Suggest to people that salvation is by faith alone and you’re likely to hear disagreements. Many would say, “Faith is not enough. It must be accompanied by works or it’s not real. So, the person of dead faith remains an unbeliever.” James 2 is a chapter filled with...
Since before recorded history began, human beings have been telling stories as a way of structuring our reality. Even today, the individual stories we tell about ourselves often determine how we view the world and the type of people we become. In the book of Romans,...
We have all done or said things we wish we could undo or take back. Through this, we have felt the weight of our own miscalculated action or response, and sometimes that weight can feel unbearable. For Peter, this was no exception. He denied Christ not once, or twice,...
We live in a society chock full of opportunities to seek that which is supposed to satisfy us. From the seemingly meaningless to the more important in life, we have been accustomed to search out what is best for ourselves. On the surface, there is nothing inherently...
You may have heard that God has plans for His people, plans for His people to prosper and have hope. But what does that really mean? And how does that fit with the times in life when we don’t see prosperity or hope like we thought we would? As we take a look at what...
Our salvation is guaranteed the moment we believe Jesus for it. But some also suggest that our good behavior or works are required to validate whether or not we’ve got the real thing. A popular understanding of Philippians 1:6 is that we continue to grow and improve...
Sometimes we might assume we understand certain passages in the Bible. Maybe it’s a famous or familiar verse. Or maybe we once heard a sermon that gives us confidence we know the meaning of a particular passage of Scripture. But when we look a little deeper, there’s a...
Life presents us with no shortage of priorities to populate our goal lists. Have you cut through the alternatives to land on what’s most important for you? What’s your number one goal? It’s no surprise that God points us toward a single, focused direction. And baptism...
It’s easy to come into a church building, sing songs, listen to a message, and walk away thinking this is all there is to worshiping God. But what if God is telling us that worship is so much more than that? In Part 8 of Cultivate we explore what true worship really...
Think of a list of spiritual practices and close to the top you’ll usually find prayer. Prayer is foundational—even expected on a checklist of spiritual behaviors. But anyone honestly experimenting with prayer has found it difficult, rewarding and even confusing. Try...
God wants to be near us. He wants to spend time with us and to teach us how to become the people He wants us to be. But for many of us that’s not our routine experience. Today we’ll talk about how to experience God’s presence in an amazingly powerful way. We’ll talk a...
In a culture where people clamor for attention and recognition, those secure in Christ have no need of the spotlight. One discipline in particular helps us give both the credit and glory to God. Even when we do good things, we can escape a look-at-me mindset by...
Serving isn’t glamorous. Giving of our time and energy can seem like an inconvenience. But it is never a waste of time. In God’s economy, the goodness we experience in our lives is always greatly multiplied when we choose to follow him and walk in the good works he...
The Bible has the power to transform our hearts and our lives when we engage with it because it connects us with the very words of God. Just like anything worth learning, to truly know it, we must not only read it, but, study and reflect on it. Going deeper takes more...
The noise and pace of life can be both intoxicating and maddening. No wonder God reminds us that we can’t cultivate the soil of our lives and grow in Him at dizzying speeds. Growing requires slowing. That’s why the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence—while...
We receive new life the moment we believe Jesus for it. But in order for that life to be experienced to the fullest we must cooperate with God in our spiritual growth. No one grows passively. When we cultivate the soil of our lives through deliberate, spiritual...
No matter the obstacles or the challenges, God is able to help you in ways you may not expect. At every turn or dead end, He can surprise you with His plans and His presence. What feels like the end may actually be a new beginning. Discussion Questions Everyone faces...
We need food and water to survive. It shouldn’t surprise us that God would choose the picture of these absolute necessities to draw parallels to the spiritual life. And today as we celebrate communion, we’re reminded that Jesus took things a step further when He...
God’s Word makes it clear that orphans are close to His heart. Here at LifePoint, one of the ways our church family cares for orphans is through Alpha Life. We began a partnership with Alpha & Omega and Orphan Outreach to create this orphan ministry in Ukraine...
In Jesus’ story of two lost and wasteful sons there is a character is who far more wasteful and who willingly loses whatever is necessary – the Father. In response to the rejection and rebellion of his sons, the father answers with extravagant self-sacrificing love...
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a story of two sons. The older son is the son favored by tradition and culture. In Jesus’ time the older son would receive a larger inheritance and would be responsible to care for and uphold the family. In Jesus’ story the older son...