It's An Audience of One

Friendship Community Church

It's An Audience of One

May 14, 2023 • Pastor Logan Ames

Have you ever gone from getting cheered to getting jeered in one day? Those who follow the ways of the world are drunk on the ideas of fame and popularity, which the devil uses to trick them into thinking they will be fulfilled. Yet, most people who are famous and popular would tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be. They long for the opportunity to escape into privacy where they can be themselves and not worry about their image before others. But think about how quickly those who are celebrated get booed in our society. Lebron James has off-nights. Tom Brady got laughed at for some of his boneheaded plays in Super Bowls. Right now, country star Morgan Wallen is having to cancel planned shows due to a vocal chord issue, and his "fans" are losing their minds. And what about politics? Has any U.S. president ever left office with a higher approval rating than when he entered it? Even when people love you, it doesn't take much to swing them to the other side. That's why Jesus teaches us to only seek the applause of the Father, who is unchanging. This week at Friendship, we will look at Jesus' teachings regarding giving, prayer and fasting, and how they demonstrate that "It's an Audience of One". As we grow closer to God through spiritual disciplines, it matters more what He desires than what human beings around us think. Join us as we are re-centered in Christ regarding these good disciplines that we have often twisted.

Build Wisely

June 11, 2023 • Associate Pastor Ben Sorbello

When is the last time that you have used the phrase in the above picture, or that someone used it on you? As we explore the last message in our series on Jesus' first sermon, called the "Sermon on the Mount", we see that the children of Israel were surely broken, and that's why Our Father had to send Jesus Christ to be both our Lord and Savior. This week's message will be about building your house on the Rock. What does that mean to you? Does it refer to yourself? Are you the house? If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and profess that God raised Him from the dead, then you are the new temple. You are where the Holy Spirit lives, and that makes you His house! Or, does the house refer to your physical home where your family lives? Or, does it refer to our relationships where love lives? If you feel that your life, relationships, house, mind, or body are BROKEN, then we invite, no, we pray and encourage you to come out and be blessed by sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Go Against the Flow

June 4, 2023 • Pastor Logan Ames

You have probably heard the quote: "No man is an island". It's actually part of a longer quote by English poet John Donne. In general, it is true, and Scripture backs this up. We are meant to be together and the body of Christ needs each of us, and we need it! But there are times in the world when we will feel like an island, disconnected from the mainland, if we are sold out to following Jesus. A bumper sticker I was given in high school encouraged me and my Christian friends to "Go Against the Flow". In other words, even if the culture around us looks like a sea of fools, we should be the one wise fish. Yes, we will likely receive ridicule, insults, and maybe even personal attacks. But Jesus promised that it would be this way, and He urged us to enter through the small gate and travel the narrow road because it's the only way to life! The masses will travel the road that looks good and popular, but its end is destruction. This week at Friendship, we'll look at those words of Jesus and talk about what it means to stand out as one who goes the opposite way of the pagan culture. We'll also talk briefly about good peer pressure, then how to avoid the worldly peer pressure that creeps into the Church. Join us for a time of worship and this important message!

Live The Golden Rule

May 28, 2023 • Pastor Logan Ames

When I was a child, I learned about something called "The Golden Rule", and this was before I even knew it was in the Bible. I remember my mother sharing that we should "do unto others as we would have them do unto us". That and a quote of John 3:16 were like the only times I ever heard the adults in my life speak in "King James, which only added to the notion that this must be something special. Of course, a child can't fully understand what this means, and I remember easily confusing it with what was in my head: "Do unto others as they have done unto you". It sounds almost identical, yet it couldn't be more of a contrast to the true Golden Rule spoken by Jesus. Our attitude and goal should be to treat others as we would like to be treated, regardless of how we are actually treated! I can think of no better example in our lives than our fallen men and women who have given their last full measure of devotion so that we can be free and stay free. Many of them, especially going back to the Vietnam War and prior to that, were not treated well by their country and people. Yet, they served anyway, and when called to sacrifice, they demonstrated what Jesus says is the greatest love there is. This Memorial Day weekend at Friendship, we will honor and remember their sacrifice, then discuss what it means for us to "Live the Golden Rule" in how we treat those around us. May we learn from their sacrifice, and from the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, and may we stand ready to lay down our lives in love for those around us.