The portrayal of the Christian faith as being little more than a ticket punched for Heaven is unrealistic. Following Jesus doesn’t result in ease and comfort – not if you are truly following Him. This message takes us quickly along the jagged edge of what it means to follow the King. It’s not joining a blessing-club. It is enlisting for war.
Angel-Faced & Lion-Hearted
April 23, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
It is a most unpleasant thing to ponder the growing number of Christians who are being killed for their allegiance to Jesus Christ. In parts of the world today, one of the most dangerous things is to live openly as a Christian. The end of the age promises more of the same as persecution and martyrdom and biblically prophesied to grow in frequency and intensity prior to the second Coming. This message takes us to the scene of the very first Christian martyr. His name is Stephen, and he earned the right for his story to be told.
Easter's Bottom Line
April 16, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
All throughout the Book of Acts we witness the Gospel being proclaimed by so many different people. Perhaps no other passage in Acts more clearly communicates the actual pillars of the Gospel than the passage before us here. With short, sharp swipes of the sword, the Apostle Paul unpacks the eternal plan of redemption as God designed it. Emphasizing the power of Christ’s resurrection, Paul leaves his audience with the offer of forgiveness and freedom for any who will surrender to the living Son of God.
Cautiously Pessimistic
March 22, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
The Bible does give us a verse to help us with everything that we encounter in life. No verse clearly tells you the exact person to marry, or what job to take or where to live. While principles for living are everywhere in scripture, sometimes we are faced with challenges we just don’t comprehend. In this message, a unique individual inadvertently gives us powerful advice about what to do when we are not sure when God is in the middle of something. The man giving the advice is actually an opponent of the Gospel, but his counsel is straight from Heaven. Listen in and be tremendously helped.
Clarity From Conflict
March 19, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
Growing pains. We all remember them from our adolescence. Growth is healthy and good, but it brings a seasonal set of unique challenges and pains with it. What is true in the natural is also true in the Kingdom. The early church experienced growth which exceeded their ability to properly offer care. From a mini-crisis that had arisen, an enduring Kingdom principle came forth. What is it? That the care of the Church is carried out by the individuals who comprise the Church. Everyone has a role, everyone has a job, everyone enjoys the benefits when we each fulfill our assignments.
In This Thing Together
March 12, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
Few things bond people more closely together than when they recognize that they share a common enemy. The early church was comprised of diverse people, but when the religious power-brokers rose up to exterminate them, the opposition actually resulted in the church becoming closer and stronger. This message shows the beautiful work of God which emerges when the early Church experienced persecution. Could it be that, in light of what is going on in our world today, the modern Church needs to become reacquainted with this reality?
Developing Spiritual Spines
March 5, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
The early days of the Church were filled with the unexplainable. Some of this mystery was seen in healings and miracles. Much of what could not be explained was revealed in the Christians themselves. How did ordinary, untrained and unimpressive people turn the world upside down? One answer: Holy Spirit empowered boldness. This message calls the modern Church to return to this essential root.
Kingdom Power On Display
February 19, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
One of the most alarming realities in the modern church is the clear absence of miraculous healing power. The American Church is conspicuously deficient in this massive area of New Testament reality. Should we expect God to physically heal us? Where does the blame rest? What is the remedy – if there is one? This message serves to awaken both a hunger and confidence in us that God still desires to heal as an element of His presence among us.
How Faith Flows
February 12, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
We must pursue the vision of a retro-fitted, organic, New Testament-defined, Spirit-soaked, Apostolic, theologically-sound Church being raised up before the return of Jesus. This is the key for potent revival! This message from Acts 2:42-47 will reveal some key components of what that looks like when individual Christians and local churches makes this their goal.
Sparking Flame To Spreading Fire
January 29, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
The coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost brought visible power to the Church. Jesus had promised them that this would be the case. Yet, not only did the coming of the Holy Spirit bring power, it resulted in initial confusion. The roaring sound, the dancing flames, the sound of more than one hundred people speaking in tongues…few knew what to make of this phenomena. In our day, confusion still reigns in some places concerning the Baptist of the Holy spirit. This message seeks to bring some essential clarity to the issue. What do the Scriptures teach us about the power of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of tongues?
Preparing to Strike the Match
January 22, 2017 • Jeff Lyle
After His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days preparing His disciples for what would come after He ascended back to Heaven to be with the Father. He was entrusting His mission to His feeble followers, but they would not be able to fulfill that mission alone. They needed power from on high. In this message, Jesus tells them the what, where and why of this coming power. The Son of God was about to start a fire.
