June 30, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Obadiah 3–4, Obadiah 10–11, James 4:16–17, Obadiah 12–14
I remember the season of raising young kids and how challenging it was. Not just the energy of keeping up and running from one event to the next…but the “cost of raising a family” was something I never saw coming. For years we pinched pennies, amassed credit card debt, constantly dealt with broken down cars and struggled to pay bills. That being said, we were still blessed compared to the rest of the world…but we struggled.
I’ll never forget the season when kids became adults and flew from the nest…when debts began to be paid and life seemed less of a financial strain. I was stunned as I began to see my bank account move in the right direction. It became a game (more of an obsession)—to stay out of debt and amass MORE! Suddenly, I was thinking about retirement and travelling the world and taking it easy.
Then it hit me.
As an apprentice of Jesus, who has been entrusted with much, I am blessed to be a blessing. The Bible saves us the pain of figuring this out for us—that amassing MORE will never fill the deepest need of contentment in our soul. It’s actually the opposite—by practicing generosity (remember “Practices of the Way?) you begin to experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Jesus. There is no vacation big enough to compare to the joy of loving the way Jesus teaches us.
Join us as we wrap up our study of God’s message through his prophet-Obadiah.
Obadiah Part 1
June 23, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Genesis 25:19–34, Genesis 27:39–41, Numbers 20:14–21, James 4:6, Obadiah
We dive in to Obadiah. Although it's the shortest book in the Old Testament, it is packed with truth that is relevant for today.
Famous Amos or Amos Moses
June 16, 2024 • Gary Hensley • 1 Corinthians 10:1–13, Amos 5, Amos 3, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–23
Just think --- We can be instrumental in rescuing the perishing in our families and communities.
Hopefully you are not one that is saying we’re doing all right and we got this. What feeling do you have? Everything feel ok to you in our country and communities?
We don’t live by feelings, but God does give us intuitiveness and insight from His Word.
We do have a big problem in our country and it is called sin. There is no political or economical solution for the Spiritual problem we have. People in the Americanized church are being tricked by the father of lies, and leaders that have become complacent and turning away from the Truth.
As we continue to dive into the book of Amos, may we do as he said, "Seek God and live!"
Not So Famos Amos
June 9, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Amos 1:1–13, Amos 2:1–8
When you pray, what do you say to God? It's a fair question. How we answer reveals much about where we are with God. If I'm honest with myself, most of my prayers are about me...for me...for God to help me...bless me...and take care of those who are not like me.
Before you decide to fire this pastor, know that I battle right alongside you. The late French Bishop, Francois Fenelon declared that our greatest battle is our "addiction to self." We are hard-wired for self preservation.
Some of you have heard me jest about my two values in life:
If you're going to be wrong, be wrong with authority
Why take responsibility when you can blame somebody else?
What I have said as humor has sadly become the values for so many of us. So when life throws us a curve...as it inevitably does, so few of us are prepared to navigate the adversity. We want God to swoop in and take care of all that is causing us grief. When God doesn't seem to do that, at least in our way and in our timing, we tend to get a bit grumpy at best, or at worst we reject God all together.
Well, there's great news--the Bible helps us in the midst of this.
Joel Part 2 - What To Do When Life Falls Apart
June 2, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Psalm 139:23–24, Judges 10:6–16, 1 Peter 4:17–18, Romans 5:8–10
Do you ever have "one of those days?"
You know what I'm talking about--those days when nothing seems to go right? Or even seasons where everything seems to fall apart?
So often we resort to panic, quick fixes or avoidance. Did you know that the Bible gives us a great path to follow when we are stuck in a dark place?
There is hope amidst seemingly hopeless times. One place we can find this hope is in the book of Joel.
Joel - Are You Sure You Want God to Show Up?
May 26, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Amos 5:18–20, Joel 2:1–2, Joel 2:10–29, Joel 1:1–4, Joel 1:13–15
Have you ever been watching a show that was engaging and you are enjoying it, only to have the music turn dark? Then you hear the low, steady voice of the narrator, "All was going great for the Jones family and then--DISASTER!"
This is how the book of Joel begins. God's people are enjoying a time of prosperity and economic abundance when--DISASTER! The story opens with an unprecedented locust invasion that devastates everything.
Have you ever had something like that happen in your life? In a moment your world is turned upside down and you find yourself crying out to God. What is He up to in times like this? What has gone wrong? What do we do?
Hosea Part 3
May 19, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Hosea 11:1–11, 2 Peter 3:9, Hosea 6:4–11
The bible describes over and over again how in God...in Christ...through the Holy Spirit...WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED.
Because we can't see from God's vantage point, we simply think that there must be something more. There must be something God is holding back from us, and just like Adam and Eve, we eat the fruit...or put it in modern terms--we go our own way. We disregard the message of the bible--the track it gives us to move through life with a sense of wonder, joy and hope.
The beauty of the way God has designed the world and your life is that there are "warning lights" that go off when you walk away from God. It may come in the form of a heavy conscience convicted about what you are doing. It may come in the form of adversity from difficult choices you have made. It may even come in the form of someone else's bad decisions that affect you. Either way, it all points to a pathway back to God where once again, you will see that you have all that you need.
Hosea Part 2
May 12, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Hosea 4:1–13, Exodus 19:3–8, 1 John 1:6–7, 1 John 2:3–6, 1 John 2:9–11
It's Mother's Day this Sunday. Great news...we're looking at one of the greatest love stories in the bible. You may not believe this, but the book of Hosea is one of my favorite love stories. Who doesn't want a love story on Mother's Day?
It's about a groom who marries a prostitute. I know what you're thinking. But...this story shows the depths to which God goes to in order to show us His love for us and the pain of our rejection to Him. This is a story about brokenness and redemption. It's about hope against all odds.
The wild twist in this ancient book is that it is there for you and I. In a very real sense the book of Hosea is "our love story." I hope you'll join us this Sunday to open up it's pages and revel in it's wondrous truth.
Hosea Part 1
April 28, 2024 • Neil Montgomery • Hosea 1:2–11, Hosea 2:1–7, Hosea 2:14–17, Hosea 3:1–4, Hosea 1:1
God is truly an amazing God who loves us even when we live in ways that should merit Him turn away from us. But God is merciful. He is gracious. And He is patient. His hope is that we all would turn to Him.
Peter talked about this in his message to the Church in 2 Peter 3:9. From Genesis to Revelation God’s message (really an invitation) is to “come and follow me.” When we walk away from Him the Bible urges us to return.
That essentially is the message of the Minor Prophets and God uses incredible ways to get that message across. God told Isaiah to walk around naked for three years. He has Ezekiel lie on his side for 390 days…all to create a living illustration of His love for His creation. If that doesn’t peek your curiosity about our new series, I’m not sure what will.
God has Hosea do something that seems strange and even tragic…but the purpose is to show the reader the lengths God will go to in order to redeem His people.
Majoring on the Minor (Prophets)
April 21, 2024 • Bill Brown • 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9
The so-called “Minor Prophets” are anything but minor. As a collection, they speak with a unified voice the message of God to a wayward people during the most tumultuous times in Israel’s history.
To know these prophets and their message, one must understand the context into which they speak, their place within the history of Israel and Judah, and their place within the revelation of God’s Word.
The truth of their message, while cast within an ancient context, is relevant for today. It informs the people of God with a knowledge of the character and ways of God, challenges the church with a call to a higher social ethic, and comforts the people of God with a message of hope and restoration.
In other words, these Minor Prophets carry Major Truth.
