Dropping Materialism, Individualism and Consumerism is not a once and for all thing. It’s a decision we make daily. This world never stops telling us we aren’t worthy and God isn’t trustworthy. So we must choose God and His way over and over again, until our serial yes produces a different kind of person — a person with a heavenly perspective, peace and provision — a child of the living God. 

Mankind traded the good life — life as God intended — for the goods life — buying and selling the life we choose. No where is selling and purchasing the life we choose more celebrated than American Western culture. We pride ourselves on being what we want to be, doing what we want to do and accumulating what we want to have. But in the end, life part from God is a lie. The goods life ends in chaos and destruction or by God’s grace, it ends in being reconciled to God by Christ Jesus.    

We are blinded by materialism because unlike other sins it hides and holds us captive. It convinces us our lives consist of the things we have and apart from things we aren't inherently valuable. Materialism is a functional god that forces us to serve it and trust it, convincing us if we have nothing we are nothing. Jesus sets us free from materialism by giving us His peace, His joy and eternal worth -- things that materialism promises but can't deliver. Scripture(s):Luke 19:1-2Luke 12:15Luke 19:3-7Luke 19:8-10

Materialism, Individualism andConsumerism undermine Jesus’ intent for our lives and the Church. The Church was never intended to exist simply to make our lives better. Jesus’ Church has been placed in the world to extend His Kingdom and to usher in eternal life.

Individualism stems from a determination to get what we want rather than embrace God's will regardless of the outcome. But, it's in our valleys, times of despair when things don't go as we hoped, that we develop a deeper dependence upon God and experience God's power to shelter, protect, sustain and position us in His will now and for what is to come. It's in these moments that we must trust God is a Good Shepherd who according to Psalm 23 leads us, lays us down and restores us, especially When the Rain Doesn't Come.

Listening to God demands radical love that engages a community sacrificially requiring excessive generosity - THIS turned the world upside down - let’s turn our city upside down

Before Jesus dropped the mic ending His earthly ministry, His final priestly prayer for those that would bear His name was a prayer for unity. Of all the things He could have asked of the Father as He left this sin-stained, demon-infested world — His deepest desire was that we would be one. Unity is of far more value than we’ve realized. It’s tied to our destiny here and our destiny in the world to come.

Have it your way, do your thing, just do you, are a few of the catch phrases that’ve become the norm in daily thought and language. We live in a hyper-individualized, materialistic culture that’s all about getting what you want and doing things your way — because after all You Only Live Once. But for many of us the biggest obstacle to our peace, joy and flourishing is the very thing we’ve been encouraged to pursue. What if the three-headed monster of Materialism, Individualism and Consumerism was the silent killer, destroying our lives, our families and our societies? What if the way to fullness and fulfillment was not more of what we’ve been after — but in dropping the M(aterialism) I(ndividualism) and C(onsumerism)?Philippians 2:1-4

The God we serve is love and He empowers us to love- to answer the call of the great commandment to love, the great commission to go and the ministry to reconcile.

We’ve all experienced brokenness in relationships. Some of us have siblings we haven’t spoken to for years. Others among us are at odds with in-laws. Some know the pain of divorce. But if we’re ever going to live as the reconcilers God has called to be, we have to stop normalizing ex’s and lean into God's grace to be reconciled.

Who hasn't been hurt by the actions or words of another -- a parent who constantly belittled, a colleague who sabotaged a project or a friend who was disloyal? We’ve had traumatic experiences -- being physically or emotionally abused by someone. Wounds caused by others can leave us with lasting feelings of anger, bitterness and even vengeance. If we don’t learn to forgive, we will never experience the fulness of Love. We must learn to embrace and embody a love that forgives.

We’re part of a world filled with people who have lost the way. The way for humanity in the the mind of God has always been the way of love. We were created in Beloved community; we were created by Beloved community and we were created for Beloved community. When we go the self-absorbed, self-exalting, self-glorifying way of this broken world; we become what Love hates – we become the opposite of Love.

The human ego is one of the biggest enemies of God’s love. Ego works to exalt our will, our way and the pursuit of our glory over God’s. But we were made in Love; we were made by Love and we were made for Love. When we refuse to live in love we destroy ourselves. If we’re ever going to recover the beloved existence God intended -- conformed to His will and way – we will have to choose God’s love over our ego..

