A message from the series “Pray Like This.”

John 17 is a masterclass in prayer, but few of us take the time to really examine what it talks about. Jesus prays for Himself, His Apostles, and the disciples at large, but He also prays for the work that He’s engaged in, as well as for the Apostles to develop strong trust in God’s Word.

And unity. He prays for the church to be united in purpose as a powerful testimony to the world.

Is that what we’re praying for? If not, maybe a quick re-examination of what Jesus prays about can help us focus on what we should be doing with our own life.

Handling a dispute between church members can be tricky. Often times gossip will be spread (intentionally or unintentionally), feelings will be hurt, and people leave.

Missing in the whole discussion is what *actually* happened to cause the split in the first place. That’s why Matthew 18 is so important — it gives a step by step playbook of how to handle church disputes in a way that emphasizes relationships instead of winning.

If followed properly, many churches would be reconciled instead of splitting. All it takes is a little bit of humility from everyone.

Our spiritual family is one of the greatest blessings we have as Christians. It strengthens us, encourages us, corrects us, and supports us when times get tough.

But we only get out of it what we put into it. If we join a church to see what they can give to us, we’ll only find bitterness. If we join a church asking how we can contribute, we’ll find blessings and more.

Which one describes me?

In this theme service, we looked at how Christians are first drawn from afar, how we’re united by faith, and that hope drives us forward. 

When Hezekiah showed the Babylonian envoys “all that was in his house,” he thought he was showing his strength. In reality, all he proved was how naive he was to think that same action wouldn’t come back to bite him.

Yet we don’t need storehouses to do the same, do we? That’s what social media is for! But where’s the line between us sharing our excitement for something and it coming off as pride — the very thing that Hezekiah was guilty of?

Unfortunately, only you know that line, but maybe Hezekiah’s story can help us figure it out.

Thoughts and prayers are meaningless without action — or so the world says about Christians. Are they right? Kinda. While prayer is powerful, there’s no question that prayer without any kind of action is basically just noise. If we’re going to believe in something, worship something, and pray to Someone, our life should reflect it.

Solomon is exceptionally qualified to speak at your graduation this month. He’s rich, successful (by worldly standards), and is given more wisdom than any person that has ever lived.

So what advice would he give to graduates in a commencement speech? While he would most likely start with the necessity to keep learning, he might also talk about the best places to find wisdom, how to define success, and to keep a healthy fear of God wherever you go.

“There is work that we all can do,” as the song goes. But what exactly is that work that we can all do? As we look to strengthen our local congregations, there are very practical, everyday things we can do that will help us grow. Inch by inch, person by person.

A message from the series “Gospel Meeting 2022.”