Water's Edge: 2011 - 2014

This Sunday, we learned about the importance of serving, both for the benefit of others, as well as for our own spiritual growth and fulfillment. Hear this week's sermon, and consider ways you can serve your co-workers, family, and the family of God.

At some point in our lives, we may feel a calling to short or long-term missions in order to tell others about Jesus Christ. But many times the mission field is a lot closer than we imagined. Bill preached this Sunday on John 4:31-39 with a message entitled "Field of Souls: Farming in the Neighborhood."

In an Olympic-admiring culture that prides itself on strength, competition, and an ongoing race to be number one, it is painful to accept, let alone admit our weaknesses. Yet, remarkably, it is paradoxically through our weaknesses that Christ makes us strong. Bill delivered an insightful message this Sunday on God's sufficient grace as explained through the illustration and writings of the Apostle Paul.

While it may be easy for us to intellectualize God's love for others, the real battle becomes in possessing the power to understand and accept God's great love for ourselves. We enjoyed a dynamic message on this theme and others found in the book of 1 John.

Just as we’re prone to take the reigns when God has restored our lives to a place of normalcy, the ancient Israelites were no different. In fact, they experienced the same tug-of-war of falling prostrate in submission to God, to replacing Him with their own sense of control and wandering focus as we do today. This Sunday, we learned about women of influence as found in the book of Judges. We discovered how God used them in mighty ways to direct and win the war for His glory.

This Sunday, we looked at various dimensions of depression through the true story of Elijah, as well as the Biblical response to treating and responding to these real and significant areas of concern.

With the onset of summer, we conclude our Ephesians spring sermon series with a compelling message entitled "Honor Where Honor is Due." Transitioning from our Father’s Day message, we looked at the Biblical blueprint for effective parenting, the historical context, as well as Paul's radical warning and council to the 1st century Christian parents in Ephesus.

Fathers are notorious for imparting pieces of wisdom to their children, whether solicited or not. On this Father's Day, we looked at the ultimate parenting advice that Jesus provided during His ministry here on earth.

One of the cornerstones of a successful romantic relationship is faithfulness by both parties. And while God proves He is faithful to us, how good are we at reciprocating? This Sunday, we discussed the stages of spiritual digression, as well as how to navigate a faithful relationship with God.

Does a worthy life relate to items, talents, friends, and gifts bestowed to us, or to assessing our behavior as we live out who we are in the day to day? Great question! Dr. Nate Feldmeth answered this as we continued in our Ephesians sermon series, "Living Out Your Faith Beyond Just Believing."

Sure, we all possess an arsenal of tactics to help us win an argument against frustrating people, but do we possess the weapons and intense boot camp training needed to fight THE good fight? Pastor Bill spoke on our battle beyond flesh and blood with spiritual warfare, and how to arm ourselves successfully against it.

Have you ever in school or work desperately wanted to redefine your identity with a group? This Sunday, Nate preached on the pressing topic of identities. We paused to look at our personal identities, the former identities of the Jews and the Greeks, and how with Jesus, both we and them are reconciled to Christ in a united, new identity.

Mother's Day can be a blessed day for those with a lifetime of fond memories of their mom to choose from. And yet, this day poses such difficulty for many with painful pasts and even present strained relationships with their parents. This Mother's Day, Pastor Bill appropriately spoke on Paul's call to the Ephesians to honor their mother and father. He discussed why God gave us this commandment, ways to honor our parents, and the blessings that can arise from doing so.

What a powerful prayer Paul gave over the Ephesians in chapter 3, verses 14-21, that Bill unpacked and dove into more deeply in his sermon. How amazing that intelligent prayer includes understanding and accepting the immeasurable love of Christ, among many other important aspects.

As we embarked on Ephesians, chapter 2, Pastor Bill asked us to do some heavy-lifting thinking in his sermon entitled "Raised Up." As Bill meditated on the passage, we were invited to do some personal reflection to discern what areas of our life are either dead or alive to Christ. The answers may surprise you.

Continuing the compelling dialogue on chapter one of Ephesians, Nate discussed some of the poignant themes here, laid down key context and historical background on the book of Ephesians, as well as discussed Paul's beautiful and deeply moving prayer to the Ephesians that we find in this chapter.

Bill dived into Ephesians 1:4-14, preaching on the often-discussed hot theological topic, “Who Chooses Whom.” Pastor Bill’s sermon commenced our compelling spring sermon series, "Beyond Belief… Living Out Your Faith Beyond Just Believing--Themes From Ephesians."

Pastor Bill highlighted pivotal Easter sound bites from the Scripture, illuminating some of the essential reoccurring themes we find in them related to the Easter message.

Throughout history, God has required his followers to make difficult choices. God still presents us with difficult choices today, a point which Nate illuminated by discussing the volatile climate surrounding the events of Palm Sunday.

Pastor Bill addressed the topic of divorce and remarriage this Sunday in our sermon series, "Blueprint For A Fulfilling Marriage." Concerning this topic, he looked at how God intended marriage, Scriptural causes for divorce, as well as the potential for remarriage.