Risen Church Nc

The Bible contains many prophesies, most of which have already been fulfilled. From the promise of a Savior, to the story of Ancient Israel, God's Word proves trustworthy time and time again. There are in fact many prophecies that are yet unfulfilled, that give us a glimpse at what is to come in this world. This message shows us what's in store for the earth and how God has a definite plan to restore and reclaim our fallen planet.

In part two of "Whole Heart", we hear from Jesus on how we might experience the fullness of God in our lives. After commanding us to "seek first the Kingdom of God", He makes it clear that God wants our whole heart so that He might make us whole and complete. Listen as we discover how committed Jesus is to restoring us and empowering our lives, and embrace the challenge to be as committed to Him and obtaining His will for our lives.

This is the first of a two part study on God's desire to make our hearts whole. In this message, Jesus reveals to us that our hearts are compromised and weighed down by so much from this world. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear, Jesus doesn't mince His words and shows us the only pathway forward... Listen as Jesus reflects our hearts back at us and offers us a way to be untangled and set free.

God's choice way of evangelism has always been through inspired people sharing how their lives have been transformed. While the Gospel is based on objective truth, Gospel witnessing has always, also leaned on our own personal testimonies. Ultimately, Jesus does the same work in all of us, but our individual circumstances allow for unique opportunities to tell others about Him. In this message, we hear the Scripture's call for every Christian to share their testimonies. If our eyes have been opened, then we've got a story to tell.

Who is Jesus? This is the question that matters more than anything when defining our faith and sharing it with others. In this message, we discover how God worked across generations to set the stage and prepare the world for its Savior to arrive. Jesus came to take on sin and death, and bring redemption to all people. Knowing who Jesus is, what He did, and what He wants to do in all of us is essential when it comes to sharing our faith and leading others to God.

As Christians we are expected to be ready to share our faith at any given time. We are all well aware of this imperative. We've heard countless messages on the Great Commission and about evangelism. This series isn't another reminder of why we must do this, but all about helping us narrow in on the story we have to tell. In this message, we trace our faith back to its earliest stages and observe the odds stacked against every believer. Somehow, someway the church endured and expanded across the ages, and left an undeniable impact on our world. Listen as we marvel at the journey the church has taken to allow us the opportunity we enjoy today. As we consider all the details, we realize some of the most incredible reasons to believe are found in this story.

"Make Us Like All The Other Nations" Israel made this infamous request to Samuel and to God, after years of deflecting God's calling over them. He desired for Israel to be a light unto the world, unlike all the rest to hopefully make Him known. In this message, we relate Israel's request to the desire of our own fleshly nature and discover their one in the same. We hear how the Bible calls us in a different, better way and learn what it means to be set apart to God. How can we be a people unlike all the rest, driven by completely different motives and desires? Thankfully, the way of Jesus and the way of His Cross show us exactly what to do.

When God installed Samuel as Israel's Judge, the nation was deeply immersed in sin. For Samuel to reach them, he would be engaging with a people given over to idols, with hearts far from God. In this message, we talk about the approach Samuel must have taken and relate that to our own Christian mandate under the Great Commission.

Sometimes God sees us going in the wrong direction and prevents us. Sometimes He says "No" to our misguided requests. However, there are times when He observes our ungodly desires and permits us get exactly what we wanted. This is the Permissive Will of God. God is always sovereign, even when He lets us walk away. It's His mercy at work, hoping that we will one day realize our error and return to Him. In this message, we discuss Israel's desire for a king and how God granted them their request. They asked for permission to replace God at the center of their nation, and He obliged. We spend the bulk of the message dissecting exactly what Israel was looking for in a king, and why it was far from God's Will. We then talk about God's Perfect Will vs His Permissive Will, and conclude around one simple question: In your approach to God, are you asking for permission or are you coming to Him in submission?

Within all of us is a longing to belong, to matter, to find, feel, and sustain significance. This is core to our nature as humans. Unfortunately, our nature often misleads us in our quest to belong. We make plans and take paths to arrive at this place, yet we aren't always happy with our destination. In this message, we tune into our heart's cry for more and listen as God's Word guides us to the right solution. The Bible doesn't just criticize our misguided nature, but draws us towards our Savior, Jesus Christ. We find in Him the ultimate sense of belonging, through a relationship with God and a membership in His family. Listen as we sync our hearts with God's remedy for our longing souls. May this message help you have greater clarity about what you need the most and a greater passion to make the most of this God-given invitation.

In our conclusion to our series all about the coming Judgment Day, we take a look at some of the final messages Jesus ever preached, pertaining our preparation for Eternity and what's at stake. Jesus doesn't mince words as He urges us to live a life of readiness and anticipation, refusing to risk our Eternal gain on anything temporary. Listen as we unpack His sobering words and seek to apply them to our own lives. Jesus is loud and clear about how nothing comes close to the importance of Spirituality and our faithfulness. An otherwise invested life will leave us with an eternity of intense sorrow and immense regret... which begs the question: Is this a risk we're willing to take?

