Sunday, December 26: The Biblical Metanarrative Approaching the Bible as an outsider can be a pretty confusing process, and the framework that seasoned Christians often take for granted is actually a pretty amazing thing. As we read the Bible, we read through different genres of literature, penned by many different human authors, separated by thousands […]
Sunday, December 19: Christmas Sunday In this season we look back to the moment when human history changed forever, when God joined with us. This season we remember the long cold nights of waiting, the triumphant announcement of God with us, and we live ever more fully into the beginning of the brand new reality […]
Sunday, December 12: Gary’s Retirement Please join us this Sunday for a very special service honoring Gary Albert. Elders, staff and friends will speak for all of us as they share what Gary has meant to them. Stick around afterwards for a chance to share your own thoughts in a video we are putting together […]
Sunday, December 5: The Parables The ballerina Isadora Duncan was once asked backstage what a particular dance meant, and she responded, “If I could explain it with words, I wouldn’t have to dance.” Sometimes, the medium is the message. On Sunday, we will continue our series on the parables of Jesus. Parables speak to our […]
Sunday, November 28: Bolivia Sunday Preview Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful weekend of turkey, football, and spending time with the people you love. God has been good to us in 2021; we have a lot to be thankful for! I have two specific things to share with you this Sunday that I am thankful for. First, […]
Sunday, November 21: The Parables Matthew 13:47–50 Here are a few questions that you can introduce around the Thanksgiving table this year that will save you money on Christmas gifts next month: “What do you think of the governor?” “Who do you think is going to hell?” Famously, the two topics that you aren’t supposed […]
Sunday, November 14: The Parables Matthew 21: 28 – 32 As we continue in our series on PARABLES we will be looking at the parable of the two sons recorded in Matthew 21:28-32. Jesus is in Jerusalem and He is talking to the religious leaders of the day as they are trying combat the influence […]
Sunday, November 7: The Parables Matthew 18:21–34 How many times do you want to be forgiven? Probably as many times as you mess up, and then once more just so you don’t have to worry about it. It’s easy to empathize with the reasons that we fall short, because we know what we meant, we […]
Sunday, October 31: The Parables The ballerina Isadora Duncan was once asked backstage what a particular dance meant, and she responded, “If I could explain it with words, I wouldn’t have to dance.” Sometimes, the medium is the message. On Sunday, we will continue our series on the parables of Jesus. In many ways, describing […]
Sunday, October 24: The Parables The ballerina Isadora Duncan was once asked backstage what a particular dance meant, and she responded, “If I could explain it with words, I wouldn’t have to dance.” In some forms of communication, the medium is the message. In many ways, describing the meaning of a parable is like trying […]
Sunday, October 17: The Parables Luke 12:13–21 Among the many vices known to man, Greed is perhaps the most prevalent and the least recognized. That’s not a quote from anybody famous, just an observation. It’s easy to see when someone is under the affect of gluttony, or wrath, or lust, but greed usually flies below […]
Sunday, October 10: The Parables Isaiah 28:23–29 Parables are sneaky stories that get us someplace we might not otherwise go on our own. They take something that we’re familiar with, say a father and a son, and use that familiarity to enhance our understanding of much deeper truths. This week we’re going to stretch a […]
Sunday, October 3: The Parables Matthew 25:1–13 (NIV) At Believers Fellowship we value the lessons Jesus taught. When He taught the crowds He used various ways to communicate. Sometimes He was straight to the point, sometimes He would use metaphor and similes to make an idea come alive, and sometimes He would tell parables, which were stories […]
Sunday, September 26: The Parables The ballerina Isadora Duncan was once asked backstage what a particular dance meant, and she responded, “If I could explain it with words, I wouldn’t have to dance.” In some forms of communication, the medium is the message. This week, we are starting a new series on the parables of […]
Sunday, September 19: Missions Recap Sunday Our Life Entwined series has been about worship, community, and mission. This Sunday we focus on the idea of living on mission! And what better way to display this than recapping the youth mission trips from this summer? Believers Fellowship has a rich history of supporting mission not only locally, […]
Sunday, September 12: Life Entwined Community Phrases like, “Talk is cheap” or “Walk the walk, don’t talk the talk” remind us that what we do often matters a lot more than what we say we do. The clearest indicators of what we believe are often acted out long before they are spoken. If I insist […]
