Forest Lake Church Sermon Podcast

Diversity means we aren't going ever going to agree on some things, like immigration, politics, racism, etc. If we only talk to people that think like we do or listen to media (left or right) that only reinforces our beliefs, that's uniformity, not diversity. As Christians, we should unify around Jesus as our Savior and taking care of our neighbor (including the ones we have stark disagreements with), and then people will see that even in our diversity we still love one another.

God can do great works through individual people. Do we have the courage to go where God sends us and do what He asks?

Everyone experiences grief in life, it is one of the most powerful emotions we have. Being a good friend to someone who is grieving, or receiving help when you're grieving, can go a long way to help in recovery, even if what we're doing may seem inadequate at the time.

We can't just come to church and sit in the pew and expect to know what God is doing in our lives. We have to intentionally get closer to Him by studying His word and getting to know Him personally.

It is often when we're in the midst of a trial that we find our faith.

Often times as a church we got caught up in "looking good" and "showing up" each week, but are we willing to make connections with those around us and be a loving person to those around us?

Jesus meets us where we are on the road, sometimes He tells us to turn around, other times He gives us a clearer way forward.

Are we willing to listen to wisdom and advice, or do we only listen when something lines up with our existing beliefs (or think we know it all)? If we struggle listening to human wisdom, which may be fallible, are we at all willing to listen to the wisdom that God has given us in His Word?

God has never made a promise that He hasn't kept. Even when things seem impossible, we can be sure that He will fulfill the promise of living right here with us.

Winning isn't everything, sometimes the biggest gain comes from losing....or being willing to help others even at personal cost to ourselves.

Our job is not to try and figure out exactly when Jesus is coming back, our job is to understand what He's called us to do and do it faithfully until He gets back. That's how the Gospel of the Kingdom spreads to the whole world.

When God makes us a promise, sometimes it seems like maybe it's not coming. But rather than try and "help" God with what He's promised, we need to have faith that He will do as He said at the time that is best of us.

Taking Communion isn't just about the forgiveness of our sins, it's also about accepting the commission of Jesus to let Him lead our lives and have an impact on those around us.

Jesus died so that we can all be saved, and because He rose again all of humanity has a living hope!

Don't let the things in this life turn your faith in Jesus into a hobby. When you make Him the center of your life, His fruit can't help but spill out impact those around you.

When the church can't seem to force people to do things it's easy, it will join with secular authority to accomplish what it can't force on its own, and that is when persecution starts. But as Christians, we should let Jesus test all the rules and traditions in our lives to see which are right.

Jesus has authority over illness, infirmity, and disease. And because Jesus gave His life for us, He also has the authority to forgive our sins.

We often call Jesus "Lord" but are we actually willing to let Him have complete authority over our lives? Are we willing to do what He has asked us to do?

Sometimes our traditions can become barriers to people meeting Jesus. Can we get past our spiritual pride and realize that it is because of Jesus that God's grace is for EVERYONE?

The church has always been meant to be a gathering of people called by God, not just a building where people go to seek God. Jesus is everywhere that people have come together to worship Him.