Idolatry is still the greatest temptation that we all face today. There is this subtle desire to take the idea of God and reshape Him into our image and redefine worship in a self-serving, self-seeking way. We often imagine idolatry in the ancient world as outright apostasy, but it was much more cunning than that. It was additive to faith in the one true God, almost like a back-up plan or an attachment that allowed for more personal input. The children of Israel had fallen away from true faith and saw God as nothing more than an idol they could manipulate. Their poor witness would end up leading their neighboring nations astray. In this message, we are reminded that God is a King to be served, not an idol to be manipulated. We discuss the temptation of serving idols and examine our own understanding of faith. Are we here for ourselves, or are we here to worship, serve, and honor God? Is our main motivator in worship our own gain and glory, or is it God's? The answer to these questions will reveal whethe

Anger is a feeling we're all well acquainted with. While some anger can seem unfounded, there is a kind of anger that can seem justified, even righteous. Indignation is a sensation we feel when we've been wronged or when someone we love is wronged. This is a kind of anger that we feel like we must hold on to, lest someone be let off the hook... The unfortunate reality of anger however, means that we are the ones who are actually on the hook. No matter how just our anger is, it will still never be fully and finally satisfied. Anger offers no actual resolution, other than keeping us miserable and enslaved. In this message, we wrestle with this uncomfortable subject, while hearing how the Bible firmly compels us to forgive and love. At the heart of these radical commands is an opportunity to entrust our anger and hurt into God's hands. We consider the story of Joseph and are humbled by how he was able to choose forgiveness and see the goodness of God in spite of his brothers' evil. The shadow of the Cross of

Imagine a world where everyone lived with Eternity on our minds at all times. Imagine a world where we all recognized that how we live out this life will have some sort of impact on what's next. Imagine a world where everyone lived, loved, and served knowing that these are what properly prepare us for Eternity... This shouldn't have to be an imaginary version of this world, but should indeed be ordinary for every believer. If we all lived each day aware that our current lives will impact our eternal state, we'd strive to live in this extraordinary way. In this message, we read how the Bible promises that Judgment Day can be a day of rewards for every believer, if we have lived our lives with an eternal mindset. If we are seeking to honor Christ and allow Him to live through us, then we have nothing to fear about the coming judgment. In fact, we can look forward to that Day if we dedicate every day to God.

Believers under the Old Covenant didn't know many of the luxuries that we do when it comes to our relationship with God. One of our greatest privileges is knowing that God is always with us and that even when He can't be felt, His Spirit still abides near to us. For many complex reasons, God's presence was confined to a particular place and was only accessed through specific rituals. This led many to see God as a mere object that they could manipulate. They had a "God Box" that they attempted to control and use for their own gain. In this message, we break down the differences between accessing God then and now, and we learn about the many restrictions under the Old Covenant. We also see how Israel misunderstood God completely and reduced Him down to a commodity. In this text, they learn the valuable lesson of seeing God as anything less than their one and only King.

Learning how to listen to God is probably one of the most important habits we can develop. Having ears to hear means we not only listen to what He says, but we retain with an eager heart. We listen with an ambition to apply, obey, and do. In this message, we find in a young Samuel what it means to listen and learn from the Lord. Just as he came before God with an open mind and heart, so must we come humbly and earnestly to God's Word. There is nothing standing in between us and the Bible, unless we choose to be distracted or otherwise engaged. If we have ears to hear, we will present ourselves to God and say as Samuel did - "Speak, for your servant hears".

In this message, we take a closer look at Hannah's devotion to God in an ungodly world. We find inspiration in her perseverance and patience, as she committed herself to God through prayer. No doubt, her faithfulness fanned the flame in her son's heart as he began to pursue the Lord. Listen and see how this mother and son stood out in their generation and ushered in the presence of God like never before.

When you think of Judgment Day, are you filled with anticipation or dread? Certainly this subject and all things to do with Eternity causes us all to react differently. While the Bible doesn't tell us much or anything about when it is coming or what things will be like afterwards, it most definitely reminds us again and again that there is a Judgement Day on the horizon for us all. Either we will run out of time, or time will run out on us. This series is all about coming to terms with the certainty and reality of Judgment Day and what awaits us in the next life. At its core, it's all about learning the importance of preparing for what's next by making the most of every single day. However, Jesus came to make it clear that whatever preparations we make must be built on the shoulders of His own preparation on our behalf. This message is all about learning why Jesus came and how He can make Judgment Day something we actually look forward to. Because of what's He done for us, we can know for sure where we'

Have you ever been so impatient that you ruined a surprise that someone had prepared for you? What about being so insistent on knowing how a story ended that you read the the back of the book when you were only a few chapters in? We've all got harmless stories like these to tell, but our impatience isn't limited to these kind of moments, are they? In different situations and seasons of our lives, we grow impatient with waiting on things to work out. Often, we become very frustrated with not knowing how things are going to play out. The thought of simply waiting on, trusting and resting in God's higher plan isn't at the top of our minds. This message is all about our struggles in those waiting periods of our lives, where we grow impatient and restless. We've all responded to the unknowns with impulsive decisions that have left us with many regrets, which begs the question, why didn't we listen to God's promises? If Jesus is our Lord and Savior - if He is who the Bible tells us He is and if He loves us lik

A nation set apart for God's glory and the world's redemption was years in the making by days of 1 Samuel. The pieces and building blocks were in place, but the Hebrews were still spinning their wheels for the most part. However, thanks to a few faithful, chosen people things were finally going to come into place. This study, "Rising Kingdom" is going to chronicle the tribes of Israel finally coming under an anointed king and reaching their long-awaited potential. 1 Samuel's opening pages spotlights a generation with a rather bleak outlook, immersed in immorality, corruption, and spiritual confusion. This message shows how one person seemingly trapped in the worst possible circumstances brought Heaven's power down to earth. Thanks to her humble, patient prayers, a new day was about to dawn for Israel and a kingdom was about to rise up....