and comforting for us. When you are cold, have achy muscles, or have just come in from a hard day's work, nothing beats a nice, hot shower to sooth and relax you. On the flipside, if you've been active in sports, worked outside in the hot sun, or just got done on a treadmill, you're looking for the refreshing taste of ice cold water. So, hot water serves a great purpose at one time, and cold water serves a great purpose at another time. What should we think, then, about LUKEWARM water? Jesus says He'll vomit it out of his mouth. Yuck! This week at Friendship, we'll be looking at Jesus' letter to the church in the town of Laodicea. Laodicea was known for its lukewarm water because it sat between the hot springs or Hieropolis and the icy cold mountain waters of Colosse. But when it came to His followers, Jesus wasn't focused on lukewarm water; the issue was their lukewarm faith. Join us this weekend to find out how Jesus addressed this issue, and the opportunity for repentance that was yet again extended to those who mocked and rejected Him. God's grace and patience are amazing!

Philadelphia

August 15, 2021

Ah, Philadelphia, "The City of Brotherly Love"! If you have ever been to Philadelphia, you may have seen the MLB champion Phillies, the Stanley Cup champion Flyers, the NBA champion 76ers, or the NFL champion Eagles. Maybe you've seen the LOVE signage pictured here. Try walking in West Philly or even downtown on Broad Street and see how much LOVE you can find. Unfortunately, Philadelphia, PA does not live up to its namesake, found in Revelation 3. This city was one of two churches that Jesus complimented on their Faith without having much to correct or admonish in them. If you would like to know their secret to success regarding following Jesus and making Him happy, then join us at Friendship this weekend as we will be exploring this. You and your family and friends can come out and listen as the Holy Spirit of God speaks to YOU!

Sardis

August 8, 2021 • Pastor Logan Ames

I remember years ago traveling with my future sister-in-law to North Carolina for a huge family reunion. We drove over 8 hours and when we were just about 10 minutes away from our destination, she decided we needed to pull over and park so she could "do her makeup". What proceeded to happen as I sat there in the passenger seat made it seem like we were on the set of a Hollywood movie! When I asked her why all this was necessary 10 minutes before the reunion, she said, "Logan, I obviously can't be meeting my future family members for the first time without all this makeup on!" Being an obviously uninformed man, I didn't see what the big deal was. The makeup didn't actually change her; it just allowed her to keep up the image she preferred. In reality, this is what many people do spiritually. Rather than the hard work of repentance and change on the inside, we try to find ways to mask our blemishes so we can keep up the image we want others to have of us. This week at Friendship, we'll look at Jesus' words to the church in Sardis, a group of people who had a great reputation that they likely worked hard to keep. Yet, Jesus knew the truth about them and called them out on it. Once they were exposed as a dead church, the only way to be included in the book of life was to repent and walk with Jesus. We face the same options today. Join us over the weekend and let Jesus unmask you!