steburg

Imagine if someone from biblical times were able to travel to our time and see all that we experience on a typical day. The technological changes would no doubt overwhelm them, but what would they think about faith among people, especially those who claim to be disciples of Christ. Would thy be inspired by our faith..., or disappointed? Mark goes through a fictional scenario of what this would look like in relation to the South Bay Church.

Some people believe that faith is specific to the individual and that organized religion is unnecessary. Jesus did preach individual relationships with God, but also in the context of the church being a body. We are all connected and need each other to survive spiritually. For those that try to "go it alone", Satan is just waiting to pick them off because they don't have the support and structure that is needed. God always planned for the church to be a family and support each other on our path to Heaven.

Mother's Day Service. Mary was a central part of Jesus' life in the early years. Even as a baby, Jesus had prophecies about him. A man name Simeon had waited many years to see the Messiah, and how this herald the coming of God's kingdom. Only through God's Kingdom, via the Lordship of Jesus, is how we achieve true peace as Simeon had now done. Are you willing to look to Jesus for the true peace and joy that we all search for?

Many think that love is something that just happens; a feeling that comes over us. While it may start this way, true love is a decision. God's love for us is unconditional, yet we can often put conditions on the love we have for Him, and other people as well. 1 Corinthians 13 provides the truest definition of how we should all love, in every area of our lives.

There are numerous different religions in this world; many of them saying very different things when it comes to salvation. Not all of them can be right. Christianity is the only religion where God came to earth and showed his people how to live.

Good Friday and Easter is when we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event brought salvation to the world, We are still living in Good Friday times. However, living according to Jesus' word, we will reach our own Easter resurrection into God's kingdom someday.

We all know that our days on this earth are numbered. The real challenge is that we can never know how many days we actually have. Eventually, when we are called to Heaven, we must account for how we lived. Will God say to us, "Well done, good and faith servant"?

Changing the world is not an easy task. Many have claimed to have the right plan, but were unable to deliver. Only Jesus was able to present the necessary steps to make that a reality. He started it all by associating with and selecting those that would carry on his message. Are you willing to answer the call?

Drugs are a pervasive problem in society today. So many people are addicted and can't break out of the cycle. The only thing that will truly fill the feeling that the drugs bring is the power of God and his love.

Father's Day Service. Forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life. While we are always grateful when we get it from others, especially from God, we can sometimes have difficulty giving it out. Jesus challenges us to remember what we have been forgiven of and give that out to others.

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" is the message that Paul preached, but Jesus ultimately lived and taught. Love is more than a felling and must be accompanied by action. Our acts of love will show other our faith in Jesus, since we will then be living as he did.

Executive orders are often given and can often be controversial. Jesus had authority to do much more than that and, while they did seem controversial at first, prove to be most beneficial to humanity. Obeying those orders are primary to following Jesus.

Relationships can often come with many questions. People are not easy to deal with at times. God calls us to love them anyways. The Bible, over and over again, tells us that the answer to any relationship issue is love.

Returning to the roots of being a disciple is needed from time to time. Many times, the big obstacle to us humbling out is our pride. Either we think we have it all figured out, or we are unwilling to admit we need to change. Jesus is the ultimate example of the how to keep our hearts focused on God.

God has a plan for everything. Men, Women, Children; we each have a role to play within the family, and each person also has a role to play in God's eternal family. When we fail to play our role, we lose the power of togetherness. When we all play our role as God intended, his power knows no limits.

Often times we can be blinded to the path we are on. We can be going the wrong way for a while and not even know it. God is constantly trying to remind us of the true way we should be going and how we should be living.

One of God's best qualities, specifically for us, is his abundant and rich love. Without it, he would have given up on us a long time ago. He continues to be Gracious, Compassionate, Patient with us because of his amazing love for us.

It's so common for us to focus on our own needs all the time. The bible teaches that we need to focus on other needs (be unselfish), yet that is not easy to do. Love can help with that struggle