First Church Charlotte

July 15, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms Jesus Christ is still working through His church; which is why the work of the church is very important. Since the church is still on the earth, it shows that our work is not yet completed.

July 12, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms Have you ever asked yourself why God would hide Himself? Why would God choose faith as a path to his heart? Here is a lesson I have learned: God often works in the shadow and mystery. Remember Elijah? Elijah has not been given a “problem”; Elijah has been given a mystery. Mystery doesn’t just humble us; it also offers a strange sort of comfort. In the life of Job, for instance, all of the man’s troubles—the loss of his family, wealth, and health—leave him miserable, and he waits for God to show up and provide answers for his suffering. And yet, when God does show up, He doesn’t provide the man with a single answer. Instead, in Job 38:2-11 (ESV), God offers a cascading series of questions and images: God offers example after example of the strangeness of creation; God layers image upon image, immersing Job in an ever-larger world. God speaks to Job, not to solve problems or answer riddles, but to propound mystery and expand Job's understanding of the power of God ... Verbal

July 8, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms As shown within the Bible, growth doesn't happen when everything goes well for us, but instead, growth happens when we face adversity and learn from it. It is during hard-times that humanity and our character grows.

July 5, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms As those who trust in Christ, regardless of our past, we can leave our slavery to sin and condemnation as we joyfully step into our freedom in Christ. Moses led the greatest freedom project ever... Moses was “a man of God.” Moses was a song-writer… Moses learned through years of living that the Presence of God Himself is the secret to wisdom. God does provide, work miracles, fight our battles; but the man or woman that simply lives with God, and does not just seek to use Him is the man or woman of God. But living with God is not automatic. The song of Moses, curiously, is also a part of the final book of the Bible, the book we call The Revelation. Over in one corner of the vast mural of epic struggle which is the Apocalypse is a mysterious inscription of blessing. The song of Moses is also the song of the Lamb, freedom.

July 1, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms God is looking for someone to bless. It can be you if your faith will combine with His promises. God's motivation is love for you.

June 28, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms It is impossible to understand Christianity without a deep, even theological understanding of love… God does not only give love; He is the source of love. As the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1), He is the One who created love. It is because of His love that we are able to love. As 1 John 4:19 notes, "We love because he first loved us." Love is Heaven's why! As Christians, we have a dual role: 1.) To receive God’s love. 2.) Demonstrate that divine love We want to be used of God... but we don’t want to hurt too much... 1. If you love, you’ll hurt. But it’ll be worth it. 2. Pain isn’t spiritual dying. Pain is spiritual birthing. 3. Pain can be a portal to God’s power. The pearl inside has amazing beauty and holds great value– all because the oyster had great suffering.

June 24, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms The heart of God longs for a relationship with each one of us. The first step is to wake up to our need for God, then reestablish the relationship with God and with each other.

June 21, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms Good dads choose their kids every day… We're left with some interesting lessons, three takeaway truths: One. Never underestimate the providence of God. Two. Never underestimate the influence of a good father. And then lastly, never underestimate the significance of a disciple.

June 17, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms The devil has already been defeated by Jesus Christ. Our battles are with the strongholds or mental beliefs, which war against the presence, the Word and the love of God in our lives.

June 14, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms The apostle Paul talks about the ministry of reconciliation. We have been reconciled to God, and now we preach reconciliation. First, let's talk about what God has done for us. Sin comes with a curse... that curse is death… The death of Jesus has cured the curse of sin, the curse of the law... In fact, you will notice in verse 18 that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. At the end of verse 19, it says that he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. In verse 20, it says we are ambassadors—that is, we take this message, this word, this ministry, to an alien land. It is our duty. It is our responsibility to tell people they can be reconciled to God. That's our mission. That's what we live to do. Let's begin by recognizing the Law of Lamech. Gen 4:23-24 Lamech killed a man for wounding him and then said that he would seek revenge 77 times over against anyone who hurts him. You cannot be a recipient of reconciliation without being a giver of reconciliation…

June 10, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms

June 7, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms There is a healthy fear that builds faith and allows us to see the truth and the correct comparison between God and mankind. We know that unhealthy fear is dangerous. It is viral & it spreads. I want to try to show the reality of how unhealthy fear destroys faith. What unhealthy fear becomes is diametrically opposed to our faith. Unhealthy fear shows us that despite David having been anointed by a prophet and on his way to the top position in the kingdom, he said, “. . . There is but a step between me and death. . .” This is the power of unhealthy fear: Like David, we have the presence of God, but fear makes us forget God's presence. David would say and sing: Psalm 23:4 (KJV) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. How do we overcome fear? We face it! “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But

June 3, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms

May 31, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms So much pain and hate in the world right now. The tragedies and injustices that have happened recently are heart-breaking. There is a brokenness to humankind. It isn’t new. It is as old as history. It’s as old as Eden. Oldest Human Corpse Was a Murder Victim In a world that spills the blood of the innocent, it's easy to despair. But it is a broken world that Jesus came to save. We must understand brokenness as a spiritual principle, not simply an emotional reality. Brokenness does not mean, as some think, having a gloomy countenance or being morbidly introspective. Nor can it be equated simply with deep emotional experiences. Brokenness is not a feeling; rather, it is a choice, an act of the will.  Brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of our heart and life… To be poor in spirit means to acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy, to acknowledge that you are in need of God. The broken man or woman is more conscious of the corruption in his own b

May 27, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms 1st Church CLT The Holy Spirit leads believers to all Truth and empowers to witness of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.

May 24, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms When God asks you to build a memorial it is like Him saying: What is your plan to remember? Memorials focus you on what God-has-done NOT what you-have-done. Shame and guilt are memorials to everything that you’ve done wrong. But God in His grace has given us a new way of remembrance in the New Testament: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

May 20, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms The Lord can repurpose anything that happens and bring good out of it.

May 17, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms God is not your project. You are God’s project… God is contending with you! That is tied up with the blessing of God! Jacob will have the lifetime blessing of God striving with him, correcting him, rebuking him, and yes, blessing him. The Last Lesson of Blessing is Legacy Let’s apply this to ourselves: God doesn’t simply want to bless us because we are so special. God is looking for a way to bless us in a way that can change the world! We then see one of the strangest images in scripture. Jacob is both defeated by God AND renamed by God. There are two scenes shown to us in scripture that teach us. First, is the blessing of the sons of Joseph. These boys are half-Egyptian… This moment teaches us blessing. That’s not the end of the story. Lest we forget, Hebrews 11: 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. This moment teaches us worship. And lastly, 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, a

May 13, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms

May 10, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms Are the lessons of blessing done? Is transformation the end? The first reality of spiritual blessing is that God chooses to see you by who you can be, not who you are. This is a picture of grace. If you expected Jacob to go from blessing to blessing after this moment of transformation, you are mistaken. BECAUSE THE GREATEST STRUGGLE OF HIS LIFE IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS MOMENT. What can we learn from this story? We want to understand divine blessing. So what does a blessed man do after everything falls apart? I believe that Jacob understands what God is doing in him. I believe he understands the struggle between who the world says he is, and who God says he is!  I believe Jacob understands the power of a name. This is what God is doing in your life. He is changing your identity. He is remaking your heart. He is directing your potential. He is wrestling with you.