Sunday, September 5: Life Entwined Worship Paul Tripp wrote, “Human beings by their very nature are worshipers. Worship is not something we do; it defines who we are. You cannot divide human beings into those who worship and those who don’t. Everybody worships; it’s just a matter of what, or whom, we serve.” The difference […]
Sunday, August 29: Kingdom Ethics Beauty In my four messages in Kingdom Ethics, I have been making a case for cultural engagement. What should the church’s response be to the changing culture around us? In my first message, we saw that God is reconciling all things to himself and has made us ambassadors of reconciliation. In […]
Sunday, August 22: Kingdom Ethics Stewardship There are any number of words that have a particular meaning in Christian culture, and could even be considered “Christianese.” Guard your heart is very different than bless your heart (ask a southerner). A hedge of protection is not a gardening term, and washed in the blood does not […]
Sunday, August 15: Kingdom Ethics Communities This week we will be continuing our Kingdom Ethics series. This Sunday, we are going to look at our communities and how God has created relationships as a means to bring glory to himself. Our communities matter. The Scriptures teach us that God has built his church up in such […]
Sunday, August 8: Kingdom Ethics Kinship Last week, we talked about life-giving cultures and death-dealing cultures and concluded that the church is called to steward a life-giving culture in all that this means. I also teased that this week we would be talking about parenting. The world is changing. Recent decades have shown the rise […]
Sunday, August 1: Kingdom Ethics Image This week we will be continuing our Kingdom Ethics series. Last week, Jeremiah reminded us that we are created in the image of God. This week, we are going to look at one of the implications of this truth—because we are created in the image of God, we have […]
Sunday, July 25: Kingdom Ethics Sexuality As we continue to consider what a Kingdom Ethic is, what it means to live a life informed by God’s word, empowered by his Holy Spirit, and as ambassadors to his Kingdom, there are many places where we can joyfully recognize similarities with the world around us. This week […]
Sunday, July 18: Kingdom Ethics: Hope 2 Corinthians 5:1–20 This week we are continuing our Kingdom Ethics series! As I was thinking through the suggested topics for Kingdom Ethics, I originally thought I would preach four one-off sermons—four messages related to the kingdom of God, but four sermons unrelated to each other. But as I […]
Sunday, July 11: Kingdom Ethics Rhythms (Sabbath/Rest) This week in our Kingdom Ethics series we will be learning about Shabbat otherwise known as Sabbath. Through this series, we have been learning about the principles that govern the decisions we make as Christ-followers and Jeremiah kicked it off by stating, “We are going to have to […]
Sunday, July 4: Kingdom Ethics Kingdom Practice Through Ministry Let me make a bold statement: “20% of Christians are doing 80% of the work of ministry in the Kingdom of God.” Do you believe this? I bet you do if you are among the 20%. Why does the Church fall into the same old 80/20 […]
Sunday, June 27: Kingdom Ethics Ephesians 4:11–14 We’re starting a new series this week called “Kingdom Ethics”, where we’ll be taking a look at some of the big cultural topics at work in the church and in culture. Before we get into the particulars however, we’ll be taking a week to consider a few important […]
Sunday, June 20: Baptism Matthew 28:18–20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all […]
Sunday, June 13: Free Galatians 6:1–18 In Galatians 5, Paul sets before us two paths. The first path involves putting confidence in our own flesh and ability to follow God’s Law. This path does not end well. The second path is the path of the Spirit. It involves walking in the Spirit, keeping in step […]
Sunday, June 6: Free Galatians 5:16–26 The notion of no responsibilities, no chores to be done, and no work to do sounds especially appealing on a warm afternoon with the sun shining just right. But as you probably know, a kick-back with a glass of lemonade in the shade sort of afternoon is only possible […]
Sunday, May 30: Free Galatians 5:1–15 Imagine being freed from slavery only to return once again. Hard to believe anyone would do that, right? When you’re a slave, all you dream about is freedom. No one, having tasted that freedom, would voluntarily return to slavery! And yet… In Galatians 5:1–15, Paul warns the Galatians not […]
Sunday, May 23: Free Galatians 4:21–31 When I was younger, one of my friends became a Christian in dramatic fashion. He knew very little about Christianity, but he was excited about his new life in Christ. Because he was not connected to a church, I invited him to join me at mine. That Sunday, my friend […]
Sunday, May 16: Free Galatians 4:8–20 Two steps forward, one step back is a nice way of saying, “You’ll get there eventually.” One step forward, two steps back is sort of a warning that you need to change something if you want to improve, and as you might expect we don’t really have a saying […]
Sunday, May 9: Baby Dedication and Mother’s Day Happy Mother’s Day, Believers Fellowship!This Sunday we’re celebrating the members of our church family who have been entrusted with the weighty task of raising up children. In the book of Matthew, Jesus chose to describe himself as a mother hen, gathering his chicks to him, to describe his […]
