Celebration Center

Forgiveness can be difficult. Does forgiving someone mean that the person we forgive gets away with it? Besides, sometimes it feels really good to hold a grudge. During this message, we discover how the Bible teaches us to release the grip of our grudges. Forgiveness...there's an app for that.

Application is Everything- James 1:22 'Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says!' For more than 2000 years, people have been confused about this simple truth. James, the brother of Jesus, heard the truth his whole life, and wants us to know that hearing the truth doesn't change our lives, living it does. Followers of Jesus have to move beyond being listeners of the word and actually apply it. Application is Everything.

Does God want us to be happy? We hear this phrase all the time, but is it really true? Is our happiness God's highest priority? Join us we drop this in and see if it really does float.

How often do we hear that the biggest problem with the church is the people? Gandhi famously stated: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Is that a true criticism? Does the Bible offer us any answers?

We hear this expression all the time. Often it is applied to people going through the most difficult of life's circumstances. However, life often seems full of things that are more than we can handle. So how do we know if this is true--will God give us more than we can bear, or not? Furthermore, if I can't handle what I experience, am I flawed or is God being too harsh? Where did we get this expression and what does the Bible actually have to say about it?

Christians say the strangest things sometimes. For instance: "All things work together for good." Does everything really work together for good? When we face tragedy and hardship, where is the good in that? Does God give us things that are seemingly terrible for good? Does the Bible really want us to believe that? Just because it sounds nice, does that mean it is true? Do the Scriptures declare it or have we just heard it so many times we think it must be in the Bible somewhere?

What do you do when God asks you to do something crazy - when the odds are stacked against you, and you don't feel like you have the resume or the resources to do what needs to be done? Gideon faced this situation and he discovered that victory was not determined by the size of his army, the strength of his ability, or even the certainty of his faith - it was found when his weakness was turned to dependence on God. Then this hero discovered that with God, he was enough!

Devotion: In the midst of tragedy, Ruth had every excuse to throw in the towel. She could have changed the course of her life, returned home, and just given up. But she was devoted. She had made a decision to live differently, and even insurmountable odds were not going to dissuade her. Her love and self-sacrificing nature won her what she had no right to. All great qualities of a hero.

Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing! It's fascinating to think about how long Noah worked on the ark. Bible scholars estimate around 98 years! Nearly a century of people telling him he is crazy for obeying God. Working day after day to build something that no one else thought was necessary. Not seeing the fruit of his labors. We often want to quit on God if things don't go our way immediately. Noah wants us to see that we can obey God when everyone else thinks it's crazy! That's heroic!

Heroes come from all different walks of life. Rahab is a testimony that God can take any person, from any place, with any history, and do something truly heroic with them. Rahab's story reminds us of the redemptive power of God. When we have an excuse why God can't use us, He sees an opportunity to show us how heroic we can truly be.

How do you define a hero? The dictionary defines hero as: "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities." However, it also defines hero as a sandwich! Joseph experienced incredible high moments, and incredible low moments. Yet, through it all, he never lost sight of who God called him to be. This perspective helped him to be the right man, at the right place, to accomplish everything God called him to do. Sounds heroic.

Have you ever felt like you were in a place you didn't want to be? Have you ever been in a situation that didn't feel very God-ordained. God has you here on purpose, and every believer can be a planter of the Good News.

As Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians he addresses how we relate to one another and where our greatest source of conflict as believers in Jesus will come from. He recognizes that we are in a spiritual battle and encourages us to be prepared. His love for the church and role as a spiritual father to so many is evident. This Father's Day, let's thank God for Dads that are truly fearless.

From prison, Paul writes and stresses the importance of following Christ as our model. In Ephesians 5, we see how following Jesus affects all of our relationships. This is especially true of our most intimate relationships, such as marriage. With powerful words like reverence and submission, Paul shows us how amazing a marriage is when it reflects Christ's love, and how that love on display can impact the lives of everyone around us.

Authentic (aw-then-tik) adjective- not false or copied; genuine; real. The US Department of Treasury trains its agents to detect counterfeit bills by making sure they are incredibly familiar with genuine currency. As a result, bills that are not authentic are easily detected. Paul writes in Ephesians 4 that we were "created to be like God." Often times we find ourselves living in the tension of who we used to be, and who God calls us to be moving forward. Join us as we talk about what it means to be "Authentic".

What is confidence? The dictionary defines it as: “ full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing” Can we have confidence in God? Full trust? Belief in the power? Is God reliable? Paul writes from a jail cell – facing a death penalty, that confidence in God is not only possible, but essential in the life of every believer.

God's incredible love for mankind was on display in the work of Jesus. Paul wants us to understand that Christ's mission was to come for us. Although we don't always realize it, God assigns incredible value and worth to us. Paul wants the future church to know that this was a rescue mission, and just how valuable we are.

Encourage. A letter to the Ephesians. en-cour-age : verb: to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone). "Can you identify times in your life when some encouragement really made the difference? People that spoke words of support, confidence, and hope to you? The Apostle Paul, from one of the bleakest circumstances imaginable, pens a letter to his friends and supporters - not looking to receive encouragement, but offering it to them. Is it really possible to not only to only be encouraged when in tough circumstances, but, also, to be a catalyst of encouragement in others? Can you imagine the difference it could make in our lives and the lives of those we interact with if we did? Today we will explore the incredible hope that gets deposited when we experience encouragement."

A Wife of Noble Character - For words written more than 2400 years ago, they hold a lot of wisdom for us today. Praise is given to someone who lives in tremendous partnership with their spouse. God validates the strengths, talents, and diligence of someone committed to what is deemed a noble life. Our challenge is to be that incredible partner, and to pass that legacy on to those that follow us.

Proverbs is filled with practical insights and everyday wisdom for waling with the Lord...and living well. Pastor Jeff shares nine kingdom principles from Proverbs that have impacted him personally: 3 Warnings to Welcome, 3 Strategies for Success, and 3 Promises to Possess.