God is calling us, inviting us and teaching us to love. He knows apart from Love we can produce nothing, become nothing and gain nothing of value. We were made for Love; we were made by Love and we were made in Love. When we give ourselves to real Love, we begin to really live life – a life of real love.

As those born of Love, we’ve been supernaturally equipped to live in Beloved Community. Our rebirth and renewal changes everything—our new life resting securely on the foundation of our immersion into His abiding Love. Love is not just what we do; Love is who we are.

Love God's 4-Letter Word: Perfecting Love428 views Streamed live 22 hours ago Introduction: At some point real love shows itself in what it does, not simply in what it says or feels. Love that says or feels but never does, is not real love. We try to really love, but apart from God we can’t – God is love. In order to perfect lov(s): NKJV1John4:15-188.7.2022 Message TakeawaysConfessing is more than saying with our mouths – it’s reflected in our lives. The God who is love teaches us to abide in His love.Love is perfected in us when it becomes who we are.

Over the last five years, popular culture has become inundated with spirituality, particularly New ageism. On any given day now, you can walk into a store and find crystals, and books with a concentration on chakras and the power of the mind. It is Indeed fascinating to explore the possibilities of being able to manifest one’s own destiny, ideas that we find in both Christianity and beyond. The question, however, is, are these things true? Am I really the master of my own fate, Is it possible to manifest my own destiny and if so, is this the way God intended for it to be?

The God who is Love came to deliver us from lesser loves. When our affections for created things exceed our affections for the Creator of all things we become enslaved. The God who is Love is lifting us and restoring us to our identity and destiny in the Beloved.

Being chosen in the Beloved changes every aspect of our human existence. We’ve been restored to the Godhead the source of love and life – the God of creation. Our lives have become a response and a result of His grace and lovingkindness. We must learn to live in love, from love and for love. We have been chosen in the beloved. Scripture(s) NKJV:Ephesians 1:3Ephesians 1:4Ephesians 1:5,6Ephesians 1:3-6Message TakeawaysOur praise of God is distinct from all other praise or it isn’t praise of God at all.When we choose what God chose for us, we discover what God has prepared for us.Love has predestined a destiny for us far better than any destiny we could accomplish on our own.

In a world filled with complexities and confusion how is one organism — the Church — to have clarity on its mission and purpose? We must look to and hear from Jesus, that we might grasp the mission and the mandate from the Master.

Love may very well be the most used and abused word ever uttered by mankind. It’s been used to describe our mothers, favorite ice creams and travel destinations. It’s been used to manipulate, corrupt and to restore. Some of us can remember our first love and some of us have experienced so much relational pain, we’ve sworn to never love again. But long before there was a mother, difficult break up or travel destination – even before the world was, there was love. God is love and love is His four-letter word, more than anything else. Scripture(s): NKJV

Graduation is always a time to celebrate the accomplishment of completing a course of studies or a program. But just as graduation is about completion, graduation is about launching out for something new. With the certificate or degree or competencies that you come away with, you now have the capacity to make change in your community, in the society and in your own life. However, a piece of paper or even reading books or passing a test isn’t enough to enable and empower you to actually change the world. You will need a set of divine instructions to set you apart for actually changing the world once you graduate to launch out. This set of divine instructions come from none other than the divine architect that will help us build a structure that will stand long after we depart from our assignment.

In track and field, wind assistance is the benefit an athlete receives during a race as registered by a wind gauge. Due to a tailwind’s ability to enhance performance in certain events, there’s a limit to how much assisting wind an athlete may perform under if the performance is to establish a record. In life, we all need to run a wind-aided race, and there is nothing that pushes us forward like the tail-wind of a good father. The bible and empirical data prove that few things are a predictor of success in life like the presence of an active father – I would argue nothing aids in life like the wind-assistance of a present, active, godly father.

So much of our torment, anxiety, irrational fear, unresolved frustration and deep-seated anger is rooted in an unwillingness to accept our God given limits. We've not only been designed by God we've been limited by God. We can't embrace and find joy in who we are, if we're unwilling to embrace and find joy in who we are not. We have all been limited by design.

With all that is going on around us it seems normal to be fearful. The fear of mass shootings, personal phobias, car-jackings, racial unrest, economic turmoil, and even dying from a pandemic can overwhelm our hearts and minds and drive us to addictions and toxic behaviours. The truth is that our minds were not designed for fear but God can literally re-wire our brains so that we live the fearless abundant life he planned for us.

