A Heart For The Holidays
A Heart Transplant
January 1, 2023 • Associate Pastor Ben Sorbello
Well, how was your Christmas? Are you happy? Disappointed? Blessed? Did you get what you wanted, or was it more about drawing closer to Jesus and what He did for us by leaving heaven and coming to earth? Has your heart changed? What does love have to do with it? It turns out, love has EVERYTHING to do with it! If you have been with us as a family at Friendship, we have been going through a spiritual heart transplant over the last several weeks, having our heart changed from the outside in, listening to the Holy Spirit of God give us wisdom on how to have a new heart. This weekend we will wrap up our series on our heart and God's heart with what our new heart should sound and look like.
The Heart of God
December 24, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames
How do you decide what you are going to get your loved ones for Christmas? Chances are it's based on some list they've created or something they've been dropping hints about for weeks and months. For me, ever since I was a child, I've always looked for the perfect gift that best communicates my heart toward the individual. This meant that I often ignored "the finer things" in favor of something that took time and effort to create. It's great when the person receives it, gets your heart, and reacts with a smile or even tears of joy, but painful when they can't see what you were trying to communicate with your gift. This week at Friendship, we're going to talk about "The Heart of God", especially towards the lost, backslidden, and confused. God gave us all the best Christmas gift we could ever imagine - the gift of His one and only Son. Yet, so often due to our own sinfulness or the words and actions of others, we misunderstand our Father and miss the point of His gift. Join us this Christmas weekend, and bring a friend who maybe has walked away from the Father, so that we can all understand His heart for us and His open arms in welcoming us back.
A Joyful Heart
December 18, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames
It's been said that "the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior". Of course, people can change and we love them no matter what, but if you're wondering if you can trust someone as a spouse, employee, caregiver, financial adviser or other important partner, you're going to want to evaluate their record. It's wise not to yoke yourself with them until the changes they claim are proven. As you consider this, consider God our Creator, "who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). If He does not change, then certainly the best way to evaluate His trustworthiness for the future is to honestly look at what He's done in the past. This week at Friendship, we'll talk about how to have and demonstrate "A Joyful Heart" even during difficult times. When you aren't sure of the road ahead, be intentional about looking back at what God has done. When you see His favor in your life, you'll have "joy because of grace". We'll discuss this and much more, so join us for this much-needed message from the Lord!
A Loving Heart
December 11, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames
Who do you represent? Just about everyone reading this can think of someone or something they represent beyond themselves. If you work for a company who serves customers, you may have heard this: "To the customer, YOU are the company". In other words, your attitude, language, and behaviors all reflect either positively or negatively on your employer. The same can be said for how those things impact your family name, your school, our church, and especially, your Lord! It's something we ought to take seriously in every area of life. Recently, an NFL quarterback returned after an 11-game suspension simply because his conduct, while not drawing any criminal charges, has a massive negative impact on the league. As Christians, we are members of God's family and represent His Son, so the impact of our choices is even greater than that of the quarterback's choices. In fact, Jesus says the only way anyone can recognize His true followers is by the ways we love one another. This week at Friendship, we'll talk about how to demonstrate "A Loving Heart" toward others in the way that God has first loved us.
A Peaceful Heart
December 4, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames
You may have heard of the following saying: "Know Jesus, know peace; but no Jesus, no peace". Well, it's more than just a clever saying. It represents a monumental truth that we find throughout Scripture, that the only way to have peace in our lives is to get to know Jesus and remain in Him. This was even true before Christ came and lived among us. Think about it. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was bad. They ruined it for all of their future descendants. But what was even more detrimental was their response to their sin, which was an attempt to cover it up themselves rather than trust in the Lord to provide the covering (a foreshadowing of what He did for the whole world in Jesus). When they relied on their own abilities rather than the Lord, they experienced fear for the very first time, then began to blame one another and even God Himself for how He designed things. The same can be said for us today. When we try to rely on our own righteousness instead of what Jesus did for us, we have no peace, but only fear, anxiety, anger, and blame. This week at Friendship, we'll continue in our Advent season and talk about how we demonstrate the "Peaceful Heart" that we receive because of Christ's arrival in our lives. Join us and begin to live out what He has for you - a life centered in His peace over fear and anxiety!
A Hopeful Heart
November 27, 2022 • Associate Pastor Ben Sorbello
What does it mean to have HOPE? How about a HOPEFUL HEART? Where do we find our hope? Is it found in a person or a thing? You might hope that the turkey doesn't burn, or hope everyone has a good time. Do we misuse the word "hope"? Do we hope in the things of this world, which are here today and gone tomorrow? How should children of God and followers of Jesus Christ answer these questions? What do you think our children hope for? Have you taken the necessary time to ask them? These are the questions we will explore this weekend with the Holy Spirit of God, so we invite you to join us in our second message in this new sermon series and the first week of ADVENT! We pray you can be with us and have the Holy Spirit of God strengthen our hearts!
A Thankful Heart
November 20, 2022 • Pastor Logan Ames
On July 17, 180 AD, a group of twelve faithful disciples - seven men and five women - were brought before the Roman proconsul in Carthage, a city in northern Africa in the area of the modern country Tunisia. They were given an opportunity to denounce their faith and "return to sound mind", but when they refused to do so, they were sentenced to death. In response to the decree announcing their coming execution, their leader Speratus simply said, "We give thanks to God". Then another disciple, Nartzalus, said, "Today we are martyrs in heaven; thanks be to God". Eventually they all joined in unison saying, "Thanks be to God". What is it that makes the people of God so grateful to Him in the midst of intense suffering? How can we duplicate this attitude through whatever suffering we must endure in our lives? This week at Friendship, we will kick off a new sermon series by talking about the importance of having "A Thankful Heart" no matter what circumstances we face. The world will try to cheat and deceive us by their pagan philosophy, but we must stay grounded in Christ and thankful for salvation through Him. Join us for this critical reminder.