Church

One of the most common challenges Christians face is this: focusing on our condition rather than our position. What conditions might you be facing? It might be a health problem or a financial burden. It could be a struggle with your teenager. Maybe it’s a persistent habit that keeps flaring up. What is the problem with focusing on your condition? Your condition is always changing. If you are in Christ, however, your position with God never changes. As we’ll see in today’s passage, there’s even more to it than that: If you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit is in you. Being led by the Spirit transforms how you relate to God. This month we are in Romans 8. So far, we’ve discussed two aspects of living under new management – living without condemnation and living by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today we’re going to look at how being led by…

Part of the transformation that comes to people who are “in Christ” is the active presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. This passage compares and contrasts life in the Spirit with life in the flesh – which is characterized by death and hostility towards God. When we live apart from the Spirit, it is impossible to please God because of our disobedience. To live in the Holy Spirit is to seek the things the Spirit desires.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Need a Speaker or Presenter? Interested in having me speak for your church, conference, or organization? Follow this link to learn more. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here.

Most people want a life that is meaningful and fulfilling. This is especially true of Christians. Yet many people are frustrated in their Christian experience. Their spiritual life seems like a bunch of false starts and hard stops. Unfortunately, it often feels like a constant struggle - more burden than blessing. Here’s what I’ve observed over the years: The more we try to live the Christian life by our own power and effort, the more we fail at it. This only leads to self-condemnation, hopelessness, and exhaustion. A healthy Christian life cannot be lived apart from the control and influence of the Holy Spirit. Our passage for this month is Romans 8. It’s about how to move beyond a performance-based relationship with God to one that is guided by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul will describe two basic ways of looking at life. 5 Those who live according to the flesh…

This time of year brings a lot of introspection. Whenever one thing comes to an end and another begins, we have a natural tendency to evaluate and reevaluate. End of the year, end of month, end of a season. Many people will approach these first few weeks of 2019 in a well-intentioned but misguided way … trying to find or redefine themselves. As a Christian, your identity is not simply discovering who you are … but who you are in Christ. As a church, we are starting 2019 in one chapter of the Bible. If you can truly understand this one chapter, it will transform your year. That chapter is Romans 8 but to understand it, you need to back-up one chapter. In Romans 7, Paul is describing a common tension that characterizes both Christians and non-Christians. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do…

None of us grew up in a perfect household. Even the best of parents had arguments, disagreements, and tensions. Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the assurance that God is in control of all things. True, lasting peace – the kind that transcends all understanding – is only available from God.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Need a Speaker or Presenter? Interested in having me speak for your church, conference, or organization? Follow this link to learn more. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here.