Bitter root judgements are the dead weight of the soul. They leave the heart full of darkness and we become shackled to the pain of the past. Only grace can loosen the grip of bitter root judgements.

Suffering and pain make-up 40% of all of the Psalms -- along with Job and Lamentations, they acknowledge the truth of pain and suffering in this fallen world. We’ve all experienced deep sadness and hard to shake gloom, due to trauma and overwhelming disappointment in this life. Depression or black & blues of the heart and mind can be deeper and more persistent for some of us. Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the US and the second leading cause of disability worldwide. But there is nothing we experience in this life, that Jesus hasn’t felt first hand and that He hasn’t promised to bring us through. He’s concerned about and present in our black and blues. Scripture(s): NKJVHebrews 4:15 Psalm 42:1-11

In Exodus 3, God Himself announced that not only had the cries of His people reached Him, but He personally had come down to deliver them. Yet, when Moses broadcast this message to those bond in Egypt in Exodus 6:7, scripture tells us that they couldn't hear nor believe him. This is the work of shame... a pervasive sense that even if you don't like where you are, you deserve to be there. Rather than embrace the deliverer in front of you, shame convinces you to accept the devils behind you. This healing message will dismantle the work of shame in the life of God's bride, liberating us from barrenness to be a blessing.Scriptures:Isaiah 54:1-8; 11-17 (NKJV)Psalm 139:5 (TPT)Psalm 139:23-24 (TPT)Takeaways:1. Sin is not satisfied with shaming our past; it seeks to stain our future.2. Shame tells us there's not only something wrong with what we've done, there's something wrong with who we are.3. God turns barrenness into blessings.

Introduction:According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness 50% of adults will develop anxiety, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD or some other mental illness in their lifetime. Gen­er­a­tion Z (1995 and 2010 ) is grow­ing up in an age of increased anx­i­ety and stress. Approximately 70% of teens across gen­der, race and fam­i­ly-income lev­els say that anx­i­ety and depres­sion are sig­nif­i­cant prob­lems accord­ing to the Pew Research Cen­ter. And this is not altogether new, from the beginning all of creation was impacted by the fall, including humanities’ mental health. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, trauma or life dominating mental health challenges our minds matter to God. He’s concerned about our overall well-being and He has given His only begotten Son that we might be made whole. Scripture(s): NKJVPhilippians 4:4-84.24.2022 Message TakeawayGod loves to ask the impossible and then make all things possible.God is the source of every good and necessary thing.It’s not what happens that leaves a lasting impact but our thoughts and conclusions about what happened.

Antonia was a fortress and military barrack built in Jerusalem by King Herod around 19 BC. At Antonia, three days before the resurrection of Jesus Christ the most famous public trial in human history took place. A trial with consequences reaching further than Marbury vs. Madison, Brown vs. Board of Education, or Roe vs. Wade. This was the Passover Trial of Jesus (and Barabbas). One was a notorious rebel and murderer, the other a rabbi, teacher and miracle worker, who called Himself God. This very public trial famously ends with one being released and the other sentenced to death by crucifixion. Barabbas was not released because of innocence. His crimes of murder and rebellion were more tolerable than the crime of claiming to be God -- Give Us Barabbas!

Jesus came during a time when the Roman empire was spreading throughout the world. Their military, political and social institutions dominated the Middle East, Northern Africa, Western Europe, Greece, and the Balkans. As he entered Jerusalem, Jesus was fulfilling prophecy and entering the hopes of a people who’d been waiting for over 500 years. Those present as He entered Jerusalem were looking for His Kingdom and the dismantling of Rome. But Jesus came to begin an inside job that is still going on today.

often believe we’ve placed our faith in Christ but ultimately discover it’s really in success, true-love, fame, fortune or the life we want to live. The culture teaches us to believe these pursuits hold the key to contentment and fulfillment in this life. It’s no surprise many of us feel lost, alone, disenchanted and even angry towards life and God. When we take good things and make them supreme things, they become idols that drive and control our lives. There’s only One who can wholly satisfy our deepest desire for contentment and true fulfillment and until we train our hearts to embrace that truth, we will be discontent.

For many of us, the way we define contentment is the very thing that makes us discontent. As long as we believe contentment is self-sufficiency based on having all the provision and protection we need – we will never be content. The enemy of our soul subtly deceives us into defining contentment in a way that makes us independent of our abiding need for Christ. The moment we learn our sufficiency and true contentment is in Christ and always will be -- we begin to grasp the secret of contentment.