Sunday, May 2: Free Galatians 3:15–4:7 This week we continue our series in Galatians called “Free.” Paul (the author of Galatians) has given us much needed reminders for our times. It is so easy to slip into “doing things” in order to receive blessings. The past handful of weeks have been a firehose of grace! This week […]
Sunday, April 25: Free Galatians 3:1–14 Genesis 12 recounts the unforgettable story of Abraham’s first encounter with God. The Lord speaks to Abraham (who at that time was a pagan idol worshipper) and calls him to leave his family and his home to go to the land that God would show him. And Abraham believes. […]
Sunday, April 18: Free Galatians 2:11–21 When I was a kid, one of my favorite days of the year was the neighborhood block party. I lived in rural Maine, and one day every summer we would block off the end of the street and set a table with all the summer classics: hot dogs, wings, […]
Sunday, April 11: Free Galatians 2:1–10 As a general statement, nobody really likes to be told what to do. This goes double if it’s something that we really feel like doing, but know we’re not supposed to. And possibly even triple, if we’re being told not to do the thing that we thought we were […]
Sunday, March 28: Free Galatians 1:11–24 One of the simultaneously best and worst parts about being a human is we’re very aware of the past, even as we exist in the present, and anticipate the future. Our past can remind us of good things like faithfulness, honor, and success, but it can also remind us […]
Sunday, March 21: Free Galatians 1:1–10 This week we turn the page on Judges… and head to the New Testament letter of Galatians. We will spend the next three months diving into this theologically rich epistle! I know what you may be thinking… does theology and doctrine really matter? The answer may surprise you… because […]
Sunday, March 14: The Judges Judges: Conclusion This week, we are concluding our time in the Book of Judges! It has been an adventurous ten weeks in this infrequently-studied book of the Old Testament. We have seen heroes. We have seen tragedies. We have seen the faithfulness of God. Last week, we explored the epilogue […]
Sunday, March 7: The Judges Judges 17–21 We are nearing the end of the Book of Judges! So far, we have seen leader after leader fail to deliver Israel from the cycle of sin, judgment, repentance and deliverance. Some of the judges had a lot of promise: Samson was strong, Jephthah had a way with […]
Sunday, February 28: The Judges Judges 14–16 Last week we were introduced to Samson, the child of promise. Announced by an angel and filled with the Holy Spirit at a young age. Set apart as a Nazarite from the day he was born, his movement in the world would be a proclamation of God’s deliverance. […]
Sunday, February 21: The Judges Judges 3:1–47 An angel of the Lord appears to a woman and brings good tidings of great joy: God will enable her to have a son! This child will be set apart by God as a deliverer, this child is blessed by God, and the Spirit of the Lord empowers […]
Sunday, February 14: The Judges Judges 10–12 If you could make a deal with God to secure His blessing, what would you offer Him? Money? Time? Prayer? Giving up bad habits? What is God’s blessing worth to you? What if I told you that you don’t have to make any vows? Jesus has already secured […]
Sunday, February 7: The Judges Judges 9 Over the last 2 weeks, we have been tracking with the life of Gideon—one of the most exciting judges in the whole book. Gideon’s story culminates with an offer to make him king, which he refuses. He’s a model of humility! As we read on in the story, […]
Sunday, January 31: The Judges Judges 7–8 Gideon’s victory is a flannel board certified classic in the Bible. (If you don’t know about flannel boards, ask someone born in the 80’s or earlier.) It’s often one of the earliest stories we hear, alongside David and Goliath, about how the underdog can win with God’s help. […]
Sunday, January 24: The Judges Judges 6:1–39 As the cycle of Judges continues in chapter 6, we see God’s people have once again fallen into all sorts of evil, nonsense, and general bad decision making. Among them is Gideon, a nobody from nowhere. As the people of God finally recognize their need for help […]
Sunday, January 17: The Judges Judges 4 & 5 We see, yet again, the cycle that the Israelites have fallen into after moving into the new neighborhood. This week is the same thing only different… and we get two judges to see how God interacts with His people. This is good news for us! We […]
Sunday, January 10: The Judges Judges 3:12–31 This Sunday we will be in Judges 3. It is a . . . colorful passage. It’s crude. There are poop jokes (I’m serious). There are fat jokes (still serious). There is gratuitous violence. If you like Quinten Tarantino films, or stories like Game of Thrones or The […]
Sunday, January 3: The Judges Judges What comes to mind when you think of a judge? We’re going to find out that our idea of what a judge is and does is different from how the bible uses the term as we explore some tough passages in the coming weeks. Like it or not, the […]