Simple Church
How To Defeat Depression In Your Life
March 19, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • 1 Kings 19:1–18
As we read about Elijah in today’s key passage, we see a man of God who was used by God in an unbelievable manner. He did miracles, but now he is going through depression. He was a man of God who was used by God, yet he was suffering from depression. If God can use a depressed man, don’t you think He can also use you? Don't discount anyone just because they may struggle with emotional or mental problems. Those are the kinds of people God uses. In this message, we are going to learn from Elijah’s example and see exactly how we can defeat depression in our lives and fulfill the calling God has given us despite our struggles.
Can You Really Sense The Holy Spirit?
March 12, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • John 16:1–15, John 15:26–27
As believers, it is important for us to know what the Word of God says. And in addition to our knowledge, we must be very sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit inside of our hearts and lives. When we do this, we will know how to respond to Him when He speaks. As a believer, if you are just living your Christian life based on what you know, that's a good place to start, but it is not a good place to stop! God wants you to be in the flow of His Spirit. God wants to speak to you. In this message, we are going to look at several different Scripture verses that will give you a good handle on sensing the Holy Spirit. You will realize that the words speak of Him as a person. He is not an “it!” He is not a “thing!” He is the third person of the Trinity!
The Great Confrontation
March 5, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Matthew 16:13–20
There are some questions you get asked that are watershed moments in every relationship. You always want to be a truth teller, but sometimes that confrontation puts you in a vicarious position. Today, we will look at a question that Jesus asked His disciples. This question placed Simon Peter right in the crosshairs of confrontation. And as we examine this passage, we will learn several things.
Bearing Burdens
February 26, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Galatians 6:1–5
In today’s key passage of Scripture in Galatians 6, Paul talks about carrying our own load, but at the same time, carrying the burdens of other people. God has not called us to just live for ourselves; we are to be engaged in the lives of other people. That is why living in community with other believers is so important. As we live in this way, there are several things we learn about carrying other people’s burdens, and that is exactly what we are going to look at in this message.
The ABC's of Handling Anxiety
February 19, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Philippians 4:4–9
Today’s key Scripture passage is such a great passage! If we could just do what this passage tells us, we could defeat any anxious thoughts that we will ever have. God has a plan for your life, and He is in control! But regardless of where you are physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and financially, anxiety is always a temptation. You will be very anxious about those things which you cannot resolve. Our minds can wreak havoc on who we are. Sometimes, the silence inside of us doesn't calm us because we are full of anxious thoughts. Paul writes very clearly to the Philippians, just like he would write to us today, on how to deal with our anxieties. With this in mind, there are several things we need to understand if we want to handle anxiety in a God- honoring way.
Advice To Maturing Believers
January 29, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Acts 15:13–35
As a believer, you will go through different seasons. Some will be tougher than others. Therefore, you must make sure your head is screwed on straight. You need to correctly interpret the Word of God and know how to apply it to your life because there will always be issues that you will encounter. In light of this, I want us to look at today’s key passage in Acts and embrace and understand some key principles we can draw from this portion of Scripture and apply to our lives as we mature in our faith.
How To Find What You're Looking For
February 5, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Luke 15
In Luke chapter 15, we read three different parables Jesus told His disciples. There are many similar themes and common pieces within this trilogy of parables, and that is what we are going to dive into in today’s message. I firmly believe as we study these Scriptures, we will be given a guide as to how to find what we are looking for, using the words of Jesus as our North Star.
How To Pray In Faith
January 22, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Mark 11:22–24
God is in the business of answering prayers in faith. Therefore, God wants each of us to know how to pray in faith. But sadly, many of us don’t know what it means or what it looks like to pray in faith. In this message, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture in the gospel of Mark that gives us some guidelines as believers on how to actually be involved in the lives of others through praying in faith. From this passage, we will learn several principles we can apply to our lives as we learn to pray in faith and watch God work as He answers our prayers according to His will and His timing.
The Positive Side Of Conflict
January 15, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Matthew 18:15–17
Conflict is part of life. There’s no way around it. But it’s how we deal with conflict that is critical. We should not be afraid of conflict; instead, we should look forward to how God will use conflict in our lives. In this message, I want to look at the positive side of conflict. It is important that we learn how to handle conflict before we get into a conflict, and we do that by diving into Scripture and seeing what God has to say about handling conflict. This way, we can honor Him not just through the good times in life, but through the tougher, more uncomfortable times as well.
How To Get Unstuck
January 8, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Matthew 5:17–20
Have you ever felt stuck in your faith before? It just feels like the flow of God is not happening in your life. There is nothing happening spiritually, and you are just going through the motions with your wheels spinning. In today’s key passage of Scripture, Jesus was talking to a group of people who were stuck. They were average people who wanted to know God. This Scripture passage is important for us because Jesus wants the flow of His Spirit to happen in our lives. He wants us to move forward and not stay where we are. If you are feeling stuck today, I want to share with you a few things that will help you get unstuck in your walk with Christ.
The Service Factor
January 1, 2023 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Matthew 20:26–28
I want you to ask yourself this question: “Where are you serving?” There are all kinds of places to serve. You can serve in the ministry of discipleship. You can serve in the ministry of worship. However, one of the greatest places you can serve is out in the community. God wants His children to be involved in serving. I pray that your Christian life is not about receiving, but more about giving. This happens when we choose to serve. In this message, I want us to look at the key characteristics of someone who serves so we can begin to emulate these characteristics in our own lives if we aren’t already.
How To Pray Like Jesus Everyday
December 25, 2022 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Mark 1:35–39
The Christian life depends upon communion with God. It revolves around your prayer life. If it was important to Jesus, it should be important to us. In this message, we are going to look at a simple Scripture passage that will teach us how to pray like Jesus every day and give us steps we can follow to have a Christlike prayer life.
When Giving Makes Sense
November 27, 2022 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Malachi 3:6–12
We need to learn how to deal with giving because God wants it to make sense to us. As you read the Bible, you’ll notice that Jesus focused on giving quite a bit: 16 out of the 38 parables that Jesus spoke dealt with money. One out of every ten verses in the Gospels is about money. There are 500 verses on prayer and less than 500 verses on faith, but there are over 2,000 verses on money! So if the Lord valued how we handle our money this much, it’s clearly a topic we need to pay attention to and make sense of. For many people, they don't give because it doesn't make sense. However, today’s passage reveals why giving makes sense.
Triumphant Over Temptation
November 20, 2022 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Luke 4:1–13, 1 Corinthians 10:13
There is a war going on inside of us all the time. We need to realize that this is part of the human condition. The Bible says very clearly that God is faithful. He will not allow you to go through any temptation that you can’t avoid, or that you don’t have the strength to endure. With that in mind, I want to share five basic principles concerning how to become triumphant over temptations. Some are geared more toward the flesh, while some are aimed at the desires in our hearts and lives. You and I need to embrace these principles because Jesus did, and He has given us that model.
10 Commandments of Doing Church
November 13, 2022 • Dr. Curt Dodd • Romans 12:9–13
Every church is different, but despite their differences, every church needs to practice the same things. Some churches might emphasize one doctrine over another doctrine, but the cardinal doctrines of the faith should be embraced by every evangelical church. we do church validates what we believe. We must be rooted in the proper doctrines. In today’s key passage of Scripture, we will read how Paul gives the church in Rome the “Ten Commandments for Doing Church.” As we learn more about these, let’s think about how we can apply them in our own lives, particularly when it comes to our involvement in church.