We live in a world of discontentment – filled with people dissatisfied with their possessions, positions and conditions – convinced if I just had more, I would be content. But discontentment is an affections issue. Contentment is not found in possessions, positions and conditions. Contentment isn’t the result of having more of something or something different. Contentment is an enduring result, only when our affections are rooted in the right thing.

Jesus promised He would build His Church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. The Church of Jesus has been built for greater works. The works of hell in the earth will not prevail against the greater works of His Church in the earth. The Church has keys to something far greater than every work of darkness. The Church has been built for greater works.

As we continue to journey in the year of Greater, we must acknowledge that greater works or doing come from a place of greater being. Apart from a life filled with and animated by the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to produce the fruit God desires and the works He has purposed for our generation. The ministry of the Spirit is essential for the believer to live Greater in 2022.

Introduction:There is an attitude of deception and pretending in this culture. We are constantly left questioning and trying to determine, “who is genuine and who is not?”Scripture:1John 1:5 - 2:1

With His cross and His sinless, sacrificed body, Jesus gives us His peace. We are no longer enemies of God – through Jesus, God’s wrath towards our sin has been satisfied. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to teach us how to walk in that peace, live in that peace and enter into the greater work of extending that peace – a peace that surpasses.

Jesus promised He was going to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. Every follower of Jesus has been restored to the family of God. We all have a future with Him in the new heaven and earth. But Jesus has also prepared a place in us and the Holy Spirit has come to abide in and to live through us. There is a place prepared for us and there’s a place prepared in us.Scripture(s): NKJVJohn 14:18-24Connection Card: https://bit.ly/ImReadyToLiveThis​Submit Your Prayer Request: http://bit.ly/TPCPrayer Like and Subscribe! Streaming on YouTube!

Greater generosity in our lives always results in greater influence through our lives. Connection Card: https://bit.ly/ImReadyToLiveThis​Submit Your Prayer Request: http://bit.ly/TPCPrayer Like and Subscribe! Streaming on YouTube & Facebook Sundays @11AM!

Jesus made this world and more specifically His disciples, the object of His greatest act of love. The Father showed Him the end He had in mind, to restore mankind to Himself and Jesus gave His all to accomplish that end. He gave a greater love and the Father gave Him the greatest power. Jesus now calls us to give Him our greatest love that He might give us a greater power to continue in His works and greater works.

As we acknowledge God’s prophetic declaration of greater in 2022, we must also recognize our need for increased surrender and humility. Like John, we too have a destiny to glorify Christ our King—He must increase, we must decrease.

We live in an ever-changing world with ever-changing circumstances. The tendency can be to anticipate what’s next, look to others who’ve faced what we face or who’ve accomplished what we hope to accomplish. But looking to do what’s been done or to mimic the choices of others rarely leads to the greater works Jesus has in mind for us. If we’re going to live as He intends, moving from good to greater, it’s going to require a different kind of faith.

Jesus came to restore us to the Father. He revealed this truth to His disciples when they asked Him how to pray and He answered – “when you pray say our Father.” We see Jesus’ intent to restore us to the Father when Simon Peter discovered who Jesus was – “blessed are you Simon Bar-jonah because flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you but my Father in heaven.” Jesus was unveiling this truth yet again, as He prepared for the cross. If you’ve seen me -- you’ve seen the Father. Jesus came to restore us to the Father and through that restoration -- greater works.

When we place our dependency, hopes and expectations in things that are subject to change, we invite heartache and disappointment into our lives. Sadly, we often end up attributing those heartaches and disappointments to Jesus’ failure to come through for us. But Jesus does not exist as a way to give us the good life we’ve envisioned for ourselves. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life – He brings us into a life that is far greater than anyone could conceive or accomplish apart from Him.

Jesus eulogized Himself with the text long before anyone ever used it to eulogize a loved one. This entire chapter helps us to understand how Jesus intends for us to live in this temporal, transitory, ever-changing world. What Jesus’ closest followers see as the end of all the good they’ve dreamed of and given their lives for is really the beginning of something greater -- something Jesus has dreamed of and given His life for. #Greater2022.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law…” “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you…” What is true of Jesus…what was true of Jeremiah, is true of all of us. We were known by God before the foundation of the world and we have been sent into this world. Too often, we cry out for God to take us from the very thing He has sent us to. Everything in our lives looks and feels different when realize we’ve been sent to this world — we don’t come from this world.