Preamble Last week we addressed a hard truth, but as Dr. A. R. Bernard says, “All truth is confrontational.” With the outrage that many have about police conduct, you might have been expecting a public bashing of law enforcement. In a sermon about policing, you might have expected me to be demonstra …

Our Christian Reality Today’s sermon and series is about how to respond to our current political and policing crisis as a Christian. No matter who you are or what uniform you wear, if you are a Christian, your loyalty to Christ must come before all other loyalties. People will address you based on w …

Review The unsuspecting Dream Team story Play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the back. Discern the magnitude and urgency of the moment. You can be beat. (Just showing up is not enough).   Spiritual Lessons  “The goal is not to get back to normal but to get back to God”–Bishop …

The Dream Team (an unsuspecting story)   Lessons: Play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the back. Discern the magnitude and urgency of the moment. You can be beat. (Just showing up is not enough). Application Lesson # 1 Play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the bac …

Introduction Several months ago, many of us looked at what was then an emerging public health crisis and imagined that it would be a temporary pit stop. Though there was significant concern by some, most of us never thought that we would today be several months into a global pandemic with no clear e …

1 Corinthians Chapter  2 (9) But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” — (10) these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (11) For w …

ST JOHN CHAPTER  16 (13) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will GUIDE YOU into ALL truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears HE WILL SPEAK; and He will TELL ( SHOW) YOU things TO COME. (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is MINE and DECL …

2 Corinthians Chapter 4 (16) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬   The Holy Spirit strengthens you from the inside out. Why? So God, who is love, can work His will and purpose through you. 1 Jo …

Ephesians Chapter 3 (20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh IN US,” Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬ God can do great things on the outside when He is allowed to work His power first, on the inside of us. Mark Chapter 16 ( …

Review Last week we discussed the best ways to respond to change, particularly changes that are unexpected and unwelcomed. There are also changes that are welcomed at one level, but also unwelcomed because we are not prepared for them. In the last series, we discussed responding to change by clingin …

Father’s Day is an interesting event. It strikes a chord on several levels. No matter who our father was or is, what he’s done or hasn’t done, he strikes a chord at a deep level. This is a powerful reality. Today we pause to think about its power and to give thanks for what God has done in fatherhoo …

Preachers all over America and the world are wrestling each week with how they will preach each Sunday, as both a global pandemic and outcry over racial injustice frame our reality. Do we continue with our standard bible teaching themes or do we adjust our messages to respond to the socio-political …

Review Last week, we talked about how the Christian life consists of both suffering and prosperity and that having a theology for both is not a contradiction. This is because while our physical reality is subject to change, by faith, we can always be linked to the prosperity of Christ’s person, pres …

Review Last week, we talked about what to do when the unthinkable happens. Common examples are a death, a job loss, a divorce, or a person we trust suddenly turning on us. These are all things we can encounter in a world that is subject to change. Thankfully, in a world that can be so easily shaken, …

Review Last week, we discussed how to address the tension many of us feel between our circumstances and beliefs. As a church that embraces the prosperity doctrine as an aspect of our theology, this is particularly important. Some of the dissonance we may feel between faith and our physical reality i …

Review As many of you know, we began this year announcing that we would spend it focusing on the basics. For us that includes a review of the Word of Faith (or prosperity) theology, one of the doctrines that influences our church.   The doctrine is controversial for two reasons: For what it cla …

The Bible speaks about human reproduction in the first chapter of Genesis (Genesis 1:28). However, neither motherhood nor fatherhood is mentioned explicitly until after the fall. Of the two, motherhood is mentioned first and early. In fact, one of the first things that comes out of God’s mouth as He …

FAITH IN CRISIS “WHEN ALL HOPE IS TAKEN AWAY”   A crisis can take all hope away. But a timely word from God can restore your faith in Him to overcome. Paul the Apostle, in troubled waters as prisoner on a ship to Rome … Acts 27:10-11, Acts 27:20-24, Acts 27:31, Acts 27:36-37, Acts 27:44 NKJV (1 …

