Friendship Community Church

Media

Church EnLIGHTened

Previous Sermon Series

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!

Thyatira

August 1, 2021 • Pastor Logan Ames

How do you deal with warning signs? It probably depends on what the sign is warning you about. Most of us probably ignore speed limits, calorie counts on food labels, our parents' advice, and even Biblical commands until we experience the consequences and find ourselves in great suffering. It's in those moments that we realize it would've been a lot better for us had we just heeded the warnings BEFORE we had to suffer. In our sinful human nature, there is always this desire within us to push the limits, to see how far we can go down the wrong path without having to suffer any consequences. How fast can I drive over the speed limit without Mr. Police Officer handing me a citation? How many bowls of pasta and ice cream can I eat without having diabetes or a heart attack? How much can I sin without suffering the real consequences for my actions? These thoughts fail to recognize that the rules and warnings from the Lord are not there to take away something fun, but to ensure that we will have abundant life! This week at Friendship, we'll look at Jesus' words to the church in Thyatira, a church that did many good things and grew in many positive ways, yet tolerated sin and failed to see how it would lead to their demise. They needed to heed Jesus' warnings, and we do too. Join us for this much-needed wakeup call!

Pergamum

July 25, 2021 • Associate Pastor Ben Sorbello

I remember an Elvis song I used to enjoy listening to called, Stop, Look and Listen Baby. So I need to you to Stop what you are doing,unless you are driving, operating on someone or anything else that could hurt you or someone http://else...you know what I mean. Are you thinking about and Looking for areas to do Kingdom stuff or worldly stuff? Have you served someone other than yourself today? Have you been Listening to, and obedient to, the Holy Spirit of God today? How easy is it for us to take our eyes off Jesus during the storm or even in the calm waters, the church of Pergamos did just that when it came to watching out for their brothers and sisters. Because of all of the technology of our times we can spend hours online looking at kittens doing backflips or football games and being married to the World and neglecting the most important person in the World that came down from Heaven, taught us right and wrong, then took a huge beating for us, then got nailed to the cross, died then conquered death so that He can save the World that beat and hung Him on the Cross. So when we turn our attention to anything other than Jesus or helping the Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven, we risk becoming like the church in Pergamos and becoming Married to the World. This weekend at Friendship, we'll look at the letter to the church in Pergamos, in which Jesus commended the believers for being faithful and holding on to His Name,but rebuking them for allowing brothers and sisters to lose their faith and fall for the traps of the World, the Loving Father that we have uses the mistakes of the past to strengthen our present and future so we urge you to join us and learn with us!

Smyrna

July 18, 2021 • Pastor Logan Ames

Have you ever felt like you were spiritually content and on fire for the Lord even when you had no idea where your next meal would come from or how your other needs would be met? Welcome to what it means to have absolute abject poverty but still be seen as "rich" in the eyes of Jesus. True happiness and joy are a choice, and they come through being content with what we have and trusting Jesus for everything else. Even when we are facing financial struggles, even when we are falsely accused and persecuted, and even when we are misunderstood and slandered, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus knows and sees all and has identified us as "rich". This week at Friendship, we'll look at the letter to the church in Smyrna, in which Jesus commended the believers for being faithful and spiritually rich even while their outward circumstances were becoming harsher by the day. We can learn a lot from their faithful example, and we urge you to join us and learn with us!

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.