Living Memorial

Friendship Community Church

Living Memorial

May 29, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames

As we spend this weekend celebrating and considering the precious freedom we have that was paid for by the blood of those heroes who were willing to lay down their lives for us, may we never forget them, and may we never forget our Lord Jesus, who has given the chance of eternal freedom to all men and women from every tribe and tongue. He was the ultimate atoning sacrifice for us. Paul describes our state of utter wickedness and hopelessness in the Book of Romans before describing how Jesus has fully justified us by His death and resurrection. Then, as he states that God's mercy shown in Christ's sacrifice is still in our view, the apostle urges all believers to "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" (12:1). In other words, Jesus has already taken care of the penalty for our sins and we no longer must shed animal blood or present dead sacrifices to satisfy God. Instead, we must offer ourselves - everything we are and everything we have, including our very lives if compelled - to God to be used for His glory. This week at Friendship, we'll dig into what it means to be a "Living Memorial" to God, then take a look at the story of one who was just that. I'm talking about Esther. If you've ever wondered if God would make a way through your difficult circumstances, know that He may be waiting for you to offer up everything you have, and then you can watch Him work! Join us for this encouraging and challenging message.

Declaration By Faith

July 3, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames

There is an old country music song by Aaron Tippin that says, "You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything". What does it mean to stand firm in your faith? We have a great historical example of it that we will commemorate this Monday that took place 246 years ago that day. In the face of religious persecution and blatant tyranny, the founding fathers of the United States of America stood firm in developing and signing our Declaration of Independence, knowing full well the sacrifice that was required to not only make us free, but keep us free beyond that day. They were willing to pay it because they believed in our Almighty God and trusted that He alone was the Author of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As believers, we must stand firm on that same truth, and declare that our trust is in Him no matter what! This week at Friendship, we'll talk more about our "Declaration by Faith" as we wrap up the Revealed series. We'll talk about our founding patriots, but also look at the story of "Rack, Shack, & Benny", who made their own declaration by faith in the face of a tyrant king, then watched as God miraculously delivered them. Join us for some motivation to abandon your fears and submit to the One who created you!

In The Hard Truth

June 26, 2022 • Associate Pastor Ben Sorbello

The "Hard Truth", or the "truth of the matter", is something we have said or heard many times in our lives. So the question we are exploring this weekend is, how is God Revealed in the Hard Truth? What is TRUTH? Where do we get our understanding of truth as followers of Christ? Once we find truth and understand it, what do we do with it? Do we acknowledge it? Accept it? Do it? Teach it? Love it? How many opportunities have we had to do the right thing but still end up doing the wrong thing? How many times have we been taught that something is right when it is actually wrong, according to God's word? If you are struggling to hear the Truth from God or to do the right thing, join us to discover what God thinks of you and explore how you too can see God revealed in the hard truth and in what you do with it.

Who You Say I Am

June 19, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames

This weekend is Father's Day (heads up, ladies, if you forgot). For some of you, this day is not something to which you are looking forward. You had a biological father who you either miss because he's no longer on this earth, or because he was never in your life in the first place. For some, you may even have a biological father who caused you great pain, and you're still finding it hard to forgive. No matter who you are, your biological father was a sinful human being who was raised by sinful human beings, which means he had wounds which in turn wounded you. This is true even if your father brings nothing but positive thoughts to your mind! Some of those wounds are deep, and they affect you in ways you can't even always recognize. While your earthly father brought pain even when he loved you, your heavenly Father is without sin. He loves you unconditionally, offers you the chance to be His child, and will never abandon you. This week at Friendship, we'll focus on understanding your identity based on who GOD says you are. We'll look at the Old Testament story of Gideon, who was called "strong" when he was weak, and who turned to his Father when others turned to idols. Join us to discover what God thinks of you and how you too can break free from your idolatry.