JAMES  4:6-7 NKJV (6).  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  While God promises to give us more grace, He gives it to the humble, not the proud.  (7).  Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Faith in crisi …

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Faith in God’s grace will get us through this crisis in our nation, allo …

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT (29) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”   GOD DETERMINES YOUR DESTINY, BUT YOUR CHOICES DETERMINE HOW OR WHETHER YOU GET THERE OR NOT   Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV (9) remember the …

Review For the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at the relationship between the Word of Faith doctrine and race. Specifically, we began to explore what it meant to link the prosperity movement to the African-American church. And in our case, we are a predominately African-American church in a comm …

Review For the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at the relationship between the Word of Faith doctrine and race. Specifically, we began to explore what it meant to link the prosperity movement to the African-American church. And in our case, we are a predominately African-American church in a comm …

Review For the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at the relationship between the Word of Faith doctrine and race. Specifically, we began to explore what it meant to link the prosperity movement to the African-American church. And in our case, we are a predominately African-American church in a comm …

Review Last week, we looked at the relationship between the Word of Faith doctrine and race. Specifically, we began to explore what it meant to link the prosperity movement to the African-American church. This is important because if the prosperity movement is to have value, it must translate into p …

Review For the last two weeks we’ve been providing an overview and biblical evaluation of the Word of Faith Movement. We’ve spent our time looking at the figure of Abraham, the most important biblical figure in the Word of faith movement. We established that as believers in Christ, we are spiritual …

Review For the last two weeks we’ve been providing an overview and biblical evaluation of the Word of Faith Movement. We are examining the Scriptural merits of the doctrine of the prosperity message.   The Significance of Abraham For the last two weeks, we’ve discussed that one of the most impo …

Review Last week we gave an overview of the Word of Faith Movement. People familiar with the movement know it most for the prosperity message. This is a doctrine that proclaims that God wants us to prosper in every aspect of our lives. This includes, but is not limited to Physical Healing Physical p …

Introduction Getting the most out of your church experience means to understand what your church believes. Some beliefs are explicit, and others are implicit. While there are several different Christian traditions that have influenced this church, one of the more significant ones is The Word of Fait …

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn We have more to gain from funerals than from parties (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 NLT). Mourning is an important emotional, social and spiritual exercise for people who live in time and (physical) space (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, Revelations 21:4). Worldly grief brings pain; godly grief …

Joshua 1:8 NKJV (8) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Proverbs 4:20-23 KJV (20) My son, …

Joshua 1:8 NKJV (8). This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Philemon 1:6 KJV (6). That the c …

Joshua 1:8 NKJV (8) This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Philemon 1:6 KJV (6). That the co …

Review We must distinguish between worldly success and kingdom progress, between the American dream and the heavenly vision. We cannot measure Christian success by crowds, money and other status symbols of ministry prosperity. While God does prosper people, determining whether material success is fr …

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…..” Proverbs 23:7 NKJV HOW GOD SEES YOU: THE TRUE REALITY, REVEALED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. • HE SEES US AS HIS CHILD, BELOVED, FORGIVEN, PROTECTED, FREE, HOW YOU SEE GOD SEEING YOU: YOUR TRUE REALITY • HOW YOU SEE GOD RELATING TO YOU, DETERMINES HOW YOU RE …

Review You’re not from here. You are from the one who sent you (John 17:16-18). Jesus sent us into the world to be ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20). Jesus also sent us into the world to be laborers. (Matthew 9:35-38). When Jesus speaks of laborers, he’s speaking figuratively. • Laborers = Harvester …

Review You’re not from here. You are from the one who sent you (John 17:16-18). We learned last month that a sent one is also an ambassador (II Corinthians 5:20). Notes   Heaven’s Labor Shortage We also learned that a sent one is a laborer (Matthew 9:35-38). Look at the biblical pattern: We – S …

PRESS IN TOWARD THE HIGH CALLING (14)  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 KJV The highest calling is less about  where you are called, but all about Who called you and what are you called to do among the people you encounter. You are am …

Review You’re not from here. You are from the one who sent you (John 17:16-18). The one who sent us is Jesus. The one who sent Him is the Father. Just as God has “sent ones” (or ambassadors), Satan has ambassadors (Matthew 24:4-5, Matthew 24:23-24). Just as Satan can turn himself into an angel of li …

Review You’re not from here. You are from the one who sent you (John 17:16-18). The one who sent us is Jesus. The one who sent Him is the Father. The Father sent us the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ request (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit tells everyone that you belong to Jesus and that you have God’s stam …

Review You’re not from here. You are from the one who sent you (John 17:16-18). As a sent one or ambassador, you are responsible for communicating the message of the sender. The message of our sender is this: be reconciled to God (II Corinthians 5:20). The sender is responsible for letting everyone …

Review We learned from The Incredibles movie that we are a family of supers, but we learned from The Black Panther movie that we are a royal family of supers. Our big brother is the King and has sent us to earth to conduct the business of the State—that is, the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 2:11) We are a …

John 10:10 10 The theif comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.     Satan stole man’s identity in the Garden of Eden. Ever since, man has been trying to find himself apart from God.   Notes     John 8:31-32 31 Then sai …

Identity theft began in the garden of Eden, giving satan access to the hearts of all mankind. John 10:10 It is satan’s deception to make people feel uncomfortable in identifying themselves with God. Satan knows once a person identifies him/her self with God, they will act like God and dominate in th …

Review Real superhero work is turning other people into superheroes. We do this by helping people obey Jesus. You become a superhero when Jesus, the most powerful superhero, lives in you. No one’s strong enough to be a superhero alone. We also need the power of Jesus in other people to stop the devi …

Review Last week, we boldly declared the truth as an important first step in a process of healing. This week, we take another important step as we ask a very important question: How do we respond to the truth? You respond to the truth with the truth. For Christians, this means that our next step is …

Review Last week, we discussed some hard truths. Superheroes must do detective work and they must do dirty work. Superheroes must find the truth and then tell it. This is “dirty” work because “all truth is confrontational” (A.R. Bernard). Truth requires a response, which is why people try to avoid i …

Review Our theme this month is about superheroes. The Holy Spirit gives us superpowers, but we learned that God has not called us to be superheroes by ourselves. We are part of a family of supers. But we learned last week that we are not just part of a family of supers, but of a royal family of supe …

Tell Me A Story of Home This is another movie that opens up with a child looking up to his mentor, in this case, his father. Like all children—and really, all people, this child wants to understand who he is and is pondering life’s basic questions: Who am I? Where am I from? What I am going What can …

Does Helen Want Her Groove Back? Sometimes we meet other people’s expectations so well that we forget who we are. When we identify with our secret identity too much, we get upset when people call upon the superhero in us (Numbers 13:31-33).   “Get Yourself Together!” The greatest fear of some s …

“I’m Your Number One Fan” Children naturally want to be just like the adults in their lives (Ephesians 5:1). To them, adults are superheroes. But the real superhero work is turning other people into superheroes. We do this by helping people obey Jesus (Galatians 4:19). You become a superhero when Je …

One of the things that distinguishes humans from other creatures is how much care baby humans require compared to other mammals. While most baby mammals become independent in a relatively short period of time, it takes years to parent a human child into an adult. This accentuates the need of parents …

One of the things that distinguishes humans from other creatures is how much care baby humans require compared to other mammals. While most baby mammals become independent in a relatively short period of time, it takes years to parent a human child into an adult. This accentuates the need of parents …

“Every woman craves a relationship with a real man. . . .She might be temporarily satisfied with someone less mature, but at the end of the day, a woman wants to be with a Real Man” (A.R. Bernard, Four Things Women Want From A Man What is real man? Masculinity may not have a definition, but it does …